Chapter 05 The Fish Swimming to the Ends of the Earth
Liu Siyu was arrested, and the escape route that had fallen from the sky was no longer available. Ye Xiaotian could only place all his hopes in the five hundred taels of silver, leaving Beijing with a heart full of anxiety and boundless aspirations.
Ye Xiaotian felt a slight sense of emotion in his heart. He stopped in his tracks, turned to face the crowd, and cupped his hands in salute, saying: "Brothers, I appreciate your good intentions. What needs to be done tomorrow should be done today; what needs to be done today should be done immediately. Since I must leave, why linger on? I will depart from the capital today, so I will not partake in the farewell banquet. I look forward to enjoying the welcome banquet with you all."
Liu Siyu slowly stood up and hesitated, saying: "I am indeed the official, and you are..."
Ye Xiaotian's adaptability is undoubtedly strong. On this journey south, he quickly adjusted from being cautious and anxious to embracing the atmosphere of travel, becoming increasingly accustomed to the ever-changing surroundings.
Luo Tilao said with a serious expression: "Liu Yong, these gentlemen are officials from the Censorate, and they have matters to discuss with you"
Boss, leave early and return early
When he left Beijing, he carried with him five hundred wen, but now only a little over twenty wen remained in his pouch. He had only brought enough for the journey to his destination, without any money for the return trip. However, there awaits a fortune of five hundred taels of silver for him to claim, is there not
Ye Xiaotian stood there in a daze, and after a while, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, causing his heart to skip a beat: "Liu Siyu is my direct superior, and he just said he wanted me to follow him. Now something has happened right away. Could it be that the so-called cursed spell of that Yang shaman has taken effect? No, no, even if it is effective, I haven't left Beijing yet, so it naturally cannot be said that I have broken my promise"
Ye Xiaoan smiled innocently, and upon turning around to see Ye Xiaotian, he smiled at his younger brother, his expression reflecting a mix of gratitude and a hint of embarrassment. Ye Xiaotian kindly patted his elder brother's shoulder, displaying a much more relaxed demeanor in front of Liu Siyu than his brother did.
The leading constable raised his thumb, and with a face full of arrogance said: "We are dispatched by the esteemed lord of the department to take you for questioning, let us go!" As soon as he finished speaking, two constables rushed forward, clanking the iron chains over Liu Yong's head with a loud noise, and dragged him away.
Ye Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?"
Some prison guards who had received the news arrived early. Once those officials from the Ministry of Justice left, the old guard, who had been watching the prison gate, walked over to Ye Xiaotian. This old guard, in his fifties, had been a partner of Ye Xiaotian's father for many years. Ye Xiaotian quickly called out, "Uncle Niu"
Ye Xiaotian smiled and said: "Thank you for your kind regard, this is something I willingly do. Sir, although my elder brother is honest and simple-minded, and not a capable person for tasks, it is precisely because of his honesty and integrity that he would never act recklessly or cause trouble for you, sir."
Ye Xiaoan gently walked out and carefully closed the door behind her
Several officials from the Censorate came and went in a hurry, whisking Liu Siyu away like a gust of wind. Luo Tila seemed not to notice the presence of Ye Xiaotian; once Liu Siyu was taken away, he let out a cold snort and went out to arrange for someone to take over Liu Yong's duties
Ye Xiaotian : `` ... ... ''
The further south one travels, the more the cultural customs, dialects, and accents diverge from those in the north. If the area traversed is a remote and impoverished region, it becomes particularly difficult to find someone who can communicate in Mandarin, making it especially challenging to inquire about directions
What the leader said is true, wherever we go, the people from our Xuanzi No. 1 monitoring team are indeed capable individuals
Before the old cow's "Hmm" sound had faded, a group of prison guards from No. 1 prison had already pushed him aside. Two tall prison guards, one on the left and one on the right, held onto Ye Xiaotian's shoulders, escorting him out like a pair of ox-headed and horse-faced figures.
Old Niu nodded and said to Ye Xiaotian: "I have heard about your family matters. Xiaotian, you are a filial child, gentle and kind, dutiful to your parents, and respectful to your elders. All in all, you are quite commendable. However, sometimes, your temperament can be a bit... stubborn."
Ah!
... ...
As soon as the door was closed, Liu Siyu furrowed his brows tightly and said to Ye Xiaotian: "Has your father lost his mind? That child Xiao An is so honest; in a place like this, how could he not suffer? What could he possibly do? Is it that your father is forcing you to give up your position? Speak up, and I will make the decision for you."
A prison guard said solemnly: "Boss, when you are angry, you are indeed very fierce, but when you are in a good mood, you are truly wonderful. You are righteous and responsible, and we brothers genuinely respect you from the bottom of our hearts. With your departure, we will all miss you greatly, so let us brothers give you a proper send-off."
Ye Xiaotian politely said: "Uncle Old Niu, you are right, Xiaotian will definitely not act foolishly."
The prison guard laughed and said, "Boss, if you can't make it out there, this stick can be used to beg for food or to beat dogs"
Hmm, hmm.
Boss, we are just waiting for your glorious return home
Good! Ambitious!
Ye Xiaotian, who endured hardships and lived frugally, finally arrived at his ideal destination, Jingzhou Prefecture in Huguang Province, after two months of travel
An impatient constable shouted: "What nonsense is this? A mere jailer, disregarding the law of the king, brazenly accepting bribes, colluding with criminals both inside and outside. How dare you still put on an act at this moment? If there were no solid evidence, would the magistrate have summoned you? Go, hurry up!"
