Chapter 9: Shifting Clouds and Stirring Desires

From Ye Dan’s perspective, a reprimand for Madam Liu sufficed as an explanation to everyone, and the matter should have ended there.

But Ye Chang did not see it that way.

To Ye Chang, having Madam Liu merely scolded while he himself was sent to the ancestral hall for punishment was an unfair deal, and he would never accept such a loss.

“The clan elder is broad-minded and virtuous, truly a model for our Ye family!” Ye Chang began with a compliment, which eased the stern look on Ye Dan's face. Then Ye Chang continued, “But I, your nephew, have grievances to air, and I ask the clan elder to permit me.”

“Speak.”

“I accused my aunt in a moment of anger, only because Liu Gui, that wretch, dared to slander me, his master, despite being a servant. Liu Gui was sent to me only yesterday by my aunt, along with his contract. Yet he dared claim that I harbored ill intentions, that I knew of the spring in the mountains but purposely kept it from everyone, wishing for us all to suffer—this isn’t just slander against me alone, but it tarnishes the reputation of the entire Ye family!”

“Is this true?” Ye Dan’s brows immediately furrowed.

He had been summoned by Ye Ling and Madam Liu, neither of whom had mentioned this. In large families, it isn’t uncommon for unruly servants to offend their masters, but it is something the elders despise most, for it undermines the very foundations of clan order.

“If the clan elder doubts me, ask the villagers. If this were not so, how could I dare accuse my aunt?” Ye Chang turned to the crowd, who were eagerly watching the spectacle. “Everyone, please speak up for justice.”

“That’s right, that’s right, Liu Gui did say so earlier.”

The crowd, eager for more drama, quickly confirmed it, some even mimicking Liu Gui’s tone. Hearing this, Ye Ling’s face turned ashen, Ye Dan grew even gloomier, and Liu Gui trembled with fear.

This was disastrous for Liu Gui! Slandering his master, even without going to the authorities, meant he would face harsh clan punishment—likely beaten within an inch of his life!

“I have been wrongly accused, and I do not know who directed him behind the scenes. In my anger, I spoke against my aunt, but I trust she is magnanimous and will not hold it against me. The clan elder is generous—though this wretch disregards his masters, he is still my aunt’s dowry servant, and some dignity must be preserved for her…”

Ye Chang spoke of preserving Madam Liu’s dignity, but in truth, he was pressuring Ye Dan: if this matter were pursued, Liu Gui and the entire third branch would bear responsibility; if not, Ye Chang’s minor disrespect toward his elders should also be overlooked.

Ye Dan was still displeased, but he had no choice but to follow Ye Chang’s lead.

“Liu Gui, you wretch! As a family servant, you dared to slander your master—an unforgivable crime. Someone, beat him!”

Liu Gui was not a clansman, merely a servant, so he did not need to be sent to the ancestral hall for punishment. At Ye Dan’s command, some young men pinned Liu Gui to the ground, and others fetched sticks, pulled down his trousers, and beat him soundly. After several strikes, Ye Chang called out, “Clan elder, this sly servant is too glib; he deserves a lesson for his mouth, so he won’t dare speak so recklessly again!”

“Indeed, slap his mouth!” Ye Dan glanced at Ye Chang.

So Liu Gui was dragged up, and someone took a hard shoe sole and began slapping his mouth. Despite Liu Gui’s pleas and appeals for Ye Ling and Madam Liu to intercede, both were furious at his incompetence and keen to avoid suspicion of instructing him to trouble Ye Chang. For a moment, no one spoke up for him.

After more than a dozen slaps, Liu Gui’s mouth swelled and even lost a tooth. Ye Dan glanced at Ye Ling, signaling it was time to intercede. But just then, Ye Chang stepped forward and saluted him. “Clan elder!”

“What is it now?” Ye Dan’s patience was nearly exhausted. This time, hosting the clan dispute was nothing but trouble, and though he wasn’t sure why, he knew one thing for certain: Ye Chang was playing an unsavory role.

“Clan elder, you are always generous. This servant has learned his lesson; please forgive him this once.”

He was interceding for Liu Gui!

This move surprised Ye Dan, but at last it satisfied him. Ye Ling, who was about to speak, had to step back.

