Li Ping'an had not given Wang Shan and the others a definite answer.
Several days passed, and the uproar still had not died down.
If anything, it was growing fiercer.
Only then did Li Ping'an decide to leave the Anbei Four Garrisons for a while and lie low.
And so he agreed to Wang Shan's request.
The day before his departure, he happened to learn that Liu Er had also been thrown into prison.
Come to think of it, Liu Er could be counted as a friend of his.
Li Ping'an bought a few dishes and carried a jar of wine to the prison to visit him.
Liu Er was quite philosophical about it and had not sunk into dejection over his imprisonment.
"The higher-ups said someone like me would probably be in here for five or six years."
Liu Er spoke indistinctly around a mouthful of chicken leg.
"Being locked up is a good thing. Quite a few people I knew got the chop-executed on the spot. I count myself lucky."
Li Ping'an poured him another cup of wine. "Drink some more. You might not get many chances after this."
Liu Er said heartily, "Blind Man, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You're a true friend."
Li Ping'an smiled without speaking.
Liu Er went on, "Don't let my current fall from grace fool you. Life has its rises and falls; that's only normal. Who knows? One day I might be riding high again."
Seeing how confident Liu Er was about his future, Li Ping'an stopped worrying about his state of mind.
He also asked Wang Shan to take some food and drink to his former colleagues at the Spring Beauty Courtyard.
It was inconvenient for him to show his face, so he could only trouble Wang Shan.
That seemed