first minister

Chapter 298 The Eve of the Grand Ceremony
The three members of the Yu family were silent.

Except for Yu Daoxing who didn't know much about the affairs of the clan at the moment, the other two took Xia Jingyun's words quite seriously.

It is said that it is a great Confucian family and a modest gentleman, but who can manage such a large family, how can he be a bookworm who only knows the truth in books, and at the same time, how can he be ignorant of the general trend of the world.

Accepting this disciple would indeed lead to being drawn into the chaos of Longshou State, but as Xia Jingyun said, is this something they can escape if they want to?

If the Yu family is an inconspicuous little family, they can hide in the mountains and form a unified family, regardless of winter, summer and spring and autumn, but the big family business is here, and the prosperous people are here, so it is the best way out. It is to have sufficient self-preservation power.

Befriending the Ye family, who is in charge of the Cao Gang, is not of interest to the Yu family at all during peacetime, but if troubled times are approaching, there is some reasoning for this.

But these are not things that the father and son of the Yu family really care about. The Yu family is not completely unprepared for the possible situation.

What they are really tempted is that if they agree to this matter, they will be able to make friends with Xia Jingyun, and then make friends with Concubine De and Jiaodong County King.

This kind of thing is very tempting for a local wealthy family whose family lives in a remote corner and whose reputation in the court is not very prominent.

Regardless of whether the world is chaotic or not, a well-known person like Xia Jingyun who has proven his ability, and an undisputed orthodox prince like the King of Jiaodong County have a lot of advantages in terms of status.

To put it a little bit rebellious, such a person, even if it is a rebellion, is much more convenient than others.

Therefore, after the old Patriarch Yu made eye contact with Yu Zonggu, Yu Zonggu said directly: "Let me think about this matter, Mr. Xia has been traveling all the way, and we have set up a dinner party to clean up the dust for your party, and then have a good rest One night, tomorrow morning, the Yu family will have their own answer, how about it?"

Xia Jingyun also knew that this was the proper meaning of the question, so naturally he didn't say much.

In Yujia's house near the mountains and in the fort near the water, after a summer night of birds singing in the mountain stream, he rested peacefully overnight, and Xia Jingyun heard the result he wanted as he wished.

The Yu family agreed.

Xia Jingyun and Patriarch Yu first agreed on an approximate time, and because Zong Gu took Yu Daoxing, they went with him to Chuning County, Huai'an County, to deal with specific matters on the fly.

Before leaving, Xia Jingyun called four guards, handed them a letter, and asked them to send it to a certain place. Then, he took the rest of the guards and went to Huai'an with the Yu family's guards. county.

Naturally, such movements cannot be concealed from all parties along the way.

The possible cooperation between Xia Jingyun and the Yu family aroused suspicion from all parties in Longshou Prefecture.

And three days later, the news landed.

In the name of the patriarch Ye Wenhe, the Ye family of the Cao Gang distributed invitations, inviting all forces in the prefecture to come to Chuning County to gather together to participate in the grand ceremony of his son Ye Mingfeng's apprenticeship, and to witness together that he was accepted as the heir of the academy by the Yu family.

As soon as the news came out, the Quartet was shocked.

The focus is not on the superficial apprenticeship of the younger generation, but on the Ye family and the Yu family behind this cooperation.

Of the four major families in Longshou Prefecture, two of them are here, and among them is Lianzhong Sanyuan, the imperial envoy Xia Jingyun who is known as the second old Mr. Su and has a strong record.

What is this going to do?
Different thoughts quietly came alive.

There are those who are happy to see it happen, and naturally there are those who don't want to see this happen.

In the depths of the well-known Hu family Yayuan, Hu Dingzhao, the head of the Hu family, looked at the invitation card in his hand and pondered: "Ye family, Yu family, imperial envoy, what are they doing?"

"Brother, I don't think this matter is complicated at all. There have been rumors that His Majesty wants to abolish the crown prince. Now that the crown prince has not been abolished in a fair and honest manner, we can only force it. If it is forced, we must deal with Xiaozhou Mu first." ah!"

Hu Dingming, the second son of the Hu family who left Chuning County safe and sound, has just returned to the mansion for two days. After taking a break from the dust, leaning on a chair, he first talked about things that have gradually become a consensus at the top of Longshou Prefecture, and then said with a smile: "But I see them It's a whimsical idea, Xiaozhou Mu has made our Longshou Prefecture like a piece of iron, and our Hu family is helping us, His Majesty is helpless, what kind of disturbance can the two of them create?"

"Don't take it so lightly."

As the head of the family, Hu Dingzhao's style of conduct is much more stable than his younger brother, "The Ye family seems to have the lowest status among the four major families, and because of their origin, they are all looked down upon by the family, but they have tens of thousands of members of the Cao Gang and have accumulated a lot of money for generations. , powerful, what is lacking at the moment is nothing more than an identity to enhance the status of the family. Although the Yu family is relatively peaceful, it happens to be the most noble of the four and is most respected by the world. Xia Jingyun, the second Prime Minister of Su, holds the flag of Wang Ming, and the sky in Longshou Prefecture is not invincible."

