Chapter 125: The Ye family’s undercurrent

Ye Tianming was receiving a special guest in his study. He was Zhan Yuanzhi, the son of Zhan Hui, the Minister of Personnel and the Censor of the Left Censor. Zhan Yuanzhi was 22 years old this year. He passed the Juren three years ago and failed in the spring exam in the second year. He studied the scriptures for another three years, preparing to fight again in the upcoming February 24th year of Hongwu, and get a title on the gold list.

There is still one and a half months before the examination, which is the last sprint for the candidates. Almost all the candidates are making final efforts, including Ye Tianming's eldest son Ye Rutang, who is also closing down to study.

However, today is New Year's Eve, and it is the only time for candidates to rest. Zhan Hui specially ordered Zhan Yuanzhi to pay his respects to Ye Tianming for his early years. This very ordinary etiquette contains another deeper meaning. Zhan Hui intended to marry Ye Tianming's youngest daughter Ye Sutong as his daughter-in-law for his second son. There is no need to explain this kind of thing. As long as he orders his son to come, Ye Tianming will understand it.

Ye Tian clearly understood the profound meaning of Shangshu Zhan. He was also very satisfied with the Zhan Yuanzhi in front of him. He was well-educated and humble. Although he was the son of Shangshu, he could not see the arrogance of ordinary noble men. He had an indescribable gentleness in every move. This was his ideal son-in-law. It was a pity... it was a pity that he was Zhan Hui's son.

Ye Tianming couldn't help but think of Li Weizheng who had made him grit his teeth. It was this unknown son-in-law who made him lose his mind and made a big mistake. He also signed the name in the joint memorial headed by Zhan Hui to impeach Li Weizheng, and ranked fifth. Although he also knew that Zhan Hui's impeachment of Li Weizheng was more instructed by the King of Qin, he had to make a gesture to clear his relationship with Li Weizheng, which is the so-called destroying relatives for justice.

He thought that Li Weizheng would lose his official position and demoted him, but he could not have been the Jinyiwei Qianhu, but he turned into the commander of the Weihaiwei, and was not hereditary. He became the commander of the third rank at the age of 24. Ye Tianming was really surprised. He couldn't help but think of his mother's advice, and the Li family's big man had a look of fish and dragon.

Soon, clues about the Qin King smuggling case began to spread among the court ministers. Although the emperor concealed it specially, such things were like filling water with paper buckets. No matter how tightly it was, various news was still quietly passed among the court officials: "The Qin King was seized from the vassal", "Li Wei's real task to Guangdong was to investigate the Qin King smuggling case."

The exact news came out in the following days. The King of Qin was indeed reduced to the vassal state and was already on the way back to Beijing. Only then did Ye Tianming suddenly realize that his "destroying relatives for justice" not only did not have the effect of integrity, but instead made him board the King of Qin's pirate ship. He became a member of the Qin King's Party in disguise. The joint memorial to impeach Li Weizheng was the most ready-made list of the Qin King's Party.

For the past ten days, the fear and anxiety of losing his official position have been shrouded in his heart. Yesterday, another major event happened. Luo Ziqi, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was dismissed for ineffective disaster relief in Guangdong. At the same time, his entourage revealed that he was suspected of receiving gifts in Guangdong. The emperor was furious and immediately ordered Luo Ziqi to be arrested in the Jinyiwei Prison to strictly investigate his accomplices.

This incident made Ye Tianming like a thunderbolt. He knew that the real reason for Luo Ziqi's crime was that he was too eye-catching in the impeachment of Li Weizheng and became the leader of the Qin King Party. The emperor dealt with him first. The so-called strict investigation of the accomplices was nothing more than pursuing the remnants of the Qin King Party. Luo Ziqi ranked second in the impeachment memorials, and Ye Tianming ranked fifth. He must have been unable to escape the crime of the accomplices. In fact, he had no relationship with the Qin King Party at all. He was instigated by Zhan Hui and signed his name in a confused manner.

Now, Zhan Hui intends to become a relative of him again, which makes Ye Tianming feel in a mess. At the moment when the court is in chaos, he really doesn't know which line he should stand on, whether this family should be tied or not.

