Chapter 35: The Benefactor

ted strongly, immediately reaching out to her forehead and looking, "Is this child sick"As for my older sister, she actually started laughing: “Alright, alright, Youxiao, don't get so worked up. Your...After all, he was just a boy over ten years old. Being singled out by such an imposing man at this time, Ye Youxiao's heart naturally felt nervous, his face instantly paled, and he didn't know why the steward, who had been dealing with his father, came to find trouble with him now He stammered and stuttered, unable to utter a single word. 。Ye Dalian watched from the side, her heart aching. She wanted to help You Xiao reply, but considering the official had already been reprimanded, she, a mere woman, would only bring shame upon herself if she dared to speak out of turn. There was no other outcome but helplessness and silence. 。Song Xiong asked nonchalantly, "Are you Ye Youxiao"Ye Youxiao was so nervous he couldn't speak, his face flushed red. He just nodded. 。Song Xiong let out an "um" and looked the young man up and down. With a smile, he turned back to the abbot and asked, "Master Huishen, in my opinion, this boy is just a servant, I don't understand why Master Xiangye would take a liking to him"Huishen chanted a Buddhist name and smiled slightly, "During the Five Husbands period, Dao An, the monk, was both dark and ugly. He was ridiculed by many monks, but he only said eight words: 'People are not in appearance, nature is empty then holy.'" 。Suddenly, the whole audience was stunned into silence. 。Later, Dao An finally attained enlightenment and became a renowned monk. 。As for this young disciple I see, I find him to possess a quick and keen mind. It is a pity he has strayed into the mundane world. 。Otherwise, if one cultivates stillness and meditation diligently, one will surely attain enlightenment. 。Hearing Hui Shen say this, Song Xiong couldn't help but let out a gasp and carefully examined Ye Youxiao again. He shook his head and smiled: "Song is just an ordinary person, he really can't compare to the master's ability to discern people." 。He wasn't trying to make things difficult for Ye Youxiao, but after hearing Huishen's words, although he was unwilling to believe them, he became a little more polite towards Ye Youxiao. He immediately said, "Youxiao, please sit down." 。The three members of the Song family standing nearby were all astonished. Unexpectedly, Song Xiong's attitude had changed drastically after the Abbot's words. 。It seems that Fangzhang's influence is far greater than he realizes. 。Ye Hou Sheng was even more pleased inwardly, feeling that his ability to judge people was almost as good as Fang Zhang's. 。Having entrusted the Ye family to You Xiaohua, they will surely flourish in the future. 。Lien Ye's mother was also quietly looking at her younger brother, but she couldn't see anything unusual about Ye Youxiao. 。Only Ye Youxiao was startled. Though he hadn't deliberately concealed it, he thought of himself as an ordinary servant. Even Xiangye, after seeing him, had never mentioned that he would have a bright future. 。But this old monk and I were total strangers, yet he could see at a glance that I had "a quick wit," Did he know about the Myriad Yuan realm That's impossible! 。And what did he mean by "falling into the mortal world" Could it be that he saw through my identity as a traveler from another time Just as I was lost in thought, I heard Song Xiong say: "Since I asked you to sit down, you should just sit down."