"Brother, that's too much to worry about!"

Hu Dingming sneered when he heard the words, "How can the Xia family have such abilities! Hearing the reputation of my Hu family that day, he was so scared that he didn't even dare to interrogate us, so he let us go directly. With his little knowledge, he still wants to talk to Xiao. Zhou Mudou? I'm afraid he will be eaten until there are no bones left."

"You, you are just too arrogant! How do you know that people are afraid of you? What if they are just fishing for big fish with a long line."

Hu Dingzhao retorted subconsciously, then paused suddenly, and turned to look at his younger brother, "Did you go somewhere else after you left Chuning County?"

"I"

Seeing his younger brother's hesitation, Hu Dingzhao's heart sank, and he said sharply: "When is this? You are still hiding it. Are you going to let the Hu family die without a place to bury them?"

Hu Dingming hurriedly said: "I went to meet the man surnamed Yuan. Brother, don't worry, the place we met is very hidden. It's in a riverside restaurant outside the city of Huai'an County. We noticed that there is no tail behind us."

After saying that, he quickly added, "Brother, you asked me to cooperate with that group of people and strive to extend the power of our Hu family in Caogang. I have finished handling this matter, why don't I contact them quickly?"

Hu Dingzhao turned his head and glared at him, then let out a long breath of foul air helplessly, "I hope you really did it in such a secret way that you didn't get discovered."

Hu Dingming also breathed a sigh of relief, and said, "Brother, I think you think too much of the Xia family kid. He is a bit smart, but after all, his age is there and his background is low. I don't think he was a child at all. I didn't think about it, I just fear our Hu family. Let's just pretend it's nothing and arrange our own response."

"I hope so!" Hu Dingzhao nodded and ordered: "Get ready and go to Ye's house to watch the ceremony and see for yourself how he is doing."

"Ah? I'll go?" Hu Dingming said not to panic, but he was still a little apprehensive when asked to go to Chuning County again.

"Why? Let me, the Patriarch, go there in person?"

"I'm going! I'm going!"

Hu Dingming quickly agreed, "Then what is our strategy?"

Hu Dingzhao thought for a while, his voice gradually lowered, and the two brothers began to mutter.
-
Two days before the Ye family's apprenticeship celebration, dignitaries from all walks of life have arrived in Chuning County.

As the person with the undisputed highest status in Chuning County, Xia Jingyun also welcomed an endless stream of visitors, and entered the normal rhythm of an imperial envoy entering the place.

While chatting, we became more familiar with the situation in Longshou Prefecture.

But he doesn't meet everyone, and those who are not high enough will be pushed to Bai Yunbian.

Young Master Bai was dissatisfied with his mouth, but his body did not reject him in the slightest. He greeted and sent him off, and he smiled happily amidst the compliments from others.

Xia Jingyun had just sent away the patriarch of a second-class family in Longshou Prefecture, and was about to deal with some normal official correspondence of imperial envoys, when Chen Fugui came over and whispered, "Master, Mu Yunchuan and the others are back."

Xia Jingyun got up immediately, walked to the backyard, and saw the two guards he had sent out to follow the Hu family's uncle and nephew quietly.The travel-worn two immediately stood up when they saw him, Xia Jingyun walked over, patted them on the shoulder affectionately, and said with a smile: "Looking at how impatient you two are, it must be very rewarding."

The two of them clasped their fists together and said excitedly, "My lord, it's a good luck not to disgrace your life."

"After you pretended to let the Hu family's uncle and nephew go, they really thought you didn't dare to fight against the Hu family, so they relaxed their vigilance. We quietly followed them all the way to the outside of Huai'an County, and found that they had entered a riverside restaurant."

"They met with a group of thieves in the restaurant and talked for about half an hour. Then the two groups left one after another."

"As soon as we saw the situation and discussed it, we separated from each other. One followed the pair of uncles and nephews, and the other followed the group of thieves to go and have a look."

"The gang of thieves are very vigilant. I was almost exposed, but I still figured out that they settled in Huai'an County."

"As for the uncle and nephew of the Hu family, they went straight back to the Hu family after they left."

"We were delayed for a while, and then came back in a hurry. We also met Jie Dao on the way, but we followed your instructions and pretended to be members of the Cao Gang, but the other party still didn't dare to do anything."

Xia Jingyun was overjoyed, and said hello three times in a row, "You have made great contributions this time! You have worked hard! Brother Chen, please write down this matter. After returning to Beijing, we will reward you according to your merits!"

The two of them were also very excited. The young master would never be stingy with rewards. From his tone, a reward of several hundred taels of silver was definitely indispensable.

"But!" Xia Jingyun's tone changed, "You don't have much time to rest, go have a good meal, take a bath and take a nap, and then you will take people to Huai'an County City to arrest this group of people. Are you sure? question?"

Naturally, the two guards didn't hesitate, the great achievement was right in front of them, and they didn't need to give any extra blood. They immediately agreed, and then got up and went to the backyard.

