Chapter 425 A Small Disturbance

That thought flashed briefly through his mind and disappeared. Tan Xiaopei would naturally take precautions against him, even though he had never shown any ambition and was Tan Weixin's husband; even though he explained in detail the series of strategies he implemented in Yunzhou and the reasons for doing so, and had extensive and in-depth discussions with Tan Xiaopei in their correspondence; even though every move in Danyang would be reported to Ye Tao by documents from the Intelligence Bureau or the Imperial Study... But if Tan Xiaopei, while fully trusting him, did not monitor and restrain a powerful regional official wielding immense power, then Tan Xiaopei would not be a competent ruler. Many officials from Dongping dispatched to Yunzhou were from the Intelligence Bureau, and around Ye Tao were many people from the royal palace or inner court, ranging from Liu Yong and Bi Xiaoqing to ordinary guards and servants. Ye Tao naturally understood these things. He had no intention of rebelling or assisting anyone in rebellion, so he remained calm.

Knowing that Tan Xiaopei was hiding some things from him and that this trip to Danyang might stir up some trouble, Ye Tao felt it was only natural. Whether as a master craftsman or as the Yunzhou Commissioner, his actions were too extraordinary, so it would be strange if he didn't have some weaknesses. Zou Shuangwen's seemingly unalarming reminder naturally indicated that it was nothing serious, so thinking of this, Ye Tao chatted and laughed with Zou Shuangwen along the way, and his mood was not damaged in the slightest.

After the Blood Kirin Army soldiers accompanied Ye Tao's party into Danyang, they disbanded on the spot, which was equivalent to giving these welcoming soldiers a half-day holiday. Chang Huaiyin's group was taken over by the Chunnan Imperial Guards for security work and welcomed into the Golden Valley Garden, joining the final preparations for Concubine Lian's visit home. Zou Shuangwen enthusiastically escorted Ye Tao back to Zhengyuan, even giving the impression that he wanted to stay for dinner. Ye Tao didn't pay much attention to this behavior from his old friend, even though it was inconsistent with his usual style of keeping a distance from people and rarely participating in dinners. After all, the servants and guards were taking care of settling in, so he could just sit and chat with Zou Shuangwen.

There was only one thing Ye Tao couldn't quite understand, and that was why Zou Shuangwen had such a mysterious smile on his face?

"My lord, Princess Xiu has arrived," a servant suddenly entered the living room and announced with a bow.

Ye Tao frowned. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw Zou Shuangwen's eyebrow twitch almost imperceptibly, and the way he used the lid to push aside the tea leaves seemed so deliberate. He immediately understood that Zou Shuangwen knew this was going to happen.

"Her Highness is an old acquaintance. Let's greet her here," Ye Tao said, waving his hand. As soon as the servant left the living room, Ye Tao rushed to Zou Shuangwen and said seriously, "Brother Zou, you knew the princess was coming, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Zou Shuangwen seemed extremely surprised and said in an exaggerated tone, "Really? Didn't you expect Her Highness to come?" His expression and tone... made Ye Tao's teeth itch even more.

Zou Shuangwen patted Ye Tao on the shoulder and said, "Canghuai, you're too unkind. Winning the hearts of two princesses, you didn't even breathe a word about it. If you had said so earlier, even if things were tricky, a bunch of us friends would have helped you make the impossible happen. But you? Alas... you actually sent Her Highness back to Danyang. Alas, how could you be so heartless?"

Ye Tao was speechless. After a moment of愣神, he asked, dumbfounded, "Who told you about this?"

"Naturally, the princess herself!" Zou Shuangwen said with a chuckle, giving Ye Tao an astonishing answer.

How could this time and space suddenly become so unrestrained?

"Brother-in-law..." Ye Tao didn't know how long he had been in a daze when a soft voice brought him back to reality.

Tan Weishi stood before him again, still so beautiful and moving, still shining with the light of youth. However, the current Tan Weishi seemed to have gained a few more points of composure and persistence than before, but she also appeared slightly thinner than when he had last seen her in Yunzhou.

