Living leisurely in Tang Dynasty

Chapter 99

His Majesty misses his bad brother but his bad brother didn’t miss him at all. It even felt like he was reluctant to leave.

On the evening where “name money” was handed in, Fang Jun and his group received news that they would have to eat in the canteen from now onwards. The food is good, so why are you still troubling your family to send you food?

Now that eating is under control, other things will naturally follow.

Li Yuanying went to give ideas to the supervisors, saying that the teachers are already working day and night giving lectures! It’s better to select a group of students to take turns and be on duty. They can report if things are out of the norm or go to bed if everything is good. This will not only allow the teachers to rest, but also train the students in management and coordination skills!

It will be best if we could give this project a name and set up a committee. Then we should list out everything in black and white about what each position should do and that everyone has to obey it.

Of course, the rules can’t be too autocratic otherwise there will be conflicts between committee and students. It will work best by nominating a trial committee group for a trial period and get students to choose the best performing candidates to form the official committee. A re-election should be held with new faces after 1 year of service.

Li Yuanying explained his opinion with much self-awareness: “Choosing the right person is the most important. Take me as an example, one look and you know that I shouldn’t be part of the committee. If we were to pick we should pick someone like brother Tang, yes I’m talking about senior brother Tang Guan! Brother Tang is serious and responsible, no matter what it is, he will do his best.”

Li Yuanying has been very well behaved lately and so teachers like Dr. Ma were willing to listen to him.

As Yuanying shared his idea, everyone felt that this child’s mind is way too active.

There are more than 2,000 students at the Academy and the limited staffs are finding it hard to manage everything. In the past, the teachers would also elect students to take care of various roles/places like the canteen and the dormitories but the students were all chosen verbally without any formal guidelines.

If the “Student Committee” that Yuanying spoke of can be established successfully, it would be much easier to organize various activities in the future. There would be people in charge of various tasks and we wouldn’t need  teachers running around with a black face scolding people anymore. If there happened to be any accident or conflict, the committee scattered among the Academy can also deal with it in time.

The more Dr. Ma and the teachers thought about it, the more they think that the ideas is very feasible. Right after class they went looking for Kong Yingda to discuss about implementing the student Committee as soon as possible.

Since Li Yuanying has just successfully dealt with food supply, this is a good opportunity to deal with the remaining chaos in the Imperial College and set up some rules all at once!

Kong Yingda also heard about the grand banquet incident initiated by Li Chengqian.

It’s true that wicked people will be dealt with by other wicked people. When those dudes met Li Yuanying who is also unconstrained, they would  be pinched and flattened by him.

Kong Yingda readily agreed to the proposal and asked about how is Li Yuanying behaving in the Academy.  

Everyone present has had contact with the boy and all unanimously agrees that he is very different now. Even the teachers who used to teach Royalty children in the palace agrees that he is so different now that they had to take a second look at him.  

When the topic went towards Li Zhi and the others, naturally the teachers were also full of praises. However there isn’t anything overly special about them. Someone mentioned Wu Mei with regret, saying that it is a pity she is born a woman, otherwise she would have passed the exam directly.

“Her articles are optimistic and had a broad view of things.” (Dr. Shen)

Li Yuanying’s writing is unconstrained, daring to say and write about anything. Wu Mei’s writing is similar but also very different as it lacks the childishness. It’s a pity she is not a man.

Speaking of this, everyone remembered the story about “the foolish King who lost his beauty because of his slip of tongue” and they all stopped talking.

They weren’t sure what the Emperor is thinking. Just as the rumors had stopped, he turned a blind eye and allowed his younger brother to bring this Wu Mei into the Imperial Academy!

It is fortunate that while Li Yuanying loves to play and make trouble, his ability to make friends is top-notch. This is mainly because he doesn’t care about status or gender differences when making friends. No matter who he befriend, he is open and cheerful. Therefore when he brought along girls into the Academy there weren’t any rumors but a quiet change in atmosphere at the whole school.