Xia Jingyun turned to look at Chen Fugui, "Brother Chen, this time, you should lead the team. I don't know who the gangsters are. I don't worry about their strength."

Chen Fugui hesitated: "I'm leaving, what should you do?"

Xia Jingyun smiled, "I'm in the county government office, and I don't go out. I'll go to Ye's house the next day. There are so many people in the Cao Gang, so it's fine. You guys should act fast, you might be able to return tomorrow night, there's nothing to worry about. "

Chen Fugui thought for a while, "The young master must not go out for these two days."

"Well, don't worry, I still cherish my life." Xia Jingyun's heart warmed slightly, he nodded with a smile, and then rubbed his fingers lightly, "But I'm a little worried about your trip."

He looked at Chen Fugui, "This group of thieves dare to plan such a big matter. They are either subordinates of powerful forces or extremely vicious. There were only nine of us, and I sent four more. The five of you are afraid." It is impossible to do such a thing, the officers and soldiers in the county government are not strong enough, even if Brother Le Xian's bodyguards are also brought along, there are only seven or eight people, I am afraid that they are powerless."

Chen Fugui is confident in his martial arts, but he also knows that if he doesn't have enough manpower and can't wipe out the opponent, he may suffer endless troubles, so he frowned when he heard this, and immediately asked: "Can you borrow some people from the Cao Gang? There are so many people under the Ye family. There are always confidantes in the gang, right? After all, our matter is also related to the Cao Gang, and they should do their part!"

Xia Jingyun's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words, but he thought of a good idea.

After about a stick of incense, Ye Wenhe and Ye Hongluan were invited into the county government office.

After hearing Xia Jingyun's request, Ye Wenhe heaved a sigh of relief. He was still worried about why Xia Jingyun told him to bring Ye Hongluan with him. He didn't have any other thoughts. It turned out that it was just because of this.

He turned his head and asked, "Ninny, why don't you choose some trustworthy masters to follow this strong man Chen?"

Ye Hongluan took a look at Xia Jingyun, and nodded sharply, "Going out together will inevitably attract attention. I often go out, and everyone will not think there is anything. Let's go back and collect all the people. In the evening, we will go directly to Ye's house in Chuiliu Lane Meet at the house!"

Ye Wenhe added, "That's the Ye family's house in the county town. Mr. Chen Zhuangshi, you will know it as soon as you inquire."

Chen Fugui naturally had no objection to this proposal, so the matter was settled like this.

The two sides discussed a few more details, the Ye family went back to make arrangements, and Chen Fugui also started to make arrangements for the people on his side.

Walking on the road, Ye Wenhe whispered: "I was really afraid that you would say that you could replace that guard Chen to protect Master Xia!"

Ye Hongluan paused, "Can it still be like this?"

Ye Wenhe suddenly felt that he was talking too much, "No, no, let's go, it will be too late."

Ye Hongluan turned her head and glanced at the county government office, then turned and strode away.

Not long after, Chen Fugui and others broke into pieces, changed their clothes, and left the county office one after another, then gathered outside the city and rushed to Huai'an County.

And Ye Hongluan, who was dressed in a striking red dress, had already left in a grandiose way with her loyal subordinates on a red-maned horse.

Under the deliberate cover-up of the participants, this secretly planned action did not attract the attention of the people in the city. At most, some outsiders admired Yan Zhihu's valiant demeanor a few times with their own eyes.

All eyes were on the Ye family, paying attention to this apprenticeship ceremony that affected the minds of many forces in Longshou Prefecture.

In the Ye Mansion, Ye Mingfeng looked excited, holding the long-lost book, but couldn't read a single word.

Ye Wenhe and his wife stood far away, watching the scene in front of them, with tears in their eyes.

To untie the bell, one must tie the bell, and it is impossible to enter the Yu Family Academy, but now it can be accepted by the Yu Family Academy as the heir.

Ye Mingfeng's heart knots were all gone, and it seemed that the high-spirited, well-educated young man from back then seemed to have returned.

But compared to Madam's excitement and longing, Ye Wenhe felt a little more anxious.

Xia Jingyun had already told him in advance that this good deed, which seems to be a good thing between the two parties, will not allow others to comment on it, and it will inevitably attract opposition from many people.

If these people are just dissatisfied, it's fine, but if they make trouble, it's not an easy thing to smooth over.

Those who dare to stand up on such occasions are not good forces to deal with.

Ye Wenhe naturally believed in the judgment of such an outstanding person as Xia Jingyun.

But now that his son, who is about to be crippled, has rekindled the light of life, if he still fails in the end, then I'm afraid it's really hopeless.

The Ye family can afford to support an idler and useless person, but the Ye family also needs a qualified heir, and the Cao Gang also needs a qualified heir.

At that point, where will the Ye family and the Cao Gang go?

Am I going to be forced to have a few bastards and gamble on my luck?

No matter what thoughts Ye Wenhe had in his mind or how many worries arose, in the summer of May 24th in Daxia Chongning, on Gengshen Day, this master apprenticeship ceremony that touched many people's hearts began as scheduled!

(End of this chapter)