Not long after Ye Xiaotian returned to Tongren, he only had a quick gathering with his family before he had to prepare for his trip to Guiyang.
Actually, ever since he was appointed as the Chief Magistrate of Crouching Bull Mountain, his foundation had already been set in Crouching Bull Mountain. His position as the Premier of Tongren Province had already been automatically removed. He only came to Tongren to have a small gathering with his family. During this time, he had been preparing for his trip to Guiyang.
The Ye family had to expand their influence, he had to stop Ning 'er from marrying to Bozhou, he had to form an open alliance with the Tian family, and he had to complete his plan. All of this had to start from this trip to Guiyang. How could Ye Xiaotian not be careful?
As a new Chief Magistrate, he had to make contact with the older powers and build a good foundation through this exchange. He especially had to obtain the support of the other major families that were on par with the Yang family in Bozhou. Otherwise, how could he fight against Yang Yinglong? Just relying on an outdated Tian family was far from enough!
This required him to conduct the most meticulous investigation into the various nobles, especially the nobles in Shuixi and Shuidong. Many things were not as simple as they seemed. For example, the Song family in Shuidong was currently fighting against Yang Yinglong in Bozhou. However, this did not mean that the Song family would definitely accept him.
A pig-headed teammate would only fail to accomplish anything and would only spoil things. He wanted to consider the Song Clan, and the Song Clan also had to consider him. If the Song Clan was already like this, then the other clans could imagine what would happen. This was a game of racking one's brains. It wasn't something that could be easily divided into factions after everyone met and laughed for a while.
To Ye Xiaotian, all of his previous preparations were no less than a student studying hard for ten years. He was about to participate in the Fall Quarter Examinations, which would determine his future. However, while he was working hard, he still remembered his promise to Hua Yunfei and Mao Wenzhi.
"Big brother, you called us?"
Mao Wenzhi's voice came from the door. Ye Xiaotian rubbed his eyes and put aside the information that Yu Junting had gathered about the noble families in Shuixi and Shuidong. The relationships between these noble families were even more complicated than the relationships between the Yang, Zhan, Yu, and Guoji families.
As for the inheritance of these families, there was a vast amount of information. It was even more complicated than any dynasty, but Ye Xiaotian insisted on reading it, even if it gave him a headache. He believed that no amount of effort would be in vain. With more preparation, there might be a piece of information that could play a big role at a critical moment.
A scholar spent ten years studying diligently. Participating in the Imperial Examinations was for his future. If he failed, he could still make a comeback three years later. However, Ye Xiaotian was going to the battlefield. If he failed, he might lose all his possessions, or even his life.
"Lao Mao, Yunfei, have a seat!"
Ye Xiaotian sounded a little tired. He took a sip of tea and looked at the two of them with reddened eyes.
Hua Yunfei said with concern, "I'm afraid Big Brother didn't sleep the whole night! Cough, us brothers are incompetent, and we can't help you much. "
Ye Xiaotian waved his hand and said with a smile, "This time, it's not just you guys, even Mr. Li can't help me. In front of those nobles, if I ask Mr. Li to speak up for me, they won't pay any attention. I have to do it myself."
Ye Xiaotian coughed twice and looked at Hua Yunfei and Mao Wenzhi, "Previously, I said that I would arrange for the two of you to get married before the New Year. In the end, after the New Year, it has been delayed until now. I plan to make some preparations in the next few days to tie the knot for you. What do you think? "
Hua Yunfei and Mao Wenzhi looked at each other. After a while, Hua Yunfei said, "Why did you suddenly think of this, big brother?"
"You're still young, but Lao Mao isn't young anymore. If we're talking about being busy, I'm afraid we won't be able to rest for the next three to five years. If we don't take care of it now, when will we?" Ye Xiaotian smiled.
"I won't hide it from you, big brother. I've already discussed it with Yunfei. When you get married, we'll get married together!" Mao Wenzhi said.
"Together?" Ye Xiaotian raised an eyebrow, "I won't hide it from you, big brother.