The first thing to become apparent are the rich trouble-making boys who gave Kong Yingda a headache had suddenly became isolated and helpless.

Among the descendants of the aristocratic family, there are people like Zhangsun Quan and Yu Zhi, who had ambition and knows their limit. These people usually won’t like to play together with the other rich brats. But within the Academy is also many from poorer families who would butter up to the rich spoilt kids and so they do not lack in having fun. Why would they bother hanging out with those who ignores them like putting your hot face on someone else’s cold butt cheeks?

But things are different now. Now even the poor kids are not willing to listen to the brats anymore! After all, how can anyone who has been treated like an equal friend be willing to swallow their anger and bow down to his peers? All scholars have their own pride and ego. They might not be brave enough to voice their thoughts aloud but they definitely have thoughts in their minds. Can those rich brat’s social rank be as high as Prince Teng or Prince Jin? If both royal princes are willing to treat them as equal friends, why should they still put up with arrogance from others all day long? Who would want to befriend such people?

The teachers were well aware of these things. When Li Yuanying proposed to set up a committee, they happily obliged to make it happen.

Kong Yingda put forward his own suggestion: “Don’t let the person who came up with this idea be left idle. Add him to the list.”

Dr. Ma and the others looked at each other with a smile: “Don’t worry, we’ve already written it down.”

On the second day, Dr. Ma announced the new project during assembly time. Students will be nominated to try out for a trial period and then students will vote for their president and vice president and so on after the trial period is up.

When Li Yuanying heard his proposal, he actively raised his hand to speak: “I recommend Senior Brother Tang! Senior Brother Tang is so fierce, he will control others at first sight!”

Tang Guan: “…”

Tang Guan sat still at his place, chanting hard to not pick a fight with the boy. Do not pick a fight with Li Yuanying.

If he really wanted to care about everything Li Yuanying has done, he will vomit blood and die sooner or later!

Dr. Ma nodded slightly to Yuanying, expressing that he got the message and to stop the commotion. Don’t make others lose face.  Although Tang Guan has a more matured personality and doesn’t like to smile, everyone has their own way of living. There is no need for everyone to live like you, all lively and outgoing. Can’t others be allowed to be a bit more serious?

During morning class, everyone was discussing about the upcoming nomination. They all sat downnin twos and threes, guessing who would be nominated. Every corner someone was saying “you will definitely be nominated” “No, No! You’ll be” and all kinds of polite speeches.

Tang Guan, who was named publicly by Li Yuanying, sat silently eating next to Du He’s gang. Their families all had to pay for “name money” and now that the Imperial Academy’s main gate is shut, they had to eat obediently in the canteen.

Not only was it silent at Du He’s side but Fang Jun also felt that something was not right. What kind of committee is this? Is this aimed directly at them? Thinking about all the restrictions in the future, everyone felt that the future is bleak and depressing.

Although they will not inherit the main Dukedom title, they will still get a good job that many will be envious about by just relying on their social status. Why should they suffer this crime? !

Li Yuanying didn’t care about the feelings of others. He was gearing up to try out all his ideas one by one.

Since joining the Academy Li Yuanying had not had a bad day. He realized that there were many capable people and talented people; all who were well-informed and had different views. They share stories from their hometown with much more richness, excitement and depth than the rest. Yuanying wants to get to know and befriend the students who were older than him  and so he studied with them daily, not even missing half a day.

…

That afternoon, Kong Yingda was planning to visit Dr. Ma at the Academy to check out the progress of the student committee. Unexpectedly, someone came to inform him that His Majesty wanted to also visit the Academy.

The Emperor’s younger brother and children are all there so it was normal for him to want to check on them. However, today’s situation is a bit special!

Kong Yingda was afraid that there would be chaos, and so he updated the Emperor about what would happen today which was all Li Yuanying’s “idea”.

