In the main hall, in addition to Taifu Chu, there are several old men of similar age. They are all wearing loose Confucian robes. They have upright faces and extraordinary demeanor, and they look quite majestic.
A thin old man shook his head and said, "It's a pity. Although Mrs. Wang resigned a long time ago and the Wang family has always been low-key, if he had been willing to stand up together, the matter would not have been dragged on until today."
Another old man with a fair face sighed: "Old Master Wang, I personally went to invite him, but he declined politely. He bluntly said that he was old and did not care about court affairs. In his words, he actually revealed his feelings for the sycophant.
Appreciation."
"Back then, the envoys of the State of Qi made a big fuss in Kyoto. No one in the huge Kyoto dared to fight. Old Master Wang dragged his sick body to court and was persuaded by everyone to quit. You all know what happened next. It's no wonder that he looked so sideways at his son.
"
"It's okay if Old Master Wang and Mrs. Wang don't help each other. Isn't this Qin Wen a disciple of Brother Chu? This time, he actually united many important ministers in the court to speak for the sycophant. If not, as long as Brother Chu opens his mouth, all the courtiers will
Why don't you respond?"
"The matter has been delayed for so long. Not only the officials, but also the people are afraid that they will have to make more efforts."
…
While several people were drinking tea and discussing, a servant of the Chu family came in from outside, walked to Taifu Chu, and whispered a few words.
"Ning Chen?" Taifu Chu frowned slightly, but no impression of this person came to his mind.
Seeing this, the concierge felt regretful in his heart and said quickly: "I'll let them go right away!"
"Wait." He walked quickly to the door, and a voice came from behind him.
Taifu Chu looked at him and asked: "You said he is a young man about the same age as Heping'er, with a talented appearance and extraordinary bearing?"
The concierge nodded immediately, "He is a talented person, much more handsome than the young master."
"Ning Chen, Ni Chen..." Taifu Chu murmured, with a trace of doubt on his face, and whispered: "Let him come in."
At the door of Chu's house, the concierge who ran over wiped the sweat from his forehead and said respectfully to Li Yi: "Master, please come in."
…
Compared with other wealthy families that Li Yi has seen, Chu's house is not big, and can even be said to be a bit small.
It may also be because the Chu family is not prosperous and both generations are inherited from a single generation. A house that is too big cannot be used and will appear deserted.
Led by the servant, he did not pass through the main house, but took a path on the left. After a while, he came to a small garden.
A figure wearing a gray Confucian robe, with his back to him, stood with his hands behind his back. Not sure if it was an illusion, but Li Yi always felt that the body of this Grand Tutor was much more rickety than when he saw it the previous two times.
.
The old man turned around and asked calmly: "I have always been curious. Why did you hide when you saw me on the street that day?"
At this moment, Li Yi discovered that not only was he rickets, but his face also looked older than before, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"I'm afraid you'll blackmail me." Li Yi said honestly, "It's a pity that I didn't escape in the end."
The two had a tit-for-tat confrontation in the court that day, but when they met again, there was no atmosphere of fireworks.
The old man looked at him sharply and asked: "You have repeatedly blocked the eldest son of the emperor from entering the capital. Do you think I have wronged you?"
Li Yi smiled and said, "What the reason is, Master Tutor naturally understands in his heart."
"Actually, I can understand Taifu." Li Yi looked at the neatly manicured flower garden next to him and said slowly: "The Chu family has been a clear leader among the literati of Jingguo for generations. It represents righteousness and righteousness, and is just a sycophant.
, naturally cannot compare to the Chu family’s century-old reputation.”
Grand Tutor Chu's face was calm, but the fists in his sleeves were clenched tightly, with veins standing straight up.
"I know that Cui Qingming used some shady methods to get hold of the Chu family." Li Yi shook his head and continued: "My grandson deserved his crime, but the disaster did not affect the Chu family. Even if those scandals broke out in the Cui family,
It cannot shake the foundation of the Chu family. Although it will inevitably damage the reputation of the Chu family, it will not be difficult to make up for it in the future."
He looked at Taifu Chu again: "The difficult thing is the choice of Mr. Taifu."
Taifu Chu also stared at him. After a moment, he loosened his clenched fists and said, "Everything is just your words. There is no stain on the Chu family and there is no need to make up for it."
Li Yi looked at him for a long time, then sighed, clasped his fists and said, "In that case..., Master Taifu, I will take my leave."
When he was about to walk out of the garden, he stopped, turned around and asked again: "Is it worth it?"
This time, he didn't get any response from the old man.
…
When he walked out of Chu's house, the slovenly old man saw that he looked relaxed, without any hesitation and worries before coming, and asked in surprise: "What, the deal is done?"
Li Yi nodded, "It's done."
The sloppy old man was a little disappointed all the way. He thought he could watch a big show, but it seemed there was no hope.
When he reached the gate with hooks, he asked again: "How long will you stay in there today? I'll go shopping first."
"I'm not going back today." Li Yi waved his hand, "You can stroll around as long as you want, just go home and let us know before dinner."
"Not going back?" The sloppy old man looked at him in surprise and asked, "Are you sure?"
Li Yi nodded and stepped into Goulan. These days, there are not many exciting new plays in Goulan. The customers have begun to complain. It is time to add some fresh ones.
I habitually glanced at the small building in front of me, and happened to meet a line of sight looking from behind the attic window.
Li Yi was startled, then smiled and waved over there, and walked quickly over.
"Are you coming back late?" Miss Liu Er of the Li family frowned, "Where is he?"
The sloppy old man shrugged: "A place to watch a show."
Miss Liu Er waved her sleeves and said, "Take me there!"
Ruyi grabbed her arm, shook her head and said, "My husband already told me before he went out that he has something important to do today. He may not come back later. What are you going to do?"
"I'm not looking for him." Miss Liu Er shook her head and said, "I, can't I just go to the theater?"
Goulan, in the room in the attic.
When Li Yi saw Wan Ruoqing writing, he frowned slightly, and there seemed to be pain in his eyebrows, and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
She put down the pen, looked at her fingers, shook her head, and said, "Maybe it's because I've been holding the pen for too long these past two days..."
"It's all blistered..." Li Yi saw that a blister had formed on her finger and frowned: "Forget it, stop writing. When I finish writing this chapter, what do you say about how to arrange and arrange things?
I’ll just remember it.”
Li Yi put down his pen and said, "I'll pop the blisters for you first, and you can rest for a while."
He took a sterilized needle and brought it over. These things are always available here. He held her hand and made a hole in the blister. He squeezed out the liquid inside without completely breaking it. He raised his head and asked.
Said: "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt." Wan Ruoqing smiled and shook her head.
Li Yi nodded and said: "The wound needs to be disinfected. I will apply some alcohol on it now. It may hurt a little. Please bear with it."
Even though she was mentally prepared, when he applied alcohol and the stinging feeling suddenly came, she couldn't help but let out a suppressed cry of pain.
"It hurts..., bear with it..." Miss Liu Er stood outside the door, her face livid. When she heard the woman's suppressed voice, she finally couldn't help but pushed the door open and entered.
"Be careful not to touch the water or write these days." Li Yi put down the things in his hands, looked at her and warned her, then turned to look at Miss Liu Er and asked in surprise: "Ruyi, what are you doing?
coming?"
Miss Liu Er swept her eyes around the room, then looked at Li Yi and said calmly: "I'll tell you to go home for dinner."
