”Chu Ningyuan.”

　　Shi Mingwen frowned, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Finally, he said, “With his knowledge, he is naturally qualified to be a teacher, but he is too close to ——.”

　　”Come on, this is not something a fifth-rank official like you can get involved in.” Sun Mu poured tea, “Drink tea.”

　　Shi Mingwen took the tea but didn’t drink it. Instead, he sighed and said, “I’m not as carefree as you. I can resign my post and travel around to give lectures. Alas, it would be fine if it was someone else, but it’s a pity for Yan Jinxin. He comes from a poor family, has spiritual energy and talent, and is a righteous person. I can’t bear to see him get involved and bury his future. If the emperor is interested… that’s good.”

　　Following Chu Ningyuan also means you have the merit of following the dragon.

　　Sun Mu knew that his good friend was of this character. He looked serious and difficult to approach, and in fact, he was like that. He would not even look at mediocre people, but if it was someone with knowledge and learning, he would cherish their talent and would not bear to see them buried, so he would talk more.

　　”Chu Ningyuan wants to take in a disciple, but maybe Yan Jinxin, whom you mentioned, doesn’t want to.”

　　The tea in Shi Mingwen’s hand had gone cold, so he simply put it on the table and stopped drinking it. He said, “Who among the poor scholars in this world doesn’t want to be Chu Ningyuan’s apprentice? If it were Du Ruoqi, I wouldn’t worry about it. Yan Jinxin is new here and doesn’t know how deep the water is in the capital. There are even more complicated connections underneath – Old Sun, why don’t you accept him?”

　　”You, you, you’re trying to coax me into accepting a disciple again.” Sun Mu smiled, but never said this. Instead, he said, “Everyone has his own luck. Maybe Yan Jinxin has boarded Chu Ningyuan’s ship, which is a great ship. If you try to stop him, you are blocking his great luck.”

　　”After all, he is with the legitimate son…”

　　So what if he is with the legitimate son? If he is with the legitimate son of the empress, then he is the legitimate eldest son. But it is hard to say about this one now. Shi Mingwen knew that his old friend was determined not to intervene. In fact, no matter good or bad, once he got involved, the situation would not be controlled by a small person without a backer.

　　The situation in the court is very complicated now, as can be seen from the fact that the Second Prince has closed the door and refused to see visitors.

　　It was getting late, so Sun Mu stood up to say goodbye. Shi Mingwen did not try to keep him, but saw him off all the way and asked, “How many days will you stay in Beijing? When will you leave?”

　　“The weather is a little warmer at the beginning of the year.”

　　That means there is still some time. Shi Mingwen nodded and sent Sun Mu to the car. Seeing that it was getting late, he did not stay in the front yard to read, but went to the back yard and asked, “Where is the wife?”

　　”My lord, my lady was reading letters this morning and is now waiting for you to have dinner in the side hall,” the servant replied.

　　Knowing that the master and Ms. Sun were drinking tea, the lady specifically told them not to disturb them and to wait for the master.

　　Shi Mingwen walked to the side hall of the main house, where the food was already served. Shi Mingwen had been drinking tea all morning, so his stomach was full and he wasn’t too hungry, but he still sat down to eat with his wife and only ate a few bites of the food.

　　I finished my meal quietly.

　　The couple moved to the main hall to talk, and the maids brought hot tea again. Mrs. Shi said first: “There were three visiting cards this morning, all sent by the masters of the Hanlin Academy…”

　　She also talked about some kind of etiquette.

　　”One of them was a box of duck. I opened it and took a look. At first I thought it was a snack box.”

　　”Duck?” Shi Mingwen was surprised.

　　In the past, when the couple chatted about daily life, it was Mrs. Shi who talked and Shi Mingwen just listened without replying. After sitting for a quarter of an hour, Shi Mingwen went to the study to read. Mrs. Shi knew the master’s temper, so when chatting about daily life, she would also tell interesting stories, so that the master could stay for a while longer.

　　”Yes, there’s a duck poem on the box.”

　　”Let me see, where is it?”

　　The maid next to Madam Shi took it and handed it to Madam Shi. Madam Shi showed it to the master, and Shi Mingwen read it out: “Duck, duck, duck. The Li family has whole ducks, each with a different flavor. Once you get to taste one, it’s absolutely delicious.”

　　Shi Mingwen was stunned at first, then he laughed and said, “It’s a bit wild.”

　　It’s not really a serious poem.

　　”Read for fun.” said Mrs. Shi.

　　Shi Mingwen smiled and asked, “How about I try this absolutely delicious duck?”

　　The old woman took the box down, picked a bite of each, put it in a small white porcelain bowl and handed it to the master with chopsticks. Shi Mingwen took a look and saw that the color was bright red. He picked up a piece of something and put it in his mouth. It tasted rich and good.

　　Try the other one.

　　Mrs. Shi watched the master eat a small bowl of rice. Seeing that he looked unsatisfied, she said, “Master, you didn’t eat much just now. Why don’t you have some more rice and vegetables to go with the duck?”

