area51novel Page 480
Page 480
Although Li Chang'an was not deeply involved in court politics, Huaiqing felt inexplicably at ease upon hearing his words, as if he had someone to rely on.
She suddenly realized that it wasn't that she had won over Li Chang'an, but rather that Li Chang'an had chosen to help her. Now, Li Chang'an's words had reassured Huaiqing.
Huaiqing couldn't help but feel emotional, realizing that his heartfelt sincerity had finally earned Li Chang'an's approval.
Previously, their interactions were limited to academic and political matters, but today was different; Li Chang'an had entered her heart.
As the two chatted, dinner time passed, and Li Chang'an escorted Princess Huaiqing to the gate of the mansion.
The next day was the Lantern Festival. At this time, the inner city was already brightly lit, and the streets were bustling with people.
The eldest princess, dressed in a lake-blue palace dress, walked in the night, her silhouette graceful and captivating.
"Huaiqing".
Just as the princess approached the golden nanmu carriage, she suddenly heard Li Chang'an calling her.
Holding the scroll in her arms, she instinctively turned her head, completely oblivious to the fact that Li Chang'an hadn't used honorifics, and also unaware of the breathtakingly beautiful smile on her face.
"gentlemen?"
"The east wind blows at night, setting off a thousand trees of flowers, and scattering them like rain. The road is filled with the fragrance of precious carriages and carved horses, the sound of phoenix flutes moves, the jade pot shines, and fish and dragons dance all night long."
Huaiqing's eyes flickered, and he even lowered his voice to breathe, not daring to interrupt Li Chang'an.
This is a poem, a poem with vivid imagery, much more lively than that flattering poem written for Lin'an!
At this moment, Huaiqing was even more convinced that the so-called "Respectfully Presented to Princess Lin'an" must have been forced upon Li Chang'an by that damned girl from Lin'an.
That poem is all about praising Lin'an; it's clearly meant to please young girls.
"Moths and willows, golden threads, laughter and fragrance linger. I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd, then suddenly I turned around, and there he was, in the dim light."
Huaiqing's smile suddenly froze. Only when she heard "smiling and cheerful" did she realize that she had been smiling the whole time, and it was a gentle smile, completely different from her usual style.
Upon hearing the last line, Huaiqing was completely stunned, and unconsciously began to repeat, "I searched for him a thousand times in the crowd... Suddenly, I turned around, and there he was... in the dim light."
At that moment, Huaiqing felt her heart pounding rapidly, and she quickly pressed her hand to her chest.
For years she had never been able to feel her own heartbeat, but this time she clearly felt a thunderous heartbeat.
When Huaiqing looked up and saw Li Chang'an's confident smile, she panicked, her face turning pale with shock, and an emotion she had never felt before enveloped her.
She had an almost irresistible urge to rush over, throw herself into Li Chang'an's arms, and hold him tightly.
Huaiqing was terrified by her own thoughts. She quickly slipped into the carriage as if fleeing, closed her eyes, and let her emotions surge and churn.
"What's wrong with me... why is my heart beating so fast..."
Huaiqing's feelings for Li Chang'an had been amplified by Li Chang'an. Once such feelings arose, they were unforgettable and lifelong for a devoted woman like Huaiqing.
Once his rapid heartbeat subsided, Huaiqing suddenly shouted outside, "Stop, stop, stop! We haven't asked Mr. Li the name of this poem yet!"
The palace maid following outside replied, "Your Highness, we are almost at the palace..."
Huaiqing was stunned. He thought it had only been a moment, but they had actually traveled such a long distance.
"...Before leaving, Mr. Li said that this poem is called 'Celebrating the Lantern Festival'."
Huaiqing listened with a smile, without using any words like "gift" or "respectfully presented," which is the proper way for close friends to interact.
The gifts of jade and incense, and the presents to Princess Lin'an, are both polite and insincere, lacking any genuine sincerity.
The competitive Princess Huaiqing felt she had achieved a great victory and was completely satisfied.
An hour later, Huaiqing sat on the bed, reading the poems Li Chang'an had given her over and over again, unable to fall asleep.
"Honestly, why didn't you write about Yuanxi Huaiqing too... My handwriting is nowhere near as good as yours."
Before her were Li Chang'an's poem about thatched cottages and her own poem about celebrating the Lantern Festival.
"No, no, you must have been moved to say this because you saw me looking back in the lamplight."
That night, Huaiqing unexpectedly had girlish thoughts and fell asleep holding the two scrolls in her arms.
"Suddenly turning around, I found him where the lights were dim..."
"How could there be such an extraordinary man in the world?"
The next morning, Li Chang'an sent Xu Lingyue to deliver the poem he had written for the Lantern Festival to the palace. Huaiqing hung one of the poems in her boudoir, while the other was hung in her study.
Huaiqing is not a flamboyant person. He won't spread his favorite poems around. Some things are better kept to himself.
Two months later, Li Chang'an finally broke through to the fourth rank of the Daoist sect. Now, Li Chang'an has reached the fourth rank in all three cultivation systems, and should be able to defeat any third-rank opponent in any system.
Furthermore, having already mastered three of the Nine Secrets of Covering the Sky, Li Chang'an's martial prowess has entered the top fifty.
Over the past six months, Li Chang'an's rankings have been rising across the board, with his arts and literature ranking showing the fastest improvement.
