The officials were completely baffled. Did they look that fierce? They all smiled and showed eight teeth, they were so friendly! Why did they all look so scared and then run away!
Seeing the scene and the strange atmosphere between them, the waiter became a little nervous and quickly went to find the boss, asking if he should call the police, in case a fight broke out in the shop later.
The boss glanced at them furtively and noticed that the men were dressed in decent clothes and looked quite refined. They didn't seem like thugs or loan sharks collecting debts. So he decided not to report them to the authorities yet and to observe them first.
Old Lin also had a lot to say about Old Wu...
Chuanwen continued to read the plot, while Wu Simian in the tavern pricked up his ears, finally getting to hear Lin Jinjun's complaints. He had to listen carefully.
Lin Jinjun didn't notice the change in his friend's gaze as he continued to complain about his grievances over the past few days, tears streaming down his face.
Despite his seemingly upright and gentlemanly appearance, Old Wu is actually incredibly jealous. Last time, when the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel held his birthday banquet, Old Wu stared at the singing girls with rapt attention, but was too embarrassed to suggest they serve him drinks. After returning home, he started writing poems, such as "Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie," and "In courtyards, songs and dances fill the air, but the common people have no clothes to wear"—all subtly criticizing the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel!
The Vice Minister of Personnel, who had just wiped his face clean: ...
So for a while, rumors suddenly circulated that a lot of satirical poems targeting him were written by that big idiot on the other side? Because of those poems, he was impeached by the Censorate several times! During that time, he was trembling with fear every day, dared not eat meat, and ate thin porridge and pickled vegetables every day. His wife's waist, which had been as thick as a barrel, even became thinner!
The past is too painful to recall. Even now, thinking about it, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel still feels particularly uneasy and is on the verge of tears!
[Hahaha! Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel × Double Kill! Are you two here to help Old Du get through his tribulation? Hahaha!]
Chuanwen was almost pitiful for criticizing Lao Du, but this plate of cherry pastries had a rather unique flavor, so he waved to the waiter and asked for another plate.
The few censors on the first floor who had previously served as vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel silently drank water. The people in this peaceful and prosperous era did not suffer so much. Besides, having a singing girl dance for a birthday celebration was nothing unusual. They knew that the poems they wrote were a bit excessive and even had a sour tone, but they were idle anyway, and the performance targets were already in their hands, so why not take advantage of it?
[And that time the emperor sent someone to deliver golden cakes to Wang Shuren, which made Old Wu extremely jealous. Why only send them to Wang Shuren and not to him? So what if Wang Shuren was frugal? A prosperous and flourishing era wasn't achieved simply through frugality!]
The article then applauded Old Wu, saying, "He criticizes others for enjoying themselves, and he criticizes others for being frugal. Basically, as long as the benefits don't reach me, I'll criticize! Hahaha! Old Wu, the master of double standards!"
Wu Simian was already drenched in sweat, but fortunately Wang Shuren had already been sent to prison, otherwise there would have been another person to kill him.
After Wang Shuren was found guilty of embezzlement, that guy was so smug with Lao Wu. He ate three big bowls of rice and then went off to write poetry, giving a scathing critique of corruption! He even complained to his wife that the emperor had poor judgment, unable to distinguish between good and bad people...
The Crown Prince, who had just sat down at the inn next door, said: "You, the Vice Minister of Revenue, how dare you talk about the Emperor behind his back! You'd better get a beating!"
Wu Simian was already feeling a pain in his buttocks. He looked towards the Crown Prince from afar and said, "Crown Prince, what brings you here too?!"
Actually, the three ministers of the Ministry of Works didn't actually summon the Crown Prince. Instead, the Crown Prince went to Tian Wanyin's place today to see how Qi Fengzhi was doing. On the way, he met the excited Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial. Knowing there was a good show to watch, how could he miss it? There was no imperial edict at the morning court this morning, which made him extremely bored, so he followed the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial happily.
Upon arrival, they found that the first floor of the teahouse was already full, and no one wanted to go up to the second floor and run into Chuanwen (they were all afraid that Chuanwen would see them and gossip about them), so they had no choice but to stay at the tea stalls and inns around the area.
However, they arrived late, and there were no seats left in the inn. It was the Imperial Censor who gave up his seat for them, while the Imperial Censor went to the tea stall outside and squeezed in with the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies and a few others.
It's already late afternoon, and the sunlight isn't as strong anymore. A cold wind is blowing outside, so it's still quite chilly.
The Crown Prince was quite touched that the Imperial Censor, who was so old, still gave up his seat for him and went outside to stand in the cold wind.
But as soon as he heard someone speaking ill of his father, his attention was immediately drawn back, and he squinted at Wu Simian in the tavern across the street.
At this moment, Wu Simian looked at the second floor of the teahouse across the street. Was it too late for him to rush over and pull Chuanwen away?
His gaze followed the footsteps to the first floor, and he felt that as soon as he went over, those people would hold him down, and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel might even come over and kick him a few more times!
[And Old Wu is sick!]
Wu Simian was almost in tears: "I'm sick! If I weren't sick, how could I have made friends with a scoundrel like Lin Jinjun! If I weren't sick, why would I be drinking with that scoundrel Lin Jinjun!"
[You have to step in with your left foot first, you can only drink water from the left-hand cup, you can't lie down on the bed except when you're sleeping, there can't be a single wrinkle on the sheets, and he even has to cook an even number of peanuts in a plate...]
Message: ......
[Old Wu, your OCD is a bit severe!]
Everyone fell silent. They'd seen oddballs before, but never one this bizarre.
The Minister of Works quietly asked Shi Shen, "Is there any particular custom associated with stepping in with your left foot and using only the left-hand cup?"
Why do people only use the left side and not the right side?
Shi Shen thought about the question quite seriously, and for some reason made up a story: "It can probably ward off evil spirits."
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