“Dr. Ma and the others think that this is feasible so I agreed to it.” (Kong Yingda)

“This kid might not be good in other things but ideas he has plenty. Didn’t he just join the Academy a few days ago? Ideas are coming out one by one!” (Li Er)

One should not take Li Er’s tone of disgust too seriously, for he is in fact very proud of his younger brother secretly in his heart. The Academy is a place where many talents gathers, you don’t only have those who wants to serve the government but also those who are reluctant to serve but only want to teach. Now all these lofty and arrogant scholars will have to agree that his younger brother is smart, quick-witted and right-minded!

Kong Yingda has been serving the Emperor even before he took the throne. How can he not know his master well? While he is scolding his younger brother on his mouth, his heart is secretly proud of him.  He tactfully didn’t say much and led the group dressed in modest clothes towards the Academy.

The group reached their destination but did not see anyone around. After asking around, everyone has gathered together for the student committee election.

Kong Yingda kept quiet and personally led His Majesty and his party to the school grounds.

At this same time, Dr. Ma’s team had just finished explaining the rules and was at a critical stage of announcing the list of nominations.

The person in charge of reading the list was Zheng Shi. The boy  with a big appetite who wanted to order more food at the cafeteria.

Zheng Shi has a big appetite and a even louder voice. Loud and clear and a tone that is very imposing. Normally, people find him too loud and didn’t like speaking to him as the noise hurts their ears.

After Li Yuanying got to know Zheng Shi, he felt that he had talent and so ran to Dr. Ma and recommended him as the host for major events in the future.

Zheng Shi used to have low self-esteem as he was always ridiculed for being a rice bucket (eating too much) and having an uncontrollable loud voice. Taking on such an important task this time, he straightened his back and for the first time appreciated his own loud voice.

Can others pronounce names easily for thousands of people to hear? Nope!

But he can!

Junior Brother Yuanying is right, this voice that his mother gave him is the best.  THE best!

Li Er who was standing on the edge of the school field could hear Zheng Shi’s voice clearly. Taking a closer look, the student was tall, with good facial features, a straight back, and really good spirit.

His Majesty boasted to Kong Yingda: “The Academy really has many  talents. This kid looks good.”

Although Kong Yingda didn’t recognize the boy, he still stroked his beard and said in agreement: “Isn’t appreciating all talents exactly what His Majesty wishes for?”

Li Er loved hearing such things and continued listening to Zheng Shi’s list in a good mood.

Zheng Shi reached the candidate nomination for Li Yuanying’s grade.

Tang Guan and Zheng Shi were the first two nomination.

When Li Yuanying heard Tang Guan’s name he immediately congratulated him happily saying “I knew that Senior Brother Tang will be selected” and “Senior Brother Tang is so good at everything, he will definitely be selected”. Before he could finish speaking, Zheng Shi continued and read out his and Tang Sui’s names. The 4 of them were the candidates nominated for their grade.

Li Yuanying was taken aback.

Why was he chosen?

Seeing Li Yuanying’s shocked expression, Tang Guan felt more balanced in his heart.

He congratulated Li Yuanying with a smiling face and threw back at Li Yuanying the exact words he said to him just now.

Li Yuanying quickly recovered from his state of shock.

Initially he wanted to just be at the sidelines and watch how his idea would turn out. But if Dr. Ma and the other teachers nominated him, he is happy about it too. This means that they think that he will do well!

Seeing Tang Guan congratulating him with a smile on his face, Yuanying suggested sincerely in a friendly manner: “Senior brother Tang, if in the future you find a girl you like, please do not smile at her like this. You already look quite fierce by default, and when you smile like this, you look really scary. It’s better to just keep a straight face like you usually do. Although it’s scary too but after a long time, you will get used to it!”

Tang Guan: “…”

Tang Guan turned away with a black face.

If he ever talks to Li Yuanying again, he is a dog!

Notes from the author:

Little Prince: I don’t know why, but Senior Brother Tang always looks angry. He’s not happy about this, and then he’s not happy about that. He’s such a strange person!