Chapter 6: Unable to swallow

“Peace in the world?”

Emperor Li Er stood under a tung tree with all its leaves gone, mulling over Zuo Kui’s words. The Hundred Cavalry Division was concerned about any movement in Chang’an. Naturally, they reported to him about Yun Ye’s beating of He Laoshi.

All five fingers of his right hand were crushed, and his manhood was also smashed into a meat pie, with no hope of recovery. This was naturally the diagnosis of He’s injuries. Li Er secretly frowned at Yun Ye’s ruthless attack. Although that spoiled brat was a bad person, he was really a victim of this disaster. This kid is making a name for himself!

The locust plague predicted for next July is coming. Whether it is true or not is the best measure of whether the legendary sage exists. Yun Ye is a member of the Yun clan, but where was he during the 15 years of his absence? People leave a name and geese leave a sound. Li Er really doesn’t believe that there is such a completely reclusive sage. What kind of person is Xiaoyao Zi? He is even more mysterious than Yun Ye. No matter how the Hundred Cavalry Division investigates, they have no clue. It was as if two people had suddenly appeared in the world. No roots, no past.

Li Er discovered that his father, the Lord of Lantian, was full of secrets, which made him full of curiosity. The appearance of the potato, the magic of the body-forging technique, the handy method of iron smelting, the easy defeat of Huang Zhien, who was well-versed in mathematics, by a young man in the boring field of mathematics, and even Liu Huai was amazed by the two illustrations of mathematics, which naturally surpassed Liu Huai, a master of a generation.

Knowledge cannot be faked. It is something real that cannot be stolen or taken by force. These seem to confirm the existence of Xiaoyao Zi. Without a strong heritage, he does not think that Yun Ye alone can calculate such a complex diagram. Knowledge is accumulated over time and cannot be achieved overnight. Even one or two generations cannot achieve immediate results. He himself is a master of knowledge, so there is no need to ask others about this truth. Li Er feels the pain of studying.

At the grand court meeting tomorrow, Yun Ye will personally go to the palace to thank the court for its kindness. I will see what kind of holy man you are, and why you are disturbing my thoughts.

Wangcai was reluctant to let go of Yun Ye’s clothes. He was not used to his current appearance. He had a small pigtail on his top of his head, and his mane on the back of his neck was also braided into a small bun. The belly warmer on his body was also replaced with embroidered brocade. He missed Yun Ye very much after not seeing him for two days. Not to mention the fact that the little ones at home are always hanging around him, crawling all over him. If it weren’t for the fact that the one who bit the green-clad guy yesterday was punished by the boss, he wouldn’t be able to tolerate these little people harassing him.

He pressed his face against Wangcai’s long face for a while, and then ordered the servants to pour a bowl of rice wine to feed Wangcai. Sure enough, a drunkard relieves a thousand worries. Wangcai’s troubles were gone, and he went back to the stable with a snort and a strut.

Yun Ye wanted to replace the dining table at home with a huge round table and build some chairs. When he thought of Lao Cheng and Lao Niu, he ordered two more sets to be built in case they came to the door to grab them.

He was really fed up with the torture of kneeling, so he drew a picture and threw it to the carpenter at home, asking for the fastest possible delivery. The carpenter took the picture and couldn’t understand it. It took him a long time to explain it vaguely, and when he saw Yun Ye’s impatient face, he didn’t dare to ask again. He knelt on the ground and swore that he would never divulge it.

The old lady standing behind him didn’t understand what he was doing. After finally understanding, she changed her expression and snatched the drawing from the carpenter’s hands. She pointed at Yun Ye’s forehead with one finger and looked at him with a look of disappointment.

“Grandma told the carpenter to make the furniture. From now on, don’t just draw pictures at will. The drawings you’ve drawn must be handed over to Grandma to keep. Dare you try it on someone else?” After that, she was helped by a maid and took the carpenter to the side hall.

This is the style of the lady of the house. As long as Yun Ye is not married, she is the one who calls the shots in the house.

“Be careful in the future. The marquis has a bad temper.”

“No, the marquis is very amiable. Today, I served him tea and he even smiled at me.”

“That was when he wasn’t angry. Haven’t you seen the spoiled brat from the imperial household who was beaten into a cripple by the marquis?”

“That’s because he provoked the marquis. The marquis is a military man. When he gets angry, what’s there to do?”

“That’s because our master held back his temper, that’s why he smashed everything. Otherwise, hmm…”

The conversation between maid A and maid B was overheard by Yun Ye, who was lying on a low couch by the window. He raised the corner of his mouth, and it seemed that his reputation as a scoundrel had spread. He envied Cheng Yaojin, who was used to being a bully in the court, and others thought that he could only lead troops to fight battles. As long as he didn’t provoke him, he would do no harm to his family, and there was no need to poke him in the hornet’s nest. He lived a free life for a hundred years, and after his death, he was named the King of Lushang, a title that meant he was rich and powerful for a long life. He survived four emperors and was a rare talent in the officialdom.

