Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 164 Jin Yu Nu Beats the Unfeeling Man
"Yawn." At the recruiting office, Jiedushi Zhang was yawning as he looked at the new recruits who came to report.

He came today entirely because of Hu Meir's instructions.

Some were too poor to survive, some were forced into conscription, and of course some wanted to achieve great things.

At this moment, it was soon Qin Shaoyou's turn. He walked up to Jiedushi Zhang and handed over the registration booklet, which contained three thousand taels of silver notes.

"Are you Qin Shaoyou?" Jiedushi Zhang said seriously, but he took the banknote away in a flash.

"Yes, sir." Qin Shaoyou said with a smile on his face.

"I've reviewed your information. Both your parents are deceased, and one of your brothers has already joined the army in your place." Zhang Jiedushi said slowly, "I understand that it's not easy for you to guard your home. So, if you can shout three times for someone to go to war in your place, I'll let you go."

"But...but everyone here is on the list, who can replace me?" Qin Shaoyou asked in confusion, not knowing why the governor would say that.

"That's not my business. I will only give you this one chance." He didn't understand why Miss Mei'er asked him to do this, but when he thought about how good her kung fu was, which made him reluctant to leave, and she even promised to serve him well tonight, how could he not agree to such a small request?
"Are you going to shout or not?" Jiedushi Zhang said impatiently.

Qin Shaoyou gritted his teeth, somewhat unwillingly. Although the chance was slim, he had spent more than three thousand taels to get this opportunity, so he might as well give it a try.

So he shouted loudly: "Who will go to the battle for me, who will go to the battle for me, who will go to the battle for me."

After shouting, Qin Shaoyou looked at the people queuing behind him with frustration and a gloomy expression. Perhaps this is the reason why the fire of hope was ignited and then extinguished!
After shouting, Jiedushi Zhang laughed out loud. This guy must have offended Mei'er, otherwise why would Mei'er play tricks on him for no reason? It seems that he has to give him some suffering to please Mei'er.

"I'll go into battle for you." A gentle voice, neither hurried nor slow, came from the door.

Jiedushi Zhang was stunned and looked towards the door with a frown.

Qin Shaoyou was delighted and turned around to see that it was him. He was immediately surprised. It turned out to be him. Why was he helping him?
"Who are you?" Jiedushi Zhang said in an indignant tone. You actually ruined my good thing. I thought no one would respond, so I could just go back and fool Mei'er, and then explain to Zhou Liufu. I didn't expect that Chen Yaojin would really show up halfway.

"A person who wants to serve the country, Your Excellency will not laugh at a person who wants to serve the country!" Ye Beixuan said in a calm tone.

I had originally been thinking of joining the army and resolving things secretly, but now it seems I can solve Qin Shaoyou's problem at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

"Oh? To serve the country, right? Okay, I'll give you a chance. Write your name on this. From today on, you will be a member of my Death Battalion and will go to the front line with the team." Jiedushi Zhang said unhappily.

Since this guy is looking for death, I won't care about him anymore. The refugees don't have household registration information yet, so it's appropriate to send such people to the suicide squad.

The Death Battalion, as soon as you hear the name, you know it is not a good job. The soldiers next to him all shook their heads and said he was stupid. Except for those who couldn't survive as soldiers, the rest of them could get a better job by giving gifts and using connections.

Ye Beixuan signed Ye Liuxiang without hesitation, of course using a fake name. How could he use his real name when he was out?
"In that case, Qin Shaoyou, you can go back!" Jiedushi Zhang had already said it and it was not easy to go back on his word in public.

"Wait." Ye Beixuan suddenly stopped Qin Shaoyou and said, "Sir, since you have already made your promise, can you issue a certificate to exempt him from joining the army in the future?"

"Of course I trust you, sir, but what if some Li Jiedushi comes and does the same thing next time? Wouldn't that be a slap in your face?"

"You..." Jiedushi Zhang was choked and speechless. He gritted his teeth and uttered a few words: "Come here, bring the exemption certificate."

Jiedushi Zhang stamped the seal heavily, as if taking out all his anger on it.

"Ye Liuxiang, report here in three days and follow me to the front line. There must be no mistakes. Anyone who violates the rules will be killed without mercy." After writing the exemption letter, Jiedushi Zhang said threateningly, "If you follow me this time, I will kill you."

