Chapter 9

Last time, we mentioned that Li Kuan took over the procurement of medicinal herbs for the Qin王府. He discovered that two essential herbs he urgently needed were unknown in this era, which left him disheartened and subjected to a series of interrogations by Changsun.

Li Kuan didn't know how he managed to make Changsun give up on the questioning; he only felt the world had turned dark. Why hadn't ginseng and notoginseng been discovered even in the Tang Dynasty! Did he have to send people to the northeast to gather ginseng? And notoginseng, which Li Kuan only remembered growing in the south, seemed to be produced in only a small area. For Li Kuan, who had only two or three years to live, every day was a countdown to his life. How could he afford to wait for people to be sent to gather the herbs and then send them back!

Moreover, with the current turmoil, it would be several more years before the country could truly be at peace. Even if the people sent out managed to gather these two herbs, there was no guarantee they could return to Chang'an. It might be possible in three or five years, but Li Kuan couldn't wait that long! According to the historical trajectory, Li Kuan didn't have that much time left!

"Alas!" Li Kuan bid farewell to Changsun, walked out of the courtyard, and sighed to the sky, "Man plans, but heaven decides! I never thought that despite all my scheming, I would end up in such a predicament!"

Since arriving in this era and accepting his new identity, Li Kuan had been plotting. He exaggerated the incident of Li Tai being beaten a thousand times over, hoping to make Li Yuan grant him one wish: to obtain ginseng and notoginseng. However, things didn't go as he planned. Li Yuan dismissed him without a word, perhaps because he was the eldest!

Afterward, when Changsun asked Li Kuan to take over part of the Qin王府's affairs, he reluctantly agreed. He could see that this was a test from Changsun, to see if someone was guiding him from behind. But to find the two essential herbs to strengthen his body, he accepted the task.

The result was far from what he expected, leaving Li Kuan unable to accept it. How could he face his limited time with such a heavy heart?

Some might ask: Are there no other herbs that can replace these two? Must it be ginseng and notoginseng?

The answer is simple. Li Kuan's frailty was due to a congenital deficiency, not just a simple weakness. For severe conditions, strong medicine is needed. Only these two herbs, which are the best for replenishing qi and blood, could stimulate Li Kuan's weak congenital energy, allowing him to absorb the medicinal effects and extend his life.

Li Kuan returned to his courtyard, looked at the ledger in his hand, and threw himself onto the couch, feeling powerless. He had no interest in anything. For anyone, knowing their days were numbered would make it impossible to have any enthusiasm. As a穿越者, Li Kuan had a way to change his fate, but he was defeated by the harsh realities, which made him even more depressed.

Despite this, the day after receiving the ledger, Li Kuan mustered his strength and began his first job in the Tang Dynasty.

"Isn't the monthly allowance for the fifth prince, Li You, a bit too much? Look, it's not much less than the eldest prince, Chengqian. He's only three years old; how could he need so much money? Cut it in half!" Li Kuan said, looking at the ledger presented by a steward of the Qin王府.

"Yes, I will take care of it immediately!" the steward bowed and replied.

"By the way, don't reallocate the money you cut. Give it to the eldest prince and the third and fourth princes. They have all started martial arts training; use it to buy them suitable weapons!" Li Kuan added.

When the steward first heard Li Kuan's decision to cut the fifth prince's allowance, a glint of interest flashed in his eyes. But when Li Kuan's next words came out, he couldn't hide his surprise and astonishment. He was sent by Changsun to test Li Kuan. Initially, he thought this new supervisor was trying to enrich himself, but when Li Kuan turned around and distributed the money to the other princes, he was left speechless. What kind of person would harm others without benefiting himself?

Li Kuan didn't care what the steward thought. He was only focused on finding a way to save his life. He had even considered revealing everything to Changsun, telling her that he knew the future because of a thousand-year dream, and that he needed ginseng and notoginseng to prolong his life. But he couldn't make up his mind.

Time passed as Li Kuan hesitated and wavered. It was already winter in the sixth year of Wude, and he had been in this era for nearly two months. During these two months, he practiced the Three-Body Stance every day, and his health remained stable, giving him renewed hope. After all, the historical Li Kuan didn't know Xinyi Quan, so could the health benefits of internal martial arts help him survive?

In these two months, Li Kuan, with the mathematical knowledge he had learned in modern society for twelve years, managed the accounts meticulously. The previously chaotic ledgers became clear and easy to understand under his management. Unnecessary expenses were also identified, and the monthly expenditure was reduced by nearly ten percent, while the results were even better than before.

