Chapter 350: Boiling Tea Around the Fire

Qin Chi in the capital found that there were more people monitoring him. He was alert for a while and asked someone to investigate the reason. When he received a letter from his family in Huizhou, he finally understood.

Qin Chi accepted this well.

At the same time, there is a feeling that it has finally arrived.

I knew this day would come sooner or later a long time ago.

Originally, Qin Chi still couldn't figure out the other party's intelligence network in the capital. The spies who came to his door were just right for him to counter-surveillance and find out the other party's stronghold in the capital.

The days passed quietly.

It was the Chinese New Year, the weather was cold, and the government offices were closed. But there were many social interactions. Either someone handed in a visiting card, or a colleague invited him, but he couldn't refuse to go because of the relationship, such as the invitation from Yan Xianqing and the Dali Temple Minister.

Duke Ningguo also sent an invitation.

There were almost no requests that he could refuse.

Qin Chi went to Yan Xianqing's birthday party.

As it was the end of the year, Yan Xianqing would not hold a big party and would just invite a few familiar friends to have tea and chat.

Yan Xianqing lives in Guihua Hutong. His house is only slightly better than the one Qin Chi lives in now. Qin Chi is a junior and came here half an hour earlier.

As soon as he heard that Qin Chi was coming, Yan Xianqing personally welcomed him into the mansion.

Qin Chi was wearing a light blue robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and his posture was as straight as a pine tree, and his gait was calm. He was holding a small rectangular box with exquisite carvings. When he saw Yan Xianqing coming with brisk steps, his eyes under his sword-like eyebrows smiled like the warm sun in winter, which warmed people's hearts.

Anyone who sees him would think he is a good-tempered person.

Yan Xianqing also felt the same way earlier.

However, in the past few months, Qin Chi has been handling cases in the Dali Temple. His ruthless and ruthless style of doing things has made many people with guilty consciences avoid him like the plague.

He showed his edge for the first time! "Master Yan."

When Yan Xianqing came forward, Qin Chi handed over the box with a smile, and said with respect in his eyes, "May you be like pine and bamboo, evergreen and blessed with longevity."

"Haha, thank you for your good words."

Yan Xianqing accepted the gift without hesitation.

This actually made Qin Chi feel a little more relaxed.

Yan Xianqing made an inviting gesture, "Qian, please come in. I have invited several like-minded friends to gather together for tea and discussion today. It is a celebration for my birthday. You are the first one to come."

Qin Chi asked with a smile: "Did that disturb Lord Yan?"

"You are being untrue."

Yan Xianqing said unhappily, "Whoever disturbed me, it wouldn't be you. Come on, come on, let's go to the teahouse and have a rest. It's so cold outside."

We came to the tea room which was decorated with rich scent of ink and elegant decoration.

There are earth dragons here, so it's much warmer.

Qin Chi brushed off the coldness on his body and sat down in front of a coffee table. Immediately, a pretty maid brought him tea.

Yan Xianqing treated Qin Chi to tea, and then began to open the box to see what Qin Chi had given him.

In a more formal occasion, Yan Xianqing would not open the box in front of the guests, but he claimed that he and Qin Chi were familiar with each other, so opening the box at this time would make them seem closer.

"Is it Hui Mo?!"

Yan Xianqing exclaimed in surprise, and then he sniffed it and found that it was pine smoke ink, "Qian, is this really for me?"

Qin Chi smiled and nodded.

Yan Xianqing raised his hand and nodded at him with a smile, "It is said that one ounce of gold is worth one ounce of ink. You must have spent a lot of your monthly salary to buy this."

"I didn't spend any money. I made this ink in my spare time in Huizhou. If it wasn't for Lord Yan's birthday, I would not be willing to take it out." Qin Chi showed a look of pain on his face when he said this.

Yan Xianqing tightened his grip on the box and quickly closed it and hid it, as if he was afraid that Qin Chi would suddenly change his mind. "I didn't expect Qi An to have such a talent. I admire you."

"You don't know that there are few arable fields in Huizhou, and most of the local people learn one or two skills to survive. My grandfather is good at making ink, so I learned a little from him. At that time, I hadn't passed the imperial examination yet, so I thought that if I couldn't continue my studies, I would learn a skill first, so that I wouldn't have to worry about starving to death in the future."

Qin Chi made no secret of this matter.

His expression is calm and his eyes are clear.

Yan Xianqing believed it immediately after hearing it.

Yan Xianqing's eyebrows revealed a scholarly elegance. He reached out and warmly shook Qin Chi's wrist, saying that if he wanted to buy Hui ink in the future, he would have to ask him for help.

The two had a very pleasant chat.

More people came to the door one after another.

Qin Chi knew two of them, one was the director of the Imperial College, the other was the Minister of Revenue Xia Wei, and the other two were the headmaster and the master of the Beijing Academy.

Qin Chi knew Si Ye before, and had only had a brief contact with Xia Wei during the Taihu disaster relief effort.

The aroma of tea filled the air, and laughter could be heard from time to time. It was unknown how much sincerity was behind it, but at least on the surface, both the host and the guests were having a good time. Until they talked about the war situation in the northwest, the atmosphere became a little dull.

"Is Minister Xia going to worry about military funds again?"

Si Ye at the side sighed, it was tea, but he seemed to be drinking it as wine, "The most terrifying thing is the Tatars, they covet the richness of the Central Plains and have repeatedly started wars. This time they dared to march in with a large army, which is rare. Do they have other intentions..."