　　”Can.”

　　Fang Liu went to three houses in the morning. He first sent Master Shi off, then went to the homes of Masters Zhao and Tian, ​​and finally to Master Liang, because Master Liang’s home was very far from the Li family. He did not rest at noon, and when he finished sending off the guests, it was already evening when he returned to the Li family.

　　The Zhao and Tian families received their New Year gifts, and the servants and doormen delivered them directly to the back. It was lunchtime, and the ladies of the two families saw that it was a box of duck, so they packed it into a dish and put it on the table.

　　Once you taste it with chopsticks, you can’t stop. It’s just like what it says on the box, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely delicious.

　　The Liang family also received it, but a little later.

　　”What are you carrying and why are you running to the back?” Liang Zizhi called out to the doorman.

　　The servant held up the food box and replied, “Master, it was said outside that it was a New Year gift from Mr. Gu from the Hanlin Academy.”

　　”Gu Zhao’s?” Liang Zizhi first muttered to himself, then said to the servant, “Bring it here for me to have a look. It looks like a food box. What kind of snack is this?”

　　The servant said happily, “Master, you have very good eyesight. You can see the food in my hand from a long distance away.”

　　The master would not even bother to look at other things like gold, jade, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, but when it came to food, he would grab every piece he wanted.

　　Liang Zizhi was not amusing himself with the servant. He laughed out loud when he saw the poem on the food box. He opened it and found there was also a note. From the handwriting, he knew it was written by Gu Zhao, not him saying it behind his back, but his handwriting was a bit awful. If it was in the hands of his teacher, the teacher would be furious.

　　”Skin jelly, served cold, not heated. Braised duck: eat duck wings and duck neck cold, duck offal with noodles…”

　　Liang Zizhi finished cleaning, not caring that it was still an hour before lunch, and immediately ordered the servants to prepare a portion early. He wanted to taste the taste of the braised duck and jelly. “…Don’t finish it, keep a portion first. If it tastes good, I’ll send it to Master.”

　　”yes.”

　　The cook in the Liang family kitchen knew that his master was impatient when it came to food, so if he got some new food, he would try it early. If it tasted good, he would drink and eat to his heart’s content. If it didn’t taste good, he would complain for several days that it “did not live up to its name” and get drunk.

　　Anyway, no matter whether it tastes good or not, you have to drink to your heart’s content.

　　The cook didn’t understand all this, so he quickly prepared everything. What needed to be mixed cold was mixed cold, what needed to be served with noodles was served with noodles, and what needed to be eaten cold was served directly on a plate, arranged beautifully, and sent over.

　　The servant in the front yard was warming wine for the master. The food was on the table, and the master was invited to take a seat.

　　Liang Zizhi didn’t pick up his chopsticks, but drank a glass of wine first. He drank a little too much and waved his hand to let the servants go away. These servants knew the master was used to it. Although they were worried about the master’s health, no one dared to mention it. They followed the rules and closed the door.

　　Liang Zizhi drank two more cups in a row before picking up the chopsticks to pick up the food. He picked the chopsticks on the frozen pork skin and put it into his mouth without changing his expression. Then he was surprised and moved his chopsticks to the duck, and then to the duck offal in the noodle soup…

　　I tried them one by one, and my face was filled with joy and satisfaction. For a moment I even forgot to drink.

　　Before he knew it, he had finished a table full of food. Liang Zizhi felt warm and comfortable in his stomach, because he had only drunk the first three cups of wine and forgot to drink while eating. He looked at the empty bowl of noodles and laughed twice.

　　The servant guarding outside knew that the master was drunk and came again.

　　”If you were still here, you would be happy and like this.” Liang Zizhi muttered to himself, then called the servant in and said, “Pack up the remaining half today, get the carriage, and I’m going to the teacher’s house.”

　　The servant said, “Master, it’s almost dark. You just had a meal and drank some wine. You will feel uncomfortable if you keep tossing and turning like this.”

　　”Just go when I tell you to. Why are you saying so much?” Liang Zizhi didn’t drink today, so those three cups were the same as not drinking at all for him.

　　The servant dared not say anything more, and went to pack up the carriage and see the master off.

　　It’s getting so late, the master probably won’t be coming back today and will stay at Sun’s house.

　　The Sun Mansion is far from the city and it takes an hour to get there by horse carriage. When Liang Zizhi arrived, it was snowing outside. The old servant who was guarding the door heard the noise and came to open the door. He saw Zizhi holding a box and exclaimed, “Zizhi, why are you here so late? The master just went to bed. I’m going to clean up the house. You can sleep here tonight. We can talk tomorrow.”

　　”Thank you for your help, Uncle Sun.” Liang Zizhi thanked Uncle Sun.

　　”Go in quickly. The snow is getting heavier. Don’t catch a cold.” Sun Bo felt sorry for him. He asked the servant to lead the horse to the back, arranged hot water for washing, and asked Zizhi if he had eaten.

　　”I came here after I ate. I got a good dish and brought it to the teacher to taste.”