"Uncle Shi, my father ordered me to come." Zhan Yuanzhi smiled humbly and sincerely. He took out a booklet from his arms and put it on the table and pushed it to Ye Tianming. "My father originally wanted to visit him in person, but there were too many guests at home and could not get away for a while, so he ordered his nephew to bring it to Uncle Shi to take a look first."

Ye Tianming opened the book and was stunned for a moment. This was actually a memorial from Paul Ziqi. Luo Ziqi has been an official for fifteen years and is honest and honest. After the Guo Heng case, he was even more diligent in taking over the Ministry of Revenue and never made any mistakes. He begged the emperor to be lenient for his usual honest and dedicated work. There is no signature below, and there is a large area in the signature area, which is very likely to be a joint guarantee.

Ye Tianming seemed to understand something, and he asked without hesitation: "I wonder what your father wants me to do?"

Zhan Yuanzhi bowed and smiled, "My father said he was going to join everyone to jointly promote the report. This is just a draft. Please take a look at the uncle of the ancestor. Uncle Shi can modify it. If Uncle Shi has no objection, he can directly sign the second one. The first signing office is my father. He has contacted more than fifty ministers. He will send signatures to each company today and tomorrow, and then everyone will report to the emperor together."

Ye Tianming didn't say anything for a long time, and a cold air rushed straight to his forehead. He immediately understood Zhan Hui's jackal heart. He used his son's blind date as an excuse to distract himself and coaxed himself to sign the memorial. Zhan Hui would definitely not sign his name. In this way, he became the leader and replaced him as the leader of the Qin King Party. Ye Tianming, not Zhan Hui, would be the one who would be confiscated, and would be the one who would be raided, rather than Zhan Hui.

At this moment, Ye Tianming suddenly realized that the biggest crisis in his career was approaching him quietly. Without background or backstage, he became the best scapegoat for some people. Not only could he not enter Zhan Hui's power group, he became the stepping stone for this group.

Ye Tianming's heart became extremely frightened. He knew that Zhan Hui was confident. If he refused to sign this name, he would become the first person Luo Ziqi offered tomorrow with Zhan Hui's means. But if he signed this memorial, he would not be able to escape death. However, Zhan Hui would protect his family, so Zhan Hui asked his son to come for a blind date. This was actually his condition.

Sweat beads slowly oozed out from Ye Tianming's forehead. He stared at the memorial blankly, and his mind was in chaos. Zhan Yuanzhi sat aside with a smile on his face. Before leaving, his father explained that Ye Tianming would either sign or not sign the memorial and would not have time to consider it.

Zhan Yuanzhi was about to speak when Mrs. Ye's voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Master, I have something important to do, can you come out?"

"What's the matter? I have guests now!" Even though he said that, Ye Tianming stood up immediately and smiled apologetically at Zhan Yuanzhi: "Nephew wait, I'll come when I go."

Zhan Yuanzhi bowed gently and smiled: "Young nephew, please don't worry, please don't want to give me some advice."

Walking out of the study room, Ye Tianming wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked his wife, "What's the matter?"

Mrs. Ye said embarrassedly: "Dalang is here and said that Zitong had just given birth to a pair of twin sisters. She asked if we had anything to bring to Zitong."

Mrs. Ye looked at her husband with expectation, a pair of cute twin granddaughters. How eager she was to take a look! But would her husband agree? Although she knew that her husband would definitely refuse harshly, she still wanted to give it a try.

But things were beyond her expectations. Ye Tianming's face sank first, but his eyes suddenly lit up again, as if he had thought of something, yes! Ye Tianming suddenly discovered a life-saving straw at this moment.

He asked quickly, "Where is he now?"

Mrs. Ye was really surprised by her husband's nervousness and hurry. She hurriedly replied: "Darang is waiting outside the door, Master, you..."

"You ask him to go to the small room and say I'll be there soon."

Mrs. Ye turned around in confusion and wanted to leave. Ye Tianming called her again, lowered his voice and ordered: "You go to the reception yourself, just treat him as our son-in-law. You should hint him and I actually regret it afterwards about Zi Tong. Remember! This is what you discovered, and I never admit it."

Mrs. Ye didn't know what her husband was selling. She was ruthless two days ago and said that Su Tong would break her leg if she dared to see Zi Tong again. Why did she change her mind now? Despite her doubts, Mrs. Ye still walked out the door quickly.

