first minister

Chapter 299

"Leader Ye! Congratulations!"

"Master Ye, your family is blessed and stretches far and wide! Congratulations!"

"Brother Ye, you have done a great job without making a sound. You are worthy of it. You are amazing!"

Different titles, different words, and different smiling faces, together supported the atmosphere of the Ye family today full of joy and guests.

Ye Wenhe personally stood at the door to greet the guests with a smile on his face, making it impossible to see any anxiety and tension in his heart.

Yu Zonggu from the Yu family sat in the middle of the hall, chatting and laughing happily with Xia Jingyun, Bai Yunbian and others.

People kept entering the hall, but they all moved to their own seats under the guidance of Zhike.

Occasionally, some bold people would come up and say hello in order to get acquainted with each other, but if they couldn't come up with a reasonable reason, it would probably only add to the laughter.

And he knew the people who were qualified to sit on the chair in the middle. Most of them were acquaintances and joined the conversation with laughter.

Everyone talked and laughed at Yan Yan, and bursts of hearty laughter came out, as if this was a banquet venue for family reunion, and there was no undercurrent surging among the top forces in Longshou State under the water.

"The second master of the Hu family is here!"

There was a roll call outside, and everyone in the hall turned their heads, and not long after, they saw a middle-aged man walking in with a breezy face.

He saluted Xia Jingyun first, showing no fear at all, and even a bit arrogant.

Xia Jingyun nodded and smiled, let you go, you dare to come back, it seems that you want to learn from your family Hu Hansan.

And not long after, another roll call sounded outside, "The second master of the Xiao family has arrived!"

Xia Jingyun's face didn't change at all when he heard this, but his heart moved slightly.

The eldest sister of the Xiao family was the former empress, Xiao Fengshan who is now the front-runner is the third child, and the second child Xiao Fenglin is now a wealthy idler.

He originally thought that Xiao Fengshan would send one of his own confidants, but he didn't expect that he would send his second brother.

Although he couldn't find any faults in terms of status, and gave the Ye family enough respect, what did Xiao Fengshan think?

Do you think this matter is nothing to worry about?

Xia Jingyun thought about it quietly, and when Xiao Fenglin walked in, his style was indeed in line with the style of a wealthy and idle man. He was dressed in gold and jade. When he walked in, he first saluted Xia Jingyun, the imperial envoy, and then happily held his hands to everyone. It felt like he was here to inspect. Same as industry.

As he sat down, Xia Jingyun silently glanced at the people in the room. In addition to ordinary officials who didn't need to pay too much attention, representatives of the main family forces in the second and third echelons of Longshou Prefecture were here. The head of the family himself and the representatives of the family head probably Just open it in half.

The other three of the four major families also sent very important representatives.

These people may not be the most direct attackers today.

Just like those big figures in the court of Zhongjing, they usually don't go off and bite in person, but each releases the hounds and beasts they raise, faithfully executes their orders, and then at the critical moment of victory or defeat, calmly Bet on your key bargaining chip.

Xia Jingyun looked aside, right next to them, there were several rows of chairs, and there were many scholars and great scholars sitting there.

Xia Jingyun was very familiar with the Confucian shirts on them, and Xia Jingyun was also very familiar with them.

Among this crowd, there are gentlemen, innocents, hot-blooded, and innocent, but there are also those who are intriguing, deceitful, and stinky.
For some people, their knowledge is their reliance on helping the people and governing the country;

For others, those sages' teachings and majestic principles are the sharp claws and fangs for them to be pioneers and pursue fame and fortune.

Xia Jingyun withdrew his gaze lightly, and let's see how they will toss this farce.

Everyone is here, and the time has come for the ceremony.

Ye Wenhe also led his son Ye Mingfeng out. He looked at Xia Jingyun silently first. Xia Jingyun nodded slightly, then he took his son and Yu Zonggu to the middle of the hall, and the three of them faced the crowd together.