Looking back at the fates of the brave and fierce officials in the officialdom, such as Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruxi, Wei Zheng, and others, they all ended up committing suicide, having their families confiscated, having their clans wiped out, and having their bodies flogged. In the eyes of Yun Ye, all these great gods inevitably ended up in a miserable situation. This little white official in the officialdom still retreated into his head and honestly became his own tortoise, making a fortune in silence. If he can’t make a name for himself at the grand court meeting tomorrow, he’ll get a high-ranking position with few responsibilities and no real work. He’ll just muddle through the rest of his life.

The food was not delicious. The food at home was not as delicious as in the army. It was either meat or dried vegetables, or tofu. There was no green vegetables at all. The table was full of soup and water. The little girl was very happy to eat the soup. Yun Ye was pitiful. He ate rice with chopsticks, and he didn’t touch the vegetables.

The night before, he went home to a banquet and felt so happy that he even found the wood delicious. Looking at the fat chicken that the old lady had specially cooked for him, Yun Ye gulped down a bowl of soup and then put down his chopsticks. The old lady looked at him worriedly as he tore off the chicken leg and put it in the plates of the eldest and youngest daughters, then tore off the chicken wings and gave them to the youngest two children, and divided the rest of the chicken into several portions for the younger sisters. He finished eating with a few mouthfuls of rice mixed with pickles, wiped his mouth, and finished eating.

“Yi, don’t you like the food at home?” The old lady had been observing him for two days and saw that he only ate rice and didn’t even eat pasta. How could his body stand it like this?

Seeing that the whole family had put down their chopsticks and were looking at him, Dayi took the chicken leg and put it back in Yun Ye’s rice bowl: “Brother, Dayi doesn’t eat chicken legs, so you eat it.”

Yun Ye kissed the little face of Daye, which was full of rice grains, and put the chicken leg back in the plate of Daye, who was drooling. “Brother has many problems. Daye has to eat more to grow taller. Brother eats too much delicious food, and he has a bad habit. I don’t dare to learn from my brother, or else I won’t be good.” Daye then held the chicken leg and tore it up.

The noble family was arguing over a chicken that was too salty and tasteless, which made Yun Ye feel a bit sad.

“I’ll cook dinner tomorrow night. Our whole family can try the food that my teacher and I eat on a regular basis, and it will satisfy everyone’s cravings.”

As soon as the words came out, the aunt in charge of the kitchen immediately lowered her head and began to blubber and cry. Yun Ye was most afraid of women crying, because when they cried, it was like endless rain, making people furious and unable to act. He hurriedly tried to appease her, explaining, apologizing, and swearing, and only then did the endless rain stop.

“Wang, let Yeye make a meal tomorrow. You can learn from him. I heard Mrs. Cheng say that Grandpa Cheng was full of praise for the food Yeye made. I also want to try it to see what kind of delicious food it is that makes the Grandpa so fond of it.” The old lady spoke, and the aunt naturally followed her advice and stopped persuading Yun Yeye.

“You wait for me tomorrow with an empty stomach, and I’ll make you a delicious meal you won’t forget.” Yun Ye was very confident when it came to food.

“I have eaten all over the country since I was a child, from the north to the south, from the Yellow River to the Yangtze River. To be disrespectful to my teacher, he is a good eater. The so-called food is not too refined, and the so-called food is not too fine. Ordinary food is not good enough for him. The roast lamb from the Western Regions and the kebabs from the Middle East are all considered coarse food by my teacher. The people of the outer barbarian lands have no idea how exquisite the food in our country is. There are dozens of ways to cook chicken, including frying, grilling, stewing, boiling, and deep-frying. My master can even make delicious beggar’s chicken from a lump of mud and a few lotus leaves. Everyone looked down on him, thinking that he could turn dirty pork into dozens of great dishes.

“Later, when I grew up, my master no longer cooked for himself, and I took care of all the cooking. Besides, I didn’t learn all the master’s vast knowledge, but I learned the art of cooking perfectly, and even the master said I was a born foodie.” Yun Ye slowly instilled his past into the whole family. This was not a lie, but a way to completely integrate into the family. So the various foods of later generations appeared in the minds of the whole family.

The little girls were drooling, their faces full of wonder. The old lady listened to Yun Ye’s slightly self-deprecating talk with a smile, and even the aunt who had just been crying was captivated.

Yun Ye smiled secretly, and then talked about the beautiful scenery outside the country, the strange customs, and the people of all colors that made everyone’s mouths water.

“Brother, are Africans really black? Blacker than charcoal?” Runniang asked her brother, looking at the charcoal in the basin.

“Except for the teeth, which are white, the whole body is black. If you don’t open your mouth in a pile of charcoal, you won’t be able to tell. Besides, there may be black people in Chang’an, but they are called Kunlun slaves. If you have the opportunity, you can take you to see them.”

Seeing that it was getting dark, it was time for Zuowuwei to mark the time, and Yun Ye was about to leave when Zhuang San stopped to report that General Cheng had granted Yun Ye permission to meet up with the team again at the morning assembly the next day. Seeing that her brother didn’t have to leave, Xiaoya jumped onto Yun Ye and wouldn’t get down, and the whole family was full of joy.

They have begun to accept me, Yun Ye thought.