The Chu family.
In the main hall, other than grand tutor Chu, there were several elders of similar ages. They all wore loose Confucian robes and had righteous expressions. Their bearing was extraordinary, and they seemed to have a noble character.
A thin elder shook his head and said, "It's a pity. Although grand tutor Wang resigned long ago and the Wang family has always kept a low profile, if he was willing to stand out, the matter would not have been dragged out to this day."
Another elder with a serious expression sighed and said, "Grand tutor Wang, I once personally went to invite him, but he tactfully refused. He said that he was old and did not care about the affairs of the court. His words revealed his admiration for that sycophant."
"Back then, when the envoy of the Qi Kingdom caused havoc in the capital, no one in the vast capital dared to fight. Grand tutor Wang dragged his sick body to court and was persuaded by everyone. You all know what happened next. It's no wonder he was so impressed."
"It's fine if grand tutor Wang doesn't help either side, but isn't this Qin Wen brother Chu's disciple? This time, he actually joined forces with many important officials in the court to speak up for that sycophant. If not for that, why didn't the officials respond as soon as brother Chu spoke?"
"The matter has been dragged on for so long. It's not just the officials. I'm afraid that even the common people will have to put in more effort."
…
As they drank tea and discussed, a servant of the Chu family walked in from outside. He walked to grand tutor Chu's side and whispered a few words.
"Ning Chen?" Grand tutor Chu frowned slightly. He had no impression of this person at all.
When the gatekeeper saw this, he felt a wave of regret. He hurriedly said, "I'll send them away immediately!"
"Wait." He quickly walked out of the door, and a voice came from behind him.
Grand tutor Chu looked at him and asked, "You said that he is a young man about the same age as Ping 'er, and that he is handsome and has an extraordinary bearing?"
The gatekeeper immediately nodded. "He is handsome and much more handsome than young master."
"Ning Chen, sycophant …" Grand tutor Chu murmured. A hint of doubt appeared on his face as he said in a low voice, "Let him in."
At the entrance of the Chu family, the gatekeeper ran over and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He respectfully said to Li Yi, "Young master, please come in."
…
Compared to the other rich and powerful families that Li Yi had seen, the Chu Residence wasn't very big. In fact, it could even be said to be on the small side.
Perhaps it was also because the Chu Clan didn't have many descendants, and the two generations of the clan only had one son. Too large of a residence couldn't be used, and it would seem deserted.
Led by the servant, they did not pass through the main residence, but took a small path to the left. Not long after, they arrived at a small garden.
A figure dressed in a gray Confucian robe stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Li Yi wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but he felt that the body of this royal tutor was much hunchier than the last two times he saw him.
The old man turned his head and asked calmly, "This old man has always been curious. When you saw me on the street that day, why did you hide?"
At this moment, Li Yi realized that not only was his back hunched, but his complexion was also much older than before. It was as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"I was afraid that you would blackmail me," Li Yi said honestly. "Unfortunately, I couldn't escape in the end."
The two of them had been at loggerheads in the court that day, but when they met again, there was not the slightest atmosphere.
The old man looked at him with a sharp gaze and asked, "You repeatedly prevented the eldest imperial son from entering the capital. Do you think that this old man has wronged you?"
Li Yi smiled and said, "As for the reason, the royal tutor naturally understands."
"Actually, I can understand the royal tutor." Li Yi gazed at the neatly trimmed flower garden to the side and slowly said, "The Chu Clan has been a clean stream among the scholars of the Jing Kingdom for many generations. They represent righteousness and righteousness. A mere sycophant naturally cannot compare to the Chu Clan's century-old reputation."
Royal tutor Chu's expression was calm, but his fists, which were hidden in his sleeves, were tightly clenched. His veins were bulging.
"I know that Cui Qingming used some shameful methods to get hold of the Chu Clan's weakness." Li Yi shook his head and continued, "Your grandson deserves it, but the Chu Clan should not be implicated. Even if the Cui Clan exposed those scandals, it will not shake the Chu Clan's foundation. Although it will inevitably damage the Chu Clan's reputation, it will not be difficult to make up for it in the future."
He gazed at royal tutor Chu again. "What is difficult is the royal tutor's choice."
Royal tutor Chu stared at him. A moment later, he unclenched his fists and said, "All of this is just your one-sided statement. There is no stain on the Chu Clan, and there is no need to make up for it."
Li Yi met his gaze for a long time before sighing. He cupped his fists and said, "Since that's the case … royal tutor, this sycophant bids farewell."
Just as he was about to walk out of the garden, he stopped and turned back to ask, "Was it worth it?"
This time, he did not receive any response from the old man.
…
When he walked out of the Chu household, the unkempt old man saw that his expression was relaxed. There was no hesitation or apprehension from before. He asked in surprise, "What, did you succeed?"
Li Yi nodded, "It's done."
The unkempt old man was somewhat disappointed along the way. He thought he could watch a great show, but from the looks of it, there wasn't much hope.
When he arrived at the entrance of the brothel, he asked again, "How long will I be staying inside today? I'll go out for a walk."
"I'm not going back today." Li Yi waved his hand. "You can walk as long as you want. Just let me know at home before nightfall."
"You're not going back?" The unkempt old man looked at him in surprise and asked, "Are you sure?"
Li Yi nodded and stepped into the brothel. Recently, there hadn't been many exciting shows at the brothel. The customers were already beginning to complain. It was time to add something new.
He habitually glanced at the small building in front of him and happened to meet a gaze from the window of the loft.
Li Yi was startled for a moment, then he smiled and waved his hand towards that direction, then walked over quickly.
"He's not coming back tonight?" The Li family. Miss.Liu frowned. "Where is he?"
The unkempt old man shrugged. "A place to watch a show."
Miss.Liu waved her sleeves. "Take me there!"
Ruyi grabbed her arm and shook her head. "My husband said before he went out this morning that he had something important to do today. He might not come back tonight. What are you going to do?"
"I'm not going to look for him." Miss.Liu shook her head and said, "I, I'm going to watch a show!"
In the room above the loft of the brothel.
When Li Yi saw Ruoqing writing, she frowned slightly and seemed to be in pain. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
She put down the pen and looked at her fingers. She shook her head and said, "Maybe I've held the pen for too long these two days …"
"There are blisters …" Li Yi saw that there was a blister on her fingers. He frowned and said, "Forget it. Don't write anymore. When I finish writing this chapter, you can tell me how to arrange it and I'll write it down."
Li Yi put down the pen and said, "I'll help you pop the blister first. You can rest for a while."
He took out a sterilized needle. These things were always available here. He held her hand and poked a hole in the blister. He squeezed out the liquid inside but didn't completely pop it. He looked up and asked, "Does it hurt?"
"No." Ruoqing smiled and shook her head.
Li Yi nodded and said, "The wound needs to be disinfected. I'll apply some alcohol on it now. It might hurt a little. Just bear with it."
Even though she was mentally prepared, when he applied the alcohol, she couldn't help but let out a suppressed cry of pain when she suddenly felt the stinging pain.
"It hurts … Just bear with it …" Miss.Liu stood outside the door with a livid face. When she heard the woman's suppressed voice, she finally couldn't help but push the door open and enter.
"Don't touch water these days, and don't write." Li Yi put down the things in his hands and looked at her to remind her. Then he turned to look at Miss.Liu and asked in surprise, "Ruyi, why are you here?"
Miss.Liu glanced around the room and then looked at Li Yi. She said lightly, "I'm here to ask you to go home for dinner."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