"Let's go!" Ye Beixuan put his arm around Qin Shaoyou's shoulders and said, "You have to make me some delicious food to nourish me these few days."

Qin Shaoyou was stunned and shed tears of emotion. After his father's death, he thought that only his sister was sincere to him, but his sister eventually chose to join the army for his sake. He was left alone and helpless, guarding against all the intrigues in the society. But now he meets someone who is sincere to him. How can he not be moved?
"Okay, I will make you something delicious, the best."

"I want big yellow croaker."

"Yes, I will make you a yellow croaker feast today."

The two of them talked as they walked back arm in arm.

It's noon.

Ye Beixuan and Ye Xiaobei were devouring all sorts of delicious dishes. To use the words of a smoker, even a bird could be found on the mountain. The master and disciple ate goji berry stewed bird every day. Not only that, Ye Beixuan also induced Li Xianglian to eat bird every day.
Just as the two of them were eating and drinking, Qin Shaoyou straightened his clothes, slammed the gavel, and began his storytelling.

"Everyone, tea is the talk of romance, and wine is the matchmaker. Today I will bring you a famous story called "The Golden Lotus"

"I've heard it so many times. It's just the story of three women!"

"That's right, I'm tired of hearing the story of the three adulterous women. Let's try something new."

"This..." Qin Shaoyou said dejectedly. The story given by his sister has been told. Repeating it over and over again is simply torture for the old listeners. What should he do?

Just when he was at a loss, someone patted his shoulder and a gentle and charming voice came to his ear, saying, "Let me do it!"

"You?" Qin Shaoyou looked at Ye Beixuan in confusion. Does this guy know storytelling?

"Trust me." Ye Beixuan patted his shoulder and asked him to sit down.

"Hmm." He cleared his throat, and with a snap! , the wake-up stick sounded, and Ye Beixuan spoke loudly: "Everyone, I'm new here. My name is Ye Liuxiang, and I'm a storyteller. Today I'll bring you an exclusive story called "Jin Yu Nu Beats the Unfaithful Lover with a Stick."

Everyone's eyes lit up. This storyteller was quite something and was obviously a veteran.

Seeing everyone was silent, Ye Beixuan began to speak slowly and loudly, "There's a mysterious organization in a certain city called the Beggars' Gang. The leader of this Beggars' Gang is surnamed Jin, and his name is Boss Jin."

When everyone heard this, they whispered to each other, "Isn't this just a beggar? And he's so old!"

Ye Beixuan smiled faintly, laughing at their ignorance of how profitable the Beggars' Sect was, and continued, "This Boss Jin has been the leader of the Beggars' Sect for seven generations. He was able to leave the beggars to his own people, while he himself enjoyed the benefits and built a complete family fortune, yet he was still called the Beggar Leader. And this Boss Jin's wife died when he was in his fifties, leaving him with no children, only a daughter named Yu Nu."

"That jade slave was exceedingly beautiful, and there's even a poem describing her: flawless as jade, with a beauty that would shame flowers. She lacked the palace attire, and was unmistakably Zhang Lihua." (From "Jin Yu Nu Beats Her Unfaithful Lover with a Stick" in Yu Shi Ming Yan)
"What a great poem! I didn't expect Mr. Ye to have such outstanding literary talent."

"Yeah, he looks like a great gentleman, and his story is fascinating."

Ye Beixuan was no longer surprised by this and continued aloud, "This Boss Jin treats his daughter like a treasure. He taught her poetry and songs since she was young. By the time she was fifteen or sixteen, she had mastered everything."

"Unfortunately, Boss Jin was of humble origin, and scholars were unwilling to marry her. Boss Jin was determined to marry her off to a scholar, and this dragged on until she was eighteen."

"Idiot? What's the point of birth? I just want beauty. With such a beauty, who cares about birth?" A scholar in the field said while looking at the sky, with a longing look on his face.

"Hey! What do you know? This is what you think now. If you become a high-ranking official in the future and have more beautiful women around you, but your wife is from a group of women, what will you think?" another person immediately retorted.

Ye Beixuan's ears were sharp, and he nodded when he heard this. They were all right. What was wrong was that people's hearts changed. You think this way now, but will you think the same way in the future? Maybe you love someone to death now, but what about in the future? How many people love each other to death at first, but in the end they want to kill each other.