Ye Tianming had a plan in his mind. He slowly walked back to the study and smiled at Zhan Yuanzhi and said, "I originally wanted to keep my nephew for the New Year's Eve dinner here, but I know that today is the day for the whole family to reunite, so it would be too rude to leave my nephew here. It would be better for my nephew to go back first. I will set up a family banquet to invite my nephew to sit down next day."

Zhan Yuanzhi was a little stunned. Uncle Ye Shi said that he would not stay for the New Year’s Eve dinner but looked down on him. Why did he change his mind so quickly? He asked carefully: "What about the acquired things?"

He just asked Ye Tianming for instructions and wanted to ask Ye Sutong to go to Jiming Temple with his mother the day after tomorrow to burn incense. Of course, his mother was just an excuse. He wanted to ask Ye Sutong out for a trip, and Ye Tianming agreed immediately. Now Zhan Yuanzhi is unsure.

Sure enough, Ye Tianming looked embarrassed. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I just forgot something. I forgot that Su Tong was a man who had promised someone else. Before canceling the engagement, I would probably be criticized. If you have any chance in this matter, don't worry!"

Zhan Yuanzhi was extremely disappointed. He had to laugh dryly and said helplessly: "The scientific examination is about to be held. Actually, I don't have time. This is the best way to let my nephew devote himself to the scientific examination."

Speaking of this, he pushed the memorial forward slightly, "Uncle Shi, do you see this signature?"

Ye Tianming glanced at the memorial and smiled and said, "Of course I will not refuse the signature initiated by Shangshu Zhan. It's just that I am a small official and it's a bit inappropriate to sign the second one. When other officials sign it, I will sign it again. Nephew, just tell your father like this!"

Seeing that he refused to sign, Zhan Yuanzhi accepted the memorial and bowed to Ye Tianming and said, "That nephew will say goodbye."

There was no smile on his face, and there was no need for Ye Tianming to send him off. He walked quickly outside the mansion. When he reached the central hall, he happened to see Mrs. Ye and the housekeeper leading a young man into the small guest room. He had never seen Li Weizheng before, and he couldn't help but feel a little surprised. At this time, Ye Tianming's eldest son hurried to see him off on his father's order.

"My brother is so fast, I almost can't catch up." Ye Rutang has a good impression of Zhan Yuanzhi. On the one hand, they have a common language for the students of the same subject. On the other hand, Zhan Yuanzhi's father is the Minister of Personnel. If his relationship with his son is good, it will be of great benefit to his career in the future. Therefore, Ye Rutang is quite flattering to Zhan Yuanzhi.

"Brother Ye, who was that person just now? I saw Lingtang leading him into the small guest room."

"He?" Ye Rutang sneered: "He is the butcher who is called Li Baipi. It's probably the Chinese New Year, and you're here to please my parents. You don't have to worry about anything. Although my mother likes him, my father hates him deeply. The person who decides this family is my father."

Ye Rutang really looked down on his elder brother-in-law. A man who even failed the exam for scholars five times finally took the route of a martial artist and only knew how to fight and kill people. Does he understand the skills of the officialdom? Can he govern the people? A reckless man, and only if his eldest sister really can't marry him will he fall in love with him.

"We don't have to pay attention to him, I'll send you out."

Zhan Yuanzhi looked back at the small room as he walked. Although he also looked down on Li Weizheng, Ye Tianming's attitude changed just when Li Weizheng arrived, which was a bit too coincidental!

Li Wei was being led into the small guest room. He put a few gifts he bought from Guangdong on the table and smiled at Mrs. Ye: "I came here today to announce the good news. Zi Tong gave birth to twin sisters. The mother and daughter were safe. Secondly, I also wanted to pay my respects to my aunt and grandmother in the early years. These are some small things I bought for my aunt and grandmother from Guangdong. If I don't respect me, please accept it."

The gift to Mrs. Ye was a Japanese coral bracelet, and the gift to the old lady was a red sandalwood Buddha statue with thorns. These were all smuggled from overseas. Zhu Yuanzhang issued an imperial edict at the beginning of the year, strictly prohibiting the sale of overseas vassal goods. Once seized, it will be destroyed immediately. The seller will be punished with severe punishment. Although the buyer did not have a clear charge, he would definitely not be compensated after the destruction.