Ye Ling’s original plan was to point out that Liu Gui, being a troublesome servant, was unfit to serve Ye Chang and should be returned to the third branch. He had never agreed to send Liu Gui to Ye Chang in the first place; it was only due to Madam Liu being cornered by Ye Chang and Lady Fang. Now was the perfect time to reclaim Liu Gui. But Ye Chang’s intervention ruined his scheme, leaving him suspicious—could Ye Chang have guessed his intent?

It shouldn’t be possible. If the brat had such skill, he would have shown it before—unless he truly had met a celestial… But during his recent coma, Ye Ling had checked on him personally, and he had been barely breathing. Meeting a celestial shouldn’t look like that.

Compared to this, Ye Chang’s sudden plea for Liu Gui was a trivial matter.

“You’re pleading for this servant?”

“The clan elder has punished him; that’s enough. My household is short-handed, so please spare him this once.”

“Very well… But your disrespect toward your elders cannot go unpunished. Go and kneel in the ancestral hall for an hour.”

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Ye Dan’s final decision left Ye Chang astonished.

He too wondered why Ye Dan was so indifferent to his supposed encounter with a celestial. In this drought, discovering a spring should have been a great merit, yet Ye Dan not only ignored it but was deliberately difficult.

Could it be the third branch stirring trouble?

It didn’t seem so. If the third branch truly influenced the clan elder this much, Ye Dan wouldn’t have scolded Madam Liu just now, nor would he have punished Liu Gui according to Ye Chang’s wishes.

“Are you going to disobey?” Seeing Ye Chang unmoving, Ye Dan snorted.

“No, I dare not.” Ye Chang replied, knowing not to risk immediate losses. He still needed the clan’s support to survive in these times.

Thus the drama concluded, leaving only Liu Gui sobbing in grievance, his eyes beseeching Ye Ling to take him back. Ye Ling merely shook his head, telling him to be patient.

At that moment, Ye Ling harbored murderous intent toward Ye Chang.

He had always known of Madam Liu’s actions but had not instigated them, preferring to watch coldly. But today, witnessing Ye Chang’s ability to stir up trouble and his supposed encounter with a celestial, he realized that Ye Chang’s influence would only grow as the story spread.

Who knew if Ye Chang would bear a grudge for today’s events?

One enemy is not frightening; what’s frightening is letting an enemy grow into something formidable.

Ye Ling signaled Liu Gui to keep close to Ye Chang. Liu Gui understood, enduring his pain to follow Ye Chang.

More than that, he had to monitor Ye Chang and report back immediately.

Ye Chang saw through these petty schemes, understanding that leniency toward someone like Liu Gui was merely indulgence.

“Eleventh Brother!”

Only now did his blood brother, Ye Shu, dare approach and greet him.

Ye Chang sighed. No wonder Ye Si had chosen him as heir; Ye Shu was truly timid.

“Thank you for your concern, Brother. I’m fine; I’ll go kneel in the ancestral hall now. Keep an eye on this servant for me; don’t let him slack off.”

“Oh.”

Ye Chang went to kneel in the ancestral hall for an hour, and by the time he finished, night had fallen. When he emerged, his knees felt as if stabbed by needles. He was quietly furious, vowing to remember this grievance. Xiang’er was waiting at the door; as a young maid, she couldn’t enter the ancestral hall, not even to bring him water. Seeing his limping walk, her eyes grew misty. “Eleventh Brother, are your legs all right?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Have you eaten yet?”

“I didn’t want to eat since you hadn’t returned.”

“Ah, haha, don’t be silly. Always eat your meals on time.” Ye Chang affectionately stroked her head. “Silly girl, at your age, missing meals is not good.”

Xiang’er stared at Ye Chang, puzzled.

She sensed her young master had changed; kneeling in the ancestral hall for an hour hadn’t crushed his spirit, but had instead made him more determined.

“Not only must we eat on time, but we’ll have three meals a day… Next goal, meat dishes every week!”

Xiang’er didn’t understand “every week,” but “meat dishes” she did, and her eyes widened.

