Kou Zhong has been sweeping the floor of the latrine for three or five months. Except for a few patrolling stewards who ridiculed him, almost no one knew about the subordinate who had led the way to his master. Now that the spring equinox has arrived, I only heard that the court gave me leave, but it has nothing to do with me; He still stayed in the courtyard and did his dirty work, but when he was free, he stood in the wall and watched the huge formation of the spring festival. At first glance, I saw Cheng Congyuan passing over with his head held high, and behind him beating gongs and drums, more than a dozen servants surrounded Ye Yongjia, and there was a large chaotic movement, which was very lively. He thought to himself that after the spring festival, he would never hear such a noisy sound again. It's not that there is a lack of excitement in the house, but that he doesn't have to worry about the matter of the toilet.

Kou Zhong's tongue has always been extremely sharp, and he has no intention of living in peace, so he is naturally taken care of by a few stewards and sent to buy a house as a comprador. Although he was a newcomer and could not take on major errands, the few small errands that could be assigned were also very self-sufficient and ungreedy. During this period, he also got acquainted with a few "colleagues", and heard from them that this spring festival was only one day, and after the fact, Cheng Congyuan got his master to go to Jinan for a banquet. Kou Zhong was extremely indignant about this, thinking that this was Cheng Congyuan finding an excuse for his own selfish desires.

But since Cheng Congyuan is so pretentious, he will never use this to show off his power. This is an opportunity to revitalize the family business: the prefect of Jinan will invite the Shandong Wang family to a banquet, including the Ye family. Cheng Congyuan was overjoyed after receiving the letter, this letter means that the Ye family is very likely to make friends with the government; Once successful, any long-term strategy will be invincible, and even the situation will shock Shandong. Thinking of this, his face suddenly turned gloomy, his wrinkled hands trembled, and he recalled the hardships and hardships when he was governing the family with Ye Long, and he was full of emotion. After being stunned for a long time, Cheng Congyuan sighed slightly, stood up slowly on the chaise longue, and then went straight to the study.

"Master, this is a letter from the prefect of Jinan...... I felt compelled to go. ”

Ye Yongjia looked hesitant, looked at Cambodia hesitantly, and spit out a few cold words for a long time: "It's better not to go." ”

Cheng Congyuan scratched his ears and said to himself: "Why is there something wrong with my ears again......"

"It's better not to go." Ye Yongjia repeated word by word.

Cheng Congyuan stood up in shock this time, and smiled a little angrily: "Master, don't be so ignorant of the overall situation anymore." I'm afraid that no one will support us! This time, if you want to connect with the government, you will have a prosperous family business at your fingertips! Cheng Congyuan persuaded with his fingers.

Ye Yongjia looked at the Cambodian book coldly, this so-called 'prosperity' was already clear on the day he killed Zhang Ping, completely extinguishing his previous ambition. But what drives his decision-making is not ambition, so everything falls into place, and some are only obstructed by the slightest obstruction in his heart.

"Then go. Family business is the most important. Ye Yongjia said relaxedly.

Qi River and Jinan are only separated by a water, and only two people go to it, so it is convenient to add more people to follow. In the middle, there was no Zhongjing Ancestral Hall, and there was no rest, and the horse was soon stopped in front of the prefect's mansion. The prefect had not yet come to greet them, so the two of them took the Cambodian card and visited first. After entering from the main entrance, I saw an open courtyard built with a bluestone road, and the courtyard was extremely square; There are several shallow ponds on both sides of the road, which are surrounded by white stone sills, which squeeze the road into a cross shape, but do not prevent the road from leading straight to the bottom of the steps in front of the hall. Ye Yongjia also walked into the hall, not daring to enjoy the scenery more, so he had to sit in the hall and wait for the prefect.

"Young Master Ye is here!" Ye Yongjia raised his head and saw that the prefect was wearing civilian clothes, his eyebrows and hair were all silver-white, and the silver was shiny; But his face is shiny, his facial features are extremely flat, and there is no wrinkle on his face, which does not match his age.

"Lord Wang should be called so! Just call the juniors by their names. Ye Yongjia hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully. Alas, it can't be like this. How about calling Ye to give things? ”

"It's all up to the prince." Ye Yongjia responded with a smile.

"It's ...... Oops, Mr. Cheng! Wang Chuding moved in front of Cheng Congyuan, as if he had known him for a long time.

"A slave, don't break my life, don't break my life......" Cheng Congyuan pretended to bow down in fear, and the king hurriedly held his arm: "We don't know how many times we have seen you, what are you polite!" Cheng Congyuan smiled slightly.

"How is Ye Yushi doing?" He asked Cheng Congyuan.

"This book is not a slave to read, I know what! Ye is not a doll, he can read and write! Cheng Congyuan's gaze swept towards Ye Yongjia.