Therefore, these things are rarely seen on the market. He took out a string of crystal-filled pearl necklaces and smiled: "This is a pearl necklace for Su Tong. It was found by Annan people in the deep sea. It is very rare. I hope she likes it."

Mrs. Ye is a person living in the inner house. She didn't know that these are all banned goods on the market. Although these things are very beautiful, Mrs. Ye prefers Li Weizheng to have this kind of heart. Although she is a husband and wife, she is a mother after all. Of course, she hopes that her husband can reconcile with her daughter. The key to reconcile with Zitong is the relationship between their father-in-law and son-in-law. I heard that Li Weizheng no longer works as an imperial guard, so don't you have to be so taboo?

"Dalang, sit down!"

Mrs. Ye asked Li Wei to sit down, and she sighed and said, "Tell me when your mother passed away, she asked me to take good care of you. After all, I am her best friend, and you have a engagement with Su Tong, ah! The facts are unpredictable, I didn't expect the result to be today."

She smiled bitterly and continued, "My greatest wish in my life is to hope that my children can get married and have children safely and continue their incense. Rutang, I never worry. He has a successful academic career and was a high school student last year. Although his youngest son is not my biological child, he is also smart and smart, very good at studying, and it also makes me worry-free. The two daughters Su Tong are a little better. They are gentle and beautiful, loved by everyone, and have a engagement. She can also reassure me. Among the four children, Zi Tong is the most worried about. Zi Tong, who has not liked to be restrained since childhood and is crazy. It's okay, but she is so tall that she can't find a family of equality at all, which makes me worry, but I never expected that she would follow you in the end. What do you say? This may be her fate. Today she gave birth to a pair of twin sisters, Dalang. I hope these two sisters can bring hope of reconciliation to our families."

Li Weizheng was silent for a moment and said, "The Li and Ye families are family friends. As younger generations, of course I will not hold grudges. I also hope Zitong can return to her parents' home like other wives, and I also hope that my aunt can go and see her and her children. But today's situation, my aunt should know that the problem is not on me."

"You mean you Uncle Ye! He..."

Before Mrs. Ye could finish her words, a heavy cough came from the door. Ye Tianming was here. He walked in slowly with his hands behind his back. Mrs. Ye quickly stood up and smiled and said, "Master, look, Dalang has brought us a gift."

"Well!" Ye Tian obviously had no thoughts about the gift. He waved his hand to his wife and said, "You go out first, I have something to say to him."

Mrs. Ye looked at them worriedly, and she hurriedly walked to Ye Tianming and whispered: "Master, for the sake of mother and concubine, please give Dalang a chance!"

Ye Tianming waved his hand impatiently and said, "I know what you know, don't talk too much, hurry up and go out!"

Mrs. Ye went out with concern, and Ye Tianming closed the door again. He glanced at Li Weizheng, waved his hand and said lightly: "Sit down!"

Li Wei was smiling, then sat down and was silent for a moment. Ye Tianming said first: "Be safe for their mother and daughter!"

"If you return to the uncle, Zi Tong almost suffered misfortune during childbirth, but in the end both mother and daughter were safe."

"Just be safe." Ye Tian was obviously absent-minded. Neither of them said anything. The atmosphere in the room was very awkward. After a while, Ye Tianming asked again: "When are you planning to take office in Weihaiwei?"

"I'm very anxious and plan to leave after fifteen."

"The two children are still young, and Zitong is in confinement again, so they can't go with you."

"I have arranged this. My father and stepmother are here. They will take good care of Zi Tong." Li Weizheng replied with a smile.

"Your father is a village chief, and you can't live in the capital for a long time. Why don't you let Zi Tong live home and let her mother take care of her!"

Ye Tianming's answer surprised Li Weizheng. He didn't expect such a result. He was stunned for a long time, wondering what happened. Ye Tianming participated in impeaching him not long ago. Why did his attitude change in a blink of an eye? Is it really because of the difficulty of family affection?

Ye Tianming smiled bitterly and said, "Do you think it's strange? I said so firmly when I drove Zi Tong away, but now I've changed my mind again. Do you think it's ridiculous?"

"No! No!" Li Weizheng quickly denied that he had to give Ye Tianming this face. Even if he said it ruthlessly, he was Zi Tong's father after all, and he could not try to be quick for a moment, which would make Zi Tong regret it for the rest of his life.