“Originally, Song Xiong saw that he kept refusing to sit down, and mistakenly thought that since all the honorable elders were standing, he dared not take a seat.” 。This rebuke suddenly made Ye Youxiao come to his senses. He hurriedly sat down, so eager that he almost fell off the stool. 。Seeing that Song Xiong's attitude had softened, Ye Hou Sheng hurriedly told Ye Niang Wen, "How come you have no eye for situations, and haven't served tea and water yet!" Ye Niang Wen had long felt uncomfortable standing there. Hearing her father speak, she felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and hurried to pour the tea. 。Ye Dalian also hurriedly swept the stool again with a chicken feather duster and said with a smile, "If you esteemed guests don't mind being a little cold, please sit down for a while." Huishen was a monk, so naturally there was nothing to be picky about. He immediately smiled and sat down. 。Song Xiong glanced at the stool but refused to sit down. He simply asked, "Youxiao, how is going with the new play you and Xiang Ye discussed" Speaking of the new play, Ye Youxiao immediately came alive and answered promptly, "Let me inform Song Gong, since that day I parted ways with Xiang Ye, I returned home and reported to my parents. I have been practicing diligently ever since, and now I've made some progress..."Song Xiong frowned: "Some progress won't do, it must be perfect, there mustn't be any flaws!"Ye Youxiao was taken aback, thinking to himself, 'I was just being humble, how come you, like Xiang Ye, are also not playing by the rules No wonder he became Xiang Fu's steward..." 。Ye Housheng and his wife also looked solemn, feeling their mental pressure doubled. 。Song Xiong said calmly, "It's not that I, Song, am being pedantic, Elder Ye, I'm not hiding anything from you. Even if they arrive tomorrow, besides my father-in-law, there will be another distinguished guest!"At this moment, Ye Niang Wen had just brought over a tray of teacups to serve tea and almost dropped the tray when she heard this. 。And Ye Hou-sheng and his wife were also astonished, looking at each other in shock. In their eyes, Xiangye was already a guest of the highest status, who could be more distinguished than Xiangye The two supported each other before they managed to recover from the shock. 。Ye Youxiao frowned, thinking to himself, "I only wanted to lure Zheng Xiangye over for a publicity stunt, after all. It's meant to spread the word and make a name for the new play..." 。But now listening to the housekeeper's words, this distinguished guest's identity must be no less than that of the Xiangye. Could it be that he is actually the current emperor No, that's impossible! The new play is still in the rehearsal stage now. Wouldn't it be too rash to directly involve the emperor But thinking about seeing the tip of the power pyramid of the Tang Dynasty tomorrow, my heart is also quite excited. 。Hesitant, Ye Youxiao's gaze fell upon Aye, but found him with the same dazed expression, like a dream, intoxicated yet listless, obviously crushed by Song Xiong's words. 。Song Xiong gently patted his ornate robe and nodded slightly to Huishen: "Alright, Master Huishen, I still have some mundane affairs here, so I won't disturb your quiet cultivation." 。Today I troubled Master by coming to this humble hut. It's really embarrassing, but tomorrow my brother-in-law will be visiting, and I'm afraid I'll still need Master's company. 。With a thoughtful nod, he responded to the Buddha's name. 。Song Xiongcai turned to Ye Housheng again and said, "Tomorrow's situation will be extraordinary. Master, please make adequate preparations. If something goes wrong, don't blame me, even Song himself wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility!" After saying that, he left without another word, ignoring Huishen Fangzhang. 。Huishen Fangzhang looked at the Ye family, uttered a Buddha's name, and with a smile said: "Song Gong's official position is where he should be, Master Lao, don't take it too seriously." 。Tomorrow, this old monk will also come. If there is indeed a mistake, I will distinguish it for you. Even if there is blame, I think that Xiang Ye and the others, seeing this old monk's face, will probably reduce some of it. 。The Ye family expressed their deepest gratitude and bid farewell to the Abbot. Back in their hut, they finally let out a collective sigh of relief. Ye Youxiao picked up a cup of tea from the tray and drained it in one gulp, saying between breaths, "I'm parched!" Ye Ma smiled gently. 。Mrs. Ye was deeply troubled, looking at Ye Hou Sheng and saying, "My husband, what should we do about this situation" Although Ye Hou Sheng had met many officials before, it was always with the face of Madam Ye, so he didn't need to deal with them. 。Today, this steward's air is so imposing, it really frightened the poor actors. Seeing Madam asking, he could only prevaricate: "It's truly a good thing that Yama King (the ruler of hell) sees us, otherwise, the little demons would be too difficult to deal with! You Xiao, you tell me..." 。He gently passed the problem to Ye Youxiao, one that he himself didn't know how to handle, and another was a test of Youxiao, to see how the future head of the Ye family would handle such a complex issue. 。

Ye Youxiao saw that his elder sister had brought two cups of tea, and there was still one cup left. He quickly took it up and finished it in one gulp before saying, "Father, from my son's point of view, if you are outstanding among others, you will surely be destroyed! If the Ye family really wants to become famous in the capital and earn an endless amount of silver, there is only one way: to face the difficulties head-on! You know, if you want to make a fortune, you have to take risks!"

Seeing that these words had lifted everyone's spirits, Ye Youxiao relaxed even further. "Besides, my son has seen Xiangye with his own eyes and talked to him for a long time. Xiangye is very approachable and doesn't have any airs! The steward said that Xiangye was also bringing a friend to watch the play. Isn't this normal Between good friends, what good things are there, they must share them together, right

