Chapter 14

"Is the old lady of the Yue family crazy? She actually sent that bookworm. Isn't she afraid that the fool will ruin the Yue family's business?" Lin Yuanteng, the head of the Lin family, shouted in surprise, his loud voice echoing in the hall. Unlike Zheng Fakui's kind and benevolent appearance and Wang Shoucheng's stern square face, Lin Yuanteng had a face full of cross-muscles and a pair of triangular eyes, making him look like a butcher at first glance. In fact, Lin Yuanteng's personality matched his appearance, being extremely brutal. He also had nearly a thousand fierce miners under his control, which made many people wary of him.

Li Yuan, the head of the Li family, frowned, clearly displeased with Lin Yuanteng's shouting. He said coolly, "Brother Lin, what are you shouting about? Since the old lady of the Yue family sent this inexperienced young man, isn't it better? This way, we might be able to take over the Sanggan River without much cost."

Lin Yuanteng nodded, "Yes, that's true. It saves us a lot of trouble."

"Cough, cough..." Zheng Fakui coughed lightly, a hint of displeasure in his heart. He said, "Gentlemen, the Yue family has been a local gentry for hundreds of years, known for their farming and reading. We should be moderate and not go too far!"

"Ah... Ha... Lord Zheng is right. We will certainly show some respect to the young man later," Lin Yuanteng laughed, but a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.

"That's good," Zheng Fakui nodded and turned to the bailiff at the door, "Please bring Master Yue in."

"Yes, sir!" The bailiff turned and left. Soon, light footsteps approached, and a young man in a white robe, with a decent and clear face, appeared before everyone.

Yueyang slowly walked into the hall, scanning the room. His gaze finally settled on the middle-aged official in a red robe with a cloud goose embroidered on the chest. Yueyang had recently studied some basic knowledge about the Ming Dynasty's bureaucracy and knew that the cloud goose symbolized a fourth-rank official. In the Yingzhou Prefecture, only one person could wear such a robe, the Prefect of Yingzhou, equivalent to a mayor and party secretary in modern times.

Yueyang quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said loudly, "Your Excellency, Yueyang is here to listen to your teachings!"

Zheng Fakui stared at Yueyang's face. Seeing that the young man showed no signs of nervousness or unease, he nodded inwardly and smiled, "You must be the young master of the Yue family. I've heard a lot about you. Today, I see that you are indeed a young and talented man. Please rise!"

After greeting Zheng Fakui, Yueyang straightened his chest and casually saluted the other three people in the hall, "I believe you are the heads of the Lin, Li, and Wang families. Yueyang greets you!"

"Bold!"

"Rude!"

"Disrespectful!"

Several shouts of anger rang out. Wang Shoucheng, Li Yuan, and Lin Yuanteng were furious, shouting in unison. Wang Shoucheng pointed at Yueyang and said coldly, "Young man of the Yue family, has your family not taught you manners? You don't even greet your elders?"

The most irascible Lin Yuanteng also cursed, "Boy, if you don't bow and apologize to me right now, don't blame me for being impolite."

During the Ming Dynasty, etiquette was highly valued. Xunzi once said, "Without manners, a person cannot stand, a task cannot be accomplished, and a country cannot be at peace." This means that without manners, a person cannot live, a task cannot succeed, and a country cannot be stable. Etiquette was also an important tool for rulers to maintain their authority, so it was always taken seriously throughout history.

Logically, as a younger generation, Yueyang should have shown respect to the three elders. By merely saluting them casually, he was showing contempt and giving them a handle to criticize him. Seeing this, Zheng Fakui shook his head, and the slight good impression he had of Yueyang vanished.

However, facing the accusations of Wang Shoucheng and Lin Yuanteng, Yueyang showed no remorse or fear. He looked at Wang Shoucheng and said coldly, "I believe you are the head of the Wang family. Yueyang boldly asks, are we here today just to catch up or to discuss the Sanggan River? If it's the former, I will immediately apologize to the three of you and beg for your forgiveness. If it's the latter, then Yueyang must be disrespectful!"

