Chapter 45: Finally Venting the Accumulated Frustration

Today the weather was quite pleasant, bright and fair with a gentle breeze.
Having no afternoon classes, Ye Wuji felt exceptionally refreshed.
On his way home from school, he passed by the overpass and stopped to eat a bowl of dumplings handmade by his mother-in-law.
In his heart, he mused on how wonderful life at the academy truly was.

"South of the River, lotus may be gathered, the lotus leaves are lush and grand. Fish play among the lotus leaves, fish play... fish play..."
Humming a short Yuefu tune, Ye Wuji felt utterly relaxed, knowing he could finally rest and did not need to study for a while.
Yet, the moment Li Weishe pushed open the door, Ye Wuji's good mood vanished completely.

Xie Dashen was actually visiting their home as a guest.
And his silly son was sitting there "laughing and chatting" with him.
Toward this representative of the "pure conversation" faction, Ye Wuji now felt profound revulsion.
Back when my family was at the height of our power, you sought out a reigning prince to act as a witness for the marriage, insisting that your daughter would marry no one but me.
Now that my family has fallen on hard times, you damn well want to call off the engagement?

Walking into the courtyard, he paid his respects as a student to Ye Xiren, Wang Yuanhui, and Liu Hanqing.
As for Xie Dashen, he simply acted as if he did not exist at all.
This left Xie Dashen in a state of extreme embarrassment.
In an instant, the previously lively atmosphere suddenly froze into a dead silence.

Squinting slightly, Ye Wuji cast a meaningful look in Cheng Pengju's direction.
"Brother-in-law, my elder sister is currently on her way to Jinling."
Cheng Pengju understood instantly. "Shouldn't your bedroom be tidied up? It's just a small bed, how could two people possibly sleep on it?"

Clatter!
The teacup in Xie Dashen's hand dropped onto the tea table.
He stared with wide eyes, looking at Cheng Pengju in disbelief.
The little chubby boy was only eleven or twelve years old, which meant his sister could be at most twenty-five or twenty-six.
How could such a young maiden possibly take a fancy to Ye Wuji?
Did she not know that the Ye family's fortunes had declined?
Wasn't this marching his own sister straight into a fire pit?

"Son, did you hear what your little maternal uncle said?"
Ye Wuji straightened his collar and sat down on the tea stool with an air of supreme arrogance. "Lady Jianbi is coming to Jinling. Hurry up and get my bed changed."
"..." Ye Xi scratched his head vigorously, a look of suspicion on his face.
Father, wanting to vent your frustration on Xie Dashen, your son can understand that; but the problem is that Cheng Jianbi is notorious for bringing misfortune to her husbands. Do you really dare to take her?
"What? Is your father's word no longer good?" Ye Wuji's expression darkened. "In this household, I am still the one who calls the shots, am I not?"

"Brother Zhao."
Ye Xi looked toward Zhao Yide with a helpless expression. "Trouble you to go and custom-make a large bed, and also prepare several sets of quilts. The kind embroidered with peonies and lotus flowers. Sister Jianbi—bah, Aunt Jianbi—loves bright reds and greens."
"Oh, right." Cheng Pengju stopped Zhao Yide as he turned to leave. "Warrior Zhao, buy a large vanity table as well. My sister loves big things, the bigger the better."
As if deliberately trying to infuriate Xie Dashen, Ye Wuji added, "Well, actually, I'm quite large myself."

Seeing that their remarks had gone a bit too far and were clearly all aimed at Xie Dashen, Liu Hanqing wanted to speak up, but Wang Yuanhui quietly tapped him on the foot with his own.
Ye Xiren picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and smiled with deep meaning, his gaze profound.
It was not that they considered the matter none of their business and preferred to stand aloof; rather, these were things Xie Dashen simply had to accept without conditions.
After all, back then, Xie Dashen had gone to the Ye family to break off the engagement in the exact same overbearing manner.
This was known as getting back what one gave; faults had to be acknowledged, and one had to take a beating standing straight.

"Ye Wuji!" Xie Dashen slammed his hand down heavily on the table in fury. "This old man is not dead yet, don't go too far."
"Too far?" Ye Wuji blinked his large, doll-like eyes, looking entirely innocent.
"Don't forget, the red betrothal document is still in your hands," Xie Dashen said, taking a deep breath. "It bears the seal of a reigning prince as witness. Do you think you can just renege on it?"
"That's right, I just want to renege on it. What can you do about it?" Ye Wuji stood up unhurriedly. "I am a man who is going to place first in the imperial examinations."
"Top scholar? Wait until you can even pass the provincial exams before you talk big," Xie Dashen snorted coldly and stormed out of the Ye household in a rage.
Among all the people present, not a single one made a move to stop him.