After everyone finished their discussion, Ye Beixuan continued loudly, "That Boss Jin overheard an old man from the neighborhood say there was a scholar named Mo Ji living under Taiping Bridge. His parents were both dead. He happened to pass the imperial examination and, because his family was poor and he hadn't married yet, he wanted to marry into his family. He was a perfect match for Jin Yunu."

Then he began to tell his story. Boss Jin was very happy to hear the news and begged him to ask his old neighbor to act as a matchmaker.

At this point, the audience started arguing again.

"Scholars are so great! Scholars are so great! I don't accept it. Why?" A sullen-faced man said unconvincedly, "I also use my strength to support my wife and children."

"Reading can change your destiny." A scholar said calmly, "I am ashamed to sit with someone like you."

"In my opinion, the scholar is useless. How can such a beauty like her not find a husband? Why does she have to look for a scholar?" Another person who was obviously not a scholar joined in attacking the scholar.

Bang! Ye Beixuan slammed the gavel, returning the noisy environment to zero again.

After seeing the silence, Ye Beixuan spoke again, "That neighbor was a sincere man. He went to the bridge and found Mo Ji. After hearing what had happened, Mo Ji was very happy, but he was quite hesitant about his identity as the group leader, fearing that he would be ridiculed. However, after the old man's persuasion, he felt that he could not afford food, clothing, shelter and transportation, so he gritted his teeth and agreed."

The audience started talking again. Qin Shaoyou was startled and asked in a low voice, "Why is it that when Mr. Ye tells a story, there are always people discussing it, but I rarely see anyone like him?"

Ye Xiaobei, who was buried in his food, said without looking up, "Because the master knows how to arouse people's emotions, pause when he speaks, and pay attention to the tone and intonation. Storytelling is not just reading aloud, it also needs body language."

Ye Xiaobei was teaching by example at this moment, looking like a senior brother.

"Oh!" Qin Shaoyou nodded, not quite understanding.

"Look! Even if you're well-read, what's the point? You still have to bow to life."

"That's right, scholars are nothing special." The people who had just joined forces to attack the scholar began to mock the scholar again.

"How can a person of low status understand these things?" The scholar replied calmly and venomously.

Ye Beixuan smiled slightly when he saw that everyone had finished arguing with each other like in the comment section.

Snap! There was a sound of a wake-up stick, and he spoke again:

"So, the Jin family chose an auspicious day. To avoid embarrassing Mo Ji, they even gave him a set of groom's clothes and invited his relatives and friends to a banquet. It was really lively and exciting."

"That Mo Ji, seeing that Jin Yu Nu was both talented and beautiful, with a beauty as charming as a fairy, was so proud of himself. He got a beautiful wife for free without spending a penny."

The scholar who had previously said that he didn't care about family background, but only about beauty, said proudly: "See! I said, with such beauty, who cares about family background?"

The others didn't dare to refute the scholar, so they could only listen in silence. Ye Beixuan continued, "And that slave, Yu Nu, spared no expense, buying books for her husband to study. It can be said that Mo Ji was extremely proud of himself, and his friends all knew that he was poor and could understand him. No one laughed at him."

Then Ye Beixuan continued to talk endlessly, saying that Jin Yu Nu was strong-willed. If she hadn't been born in a bad family, how could she have dragged eighteen families? So she kept urging her husband to study.

Mo Ji had a lovely wife by his side and could study quietly, so his talent and knowledge grew day by day. Before he was 23, he was sent to the capital by the county school to take the imperial examination, and he actually passed.

"With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?" One man beat his chest and stamped his feet, saying, "If my wife at home were half as fierce as she is, I would have been an official long ago."

"Yes!" another sighed, "A good wife brings prosperity to three generations."

Then Ye Beixuan continued to say that after Mo Ji attended the Jinshi banquet, he put on a black gauze hat and returned home in glory.

"When Mo Ji arrived at his father-in-law's house, he saw a child from the neighborhood pointing at him, which made him feel very unhappy. What did the child say?"

Then Ye Beixuan suddenly imitated the expression of a child, pointed at everyone and said, "Look, the son-in-law of the Jin family has become a high-ranking official."