"Don't say that, you are father and daughter after all, and you are connected by blood. I was not sensible at the time and used extreme means to create a gap between you. Now that I have my own daughter, I know that no matter what wrong my daughter does, parents will forgive them in the end."

Ye Tianming originally asked Li Weizheng to give in, but after hearing what he said, Ye Tianming couldn't help but sigh in his heart, and he felt that he had done too much to his eldest daughter. He nodded and said, "I'm wrong with this matter, forget it, let's not mention it. Go back and tell Zi Tong that she can go back to her parents' home at any time, and the door of the house will always be open to her."

Li Weizheng quickly stood up and bowed and said, "Thank you, Mr. Shi, for your understanding of Zi Tong." He still couldn't speak the word "father-in-law".

Ye Tianming waved his hand in a heavy mood, "Don't thank me too much. Actually, I have something to ask you, I'm in big trouble."

Li Weizheng was stunned. From Ye Tianming's bitter smile, he immediately realized that Ye Tianming had encountered something unusual, and the matter might be very serious. Otherwise, with Ye Tianming's pride, he would never beg for him. Li Weizheng immediately said in a deep voice: "Shi Bo, please say, as long as I can do it, I will definitely help!"

Ye Tian stood up and sighed to the sky, and said in pain: "Hey! I misunderstood for a moment, and was dragged into the water by Zhan Hui. Now I want to be his scapegoat again. I have inexplicably become a backbone of the Qin King Party. Seeing that the Ye family generals are in trouble, what should I do?"

Li Weizheng immediately understood Ye Tianming's situation, and the problem lies in the letter that impeached him. Zhu Yuanzhang naturally believed that these joint impeachers were naturally the supporters of the King of Qin. He also heard about Luo Ziqi's imprisonment yesterday. He knew that Zhu Yuanzhang had begun to purge the King of Qin's power in the court. Ye Tianming ranked fifth on the list, so of course he could not escape the suspicion of the King of Qin.

However, Li Weizheng is no longer a novice in the officialdom. The more than a year of intrigues have tempered his officialdom nerves to be particularly sensitive. He immediately thought of another possibility. This may be the conspiracy designed by the Qin King Party to curb the decline. It was a bitter plan set by Zhan Hui using Ye Tianming's relationship with him. But this was just a possibility. He could not make a conclusion before the truth was understood. The conspiracy theory flashed through Li Weizheng's mind. There was no expression on his face, nor was he in a hurry to agree to Ye Tianming. Instead, he asked again: "Shi Bo said he wanted to become a scapegoat for Zhan Hui, what is this intention?"

"The key is that Luo Ziqi, who is in the imperial prison, will confess according to Zhan Hui's intention." Ye Tianming briefly explained the memorial sent by Zhan Yuanzhi just now, and finally said helplessly: "It is obvious that Zhan Hui wants me to take this head and replace him as the leader of the Qin King Party. If I don't agree, he will instruct Luo Ziqi to frame me. I will be unable to tell at that time!"

"Did Uncle Shi signed this name?" Li Wei asked again without saying a word.

"Of course I don't know how to sign, but I have no choice but to ask my nephew to help me once for the sake of the relationship between Zitong and Li Ye." After saying that, Ye Tianming sat down dejectedly and looked at Li Weizheng. Li Weizheng was once a thousand households of the Jinyiwei. He was in the Jinyiwei and he was also the prince's confidant. Ye Tianming only hoped that the prince could plead for him.

Li Wei was thinking for a long time, and gradually had a solution in his heart. He smiled faintly and said, "I will do my best to help with this matter, but I also have a suggestion for Shiwang."

Ye Tianming was overjoyed, and he hurriedly said, "Please tell me, nephew."

Li Wei was pondering for a while and said slowly: "It's great to enjoy the cool under the big tree. The reason why Uncle Shi was blackmailed by Zhan Hui is that Uncle Shi has no background behind him. If Uncle Shi has a tough backstage, I would not dare to touch Uncle Shi if he is so brave."

Ye Tianming was speechless. Li Weizheng said the point. It was because he had no backer that Zhan Hui dared to rub himself like this. Suddenly, he seemed to understand what Li Weizheng meant, which was exactly what he expected, and his tired eyes suddenly lit up.
Chapter completed!