Ye Wenhe stood among the three of them, cleared his throat, and said loudly, "Everyone!"

The hall gradually became quiet, and all eyes were on him.

"Quizi Mingfeng has been fond of reading poetry and books since he was a child. He has been diligent in his studies and has gained a lot over the years. Now, thanks to the favor of his family, he is willing to accept him into his academy and become a direct descendant of his family's culture. This is Quanzi's great fortune, and it is also It’s a big deal for my Ye family, I’m so grateful for everyone’s congratulations!”

Yu Zonggu also went on to say: "The Yu family establishes the family with literature and passes on the family with books. It is also the responsibility of spreading the teachings of the sages to the four directions. The Ye family has sons who are sensitive and eager to learn. They should be praised for their deeds and their ambitions. Entering the gate wall of the academy, I hope that he will study diligently in the future, inherit the sages, and promote the literature and broaden the way!"

Ye Wenhe took a step back and gave the place to Yu Zonggu and his son.

The master of ceremonies then shouted loudly: "Continue to pay homage to the teacher!"

Ye Wen and Yu Zonggu all had calm smiles on their faces, but their hearts were filled with tension.

This is the most critical moment. If the opponent wants to stop it, now is the last chance.

And things in the world are often like this, whatever you are afraid of will come, if nothing unexpected happens, the accident will come.

A voice suddenly sounded, "Wait a minute!"

Then a young man stood up and said loudly: "The head of the Ye family said that Brother Ye studied hard and devoted himself to learning. How did I hear that Brother Ye wandered around the flowers every day, from Longshou Prefecture City to Huai'an County City? And here in Chuning County, where are his lovers everywhere? Is his whole heart really about learning?"

There was a burst of noise from those participants who didn't know the inside story yet.

They were shocked. They were surprised how anyone dared to behave wildly on such an occasion as the Ye family. They were even more surprised that they chose to question the Ye family publicly. Aren't they afraid of offending the Ye family to death?
And these real dignitaries sitting in the middle had playful smiles on their faces, as if they had already expected this to happen.

But it was not over yet. Then another young scholar stood up and said, "I also have doubts. As Mr. Yu said, Mr. Ye is smart and eager to learn, so he was listed on the door wall. However, there are many people who study hard in the world. What kind of works and famous works does Mr. Ye have that can allow the Yu family to bypass the academy examination and accept them and list them as direct descendants?"

Someone started, and the opposition started as if it had been planned for a long time, "The Yu family accepts disciples, why not accept them in the Yu family academy, but why not come to the Ye family in Chuning County a hundred miles away?" Did the family take a fancy to Mr. Ye's talent, or did they take a fancy to the power of the Ye family? Did they do such a self-declining thing?"

Ye Mingfeng's eyes widened. He didn't expect that his apprenticeship at home would still attract so much criticism.

He even recognized one of them, who was one of the people who humiliated and attacked him back then!
And the other party was looking at him with provocative eyes, as if saying [Don't even think about it in your life]!
Ye Mingfeng was so angry that his body was shaking slightly, his teeth were clenched, and his fists were quietly clenched in his sleeves.

I have no grievances against you, so why are you still unwilling to let me go after more than two years? !

"absurd!"

At this moment, a person, out of yearning for a better life in the future, and also in line with the tasks promised in advance, stood up and angrily reprimanded, "Today, all the virtuous people are here to participate in a grand event, and I can hear it from here." Such vulgar words, what are your intentions!"

"Who are you?" The young man in the lead disdainfully turned his head, but when he saw the face of the person standing up, he hesitated.

This one, I can't stand it, and I don't dare to fight it.

"Why did Master Bai Bai say such a thing?"

