Last August, I discussed a case with Jiang Qianxiao, the Zuodu Censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, in this tavern.
There are no overly expensive dishes in the tavern, which is just bacon and some seasonal vegetables. With a small jar of soju, it doesn't cost much money.
If you go home quickly and save some time, you can also replenish the banknote and return it to the King of Han at that time. Even if he dies, Li An still doesn't want to be known as a person who takes money from others.
Walking into the tavern, the shopkeeper hurriedly greeted me. With a smile on his face, he said: "Two adults, please come inside."
Although I don’t know what rank Li An is wearing, but no matter what rank he is, he has a much higher status than ordinary people. The shopkeeper bowed his body while trying to greet him. I only hope that such an important person in the imperial court will
I can come a few more times in the future to take care of the business of the tavern.
Perhaps because it was the Lantern Festival today, the tavern looked quite deserted. There were not even a single customer among the six tables in the hall.
"Shopkeeper, is this the Lantern Festival holiday for the waiter? I'll go into battle myself. Are there any private rooms? Arrange one." After looking at the surrounding environment, Xiao Chen felt quite satisfied.
Although the tavern is small, the decoration style is quite warm. It lacks the grandeur of drinking and talking about the world, but has a bit of warmth of sitting across from each other and reminiscing about old friendships.
"Yes, yes, there are private rooms upstairs. Sir, please come upstairs." The shopkeeper smiled broadly and made an inviting gesture towards the attic stairs.
Arriving on the second floor, there were four or five private rooms in a row. Xiao Chen randomly found one and pushed the door open.
The shopkeeper followed closely behind him, pulled out the chair next to the square table, raised his arm, and hurriedly wiped it with his sleeve a few times.
"Two adults, what do you want to order today?"
"Just pick four or five of your specialty hard dishes." Xiao Chen replied, passing the first chair and saying to Li An next to him: "Sir, please take a seat."
Being treated like this by Xiao Chen, Li An felt a little panicked. Just as he was about to refuse, Xiao Chen pushed him to the top.
He had no choice but to sit down and wait for Xiao Chen's next arrangements.
"You two adults, don't you want some wine? Our tavern has more than ten years' worth of Ner's Red. The wine has a mellow taste and is a signature." The shopkeeper smiled and highly praised his shochu.
Xiao Chen waved his hand: "Forget the wine, let's have a pot of good tea. Remember, I want cooked tea, the kind that warms the stomach."
"Okay, sir, wait a moment, I'll go get ready." The shopkeeper responded, hurriedly walked out of the private room, and closed the door.
Seeing the shopkeeper exiting the room, Li An looked at Xiao Chen and asked puzzledly: "Master Ziyi, didn't you say you would have two drinks? Why don't you want wine again?"
"I'll drink this wine later. Mr. Li has something on his mind. You should keep your head clear and seek a solution. Borrowing wine to relieve your worries will not only not help the problem, but may also affect your judgment of the situation." Xiao Chen leaned on his body.
On the back of the chair, one hand was placed on the table, lightly clasping it casually, with a meaningful smile on his face.
"Alas." Li An sighed, "In the past, I had no interaction with Master Ziyi. I just subjectively thought that killing Cangcheng was a show of force for the officials in the court. After these two contacts, I discovered that Master Ziyi was not
That's what the officials think. Here, I sincerely apologize to you for leading the officials in the court to hold Lord Ziyi accountable."
Li An crossed his arms and saluted Xiao Chen.
"This matter is all a trivial matter. I was given purple clothes by the emperor, and it is normal for me to arouse jealousy in the court and be criticized by all the officials. Over time, everyone got used to the existence of purple clothes, and everyone was busy with their own affairs.
I won’t pay too much attention to it.”
"It's just that I feel that Mr. Li's troubles come from within the Shangshu Mansion, right?" Staring at Li An, Xiao Chen was ready to get straight to the topic.
A sound of footsteps came from the stairs.
The shopkeeper held a wooden tray and opened the door of the private room.
"Two kilograms of braised beef, refined pork heart, braised pork ribs, sweet and sour pork loin, and a pot of fine cooked tea. You two adults, please take your time." The shopkeeper placed the dishes on the table one by one and bowed out.
go out.
Xiao Chen picked up the teapot, poured a bowl for Li An, placed it in front of him, and then poured another bowl for himself.
"Master Li, after drinking the hot tea, please warm yourself up first." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
Li An's heart was extremely complicated at this moment.
The housekeeper he trusted most took away his wife and children as hostages. But the person he was always hostile to came to give him comfort. This scene seemed ridiculous, but it was also bitter.
"Thank you, Lord Ziyi." Li An raised his head and drank the tea in the bowl in one breath, but it felt as if he had drank a bowl of coptis water, and his whole body felt bitter.
"Come, come and eat." Xiao Chen moved his chopsticks, "Master Li, let's try and see how the food in this tavern tastes."
Li An, who was originally in a bad mood, faced the food on the table and couldn't help but think of his wife who had been cooking for him with her own hands. When he thought that his wife and children were now hostages, he no longer had any mood to eat.
He gently put down the chopsticks in his hand, with an embarrassed smile on his face: "Sir, please eat. I'm a little uncomfortable today and don't have much appetite."
After chewing a piece of tenderloin and swallowing it, Xiao Chen put down his chopsticks.
"Is Mr. Li worried about the safety of his wife and children?"
Li An nodded and was about to complain. Suddenly he looked at Xiao Chen with a surprised look on his face, his hands trembling uncontrollably: "How do you know that my wife and children are in danger?"
After picking up the tea bowl and taking a sip, Xiao Chen smashed it in his mouth a few more times before speaking slowly.
"I went through all the trouble to bring Mr. Li out today just to tell you that your wife and children are safe now, so you can do whatever you want with peace of mind. Eat, drink, and eat vegetables."
On the plate on the table, Xiao Chen picked up another piece of tenderloin and put it into his mouth, "This dish is good, please use your chopsticks."
"Master Ziyi, my wife and children were taken away by Butler Wang. They are not at home now." Looking at Xiao Chen, Li An said.
If you are held accountable, Lord Ziyi said, you will only hold yourself accountable, not your family members.
But now, it is no longer such a thing. His wife and children have been taken away by the housekeeper as hostages. It is uncertain whether they will be able to see him again in the future.
"I know, come and eat. You probably haven't eaten yet when you come back next morning. Eat, eat, eat." Xiao Chen continued to eat the sweet and sour pork loin as if he didn't care, as if he hadn't eaten it in several lifetimes.
.
"But sir," Li An was still unwilling to give in, "if my wife and children are not around, how can I still be in the mood to eat."
After saying this, Li An was suddenly startled: "Sir, do you know that Butler Wang took away my wife and children?"
With a "pop" sound, Xiao Chen slapped his chopsticks on the table: "I said I know, I know, why are you such a mother-in-law. Eat vegetables."