"Lord Sun still lives here?" Looking at the four-wheeled carriage stopped in the carriage lane, Yan Liqiang asked the person who brought him here with some surprise.
"Yes, Lord Sun has been living in this old house since he returned to the Imperial Capital. Lord Sun told us to bring Lord Yan here. Lord Sun is in charge of the cabinet and is very busy. He usually comes back late. Lord Yan, please wait here for a while!"
"OK!"
The carriage stopped at the door of Sun Bingchen's old house. Yan Liqiang got off the carriage and it left. Looking at the familiar house, Yan Liqiang smiled bitterly and shook his head. Sun Bingchen was too careful about his reputation. With his current status, it would be easy for him to move to a more luxurious house in the capital city. However, he still insisted on living in this small house. Was he nostalgic
The house was still the same house. From Yan Liqiang's perception, from the moment he got off the carriage, there were several piercing gazes falling on him, staring at him closely. The people in the courtyard next to him, the teahouse nearby, and the hat shop not far away should all be expert guards hidden here to protect Sun Bingchen. Otherwise, it would be a joke for a cabinet minister to live here without a few guards around him.
The door of the Sun family's house was still closed. Yan Liqiang walked forward, picked up the cold bronze door knocker on the door, and knocked on the door a few times...
As soon as the door opened, there were tiny footsteps from inside, and then the closed door opened a crack, and an old man looked out from inside, "Who is it?"
"It's me!" Yan Liqiang smiled, showing his teeth. This old man was an old servant beside Sun Bingchen. His surname was Li and he was not unfamiliar to Yan Liqiang.
“Ah, it’s Guard Yan…” A brilliant smile instantly bloomed on the old man’s face, and the old man recognized Yan Liqiang at once. The old man still retained the name he used when Yan Liqiang first lived here. It seemed that he didn’t know Yan Liqiang’s new identity. “It’s cold outside, come in, come in…” As he spoke, the old man opened the door wide and let Yan Liqiang enter the house.
"Haha, I haven't seen you for a few years. Uncle Li, you are still in good health..."
"Haha, you're old, you're old, but Guard Yan, you're getting more and more heroic..." The old man laughed and closed the door with a squeak. He looked Yan Liqiang up and down, and asked Yan Liqiang to take off his bamboo hat with enthusiasm. "Just now, the master sent someone to say that we should add two dishes tonight, saying that Guard Yan is coming. The master hasn't seen you for a long time, and he wants to have a drink with you. Look, I was just in the kitchen with my wife, making the master's favorite old duck soup. By the way, Guard Yan, I heard that you left the Imperial Capital for several years and returned to Ganzhou. I wonder how you are doing in Ganzhou..."
Yan Liqiang laughed dumbly and touched his nose, "It's okay, just enough to make a living, but I'm sorry to make you worry about me, Uncle Li..."
Uncle Li led Yan Liqiang to the living room, looked around, and then lowered his voice, "During the time when the master returned to the capital, many high-ranking officials came to see the master. At the beginning, the four-wheeled carriages of those who came to see the master blocked the carriage lane. Later, the master got angry and closed the door to see outsiders after returning home. Only then did it quiet down. When I am at home on weekdays, I often encounter people who come to give gifts and ask me to help pass notes and memorials to the master. There are too many, but the master has rules. , I dare not answer. I will tell Guard Yan that you and Yijie are not strangers. Don’t be shy to speak up. Yijie has been with the master for so many years and has been appointed a high official. I heard that he was sent out. When you see the master in the evening, say a few good words to him and ask for an official position for him. It is more effective than anything else. Don’t you know that when you were not with the master these years, the master often talked about you, saying that you are not old, but you are much better than many officials in the court, and you are capable, loyal and righteous…”
Yan Liqiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Okay, Uncle Li, I'll remember what you said. Thank you for reminding me. By the way, do you need help in the kitchen? I'll help you, Uncle Li!"
"No, no, the kitchen is almost done. You can just drink tea in the living room and wait for the master to come. You can pour the tea yourself. That girl Xu is old, and the master has found a good family for her and she has already married her off. Now there are only my wife and I in this house, and a groom beside the master..."
Yan Liqiang was not an outsider. After the old man led Yan Liqiang to the living room, he said a few more words and left. Yan Liqiang walked around the living room and found that the tables and chairs in the living room were basically the same as he saw at the beginning. The only change was that there was a painting in the living room. In the painting, there was a bright moon in the sky, surrounded by colorful clouds, and under the moon, there were thousands of mountains like waves, which had a unique charm...
Yan Liqiang looked at the signature on the painting and found that it was painted by Sun Bingchen. The more Yan Liqiang looked at it, the more he felt that there were many, many meanings in the painting. Gradually, he became a little fascinated by it...
…
"Why, Li Qiang, do you like this painting too?" A familiar voice sounded behind Yan Liqiang at some point.
Hearing the voice, Yan Liqiang turned around and saw Sun Bingchen standing at the door of the living room, looking at him with a smile. After not seeing him for many years, Sun Bingchen's appearance had not changed at all, still the same as before. The only thing that had changed was the official uniform on Sun Bingchen's body. Sun Bingchen, who had just returned home, had not had time to change clothes. What he was wearing now was the Qilin robe of a first-rank minister, with a jade belt around his waist. He looked extremely majestic, which made people feel a chill in their hearts.
"Yan Liqiang greets you, sir!" Yan Liqiang bowed to Sun Bingchen.
"Hahaha, you...you..." Sun Bingchen laughed and shook his head as he walked over, his eyes sparkling as he sized up Yan Liqiang from head to toe. "I heard from Yijie that there has been no news since you received the order to come to the Imperial Capital, and I didn't see you gathering the guards of honor in Qiyun County, so I guessed that you must have come to the Imperial Capital alone. Today, I received news that it was you who came. Not bad, not bad. I haven't seen you for a few years. I feel that your cultivation is getting better and better..."
"It's been many years since we last met, and you are still as charming as ever!" Yan Liqiang smiled, and there was no trace of worry in his smile. "Your Excellency is in charge of the cabinet. I thought you would not be back until the evening..."
"It's just mundane matters. I came back earlier when I knew you were coming, Li Qiang. I brought back some good wine from Yuezhou this time. I'll have a few drinks with you tonight, Li Qiang!"
"Hahaha, as long as you are willing, I will accompany you!"
Yan Liqiang knew very early that people would change, especially people would think differently in different positions. Although he didn't believe that Sun Bingchen would become his enemy one day, the newspaper's affairs and the current situation in the capital made Yan Liqiang very uneasy. So when he saw Sun Bingchen this time, Yan Liqiang unconsciously activated the Mind Snake...
(End of this chapter)