The entire Tongren Prefecture had three days off!
For the Old Master of the prefectural magistrate's birthday, all the professions in the prefecture, including the yamen, could take a holiday. This could only be done in places where the chieftain was in power.
However, Fatty Zhang had no choice but to take a holiday. His home was at the back yamen of the prefectural magistrate. Furthermore, because the prefectural magistrate's yamen was remodeled from the original chieftain's mansion, the main entrance was in front. If he did not take a holiday, there would be people filing lawsuits and going to the prefectural magistrate's yamen from all over the place. At the same time, there would be a large number of guests coming in and out. What would that look like?
The side and back doors of the prefectural magistrate's yamen were also open. The back door had not been closed since three days ago. There was a continuous stream of people who belonged to the Zhang family, such as Big Head, Two Head, Little Head, and other people who had official duties, came to present gifts. Grain, cloth, chicken, duck, pork knuckles, honey, wax, all sorts of delicacies, fresh fish, wine …
For the birthday of the chieftain, he did not need to spend a single coin. Everything he needed was provided by his subordinates. The commoners would hand over the offerings to their own officials or heads, who would then gather the offerings and send them to the prefectural magistrate's yamen. The temporary addition of cooks, servants, and tables were all taken care of by the natives of the Zhang family. After three days, the backyard of the Zhang family was filled with all sorts of valuables.
The people who came in and out of the side door were the officials of Tongren Province and their families. They came in through the side door, and after presenting their gifts, the men and women were separated. The male guests were led to the guest hall of the second hall, while the female guests were led to the guest hall of the third hall.
There was no strict etiquette like in the Central Plains, and there was no strict separation of male and female guests. Occasionally, there would be female guests walking around the second hall, or male guests walking around the third hall. The reason for the separation was so that everyone could be more relaxed and enjoy themselves to the fullest.
The main entrance was used to welcome important people with the status of a chieftain, and it was the most deserted place at the moment. There were 16 servants dressed in red standing in front of the entrance. Beside them was a huge drum. Once a chieftain arrived, the drum would be sounded to signal the arrival of the chieftain. However, the huge drum had not sounded even once since morning.
Zhang Yi strolled around the Second Hall, smiling as he greeted some of the Tongren officials. Suddenly he felt something was not right. He looked around and his heart skipped a beat. He immediately rushed back to the yamen.
When Zhang Yi arrived at the front of the yamen, he saw a table under the porch. The table was covered with a red cloth, and the four treasures of the study were placed on it. An accountant who was in charge of keeping records was holding his chin and dozing off in boredom.
"Dong dong dong!"
Someone knocked on the table a few times. The housekeeper opened his eyes and saw the second master of the house standing in front of him with a sullen face. He hurriedly stood up, "Second master!"
Zhang Yi said solemnly, "How many chieftains have arrived?"
The accountant lowered his head and looked at the empty gift book. He said with a troubled expression, "This … Second Elder Master, no one has come yet …"
When Zhang Yi heard this, he couldn't help but panic, "It can't be. No matter what, they wouldn't shed all pretense of cordiality and not even come to my big brother's birthday, right?"
From afar, the festive sounds of gongs, drums and suona could be heard, making him even more frustrated. Zhang Yi turned around and was about to walk towards the back of the house. He looked around and suddenly saw his nephew, Zhang Yutong, walking in from outside. Zhang Yi immediately stopped in his tracks.
As soon as Zhang Yu Tong saw the ugly expression on his face, she knew why he was worried. She quickly walked up to him and said in a low voice, "Uncle, don't worry. Your nephew also noticed that something was wrong, so I sent someone out to investigate. The chieftains from all over the country have already arrived. They are staying at the inn and the monastery. Just now, the servants reported that they have already left the house and are riding horses and sedan chairs towards this place. "
When Zhang Yi heard this, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. If it was Old Master Zhang's birthday and none of the chieftains came to congratulate him, then it would be a serious problem. Before, no matter what Magistrate Zhang said, even if there wasn't a single person supporting him, it could still be said that they had differing opinions. If it was Magistrate Zhang's birthday and they didn't even come to pay their respects, then it would be like giving Magistrate Zhang a big slap in the face. Then they would cover their mouths and shout all over the world, "From now on, I won't listen to your orders!"
Zhang Yi let out a sigh of relief and then coldly snorted, saying, "It's your father's birthday and they're actually so slow. They haven't even arrived yet. It's obvious that they're deliberately neglecting you."
Zhang Yutong sighed and said, "Father believes what Taoist Chang Feng said. Now that they're laying low, it'll be hard for us to make any movements this year. Let's just bear with it. After the new year, when their guard is down, we'll find a chance to counterattack and let them know the power of our Zhang family. "
Zhang Yi happily said, "Mm! Good child, with you in the Zhang family, there's hope. Your father and I are both old. To fight against Yu Junting, we'll have to rely on you, the younger generation. Grow some ambition! "
Zhang Yutong nodded his head vigorously, a trace of hostility flashing across his childish face.
The uncle and nephew pair walked to the back side by side. Zhang Yi said, "They're taking their time. I'm afraid the auspicious time isn't here yet. Should we wait for them or start the banquet first?"
Zhang Yutong said, "If we delay the auspicious time for the banquet because of them, won't that make them even more ambitious? They're deliberately neglecting us to humiliate our Zhang family. We can't let them get what they want. Let's start the banquet on time! "
…
In the second hall, Papa Wu and Papa Xiang chatted enthusiastically for a while. Suddenly, they felt something was wrong. Most of the people in the courtyard were already seated but there were only two or three people on the four tables in the main hall. Papa Wu couldn't help but frown and whispered to Papa Xiang, "Something's not right. Look!"