"Yes!" Mao Wenzhi said. "Since you're a chieftain now, big brother, I'm sure the Xia family of Red Maple Lake won't make things difficult for you. Big brother, you should hurry up and marry Yingying. The three of us can get married together, wouldn't that be great?"
"Yingying …" Ye Xiaotian thought of Yingying and smiled, "When I go to Guiyang this time, I want to go to Red Maple Lake and formally propose to the Xia family."
Mao Wenzhi clapped his hands, "Then it's settled. Let's get married as soon as possible. The two of us will get married together with you, big brother."
Ye Xiaotian glanced at him, "Getting married together … Yunfei won't have a problem with that, but at that time, your wife will already have a big belly. Will you still be able to get married?"
Hua Yunfei was shocked, "Big belly? Lao Mao, you … you … "
Mao Wenzhi said proudly, "Haha! She's Ye Xiaotian's wife, and I've already made her pregnant. Why? Are you jealous? "
Hua Yunfei stared blankly for a while, then said, "Amazing!"
Ye Xiaotian smiled, "That's why, I'll help you get married first."
Mao Wenzhi waved his hand, "No rush! If it really is delayed, then it's nothing. Hey! When the time comes, I'll take my son and my wife to the heaven and earth. I guarantee that I'll steal the limelight from you two. "
Ye Xiaotian and Hua Yunfei looked at each other and smiled bitterly, "This Lao Mao, he's about to give birth to a son, but he's still so unreliable!"
… …
The efficiency of the Tian family brother and sister was still very high. Without batting an eyelid, they created a full momentum. Even though the nobles of Guiyang City had gathered, and every single one of them had their own topics of conversation, including the Great Imperial Inspector Ye Meng Xiong, who had yet to take office but was already full of vigor, was also a topic of conversation among the nobles of Guiyang City. However, the matter of Tian Miaowen being humiliated by the Zhan Family was still able to maintain enough heat and not be forgotten.
Next, the Tian family brother and sister didn't need to do anything. They only needed to wait for this news to continue to ferment until the time was right to let it really play a role. When would be the time? They only needed an east wind, and this east wind was Ye Xiaotian.
Tian Miaowen had nothing to do, but she still needed to go out and walk often to keep herself in the limelight. At this time, she thought of Yingying. Zhan Ning 'er was under house arrest by the Zhan family. She didn't need to expect her to appear in Guiyang, but Yingying could! The Red Maple Lake was close at hand, so why not invite her to Guiyang for a gathering?
In the past, when Ning 'er and Yingying came to Guiyang, they would always look for her to play together. However, Tian Miaowen felt that these two stepsisters were like children who couldn't grow up, so she couldn't be bothered to accompany them. Now, she didn't know if it was because of the change in her personality, but she actually missed Yingying.
However, when Tian Miaowen called Dang Yanming over to ask, she found out that Yingying had already accompanied her mother to the capital. Tian Miaowen couldn't help but be disappointed. Looking at the Guiyang City, there were as many as the clouds, and there were all kinds of women in the big mansion, but there was no one that she could confide in. Unexpectedly, Tian Daisuke thought of Ye Xiaotian in Tongren Province.
"This bastard, when will he come to Guiyang? He shouldn't let go of this good opportunity to gather, right? No, definitely not. If he can't even see this kind of opportunity, what right does he have to cooperate with me, Tian Renzhen! "
The tsundere Tian Daisuke comforted herself like this.
… …
This time, Ye Xiaotian was going to Guiyang. This was the first time he was going as a new chieftain, appearing in front of the many old chieftains who had hundreds or even thousands of years of inheritance. So he paid special attention to it and made meticulous preparations, especially the selection of his entourage.
Li Qiuchi, Li Dazhuang, was his think tank, and he was originally from Guiyang, so he was familiar with the situation in Guiyang. This person had to be brought along. Although Ye Xiaotian had to go into battle with the nobles, if you wanted an advisor to stand up for him, you had to have someone like old master An.
