The Deer Garden was still the same Deer Garden, and the courtyard was still the same courtyard, but the owner of the courtyard had changed. Eunuch Liu had left, and Little Li had become Eunuch Li. The color of the eunuch's official robe he wore was a little darker, and he became the leader of the Deer Garden...
The yard was a bit bleak and it was still snowing, so Little Leo entertained Yan Liqiang in the living room.
The small stove, the fragrant tea, the purple gold pottery tea set, all the manners were exactly the same as those of Eunuch Liu. The one who was fanning the stove with a fan to boil water turned out to be a eunuch in his thirties, older and taller than Little Li Zi, with a body width twice that of Little Li Zi. But in front of Little Li Zi, the eunuch's waist was always bent, with a humble and flattering smile on his face, always calling Eunuch Li "Eunuch Li" and "Eunuch Li" short, which made people feel very annoyed...
"Eunuch Liu is in a good position now. He is in charge of the Imperial Horse Bureau beside His Majesty. The Imperial Horse Bureau has taken over the former Horse Herding Department of the Ministry of War, as well as several horse farms near the Imperial Capital. Eunuch Liu is more powerful now. He sees His Majesty every day. All of His Majesty's travels are also in the charge of Eunuch Liu. Last time, Eunuch Liu mentioned Brother Yan and praised the four-wheeled carriage that Brother Yan gave to His Majesty. Now, every time His Majesty leaves the palace, his favorite is the four-wheeled carriage that Brother Yan gave to His Majesty. Eunuch Liu also said that when he sees Brother Yan again, he will give him a good horse..."
Little Lizi's identity is different now, and similarly, Yan Liqiang's identity is also different. Knowing how important Yan Liqiang is in the hearts of Eunuch Liu and the Emperor, even though he has become the steward of the Deer Garden, Little Lizi is still as polite and enthusiastic to Yan Liqiang as before.
Yan Liqiang also smiled and said kindly, "I haven't seen Eunuch Liu for a long time. I just arrived in the Imperial Capital yesterday. I wanted to pay a visit to Eunuch Liu first, but I didn't expect that I was intercepted by people sent by Lord Sun as soon as I arrived in the Imperial Capital. I had dinner at Lord Sun's house in the evening and talked for a long time. It was a bit late. I just came to Luyuan today. In the next few days, before His Majesty goes out for hunting and southern tour, I am afraid I will have to stay in Luyuan. Eunuch Li, please don't think I am causing you trouble..."
Little Lizi had long since accepted the title of Eunuch Li from Yan Liqiang. He was also very satisfied with this title from Yan Liqiang and had no intention of correcting it. When he heard that Yan Liqiang was going to live in Luyuan, Little Lizi immediately showed a happy expression, "Brother Yan is going to live here, I am so happy that I can't wait to do so. How can I find it troublesome? By the way, the Lanxin Courtyard in the south mountain of Luyuan has been empty these days. I'll have someone clean it up, and Brother Yan will live in Lanxin Courtyard..."
Yan Liqiang shook his hand and said, "Don't bother me. I'll just live in my old courtyard. I'm used to it!"
"How can that small courtyard be worthy of Brother Yan's current status? Brother Yan, don't worry. You are the governor of Qiyun, the archery master of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the master craftsman of the Ministry of the Imperial Household. You are a person with a title. If you live in Lanxin Courtyard, no one can say anything..."
"You're welcome. I can just live in my old place. By the way, I heard from Lord Sun that the people from the newspaper are now detained in Luyuan. Lord Sun and I had a chat last night. The imperial court's amnesty will probably come down in the next two days. Can I go and have a look today..." Yan Liqiang said, with an annoyed and angry look on his face, and slapped his thigh hard. "It's all my fault for leaving Dijing City too early and not disciplining them well. For example, Fang Beidou and the others were fine when I was here, but as soon as I left, they forgot everything and even dared to disobey the words of Eunuch Liu and the imperial court. It's really unreasonable. Lord Sun told me about this last night, and I felt that Lord Sun and Eunuch Liu dealt with them too lightly, just house arrest. If it were my temper, I would give them a few hundred slaps one by one, beat their buttocks, and make them lie in bed for three to five months without being able to get up, and then throw them into the cell to reflect on themselves. Who owns this newspaper? How can they cause trouble for the imperial court at this time? Do they still have any sense of the overall situation... ”
"Brother Yan is right. The newspaper should listen to the court and His Majesty. But I don't think Fang Beidou and his men have committed serious crimes. They are just a little slow-witted. So Eunuch Liu and Lord Sun arrested them and put them under house arrest in the Deer Garden because they are your old subordinates and friends. They are in the Qi'en Courtyard. Apart from not being able to go out, they are not suffering any punishment. Brother Yan can visit them anytime he wants!"
