Section 21: Li Ke’s crisis

The Yun family is in an uproar. When the old lady heard that Yun Ye was going to become a farmer, she passed out from lack of breath. When she woke up, she wept and said that she was sorry to her ancestors, that the honorable marquis was not worthy, and that the only male member of the Yun family was going to farm.

She cried while secretly looking at Yun Ye. This was her supreme method for dealing with her grandson, which had always worked. She cried over small things, cried over big things, and cried over things that were neither big nor small depending on the situation. Now she even fainted, so she didn’t believe that her grandson would insist on his own opinion.

Yun Ye is now worried sick. He is most afraid of his grandmother crying. First, he is afraid that she will get sick from crying. Second, since Yun Ye returned home, his grandmother has lost the tenacity of a woman from Guanzhong who is self-reliant and self-reliant. She plans to stay with her grandson and let him support her in her old age. Her character has returned to the way it was during the prosperous period of the Yun family.

She spends her days showing off with her entourage, discussing the workshop in Zhaoguo Square with Mrs. Cheng today, and going to Ci’en Temple to burn incense with Mrs. Niu tomorrow. She has now identified this temple, and the old abbot used the Yun family’s money to repair the temple. It is said that eight taels of gold powder were used for the gold paint on the Buddha’s body alone.

I patted her leg a little at a time, and when I saw that she was not convulsing as much, I said in a gentle voice, “You are worrying too much, Grandmother. I am not giving up the marquisate, but I want to give the suffering people of the world a thought, a thought that they can get rid of poverty and live a good life. I want to let them know that good days can be earned in this way. Just by digging in the soil with your back to the earth, you won’t be able to eat meat for ten thousand years.”

“These days, I’ve been wandering around the village and it makes me feel sad to see them squatting in the corner of the wall, drinking gruel. These are all hardworking and kind people, why do they only get to drink gruel? Don’t they know that meat is delicious? It’s because they don’t have the means to eat meat, so I’m going to teach them how to eat meat.”

“When our family was down on its luck, Xiaoya didn’t even have porridge to drink. Who ever pitied us?” Grandma was a little resentful.

“That’s not how it works, Grandma. Because you’ve been kind all your life, the gods have spared your grandson from suffering. He’s been helped by good people everywhere. Just think, what would have happened if the teacher hadn’t seen him?”

As soon as the words came out, the old lady covered his mouth and wouldn’t let him continue. She was trembling with fear. She couldn’t imagine the sight of her infant grandson crying in the cold wind.

“Don’t talk nonsense. As long as you are well, I will be happy to feed you gruel.”

“If your grandson can be a farmer for a while and show other farmers the way to a good life, just think how much virtue he will have accumulated. The Yun family has been passed down for a thousand years, and it is impossible to pass it down for a thousand years without such good virtues. Gold, silver, pearls, and jade are just a pile of useless garbage in the face of time, and they are also prone to disaster. Only by accumulating virtues can the safety of three generations of descendants be guaranteed.”

“Ye’er, Grandma doesn’t have your long-term vision. As long as you think it’s good, go for it. Grandma just feels sorry for you and is afraid that you will suffer. You haven’t suffered since you were a child, so how can you endure the hard life of a farmer?” The old lady wiped her tears and said to Yun Ye.

“The hard life of a farmer? My grandson wants to be a farmer, but he didn’t say he wanted to suffer. If he has to live the same life as a farmer, you might as well just kill me with a knife.”

The old lady laughed at the words of her grandson. He had a clever mind that ordinary people did not have, and he also had kind thoughts that others did not have. He was almost a perfect child. However, if even such a good child had to suffer, then heaven would be too blind. My grandson should be destined to live a life of wealth and prosperity.

After getting things settled at home, Yun Ye was relieved. These people were the ones he cared about the most, and he didn’t want to make them sad, so it was very troublesome to explain. The more you care about someone, the more you have to let them know what you’re thinking. Human feelings are established after an exchange of back and forth.