I don't have any family letters. Ye Yongjia thought for a while. But if you explain it directly, it is obviously inappropriate, and without thinking, you said: "My father's business is complicated, and there is no correspondence recently. Other than that, there is no major event, and the body is expected to be healthy. After speaking, he bowed slightly to Cheng Congyuan, and Mr. Cheng seemed to be very satisfied with his improvisation.

"Oh, that's it."

After talking for a while, Ye Yongjia coped with it freely, there was no time for nervousness and timidity, and they talked more happily. Wang Chuding looked at the sun casually, and immediately called out a subordinate and asked, "What time is it?" ”

"My lord, it will be noon."

When the king had heard this, he got up and said to them, "In the near future, I am afraid that other families will come one after another. You can go to the backroom and wait. ”

The two entered the back hall and bypassed the screen, inside was the place for the banquet, and the tables on both sides were horizontal in turn, all of which were guest seats; Above the crowd is the main seat, with a separate sandalwood table, facing the front, looking sideways at the guests. Of course, the two of them sat in the guest seat, and they also deliberately looked at the direction and sat on the seat next to the main seat. It's not that he doesn't know humility, after all, the Ye family's reputation is the crown of this domain, and then it is also in order to socialize with the prefect, so he chose to sit here.

"The master is getting better and better!" Cheng Congyuan sighed.

Ye Yongjia was indifferent and unusually silent.

"This prefect has a daughter in the family, do you know?" Cheng Congyuan tried to keep his voice as low as possible. Ye Yongjia replied calmly: "I know what Mr. Cheng wants to do. But...... Either way, you don't need to say more. ”

"At the age of twenty-eight, I will be four years ......old," Cheng Congyuan closed his eyes and said to himself, "I'll express myself in front of the prefect later...... If it happens, this Ye family will be deeply rooted in Jinan......"

"Mr. Cheng!" Ye Yongjia patted him lightly on the shoulder, and Cheng Congyuan turned his head: "Master doesn't agree?" ”

Ye Yongjia froze for a moment, then turned his face and smiled: "Things may not work out, let's see step by step." ”

The banquet was soon set up, and the characters were ready, and the prefect ascended the throne, glanced at the crystal wine in the lamp, and held it in his hand: "The emperor of the spring equinox gave me a holiday, and I also take this opportunity to gather with everyone." Nian Gong is equal to Shandong is virtuous, please drink a lamp! After speaking, he waved the wine cup and drank it all in an instant.

Everyone sitting in the guest seat also shouted: "Good! Then he poured the wine into his stomach. However, Ye Yongjia got up slowly, and drank the wine hesitantly. Wang Chuding then left his seat and toasted everyone one by one, and Ye Yongjia hurriedly replied. Walking around for a while, several prominent wealthy families toasted and talked everywhere, Ye Yongjia, as a figure of the Ye family, naturally couldn't sit idle, and also picked up wine to toast around. He went to the guest seat to the east, and toasted the nearest host. It was learned that he belonged to the Jiyang Zhou family, and his name was Zhou Yizhi.

"Ye Guild raises a son! At this age, you can handle trouble! Zhou Yizhi pretended to be emotional.

"That's right, it's my father's eyes that are clear, and he chose Cheng Congyuan to be a gentleman for me, teaching benevolence, righteousness, virtue and filial piety, and not taking foreign ways. Otherwise, it would not be the land of today. Ye Yongjia poured him wine with one hand, he thanked him, and seemed to be talking to himself: "The old man's son is not angry!" Ye Yongjia didn't speak. He raised his head and asked with a smile: "Ye Gongzi, the old man's son didn't become a jinshi, it's a pity...... I wonder if there is a good way? ”

Ye Yongjia was stunned for a moment, and glanced back at Cheng Congyuan, who just lowered his head. His mind was stirred, and he didn't know what he meant, and the anger in his heart suddenly rose, and he gritted his teeth and said, "If you want to take another good method, you can ask the adults of the Ministry of Rites to see what their opinions are; It's that the younger generation is stupid, and they only know how to study and enter the office, and they have no other plans. Zhou Yizhi's face turned red, and Ye Yongjia didn't know how to ease, so he was at a stalemate for a while. Zhou Yizhi was still more embarrassed, shirked and said to toast the prefect, and left the seat.

Ye Yongjia had no choice but to act as a matter of fact, and when he glanced at Cheng Congyuan again, he had raised his head and couldn't hide his pale face. After Ye Yongjia said this, his mind was confused and confused, and he reluctantly finished a table of wine, forgetting how he socialized, maybe something went wrong.

The prefect saw that Ye Yongjia finally returned to the table, although his face was not very good, he couldn't help but ask: "I don't think Ye Yongjia wants to drink...... I thought you didn't drink alcohol on weekdays; But in the blink of an eye, the toast went, somehow? ......" After speaking, he added: "The old man didn't mean to ask you, just ask." ”

Ye Yongjia took care of his spirit to avoid causing the prefect's displeasure. He bowed down and said: "It's not that I dare to disagree, it's just that all the guests are old, and they think of themselves as juniors, and everything should be inferior." The prefect seemed to look at him with admiration, but Ye Yongjia didn't care about it.