After returning Zou Shuangwen's greeting, Tan Weishi glanced at him with a very meaningful look, as if to say: You can watch the joke if you want, but you'll have plenty of opportunities to be sad later. Zou Shuangwen secretly cried out in his heart. He usually didn't have much interaction with Tan Weishi, but he didn't expect that after not seeing her for a while, Tan Weishi would actually have such a look and authority, making him really dare not brazenly watch the joke to the end. Tan Weishi was indeed not responsible for any specific matters, but as the highest-ranking young woman in Danyang, she had a very close relationship with many aristocratic women, including Zou Shuangwen's wife. As long as she wanted to, she could make many people's backyards uneasy.

Zou Shuangwen quickly took his leave, not wanting his overly simple, very cute, and easily deceived wife to be incited by Tan Weishi. Once she was incited for the first time, there would inevitably be subsequent tricks. Having seen many examples, Zou Shuangwen didn't want to have any personal experience in this regard.

"My sister wrote in a letter saying that you brought something for me, brother-in-law, is that right?" Tan Weishi asked very naturally.

"Yes," compared to the seemingly very calm Tan Weishi, Ye Tao was somewhat flustered. He replied, "Do you want it now?"

Tan Weishi chuckled and said, "The sooner I get this thing, the more time I have to prepare. Brother-in-law, I'll go with you to get it."

The dialogue, which was completely incomprehensible to others, seemed perfectly normal to the two of them. Ye Tao and Tan Weixin instructed their subordinates to do as they pleased in the living room or other courtyards of Zhengyuan. The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder towards the back of Zhengyuan, to the secret data room next to Ye Tao's workshop.

In fact, this secret data room was originally just an ordinary independent study, mainly used to store various technical materials from this era that Ye Tao could collect, to distinguish it from another room in Zhengyuan used to store literary and humanistic books. Therefore, in Zhengyuan, a place mainly inhabited by members of the Ye family workshop, retired members, and their families, that study was rarely visited. But this technical data room was perhaps too close to Ye Tao's workshop, and it was soon used to store increasingly confidential drawings and technical materials. As a result, the study was guarded year-round by several imperial guards and palace guards who were still paid by the same source to this day. After the Ye family workshop's precision machinery workshop developed safes and precision locks, this study gradually became one of the safest rooms in this time and space. The two-story study had a rather large underground vault. Behind that heavy cast copper door, a very small box was now quietly placed, containing several volumes of books. This box had actually just been placed in the vault. Ye Tao wasn't a god, so he didn't know that Tan Weishi would come so quickly, so quickly that the box hadn't completely dissipated the faint summer heat it had picked up along the way.

"Brother-in-law, I'll just read it here first, okay?" After bringing the scrolls back to the study from the vault, Tan Weishi chose the most comfortable chair in the room and sat down calmly. "Brother-in-law, you won't be able to be so leisurely. The King is summoning you tonight, you already know that, right?"

Ye Tao nodded helplessly and said, "Yes. It seems that this return to Danyang is not simple."

With a little bit of playful thoughts, Tan Weishi revealed a mischievous smile, but on the whole, she still maintained the calm expression that she had been maintaining very well throughout the entire process of her visit to Ye Tao this time. "Brother-in-law, don't worry. You're the Yunzhou Commissioner, no one can do anything to you."

These words didn't make Ye Tao feel much relieved. He left Tan Weishi alone in the study to read those scrolls, those scrolls that Ye Tao and Tan Weixin had spent a lot of effort to prepare specifically for Tan Weishi, while he himself walked out full of doubts, returned to the living room, and greeted the princess's entourage. After knowing Tan Weishi's feelings for him, it was a bit strange to face Tan Weishi again. If Tan Weishi had firmly expressed her feelings in front of others, then there was only one explanation for her recklessness: her feelings not only did not change with her being sent back to Yunzhou, but became more persistent, resilient, and more frank. To be able to stand in front of him so calmly, calling him brother-in-law in a soft tone as always, to be able to implement those things that had been agreed upon in the correspondence in such a calm tone, without any rush, this was a remarkable progress. It was just that her coming to Ye Mansion's Zhengyuan so early quietly revealed her thoughts.