"I am a civil official, and I am not good at fighting."

Xia Wei didn't want to talk about this matter in depth.

The Tatars are proficient in riding and archery. They roam the grasslands and deserts, and their whereabouts are elusive.

Although the imperial court set up important border towns to defend against foreign enemies, the Tatars were cunning and changeable. They would attack the camps at night or plunder the border residents during the day, causing wars on the border and making the people suffer. When the border troops received the news and rushed over, the Tatars had fled without a trace.

This large-scale army attack is rare.

Qin Chi was a little skeptical.

The Tatars are likely to have colluded with the former crown prince. Last year, several large caravans secretly traded with the Tatars, including a large amount of grain, and Qin Chi secretly had someone rob half of it.

Shopkeeper Tao asked someone to investigate those businesses, and found that the Liu family was behind them.

There was a small incident in the middle.

Two unmarried girls suddenly came over and said openly that they were bringing food to Yan Xianqing.

The girl walking in front was bright and generous, obviously dressed up carefully, and her pair of beautiful eyes were smiling before she spoke.

The woman behind him was gentle and graceful. She followed the girl in front, with her eyebrows and eyes lowered, shy and timid. Before stepping over the threshold, she raised her left arm elegantly, her long sleeves half covering her face, and her right fingertips lightly lifted the hem of her skirt. The action of stepping over the threshold was so beautiful.

One is bright and the other is gentle.

The two girls walked into the tea room, and several people who were brewing tea around the stove all looked over there.

"Father, my mother asked me to bring you food."

There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!

Yan Yurong came up to Yan Xianqing, her voice as sweet as a silver bell.

Yan Xianqing looked at his daughter with a doting yet helpless look, "Okay, okay, your mother is thoughtful. As for the rough work, just let the servants do it. Rong'er doesn't have to come."

"I just miss my father."

Yan Yurong tugged at Yan Xianqing's sleeve and acted coquettishly, then asked the maid to bring up the food boxes and put them on the table one by one, "Today is father's birthday, and your cousin personally made you a bowl of longevity noodles."

"It's thoughtful, it's thoughtful."

Yan Xianqing looked at Wu Jingyao, who was as quiet as a virgin.

Wu Jingyao saw him looking at her and bowed, "Jingyao greets uncle."

"You're welcome. Come on, come and meet some uncles... uh, and the young and promising Qin Shaoqing." Yan Xianqing spoke out of turn and his words were very stiff.

This made Xia Wei and others next to him laugh out loud.

Just now, Yan Xianqing spoke too quickly and classified Qin Chi as his uncle, but later he found out that he was only in his early twenties.

Xia Wei sighed again, "I remember the last time I saw Miss Yan, she was still a little girl. Now she has grown into a big girl, and she is so beautiful."

"Yes, Brother Xianqing is still good at raising children."

A friend standing by echoed with a smile.

Yan Xianqing was very happy to be praised, "What are you talking about? He was raised in a rough way, and was spoiled by my wife. He is usually like a naughty monkey."

"Dad! How could anyone say that to your daughter? What if others take it seriously?" Yan Yurong stomped her feet delicately, looking unwilling.

However, the two girls still bowed and greeted the uncles and aunts present one by one, until it was Qin Chi's turn.

The two girls were obviously embarrassed.

Yan Yurong glanced at Qin Chi quickly and saluted swiftly, "Yurong greets Master Qin."

Qin Chi stood up and returned the greeting: "Miss Yan, you are too polite."

Then it was Wu Jingyao's turn to step forward with lotus steps, and she bowed gracefully, her voice as beautiful as a nightingale: "Jingyao greets Lord Qin."

The last sound of a word should be circled three points.

It makes people feel itchy, but of course Qin Chi is not one of them.

Qin Chi had seen more beautiful women and heard more seductive tones. Therefore, he had a special aesthetic taste for such things. So, under the teasing gazes of Xia Wei and others, Qin Chi was as steady as an old dog, and just returned the greeting with a calm look, polite and distant.

This made Xia Wei and others look at him with higher regard.

Xia Wei and others didn't know this before.

What don’t you understand right now?

This is because the Yan family and the Wu family have taken a fancy to Qin Chi and intend to let the marriageable women take the opportunity to show their faces in front of Qin Chi.

It would be best if Qin Chi likes it, but if he doesn’t, there will be no loss.

Yan Yurong and Wu Jingyao did not stay. They greeted everyone and exchanged greetings, then made excuses to leave.

Sometimes, it is polite to see through something but not speak out.

They soon moved on to other topics.

"Qian, I heard that you have another baby boy?" Xia Wei spoke up.

Qin Chi smiled and said, "Lord Xia, this news is out of date. My child is already a few months old."

"Huizhou is far away. It will take a little time for the news to reach the capital and then to reach me," Xia Wei joked.

I have heard this news a long time ago, how can I tell it? It would be bad if I was suspected of spying on others.

When talking about the children at home, Qin Chi talked obviously more.

Not only did he mention his second son, but he also told interesting stories about the twins, a boy and a girl.

It was the first time for the people present to hear Qin Chi talking about family matters, and they couldn't help but listen attentively. Perhaps it could be said that Qin Chi was more flesh and blood, and from his words it was not difficult to see how much he loved his wife and how much he valued his children.

This made everyone present feel more favorable towards him.

Yan Xianqing felt a little regretful.

Qin Chi mentioned his wife and children at this time, which clearly showed that he saw the intentions of Yan and Wu's families and refused them without leaving a trace.