[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 80 [English]

Chapter 78: Sharing food

Pan Lin felt gloomy. After changing his clothes, he sat on the couch by the window.Fei Shi felt guilty. He sat in front of him and hesitated to speak.

“You don’t have to say it,” Pan Lin looked at the brightly lit old brothel courtyard outside the window, “It’s just my bad luck that I met a low-life guy like him.”

Fei Shi said: “You know he is a low-spirited person and very narrow-minded, so why bother getting angry with such a person? Granted, it’s not worth it.”

Pan Lin laughed at himself and said, “Have we, the Pan family, fallen into such a state of poverty? If I have to give up my backbone just for food, and let him laugh at me like this, it would be better to let me die.”

When Fei Shi saw he looked sad, he knew that the changes in human relations these days had made him really sad.Although Fei Shi was confused, he could see clearly. He comforted him and said: “If you keep the green hills, you won’t be afraid of running out of firewood. The emperor hasn’t issued the decree yet! Take it, didn’t the Marquis also say it? Mr. Pan is a veteran of three dynasties, and he still has weight in the emperor’s heart.”

The curtain was opened, and Xiao Chiye leaned in.Fei Shi and Pan Lin stood up together and saluted he.

Xiao Chiye raised his hand and said, “You two don’t have to be formal, Mr. Pan, please sit down.”

Pan Lin sat down and said to Xiao Chiye: “Tonight not only ruined the Marquis’s fun, but also deprived him of the fun of drinking. He deserves a beating.”

Xiao Chiye didn’t care. He sat down and watched the tea. He took a few sips and said, “I have heard about the minister’s talents and knowledge for a long time, but I have never had a chance to talk. I think I have a chance tonight.”

Fei Shi laughed when he heard this and winked at Pan Lin.

Pan Lin hurriedly saluted, and Xiao Chiye signaled him to sit down again and said: “I am responsible for clearing the official ditch, and I know the taste of it best. The old official ditch on Donglong Street was dug randomly before Mr. Pan took office as Minister of the Ministry of Industry. There are many unreasonable things. I think this time the water rose, I shouldn’t pass all the blame on Mr. Pan.”

Pan Lin felt excited and said: “My father had someone draw a drawing a few years ago, but at that time the Zhongbo army was defeated, the treasury was unable to circulate, and the Ministry of Revenue refused to release the money, so the matter was let go. Who would have thought… Alas!”

“There is such a thing,” Xiao Chiye closed the tea lid, “but Wei Huaigu didn’t mention it in front of the emperor. Aren’t you two on good terms?”

Pan Lin was silent, and Fei Shi rushed to say: “Master Marquis, why is Wei Huaigu so focused on working hard? Just to become a high official. He has worked hard for so many years, and now he has enough qualifications. He is rushing to be inspected this year. He is now waiting for the evaluation report so that he can be promoted to the second assistant and compete with the old branch of Haige in the future. Who knows that at this juncture, there is a problem with the official channel being blocked, heOf course, we have to find ways to clear up the relationship and refuse to take any responsibility.”

“I didn’t expect that he was such a person,” Xiao Chiye said with a slight surprise on his face, “I originally saw that the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue over the years were clear and there were no big mistakes. I also thought that this year it would be his turn, Wei Huaigu, but I didn’t know that he turned out to be a scumbag. What a pity, Mr. Pan.”

Fei Shi heard the care and concern in he’s words and couldn’t help but bravely said: “The recent news is very tight. Mr. Marquis, Chengzhi and I asked many people, but we don’t know what the emperor meant to the Ministry of Punishment. If Master Pan is sentenced…will he send Qidu?”

Pan Lin also raised his heart and looked at Xiao Chiye.

Xiao Chiye sat firmly in his chair, turned the bone ring a few times, and tightened the hearts of both of them, and then said: “It’s hard to say, I think the emperor is also hesitant.”

