On April 15, the 19th year of Yongle's reign, in the capital, Li An's residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the atmosphere was full of joy.
Li An, the Secretary of the Ministry of Punishment, received another thousand gold at the age of forty-nine. Today is the day when the thousand gold is full.
Not long ago, because of the kidnapping of the prince, Li An "enjoyed" more than ten days in jail, and his mood was very unpleasant. So much so that the daughter's full moon event changed from the big event she originally planned to just a wedding.
I notified a few of my close friends to come to my home for the wedding banquet.
But the position of the Minister of Punishment is really too conspicuous.
A cold or cough attracts the attention of many people, and such important events as the wedding of a daughter have already spread in the capital.
He asked his servants to purchase some festive decals and colorful pictures and simply decorate the Shangshu Mansion. Li An prepared to simply go through the ceremony according to his original intention.
But as soon as he opened the door, there was a steady stream of customers coming in, which made him feel a little at a loss for a while.
There are only five tables prepared for today's banquet. The guests who have arrived now cannot even sit at the eight tables.
It was still early, and there were still customers coming to the door. Li An had no choice but to call the new housekeeper Jia Ren over.
"Are the things prepared in the kitchen enough to entertain so many guests?"
"These ingredients are all easy to say. If you don't have enough, you can buy more, but the Shangshu Mansion is so big and there can't be so many tables. How about I go to a restaurant outside, order some banquets, and divert some of the guests away?
"Bending over, Jia Ren was also a little impatient.
This Jia Ren is no ordinary commoner, but a school captain who worked with Xiao Chen in Jinyiwei.
He is in his fifties and has a straightforward personality. He is the kind of person who is easy to talk about anything if his temper is right.
It is precisely because of this that even though he is old, he is still just a captain.
Seeing that he was being squeezed out everywhere and with no hope of promotion, he simply retired due to illness and asked his son to succeed him and continue to serve in Jinyiwei.
He has an outspoken temper and has offended many people, but he is very compatible with Xiao Chen. He likes to get together whenever there is nothing to do, and have a drink to relieve his boredom.
Watching Xiao Chen arrive at Dongchang and climb to the top step by step, Jia Ren's uneasy heart began to stir again.
Shamelessly, he came to the door and asked Xiao Chen to arrange a job for him in Dongchang.
Looking at the other party's wrinkled face like elm bark, Xiao Chen politely refused, saying that he was an old man and could stay at home.
It happened that during the period when Li An's housekeeper was taken down and he was in jail, his wife Liu Ruyan was about to give birth, her son was still young, and several servants were as busy as headless flies.
After being released from prison, Liu Ruyan begged Li An to find a new housekeeper for the family.
But with the lessons learned from the past, how dare Li An just find someone to be the housekeeper of Shangshu Mansion. But in such a big capital, there are only a few people he can really trust.
After some consideration, I found Xiao Chen.
One is looking for work, the other is looking for people.
Okay, Xiao Chen recommended Jia Ren to Li An.
Jia Ren, who is in his fifties, is noisy outside, but in front of Xiao Chen, he is like an old naughty boy, talking about everything and getting along with him about everything.
Under Xiao Chen's recommendation, Li An and Jia Ren also liked each other, so they came to Shangshu Mansion and began to take care of Li An's housework.
"A tavern outside?" Li An frowned slightly, "Not to mention spending a lot of money. If you run it like this, I'm afraid it will become a handle for someone with good intentions. My annual salary is only a little money. I can't do anything like this.
Just telling others that I am suspected of corruption and bribery? Isn’t that right?”
"But with so many guests today, who is the right person to kick out? We can't buy more ingredients and let them take turns to sit down, right?" Jia Ren bared his teeth and looked embarrassed.
"Of course not." Li An shook his head vigorously, "The guests who come here all give me Li An face. The order of seating is equivalent to the distinction between superiority and inferiority. This kind of thing is not appropriate for a wedding banquet.
.”
"No." Jia Ren turned his head, "Young man, let's go find the tavern. It's still too late. If it's a little later, I'm afraid I'll miss the time for dinner."
"But this money will cost a lot of money." Li An was in a dilemma when a figure flashed at the door and a familiar figure walked in.
"Master Li is getting stronger and stronger in old age. Congratulations on your daughter's fortune in your later years." Xiao Chen, wearing a light blue gown, held up his fists with a playful smile, stepped over the threshold, and walked towards Li An.
"Congratulations for what," Li An didn't bother to argue with him. He pointed at the crowded guests in the living room with a sad look on his face. "There are so many uninvited guests that I can't even sit down. I'm worried."
