Duke of Zhenguan

With the bearing of a dragon and phoenix, and the countenance of the sun and moon.

Lin Chuan can testify that this statement is absolutely flattery of Li Shimin.

But Li Shimin had thick eyebrows, a broad forehead, and a robust physique; he was indeed handsome and extraordinary.

Lin Chuan dared not look too long. It was his first time seeing a living emperor, and he didn't know what etiquette to use. He could only bow to Li Shimin as before.

"This humble subject, Lin Chuan, greets Your Majesty!"

"No need for formalities!"

Li Shimin waved his hand, looked Lin Chuan up and down, and began to understand why Cheng Yaojin, who was always arrogant, would look at Lin Chuan with such favor.

The young man before me was handsome, and although he was dressed in hemp clothing, there was no sign of unease on his face, and his demeanor was indeed different from that of ordinary people.

If ordinary people saw me, let alone not making any mistakes in etiquette, they would be considered exceptionally brave if they didn't tremble.

Even those sons of noble families were mostly timid and hesitant in his presence.

Li Shimin knew Cheng Yaojin's personality all too well. If he really intended to marry his daughter off, the old man would definitely give the boy an official position. Given Cheng Yaojin's achievements, this request wouldn't be unreasonable.

Li Shimin even liked it when Cheng Yaojin made such a request.

Of course, the proper procedures cannot be omitted. You can't just agree to whatever Cheng Yaojin asks for; you have to wait until that scoundrel throws a tantrum in front of you a few times before you agree.

He happened to hear Lin Chuan's name again at the Yan family's house today, so he called the man over to take a look.

"That scoundrel has a good eye!"

Li Shimin sighed inwardly, then turned his gaze to Prime Minister Yan and said with a sincere expression:

"I was deeply worried when I heard that Minister Yan was unwell, but now that I see she is well, I am relieved!"

The Yan family was highly respected among scholars. When he first ascended the throne, he not only needed to win over court officials, but also scholars like the Yan brothers.

The so-called respect for the virtuous and talented means not only offering them status and money, but also showing them the right attitude.

Yan Xiangshi was indeed moved to tears, and bowed, saying:

"Your Majesty's concern is truly appreciated; I am ashamed!"

After the two finished their performance, Yan Shigu, who was standing to the side, spoke up at the opportune moment:

"Your Majesty, please come in!"

When Li Shimin entered the Yan family, he was still accompanied by more than a dozen guards. Lin Chuan was not allowed to approach, nor could he leave, so he could only obediently follow behind.

Upon entering the living room in the front courtyard of the Yan family home, Li Shimin and the two brothers, Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi, discussed literature in classical Chinese style.

Lin Chuan stood in the corner, listening with a dizzying sense of unease.

It wasn't until the very end that Li Shimin revealed his purpose: he hoped that Yan Xiangshi could enter the court as an official.

The Yan family had no objection to serving as officials in the court. Moreover, when Li Shimin was still the Prince of Qin, Yan Xiangshi was one of the Eighteen Scholars of Tiance. Since Li Shimin personally invited him, there was naturally no reason for them to refuse.

Given the Yan family's standing among scholars, it's certain that Prime Minister Yan wouldn't be involved in managing administrative affairs once he entered the court.

Apart from the Ministry of Rites, most of them initially held prestigious and lowly positions in the Secretariat, such as Imperial Diarist or Grand Counselor, and generally did not receive any other assignments.

Li Shimin did not stay at the Yan family's house for dinner; he left after sitting for more than an hour.

It was risky to invite the emperor to dine at home, so the Yan family extended a warm invitation once, but Li Shimin declined. After that, the emperor and his ministers tacitly agreed not to bring it up again.

Lin Chuan was kept behind by Yan Xiangshi. He had come to visit Yan Xiangshi, because if he went back hungry, the Yan family's reputation would be ruined.