Papa Xiang looked towards the hall and couldn't help but become nervous, "What's the meaning of this? They're not even coming for the Prefectural Magistrate's birthday! "
"Silence!"
Papa Wu hurriedly told him to lower his voice and looked around, "Dai Tongzhi isn't here either!"
Papa Xiang said, "Putting aside his identity as a Chieftain, he's still a fellow friend of the Prefecture and a direct subordinate of the Prefectural Magistrate. Would he dare to not come and entertain us?"
As Papa Xiang spoke, he looked around and suddenly saw Ye Xiaotian. Ye Xiaotian was sitting at a table by the side of the corridor, looking around leisurely. Those who had already arrived were those who were close to the Zhang family or those who didn't have much power and didn't need to express their stance.
And Ye Xiaotian was already listed as one of the four guardians of the County Supervisor. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, these people all stayed far away from him. Therefore, there was only Ye Xiaotian at that table and it was very conspicuous.
Seeing Ye Xiaotian, Papa Xiang heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Look, that Ye guy is sitting there. If they've agreed not to come, that Ye guy definitely won't show up. Since he's here, Dai Tongzhi won't not come either. "
Papa Wu also saw this and harrumphed heavily, "No matter what, they haven't arrived yet. This is a great disrespect to the Prefectural Magistrate!"
Papa Wu snorted and said, "That's enough. They've long been disrespectful. I don't believe that the Zhang family will collapse just like that after five hundred years. Just wait and see. The more the Zhang family doesn't do anything, the more they'll definitely do something big in the future. Let them be happy for now. I'll wait to see their ugly moment! "
Ye Xiaotian sat alone in the corner and was really bored. He saw that some female guests had come from the Second Hall to accompany their husbands to meet their close friends, especially their pestering relatives. There were also some male guests who went to the Third Hall to visit some female elders of the family. He simply stood up and walked towards the Third Hall.
This year, the Zhang family had suffered a series of defeats in the political arena. They wanted to make use of Prefectural Magistrate Zhang's birthday to organize a grand celebration and use the liveliness to boost the prestige and morale of the Zhang family. Therefore, they specially suggested that all the officials and gentry should bring their families along. Ye Xiaotian hadn't married yet, but in his heart, he really didn't see Duo Ni as a lowly concubine. Therefore, he brought her along today.
Now that he saw that he was being isolated, Ye Xiaotian was a little worried about Duo Ni. Therefore, he rushed to the Third Hall to see how Duo Ni was doing. This was the first time that Duo Ni accompanied Ye Xiaotian to such an event. She was flattered and dressed up very meticulously.
She wore a high-collared silver silk jacket with a phoenix tail skirt. Her hair was combed into a peach heart bun. Other than the two pearls under her ears, she didn't have any other accessories. Her willowy eyebrows were like crescent moons. Her face had a faintly discernible rouge. She was gentle and elegant, looking extremely beautiful.
With her temperament and appearance, she stood out among the female guests and was very eye-catching. Some people were curious and asked about her identity. When they found out that she was the concubine of Prefectural Magistrate Ye, some people didn't like her.
Even if these rich and powerful madams were very beautiful in the past, most of them were already middle-aged. In the end, a fresh and tender little whore jumped out today and stole their limelight. How could they feel good about it? Moreover, she was a concubine. How could she sit at the same table as these madams? What's more, she was also Ye Xiaotian's woman, the enemy of the Zhang family.
The banquet hadn't started yet, and a table full of women were nibbling on melon seeds. One of the women nibbled on melon seeds and said with a faint smile, "No wonder, a lowly concubine can also ascend to such an elegant position. Look at her little appearance, she must know how to seduce men and make them happy!"
Another madam wiped her cheeks left and right with a handkerchief and said lazily, "It's hard to say. Maybe her man is even better. Girls like to be pretty. What do you like? It's about being pretty! Or else, how could County Supervisor Yu like her so much? "
A table of madams snickered maliciously. Duo Ni sat there with her back straight. She could tell that what they said was not good, but she still smiled without showing her teeth. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment. This girl was actually unruly, but now she was very well-behaved. Even though she was angry and sad, she didn't dare to show her anger. She was afraid that people would say she was rough and she would embarrass Little Brother Tian.
A madam sitting in front of Duo Ni was holding a cup of tea. She twisted her fat waist and teased, "When we get home, we have to keep a close eye on this little whore. Don't let her get close to your man, or else … Ouch!"
Before she could finish her sentence, she felt as if her elbow was hit by someone. A cup of tea splashed on her face, and she screamed immediately.
Ye Xiaotian appeared at the table angrily. When Duo Ni saw him, she hurriedly stood up and said timidly, "Old … Old Master …"
She also knew that there were many rules outside. She couldn't call him Little Brother Tian like she did at home. Otherwise, it would be a source of gossip. Seeing Ye Xiaotian's angry face, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. "It's all my fault. I can't act like a lady from a respectable family. Little Brother Tian is embarrassed for me."
Ye Xiaotian grabbed her little hand and glanced at all the madams at the table coldly. He spat and scolded disdainfully, "A bunch of stupid old women!"
After scolding, Ye Xiaotian pulled Duo Ni and left, leaving the group of madams in a mess …
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