Among those waiting in the living room, Ye Tao recognized many, including the manager of the Xiu Garden, Tan Weishi's chief guard, Tan Weishi's female attendant, and two accountants who helped Tan Weishi manage those cultural support affairs, while some were very unfamiliar. Especially a young scholar sitting on the side, next to the two accountants, staring at Ye Tao with a bit of hostility. To be able to sit in this position, looking like he was chatting and laughing with the two accountants, this young scholar should at least be someone who was relatively familiar with Tan Weishi. Just as Ye Tao glanced over, the young scholar stood up on his own, bowed deeply to Ye Tao, and said, "This humble Shen Dan, greets Commissioner Ye."

Ye Tao politely cupped his hands and asked, "I don't know you...?"

A clerk from the Commissioner's Office immediately reminded him, "Mr. Shen Dan is currently the chief compiler of the *Historical Research* series of the Baowentang Bookstore, the Director of the Imperial Academy, and one of the main founders of several poetry societies and literary societies here in Danyang. A famous poet and historian in Dongping."

Shen Dan quickly said modestly, "I dare not. My poetry may be passable, but my historical studies are merely picking up the leftovers of others. I am just a retainer of the Xiu Garden."

As soon as Shen Dan said this, the two accountants and Tan Weishi's chief guard, Jin Ze, felt a thud in their hearts, secretly crying out that this was not good. It was already problematic that Shen Dan referred to himself as "this humble one." Although the position of Director of the Imperial Academy that he held was not an official position, it was still on the official list of officials. There were usually only two situations in which one would not greet Ye Tao based on official rank: one was to be arrogant about one's talent, and the other was to prepare to rely on one's ability to make trouble. Judging from Shen Dan's appearance, it seemed that he possessed both. Tan Weishi had sponsored quite a few talented but impoverished scholars, but this aspect was always very low-key. The help she gave always came quietly through the friends of those scholars in need, and she did not expect any return. But the young scholars were fine when they didn't know at first, but after they knew, they were all grateful. Most of the scholars who received assistance did not feel ashamed that they were poor and had to accept assistance, but worked even harder, vowing to repay Dongping and the Tan family, and they were even more respectful and protective of Tan Weishi, who was directly helping them. Later, these scholars who received assistance actually spontaneously formed a society to conduct academic and other exchanges. All members of this society called themselves "retainers of the Xiu Garden." And Shen Dan... was the founder of this society, and is still one of the three directors, and the title of "retainer of the Xiu Garden" also started with him.

This spontaneous and loose society does not allow its members, especially those who have already been employed in various levels of government agencies, that is, those who have already gotten rid of being rice worms, to provide any substantial assistance to those who are still receiving assistance. At most, they could only provide some information on the selection of officials, and unnamed recommendations were the highest limit of assistance that the society tolerated. In addition to a strong and pure academic atmosphere and a positive and inspiring mutual encouragement, the society practiced strict self-discipline. If you want to make a name for yourself, you can only rely on your own efforts. Because most of the members of the society were poor scholars, they knew more about the lives and studies of those who were also poor scholars, and their responses were much more sensitive. Now the society has actually become a party that provides important reference opinions when Tan Weishi sponsors poor scholars. Whether assistance is needed, how to assist, and whether to persuade or simply stop assisting those scholars who do not study hard after receiving assistance but are instead obsessed with self-seeking... This group of "retainers of the Xiu Garden" is very influential in this regard.

Such a society would naturally not arouse too much vigilance among the officials in the court. They are loyal and gentle, and their spirit of striving to research knowledge has always been affirmed by many officials in the court. Compared with those poetry societies and other groups that sing of the wind and the moon, such a spiritual outlook is more in line with the needs of Dongping.