Bai Yunbian said coldly: "You said that Mr. Ye has been lingering in the flowers recently and is not devoted to learning. Who told you that you can't have both? If you can't have both, how did you get the reputation of being a romantic talent? How many well-known scholars in the capital are not the guests of the brothel? Even Mr. Xia, who is in the middle school, is a person who does not spend money to visit the brothel. Can you say that he is not devoted to learning, not outstanding in talent? You deliberately put these two If you want to connect with those who want to use the picture to hurt Young Master Ye, what is your intention?!"

The question by Baiyun's side carried the halo of being the top two in the current discipline, which made the young man who was still arrogant before mumbled a few times and couldn't answer.

Ye Wenhe breathed a sigh of relief, and Ye Mingfeng's eyes were full of gratitude. Only Xia Jingyun cursed in his heart: It's your uncle's fault. It's obviously you who goes to the brothel every day, but you pulled me out as a shield. It's shameless!

Bai Yunbian's output has not stopped yet, and then he points to another person, "And you, ask Mr. Ye what skills he has that can be valued by the Yu family and accepted as his direct heir. Can he tell you? Which big family, high official and powerful person I don’t have my own set of criteria for selecting people, and the skills of knowing people are all secrets that are not passed on to others. Why should I tell you? And this is an independent recruitment, not a public examination selection. Which one is more important to people, use Do I need to tell you? When Empress Dowager De was visiting Sishui Prefecture for a wedding, how could she recognize people with her sharp eyes and recognize Lord Xia, who had nothing at the time, as her adoptive brother? You don’t understand, that’s fine if you don’t understand! Wait until you understand , you are such a big shot!" "And you, saying that the Yu family took the initiative to come to the Ye family to recruit disciples is succumbing to the power of the Ye family, and it is flattery! How did you grow up with your brain? Do you think that being a gentleman is necessary? To be arrogant, is it necessary to be arrogant? Furthermore, the Yu family is a great Confucian family, and although the Ye family is a powerful place, it is far inferior in terms of cultural background. Who do you think should be happy that the young master of the Ye family has joined the Yu family? Who should be celebrating? If the Yu family holds this apprenticeship ceremony with great fanfare, that would be really flattering and really embarrassing!"

Bai Yunbian stood upright, glanced around, looked at the young people who lowered their heads and dared not look at them, and snorted coldly, "Every one of you, you don't know what you are thinking, but you can say such superficial words , but also to laugh at such an occasion, and not to sit down for this official!"

A hearty output made Bai Yunbian's aura as high as a blue sky at the moment, and the young people didn't dare to confront him, so they had to sit down resentfully with their heads down.

The Ye family father and son looked at him gratefully, and Yu Zonggu also looked at the Chuning County Magistrate, feeling that this person seemed to be more powerful than the rumors said.

And the people around began to inquire about Bai Yunbian's identity, and Master Bai's name became famous all of a sudden.

Bai Yunbian sat down proudly. Ye Wenhe breathed a sigh of relief and motioned with his eyes to the emcee on the side to continue quickly.

But before the host of ceremonies could speak, an old voice slowly sounded, "Wait a minute."

Everyone looked around, and this time, the noise in the hall was much louder than before.

"Mr. Fund?"

"It turned out to be Mr. Feng De? I thought he was here to help the Yu family. Why would he object to this?"

"If an old man in the literary world like Mr. Feng De also objects, it will be difficult, isn't it?"

"Are the Ye family and the Yu family unprepared for these things? Why do so many things happen on the spot? Wouldn't it be enough if I knew it earlier?"

"What you said is that if you don't let everyone witness this kind of thing, many people will not recognize it in the future."

While everyone was talking, an old man stood up and looked at Yu Zonggu, "Yu Wenyan, is this your intention or your father's?"

Yu Zonggu saluted the old man solemnly, neither humble nor overbearing, "Mr. Fengde, this is the common intention of my father and the younger generation, and it is also the collective intention of the Yu family academy."