Su Xuntian stayed in Crouching Bull Ridge. Now that Ye Xiaotian was a chieftain, he had his own government, economic, and military affairs to take care of, so he had to stay. Hua Yunfei definitely had to be by his side. Furthermore, he had asked Hua Yunfei to pick a group of extremely loyal warriors from the Divine Temple to be his followers. Each of them had their own unique skills.
Yu Junting had told him over and over again that the Yu family had their own standpoint. The Yu family could not get too involved, and the Yu family could not become a vassal of the Ye family and take on unbearable risks. However, she still "lent" Wen Ao to Ye Xiaotian.
Wen Ao was a native of the Yu family. Natives were vassals to chieftains, and they were half-slaves. Chieftains could gift their territory to others, and similarly, they could gift their own natives to others. Once they gifted it to others, that person would become someone else's citizen. Whatever they did after that would have nothing to do with her, the original owner.
However, in the past, chieftains had always gifted craftsmen or beauties to each other as gifts. This was the first time they had gifted an old man to someone else.
Yu Junting treated this old man with great importance. When she gifted Wen Ao to Ye Xiaotian, she told Ye Xiaotian very nervously, "I'm only gifting mister Wen to you at the last minute. Once your trip to Guiyang ends, you have to return him to me immediately!"
As if he was facing a great enemy, Li Dazhuang gripped his fan and glared at Wen Ao. He seemed like he was saying, "Come, come, come. I'll come up with a couplet and you can match it." He was the first advisor under Ye Xiaotian. If Yu Junting gifted her advisor to Ye Xiaotian, was that not stealing his business?
Li Dazhuang felt a strong sense of professional danger. He glared at Wen Ao with hostility. Yu Junting glanced at him and could not help but laugh. "Cough! I gifted Mister Wen to Official Ye as a bodyguard. I won't steal your business. "
"Bodyguard?" Ye Xiaotian and Li Dazhuang's eyes widened at the same time. "How can Mister Wen be a bodyguard? Don't tell me he can talk someone to death just by relying on his mouth? "
Wen Ao saw Ye Xiaotian and the others had doubts on their faces. He could not help but smile. He stretched out his palm and gently grabbed the stone railing next to him.
Ye Xiaotian and Li Qiuchi couldn't help but stare at his hand. They saw Wen Ao's five fingers suddenly tighten, and that hard white marble railing seemed to be made of tofu. Wen Ao clenched his hand into a ball, and that stone turned into a ball of white powder, fluttering in the air.
Ye Xiaotian and Li Qiuchi were suddenly tongue-tied.
Yu Junting smiled and said softly, "Everyone says that Yu Hailong is Tongren's number one expert. In reality, Yu Hailong is only Tongren's number one expert in external martial arts. In terms of internal martial arts, Mister Wen is number one. Yu Hailong could not even last seven moves against Mister Wen. "
"This old man is that powerful?"
Ye Xiaotian calmed down a bit and suddenly thought of something. He asked Wen Ao, "How many moves can Chieftain Yu last against Mister Wen?"
Wen Ao was startled. Very few people knew about Chieftain Yu's martial arts competition. Why would Chieftain Ye suddenly ask about it? He then thought about the ambiguous relationship between Ye Xiaotian and his Chieftain. He could not help but understand. His Chieftain was a woman after all. Why would she hide anything from her man?
Wen Ao smiled and calmly replied, "If I use my full strength, I can gain the upper hand within ten moves. Within thirty moves, I can be evenly matched. Within fifty moves, I will lose without a doubt!"
When Li Qiuchi heard this, his eyes almost popped out. Chieftain Yu! Such a delicate beauty, was she really that powerful?
Ye Xiaotian looked at the stone powder on Wen Ao's palm that had not been wiped clean. He then looked at Yu Junting, who was staring at him angrily and blaming him for his tricks. He suddenly remembered that when there was no one else around, he had arrogantly ordered her around like a slave. He had even pressed her down on his knees and spanked her from time to time.
"Oh my god! Luckily she had no intention of killing me. If she had slapped me on the head, would I still be alive? Even if she had just 'monkey plucking peaches' … "Ye Xiaotian suddenly felt a chill in his crotch.
