kingnovel Chapter 932 Paid Off
Chapter 932 Paid Off
Those in the court who were on good terms with Zhang Ping'an all cast congratulatory glances at him, including Green Eyes, who was happy for Zhang Ping'an. Their eyes met in the air, and everything was understood without words.
Cui Ling and Li Chong also appeared to be in high spirits.
Zheng Ping, however, kept a low profile and did not make an appearance.
Next comes the cleanup, which is also an opportunity for reshuffling, and there are many things to discuss.
At this moment, Xiaoyuer was winter hunting outside the city with a group of peers from the core circle of aristocratic families in the capital.
He also kept his promise and brought Wen Xiange and Li Chengye along to make some new connections.
Within the circles of the capital, everyone knows exactly who belongs to which family. Even among prominent families, powerful figures, and meritorious officials, they are still divided into different ranks.
No one says it outright, but there is this unwritten, invisible boundary.
Even someone like Xiaoyuer could only manage to reach the second tier in their circle. This was only because his maternal grandfather's family was the Qian family. Otherwise, someone like his father, who came from a poor family and rose through the ranks, would only be considered a newly rich person in the capital, even if his father held a higher official position than the fathers of other aristocratic families. He could only manage to reach the third tier.
The more prestigious and influential a family is, the more arrogant they are.
Xiaoyuer always disdained these rules, but he still behaved himself properly on the surface, and was very popular among the scions of prominent families in the capital.
This time he brought a newcomer, and naturally the others would first inquire about the newcomer's family background in order to determine how to treat him.
If the other party's family background is comparable, then they should naturally be treated with courtesy.
If the other party comes from a humble background but is exceptionally talented and sensible, they generally won't make things difficult for them. After all, such a person can be recruited as a retainer, and who knows, they might even become a right-hand man in the future!
However, if the other party has neither family background nor talent, and is merely a fame-seeker, then they will only be ridiculed and mocked, and treated like a plaything.
At times like these, they make no attempt to conceal their malice and arrogance.
These people were all shrewd; in no time at all, they had thoroughly investigated Wen Xiange and Li Chengye's background.
Upon hearing that they had no background, these people lost most of their interest, and their disdain was evident in their eyes.
But Li Chengye had an imposing presence, and he was clearly a man of great vision and wisdom. Most people were still willing to befriend him and give him face.
Wen Xiange was in a bad situation. He was not good at socializing and only knew how to study. However, he was not the best at studying, and soon he was left out in an awkward position.
Although he wasn't deliberately made things difficult for Xiaoyuer, the invisible indifference made him feel uneasy, unsure whether to advance or retreat.
We finally made it to the hot spring villa.
He was also ridiculed for not being able to act freely.
Although Xiaoyuer also looked down on him a bit, he was still someone he had brought along, so he jokingly spoke up in his defense: "Brother Wen is a respectable man, unlike you guys who are surrounded by beautiful women every day and are used to flirting with people. Let's not make things difficult for him! Otherwise, I won't be happy!"
Even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner. So these people didn't dare to go too far and finally let Wen Xiange off the hook.
Seeing that Wen Xiange was almost in tears, Li Chengye walked up to him at some point and whispered to comfort him, "It's nothing, don't cry, hold it in! Otherwise, don't blame others for looking down on you! If you cry, you won't have a place in the capital anymore, and people will laugh at you about this for the rest of their lives."
"Hmm," Wen Xiange sniffed lightly, managing to hold it in, but she was still a little annoyed. "I told my father that I couldn't do it, but he insisted on getting me the best clothes so I could make friends with these noble children, but I'm just not cut out for it."
Li Chengye shook his head coldly: "It's because you have this kind of timid mentality that you never dare to take this step. We all have two eyes, two noses, two ears, and one mouth. What's the difference?"
If you want to become an official and climb the ranks, you'll encounter many similar situations in the future. You can't expect others to help you every time. Brother Zhang can help you once, but he can't help you forever.
The most important thing is your aura! You need to have confidence in yourself first!
"Sigh, it's easier said than done. I can't compare to you," Wen Xiange thought dejectedly.
In his hometown county, he was somewhat of a figure with a certain degree of fame, but in Beijing, he was nobody.
Seeing this, Li Chengye patted him on the back as a gesture of comfort, and said nothing more. Some people only understand things when they encounter them.
With someone offering comfort, the pent-up grievances welled up inside Wen Xiange, and it took her a while to recover. Looking at the group laughing and joking in the distance, completely carefree, she felt a pang of envy. "They really were born into a good family!"
"Isn't that right?" Li Chengye smiled faintly, holding his teacup.
“Hey, Chengye, I’ve noticed you seem to be quite interested in Brother Zhang. But among these people, he’s not that old, and he doesn’t have the most influence. With your abilities, you could easily try to get close to those scions of more prestigious families. If you ever pass the imperial examination, you could ask them to help you with some connections,” Wen Xiange casually remarked.
“There’s no need for that. I won’t stay in the capital to serve as an official in the future,” Li Chengye replied calmly.
"Huh? Wouldn't you get promoted faster if you could stay in Beijing? If you're sent to a post outside the capital, it'll be tough without connections; none of them are good places." Even someone as naive as Wen Xiange was well aware of this.
“Staying in Beijing has its advantages, and being transferred to another region has its advantages. Life is neither too long nor too short; as long as you understand how to live it, that’s enough,” Li Chengye said, not wanting to elaborate further.
After a moment, he looked up at the sky and said, "I definitely don't need to go back to the city today. It's still early, so I'll go out for a stroll. If anyone asks, I'll just say I'm wandering around."
“It’s freezing outside, what’s the point of getting better?” Wen Xiange was taken aback. This hot spring villa in Suzhou was quite large and the scenery was nice, but it was freezing cold outside, and he really didn’t want to move.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengye stretched and said lazily, "Just wandering around and stretching my muscles! Anyway, I'm not on their side, so as long as we keep appearances in check, that's fine."
"Oh, okay then," Wen Xiange stammered, a little reluctant. Mainly, with Li Chengye by his side, he always felt much more at ease and safer.
Li Chengye smiled, thanked him, and then silently followed the servant out.
The place he wanted to go was none other than the courtyard where Sanya lived, which was not far from the hot spring villa.
Although he had secretly met his biological mother, he decided to pretend she didn't exist and would never have anything to do with her again.
But he couldn't just stand by and watch Xiaoyuer plot against her.
Let's consider this repayment for the kindness of giving birth to her!
Once the debt is paid off, there's no further issue.