Chapter 10

Ye Yu looked at the invitation in his hand, and a hint of worry appeared on his calm face. He was just an unknown young man, yet the magistrate had specially sent him an invitation for his birthday. This unreasonable situation made him suddenly think of Lu Zheng.

Those attending the birthday celebration were either wealthy or noble. If Lu Zheng had invited him under the pretext of his father's birthday, it certainly wasn't out of kindness. Moreover, according to Ye Yu's understanding, people like Su Quanzhong had received their invitations half a month ago, while his invitation only arrived today.

It was the afternoon of the day of Magistrate Lu Kun's birthday celebration. In such a short time, it was impossible to prepare a suitable gift. This timing was clearly designed to give him a big problem. If he didn't attend, it would be unreasonable.

If this was indeed as he suspected, a deliberate move by Lu Zheng, then he had to admit that Lu Zheng was a master at playing this game. Although Ye Yu knew that after the last incident, Lu Zheng might not let it go, he didn't expect the retaliation to come so quickly.

"Master, shall I go to the market to buy some gifts?" Qiulan asked softly, seeing Ye Yu's expression change.

Ye Yu shook his head and then said calmly, "Whether I send a gift or not, it will be hard to get out of this unscathed! I need to think about this carefully..."

Qiulan watched as Ye Yu furrowed his brows in deep thought and stood quietly by his side, not daring to disturb him. After a long while, Ye Yu stroked his chin and said calmly, "Qiulan, go to the shop and take a leave for me. On your way back, buy a live animal from the market..."

"Master, what are you...?" Qiulan was puzzled and scratched her head, unable to understand.

Ye Yu smiled mysteriously, "That's enough, don't ask too many questions!"

"Um!" Qiulan nodded softly and turned to leave the courtyard.

At this moment, in the back garden of the Lu residence, Lu Zheng was playing with a bird in a cage in the pavilion. Pan Zhi, sitting at a table nearby, was sipping wine and fanning himself.

"Brother Pan, I heard you've been studying diligently lately. Is that true?" Lu Zheng turned and placed the birdcage on the stone table, then asked casually.

Pan Zhi poured himself a drink and said solemnly, "Yes, my grandfather has high hopes for me! The big exam is in a year, and I hope I won't let him down!"

"Brother Pan, you're overthinking it. With your talent, passing the provincial and imperial exams should be as easy as taking something out of a pocket. It's just that your father has high expectations, so you've had to study for so many years!"

Pan Zhi sighed, "My grandfather hopes that I, as his eldest grandson, can achieve the highest honors. How can I let him down?"

Lu Zheng, indifferent to the imperial exams, said, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but the Pan family is one of the richest in this county and even in Chuzhou. Why pursue those illusory titles? Like me, wouldn't it be better to enjoy life freely?"

Pan Zhi smiled slightly but said nothing, continuing to drink and enjoy himself.

At this moment, Lu San ran into the pavilion from the moon gate, "Young Master, I'm back!"

"Did you deliver the invitation?"

Lu San bowed and replied with a smile, "Yes, I did!"

"Good! Today is the old man's birthday. You'll be watching the door. When he arrives, report to me immediately. Go!"

"Yes!"

After Lu San left, Pan Zhi asked curiously, "Who is so important that you're so concerned, Brother Lu?"

At this question, Lu Zheng's previously calm face darkened, and he coldly muttered, "Isn't it that cripple I told you about last time?"

"Oh, him?"

Pan Zhi knew exactly who Lu Zheng was referring to. When they left the tavern that day, he had instructed a servant to follow Lu Zheng to Ye Yu's residence. The servant later reported in detail what he had heard outside the courtyard.

After hearing the servant's detailed account, Pan Zhi had praised Ye Yu's cleverness in dealing with Lu Zheng. He had even thought about meeting Ye Yu, but due to being confined by his grandfather, he had been focused on his studies and had put the idea aside.

Now that Lu Zheng mentioned Ye Yu, Pan Zhi was particularly interested and asked, "Today is the magistrate's birthday, and all the notable figures in the county are invited. Why did you invite the unknown Ye Yu?"

"Unknown? Ha! Not necessarily! He insulted me that day, and if I don't retaliate, won't it make me look weak? Brother Pan, just wait and see!" Lu Zheng drank the wine in one gulp, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Pan Zhi looked at Lu Zheng and then said to himself, "Very well, I also want to meet this person!"

...

By evening, the front of the Lu residence was bustling with people and carriages. In the world of officials, whether it was a birthday or a wedding, it was always a means to accumulate wealth and strengthen social ties.