"Hahahahahaha." Everyone was amused by Ye Beixuan's funny appearance and laughed heartily.

Only then did Qin Shaoyou understand that storytelling was not just about reading, but also about performing.

Everyone's thoughts were brought back to reality. Ye Beixuan's tone darkened as he continued, "And when Mo Ji heard this, he thought to himself: If I had known I would be rich and powerful today, I wouldn't have worshipped a group leader as my father-in-law."

"He looked so regretful, completely forgetting the good and bad times his wife had shared with him. He even came home sullen and gloomy, refusing to respond even when his wife called him repeatedly."

At this point, Ye Beixuan noticed that the whole place was completely silent, and he sighed. He had read this story before, and he felt bad about it. He felt that Mo Ji was quite similar to Kong Yiji and Fan Jin in Mr. Lu Xun's works, but he was just a sour Confucian scholar.

"He is indeed a poor scholar. Even after becoming an official, he still remains a stubborn scholar." Someone began to discuss.

Upon hearing this, the scholars in the room were all silent, but no one dared to refute.

Seeing the effect, Ye Beixuan continued, "Not long after, Mo Ji was appointed as a military official and boarded the ship to take up his post. Boss Jin was overjoyed and personally poured wine to see him off. Yu Nu was even more overjoyed, feeling that she had finally made it."

"However." The change in tone of the word "however" immediately aroused the emotions of all the scholars and people of humble origins in the audience. They really wanted to know what would happen next.

With a sigh, Ye Beixuan continued, "However, while on the boat trip to his post, the cold moon was high in the sky. Mo Ji had no desire to sleep and was admiring the moon. Suddenly, he remembered that his father-in-law was the head of the group. He was depressed and suddenly he had a bad idea in his heart. He wanted to kill Yu Nu and marry someone else."

Then he recounted how Mo Ji coaxed Jin Yunu out to admire the moon.

Yu Nu had already fallen asleep, but she did not dare to disobey her husband, so she had to stay with him in thin clothes.

Ye Beixuan spoke at this point, his tone extremely fast, and he shouted excitedly: "Just when the jade slave looked up at the moon, thinking that the family was complete, Mo Ji took advantage of her unpreparedness and slapped her."

He paused for a second, making everyone's heart jump to their throats, and then said: "With one palm, knock her into the rolling river. Yu Nu was instantly swallowed by the river."

There was a loud bang, and a man holding a knife shouted angrily: "Ungrateful son of a bitch."

"This is a scholar, such a sour scholar"

All the scholars in the room held their breath and dared not refute, for fear of angering a group of unreasonable but loyal men.

"Don't shout, there will definitely be a sequel, just keep listening."

"Later"

Everyone now wants to know what happened to poor Yu Nu.

"As the saying goes, there is no coincidence in the world. Isn't this a coincidence?" Ye Beixuan's tone suddenly became teasing again, making everyone breathe a sigh of relief, and their hearts began to fall to the ground.

"It just so happened that another official ship was also moving, and on board was the newly appointed transport envoy Xu Dehou. Lord Xu had just moved the ship when he heard crying and shouting, and it was extremely mournful. He quickly sent people to salvage the ship, and that's how Yu Nu was saved." Ye Beixuan slowly unfolded the whole story.

Ye Beixuan then narrated that Xu Dehou was kind-hearted and adopted Jin Yunu as his adopted daughter, and was determined to seek justice for her.

After seeing Mo Ji again, Xu Dehou felt even more emotional. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have never thought that such a talented person could be so heartless and disloyal. But he finally felt that talent was rare and decided to give him another try.

So he planned a plan and deliberately told his subordinates that he had a daughter who had reached the age of marriage, and deliberately led his subordinates to talk about Na Mo Ji.

"As expected, then Mo Ji was deceived and came up with the idea of becoming the son-in-law of the Fortune Teller, hoping to rise to higher positions."

Everyone was silent because the villain was now successful. Whether they were rough men or scholars, they all held their breath and felt extremely uncomfortable.

"On the wedding day, Mo Ji's heart was in heaven, his joy was indescribable, and he had long forgotten his wife."

"Just as he was entering the bridal chamber with his head held high and chest puffed out with joy, he was met with a large group of old women and maids beating him with sticks. Mo Ji was beaten black and blue and cried for help."