Fei Shi immediately said: “Things have turned around before the imperial edict was issued. The Marquis is now a true minister of the Emperor. I hope that the Marquis can speak kindly to the Emperor about this matter!”

“I will not put in a good word for Lord Pan,” Xiao Chiye said calmly when he saw the two of them changed their expressions, “I will only speak frankly. You are talented and meritorious, and even if you make some minor mistakes, you will not be beheaded and exiled. I will wait until I enter the palace tomorrow to talk to the emperor about this matter. If it can be done, the pardon order should be at the palace within four days.”

Pan Lin was so happy that his eyes were red when he got up. He didn’t dare to touch Xiao Chiye, so he could only grab his sleeves, kneel down like planting rice seedlings, and said, “Thank you… Thank you Lord Marquis for saving my life!”

“Gujin quickly help the minister to get up,” Xiao Chiye said with a smile, “This is what I should do, the minister does not need to take it to heart. After I go back today, I asked Lord Pan to take a good rest. There will be many places where you will be needed in the future for state affairs.”

Fei Shixin was straightforward and said: “If the Marquis has something to do from now on, just give me your instructions! Take it, let’s go, let’s go back and give the good news to you!”

Pan Lin thanked him again and again, and said sincerely to Xiao Chiye: “If the Marquis has something to do in the future, just give him your orders! It’s too far from the north, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it, but as long as I’m in the capital, and the Marquis says it, I, Pan Chengzhi, will do my best!”

Xiao Chiye said: “Why are you so open to outsiders? But I heard you say that Lord Pan asked someone to draw a map of the Guandou ditch. I am also worried about repairing the ditch. Please ask Master Pan for me if you can lend me the drawings.”

Pan Lin said, “No need to ask. When I get back, I will send someone to the Marquis’s house immediately.”

Xiao Chiye comforted him again and watched Gu Jin send the people off the boat.After listening to the boat music for a while, he turned around and said to Ding Tao: “Eat whatever you like, just ask the cook to cook it. After you finish eating, prepare some sweet and spicy dishes, and then ask the cook to carefully cook a few fish and send them to you, Mr. Shen. Don’t disturb others.”

Ding Tao ran away with the book in her pocket. Chen Yang came up from behind and whispered to Xiao Chiye: “Master, Xue Xiuyi has not been here long. He is still waiting to see Yao Wenyu. Shall we go over?”

“Go, of course.” Xiao Chiye looked back, his eyes cold, “Xue Xiuzhuo buried a knife for me regarding Quanchengsi, and I have to give you a big gift. You can ask someone to serve a few more jugs of good wine. This Xue Xiuyi will be of great use.”

* * *

The prison was under the supervision of Kong Qiu and was strictly managed. Xi Hongxuan could not send out any news and seemed to be isolated from the world.The more he waited, the more anxious he became. After waking up one night, he found that he was being detained in isolation and moved to a room without windows.

“Why did you suddenly change places?” Xi Hongxuan was unable to squat down freely because of his obesity. He could only bend down slightly and said to the jailer who was delivering food through the gap, “Brother, sir! Can you please tell me something?”

The jailer ignored his words, opened the flap, pushed in the leftover soup, picked up the tray and left.

“Hey, brother, stay!” Xi Hongxuan raised his voice, “I still have some silver in my pocket. Seeing that you have been working hard these past few days, why not take it to buy a drink, and treat it as my filial piety to you!”

The jailer turned around and spat at he.

Xi Hongxuan was asking for trouble and didn’t need to eat. He sat on the straw mat in a daze.he I couldn’t even sleep well during the past few days of waiting. I thought about it, but I didn’t know what was wrong.The longer time goes by, the less confident he feels. It’s too hard to feel like being beholden to others like this.

The room was damp, with no ventilation or light. Xi Hongxuan usually felt uncomfortable sleeping on bamboo mats, but now he was even more miserable.He has eczema on his back again, and he can’t even scratch it.

Later in the evening, Xi Hongxuan heard movement at the door.The door creaked, and Shen Zechuan stepped in. Behind him, Qiao Tianya, disguised as a wooden-faced young man, lit the lamp.