At this birthday banquet for Lu Kun, almost all the gentry and scholars of Qingliu County had gathered.

When the Song Dynasty was first established, Emperor Taizu had tried to curb this corrupt trend, but after two hundred years, the system had decayed, and the old ways had returned. Especially after half the country fell to the Jurchens, the Southern Song court, with its nightly revelries, had become increasingly corrupt.

Ye Yu watched the scene at the Lu residence from a distance and felt a sense of helplessness. He thought that the corrupt officials in this Song Dynasty were inevitable.

Ye Yu, sitting in a wheelchair pushed by Qiulan, approached the Lu residence and unexpectedly met Su Quanzhong, who was also coming to celebrate.

"Nephew, I've prepared a gift for you!" Su Quanzhong waved his hand, and a servant presented a gift.

Ye Yu was surprised and asked, "Why, Uncle Su?"

"Don't refuse, nephew. I heard you received an invitation today. I was worried you wouldn't have time to prepare a gift, so I had my daughter prepare one for you!"

Su Quanzhong's words made Ye Yu realize that Qiulan must have mentioned the invitation when she took leave.

Understanding this, Ye Yu bowed in gratitude, "I appreciate your kindness, Uncle Su, but I've already prepared a gift, so there's no need for you to spend more!"

"Oh?" Su Quanzhong stroked his beard and looked at the blue cloth bag in Ye Yu's lap, which was slightly moving.

"Ha! Very well, let's go in together!" Su Quanzhong didn't take offense at Ye Yu's refusal, thinking it was normal for a young man to be proud.

"Uncle Su, please lead the way!"

"..."

After entering the Lu residence, Ye Yu looked around and saw that the courtyard was filled with tables and guests. The noise of the crowd filled the not-so-spacious yard.

People chatted in small groups, and Ye Yu's appearance went largely unnoticed.

However, a few people, seeing his shabby clothes and disabled legs, frowned in disgust.

Soon, Lu Kun, dressed in casual clothes, appeared in the hall. Ye Yu looked at him and thought, "This Lu Kun is truly a fat and corrupt official." His plump face and large ears were a true representation of a greedy official.

Lu Kun's small eyes sparkled with joy at the sight of so many guests. He greeted each one warmly, as if they were old friends he hadn't seen in a long time.

Although Ye Yu didn't like such occasions, he had to adapt since he was there. Among the guests, he only recognized a few shopkeepers from his previous encounter; the rest were strangers.

Fortunately, he had Su Quanzhong to talk to, which made him feel less alone in the noisy environment.

Just as Su Quanzhong was introducing the guests to Ye Yu, a figure appeared before them. Ye Yu looked up and saw it was Lu Zheng. "Good people don't come, and those who come are not good," so Ye Yu's heart sank.

Before Ye Yu could speak, Lu Zheng said with a smile, "Brother Ye, you finally made it..."

Lu Zheng's casual gesture surprised the other guests. Those who had previously looked down on Ye Yu now thought more highly of him.

Ye Yu didn't know what the others were thinking, but Lu Zheng's unusual behavior made him more cautious.

"Brother Lu sent me an invitation, and knowing it was the magistrate's birthday, how could I not come to celebrate?" Ye Yu couldn't refuse a friendly gesture, so he bowed and smiled in return.

At this moment, Magistrate Lu Kun approached and looked at Ye Yu with his narrow eyes, then asked Lu Zheng, "Zheng, is this your friend?"

"Yes, this is my friend, Brother Ye. He came specially to celebrate Father's birthday!"

Lu Zheng introduced Ye Yu to his father with a smile, then turned to the crowd and said loudly, "My friend once said he would prepare a valuable gift for my father. Would you all like to see it?"

This statement drew a chorus of agreement from the crowd. Lu Zheng's friendly behavior toward Ye Yu had convinced everyone that they were close friends.

Therefore, no one doubted Lu Zheng's words and were eager to see Ye Yu's valuable gift.

"Brother Ye, I'm very curious about your gift. Can you show it to us?" Lu Zheng folded his arms and looked at Ye Yu with a self-satisfied smile.

"My master..."

"Qiulan, don't say more!" Ye Yu stopped Qiulan from speaking and looked at Lu Zheng with a serious face, "Brother Lu, you're overestimating me. An ordinary family like mine doesn't have valuable items."

Ye Yu inwardly cursed Lu Zheng's cruelty. With Lu Zheng's deliberate setup, everyone now believed they were close friends. Moreover, Lu Zheng had falsely claimed that Ye Yu had prepared a valuable gift.

If he couldn't produce a satisfactory gift, he would not only lose face but also be seen as insincere and dishonest!