Chapter 11 Fan Jian: I know you are anxious, but don’t be anxious yet
"Who is this young master?"
"I heard Young Marquis Gu call him the Third Young Master Ye. He must be the youngest son of Commander Ye, the garrison commander of the capital."
"Oh, the one who's been making the rounds these days."
"The Third Young Master seems to be inexperienced in the world, and I'm afraid he will suffer a loss."
"... "
Pedestrians, common people, vendors and shop owners on both sides were whispering to each other.
"Third Young Master, you must be careful about the rumors of someone stealing the axe." Gu Yan'an stepped forward, bowed, and said seriously.
"Third Young Master, even if you look down on us, why do you have to say such unfounded words?" Another person stepped forward, bowed, and spoke in a loud voice.
Yang Li, who was standing in the center, thought for a moment, took two steps forward, and still kept a few steps away from Ye Zheng, and said, "Third Young Master, although we are military heroes, we are not ignorant and unruly people. We are chivalrous, so how could we do such things as bullying men and women? In everything, hearing is false, seeing is believing. Brother Zheng, you and I are old friends, don't let any misunderstandings happen and make people laugh at us."
His attitude is much better than that on Old Lady Qin’s birthday.
Ye Zheng was unmoved. The arguments and rebuttals of the three or two people would not mean anything. The son of the Duke of Shanguo who had said before that "the Ye family has a high threshold" did not move, but had a gloomy face.
He asked in return, "Are all of you 'Rangers' here?"
Yang Li glanced around and said, "There are a few brothers somewhere else."
"Okay." Ye Zheng nodded. "I've read The Story of a Hero and The Story of a Young Hero (written by Hu), and the people described in them are all loyal to the emperor and patriotic, filial and righteous, and they also fight against injustice and violence. They are so moving and touching that I admire them so much. I personally think..."
He turned his body sideways, looked into the distance, and said in a loud voice, "Young man, chivalrous, making friends with heroes from all five cities; he is brave and courageous, his hair stands on end; in a conversation, he is willing to die for his friends; a promise is worth a thousand gold!"
Suddenly, Yang Li and others felt their hearts surging, their blood boiling, and their chests beating like drums.
Ye Zheng slowly withdrew his gaze and returned to the dead 'Old Man Su'. Guilt and apology welled up in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it and said in a deep voice, "I know that the rumors are mostly exaggerated, but looking at today, they disregarded the law and galloped on horses in the busy city. They treated human life as worthless and made a lighthearted settlement of a murder case. From this, I can infer that the rumors are not entirely exaggerated."
“The people are the foundation of the state. If the foundation is solid, the state will be at peace.”
"The boat that carries you can also capsize you, so you should be extremely cautious."
“If one rejoices in the people’s joy, the people will also rejoice in his joy; if one worries about the people’s worries, the people will also worry about his worries.”
“The ruler depends on the state, and the state depends on the people.”
"... "
"The people are the foundation of all eternity and cannot be deceived!"
He poured out his "people-oriented thought" one sentence after another like pouring water.
Most of the military heroes, such as Yang Li, were confused by what they heard. The few who understood it all turned pale.
This issue…
"Zhuo Fu, keep talking. This is a serious matter. It's a murder case. The Military Department can't handle it. There is the Jingdu Prefecture. If the Jingdu Prefecture can't handle it, there are the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice. If you keep talking like this, it won't be long before the whole city knows about it. I'm afraid there will be a big mess when we go to court tomorrow."
Inside the carriage, the middle-aged man who had been smiling earlier said anxiously.
Fan Jian looked back and said, "I know you are anxious, but don't be anxious yet, and... this matter is already a big deal."
After saying that, he continued to look through the side porch at the young man not far away who was speaking with great authority and vigor. There was admiration in his eyes, but confusion in his heart.
No, what does he want?
Gu Yanan also wanted to know.
He is just a lowly person. At most, we can provide for his entire family. Why, why...
"Third Young Master, Third Young Master..."
He wanted to step forward, but when he met Ye Zheng's sharp gaze, he stopped.
"All of them are descendants of dukes and princes, and the imperial court provides them with generous salaries. They should be loyal to the emperor and share his worries. Even if they cannot repay their loyalty, they should know that 'a latent dragon should not be used'. Look at you, you are always in groups of three or five, chasing and playing, disturbing the streets. Where is the spirit of chivalry? Do you have the emperor, father and country in your eyes? You are galloping in the busy streets, hurting the elders, and you even want to run away. It is known that 'a family that accumulates good will surely have more blessings; a family that accumulates evil will surely have more disasters'. I am ashamed to be the son of a military hero with such disloyal and unrighteous people!"