"Uh..." Yueyang's words left Lin Yuanteng and the others speechless, even Zheng Fakui was taken aback.

Indeed, Yueyang had a point. What were they here for today? If they were just catching up, Yueyang should have shown respect as a junior. But today, they were here to plot the Sanggan River, and Yueyang was representing the Yue family, making him an equal. Saluting them was normal and could not be considered impolite. The three of them were momentarily speechless.

Seeing everyone at a loss for words, Yueyang sneered and, without waiting for Zheng Fakui to speak, walked to the seat to the right of Zheng Fakui and sat down.

Zheng Fakui's eyelids twitched, and he coughed lightly, "Hmm... Master Yue has a point. Gentlemen, there's no need to argue over such trivial matters. Let's get to the main topic."

"Right, right... Let's get to the main topic!" Li Yuan laughed and defused the situation.

Lin Yuanteng "harrumphed." He was always dealing with miners and had a rough personality. He looked at Yueyang and said bluntly, "Young man of the Yue family, we sent this invitation to your grandmother, but since you represent the Yue family, it's the same. To be honest, this year's drought has left three out of the four rivers in Yingzhou Prefecture dry. Only your family's Sanggan River still has water. We think you won't use all of it, so we want to dig more canals to share some of it. It's just to help in an emergency!"

Wang Chenglin also chimed in, "Yes, Brother Lin is right. Our lower rivers are all dry, and the fields are withering. Nephew Yue, it would be a good deed to share some of the Sanggan River's water with us."

"Exactly, it's just a little water, not worth much. Nephew Yue wouldn't be so stingy, right, Lord Zheng?"

Listening to the three of them pressuring him, Zheng Fakui just sat in his chair, eyes half-closed, pretending it was none of his business. Yueyang, however, had a mocking look in his eyes. After they finished speaking, he sneered, "So, it seems that no matter what, the Yue family has to agree to this today?"

Wang Shoucheng said calmly, "Ah, Nephew Yue, that's not the case. We are only doing this out of necessity, not to take over the Sanggan River. Once the rainy season comes and the water levels return to normal, we will block the canals and restore everything."

"Yes, that's right. If Nephew Yue feels it's unfair, the three of us can compensate you with some silver. We won't let you lose out!"

Looking at the hypocritical and fake generous faces around him, Yueyang suppressed his anger and sneered, "Oh, so Head of the Lin family, you said you would compensate us? Is that true or just a casual remark?"

"Ah... This..." Lin Yuanteng was momentarily at a loss. He had just said it casually and never intended to compensate the Yue family.

Yueyang sneered, "Oh, so the compensation you mentioned is just a casual remark, not to be taken seriously!"

"This..." Now, not only Lin Yuanteng, but even Wang Shoucheng and Li Yuan looked embarrassed. Even Zheng Fakui couldn't stand it and interjected, "Master Yue, there's no need to be angry. I believe that since the three families are digging canals from the Sanggan River, they should compensate you. How much compensation do you think is appropriate?"

Yueyang said coolly, "Your Excellency, the heavens have not been kind for the past two years, and it hasn't rained for nearly half a year. Water is as precious as oil. If the three families want to use the Sanggan River's water, each family should pay one thousand taels of gold. This way, I can allow the three families to share the Sanggan River's water for half a year. What do you think?"

"What? Absolutely not!" The three heads of the families almost jumped up in shock.

Lin Yuanteng's face turned red with anger. He jumped up and shouted, "Young man of the Yue family, do you really think your Sanggan River's water is divine dew? You're trying to swindle me!"

"Bang!" Yueyang slammed the table and shouted, "Lin, if you're unhappy, you don't have to buy it. No one is forcing you! As for swindling you? I don't have the interest!"

As Yueyang's words fell, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense...

PS: I'm really sorry. After Ah Ding was hospitalized, he couldn't go online or upload articles. I apologize for the delay!