"well played"

"Such an ungrateful person should be executed."

A group of scholars were even more ashamed, ashamed to be scholars with such people, and they all gnashed their teeth.

"Just then." The tone paused, and everyone's voice rose to their throats again.

Is there something else going on?

Unexpectedly, Ye Beixuan pinched her nose and imitated Jin Yunu's voice and said delicately: "Don't kill the unlucky man, call him to meet temporarily."

"Hahaha, Mr. Ye imitated it quite well."

His funny performance made everyone burst into laughter.

Then Ye Beixuan recounted the story. Mo Ji was not convinced and loudly questioned Xu Dehou, asking him what crime he had committed and why he was being beaten so harshly. He then pointed at the girl wearing a red veil and asked her, "How could a lady from a noble family treat her husband like this?"

"Who would have thought that when the bride's veil was lifted, it turned out to be the drowned Jin Yunu. Mo Ji had a guilty conscience and was so frightened that he cried out, 'There's a ghost!'"

Ye Beixuan continued to narrate, and Xu Dehou told Mo Ji that Jin Yu Nu was his adopted daughter. Only then did Mo Ji realize that his crime had long been known, and he dared not be arrogant at all, nodding his head repeatedly to admit his guilt.

Xu Dehou said that as long as Jin Yunu did not pursue the matter, he would let bygones be bygones.

"This is the end! Jin Yunu was tired of scolding and beating her, and after Xu Dehou and Madam Xu persuaded her, the two finally reconciled as before."

"And Mo Ji, who truly repented, often taught his children not to forget their roots. Ultimately, with the help of his father-in-law, he was promoted to Vice Minister, and Jin Yunu was given the title of Imperial Lady. The couple lived a life of peace and harmony."

Snap! A gavel banged.

Ye Beixuan said in a deep voice: "The story ends."

"Damn, what kind of ending is this? It's such a mess!"

"Exactly. He's about to kill himself, and you're still with him? Is that reasonable?"

Ye Beixuan sighed helplessly. It really didn't make sense. It was like someone in a previous life who killed his wife to defraud insurance and received the punishment they deserved. But just because Mo Ji was an official, he could be exempted from punishment. It was a bit hard to accept, but that was how the original novel was, and there was nothing I could do to change it!

However, in the opera adapted by Mr. Xun Huisheng, the ending was changed to Jin Yunu accusing Mo Ji, forcing Mo Ji to take off his hat and feather.

Ye Beixuan agreed with this ending, but on the other hand, from a modern perspective, he, with his modern thoughts, was more in line with this ending, which was reasonable.

Judging from the thinking of ancient people, if Jin Yunu took off Mo Ji's hat and feather, she would not only be labeled a widow, but her status and birth would probably not become noble.

[Storytelling Level: LV5 (78000/200000)]

[Today's Storytelling Chapter 10: Extending Lifespan by Ten Days, Strengthening the Chaos Art to the Third Level]

[Reward for Jin Yu Nu Beating Her Unfaithful Lover: 1 Yu Shi Ming Yan Fragment]

After finishing the story, Qin Shaoyou walked up to Ye Beixuan with an excited and admiring look on his face and said, "Brother."

"Please teach me how to tell a story."

Hehe! Ye Beixuan chuckled secretly, his purpose in showing off his skills had been achieved. He had to go to the army, so it was inconvenient to bring Ye Xiaobei with him. He would leave him here to tell stories, complete the Three Words and Two Shots for him, and get the reward, which was very satisfying.

Moreover, with Ye Xiaobei's current strength, he is invincible in the mortal world.

"Hmm!" Ye Beixuan's face was calm, and he sighed, "I could teach you, but now I have to go to the army, so I don't have time to teach you."

"Is that so!" Qin Shaoyou showed a gloomy look.

"But." Ye Beixuan said this, and suddenly saw Qin Shaoyou's eyes light up. He raised the corner of his mouth and said, "I am going to the battlefield. I can't afford to support this poor disciple who has a big appetite. However, he is a storyteller who has inherited my true teachings. If you don't mind, how about putting him here with you and letting him teach you?"

"Him?" Qin Shaoyou looked at the honest Ye Xiaobei with deep suspicion in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)