New Year's Eve.
Ye Family Residence.
The huge long table was filled with delicacies, wine, and delicacies.
Around the long table, the heads of more than a dozen branches, except for Ye Kong and Ye Chen, were all frowning. They lost their positions, their power was taken away, their homes were confiscated, and their pawnshops were closed. Even if dragon liver and phoenix marrow were placed in front of them, they would still be unable to swallow it.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you eating? "Ye Yun, who was sitting at the head of the table, asked.
After everyone heard this, they helplessly picked up the chopsticks on the table and symbolically took a few mouthfuls of food before putting down the chopsticks in their hands.
"I understand your feelings," Ye Yun put down his chopsticks and said slowly, "The Ye Family has been loyal for generations, but now you have been charged with the crime of privately minding money and conspiring against the law. Among you, some lost their positions, some lost their wealth, but let me tell you, the Ye Family's foundation is still there. What is the foundation? You are the foundation of the Ye Family! " Ye Yun shouted, "Not to mention the fact that you made preparations in advance and transferred the important assets away, even if you didn't, so what if all your assets were confiscated? With the Ye Family's ability, how difficult would it be to make a comeback?"
After everyone heard this, they all took a deep breath. Ye Yun's words struck a chord in their hearts and the haze in their hearts began to dissipate.
"Look at yourselves, take a good look. Ah." Ye Yun stood up and paced around, looking at everyone. "To think that you are the elites of the Ye Family, the pillars of the family. You can't even take such a small blow? You usually wear silk and satin, eat delicious food, and are used to living a life of luxury. Why? Are you bewitched by these things? I think this time's confiscation of your homes is good. It has made you all sober. Why is the Ye Family so famous in the Jianghu? Why do you win the respect of the people? Because of money? Those nobles are richer than the Ye Family, but why don't they have such a reputation? Why are they being criticized by the people behind their backs? Because of their ability to forge weapons? Zhejiang's Wang Family is also a family of weaponsmiths, but why don't they have the same status as the Ye Family? Let me tell you, you are the Ye Family! Not those people who seek fame and fortune, no! " As Ye Yun spoke, he picked up the wine on the table and drank it in one gulp. "The Ye Clan's achievements today are not only because of our power, nor is it because of the weapons we forge. It's because the Ye Clan respects the heavens and the earth and has a clear conscience!" Ye Yun said loudly as he patted his chest.
Among the crowd, there were people who shed tears.
"Think about the Ye ancestor. Ah, think about it." Ye Yun picked up the flagon and filled his cup. "Think about how the Ye family got their hands on the Weaponsmithing Manual. Think about why the Ye Yun Clan was protected by the Heavenly Dragon. "Speaking up to this point, Ye Yun suddenly raised his voice and slammed his palm heavily on the stone table." Have you forgotten all these? "On the stone table, there was a palm print that was half an inch deep!
Everyone stood up and left their seats. They knelt on the ground and wept bitterly.
"Master." One of them straightened up and cupped his hands towards Ye Yun. "You are right. We were blinded by fame and fortune. We have let our ancestors down. We have let you down! "
"Phew …" Ye Yun let out a long breath. "All of you, stand up. Ah, all of you, stand up."
Hearing this, everyone stood up but did not sit down. They all lowered their heads. Ever since Ye Yun became the Master of the Ye Clan, this was the first time he had been so angry. Ye Yun's words pierced through everyone's hearts like steel needles. Ye Yun was right. The Ye Clan was able to obtain the Weaponsmithing Manual because they were benevolent and righteous. The Ye Clan was able to obtain the Heavenly Dragon's protection because they did not forget their original intentions. They knew how to repay kindness. Now that they were used to a life of luxury, these things had long faded from their hearts. Now that they thought about it, they suddenly regretted it and felt ashamed. Because of Ye Yun's words, everyone found the Ye Clan's original intentions.
"Sit down." Ye Yun saw that everyone had repented and was deeply gratified.
Only then did everyone sit back in their seats.
"Come, today is the Spring Festival." Ye Yun raised his cup. "Let's not talk about those troublesome things. Let's raise our cups and celebrate the New Year!" After saying that, he downed his cup.
Hearing this, everyone raised their cups and drank. The atmosphere became relaxed again. Then, everyone toasted Ye Yun. Ye Yun did not refuse. After more than ten cups of wine, he was still talking and laughing. He was not drunk at all.