The Yan family's meals were not lavish: a cup of wine, a small bowl of mutton, a small bowl of millet rice, and a bowl of soup made with dried bamboo shoots and dried cabbage.

On the contrary, the tableware made Lin Chuan's eyelids twitch. The bowl looked ordinary from the outside. If you didn't look at the seal script on the bottom of the bowl, it was no different from ordinary porcelain.

Using chopsticks and wine cups is a bit excessive. Who would use bronze wine vessels that Lin Chuan has only seen in museums to hold wine?

There are also bronze chopsticks.

Lin Chuan was very careful when using it, afraid of bumping or damaging it.

After dinner, Lin Chuan was invited to the study by Yan Xiangshi.

A servant brought in hot tea, and as they drank the tea, a unique technical discussion began.

In the study, besides Yan Xiangshi and Yan Shigu, there were their younger brothers Yan Qinli, Yan Shigu's sons Yan Quting and Yan Yangting, Yan Xiangshi's son Yan Wencheng, and Yan Qinli's son Yan Zhaofu.

These seven people were the core figures of the direct line of the Yan family and the pillars of the Yan family.

The people in the room were all renowned literary masters of the contemporary literary world, and Lin Chuan felt extremely uneasy sitting among them.

In particular, these people would frequently quote classic texts and recite half a sentence of classical Chinese in a melodious and rhythmic manner, which gave Lin Chuan an extremely headache.

Fortunately, Yan Xiangshi and the others did not intend to test him. They simply discussed with him popular science questions for children, such as why two bricks fall at the same time and why the morning sun is as close as the midday sun.

With the support of modern scientific theories, the most difficult thing for Lin Chuan was how to translate modern theories from vernacular Chinese into semi-classical Chinese.

They sat there for a whole day, and by evening, the Yan family members were still reluctant to leave. Lin Chuan's many modern theories were both novel and interesting to them.

Especially after listening to Lin Chuan explain simple physics concepts such as air, water, buoyancy, and resistance, they discovered that their previously stagnant knowledge was showing signs of improvement.

This discovery caused everyone except Yan Xiangshi to suddenly become more friendly towards Lin Chuan.

After dinner at the Yan family's house, Yan Xiangshi personally escorted Lin Chuan to the door. As they parted, Yan Xiangshi spoke earnestly to Lin Chuan:

"Your knowledge is not what is called miscellaneous knowledge. I will not ask where you learned this knowledge, but the tallest tree in the forest will be felled by the wind!"

"Young man, what you're doing is dangerous. Hand over your family's noodle shop to your mother and uncle to run, and focus on your studies. Learn the wisdom passed down from the sages!"

Lin Chuan was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply to Yan Xiangshi:

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Yan!"

"Haha, you're welcome!"

Yan Xiangshi smiled and waved his hand.

Lin Chuan never thought he was smarter than others, so he was willing to listen to other people's opinions.

He was indeed a little smug as he popularized physics knowledge among the literary masters of the Yan family, but he forgot that this was the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago. Although the disputes between scholars were not fought with gunpowder, they were just as dangerous.

What he needs to do most right now is not to ignite the flame of science in the Tang Dynasty, but to clothe himself in the guise of a scholar.

Reading has become a top priority.

Fortunately, the entire Yan family was very close to him.

The Yan family was the most influential family in the academic world, so Lin Chuan became a frequent visitor to the Yan family.

Many members of the Yan family are educated, including seven or eight who are around the same age as Lin Chuan, and about ten who are even younger.

Lin Chuan had asked to become Yan Xiangshi's apprentice, but Yan Xiangshi refused, saying that Lin Chuan's knowledge was unique and that Yan Xiangshi felt he had no one to teach him.

Therefore, he was somewhat special in the Yan family. He could chat with Yan Shigu, Yan Xiangshi and others, and also learn from seven or eight-year-old children.

Reading can be very tedious at first, but once you get used to it, it starts to become interesting.