Chapter 12: The Lord
After two months of hard work, Yun Ye finally lived a life like a pig. He slept until he woke up naturally every day, and he didn’t have to worry about running out of food or running around naked without clothes. In the morning, someone would bring him water to wash his face, and even a tooth stick was prepared. The so-called tooth stick is to make the tip of a thin willow branch hairy, dip it in green salt, and use it to brush your teeth. But Yun Ye has a toothbrush, so he doesn’t need a willow branch. But when he used his toothbrush to brush his teeth while shaking his legs, he was hit by a flying disaster.
Seeing Yun Ye with foam all over his mouth and shaking all over, Cheng Chumo flew over, threw Yun Ye to the ground, and tried to flatten his limbs, pinch open his mouth, stuff a handkerchief into it, and tie it behind his head. He took off his belt, wrapped it around his legs a few times, tightened it, tied his hands to his waist, and tied his whole body into a lying human stick. He stared at Cheng Chumo with his eyes wide open and looked at him in bewilderment. He didn’t understand why Cheng Chumo, who had just been brushing his teeth with him, suddenly tied himself up in such a perverted way. Could it be that this guy had some special hobby?
Cheng Chumo let out a long sigh of relief, turned around and ran, shouting, “Doctor, doctor, come quickly, come quickly, my brother has a seizure.”
Hearing this guy shout like this, Yun Ye almost died of heartache. I was just brushing my teeth, and as for tying me up and framing me for having epilepsy? What the hell did you use to gag him? Please don’t be that handkerchief. Yesterday, I saw him wipe his armpits with it. Thinking of this, a strange mixture of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors came from his mouth, and the most important thing was a strange salty flavor. Yun Ye rolled his eyes and completely passed out.
When he came to again, he found himself lying on a military tent bed. Yun Ye looked at Cheng Yaojin, who was full of worry, and was about to speak when Cheng stopped him, saying with regret, “My nephew, don’t say too much. It’s important to rest and recover. There is no such thing as perfection in the world. My nephew is a rare talent in the world. No matter what else , the skill of making salt is not only a way to save lives in our country, but also a way to relieve the suffering of the people in Longyou. The skill of mathematics can make Huang Zhi’en lower his head, which has always been proud, and he can be called a genius for holding a torch and calculating on the ground all night. Heaven is not benevolent, but it has allowed your nephew to contract a terrible disease. It is truly a cause for lamentation. You should take good care of yourself and not worry too much. After you get better, I will still rely on you a lot.
Yun Ye reached out and pointed at the smug Cheng Chumo next to him. Cheng Chumo grabbed Yun Ye’s arm and shoved it into the blanket, his face full of shock. He said, “Brother, don’t say too much. It’s more important to rest and get better. Fortunately, I saw the situation was bad and acted quickly, otherwise it would have been bad if my brother bit his tongue. Don’t say thank you, we are brothers.”
Hearing such shameless words, Yun Ye was about to jump up and strangle the bastard, but then he heard a commotion outside the tent and a shrill voice: “The angel has arrived. Yun Ye, the secretary of the Lanzhou garrison, has received the imperial decree!”
Hearing this voice, Yun Ye, who was about to jump up, retracted into the blanket. He really didn’t understand how to accept the imperial edict, and why there was an imperial edict for him. Could it be that His Majesty Li Er already knew of his existence? This was too terrifying. It was said that the ancients could calculate the past and the present, and that their own origins and fates were clearly known to others. With these two skills, what the hell was he still doing?
Just when he was at a loss, he heard Cheng Yaojin say, “Strange, my report has only been submitted for a month, but today there is already an imperial decree. I’ll go take a look.” He then stepped out of the tent.
Cheng Chumo whispered to Yun Ye, “Your father reported your merits to the emperor, and the emperor has approved them. Brother, I’m going to take a look.” He also ran away after saying that.
Yun Ye’s mind was like a boiling pot, and he had no idea what to do in a moment. Although he had fantasized about this scene before, he was at a loss when it came to the moment, and he didn’t know how to face it. Well, pretending to be sick is also an option.
Not long after, Cheng Yaojin accompanied a young man into the room. He was wearing a black hat with a white jade inlay, a white robe with a round collar, a leather belt around his waist, and a pair of thin-soled boots. He was very energetic, with a white face and no beard, but his eyes were very intelligent. He smiled before he spoke: “Ah, this is the young master Yun who has a skill to solve a crisis. His Majesty heard that the young master made salt with ingenuity in Longyou, relieving the suffering of salt shortage in Longyou. His Majesty was overjoyed and ordered me to travel all night to Longyou to see for himself this 14-year-old prodigy. I see that he is indeed a talented young man.
“I’m sorry to make the eunuch laugh. The eunuch came to announce the imperial decree, but Yun Ye was bedridden. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.” I don’t know how eunuchs are called, so I’ll just use “eunuch” instead. Anyway, as long as they’re officials, they can’t be wrong. Eunuchs are also officials. After saying that, he pretended to get up.
The eunuch hurriedly held Yun Ye down and said in a high-pitched voice, “Master Yun is ill. The Grand Duke has already given instructions, so there is no need to get up. His Majesty has always been eager for talent, so he will not blame you for this small disrespect. I am not worthy of the title of “Your Excellency,” so you may call me eunuch Liu.” After saying this, he stood with his back to the north and his face to the south. Old Cheng also stood with his hands clasped at his side. Eunuch Liu coughed lightly: “The Emperor of the Great Tang decrees: There is now a good family son surnamed Yun and named Ye, who has inherited the good seal since childhood and has overcome…”
The eunuch read for a full hour, and except for the beginning, Yun Ye didn’t understand what these ancient texts were talking about. It was only after hearing the title of “male of Ping’an County” that he realized this was probably the title that he had been awarded.
After the eunuch finished reading, Cheng Yaojin helped Yun Ye to bow three times and nine times on the bed. The eunuch immediately put on a smile and repeatedly bowed: “Congratulations, Your Excellency, congratulations, Your Excellency, at the age of 14, you were named a male, and in the future, you will be a marquis.”
Yun Ye knew that this guy was asking for a gift. He searched his whole body but couldn’t find anything to give him as a gift. Just when he was embarrassed, Cheng Chumo walked in with a tray in his hand and said to the eunuch with a smile, “I’m sorry to trouble you to travel thousands of miles. My brother is very grateful. With this good news, how can I let the eunuch return empty-handed? This is a small token of my respect. I hope the eunuch won’t mind.”
Liu Neishi was also a wonderful person. He smiled and took the tray and bowed to Yun Ye, saying, “Thank you, Your Excellency, for your gift.” He also bowed to Cheng Yaojin, holding the tray and exiting the tent.
Yun Ye had a good impression of this eunuch who was knowledgeable and sensitive. Is he really as bad as the historical records say? Tang Zhen described eunuchs in his book “Qian Shu” as follows: They don’t look like human beings, they don’t look like human faces, they don’t sound like human voices, and they don’t act like human beings. I don’t know if these guys have a prejudice against eunuchs or have been persecuted by eunuchs. In any case, Yun Ye felt that this eunuch Liu was a good person. He smiles before he speaks, is perceptive and knows what is appropriate, and has a pleasant appearance that makes people feel like the spring breeze is blowing on their faces. As for whether his heart is dark, it’s none of my business.