Joy of Life: I am Li Chengze, and I have mastered the Eight Wonders

Chapter 14: Shi Chanli

Xie Bian presented the note: "Your Highness, this is the only survivor in Shijia Town."

Li Chengze looked at the name on it and crushed it without hesitation:

"Spring Examination?! I remember that in the original book, he was the only one who didn't get into high school. Should I care or not?"

This is such a hot potato!
"Forget it, let's go and take a look. After all, it was because of me that Shijia Town caused the massacre of the prince."

"By the way, Bi'an, go find Fan Xian and ask him to come with me."

"Yes, Your Highness"

……

Li Chengze dressed in elegant student clothes and cleverly disguised himself as an examinee. He and Fan Xian quietly blended into the team of examinees who were busy preparing for the construction of the examination room.

On the eve of the Spring Examination, the Ministry of Rites was busy arranging the examination hall in an orderly and tense manner. One special arrangement attracted a lot of attention - candidates who participated in the construction of the examination hall would not only have food guaranteed, but also receive a reward.

This move undoubtedly provided a valuable source of livelihood for many poor scholars, enabling them to barely survive the high cost of living in the capital.

However, among this group of people, there are also those who have other thoughts.

They may hope to leave a deep impression on the examiners by personally participating in the construction, thus adding assistance to their future path to the imperial examinations.

For example, at this moment, Hou Jichang saw two new candidates for helpers. They had fair faces and delicate hands, and were obviously not people who had been working for a long time. He couldn't help but feel a little curious.

Could it be that they are also trying to win the examiner's favor in this way, just like me?

Seeing this, Fan Xian cleverly made up a lie:

"Hello, Brother Hou. I am Fan. I came here to help with the construction and earn some bounty to supplement my family income."

Hou Jichang and Shi Chanli nodded in response, then turned their gaze to Li Chengze, who had an extraordinary temperament beside them, and secretly tried to figure out his true purpose.

Li Chengze smiled slightly, his eyes swept across everyone, and finally landed on Minister Guo who was resting under the awning, as if there was some deep meaning in his eyes.

Hou Jichang immediately understood what he meant and thought to himself, "So we are actually fellow travelers."

He took the initiative to step forward and tried to get closer: "Brother Li is very charming and will surely impress the Minister."

The four of them then worked side by side and began to carry the construction materials.

Although Xie Bian and others who were waiting on the side tried their best to hide their figures, it was difficult to completely avoid attracting attention as Li Chengze, a member of the royal family, was surrounded by attendants and guards.

They were worried about the hardship of His Highness trying physical labor for the first time, and they couldn't help but have many speculations about Li Chengze's true identity - perhaps he was the son of a wealthy noble family who was experiencing life, or was he looking for talents for his family?

Hou Jichang keenly sensed the opportunity to strike up a conversation. He took the slate from Li Chengze and asked tentatively with a smile on his face:
"Brother Li has an extraordinary bearing, and must be from a famous family. Could you tell me a little bit, which family are you from?"

Fan Xian tried hard to suppress his laughter. He knew that the identity of this "young master from some family" was not simple, but a true royal bloodline.

However, Li Chengze responded modestly:
"Brother Hou, you are too kind. I am just a descendant of a merchant from Jiangnan. Although my family is well-off, I do not have an official background. I do not deserve the title of 'young master'."

Upon hearing this, Hou Jichang couldn't help but scratch his head and exchanged a puzzled look with Shi Chanli. He became even more curious about Li Chengze's identity.

Do you think what he said is true?
Shi Chanli showed extraordinary insight. He gently pointed to the edge of the examination room. There were several people who looked very skilled in martial arts. They seemed to be wandering around casually, but in fact they were frequently watching Li Chengze with their peripheral vision. He smiled and said:
"If Brother Li is not the son of a prominent family in Kyoto, why do you attract so many glances from these servants? It is clear from their behavior that they regard you as their distinguished master."

Fan Xian secretly admired this talented historian in his heart. Although he looked simple and honest, he was actually very thoughtful.
He saw through the subtle relationship between Li Chengze and his attendants at a glance, and thought to himself: If I can recruit this boy under my command in the future, he will definitely become a capable assistant.

Hearing this, Li Chengze pretended to be surprised and laughed, "Brother Shi, if I say that I really have never met them before, can you believe it?"