After Ye Zheng finished speaking, he didn't care about the princes and nobles who had wonderful expressions on their faces, and said to Ye Ling'er, "Second sister, I'm afraid we won't be able to eat today. Please go and report this to the Kyoto Prefecture."
"Oh, okay." Ye Ling'er nodded in a daze. She originally wanted to ride a horse, but in the end she used her Qinggong skills and headed straight for Kyoto Prefecture.
After looking at his second sister for a while, Ye Zheng shouted to the people on the roadside, "Is there anyone who knows this old man?"
"Yes, yes, Third Young Master, I am familiar with Old Man Su."
"Okay, who has a free cart? Buy a straw mat. Who knows where there is a coffin shop? Go there and buy a good coffin. You won't lose money!" "I'll pull the cart!"
"I'll go get the straw mat!"
"Third Master, my cousin owns a coffin shop!"
"... "
On the carriage, Fan Jian slowly lowered the curtain, stretched his waist, and kept the same posture to peek, until he felt numb.
"Zhuo Fu, your son-in-law is really a troublemaker." The middle-aged man spoke with resentment.
"What? Have you, the Censor, been given additional duties?" Fan Jian retorted.
The middle-aged man's surname is Hong, and his given name is Ying. He is the Censor of the Censorate and has been a friend of Fan Jian for many years.
"You..." Hong Ying was furious, and smiled while twisting his beard, "Don't forget, they accused you of 'being unrighteous and not distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate children'!"
"Hey, it's not criticism, it's advice." Fan Jian didn't seem to care at all, on the contrary, he was in a good mood.
Hong Ying was speechless.
After a while, Fan Jian stopped thinking and asked, "What do you think of this kid going to the Censorate?"
"Hey, I can't even install this big Buddha in the Censorate." Hong Ying refused without even raising her head.
Seeing that his friend was still angry, Fan Jian raised his hand, pointed at him, and scolded him with a smile, "Look at you, you are so petty. After all, you are my uncle, but why are you so narrow-minded?"
Hong Ying looked up, somewhat stunned, and asked tentatively, "Are you really sure about him? This guy is not a good person."
Fan Jian glanced at him, as if he had heard a joke, "Is there any way for kind people to survive in this Kyoto city?"
……
Xining Lane
A big house
"Although it's only a fragment, the lyrics are good." Li Chengze, who was barefoot and his fancy clothes were a little messy, threw the note in his hand aside, reached out to pick a grape, and slowly lay down on the big chair.
"Why is he doing this? Separating the Ye family from Yu Wuxun? It's not his turn to make the decision, or... is this Ye Zhong's idea?"
"Seeking fame? The backlash is too great. This fame comes easily, but it may not be kept."
"Um…"
Xie Bian, who was standing beside him holding a sword, saw him thinking hard and said casually, "Maybe it's just the passion of a young man. When he sees injustice, he criticizes it. Now, he has cut himself off from the ranks of military meritorious service."
Li Chengze rolled his eyes and shook his head, resting on the armrest of the chair. "How can he be so naive? He would cut himself off from..."
Suddenly, he thought of something, stood up abruptly, and slammed his hand heavily on the handle of the chair.
"Snapped!"
Ye Zhong's palm, covered with calluses, brought down heavily on Ye Zheng's left arm with the force of splitting a coffin, making a crisp sound.
Immediately, the place where the palm landed became visibly red and swollen.
Ye Zheng gritted his teeth, suppressed his body's instinct to repair the wound, and continued to fight with his father.
After dozens of moves, Ye Zhong kicked his youngest son away and finally stopped.
A thin layer of sweat seeped out of his forehead, but his breathing remained steady, without any disorder. He walked to the side, picked up the white towel that had been prepared on the high table, and wiped his forehead and arms.
"I was wondering where you got the confidence from. It turns out you have made a lot of progress. Stop pretending to be dead and get up!" Ye Zhong shouted.
Ye Zheng, who was lying on the ground groaning, struggled to sit up, stretched out his swollen arms, and said in a trembling voice, "Father, how can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air? I..."
Ye Zhong gave him a cold look and he shut up.
"I thought you were a carefree person, but I didn't expect that you have deceived me and your mother over the years."
"Father…"
"Shut up!" Ye Zhong shouted, glaring at him, then suppressed his anger and said, "I know you have some small thoughts and your own intentions, but do you know that you are not the one who creates momentum? Once you start to gain momentum, can you control it?"
The "pitiful" look on Ye Zheng's face gradually faded, and he became as calm as water. He looked up at his father and smiled faintly, "You are right, but... if they are not stupid, they should also make an effort. They have been honest for decades. Do they really want to be cut to death by a blunt knife?"
(End of this chapter)