Before you know it, the banquet is over. Ye Yongjia didn't even touch the bamboo chopsticks a few times, but he poured a lot of wine, making his face glow red. He felt a little dizzy, so he closed his eyes and rested a little, constantly rubbing his eyebrow bones. At this moment, Cheng Congyuan's heart was difficult to calm down, although it was very quiet around his master, but his mind was not idle with nothing, and he was thinking sharply about the way to connect the situation, which must be just right like a knot in a tether.

The prefect got up and pulled up the curtain behind the main seat, and Cheng Congyuan hurriedly took care of his thoughts and trotted all the way to chase after him. Wang Chuding suddenly heard the footsteps behind him, hurriedly turned around and stopped, and said with a smile: "What's the matter with Mr. Cheng?" ”

"I don't dare to take the word 'sir', the prefect wants the villain's life!" Cheng Congyuan smiled slightly bitterly. "I'm looking for you to talk. What do you think of my master? Cheng Congyuan got straight to the point, and his eyes slipped over to look at him. Wang Chuding didn't understand what he meant, and replied in a daze: "It's good......" He looked at Cheng Congyuan fixedly, and after a while, he suddenly pointed at the old slave and smiled: "You, you, are here to tell the Ye family that you are here!" ”

Cheng Congyuan exhaled with relief, "I was ordered by the master to come and go!" Lord Wang, my Ye family is the first family in Shandong, isn't it appropriate to marry you? ”

"Where, where...... That's what I thought! "When Wang Chuding heard the word 'master', his face was much more relaxed. There is no doubt about it, after all, Cheng Congyuan has been with Ye Long for many years, and of course he has full trust in him. Cheng Congyuan dared to lie like this, and it was also due to his consideration: if Ye Long came back, he would never refuse this kind of marriage, so when the time came, it would be seamless.

Both of them returned to their seats and sat down, Ye Yongjia caressed his eyebrow bones, his eyes were closed, and he didn't notice that the prefect had returned to his seat. Cheng Congyuan only glanced at him from the side, and then gently stabbed him. Ye Yongjia opened his eyes at the beginning, looked at the Jinan prefect who was seated, and hurriedly bowed.

"No, no. I want to ask, I don't know if Ye has ever married? "The prefect said.

"No, I didn't."

Wang Chuding smiled: "The old man has a daughter, who is at a young age. Coming from the family of the eunuch, he naturally has a smooth temper and is quite proficient in poetry and books. If you give a promise, wait for your father to return to his hometown, and the marriage will be done immediately. I don't know what it feels like? Wang Chuding finished speaking slowly, leaning back in his chair, waiting for the sound in his ears.

Ye Yongjia still leaned over and didn't say a word. Cheng Congyuan saw the opportunity, hurriedly reminded, and muttered a few words in a low voice, Ye Yongjia straightened up his waist and said in a broken tone: "The junior agrees!" Cheng Congyuan couldn't help but be happy for a while, and said, "Okay!" He clapped his hands again, and crisp applause echoed in the hall.

The prefect seemed to be very calm, nodded deeply, and then smiled: "I'm very happy that Ye is so refreshing." You'll have to tell your father that I agreed, so that he can be prepared. He lowered his head and brushed back his beard.

"Juniors understand." Ye Yongjia saluted again. Sit down slowly, close your eyes again, and touch your eyebrow bone. But his hands seemed to be manipulated by others, and he did not listen to his own command. He is in the depths of political mediation, and he can't move anything on his body. Even if you want to stab you in the heart, they will be blocked one after another; Whatever conscience and what should be pursued is annihilated in the role of observance. They give it to men, they give it to themselves, so that everyone runs in vain under such an order. He felt sick all over his body, and he endured a cramping pain in his stomach.

He saw Cheng Congyuan get up and said, "It's not too late at this time, besides, the banquet has been dispersed, and there is still something busy at home, so ...... Say goodbye to adults for the time being. ”

Wang Chuding hurriedly left his seat and stood up, stepped forward to say goodbye: "The discussion has been decided, but it is okay to go." Don't know if you need to send it all the way? ”

Ye Yongjia even said a few 'no' words, so he gave up.

Ye Yongjia walked outside the mansion and suddenly felt that his stomach was burning hot, and he was like a surge of air. He looked at the people around him, and then tightened his cheeks, holding back his breath, and did not dare to speak. It wasn't until he walked out of the city and wiped a corner that Ye Yongjia gestured to Cheng Congyuan with his hand, and he 'vomited', and then vomited. Cheng Congyuan hurriedly put one of his arms around his shoulder, and patted his back lightly with his left hand. After seeing that he didn't vomit for a while, Cheng Congyuan took out a handkerchief from his waist and handed it to him: "Haven't you drunk so much wine?" ”

"I don't know. It's disgusting......"

"What about spitting it out?"

"Spit clean...... It's not disgusting anymore...... I can get used to it after all......"

“……”