Shi Chanli and Hou Jichang smiled at each other and shook their heads to show their disbelief. At this moment, Yang Wanli appeared at the right time and broke the delicate atmosphere with his unique straightforwardness. He reminded everyone:
"The purpose of our trip is to contribute to the construction of the examination center. This is a big deal, so please don't be distracted by idle chatter."

When Hou Jichang heard this, his cheeks turned slightly red and he was speechless for a moment.

Shi Chanli nodded in agreement, then calmed his mind and focused on the bricks in his hands.

Li Chengze and Fan Xian also each carried a basket full of stones. For people who practiced martial arts, this weight was nothing.

However, Hou Jichang insisted on sharing the burden with Li Chengze. He moved the stones from Li Chengze's basket to his own basket and said with a smile:
"Brother Li is a talented man from the south of the Yangtze River. How can you do such rough work yourself? Let me do it for you."

Li Chengze smiled and declined: "Brother Hou, I appreciate your kindness. Although I am weak, I am not powerless."

Hou Jichang smiled softly and said, "Don't worry, Brother Li. When we meet the Minister, I will return the credit to you."

Li Chengze had no choice but to let him do it, but he had a deeper understanding of this brother Hou's tactfulness. He silently observed the three candidates and secretly judged in his heart:
Hou Jichang is good at observing people's words and expressions and is well versed in human nature. It is indeed a pleasure to get along with him, but this pleasure is based on the exchange of interests and lacks sincerity.

"This person is good at currying favor with the powerful. Once his master loses power, he will probably become even more aggressive."

Looking at Shi Chanli again, he not only has keen observation skills, but what is even more rare is his clarity and self-awareness.

Although he was also aware of Li Chengze's extraordinary status, he did not try to curry favor with him. Instead, he chose to do his job down to earth and maintained an appropriate distance and respect for Li Chengze's status.

"This is a trustworthy and honest person who can get things done and knows when to advance and when to retreat."

Li Chengze silently gave Shi Chanli a few points in his heart, and turned his gaze to Yang Wanli, who was working silently and rarely talked to others.

This student may be regarded as a "nerd" in the eyes of the world. He only knows how to study hard, is ignorant of the world, and even seems a little eccentric.

However, Li Chengze saw the precious wisdom in it.

“Although this person does not show off his talents, he has profound wisdom.”

Chengze thought to himself, and at the same time he was quietly observing during this cooperation, selecting talents who might be able to help him in the future.

As for the legendary Cheng Jialin, we have only heard of him but never seen him. It seems that he always has various reasons to avoid people, which adds to his mystery.

While everyone was busy, Shi Chanli accidentally discovered the subtle difference between the raw materials and the substitutes while moving the materials. He quickly called the other students together, and Li Chengze and Fan Xian also came. Hou Jichang saw this and curiously asked the reason.

Shi Chanli felt that Hou Jichang was a bit careless, but he didn't show it. Just as he was about to speak, Li Chengze took the lead and said in an approving tone:

"Brother Shi really has a keen eye and can see the trick at a glance."

Upon hearing this, Shi Chanli was secretly pleased with himself, but he remained calm on the surface. He turned to explain to Hou Jichang, who looked bewildered:
"These golden nanmu and gold bricks that were supposed to be used have been secretly replaced with cheaper materials, and the quality has been greatly reduced."

Li Chengze nodded in agreement:
"Indeed, golden nanmu is a precious material from the north and is rare here, but it has been replaced with ordinary wood and stone slabs. Not only has the cost been greatly reduced, but it has also seriously affected the durability and safety of the examination room."

Hou Jichang was embarrassed when he heard this and immediately showed his goodwill to Li Chengze:
"Brother Li is truly knowledgeable and talented. We are far behind him. I will have to ask for your advice in the future."

Although Li Chengze felt that Hou Jichang's flattery was a bit fawning, he still kept a smile on his face.

At this time, Shi Chanli cast a scrutinizing look, as if he was curious about how Li Chengze could identify the golden nanmu so quickly:
"Brother Li, you are from the south, but you are so familiar with the northern specialty, golden nanmu. I admire you."

Li Chengze's mind turned, and then he answered in a relaxed tone:

"Haha, it's just that I have a wide range of hobbies and occasionally read some miscellaneous books, and I just happened to remember it."

These words not only resolved Shi Chanli's doubts, but also demonstrated his own knowledge and humility.

(End of this chapter)