The gazes of Wang Yuanhui and Liu Hanqing both landed on Cheng Pengju: Who on earth was this sacred entity, for goodness' sake?
"I suggested to Xie Dashen that he act as a witness for You'an's formal master-disciple ceremony," Ye Xiren said, putting down his teacup. "Today, you've vented all your pent-up frustrations, so from now on, let the matter of breaking off the engagement be dropped. Just leave him a little face on the day of the ceremony."
"Teacher, Honored Master, Master Liu, I hope you can clear up my confusion," Ye Wuji asked in a questioning tone. "Should I call off this marriage or not..."
"It's written clearly in black and white, and we even have a prince acting as guarantor. How could you call it off?" Ye Xiren glared fiercely at Ye Wuji, exasperated by his failure to live up to expectations.
Wang Yuanhui stroked his beard. "Did you really think that once you found a principal wife for You'an, your own affairs wouldn't matter?"
"On this matter, I shall express no opinion," said Liu Hanqing. Since his official rank was the lowest, he knew better than to interrupt.

A sudden flash of understanding dawned upon Ye Wuji, and he bowed deeply to Ye Xiren. "Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance."
Zhao Yide looked around at the others and cautiously asked, "So... about that bed, should I buy it or not?"
"Buy it! You must definitely buy it!"
Before Ye Wuji could even speak, Ye Xi gave a resounding reply.
Although his old man had successfully vented his anger, Ye Xi still held quite a grudge.
Only by seeing that the Ye family had female occupants would Xie Dashen feel even more anxious and experience even greater pressure.
If Xie Dashen dared to demand that his daughter be taken as the primary wife, they would just have to wait and see if Cheng Aiman didn't beat him to a pulp.

Since Ye Xiren had been restored to his former official post, it naturally called for a celebration.
Ever since he had been banished, he had lived in Wulong Lane, and the neighborhood residents had taken very good care of him.
This first meal would naturally be hosted as an open-banquet feast right there in Wulong Lane.

Ye Xi chose the Fugui Restaurant located right beside the North Gate Bridge.
Almost all the neighbors of Wulong Lane came here to drink and dine.
The restaurant originally only had six square tables and three round tables.
Upon receiving such a massive order, the proprietor had gone out and borrowed dozens more tables, bowls, and chopsticks, all of which were transported to Wulong Lane.
Right there in the alleyway, they set them up in a long, winding serpentine formation.

Throughout the city of Jinling, whether for joyous weddings or sorrowful funerals, open-air banquet feasts primarily featured ten large bowls, supplemented by six corner dishes.
A local folk rhyme was widely circulated to describe them: chicken, fish, braised pork belly, crispy meatballs, alongside kelp, cold dishes, and dried shrimp soup.
Each table had an extra set of bowls and chopsticks reserved, making it convenient for those offering toasts.
When serving dishes, the rule was to present the side dishes first, followed by the main courses.

Once the three meat and three vegetarian corner dishes were fully served, the ten large bowls followed in succession:
Steamed meat platter, taro chicken, vinegar fish, braised pork belly, crispy water pork, dried shrimp soup, kelp, cold vegetable salad, braised meat slices, and thick-cut meat chunks.
For the common folk of Wulong Lane, being invited to a feast hosted by the future head of the Censorate was something they could boast about for a lifetime.

Ye Xiren, accompanied by the elder neighborhood head, went around to toast every single table.
The neighbors did not act overly restrained either; they laughed and chatted, eating meat in large chunks and drinking wine from large bowls.
"This braised pork belly tastes far inferior to the ones Youyou makes," Ye Xi remarked. Having been pampered by Zhao Youyou recently, his palate had become quite picky.
"As the saying goes, you smash the wok only after you've finished the meal," Cheng Pengju said with a look of disdain. "You haven't even put down your chopsticks yet, and you're already starting to smash the wok?"

Ye Xi remained unconcerned. "My own tavern is about to open soon, why should I care about offending him?"
Beside them, Qi Santai and Zhao Yide both smiled helplessly.
What sort of tier was the Fugui Restaurant, anyway?
How could it possibly compare to their own tavern?
"Brother Zhao, when you booked this banquet, how much did it cost per table?" Ye Xi asked.
"Five hundred wen... no, five mace of silver."
Having spent so much time with Ye Xi, Zhao Yide's unit of calculation had also been upgraded from wen to taels.

Ye Xi looked out over the scene. "So our open-air banquet today only cost a total of ten taels of silver?"
Not entirely grasping the point, Zhao Yide nevertheless replied, "Ten large bowls at five hundred wen a table is already considered a top-tier banquet."
"I see..." Ye Xi muttered thoughtfully. "Uncle Qi, what if we price the ten large bowls at our Feiyifang Tavern at ten taels of silver per table as a tentative price? What do you think?"
"Ten taels?" Qi Santai nearly staggered and fell flat on his face. "My good nephew, one tael of silver per bowl? Do you take us for sellers of phoenix marrow and dragon liver?"