The Twenty-Third Chapter: The Poor Marquis

  Yun Ye didn't faint, he clearly heard the conversation between Niu Jinda and Cheng Chumu. He felt that he couldn't wake up now, and he really didn't know how to face the current situation.

  Is this madness?

  What's wrong?

  Is it sad?

  Humans have seven emotions and six desires. Each emotion corresponds to an expression, which is a manifestation of humans being considered high-level animals. I didn't expect our ancestors to be so miserable.

  They are indeed their own ancestors from the wooden plaque. The Yun family's men have been keeping this tradition of carrying a wooden plaque for generations, and it has never been interrupted. When they meet someone with the same surname in later generations, taking out the wooden plaque to identify themselves has become a tradition. Once confirmed as being of the same clan, taking care of and helping each other is a matter of course.

  Yun Ye met such a situation in Inner Mongolia. When checking into a hotel and registering his identity, he handed over his ID card to the owner, who unexpectedly took out a wooden plaque and asked Yun Ye if he had one. Yun Ye quickly took out his own wooden plaque, and after comparing them, they confirmed that they were from the same family. Suddenly, a feeling of closeness arose.

  Although it was like a secret handshake, Yun Ye indeed received meticulous care. His meals, accommodations, travel, and business were all arranged properly. This was Yun Ye's smoothest business trip. When he left, they made an appointment to meet again at the ancestral hall, and his family still displays the handicraft plate with a sheep's head given by their clansmen.

  Recognizing one's ancestors is inevitable and necessary, betraying one's clan is a taboo for being human, whether in modern times or in the Tang Dynasty. Abandoning these women and children not only goes against one's conscience, but also fears that the ancestors will crawl out of their graves and strangle themselves to death. Having thought about how to face it, there is no need to faint. After all, one is also a noble, a meritorious official with a fief in the capital, and a farm of 1,200 mu should be enough to accommodate these women, children, and the elderly.

  "Chu Mo, has Uncle Bo returned to the camp?" Yun Ye asked Cheng Chu Mo, who was standing beside him. Cheng Chu Mo was in a daze and upon hearing Yun Ye calling him, he quickly got up:

  "Brother, you've finally woken up. I was worried to death. Xiaoyan, wait till we get back to the capital, and I'll take you to thrash those bastards who bullied your people. I didn't know before, but now I do. As long as one person is bullied, I'll be the first to ask questions."

  Yun Ye's eyes welled up with tears as he grasped Cheng Chu Mo's hand and nodded: "Right, let's go back to the capital and turn them over." The two brothers looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  "Dad is back, just now he wanted to see you but was persuaded by Uncle Niu to come back and rest well, saying that everything will be fine with him around." Yun Yan didn't know when Old Cheng had arrived, but hearing his words made her feel at ease. She felt lucky to have such an uncle. Letting Cheng Zu Mo help her up, she took out her backpack and checked it item by item: a set of English lockpicks, a small round mirror in a wooden box... after hesitating for half a day, she gritted her teeth and added the hair clip as well. Her phone was still usable, but couldn't make calls - this thing couldn't be leaked out either. Alas, it seemed like she was really a poor ghost; wanting to have money would have to wait until the potato harvest.

  "Brother, there's no need to hide anything from each other. I'm now penniless and only have these three things that can probably be exchanged for some money. Please help me out by selling them. You've also heard about the miserable situation of my clan members. Although they can be arranged to work on the farm, my farm hasn't produced anything yet. These clan members are currently struggling to survive without clothes or food, and must have enough financial resources to get by. Although the potato harvest will inevitably bring a large sum of money as rewards, I'm anxious and can't wait even for a moment. Please help me, brother."

  He finished speaking and bowed down. Cheng Chumu was in a hurry to support Yunyan. But then, the angry roar of Old Cheng sounded from outside the tent: "You little scoundrel, I'm not dead yet! You want to sell off the treasures left by your teacher for such a trivial matter? You're a prodigal son!" Old Cheng strode into the tent and sat down on the bed with a loud thud. He picked up the dagger and plucked a strand of hair from his head, placing it on the blade's edge. With one blow, the hair was cut in two. "Good knife!" he exclaimed. Then, he took out a mirror and gazed at his face. Seemingly startled by himself, the mirror reflected his features clearly, with every hair distinct - far surpassing any ordinary copper mirror. He cried out: "What a treasure!"

  Pick up the hairpin and take a closer look, then praise again: "It's cleverly stolen from heaven". After admiring the three treasures, he said to Yun Ye: "These three things are all rare treasures in the world. Can you bear to exchange them for money? Can your teacher's spirit in heaven forgive you?"

  Yun Yan didn't understand why three things, a knife worth only two hundred yuan, a mirror that can be found on the streets for five yuan, and a hair clip that was custom-made but only cost five or six hundred yuan, could become such precious treasures that even involved moral standards. Thinking that these were products of the future made him feel better, just like the Tang Dynasty's Sancai pottery that was used to fill tombs but later became priceless in later generations.

  "Uncle, wealth is just a material thing, I haven't put my heart on it yet. Selling them can help those poor relatives of mine, and that would be making good use of them. In my eyes, Uncle, the silent love you have for me is the truly priceless treasure."

  Lao Cheng laughed heartily: "You young man, your words and actions always make me feel comfortable, it was worth my while to worry about you. I plan to send you back to the capital, you write down the secret formula for making ice, we'll cooperate, each taking 50%, when we get to the capital, let your aunt give you an advance of 2,000 taels of silver, and later deduct it from the dividends. I believe you can make money, old man is fully convinced. I've asked Old Niu, you have only a few dozen relatives in the capital, and a few people are still in the Teaching Department, I'm sure that when they investigate and find out they're your relatives, the Hundred Riders will have already protected them, they won't be bullied again. 2,000 taels is enough to take care of them, Lao Cheng's face as the Long'an Commander is also worth something. Write a letter with a token, let those women believe you are the clan leader, probably only you can be this clan leader."

  Yun Yan listened with his eyes wide open, he was still worried about these messy things just now, but Lao Cheng solved them in a flash, and before she could speak. Lao Cheng said again: "You little devil is in the army, no intention to return to Beijing privately is a serious crime, according to the law is to be beheaded, so honestly write a letter, write a secret recipe to give to Cheng Dong, Beijing has your aunt can rest assured, she does things more stable than Lao Cheng, you safely and stably grow potatoes, Lao Fu estimates that before the year we will withdraw from the camp back to Beijing, Zuo Wu Wei is the imperial guard of the capital, how can it be stationed in Longyou? We return to Chang'an take out the potatoes to scare those who laugh at Lao Fu's guys a big jump, haha."

  Cheng Dong took away Yun Ye's nameplate, family letter, and the newly obtained seal of Ping'an County Baron, and rushed back to Chang'an overnight with a group of ten cavalrymen under the pretext of delivering a message.

  On the seventh day after Cheng Dong left, the potatoes finally bloomed. Clusters of light purple flowers were scattered among the dark green leaves, looking exceptionally noble. Old Cheng said that they were indeed noble, and Cow Jin Da surprisingly nodded in agreement, stretching out his thumb to praise Old Cheng's knowledge. Yun Yan was worried that the pollination of the few potato plants would not be even, so he took a brush and gently brushed each flower bud to ensure the pollination rate. He cut off the excess branches and leaves, which made Old Cow feel heartbroken. Now, even Zhuang Sanping is not qualified to take care of the potatoes. Old Cow personally set up the canopy next to the grass pavilion, moving it out at sunrise and back in at sunset. Although Yun Yan knew that this was just a case of having nothing better to do, he didn't say anything because Old Cow was enjoying himself so much.