Xiao Chen probed his head and glanced into the living room: "Hey, there are quite a few. However, the large number of guests means that Mr. Li has good connections. There are many people who spend money to invite guests, but they can't come so many. It's better for you,
I don’t like the large number of guests. You are a bit cocky.”
Xiao Chen never had anything good to say about Li An.
In the eyes of others, the powerful Minister of the Ministry of Justice, in his eyes, is just a brother who can be amused at will.
He was feeling worried, but Xiao Chen was still trying to think of a way to amuse himself as if he was gloating about the misfortune. Li An also had a straight face: "Everyone else came here with congratulatory gifts, what kind of congratulatory gifts did you bring?"
"Congratulatory gift?" Xiao Chen looked at Jia Ren next to him, "Old Jia, where is the congratulatory gift Mr. Li received?"
"The ceremony room is over there. Brother Xiao, do you want to come with me and take a look?" The family member chuckled and didn't move at all.
"Don't take him there. I don't bring any gifts. If I see something he likes, I will just take it." Li An said dissatisfiedly as he glared at Xiao Chen.
"Ah..." Xiao Chen stared at Li An with contempt, "Look at your virtue, you will never be able to do anything grand in your life. Am I, Xiao Chen, the kind of person who doesn't bring gifts?"
As he said that, he put his right hand into his arms, fumbled for a long time, and found out a piece of broken silver the size of his little finger: "Look, this is silver, one tael of silver."
He turned around and threw it towards Jia Ren: "Take it and write it for me in the ceremony room, so that no one will say that I came to the wedding banquet without bringing any gifts."
Li An grinned a few times, wanting to curse, but after holding back, he still didn't dare to curse.
One tael of silver, you have the nerve to say it is your gift. Are you ready to have a meal?
I'm used to eating and drinking, and you want to scold me for not being able to do anything grand in my life. Are you shameless?
Jia Ren caught the broken silver and held it in his hand without moving. His face darkened and he looked at Xiao Chen seriously: "There are too many guests, and the Shangshu Mansion cannot entertain them. I told him to find a tavern, but the Lord Shangshu disagreed. This is no longer the case.
Get ready, but when it’s time for dinner, it’s really too late.”
"How many tables are prepared at home?" Seeing the other party's serious look, Xiao Chen stopped joking.
"With five tables, I can handle six tables of guests if I make do with it."
"Five tables prepared?" Xiao Chen looked at Li An, who looked anxious next to him, "Are you looking down on my little niece who is just one month old, or are you looking down on yourself with the words "Shang Shu of the Ministry of Justice" on your head? How many people can sit at five tables?
?”
"I've been keeping a low profile, haven't I? I only informed a few close friends, but who knew there would be so many uninvited people. They all came to visit me with gifts, and I was too embarrassed to kick them out," Li An concluded.
With.
"We're not looking at the time anymore. Let Lao Jia go find a decent tavern on the street and have a banquet with fifty drinks. If it's not enough, we'll have a few more rounds. Don't hit the smiling person. If they come to the door with gifts, you let them
Are they standing in the living room listening to your chat?" Xiao Chen said decisively.
After a moment of silence, Li An finally made up his mind, gritted his teeth and raised his head: "That's the only way. Lao Jia, you go and do it."
"There are many decent taverns on the street, but the only tavern that can host fifty tables of banquets at a time is Zhongzhen Restaurant next to Zhongzhen Inn." Jia Ren looked at Li An with a questioning look.
"No, no, I can't go to Zhongzhen Restaurant. It's too luxurious there. How can I have the money to pay for the meal?" Li An's face was filled with distress.
"You don't have any money to pay for the meal?" Xiao Chen was startled, "Are you saying you don't have any money?"
Seeing Xiao Chen exposing his background in front of the housekeeper, Li An's neck turned red and he hurriedly pulled Xiao Chen aside: "Last time, I got the silver from the King of Han by defrauding me. My wife is pregnant, so I can have a baby and replenish my health.
I’ve used it seven to eight times.”
"Aren't these a lot of gifts? Just sell them." Xiao Chen said.
"It takes time to sell off the gifts. I don't have the money to pay the bill after dinner. If someone talks about it, where will I put my old face?"
"Okay, seeing how bad you are, I don't want to be like my mother-in-law. Let's revive the restaurant and throw a big party for my little niece who has just turned one month old. I will pay for the money spent and treat it as my congratulatory gift."
Turning around, Xiao Chen walked directly towards Jia Ren.