Because his poems for Fu Xiang and Lin An were already famous throughout the land, and his poems for Huai Qing were also circulating among literati in a small circle, coupled with the calligraphy and paintings that Li Chang'an sold, the reputation of the great talent had long since spread throughout Da Feng.
Since combing through the fragrant brothel, his ranking in the "romantic" category has risen to the top fifty. Based on past experience, the higher the ranking, the more difficult it is to improve.
Li Chang'an did not deliberately cultivate his power and wealth, but he still managed to enter the top 500. Although he did not hold a high official position, his influence was too great, so his ranking in power was not low.
World: The Great Feng Night Watchman
Age: Forever 18
Su Hui: Possessing keen insight, photographic memory, master of all realms, and a furnace of heaven and earth.
Realms: Martial Arts Rank 4 - Intent, Confucianism Rank 4 - Gentleman, Taoism Rank 4 - Nascent Soul
Cultivation Techniques: Azure Origin Sword Art (Perfected), Nine Secrets of Heaven-Covering (All, Action, Fighting), Righteous Qi (Great Success), Dripping Water Sword Intent (Great Success), Nine Revolutions Immortal Refining Technique (Beginner)...
Red Dust: 35000 (Cumulative 53 points)
排名：权势320、财富500、武力50、风流45、文艺3
The system settled accounts twice during this period, awarding a total of 50,000 Red Dust Points.
Li Chang'an spent 15,000 to exchange for the Daoist cultivation technique "Nine Revolutions Immortal Refining Technique," which can be cultivated to the first rank. The technique was obtained from the Immortal Rebellion World among the myriad worlds, and it was more than enough to cultivate to the first rank of the Daoist sect.
Of course, the cultivation techniques have also been modified by the system, and the specific advancement rules still need to be adapted to the Great Feng World.
During this time, Lin'an still came frequently, and her relationship with Li Chang'an became increasingly intimate, because Li Chang'an always had a way of making this little girl blush.
Since being enlightened by Li Chang'an, Huaiqing has been more open and trusting when she visits him, but she still refuses Wei Yuan's offer.
Because Li Chang'an gave her confidence, she didn't want to get married yet and wanted to continue to work hard for the court.
Once the marriage is finalized, her brothers and ministers will have ample reason to prevent her from interfering in politics.
Moreover, Huaiqing felt that although she had developed feelings for Li Chang'an, she was unsure of how much she held in his heart.
In short, there is still a distance between developing feelings of love and discussing marriage.
Besides his regular visits to Fuxiang, Li Chang'an also spent his days teasing Xu Lingyue, which made her thick-skinned and bolder.
If it weren't for her young age, Li Chang'an would have already turned this little beauty from a maid into a concubine. It's all too common for a master to take over a maid.
One day, Chu Caiwei, who hadn't visited for a month, arrived looking worried.
"Li Chang'an, do you know everything?"
Chu Caiwei looked suspiciously at Xu Lingyue next to Li Chang'an, because Xu Lingyue's face was flushed and she was smoothing her slightly messy hair, wondering what game she had just been playing with Li Chang'an.
Chu Caiwei and Xu Lingyue were about the same age. Chu Caiwei had a rosy face, big, bright eyes, and whites of her eyes like a baby's, making her look very innocent.
"You can compose poems, practice martial arts, understand Taoist magic, and write articles..."
Chu Caiwei casually picked up the osmanthus cake next to her, took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up, her low spirits rising.
"You can even improve the osmanthus cake recipe! Is there anything in this world you can't do?"
Li Chang'an laughed and said, "It's not omnipotent, but what difficulties has Caiwei encountered?"
Chu Caiwei asked expectantly, "Do you know alchemy?"
"I am a seventh-rank Feng Shui master, and a sixth-rank alchemist. Alchemy is difficult and boring. Can you teach me?"
"You've only been a Feng Shui master for less than a year, why are you in such a hurry?"
Chu Caiwei said with a tearful face, "I'm not in a hurry, but I really have no interest in alchemy at all. I can't advance in rank without learning alchemy."
"To advance to the sixth rank of alchemist, one needs to independently complete a completely new alchemy technique, and also promote and popularize it, gaining positive feedback from the people."
"Just like that feng shui master three hundred years ago who invented gunpowder and spread it, gaining the people's approval. Senior Brother Song Qing is refining glass, so the people's feedback is very important."
Li Chang'an said, "With so many senior brothers, isn't there anyone who can help you?"
Chu Caiwei snorted coldly and said, "They say I'm not smart and don't like to study, so it'll be hard for me to get promoted."
Li Chang'an knew that Chu Caiwei had no interest in alchemy, and that most women were not rational and it was normal for them not to like science and engineering.
Huaiqing is an exception; if she had studied science and engineering, she would at least be a female PhD.
Li Chang'an's original plan was to leave his alchemy expertise to Xu Qi'an.
After all, they're from the same hometown, and they're decent people; we can't block all of Xu Qi'an's paths.
You can't give up beautiful women, but you can leave them a path to success.
Chu Caiwei is a foodie. In the original novel, Xu Qi'an made her invent chicken essence, which is how she became an alchemist.
Li Chang'an thought for a moment and decided that the alchemy technique should still be left to Xu Qi'an, but he couldn't give it to Chu Caiwei.
So the chicken essence can be left for Xu Qi'an. Now, as long as we can make MSG, that will be enough to help Chu Caiwei.