The banquet lasted for three whole hours.
The next day, the first day of the New Year.
Early in the morning, everyone set up incense tables and worshipped three animals. After worshipping the ancestors, Ye Yun led everyone to the ancestral hall where the Heavenly Dragon was worshipped. Unexpectedly, when everyone was kowtowing to the jade snake, a strange scene happened. The incense in the incense burner in front of the jade snake broke in half!
At the same time, everyone heard a swishing sound coming from Ye Yun's residence next door. It was the sound of a weapon being unsheathed!
After seeing the incense break in half, everyone frowned. On the first day of the New Year, an incense breaking in half was an ominous sign.
After seeing this, Ye Yun also frowned. He hurriedly lit three new incense sticks and replaced the previous three. He prayed loudly, "Benefactor, if the Ye Clan is in trouble, please protect the Ye Clan!" After saying that, he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. Everyone else did the same. They bowed and kowtowed again.
After leaving the Heavenly Dragon Ancestral Hall, Ye Yun hurried to his residence. Everyone followed closely behind.
When Ye Yun opened the door, the scene in front of him made Ye Yun and everyone else suck in a breath of cold air. The Snow Thread Sword hanging on the wall was already half a foot out of its sheath. The sword emitted a white light that illuminated the entire wall! Ye Yun went forward and took the sword. He put the Snow Thread Sword back into its sheath and then walked to the meeting hall with a worried expression.
Everyone else followed behind him in silence.
On the way, Ye Yun did not say a word, his brows tightly knitted. The incense breaking in half was already an ominous sign. The unsheathing of the Snow Thread Sword made him feel even more uneasy. Since ancient times, divine weapons had a saying that they sounded a warning. The reason was that divine weapons had been tainted with humans for a long time. After a long time, they became spiritual and could be closely related to their masters. They could sense their masters' safety in advance. The Snow Thread Sword was a divine weapon among divine weapons. When it was unsheathed, something big must have happened.
After the group arrived at the meeting hall, they all sat down. No one spoke. Everyone was the Heads of the various branches. They were all experts in forging weapons. They all understood the signs of the sword being unsheathed. Coupled with the broken incense, everyone felt deeply uneasy. They all looked at Ye Yun, waiting for Ye Yun to speak.
"Ye Chen." Ye Yun said with his brows tightly knitted.
"Here." Ye Chen stood up and said.
"Go release all thirty-three bronze men and adjust them to the second level. Also, activate all the mechanisms and stand guard at the front door."
Once he said this, everyone was shocked. The secret of the bronze men was only known to the Great Head and the Heads of the various branches. They understood that the second level bronze men were in attack mode. The bronze men of this level were extremely powerful. They were invulnerable to swords and spears. Coupled with sharp and excellent weapons, they could be said to be invincible. At this time, the Head ordered the bronze men to be released and adjusted to the second level. Furthermore, all the mechanisms were opened. The crisis of the situation could be imagined.
As everyone thought this, they touched the magnets on their bodies. Ever since the incident at the ancestral home, Ye Yun had secretly instructed Ye Chen to change all the magnets in case of any accidents. Currently, only Ye Yun and the Heads had these magnets. The rest of the Ye Clan didn't know and still had the magnets from before.
"Yes." After Ye Chen heard this, he cupped his hands and bowed before walking out of the meeting hall.
The bronze men were passed down from their branch. Although Ye Yun also had the blueprint of the bronze men's creation, when it came to mechanisms, no one could compare to Ye Chen.
"Ye Kong." Ye Yun said.
"Here." Ye Kong stood up and said.
"Go to Ye Chen now and take four bronze men to the back door of the ancestral home to guard it." Ye Yun said. "If something happens, don't fight. Quickly report it." If an expert really attacked here, the back door was the most dangerous place. Among the Heads, Ye Kong's cultivation was the highest, so Ye Yun had Ye Kong stand guard there. For safety's sake, he had him take four bronze men.
"Yes." Ye Kong bowed and walked out of the meeting hall.
"The rest of you, take your weapons and go to the Weapon Armory to get a set of Golden Silk Soft Armor. Then come with me to guard this place." Ye Yun said.
"Yes." Everyone said in unison.