Xi Hongxuan struggled to move his legs and said, “What’s going on? How come I’m locked up here? Is this what Kong Qiu meant? I’ve never heard of such a prison in prison before!”

“You are not an old prisoner from the Criminal Department, so you don’t know that this is the place you should be.” Shen Zechuan took off his cloak, handed it to Qiao Tianya, and said to Xi Hongxuan, “You can’t eat the food here either. I have specially prepared dishes. You can use some, and we can talk slowly.”

Qiao Tianya hung up his cloak with one hand and opened the food box with the other, placing all the chicken, duck and fish he bought on the way.

Xi Hongxuan sat on the straw mat and silently watched Qiao Tianya’s movements. He suddenly smiled, then cooled down quickly and said, “It looks like a farewell meal.”

“This case is not punishable by death, so why should you scare yourself?” Shen Zechuan sat on the bench that Qiao Tianya had dusted. Seeing that Xi Hongxuan didn’t move his chopsticks, he asked Qiao Tianya to take out a pair of chopsticks, first picked a few bites of vegetables, and then tasted a sip of wine.

Only then did Xi Hongxuan move his chopsticks.

Shen Zechuan put down his chopsticks, looked at he, and said with a smile: “My brother, are you so careful?”

Xi Hongxuan picked up the flower rolls and wolfed them down. After feeling over his hunger, he said, “It’s a special time. Wouldn’t it be the same for you? How did that go? Have you seen Xi Dan?”

Shen Zechuan finished his glass of wine and nodded to Qiao Tianya.Qiao Tianya opened the door and led the person in from outside.

“Second Master!” Xi Dan rushed in. When he saw Xi Hongxuan, he was sullen and crying, “You have suffered!”

Xi Hongxuan held his hands steady, drank the last bit of wine, and said, “Get up and let people laugh! I’m not dead yet.”

Xi Dan wiped his face and said: “These days when the second master is not at home, I have asked the shopkeepers everywhere to manage the accounts more carefully. I don’t dare to let them mess up, but you are the backbone of the family, and you have to be in charge personally.”

Xi Hongxuan ate in silence, and after a while he said, “Tell me what’s going on outside.”

Xi Dan said: “Long Live Master wants to be held accountable. Neither the Ministry of Household Affairs nor the Ministry of Work are willing to take responsibility for this fault. Now Pan Xiangjie has been suspended from his job and received a royal cane. Seeing that the situation was not good, I went to Mr. Xue to plead for mercy. Unexpectedly, Mr. Xue is busy with official duties and can’t see anyone at all!”

“Yanqing didn’t see you?” Xi Hongxuan suddenly threw away his chopsticks, looked at Xi Dan, his eyes narrowed slightly, “Are you telling the truth?”

Xi Dan saw that he didn’t believe it, so he hurriedly said: “Second Master, how can this be a lie? When you go out, you will know everything when you ask? How dare I fool you on this kind of thing! Isn’t this just in time for the emperor’s amnesty? Dali Temple is going to work with the Ministry of Punishment to look up old cases, and Mr.

Xi Dan explained it like this, and Xi Hongxuan believed it.He said: “I am really unlucky. I happened to fall into this situation at this time…Lan Zhou, who instigated the emperor to leave the palace? Is there no news about this in the palace?”

“There are only so many people around the emperor, so we can just guess one by one.” Shen Zechuan said, “But the emperor is obviously unwilling to investigate this matter and is determined to protect the other party.”

“The only one who can protect the emperor to this extent is Mu Ru.” Xi Hongxuan clenched his fists, “The bitch is ruthless. There must be a reason for her to do this. You must pay attention… Don’t let her be pregnant with the emperor’s heir and want to listen to politics behind the curtain!”

