Chu family.
In the main hall, apart from Grand Tutor Chu, there are several old men of similar age, all wearing loose Confucian robes, with righteous faces and extraordinary manners, and they seem to have a bit of awe-inspiring character.
A thin old man shook his head and said: "It's a pity, although Mrs. Wang has resigned long ago, and the Wang family has always kept a low profile, but if he is willing to stand up together, the matter will not be delayed until today."
Another old man with a straight complexion sighed: "Old Madam Wang, I went to invite him personally, but he politely refused, saying that he is old, regardless of the affairs of the court, and his words revealed his love for that courtier." Appreciation."
"Back then, the envoys of the State of Qi made a big fuss in the capital. In the huge capital, no one dared to fight. Mrs. Wang dragged her sick body to the court, but was persuaded by everyone. You all know what happened afterwards, so it's no wonder that he looked sideways at him .”
"It's fine if Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Fu don't help each other. Isn't this Qin Wen a disciple of Brother Chu? This time, he actually united with many important officials in the court to speak for the courtier. If it wasn't for that, as long as Brother Chu spoke, all the courtiers Why don't you respond?"
"Things have dragged on for so long, not only the officials, but also the folks may have to work harder."
…
While they were drinking tea and discussing, a member of the Chu family came in from the outside, walked up to Mrs. Chu, and whispered a few words.
"Ning Chen?" Taifu Chu frowned slightly, but no impression of this person emerged in his mind.
Seeing this, the concierge felt a burst of regret in his heart, and hurriedly said: "I'll let them go right away!"
"Wait." He walked quickly to the door, only to hear a voice behind him.
Taifu Chu looked at him and asked: "You said, he is a young man about Heping's age, with a good-looking talent and extraordinary bearing?"
The concierge nodded immediately, "He is a good-looking talent, much more handsome than the young master."
"Ning Chen, Ning Chen..." Chu Taifu murmured, with a trace of doubt on his face, he whispered: "Let him in."
At the door of Chu's house, the porter who trot over wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said to Li Yi respectfully, "Please come in, my lord."
…
Compared with other wealthy families that Li Yi has seen, Chu's house is not big, and it can even be said to be a bit small.
It may also be because the Chu family is not very prosperous, and the two generations are passed down in a single line. If the house is too big to be used, it will appear deserted.
Led by the servant, he did not pass through the main house, but took a small path on the left, and after a while, he came to a small garden.
A figure in a gray Confucian robe stood with his back facing him and his hands behind his back. I don't know if it was an illusion, but Li Yi always felt that the body of this Master Tai Tuo was much more crooked than when he saw it the last two times. .
The old man turned his head and asked calmly: "The old man has always been curious. When you saw the old man on the street that day, why did you hide?"
At this moment, Li Yi discovered that not only was his back hunched, but even his complexion looked older than before, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"I'm afraid you will blackmail me." Li Yi said honestly: "It's a pity that I didn't escape in the end."
The two confronted tit for tat in the court that day, but when they met again, there was no aura of fireworks.
The old man looked at him sharply, and asked, "Do you think it's the old man who has wronged you by preventing the eldest son of the emperor from entering the capital?"
Li Yi smiled and said, "Master Taifu naturally understands the reason."
"Actually, I can understand Taifu." Li Yi looked at the neatly trimmed flower garden next to him, and said slowly: "The Chu family has been the Qingliu among Jingguo literati for generations, representing righteousness and righteousness, just a mere courtier. Naturally, it can't compare to the century-old reputation of the Chu family."
Taifu Chu's face was calm, but his fists tucked into his sleeves were clenched tightly, and his veins were standing on end.
"I know that Cui Qingming used some shady methods to take advantage of the Chu family." Li Yi shook his head and continued: "Sun deserves what he deserves, but the Chu family's disaster is not as bad as the Cui family's scandals. It will not 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 Grand Tutor Chu again: "The difficulty is the choice of Master Tai Tu."
Taifu Chu also stared at him firmly. After a while, he loosened his clenched fists and said, "Everything is just your one-sided 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 this case..., Mr. Taifu, the minister will 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 his face was relaxed, without any hesitation and worries before he came, and asked in surprise: "Why, the negotiation is over?"
Li Yi nodded, "It's done."
The slovenly old man was a little disappointed along the way. He thought he could watch a big show, but it seemed that there was no hope.
When he reached the gate of the Goulan, he asked again: "How long will I stay inside today, I'll go shopping in the street first."
"I won't go back today." Li Yi waved his hand, "You can shop as long as you want, just go to the house and tell me before evening."
"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, Goulan doesn't have many exciting new plays, and the guests have already started complaining. It's time to add some fresh ones.
Habitually glanced at the small building in front of him, and happened to meet a line of sight from behind the attic window.
Li Yi was startled, then smiled and waved to the other side, and walked over quickly.
"Aren't you coming back at night?" Second Miss Liu of the Li family frowned, "Where is he?"
The sloppy old man shrugged: "A place to watch a play."
Miss Liu Er waved her sleeves, "Take me there!"
Ruyi grabbed her arm, shook her head and said, "Before Xianggong went out in the morning, he already said that there is an important thing to do today, and he might not come back tonight, what are you going to do?"
"I'm not looking for him." Second Miss Liu shook her head and said, "I, can't I just go to the theater?"
Goulan, in the room above the attic.
Li Yi saw that when Wan Ruoqing was writing, his brows were slightly frowned, and there seemed to be pain between his brows, and he 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 held the pen for too long these two days..."
"It's all blistered..." Seeing that a blister had formed on her finger, Li Yi frowned and said, "Forget it, don't write it. When I finish writing this fold, you can tell me how to arrange and arrange things." I'll just remember."
Li Yi put down his pen and said, "Let me help you pop the blisters first, and you rest for a while."
He took a sterilized needle, these things are always kept here, held her hand, pierced a hole in the blister, squeezed out the liquid inside, and did not completely break it, looked up Asked: "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'll put some alcohol on it now. It may hurt a little. Please bear with it."
Even though she was prepared, she couldn't help but let out a suppressed cry when he applied the alcohol and the tingling sensation suddenly came.
"It hurts... bear with it..." Second Miss Liu stood outside the door with a livid face. When she heard the woman's suppressed voice, she finally couldn't help it and pushed the door open.
"Be careful not to touch the water these few days, and don't write." Li Yi put down the things in his hands, watched her give instructions, then turned to look at Miss Liu Er, and asked in surprise: "Ruyi, why are you coming?"
Miss Liu Er scanned the room, then looked at Li Yi, and said lightly, "I'll call you home for dinner."