CH 104

Si Chenyu and the others returned to Yan Shun with the treasures, which immediately aroused the attention and heated discussion of all parties. After viewing the treasures, Emperor Ming summoned painters and selected nearly a hundred rare treasures to be drawn into paintings, displayed publicly, and shared with the people.

According to the previous agreement, the treasures were divided into five shares, and everyone who held the key could get a share. This included the royal family, the Li family, the Shen family, the Wang family, and the Duobao Sage’s descendant.

As for the four families getting a share, everyone had known about it for a long time, and it was not surprising. What was truly amazing was the heir of the Duobao Sage who seemed to have emerged out of thin air. His identity was not a secret in the upper echelon, but there were few rumors among the common people. Until Emperor Ming told the world, everyone suddenly discovered that there was such a character.

Sharing the treasures with the four great families, just what glory and honor was this? The identity of this heir soon became known throughout the world with this announcement. As the head of a small mountain village in a remote mountainous area, the disparity in his status and the huge wealth he obtained as well as the glory of being equal to the four great families also became something the people liked to chat about.

But, what really made him famous did not stop here.

“Wei Xiaobao, Nie Bufan, descendant of the Duobao Sage.” Emperor Ming gritted his teeth in the palace. Before Fan Luo returned to the capital, he had already found out the identity of Wei Xiaobao, who was really Nie Bufan, the village head of Chicken Nest Village and the descendant of Duobao Sage.

This guy not only used a pseudonym to deceive him, the emperor, but also dared to steal his imperial order and run off. It was really unforgivable!

What made him even more angry was that Fan Luo bluntly conveyed his confession, practically the picture of an infatuated man willing to accept any punishment in order to be with the guy for a lifetime, causing him to not even have a sense of accomplishment in beating him.

“Hmmph, you want to be with him forever? Then you must see if I agree with you!” Emperor Ming ordered: “Qian gonggong, immediately send someone to summon Nie Bufan, the village head of Chicken Nest Village, to come to the capital! Within ten days, I want to see him before me!”

When Fan Luo heard this, he flashed a wickedly charming smile to Emperor Ming.

Emperor Ming got goosebumps at the sight, a bad feeling sprouting in his heart.

Qian gonggong took the order and handed the imperial decree to a eunuch who would be setting off immediately.

However, this eunuch never imagined that a simple and easy journey to deliver the imperial decree would turn out to be a brutal and inhuman tragedy. As soon as he left the city, he was spotted by people from several families. In the following days, various “accidents” followed one after another, pickpockets, bandits, horses going out of control, boats sinking, lawsuits and conflicts…..It was simply one hard and painful life experience.

The original journey of two or three days actually took him more than half a month, which far exceeded the time limit given by Emperor Ming.

When he finally arrived at Chicken Nest Village alive, he was already thinner than a cauliflower, and as emaciated as moldy bread.

Tremblingly, he handed over the imperial decree and then exhausting all his remaining strength, he declared: “Chicken, Chicken Nest Village, Village Head Nie, Nie Bufan accept the decree, the emperor orders you to, to immediately enter the capital for an audience…..”

As soon as the voice fell, the person immediately keeled over with a “thump”.

Nie Bufan touched the “corpse” on the ground with his foot.

Zhang Junshi said: “He’s not dead, he’s just exhausted and fainted.”

“Oh.” He opened the imperial edict and looked at it, then turned his head and asked, “Why would the emperor summon me?”

“Probably to distribute the treasures of the Duobao Sage.” Wang Shichan’s eyes glimpsed the content of the imperial edict, the words fierce but not lacking in literary airs, and there was also a hint of warning.

“I have to get the treasures by myself?” Nie Bufan looked unhappy. He liked money, but this like was limited to money that could be obtained just by reaching out his hand. He would rather give up on it if he had to travel the long distances to the capital to get it. And looking at the miserable appearance of this eunuch, don’t know how much hardship he had suffered along the way? Maybe the journey to the capital was extremely dangerous and difficult, so he would rather not put himself through that.

Besides, his chickens had taken a lot of good things from the cave long ago, hiding them in every corner of Chicken Nest Village. If one day he became fed up with poverty, he would just take out a few to sell, and still live a comfortable and unrestrained life.

“Wang Fifth, you help me write a letter of rejection, saying that I voluntarily give up those treasures and let the emperor convert it to money to fund the widows and orphans across the country!” Nie Bufan threw the imperial decree to Wang Shichan casually.

Wang Shichan gave him a deep look and said, “My handwriting is easy to be recognized so it is not convenient for me to write it. Let Jun Shi write it for you.”

Zhang Junshi smiled and nodded, giving up such a large amount of wealth so easily, his magnanimity was really not comparable to ordinary people.

The next day, when the eunuch that woke up learned that Nie Bufan was unwilling to be summoned to the capital, his whole person was about to collapse, weeping bitterly as he held the letter Wang Shichan handed him.

Nie Bufan patted him on the shoulder, and comforted: “Don’t be sad, believe me, if the emperor receives this letter, he will not be angry, but will reward you instead.”

“Really?” The eunuch sobbed.

“Of course, you can go back without any worries!” Nie Bufan looked sincere.

Wang Shichan and Zhang Junshi looked at the eunuch who seemed to be comforted, and their faces both showed sympathy.

