In the Shangshu Mansion, at the same time that Xiao Chen entered the courtyard, at the corner of another house, half of a figure's face peeked out, observing secretly.
It was Wang Wencheng.
Although the purpose of using Li An's wife and children as hostages to threaten Li An into submission has been achieved, Wang Wencheng is still a little uneasy and still hides and observes in secret.
And Xiao Chen also thought of this.
He wanted to draw Li An away from the King of Han, but such a conversation could never be held in Shangshu Mansion.
Who knows which servant has become Wang Wencheng's confidant and will eavesdrop on the conversation between the two at any time.
Poor Li An, a dignified minister of the Ministry of Justice, didn't expect that his comfort zone had long been reduced to the forefront of others' battlefields.
"Two drinks?" Li An was startled and couldn't help but wonder if he heard wrongly. He looked at Xiao Chen stupidly and confirmed again: "Master Ziyi said that you want to go out with me for two drinks?"
Xiao Chen put his hands behind his back, lowered his head, stepped lightly across the threshold of the living room, and then raised his head with a smile on his face.
"Master Li, don't you want to have a drink with me, or do you think I'm joking?"
"No, no." Li An hurriedly waved his hands, "What did you say? It's an honor for me to drink with you. However, it's cold outside. If you want to drink, the Shangshu Mansion also has several jars of good wine. I
Let the kitchen prepare some dishes and we'll drink here."
Whether it was Xiao Chen's knife that cut off the hard ancient sword, or the condescending scolding he gave him later, Li An was already terrified of Xiao Chen in his heart.
He killed Cangcheng, the Minister of Rites, and although hundreds of officials jointly signed a letter to hold him accountable, the emperor never expressed his stance.
Li An believed that taking his own head was just a piece of cake for Xiao Chen.
Now, he actually wanted to drink with him. Li An's little heart was actually a little flattered by the changes before and after.
Right now, he has to greet his servants and order the kitchen to prepare the dishes.
"Master Li, wait a minute." Xiao Chen raised his hand to stop Li An, with a weird smile on his lips, "You only have a small salary a month to support a large family. What good food can you provide in the kitchen?"
Li An smiled ashamedly. He seemed to have nowhere to put his hands after Xiao Chen's words, so he had to cross them and put them on his abdomen, as if he had been exposed in an embarrassing manner.
"I'm making you laugh. There really isn't anything hard to eat in the kitchen. I'm just going out to make you spend money. How can Li An be treated like this?"
Looking at Li An, Xiao Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Hahaha, if it were my first time to come to Shangshu Mansion and Mr. Li was so humble, the ancient sword you collected would not be destroyed."
In one sentence, Li An was so embarrassed that he wanted to lift up the floor and get in. It was worth lowering his head and kneading his left hand with his right hand to relieve the extreme embarrassment in his heart.
Xiao Chen raised his eyes and looked around to make sure that Wang Wencheng was not eavesdropping. He turned around and was about to go out. He accidentally glanced at the table and saw the cold white tea bowl and the huge bank note next to it.
"My lord lives a very frugal life and can't even afford tea." Xiao Chen said with a smile as he picked up the tea bowl on the table and sniffed it for a few times.
And the banknote on the table seemed not to be seen, and was not mentioned at all.
But Li An had a layer of sweat breaking out on his forehead.
I have never dared to take bribes and bend the law, but the five thousand taels of silver notes placed on the table are nothing more than an ugly shit basin, slapped hard on my head.
He picked up the banknote with trembling hands and raised it respectfully in front of Xiao Chen. His throat began to tremble, and his mouth trembled as he squeezed out the words: "Sir, this was given to me by someone else. I don't dare to accept it. Please tell me clearly."
Just now, I was able to drink with Xiao Chen. I was so happy that I felt like I could go to heaven. But in an instant, I was dragged back to hell by this banknote.
"When friends interact with each other, the other party probably sees how hard your life is and wants to help you. Just pretend, don't hit your friend in the face." Xiao Chen waved his hand and said as if he didn't mind.
"I use my salary to support a family. Although life is hard, it is still practical. I still dare not accept this kind of ill-gotten wealth." Although he didn't understand what Xiao Chen really meant, Li An still insisted on the banknotes.
His principles of life.
"You said it's between friends. It's not ill-gotten wealth. Just keep it if it's given to you. Why are you being so mother-in-law?" Xiao Chen took the banknote from Li An's hand and stuffed it into him.
's arms.
"However, you have to treat me to the drink today. You have more money than me." A strange smile appeared on Xiao Chen's face again.
Li An was almost driven crazy by Xiao Chen's torture.
In such a short period of time, my mood would rise to heaven, fall to hell, and rise to heaven again.
If it had been normal, Li An would have yelled loudly. But facing Xiao Chen, the captain of the Dongchang School who was bestowed with purple clothes, he had to endure it, and he could only endure it.
"Sir, wait a minute, let me go to the back hall to get some money. I really can't accept this banknote." Li An said, turning around and leaving.
"Stop." Xiao Chen shouted, "You civil servants, are you stupid because of reading? Your life has been miserable, and you still have to pretend to be noble? A second-rank official in the imperial court can only drink water.
With boiled water, how much better can people's lives be?"
"This is the banknote today. Let's go have a good meal, and you can keep the rest for us. Let's go." Xiao Chen grabbed Li An's shoulders and pulled him out of the living room.
Seeing their master coming out, the servants at the door hurriedly bowed and saluted. However, the scene in front of them shocked them.
Xiao Chen put an arm on Li An's shoulder, and Li An didn't dare to refuse with a smile on his face.
The two of them walked towards the street in such a nondescript manner.
The Dongchang sentry outside Shangshu's Mansion saw Xiao Chen and nodded as a greeting.
Xiao Chen walked towards the door of Shangshu Mansion, winked at the secret whistle, and continued walking forward with Li An arm in arm.
"Master Li, what do you think we should eat today?" Xiao Chen asked while looking for a tavern on both sides of the street.
"We will eat whatever the adults want to eat." Li An hurriedly agreed.
"You spent this money like this. If you don't dare to spend it, it's still the same. Why don't you have a good meal today." Looking at the door away from the Shangshu Mansion, Xiao Chen let go of Li An.
At this moment, Li An is wearing the official uniform of the court, so it is better to pay attention to his image on the street.
Li An was stunned for a moment, as if he heard a hint of intention from Xiao Chen's words.
Whether it was the court or the King of Han, he was destined to have a bad ending, so it was better to eat and drink freely, even if he died, it would not be in vain.
"That's it." Xiao Chen stopped at the entrance of a tavern that didn't look very big.