"Eunuch Li, Lord Yan, the tea is ready..." The eunuch in his thirties brought the brewed tea over carefully.
Little Li picked up the teacup, and his every move was just like that of Eunuch Liu. He blew on it gently, took a sip, and smacked his lips, "Well, Xiao Dezi, your craftsmanship is getting better and better..."
Xiao Dezi was overjoyed, and immediately bowed, gave Xiao Lizi a "charming" look, and said in a shrill voice, "Xiao Dezi thanks Eunuch Li for the compliment..."
Yan Liqiang got goosebumps all over the floor...
…
Qi'en Courtyard is where the servants in Luyuan live. The yard is not big, and the conditions are not as good as other places in Luyuan, but it is a hundred times better than any prison cell in the Imperial Capital.
An hour later, Yan Liqiang stood at the gate of Qi'en Courtyard. Seeing Yan Liqiang coming, a small flag officer guarding the gate of the courtyard hurried over and whispered a few words to Yan Liqiang.
"Master Yan, the brothers know that the people imprisoned here are your subordinates in the newspaper office, so the brothers on duty here these days have been quite caring and have not let the people inside suffer..."
Yan Liqiang also knew this small flag officer. They had a good relationship in Luyuan in the past. When Yan Liqiang was in Luyuan, every time he came back, he would bring good wine to the soldiers guarding the gate of Luyuan. In addition, he was a humble person, so he was deeply loved by the soldiers in Luyuan.
Yan Liqiang patted the small flag officer on the shoulder, then casually reached into his sleeve and took out a 10,000 tael silver note and stuffed it into his pocket, "Thank you for your hard work, brothers. Tell everyone that I appreciate this favor..."
Looking down at the denomination of the banknote in Yan Liqiang's hand, the officer with the small flag was shocked. Even in the Imperial Capital, 10,000 taels of silver was not a small sum. They had never seen such a large sum of money in Luyuan. "Master Yan, this... this cannot be accepted... It's just a small matter. Even if Master Yan didn't say it, we brothers would take care of it..." The officer with the small flag quickly pushed the banknote over.
"Here, why are you being so polite to me? Don't you know that I'm a local rich man in the northwest? It's being polite to me. It's cold these days. Buy some good wine for the brothers in Luyuan..." Yan Liqiang stuffed the banknote into the hand of the small flag officer without saying a word.
“Then… I’ll accept it on behalf of all of you brothers…” Seeing Yan Liqiang’s firm attitude, the small flag officer accepted the banknote as well.
"That's right..." Yan Liqiang smiled.
At a glance from the officer with the small flag, the sergeant guarding the door took out the key and opened the door wide, and Yan Liqiang walked in calmly.
As soon as Yan Liqiang entered the yard, he saw Fang Beidou standing on a stone table in the yard with his back to him, doing a horse stance and shouting loudly. In the yard, more than 20 people were following Fang Beidou's example and doing horse stance. Except for a few who were still doing it properly, most of them were already staggering, their legs were shaking, and they were complaining bitterly...
"If you want to learn martial arts, horse stance is the basic skill. If you can't even pass the horse stance, your feet will be weak, your lower body will be unstable, and you won't be able to stand like a horse. All your moves are just fancy moves, and you won't even be able to scare a child..."
As Yan Liqiang slowly walked in, those who saw Yan Liqiang couldn't help but stand up with astonishment on their faces...
"Hey, why are you all standing up? It's not even time for dinner yet..." Fang Beidou looked at those people who stood up in astonishment.
"Haha, it turns out that Manager Fang has the talent to open a martial arts school..."
Hearing Yan Liqiang's voice, Fang Beidou's body suddenly stiffened, then he slowly turned around. The expression on his face changed for a while before turning into a smile, "You're finally here..."
"Yes, I am coming!"
(End of this chapter)