In the following time, everyone followed the prescribed order and made their own preparations. After they were ready, everyone gathered in the meeting hall again with weapons in hand. Sabers, spears, swords, and halberds.
However, until the sun set, nothing happened in the ancestral home. Just as everyone was rubbing their hands together in the meeting hall, Ye Chen and Ye Kong pushed open the door and walked in.
When everyone saw Ye Chen and Ye Kong, they thought that someone was attacking from the front and back door. They all picked up their weapons and stood up.
"What's going on?" Ye Yun asked when he saw Ye Chen and Ye Kong's calm expressions.
"Head of the House, an imperial edict has arrived outside the door." Ye Chen said.
"An imperial edict?" Ye Yun was puzzled. They had just raided the house. What imperial edict was there now?
"How many people did they send?" Ye Yun asked.
"Two people." Ye Chen said. "One is Chief Eunuch Huang Ting. The other is the current Imperial Advisor, Wooden Daoist Xuan Ji."
"Imperial Advisor?" Ye Yun frowned. "Xuan Ji Zi?"
"That's right." Ye Chen replied.
"You two stay here for now." Ye Yun stood up. "Ye Chen, Kong 'er, follow me to receive the edict." After speaking, he led Ye Kong and Ye Chen out of the meeting hall.
When Ye Yun led Ye Kong and Ye Chen to the ancestral home, he saw two people waiting in the distance. However, what puzzled Ye Yun was that the two people were not wearing court robes. Instead, they were dressed casually. One of them was an old man in his fifties. He wore an apricot yellow robe and cloud-walking shoes. His eyes were bright and his hair was tied up in a bun. The other person wore an official's hat. He had fair skin and long fingernails. He had an eccentric air about him. It was obvious that he was a eunuch.
"I didn't know that Imperial Advisor had arrived. Please forgive me for not going out to meet you." Ye Yun said as he bowed. Ye Kong and Ye Chen also bowed.
"Hahaha … … no need to be so courteous. Rise, rise." The yellow-robed old man laughed.
The three people stood up and stood with their hands by their sides.
"This time, I came on the Emperor's secret edict." The yellow-robed old man said as he stretched his hand behind him. The eccentric eunuch immediately took out a yellow scroll from his sleeve and respectfully handed it to the yellow-robed old man. The yellow-robed old man took the imperial edict and directly handed it to Ye Yun. Ye Yun immediately knelt on the ground and raised his hands above his head to receive the imperial edict.
After receiving the imperial edict, Ye Yun stood up and opened it. After reading it, he handed the imperial edict to Ye Kong and Ye Chen to read.
Ye Kong and Ye Chen took the imperial edict. After reading it, Ye Kong rolled it up and handed it to Ye Yun. Ye Yun took the imperial edict and put it away.
"I have something to say to Master Ye." The yellow-robed old man turned his head and said to the eccentric eunuch, "You leave first."
"Yes." The eunuch responded with a croaky voice and walked ten zhang away.
"Master Ye." Seeing the eunuch walk away, the yellow-robed old man immediately lowered his voice and said to Ye Yun, "The Emperor ordered me to secretly summon the three of you to meet in the Imperial Garden on the night of the Lantern Festival. There is something important to discuss."
"Dare I ask Imperial Advisor, why did the Emperor secretly summon the three of us?" Ye Yun asked.
"Master Ye, please look at your right hand." The yellow-robed old man said with a smile.
After hearing this, Ye Yun knew it was inconvenient for the yellow-robed old man to say, so he put his right hand in front of the yellow-robed old man.
After seeing this, the yellow-robed old man directly used his index finger to write a character on Ye Yun's palm. After he finished writing, he said, "Do you understand?"
"I understand." Ye Yun said as he withdrew his right hand.
"Good." The yellow-robed old man returned to his normal tone and said, "I have already brought the Emperor's edict. Please carry it out as soon as you receive it. I will take my leave. " After he finished speaking, he turned and left. The head eunuch in the distance saw the Imperial Advisor leave and immediately ran over. He followed behind the yellow-robed old man and soon disappeared from the three people's sight.
"Father, what did the Imperial Advisor write on your hand?" Ye Kong asked.
"Song." Ye Yun replied.
After hearing this, Ye Kong and Ye Chen were shocked. Ye Kong had already told Ye Chen about Matsumoto Takeyoshi. After Ye Chen heard this, he was also shocked. No wonder he always felt there was a strong power in the court. After hearing Ye Kong say this, he knew the truth of the matter.
