Chapter 27

  "Don't give me that sour and musty book bag, I hate those who read sages' books and become stupid. That Confucius guy, oh no, his stuff is good but after all he's a thousand years ago, no matter how smart he was, it's impossible to predict what will happen in the future. As time goes by, some things have already become outdated. So how can we just blindly follow? Haven't you heard that 'practice is the sole criterion for testing truth'? If I go on, I'll pour out all those ambiguous things from my political class."

  A man of virtue and talent uses his talent, a man with virtue but no talent respects it, a man without virtue or talent envies it, and a man with talent but no virtue harms it. I've been circling around the right words to express my enthusiasm. "Traveling ten thousand miles, reading ten thousand books... sounds great... Planning is done by humans, success is determined by heaven. Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, well said!"

  A very familiar voice, I thoughtlessly responded "Who's there making all that noise?" Then I saw a rare and strange sight, the people around me suddenly changed their expressions as if they had seen a ghost. I didn't know human faces could change colors like the weather in June, and even that little white guy was stunned speechless. I slapped him hard, turned around to see my deputy Wei Tao and his group looking like wooden chickens, clearly shocked by how I casually slapped that little white guy's head, their jaws were about to drop off. But that wasn't all, when the crowd parted to reveal a slightly chubby figure. My brain went "boom", in my heart I let out a loud cry of despair "I'm done for".

  I saw that chubby prince standing there with a sly smile on his face, and I don't know how long he had been listening.

  In an instant, due to my instinctive reaction of being startled, my expression was completely frozen on my face, so I didn't look very surprised, and it seemed like his evaluation had increased by a few points, with a few sparks flashing in his eyes.

  "Father" Xiao Bai hastily got up, and with a loud crash, he knocked me into an even deeper abyss. I was finished. I had originally planned to use some means to make those people shut their mouths obediently. Now everything was ruined. Only then did I come back to my senses, and the people around me bowed again in unison, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince".

  This stinky brat is actually the grandson of Taishan Guangping Wang, I'm so shocked. My first thought was to pinch this stinky brat to death and then go crash into a wall. What kind of dogshit luck is this? In the chaos, picking up a little girl who turns out to be a princess, saving someone from drowning and it's a sister, grabbing any random kid and he's also some Taishan grandson... Do I have a grudge against your Li family or something? This heaven-killing guy, isn't he intentionally trying to harm me? I'm doomed, I don't know how many treasonous remarks I've made, nor do I know how much of it he heard.

  I immediately came up with the idea of ??urging to take advantage of the opportunity to escape and collect my things, and started thinking about the best time to escape, but I didn't know that the thoughts were not just mine.

  He was the eldest son of the imperial family and the first among his brothers, especially after being recognized by the emperor and appointed as the crown prince. He had to represent the dignity of the royal family and the court at all times, adhering to etiquette and being cautious in words and actions. Those around him were either fearful or stern, showing extreme respect and reverence, making it difficult for him to get close to anyone, even his brothers with whom he grew up. Perhaps the only exception was that carefree little girl, but he had never felt so uninhibited and joyful as he did now. He vaguely sensed that he would never be able to forget this special person and the feeling of liberation he experienced when interacting with her.

  The Crown Prince's shock was also indescribable, with waves of emotions surging and a hundred feelings intertwined. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of person his daughter had found, as the man's conversation ranged from astronomy to geography, military strategy, politics, and even touched on taboo topics such as the emperor's way of ruling. The insights into the emperor's way were astonishing, especially since they came from someone within the imperial family. It was as if he could see right through everything, leaving the Crown Prince speechless.

  The eunuch responsible for recording the conversations between the man and the princess reported back to the Crown Prince, detailing their discussions on astronomy, geography, military strategy, politics, and other topics that were difficult to understand. The Crown Prince was already shocked, but upon hearing more about the man's conversation, he realized he had underestimated him. This person's knowledge was incredibly broad, far exceeding what the Crown Prince could comprehend.

  The Crown Prince couldn't help but wonder who this person was, with his bold and uninhibited speech that bordered on treason. Yet, at the same time, he seemed to possess a deep understanding of human nature and was not bound by conventional norms. He also appeared to be aware of many hidden secrets within the imperial family.

  The Crown Prince found himself reevaluating the man's mysterious background and motivations, as well as the potential dangers he might pose in the future. On one hand, he considered whether it would be better to eliminate him, but on the other hand, he couldn't deny that this person was a rare talent, someone who could potentially become a powerful ally.

  After weighing the pros and cons, the Crown Prince ultimately decided to take a chance on the man, hoping to recruit him as an aide. He believed that with his exceptional abilities, they could face the current crisis together. Although it would be challenging to control such a talented individual, the Crown Prince was confident in his own leadership abilities and saw this as an opportunity to test his mettle.

  In the end, the Crown Prince's desire for talent won out, and he decided to take a chance on the mysterious man.

  He quickly understood the motives and purposes, and in the current situation, there would be no good intentions. Perhaps he was just an outsider with a special temperament. The current situation didn't need to consider the possibility of him having ulterior motives (if he had any, he would have defected to the enemy long ago). Moreover, although this person's words and actions were unusual, in other aspects, he was still an ordinary person, not escaping the general habits of young people. His pale reaction to human affairs and his obvious interest in beauties, as well as his closeness to Yuè, were all normal emotions that could be grasped. The fact that he showed gratitude and loyalty to Gē Shū, who bore the name of a traitor, might be both his greatest virtue and weakness, and also the most reassuring aspect, which was something that could be firmly grasped. As for this person's astonishing words and actions, if understood in the context of his childhood environment, they were not difficult to comprehend. With time and experience, he might become a talented individual. Even Yuè, who was clever and good at taking care of herself, had a good impression of him. Now, it was impossible not to admire and appreciate the emperor's discerning eye for talent. Perhaps, for someone like this, ordinary means of achieving success and wealth wouldn't be effective, and new strategies would need to be carefully considered.