Ye Daniu wasn't convinced. Seeing that Ye Hou Sheng wasn't speaking, she opened her mouth and said: "That housekeeper said the one coming was a distinguished guest, not what you call a friend!"Ye Niang smiled gently: "To us, that person is certainly a distinguished guest, but to Xiang Ye, isn't he just a friend"Ye Hou Sheng, hearing his son say this, felt calmer. He cleared his throat: "Wen'er don't..." 。It's still early today, let's rehearse the new play again and get a good night's sleep after returning to the inn. 。"Come early tomorrow, you must sweep the courtyard and keep it clean, don't dirty Master's eyes!" She waited and waited, until after Chen shi (morning hours), she saw many soldiers coming down the street in front of Yongshou Temple. Their horses galloped past, kicking up dust and flying ash everywhere. Mother Ye was so angry that she kept muttering under her breath. She could only take out a basin of clean water and wipe the benches facing the street again. 。Master Huishen came, and the couple hurriedly went forward to greet him. Master Huishen smiled and stopped them: "The old monk is just an outsider..." 。It's best to leave the host's customary gift for someone more worthy. 。"Ye Ma Wen hurriedly stepped forward to invite Hui Shen to take a seat. Hui Shen chose a position slightly away from the center, Ye Hou Sheng immediately stepped forward and asked him to sit in the middle, but Hui Shen refused. " 。Ye Hou-sheng also knew that he was a monk being humble, so he had no choice but to follow him. 。At this time, spectators were also flocking in, but hearing that officials had come to watch today, several turned and left. 。Well, watching a play is all about having fun. Watching it with the government officials present would definitely be inconvenient, with all sorts of restrictions. If there was any conflict, we might even end up in jail. 。Therefore, most of the idle folks dispersed first. 。When Ye Hou Sheng saw that the usual troublemakers had left, he felt a sense of relief. 。Suddenly, many idle people appeared on the street. They strolled around with their hands but didn't do any business. Some even went to sunbathe. 。Ye Hou Sheng understood in his heart that these were the guards of Xiangfu, but he didn't know why they were pretending to be ordinary people Only a few sounds of clear drumbeats rang out. Ye Hou Sheng felt a tightness in his chest, knowing that this was the main character. He hurriedly straightened his clothes and didn't even have time to greet the abbot. He just brought his family to stand at the entrance of the shed. Ye Da Niang had already raised the curtain early, and even Ye Ni Wen squeezed out a smile on her face, making it even harder to see her eyebrows. 。But see, following ten or so mounted soldiers in armor and helmets, were officials brandishing their spears and swords with a fearsome air. Then came the ceremonial procession of the prime minister's house, bearing signs reading "Silence" and "Clear the Way". Ye Hou-sheng secretly peeked; indeed, two palanquins arrived. The front one had Song Xiong riding alongside; the back one must surely be the legendary guest. 。It turned out that not a word Song Xiong had said was false! Ye Hou Sheng became increasingly flustered and at a loss, desperately looking at Ye You Xiao, hoping he could help him calm down. But the child was already trembling slightly, his eyes betraying his own fear; clearly, he was no use either. 。At this moment, the two palanquins were already stopped at the door. Unexpectedly, the guard started a dispute with passersby on the street and began pushing and shoving. 。As the sedan curtain opened, a man in his thirties stepped out. Seeing the bloodshot eyes of this man, the Ye family knew instantly that he was Zheng Wuyou without a doubt. 。As Ye Hou-sheng was about to step forward to pay his respects, he saw Zheng Zhin pointing at the guard. Song Xiong rode up on horseback and reprimanded the guard. 。At this time, a sedan chair from the back also arrived, but first a man and then a woman got out of it. 。The man was naturally the noble person Song Xiong had mentioned. He appeared to be over thirty years old, less than six feet tall, with a fair and plump face. 。A dignified and solemn countenance. 。Two long eyebrows extend straight to the temples. 。Her eyes were sparkling, her nose was broad, and her bridge was very strong. 。His jawline was slightly squared, adding a certain gravitas to his face. 。

And the woman beside him was tall and graceful, wasn't she Li Jiuniang! Just look at her with that man, their demeanor intimate, the two walked slowly forward, towards Ye's shed

As the saying goes, enemies meet, their eyes turn red with hatred. When Ye Ma saw Li Jiuniang, she was immediately furious and her whole body trembled.

Ye Youxiao naturally understood elder sister's anger, and immediately lightly bumped her arm to tell her not to be impulsive. 。Even though Ye Ma was filled with hatred, she knew today's matter was of great importance. She managed to control herself, her face tight and without a single smile. 。At this time, the man also stopped his steps and looked at the idlers on the street. 。Li Jiuniang's side, that Fourth Lady immediately stepped forward, after a while turned back and said: "Your Highness, it is the attendants who are not well-mannered to the palace guards, so there is a dispute" 。Then the prince nodded, and at that moment Zheng Zhi had also returned. He hurriedly said to the prince: "Your Highness King Shou, it turns out that the guards of our two families had some disagreements " 。"King Shou nodded and said, 'Minister Zheng need not concern himself with this matter.'" 。d and as always, the room erupted in applause. 。Although Ye Youxiao didn't hear the whole song, he was equally captivated. He was once again bewitched by Li Jiuniang's clear and gentle voice. He fel...