Rebirth: From being expelled from the imperial court to becoming a high-ranking official

"…..I originally thought that 200 wen a month was a good deal, but when I went to see the official residence, I found it was really shabby. I don't know if all the official residences in the government building are so shabby, or if I just happened to find such a shabby one."

Zhuzi waited for Qin Yunhe to leave office and then reported to him what happened during the day: "It took some money to get this. I don't know if the money was too little."

Qin Yunhe and Zhuzi were both from farming families, so they were not too particular about where they lived. But even Zhuzi thought it was shabby, so Qin Yunhe couldn't imagine how shabby it could be.

"How shabby?"

Zhuzi hesitated for a moment and said, "I think...it might leak when it rains..."

Qin Yun never thought that it would become so dilapidated. His house had never leaked in all the years he had lived there.

"Take me to the official residence tomorrow to have a look."

The next day was a day off, and Zhuzi drove a carriage and took Qin Yunhe to the official residence.

Zhuzi only said that the official residence was old and shabby, but he didn't mention that the room was also slightly smaller, and it couldn't be compared with the inner hall of the previous hall. That would have been fine, but the doors and windows were also very old and shabby. Zhuzi said it was leaking, and Qin Yunhe only thought that it was the roof that was leaking, but who knew that even the doors and windows were at risk of leaking.

Seeing that Qin Yunhe was also silent, Zhuzi said, "Sir, you see...why don't I go to the official residence of the Censorate and see if I can persuade that sir to move out..."

Qin Yunhe said, "No. He is a colleague and senior after all. He has served the court for half his life and now he has to stay because of his poor health. It would be very rude to ask him to leave now."

Taking another look at the official residence, Qin Yunhe said, "Let's go here."

If you rent a private residence, the main problem is that it is expensive, but it is not as convenient as the official residence.

The weather was too hot, and the clerk who followed him fanned himself impatiently. Seeing that Qin Yunhe had finally settled down, he said, "Okay, I'll go back and help you register."

The carriage stopped at the roadside outside the alley. Qin Yunhe and Zhuzi walked out of the official residence.

Not far out of the alley, a sedan chair came and stopped outside an official residence across the street. The clerk's eyes were immediately filled with enthusiasm and he ran over attentively.

"Boss, you're back. Our steward was just saying that he wanted to ask you to check last month's bill. Do you think tomorrow is convenient for you..."

Qin Yunhe had no intention of listening to their conversation, so he turned sideways to look at other official residences on the street.

"…I am here to show you the official residence..."

When Qin Yunhe heard himself being mentioned, he turned around and saw that person was also looking at him, so he nodded as a greeting.

He didn't know what the man's position was, and had no intention of getting close to him.

Unexpectedly, the man seemed to be a little interested and looked at him again.

Qin Yunhe had already turned his eyes away, but felt that the man's eyes turned back to him with confusion.

Unexpectedly, the man suddenly said hesitantly: "How?"

Qin Yunhe was stunned for a moment, then he frowned and looked at the man carefully.

The man was white, plump and well-built, with a short beard. Upon closer inspection, his features seemed somewhat familiar, but I still couldn't remember who he was.

But since the other party could call out his name, he must have known him in the past.

Qin Yunhe bowed with a slightly apologetic look in his eyes: "It is me. I am so sorry that I couldn't recognize you for a moment..."

The man laughed and walked over: "How can you be so forgetful? I am Feng Baochu."

Qin Yunhe was stunned for a moment before he reacted.

Feng Bao had changed so much that he could never have imagined that it was him.

Qin Yunhe's expression was a little unnatural: "So it's... Brother Feng."

Feng Baochu didn't care: "Why are you here to borrow an official residence? I don't know where you are borrowing it from?"

The clerk who was following him replied attentively, "Master, Lord Qin wants to borrow the room at the end of this alley."

"This official residence has not been repaired for a long time, how can it be lived in? I remember that Guihua Lane is going to vacate an official residence in the next two days? Tell your steward to let Lord Qin stay there."

The clerk looked embarrassed: "But that official residence..."

The clerk didn't finish his words, but stopped talking immediately after seeing Feng Baochu's expression.

Qin Yunhe said hurriedly: "Don't bother, this is fine."

Feng Baochu said nonchalantly, "It's okay. It's within the rules. You can live there peacefully. Although the official residence there is not as good as the official residence you live in, it is better than this place."

Now that so many years have passed, Qin Yunhe naturally wouldn't care about what happened in the past, but he still had some grudges in his heart.

Feng Baochu raised his hand and waved to the clerk: "Go and tell Mr. Zhao to register with Mr. Qin. I have something to say to Mr. Qin. Come back later and show Mr. Qin to Osmanthus Lane."

The clerk nodded quickly and took his leave.

Feng Baochu raised his hand and pointed to his official residence: "We haven't seen each other for many years. Why don't you come to my humble abode and sit down to talk about your separation?"

Although there were some grudges, Feng Baochu was full of enthusiasm, and he had just helped Qin Yunhe, so Qin Yunhe couldn't refuse, so he had to bow and said, "Sorry for bothering you."

Qin Yunhe was invited into Feng Baochu's home, and servants immediately came to greet him.

The official residence where Feng Baochu lived also had three main rooms, with two rooms in the east and west wings. It looked much tidier than the official residences they had seen before, and was obviously much larger.

Feng Bao was so hot that he asked the servant to bring him some iced drink. He took a sip and then asked, "Where is your official residence now?"

"I just tried to be the Censor-in-Chief."

"Haha, it seems that Yunhe has made some achievements in the local area."

"They are all highly valued by the superiors. I wonder where Brother Feng is now?"

"As for me, haha. I can't compare to Brother Yun He, and I don't have any ambitions. I just manage the comings and goings of the government building."

They hadn't seen each other for many years and had no contact, so Qin Yunhe didn't know what to talk about. He just took a few sips of the ice drink in silence.

"Why do you want to rent a room in the official building if you are in the Censorate? I heard that the official residence of the Censorate is much better and closer to the Censorate."

"A colleague who is leaving the post is unwell and cannot move out for the time being."

Feng Bao understood Ran's expression and shook his head, saying, "Some officials spend their entire lives in office without even thinking about buying a private residence. When they leave office, they have nowhere to go and can only stay in their official residence."

Qin Yun didn't know what to say, so he just hummed and took a sip of the ice drink.

Feng Baochu looked at Qin Yunhe with a bit of lukewarmness and seemed a bit helpless.

After a long while, he continued, "Haha, so many years have passed in a flash. Thinking back to those days, I was really naive and ignorant. Now I think back, I am still very practical and down-to-earth."

Qin Yunhe didn't expect Feng Baochu to suddenly bring up what happened back then. He looked at Feng Baochu in surprise, not knowing how to respond.

He didn't even want to bring up the past, so what did Feng Baochu want to do?

Feng Baochu spoke again, his tone less enthusiastic and more serious: "Yunhe, I was ignorant back then, I really feel a little sorry. But I didn't tell anyone else back then, even Qin Weilai I tried to dissuade him, but he was full of resentment and didn't listen."

Qin Yunhe couldn't help feeling mixed emotions.

If Qin Wei said this, he would definitely not believe it, and would not even pay attention to the other party, let alone accept the other party's kindness.

But for Feng Bao...

Qin Yunhe didn't know whether Feng Baochu had spread those nonsense, but at least in person, Feng Baochu had always been decent.

"Forget it. It's been so many years and nothing serious has happened. But I want to thank Brother Feng today."