Speaking of Emperor Ming. Since the eunuch set off, his mood changed day by day. Although he was as solemn and dignified as ever when dealing with state affairs, he became irritable when he returned to the harem. The eunuch had left a long time ago but there was still no news even after half a month. He nearly had no more patience left and almost sent the imperial guards to bring the person over.

At this moment, the eunuch who went to pass the decree came back, but he didn’t bring back the person he wanted to see. There was only a polite letter that showed the writer’s elegant demeanor.

Emperor Ming stared at the content of the letter, his fingers trembling slightly, and then he suddenly wadded the letter into a ball, and threw the letter at the eunuch, furious: “Zhen asked you to bring the person into the palace. Yet you delayed for dozens of days only to bring me back this?”

The eunuch was scared into curling up like dried shrimp, trembling non-stop.

“Speak, are you tired of living!”

“Your Majesty, please spare my life, spare my life! This slave has done his best!” The eunuch cried tragically.

Emperor Ming eased his breathing and recalled the content of the letter. It was obviously impossible to have come from Nie Bufan’s hand. He knew exactly what kind of poor habits that person had. But what did surprise him was that he would give up that wealth without hesitation.

“Zhen will give you a chance to redeem yourself.” Emperor Ming said to the eunuch responsible for passing the decree, “You will go pass the decree again, and this time you must bring him back for Zhen.”

“Your Majesty, spare me!” The eunuch fell on the ground, “this slave begs Your Majesty to spare me, and send someone else to pass the decree!”

“Hmmph, then you can just leave your head behind, and you don’t have to go anywhere anymore.”

“Your Majesty, this slave shall complete the task with determination!”

“Very well, this time I will send with you a team of people to escort you to Chicken Nest Village. If necessary, you can have him tied up in order to be brought back.”

“Yes, this slave takes the order.”

The eunuch retreated, and Emperor Ming rubbed his chin, lost in thought. He was faintly aware that many people seemed to be secretly protecting that daring and audacious guy.

Wang, Li, Shen, Wei. Emperor Ming wrote a few words with a brush, thought for a moment, and then wrote “Heaven Divining Palace” on the paper.

“Heh.” He snorted and murmured, “You’re quite likeable, huh. Saying you don’t want the treasure just like that, fine, Zhen will grant you your wish.”

Three days later, Emperor Ming issued a notice that Nie Bufan, the heir of Duobao Sage, donated all the treasures in his share to the national treasury as a donation for the poor, worth about 105,200 taels of silver.

As soon as this news came out, it immediately shocked the world.

One hundred and five thousand taels, such a staggering sum of money, yet giving it up without blinking. What kind of heroic figure was this Duobao Sage heir?

Soon after, the news that he repeatedly rejected the summons of Emperor Ming spread like wildfire. Three consecutive summons, all returned without success. Emperor Ming was very vexed, but couldn’t blatantly send people to capture and bring him over as the whole world was watching. If he did this, he would definitely be criticized by literati and righteous scholars.

In order to get Nie Bufan into the palace, he even secretly sent an expert master to steal him, but without exception, all of them failed. Listening to those who reported back, the Chicken Nest Village where Nie Bufan was located had security comparable to that of the imperial palace, and its combat power was equivalent to a whole army…..

Emperor Ming was very depressed, he had never thought that it would be so difficult to capture him back. He finally understood why Fan Luo showed such a weird smile when he sent people to summon Nie Bufan into the palace. It turned out that he had known that this would be the result a long time ago.

Emperor Ming gritted his teeth and with nowhere to vent, he could only transfer all his anger to the ministers and work them to death.

Similar to the dire straits in the imperial palace, the Li family was also experiencing a catastrophe——the Li family’s eldest son, Li Yi and his father had a falling out. The reason was that Li Gongzi fell in love with a man and wanted to give up his family inheritance and spend the rest of his life with the other.

Father Li was furious, he sealed the news and had him on house arrest. But he obviously couldn’t keep him locked up, not only because of Li Yi’s martial arts, but also because of Li Huai’s secret help.

He was locked in the day before, but walked out the next day unharmed. Li Yi did not flee, but showed up in front of father Li every day instead.

During mealtimes, he would say expressionlessly: “Father, I want to spend the rest of my life with that man, so please let me.”

While reading, he stood in the room like a wooden stump and said: “Father, I want to spend the rest of my life with that man, so please let me.”

While going to the toilet, he stood outside the door firmly and said: “Father, I want to spend the rest of my life with that man, please let me.”

While taking a bath, he held the toiletries and said while looking straight ahead, “Father, I want to spend the rest of my life with that man, please let me.”

While sleeping, he would say in the darkness, “Father, I want to spend the rest of my life with that man, please let me.”

“Ah——” After half a month, Father Li finally collapsed!

“Go! I allow it, I allow it!”

Please, I beg you to piss off already!

Li Yi smiled, his original cold expression softening, and he said sincerely: “Father, thank you for your permission, for your kindness in raising and nurturing me, this son will repay you in the next life.”

“Don’t repay, don’t repay anymore.” Father Li waved his hand feebly, and said with exhaustion, “I only hope that you will stay away from me in the next life and the next life after that. I want to live a few more years.”

Li Yi bowed, bowed deeply to Father Li, and left.

“Ai, Huai’er, the Li family will rely on you in the future.” Father Li patted Li Huai on the shoulder.

Li Huai looked at Li Yi’s leaving back, eyes full of envy, but his tone was very solemn: “Father, this child will not let you down.”

AN: Li Yi has learned the Nie-style shamelessness, and it indeed has a miraculous effect.