As for others, does Yun Ye care about their thoughts? Ridiculous!

Li Tai carefully calculated the amount of earth in the dungeon. For this purpose, he specially asked the Yun family’s carpenter to nail a three-foot-square box for him, filled it with earth, pressed it down, and then weighed it. He was very careful. Perhaps it was a Li family tradition. use a small scale to weigh the weight of the excavated soil little by little, and record the process and results in detail. He didn’t care, but Yun Ye knew that this was a formal scientific experiment record. Perhaps a thousand years later, this would become the most original source of information for scientists to examine the density.

Re-checking Li Tai’s homework, it was correct. It seemed that he had already mastered the key points of simple geometry.

Yun Ye was lost in thought. Perhaps it would be a good idea to train Li Tai into a mathematical fanatic.

I just don’t know how much power he is attracted to. Think about the perverted math masters of the future. Which one of them has shown a strong desire for power? It seems that none of them have. They are all immersed in their own mathematical kingdoms and are probably too busy to pay attention to the power games of deception and intrigue.

Li Tai has no time to worry about whether Yun Ye is going to be a farmer. He is so engrossed in the game of wits with the weasel that he can’t extricate himself. Li Ke is a bit nosy and comes over to ask Yun Ye, “Brother Ye, are you really going to be a farmer?”

“You’ve already had three high-fives with Mr. Li Gang. Do you think he’ll change his mind?” Yun Ye answered impatiently. This guy is less imposing and more feminine than Li Chengqian and Li Tai. He seems to look down on others from the root, because he has a more noble bloodline than anyone else? I don’t know how his mother Yang Fei educated him and instilled something in him. If this continues, it wouldn’t be surprising if he was killed by Zhangsun Wuji.

“Why does General Yun mix with the common people and lower his status? It is unbecoming of a gentleman like me.”

“Your Majesty has to work barefoot every year, and the Empress has to feed the silkworms herself. What makes you think farming is a kind of menial labor?” Yun Ye was a little angry.

“Father, mother only does these things every year to worship the heavens, and she doesn’t do it at other times.” Li Ke said with some grievance.

Yun Ye’s heart softened. After all, he was just a child. How could he say such treasonous things about the emperor and empress just for show?

Knowing that Li Ke was not too guarded in front of him, he spoke without thinking because he trusted him. Since he was trusted by others, he needed to fulfill his responsibility as a teacher. He would talk about the future later. At least for now, he was still a confused teenager.

Yun Ye dragged Li Ke outside, and the two of them stood on the lawn in front of the academy, patting Li Ke on the shoulder and asking him, “Tell me, what is a gentleman and what is a villain?”

“Mr. Song said that a benevolent person is not worried, a wise person is not confused, and a brave person is not afraid. He is a gentleman, and a villain is someone who is not a gentleman.”

Yun Ye laughed at some of the little wisdom, and patted him on the head and said, “It’s clever.”

Li Ke liked Yun Ye’s little tricks, and asked him with a sideways glance: “What do you think a gentleman is, Ye Ge? Is it a farmer?”

“Xiao Ke, remember, I don’t know what a gentleman is either. There have been countless interpretations over the past few thousand years, and the one you just mentioned is one of them. I always feel that a person’s nobility should be spiritual nobility, not social nobility. I think anyone who can fulfill their responsibilities in the world is noble. Anyone who sends their parents away and raises their own children, loves their wives, trusts others, and is helpful to the world we live in is a complete person, no matter what position they are in. Yun Ye explained his understanding to Li Ke, and as to how much he could understand, it depended on his fate.

His bloodline is his most dangerous enemy. If he can’t blur this concept, no matter who becomes the emperor, he will die. Even if Changsun Wuji doesn’t take action, there will be Li Wuji, Wang Wuji, and the like who will jump out and kill him. You have to know that the entire court is full of his grandfather’s traitors.