"It seems the Emperor has already investigated Matsumoto Takeyoshi's power in the court. This time, he secretly summoned us to discuss this matter." Ye Chen said.
"Are you sure this person is the Imperial Advisor?" Ye Kong asked.
"I am sure." Ye Chen said, "I also recognize that imperial court. I have also seen the imperial edict. There is no problem."
"Father, what should we do?" Ye Kong asked.
"We can only go again." Ye Yun said, "Otherwise, we will be going against the imperial edict. That would be a capital offense. Also, the Emperor has just trusted us. If we don't go, won't the Emperor be suspicious? "
"But … the sign just now …" Ye Chen was skilled in the secret arts of yin and yang. He knew that this sign was not normal.
"Even if it is a dragon's pool or a tiger's den, we still have to go," Ye Yun said. "In a few days, we will immediately leave and enter Jing ahead of time. Ye Chen." Ye Yun said to Ye Chen, "You are more familiar with the situation in Jing. You will leave ahead of time and secretly observe the situation in Jing and find a way out."
"En." Ye Chen replied, "Don't worry."
"This time, we will all bring weapons with us." Ye Yun said calmly, "Just in case."
"En." Ye Kong replied.
Ye Chen also nodded in agreement.
The three returned to the discussion hall. They told everyone about this matter.
When they learned that the Emperor had secretly summoned the three of them into the palace, everyone expressed their disagreement.
"Master," one of them stood and said, "the common saying is right, accompanying the Emperor is like accompanying a tiger. Ye Chen, you know this better than anyone. Now that the Sky Dragon is warning and the snowy wisps have come out of their sheaths, Master, you have to think twice. "
"These words are reasonable." Another person also stood and said, "They just confiscated our property and summoned you into the palace. It can't be anything good. They must have found that the amount of property confiscated is not right, so they summoned you into the palace to ask about this matter. "
After the others heard this, they all expressed their agreement.
"I have made up my mind. You don't need to say more." Ye Yun said, "The imperial edict has been issued. Not going is going against the edict. This is a capital offense. If it is not handled well, the entire family will be executed. It is better to go."
"Then what if there is danger?" someone asked, "Master, you have to be on guard."
"I know what to do." Ye Yun stood up and said seriously, "Master's order!"
After everyone heard this, they immediately stood and stood with their hands at their sides, waiting for Ye Yun to give the order.
"You all immediately leave." Ye Yun said, "Return to your residence and take all of your belongings, wives, children, and children. Disguise yourselves and leave the Great Ming Dynasty overnight. Everyone will move to Tubo. If someone tries to stop you, bribe them with money. If it really doesn't work, then use force. Remember, without my secret signal, no one can take a step into the Great Ming Dynasty."
"This …" After everyone heard Ye Yun's order, they looked at each other. Ever since the Ye family became famous, this was the first time they had received this kind of order.
"What, you all don't want to accept the order?" Ye Yun asked.
"We obey." Everyone immediately said in unison.
"Ye Chen, you are in charge of hiding the thirty-three bronze men and jade snake statues in the ancestral home. After hiding them well, adjust the bronze men to the second level and let the bronze men guard the jade statues." Ye Yun said to Ye Chen.
"Yes." Ye Chen replied.
"You all can leave now." Ye Yun said to everyone.
After everyone heard this, they immediately dispersed.
"Ye Kong, Ye Chen, you two should leave immediately too." Ye Yun said, "Come back here after you have arranged everything at home."
"There's no need, Father." Ye Kong said, "The family now has Ye Fan, Chiko, Xiao Zhao, and Jinchan. They don't have many people and they also have cultivation. There's no need for me to go back personally. I just need to send a messenger pigeon to let them know. I'll stay here."
"Master." Ye Chen also said, "I still have a secret residence in the capital. I'll go hide the bronze men and jade statues now and then leave for the capital. After I've arranged everything, I'll stay in the capital to check on the situation. After I've figured out the situation, I'll wait for you and Brother Ye there."
"That's good too." Ye Yun said, "How about this? We'll meet at Chen 'er's place on the thirteenth of the first month."
"Okay." Ye Chen said to Ye Yun and Ye Kong. "Then I'll go do it now." After saying that, Ye Chen left.
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