Chi Yan paused, vaguely sensing that their roles had been reversed.
Six months ago, he was the one sitting inside, while Liu Yifu, who had come to interrogate him, was outside the cell.
"Master Liu."
Liu Yi looked up and met Chi Yan's gaze. A slight smile played on her lips. Just as she was about to speak, she saw the other man's heartbroken expression: "I never imagined you were this kind of person!"
Liu Yifu: "..."
...
"The thing was dug out of my backyard, and I have no way to explain it."
Chi Yan looked up at him, clearly incredulous: "Burying so many things must have taken a lot of time, right? When did your own yard get ransacked without you even noticing?"
Liu Yi paused for a moment, then looked ashamed: "That was originally a vegetable garden, and I often turned the soil myself, so I didn't feel there was anything wrong with it."
Chi Yan choked for a moment: "Vegetable garden?"
"Yes," Liu Yifu said somewhat embarrassedly, "I like to tend to vegetables in my spare time at home."
Chi Yan's expression was complicated: "It's also a unique hobby."
Unexpectedly, the other party was quite frank: "No, it's mainly because it's more cost-effective and saves money to grow your own than to buy."
Chi Yan: "..."
He felt a pang of pity. Look at him, someone who is so poor that he has to grow vegetables to make a living. If he has money, why would he not bury it in the ground? Isn't that just plain stupid?
Liu Yifu somehow sensed that he seemed quite interested in this, so he eagerly began to share his experience: "You also like growing vegetables? I have some tips to share..."
"..."
The guards not far away fell silent.
Are you crazy? Using such precious time to teach vegetable growing experience!
——
Meanwhile, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), Scholar Chi went to the Imperial Prison."
Eunuch Fu cautiously observed the Emperor's expression, whose eyelids twitched slightly: "Chi Yan? When did he and Liu Yifu become so close?"
Eunuch Fu replied with a smile, "Your Majesty is indeed a person of high status with a short memory. Wasn't Scholar Chi implicated in the courtesan's case and imprisoned? It was Lord Liu who was in charge of handling that case!"
Emperor Chongde raised his head and twitched the corner of his mouth: "So, it seems that Chi Yan is a grateful person after all."
Eunuch Fu chuckled and chimed in, "Isn't that right? With Lord Liu imprisoned, so many people are avoiding him like the plague, afraid of getting into trouble themselves. It's truly rare to find a scholar like Chi willing to step forward at this time!"
Emperor Chongde, resting his hand on his forehead, looked exhausted: "What did you talk about?"
Grandpa Fu looked at him strangely: "It's said to be... an exchange of vegetable growing tips."
Emperor Chongde: "...How many bushels of grain does the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review receive as salary?"
——
As night fell, Shen Tangning noticed Chi Yan getting up and suddenly woke up with a start: "Where are you going?"
Chi Yan hadn't expected her to still be asleep, so he lowered his voice and coaxed her, "Don't worry, I'm just going to steal a few things."
"..." Shen Tangning's lips moved, and she quickly understood, "Is it related to Lord Liu?"
He raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing, "Not bad, you're quite clever."
She didn't ask any more questions, and simply said, "Take Yuan Zhao with you."
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