Even at the height of the Tang Dynasty, the common folk’s nutrition was fair, but meat was rare for ordinary village families, especially for a young maid like Xiang’er. When most people ate only two meals a day, meat’s allure was strong.

“If Xiang’er were sensible, she’d remind Ye Chang that their grain stores were low and needed for emergencies, and not to be reckless.” But she was only nine years old—more aware of hardship than modern girls, but her craving for meat eclipsed her worries about using up their grain.

Ye Chang patted Xiang’er’s head again, stretched to shake off the pain, and headed home.

But at his doorstep, he was surprised to find dozens of villagers blocking the entrance.

---

“Eleventh Brother’s here, Eleventh Brother, drink some water!”

“Eleventh Brother, we hear you like gathering herbs and making medicine. Look, I’ve got some fo-ti root I’ve saved—see if it’s useful to you; if so, take it!”

“I’ve got a reishi mushroom here, Eleventh Brother, don’t be shy—I’ll give it to you!”

As soon as he returned, the crowd swarmed around, clamoring. Ye Chang was dizzy from the noise, bowing repeatedly. “Everyone, if you have something to say, just say it; no need for all this.”

Everyone laughed.

Soon, the oldest man, Wu Yu, stepped forward with a salute. “Eleventh Brother, the Immortal guided you to find the spring. But to help others, one must see it through—how to channel the water to our fields, we need your guidance.”

Then Ye Chang understood why they had come.

The spring’s yield was considerable. Their fields were dryland, not rice paddies, so several hundred or even a thousand acres could be irrigated. But the spring’s location was problematic; digging a channel from the source to their fields was nearly impossible. After seeing the spring, most felt that carrying water was the only option.

Every household had ten or twenty acres, and carrying water over two or three miles of mountain road was no easy task!

Someone clever suggested that since the Immortal had revealed the spring’s location to Ye Chang, perhaps he’d also been shown how to channel the water, or maybe Ye Chang could lead everyone to the Medicine King Temple to pray, and the Immortal, moved by compassion, might move the mountains for them.

Hearing the crowd’s chatter, Ye Chang smiled.

To the villagers, it was troublesome, but not to Ye Chang. They saw only the option of digging a channel, but Ye Chang had other ideas.

Seeing his smile, the crowd was sure he had a solution, believing the Immortal had given him more than just the spring’s location.

“Eleventh Brother, tell us!”

Urged by everyone, Ye Chang nodded. “There is a way, though in this world, nothing comes without toil. The Immortal showed me where to find the spring, but it cost me my soul.”

At this, everyone fell silent.

Although Ye Chang had told Xiang’er not to spread news of his soul-loss, somehow the story got out. In such a remote village, any novelty quickly became common knowledge.

But the villagers hadn’t linked his soul-loss to meeting the Immortal. Now, hearing him say so, they realized: divine guidance does not come without a price.

They exchanged glances, and finally the elder forced a smile. “Well… Eleventh Brother, for the sake of the village, you could, uh…”

They wanted Ye Chang to sacrifice for them, but couldn’t say so outright, so the elder stammered.

Ye Chang, of course, refused, and then came their attempts at bribery—though as a member of the Ye clan, they didn’t dare threaten him. The benefits they could offer were trivial bits and pieces, which Ye Chang ignored. When their pleas reached the point of near supplication, Ye Chang decided the time was right and said, “Actually, even without the Immortal’s guidance, there is a way.”

“Eleventh Brother really has a way! Truly touched by the Immortal!”

Praise erupted again.

“But my method will require everyone’s labor and effort,” Ye Chang said.

“If it brings us water, that’s saving our lives—what’s labor compared to that? Just tell us what to do, Eleventh Brother!”

“Make way, let me through…” Ye Chang was about to speak when a voice came from the back of the crowd.

The villagers parted, and the clan elder Ye Dan strode over with hands clasped behind his back.

Whenever Ye Dan walked in Wu Ze Po, he always walked with hands behind his back, pacing deliberately. He had seen county magistrates and constables in the county seat walk this way during his visits. At first, some mocked him, but Ye Dan explained he’d seen the esteemed Miao Gong, the constable of Xiu Wu, walk like this.

That Miao Gong is now a minister of personnel in the Tang court, presiding over the civil service examinations.