“Since she is Xue Xiuzhuo’s person, she won’t get pregnant so easily.” Shen Zechuan mentioned the past again, “It’s Xue Xiuzhuo’s intention that you go to the Kung Fu Examination. If Mu Ru really wants to harm you… what exactly is Xue Xiuzhuo’s intention? Why don’t I understand?”

On the day when Xi Hongxuan kidnapped Qi Huilian, Shen Zechuan also mentioned that the reason why he entered the examination department was Xue Xiuzhuo’s intention. Now, half a month later, when he mentions it again, the meaning is different.

Xi Hongxuan pondered for a while and said: “Let’s put these things aside for now, Lan Zhou. The top priority is to get me out. What does Wei Huaigu say on the other end? I’ll give it to him as much as he wants!”

Shen Zechuan stretched out four fingers.

Xi Hongxuan said: “Four hundred thousand?”

Shen Zechuan didn’t move.

Xi Hongxuan stood up holding the table and said: “Four million?!”

The plates and bowls collided on the table, and Xi Hongxuan’s face under the lamp became increasingly ferocious. He slammed the wine glass and said angrily: “What a Wei Huaigu… what a Wei family! Four million…”

he sneered.

“This is the total military expenditure of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It has already caught up with the cost of rebuilding Zhongbo! How the hell is he going to get this much money? It’s really a mountain of silver. Going from the west, it will take half a year just to distribute the fortune! In the meantime, it will cost more to deposit the silver and cross the border, and to manage all the checkpoints! Even if he really gets the capital, where will he put it? There is no way to hide this much silver!”

“He is just talking like a lion now, how can he care so much? Jin Yiwei just got the news, the Wei family is really interested in Zhongbo. Just imagine, Wei Huaigu now controls the household department, and if he is allowed to win the six states of Zhongbo, then this money will really be used on military expenses. When the Wei family has soldiers and horses, and then with the Queen Mother… the Xi family will be at the mercy of others.”

Xi Hongxuan turned his head suddenly and looked at Shen Zechuan: “You persuaded me to join forces with them that day, did you ever think of today? Lan Zhou! These people are all wolves and tigers, and they are all greedy. Once they get hold of them, you and I will never be able to get up again in this life!”

“I advised you to unite with them and kick out the Yao family that day, but you hesitated. The Yao family was originally a good target to scare the monkeys, but you missed it, so today’s situation is expected. Xi Hongxuan, if you don’t kick them out, heThey will think of ways to kick you out.” Shen Zechuan seemed to sigh, “This situation is changing rapidly.It is no longer the time when everyone could be reasonable a few decades ago.

Xi Hongxuan’s breathing was short and he regretted it at this moment.With his fists full of sweat, he said to the slightly swaying candlelight: “Lan Zhou… I will listen to you if I have any plans for the future after I go out this time! Now that the matter has come to this, we must first find a way to get the four million…”

“Four million is still too much,” Shen Zechuan said. “With so much money trying to pass through Juexi, there is no way it can escape Jiang Qingshan’s eyes. Please wait a little longer. I want to talk to Wei Huaigu.”

There is no point in waiting at this moment. Xi Hongxuan suppressed and said: “We still have to hurry up. The situation in the court has changed too fast, and the emperor is a person with no independent opinions. If Xiao Er or Mu Ru coax him over, it will really be too late.”

Shen Zechuan should not stay too long. When he was putting on his cloak, he asked casually: “By the way, you are in prison, what about Qi Huilian? He is also very important, don’t let anyone see it.”

Xi Hongxuan was about to say something, but changed his mind in an instant. He said softly to Shen Zechuan: “Don’t worry, Qi Huilian will definitely starve to death. I’m looking for someone to watch him. It’s just a hidden place. When I get out, I will return him to you.”

Shen Zechuan half-turned his head in the dim light, with a smile in the corners of his raised eyes.While he was tying his cloak, he said softly: “Okay.”

A wisp of cold wind slipped in through the crack in the door, making Xi Hongxuan’s hair stand on end.He rubbed his arms and wanted to say a few words of comfort, but Shen Zechuan had already stepped out of the door.