Today, Shen Dan did not originally come with the people from the Princess Mansion. It was only after Tan Weishi had just entered Zhengyuan that Shen Dan, who "happened to be passing by" the gate of Ye Mansion, saw the acquaintances from the Princess Mansion who were still tidying up the carriages in front of the gate, and then "enthusiastically" joined the group to visit Ye Tao together. He was a familiar face in the Xiu Garden, so everyone didn't think much about it and let Shen Dan come in and wait for Ye Tao together. And Shen Dan's self-proclaimed "retainer of the Xiu Garden" immediately reminded everyone that this society did not seem to be entirely a gentle and uplifting group. Their only almost successful disturbance was aimed at Ye Tao.

Two days before that, at a banquet, when Tan Weishi was asked by Huang Wan, a close friend who had made a special trip to Danyang and was now the wife of the Yicheng Governor Lu Dan, whether the "love affair" between her and Ye Tao was true, she frankly admitted her feelings, confessed the "agreement" between herself and her sister that made people not know how to comment, narrated what she had been doing all along, and finally said why she did not create an accomplished fact in a situation that had been set up almost perfectly to force the king to agree to this matter.

Whether they had always been Tan Weishi's friends, or those who did not approve of this overly lively princess, had to admire Tan Weishi's courage in this situation, facing many top aristocratic children of Dongping, including Huang Wan, to confess these things. Dongping is not as pedantic as Chunnan, nor does it completely regard marriage as a tool for alliances like the aristocratic families of Xiling, but it indeed does not have the open-minded folk customs of the territories of Northern Liao, Yunzhou, and the northern tribes. In Tan Weishi's calm narration, there may indeed still be hope, but more is the acceptance of the status quo, a struggle in the quagmire of despair, not knowing when to wait for the assistance of someone unknown.

From a woman's point of view—and this is also the beautiful wish of many aristocratic daughters, including Huang Wan—this assistance is best from Ye Tao. If Ye Tao could take the initiative and find ways to respond to Tan Weishi's feelings, that would naturally be the most ideal. But everyone knows that even with Ye Tao's statement, it is still Tan Xiaopei—the King of Dongping—who can ultimately decide this matter. Showing sympathy and concern for Tan Weishi is already the highest degree of support that Tan Weishi's many friends can offer.

But those scholars who were sponsored by Tan Weishi, relying on this sponsorship to survive, to continue their studies, to obtain the jobs or official positions that were the starting point of their careers, were not so calm and rational. When the news reached those guys who called themselves "retainers of the Xiu Garden," they organized a somber cocktail party for the first time.

The retainers of the Xiu Garden's admiration for the princess made them become a kind of person who, if placed in Ye Tao and Tan Weixin's standards, could be completely called "fans." Their logic became extremely simple and direct, and they no longer had the complex rationality they usually had when studying knowledge. They were furious at Ye Tao's failure to respond to Tan Weishi's feelings, turning a deaf ear when it was not exposed, watching silently after the matter was revealed, and not even retaining her in any way other than general etiquette when the King recalled Tan Weishi. In their view, whether Tan Weishi liked Ye Tao, or whether they were possible... these were not problems. It was okay for Tan Weishi to do such an irrational thing, but Ye Tao had always remained calm and rational, greatly hurting the feelings of such a naive, noble, and kind girl, and that was absolutely unforgivable!

A group of retainers of the Xiu Garden got drunk and smashed two Tiansuo pendulum clocks produced by the Ye family workshop in the restaurant, and then actually marched towards Zhengyuan with torches...

If someone had not quickly notified the relevant people, and then many people, including Jin Ze, had not controlled the situation in the first place, this would probably have been the first demonstration in the history of Dongping... Since the main participants were all scholars, it could barely be counted as a student movement. Although the reason for this incident was really not something that could be put on the table.

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An extra chapter for the first page recommendation... I have already updated more than 10,000 words today, so my attitude for the first page recommendation is not bad, please support me if you pass by.

Just as I said during the first first page recommendation, this is a typical book of mine, and maybe not everyone can accept this style and pace, but I myself am very happy to write it, and I think everyone can see that I write it very carefully, and I hope everyone likes it. Of course, I would be even happier if you are willing to subscribe :)

ps: Recommend Oscar's new book *Seizing the Qing*:

Those who like history can take a look, it is very good.