The old man sighed, "Since ancient times, there must be rules in teaching. The law is not taught lightly, and the Tao is not sold cheaply. The Yujia Academy is the leader of Longshou Prefecture's cultural context and should be a model for all academies in Longshou Prefecture. This is the Ye Family Academy I have also heard that two years ago, I wanted to join the Yu Family Academy but could not. Then I became depressed, gave up on myself, and lived a dissolute life. Why now, the Yu Family has changed its past attitude and not only wants to include it in the Academy, but also lists it as a As a direct descendant of the inner sect, this matter is against the rules and etiquette, and it is difficult to convince the public. I hope that my family will take back this idea and not lose the heart of the scholars in the whole state."

Yu Zonggu replied: "Mr. Fengde, what you said earlier is indeed true, but not entirely true. Two years ago when the academy accepted apprentices, Mr. Ye was framed by others, so that he gave up the exam and returned home. I still do not change my longing for the family academy. After my father and juniors learned about this, they were quite moved. The juniors came here in person to test Mr. Ye's knowledge, and they also quite recognized it, so they agreed to accept him as a disciple. With praise for his willingness to learn. Such a thing, I don’t know where to start with this unethical statement?”

The old man shook his head, "You may be able to tell others what you said, but you can't pass it in front of the old man. There are countless people who are more determined to learn than him, and there are as many people who are more talented in poetry and books than him. Don’t accept those people to join? I don’t want to say more about the matter behind this in public, but as the saying goes, people’s hearts have their own justice, and the Yu family’s status in Shilin, Longshou Prefecture is hard-won, so it should not be underestimated. The old man is For your own good, let this matter go, we will still respect the family together, if you insist on going your own way, the old man can also express his attitude to you, the old man is firmly opposed."

Everyone opened their mouths slightly, but they did not expect that the old man would be so decisive and directly use his status in the literary world to force the Yu family to repent.

But he is indeed the most senior scholar in Longshou Prefecture. If you outlast your peers in any circle, the weight of your words will naturally be higher. Not to mention that this old man is indeed quite capable and has a lot of disciples and grandsons.

A thought came to everyone's minds: The Yu family is in trouble.

What everyone didn't expect was that it wasn't over yet.

The second master of the Hu family, one of the four major Longshou families, smiled slowly and said: "Since Mr. Fengde has said so, I think it's better to forget about it."

He chuckled and said, "With the four major families, the Xiao family is in charge, the Hu family is rich, the Yu family is good at writing, and the Ye family is supportive of everyone. They all take care of their own duties and have nothing to do with each other. How wonderful! If we insist on doing this, it will inevitably happen It makes people think too much. Isn’t this destroying the rare stable situation in Longshou Prefecture? What do you want us to do? In my opinion, we should listen to Mr. Fengde on this matter. This master, please don’t worship. It’s rare for everyone to come together. Wouldn't it be nice to get together and have a good drink? Everyone will be happy, right?"

Don't look at what the second master of the Hu family said as a joke, but his status is here. If such a person said such words directly and openly, the signal he released was worth pondering for many people.

So one after another many people also agreed, saying that they should stop worshiping or something like that.

For a moment, the entire hall was noisy.

Ye Mingfeng stood in full view of the crowd, listening to the opposition of the crowd, the fists hidden in the sleeves, and the nails were dug into the flesh.

He lowered his head, his face full of grief and indignation.

He just wants to study under a teacher, why is it so difficult?

Two years ago, he was framed and humiliated by those sanctimonious family members;

Now that I have finally rekindled the fire in my heart, I have to be accused, speculated, and humiliated by so many people in public.
Born in Ye's family, can't you study and learn essays?
Being born into the Ye family, are you destined to be discriminated against by these so-called literary families?

Ye Mingfeng was trembling all over, biting her lips tightly, her emotions were on the verge of collapse.

Ye Wenhe saw something strange about his son, but he also saw the movements in the field. The only remaining senior scholar in Longshou Prefecture was objecting, the Hu family of the four major families was objecting, and a group of people who were following him were objecting. This apprenticeship Banquet, can this choice still have good results?
If he was hit again, would his son still be able to cheer up?
Thinking of this, he felt a little regret in his heart.