At that moment, another person walked in from behind that group of officials. Upon seeing that it was his direct superior, the prison officer Luo Zhan, Liu Siyu could not help but be even more astonished. Liu Siyu hurriedly clasped his hands and said: "Lord Luo, these few are..."
As soon as Ye Xiaotian entered, Liu Siyu said to Ye Xiaoan without any courtesy: "You go out first, I have something to discuss with your brother"
Ye Xiaotian feigned anger and said: "Nonsense! Am I that dark?"
Chief Liu chuckled and said: "You have always been clever and perceptive, and I find you quite useful. Naturally, I would not want to let you go. As long as you follow my lead and work diligently, I will certainly not treat you poorly."
He is like a small fish that has been swimming in a tiny sandy bay since birth, growing from the size of a needle tip to the thickness of a little finger, always living in that tranquil water area, familiar with every blade of aquatic grass, every grain of sand, and every stone here
A narrow-minded jailer casually shoved a wooden stick into Ye Xiaotian's hand
Ye Xiaotian concealed Yang Lin's will, exited the prison, and performed a bow to the several officials of the Ministry of Justice waiting outside the cell, respectfully expressing, "Thank you, brothers, for your trouble in waiting." The officials nodded to him and stepped into the cell.
Ye Xiaotian thought repeatedly and was convinced that this matter had nothing to do with him. He then let out a gentle sigh, gazing at the door that was still gently swaying, feeling a sense of sadness: "Liu Siyu, what a wonderful person he is, how could he have been arrested? The things he promised me have not yet been done..."
... ...
Although he thought this in his heart, he naturally did not dare to show any sign of it on his face. Ye Xiaotian was nodding and bowing in gratitude when suddenly, with a loud bang, several officials in blue caps barged in. Even though there were clearly two people in front of them, they habitually scanned the surroundings with their eyes before asking in a condescending tone: "Who is Liu Yong?"
The prison guards exclaimed in unison: "Dark! Truly dark! So dark that one cannot see their own fingers!"
Ye Xiaotian was overjoyed upon hearing this, as it provided him with an additional escape route. He quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude, saying: "Your Excellency's kindness towards me is as heavy as a mountain, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life"
In the signing room of the prison officer Liu Yong, Officer Liu sat behind the desk, slightly furrowing his brows as he listened to Ye Xiao'an explain his purpose. Ye Xiao'an, timid and honest, felt increasingly anxious upon seeing Officer Liu's slightly furrowed brow and imposing demeanor. This made him even more nervous, and he found it difficult to gather his thoughts, causing him to stutter even more, which only displeased Officer Liu further.
Ye Xiaotian looked around at each familiar face, the smile on his face gradually fading. After staring for a long time, Ye Xiaotian suddenly turned around, took a few steps, paused slightly, raised his hand and vigorously waved it at the people behind him, then clenched his fist and struck it in the air, before striding towards the signing room of the prison officer Liu Yong.
Chief Liu, in a state of panic, exclaimed: "W-where do I even begin? Lord Luo, Lord Luo, why has the Court of Judicial Review summoned me for questioning?"
The prison guards, knowing that he still had to meet with the warden, saw that he had already arranged his itinerary. They no longer insisted on keeping him and thus stood their ground, bowing their hands in farewell to Ye Xiaotian
In the future, I kindly ask you, my lord, to take good care of my elder brother. With your protection, who would dare to bully him? As for me, having received your guidance for so many years, I certainly will not find myself without food after leaving the prison. If one day I am able to achieve something noteworthy, I will never forget your kindness, my lord.
In fact, as long as the Ye family has a male member to serve as a jailer, there are no strict requirements regarding who takes on the role. Such matters are not difficult to handle, and Liu, the jailer, has no reason to object. However, Xiao An is too dull and far less clever and alert than his brother Xiao Tian, which is why Liu, the jailer, is quite displeased.
The old ox continued to teach earnestly: "Of course, you are getting older now, and it has been a long time since you acted foolishly. However, being out in the world is not the same as being in this prison. You must be more cautious outside; when speaking to others, only share a third of your thoughts and do not reveal your entire heart. If you encounter any frustrations, do not act foolishly, alright?"
But one day, suddenly, the torrent of fate swept it away towards the sea, and thus this little fish, filled with an inexplicable sense of fear, began its exploration of a completely unfamiliar new world
One of the guards said: "Boss, it’s no big deal if you’re going on a long trip; us brothers are not worried. With your cleverness, you can persuade others to willingly jump into a cesspit and they would think you are doing it for their own good. How could you possibly be bullied..."
Ye Xiaotian smiled like a shy young lady, showing no signs of being like a donkey at all
Liu Yong's expression softened, and he smiled, saying: "You really are quite the eloquent one! Since that's the case, I suppose I shouldn't play the villain. How about this, you can go out and see the world. I've heard that the prison is set to expand next year, and if there are any vacancies for guards at that time, I will bring you back."
Boss, have a safe journey
The jailers burst into laughter, and Ye Xiaotian couldn't help but scold with a laugh: "Get lost! I, Ye Xiaotian, can thrive in this small world of the heavenly prison, and I will be equally formidable in the greater world. Just wait, if I don't return after achieving great wealth and honor, then I, Ye Xiaotian, will not come back!"
Fortunately, along the way, Xiao Tian would only need to stop briefly for lodging. When in need of directions, he could seek out a larger shop or a village headman or similar figure, and after a lengthy conversation, he would still manage to get clear answers.
Ye Xiaotian secretly grumbled: "Following you has not brought me much benefit. As long as you can demand less filial piety from me, and not completely drain the hard-earned money I make each month, then I would truly not be treated unfairly."
It is necessary, it is absolutely necessary