Li Kuan's achievements did not escape Changsun's notice, but she said nothing. Li Er was on his way back and would return to Chang'an in three to five days, specifically to deal with this somewhat extraordinary son.

Besides Li Er, the Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng, had returned to Chang'an half a month ago, which left Changsun with no time to focus on Li Kuan. She had to prepare to deal with the various tricks from the Crown Prince's faction. She would hold out until her husband, Li Er, returned, and then the ministers of the Tian Ce Fu would handle the situation.

"Second Brother, Lizhi found something very interesting!" The little girl, Li Lizhi, came to play with Li Kuan again. Over these two months, Li Kuan had gradually gotten to know the future Princess Chang Le. She was indeed as beautiful as her name suggested, radiating charm even at a young age. Despite her illness, which confined her to the small palace, she had a gentle and virtuous character. Her voice was always soft and calm, like a gentle breeze whispering in your ear.

Her skin was as smooth and lustrous as ivory, though a bit pale, it was like the finest silk. When Li Kuan held her hand, he was always worried it would slip out. So he would gently but firmly hold Li Lizhi's hand, which would make her softly complain that he was hurting her.

Every time he heard Li Lizhi's voice, Li Kuan felt very calm. "Lizhi, what did you find? Shall Second Brother go with you to see it?"

"Sure! Lizhi came to find Second Brother to go together!" Li Lizhi smiled, her big eyes narrowing into slits, and she waved her hand, urging Li Kuan to come over.

"Coming, hehe..." Li Kuan found that among his siblings, both he and his predecessor preferred to spend time with this little girl. The eldest prince, Li Chengqian, was focused on reading and martial arts to avoid disappointing his parents, so he wasn't very concerned about his younger siblings. Two months ago, he wouldn't have visited Li Kuan if not for Mr. Kong Yingda's instructions, let alone teach him.

As for Li Ke, the future Prince of Wu, it was unclear whether it was due to his mother's influence or his natural disposition. Li Kuan always felt that this little guy looked down on him, often looking up at the sky and leaving his nose to look at people, in short, he was proud.

Indeed, this guy had the blood of two imperial dynasties, with his mother being a princess of the Sui Dynasty and his father a prince of the Tang Dynasty, making his lineage extremely noble. But Li Kuan always felt he was too proud, a little kid who didn't even understand what lineage meant, being proud for no reason!

The fourth prince, Li Tai, was a chubby and likable child, but his interest in poetry and literature didn't give him much in common with Li Kuan. In modern times, Li Kuan was just a high school graduate, and even though he had studied for twelve years, which was two years more than the ten years of hardship in ancient times, who studied poetry and literature in modern times? Many students didn't even understand what "fu" was! As a poor student, Li Kuan couldn't even remember the famous poems in his textbooks, let alone others!

The fifth prince, Li You, Li Kuan had only seen once in these two months, when he cut his allowance in half. This three-year-old child came to argue with him, even jumping and shouting that he would beat him to death. He was a typical spoiled brat.

So, Li Kuan's favorite was only the little girl, Li Lizhi. Although there were other young girls like Xiangcheng and Nanping, they were always a bit afraid of Li Kuan. Someone had spread the word about Li Kuan's blunt confrontation with Li Yuan, making these little girls think he was a bad person, as they had always been taught that the emperor was always right. So, Li Kuan was a bad child who refused to admit his mistakes.

Li Kuan always laughed it off, thinking that people could say what they wanted. He needed to focus on saving his life first.

Putting that aside, Li Kuan, holding Li Lizhi's hand, came to a courtyard he had never been to before. It was quite secluded, and the houses were much lower.

"Lizhi, where are we?" Li Kuan couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Li Lizhi's hair, a gesture he had become more skilled at over the past two months.

"Stop it, Second Brother! I just combed it nicely!" Li Lizhi complained, but her head unconsciously rubbed against his hand, like a gentle kitten.

"Lizhi, you haven't told Second Brother what's interesting here yet!" Li Kuan smiled and let go of her hand.

"Second Brother, they burn stones here! Black stones, just like charcoal," Li Lizhi answered mysteriously.

"Black stones, burning? Isn't that coal!" Li Kuan thought for a moment and knew the answer!

At that moment, a mechanical voice sounded in Li Kuan's mind: 'Low-energy carrier detected within fifty meters. Absorb?'

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