Yu Zonggu also pursed his lips. The current situation did make him feel a bit stuck.

He may not care about the views of the Hu family, but he cannot care about the public opinion of Shilin.

He really didn't expect that those who secretly opposed this matter could actually ask an old-timer like Mr. Fengde to come out.

The reputation of this literary world is not as domineering as the hegemony of the official position. If one is not handled well, it may really hurt the foundation of the Yu family.

He looked at Xia Jingyun, Master Xia, can you still move?
Xia Jingyun just sat there as if nothing happened, as if it had nothing to do with him.

Just when Yu Zonggu was confused and slightly annoyed, a sound of horse hoofbeats suddenly sounded, and then Chen Fugui, covered in blood, and Ye Hongluan, dressed in red, walked in together.

Chen Fugui clasped his fists towards Xia Jingyun and said, "My lord, it's a good luck not to disgrace my life, the culprits have been captured by us!"

Xia Jingyun nodded quickly, walked over and helped the two men's hands, "Thank you, the injury is not serious, right?"

Both of them shook their heads, "A little skin injury, it's fine."

"Then quickly go down to get dressed and rest. There is an elegant event here, so it's not good to offend the guests. Afterwards, I will reward myself."

The two left with fists in their hands. Before leaving, Ye Hongluan glanced at his elder brother with deep concern.

Xia Jingyun turned around and said with a smile: "My men met a group of thieves at a riverside restaurant outside Huai'an County. We just went to Huai'an County to kill them all. It's a small matter, so don't panic."

As he spoke, he sat down again, "By the way, Mr. Hu, what did you just say?"

At this moment, Hu Dingming felt a needle pricking his buttocks, twisted his buttocks uneasily, wiped the sweat that oozed from his forehead, and said with a dry smile: "My... uh, that, Caomin, it means that it is rare for everyone to gather together Let’s join the grand event, Mr. Fengde, don’t spoil everyone’s interest! You are really serious, what does it have to do with you when someone accepts an apprentice at home? Isn’t it? I think we just raise our glasses to congratulate , why bother to make more troubles!"

Everyone was dumbfounded and stared at the second master of the Hu family who kept wiping his sweat. Do you want to listen to what you are saying?
Do you think everyone is deaf or a fool?
Ye Wenhe's eyes lit up with brilliance, he didn't expect the Hu family's objection to be resolved so easily by Xia Jingyun.

But Yu Zonggu's face was still serious. The Hu family's opposition seemed to be powerful and high-status, but the Yu family didn't care.

However, Mr. Feng De, an old man in the literary world, clearly opposed it, but it really made Yu Zonggu feel jealous, fearing that if he didn't handle it well, it would hurt the foundation of Yu's family.

Could Xia Jingyun, who had never met Mr. Fengde, have a way to make such a person change his mind?

As he was thinking this, he heard another sound of horse hooves, and then Xia Jingyun actually stood up and walked out of the gate.

A moment later, everyone in the hall saw Xia Jingyun personally holding the arm of a middle-aged man walking in.

When some people were wondering who this person worthy of Xia Jingyun's personal welcome was, before Xia Jingyun introduced him, the scholars and literati in the hall got up together, and under the leadership of Yu Zonggu and others, they approached the middle-aged man. The man saluted respectfully.

"I met Mr. Lifeng."

This middle-aged man is suddenly the current Longshouzhou Wenkui, the great scholar Lu Lifeng!
　I have been doing high-intensity coding recently, and my lumbar muscles are a little strained. Last night, on a whim, I did a waist exercise, and then my waist twisted.I can't even stand up, and it hurts to sit, so I can only lie down halfway to code. I will go to the No. 88 technician in the afternoon to have a look. I will try my best to change it continuously in the past two days, but the amount may be smaller, sorry.

　　or2
　　
　
(End of this chapter)