Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 163 The Left Prime Minister's Moves

Chapter 163 The Left Prime Minister's Actions

"So this is the Ye residence. It is indeed very grand."

Hua Mufeng, Ye Ru, and the others stood in front of the Ye family's gate, looking at the two large, elegant characters, and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Ye Ru also turned his gaze in that direction, but he frowned when he saw two soldiers in armor in their government office.

"Magistrate Zhang, what's going on with these two soldiers?"

"I don't know either. The day before yesterday, these soldiers came with a token given by the Minister of Rites. I didn't dare to ask them any questions. They just set up camp here and wouldn't say anything when asked."

Magistrate Zhang said with a wry smile.

"Minister of Rites?"

"This is the important grounds of the Ye residence. Whoever comes here, state your name."

Ye Ru led the group in, but before he could speak, the armored soldier at the door reached out to stop him and then said in a deep voice.

"Ye Ru".

Ye Ru spoke calmly, causing the expressions of the two soldiers to change slightly.

"He is indeed Ye Ru, the top scholar in the country and the top scholar in Qingyun County."

Magistrate Zhang nodded and said.

"So it's Lord Ye. I was very rude earlier, please forgive me!"

Upon hearing this, the two soldiers immediately knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.

"Get up. You don't need to kneel before me anymore. Also, I only have one request: don't oppress the people, or I will report it to the Ministry of Rites."

Ye Ru patted one of the soldiers on the shoulder, then led his men inside. Just as he stepped across the threshold, Ye Ru turned his head:

"What are your names?"

"Zhou Dong".

“Weimin”.

Upon hearing these two names, Ye Ru made a note of them, and then walked away into the distance.

“I heard in the Ministry of Rites that this Ye Tongsheng was not arrogant at all, but rather friendly. Today I have met him and it is indeed true. It is our good fortune to be able to serve as Lord Ye’s private soldiers.”

“Indeed, in the Ministry of Rites, anyone older than us has to kneel, but we don’t have to here.”

After Ye Ru had completely entered, Zhou Dong and Wei Min were talking to each other.

"This is where you used to be. It's quite nice. You're so free all alone. Our aristocratic families are so cold and impersonal. Everyone is discussing knowledge and contemplating the path to sainthood. There's no human touch at all. I'm afraid I would have forgotten all about home if I stayed here for a while."

Kong Hexuan walked in and looked at the small bridge, flowing water, pavilions, and towers, and couldn't help but sigh.

"But this place doesn't feel like home."

Ye Ru smiled slightly, recalling the jade pendant. If Wang Xiaoyang had taken this jade pendant from the demon race, perhaps his parents were currently among the demon race, their fate unknown.

"Greetings, Young Master Ye."

"Greetings, Young Master Ye."

Without thinking too much, there was no point in saying anything now that he had no official rank. Afterwards, the group entered the Ye family compound, which was very clean. Some maids and servants greeted Ye Ru when they saw him.

"What about nursery rhymes?"

Ye Ru noticed that Tong Yao was not there and was somewhat puzzled. He then stopped a servant and said...

"Young mistress, the young mistress has gone out to learn the zither. She should be back in about an hour."

Ye Ru nodded, said nothing more, and led everyone into the hall.

"Master Ye, today is the day you and your esteemed wife are together. Tomorrow I will come to discuss this with you, and it will also be a good opportunity for me to see how much knowledge you possess."

After seeing the Ye family compound, Hua Mufeng said this and then got up to leave.

"Mr. Hua, I have a favor to ask."

At this moment, Fang Zifeng stood up, his face slightly flushed.

"What is it? Please speak."

"Let's talk in private."

Fang Zifeng pulled Hua Mufeng outside, which made Kong Hexuan and the others laugh.

Judging from Fang Zifeng's furtive behavior, it's obvious he has something to do with sexual activity.

"Chief Ye, you are truly audacious! You actually killed a high-ranking official of the court, and in a county under the jurisdiction of the Left Prime Minister! Don't you know that the Left Prime Minister has already begun to make underhanded moves? This morning at court, several ministers accused you of being arrogant and conceited, and of not taking the current emperor seriously. Some have even suggested taking back your Emperor's Sword!"

At this moment, Minister Li Baiyuan sent a royal seal, his words revealing his anxiety.

"what happened?"

Seeing Ye Ru's gloomy face, Kong Hexuan asked with concern.

"The Left Prime Minister has started to make moves in secret, and even wants to take back my Emperor's Sword. Because as long as I have the Emperor's Sword, I can act first and report later. I'm afraid none of the Left Prime Minister's men are clean."

Ye Ru narrowed his eyes, not expecting that the matter would reach the imperial court so quickly.

However, this also shows that the Left Prime Minister was very wary of having the Emperor's Sword in his possession.

"Then what will you say?"

Kong Hexuan said.

"First, ask Prime Minister Wen about the Left Prime Minister's intentions."

Ye Ru then sent the imperial seal to Wen Xiang:

"What did His Majesty say?"

"His Majesty also wants to curb the power of the Left Chancellor and has no intention of taking back the Emperor's Sword from your hands. However, I have heard that someone is planning to use the method of resigning and returning to their hometown to rebel. It must be the Left Chancellor's secret instruction."

"Then I will have to trouble the Minister of Civil Affairs and the Minister of Military Affairs to lend a hand. I am far removed from the affairs of the court and cannot see the conflicts there."

"You are the future of the Yanhuang Kingdom, and protecting you is our responsibility. The court can leave it to us, but I think the Left Prime Minister may visit you in the next few days to persuade you to hand over the Emperor's Sword. You should be careful."

Upon seeing this, Ye Ru frowned. He hadn't expected the Left Prime Minister to be so afraid of the Emperor's Sword that he would lower himself to come looking for him.

"Then I can only wait and see."

"By the way, those personal guards were all handpicked by me. I checked their backgrounds and character, so you can use them with confidence."

Wen Xiang then said.

After finishing the message transmission, Ye Ru breathed a sigh of relief, while Fang Zifeng and Hua Mufeng returned to the hall.

"Tonight, I am hosting a banquet for everyone, firstly to show my hospitality as a host, and secondly to celebrate the recovery of the late Scholar Chen."

After everyone had arrived, Ye Ru looked around and then waved:

"Someone, prepare a few tables tonight. I want to host a banquet for everyone."

"Yes."

The servants acknowledged and went about their respective tasks.

"Young Master Ye is back?"

Suddenly, a soft moan came from outside the door. Su Tongyao, dressed in a pink dress, looked even more beautiful. She quickly walked into the living room with her zither in her hand. When she saw Ye Ru, she didn't care that others were present and hugged Ye Ru tightly.

"Yes, I'm back. Sorry to keep you waiting."

After hugging for a while, Su Tongyao seemed to notice the strange looks from those around her, and finally let go, her face flushed. But the reluctance in her eyes was clearly visible.

"A talented man and a beautiful woman, indeed."

Kong Hexuan smiled.

"Chief Ye, how about I make you a few doses of medicine, the kind that makes you even more vigorous at night?"

A lewd smile suddenly appeared on Hua Mufeng's aged face, causing Ye Ru to stumble and almost fall.

"You bunch of rascals."