Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 686 Chen Buyu, the Disliked One

The guards in front of them were soldiers from Chongshan Town. They did not recognize Ma Yan, but they recognized the Yang family's nameplate.

After checking Ma Yan's badge, the guard respectfully returned it to Ma Yan, saying, "The mansion is managed by Chief Manager Dafu!"

"Great fortune!" Ma Yan scratched his head and said, "Please announce my arrival; I am the steward of Fourth Master!"

The new dynasty had been established, but Yang Chengye was not served by eunuchs; instead, he still employed his former attendants, Dafu and Dagui.

The main reason is that Yang Chengye only had one empress, Lady Yu, in his harem, and Lady Yu had many maids and servants around her, so she didn't need any eunuchs to serve her.

Ma Yan wasn't familiar with Da Fu, mainly because Da Fu had always been by Yang Chengye's side and had always stayed in Chongshan Town.

However, they were all servants of the Yang family, so there was no need to stand on ceremony.

In fact, in terms of their status in the Yang family, Ma Yan was above Da Fu, because the stewards around the grandchildren of the Yang family were all third-class stewards, while Ma Yan was a second-class steward.

Of course, this so-called hierarchy was not actually very strict, because their hierarchy was based on the masters they served.

The guards entered the mansion to announce the arrival, and a moment later, the chubby Dafu came running out.

"Haha, Master Ma is back! Please come in, please come in!" Dafu greeted Ma Yan with a big smile as soon as he saw him.

Dafu is much older than Ma Yan, because Yang Chengye is ten years older than Yang Mingzhao, and the Yang family usually arranges two playmates of similar age for their children around the age of eight.

Therefore, Dafu and Dagui are the same age as Yang Chengye, while Ma Yan and Lu Bo are about the same age as Yang Mingzhao.

Ma Yan dared not be presumptuous in front of Da Fu, and quickly said with a smile, "Brother Da Fu, hahaha, I'm sorry to bother you!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Dafu looked at the people behind Ma Yan and asked, "Who are these brothers?"

Ma Yan quickly introduced, "This is Chen Buyu, the Earl of Taiping, and Master Wu's apprentice. He has been working for Master Si all these years. These are all our brothers in the Taiping Army!"

Upon hearing this, Dafu said, "So you're Master Wu's top disciple, haha."

In Dafu's heart, even someone like Taipingbo was like a younger brother, but Wuye's apprentice was not.

"You take these brothers to the left courtyard to rest. I'll take Master Ma and Brother Chen inside first!"

Dafu gave instructions to the guards at the gate.

Then, he led Ma Yan and Chen Buyu into the mansion through the side gate.

Chen Buyu followed behind him, cautiously observing the Marquis's residence.

To be honest, he had a bit of the "Grandma Li visiting the Grand View Garden" vibe.

This mansion had been abandoned for many years, but after Yang Zhengshan and Yang Chengye came to the capital, they rebuilt it and it looks even more magnificent than before.

Chen Buyu is no longer an unknown figure; he holds a high position in the Taiping Army.

After all, the initial soldiers of the Taiping Army were his father's men, and they had even followed him as bandits.

As the Taiping Rebellion grew stronger, Chen Buyu's life became more prosperous. Two years ago, he even got married and had a child.

In Shu Prefecture, he also had his own residence, but it was far inferior to the Marquis's residence.

"Is the old Marquis at his residence?" Ma Yan asked.

"Yes, ever since His Majesty entered the capital, the old master and the old lady have been living in the mansion!" Dafu replied.

Ma Yan's eyes lit up. "Then may I go and pay him a visit?"

“I can’t make that decision. Master Wang Lei and Master Li Chang are in charge of things with the old master. We can go and ask them!” Dafu said.

Yang Chengye had already entered Beijing, so Wang Lei and Li Chang no longer needed to follow him. Therefore, most of his close followers returned to Yang Zhengshan's side.

Of course, Yang Zhengshan still left four close attendants for Yang Chengye to be responsible for the security of the imperial city.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Dafu!" Ma Yan said, cupping his hands in greeting.

The group then arrived at the main courtyard. Yang Zhengshan naturally had to stay there, even though Yang Chengye was the emperor and Yu was the empress. The main courtyard belonged to Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi, while Yang Chengye and Yu could only stay in Yang Mingcheng's former courtyard, the Wutong Garden in the east wing.

Today is Yang Chengye's enthronement ceremony, and Yang Zhengshan is also there. However, he did not show his face, but only watched from afar to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.

Yang Zhengshan returned after the ceremony.

He happened to be free at the time, and when he heard that Ma Yan had arrived, he called him over.

"This humble servant greets Your Excellency!" Ma Yan bowed respectfully.

Chen Buyu also bowed and said, "Chen Buyu greets Senior Uncle!"

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand, "No need for formalities."

"You're the disciple Wu Zheng took in?"

He sized up Chen Buyu.

Chen Buyu quickly replied, "Yes!"

"What level of cultivation have you reached?"

"The seventh level of the Heavenly Realm!"

"how old are you?"

"I'm already thirty-seven!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly, "You're getting old, and your cultivation is declining!"

At thirty-seven years old, only reaching the seventh level of the Acquired Realm is considered quite good outside, but within the Yang family, it seems rather poor.

Yang Mingzhao is only thirty-three years old, but his cultivation has already reached the eighth level of the Acquired Realm.

Yang Chengxian is also thirty-seven years old this year, but he had already reached the ninth level of the Acquired Realm a year ago.

The younger the Yang family members are, the faster they cultivate.

Because being young means that you grew up drinking the sacred spring water.

When Yang Chengye was a child, Yang Zhengshan would secretly feed him spiritual spring water. At that time, Yang Zhengshan had little spiritual spring water and could not provide it to everyone in the Yang family without limit.

When Yang Mingzhao was born, Yang Zhengshan was able to use the spiritual spring water to bathe her.

Now, the rivers formed by the convergence of the spiritual spring water within the space are wide enough for boats to sail on.

Chen Buyu felt somewhat embarrassed after hearing Yang Zhengshan's words.

That sounds a bit disdainful.

Well, Yang Zhengshan did indeed have some dislike for Chen Buyu, and also some dislike for Wu Zheng.

Wu Zheng, this old bachelor, never married or had children in his entire life.

Look at Wu Xian, he now has a large family, while Wu Zheng? He's still all alone.

Because of this, Yu Qingyi, as Wu Zheng's senior sister, worried a lot about him, but Wu Zheng just didn't want to get married, and Yu Qingyi couldn't do anything about it. In fact, there are quite a few martial artists in the martial arts world who don't get married, and many of them spend half their lives in the martial arts world and end up alone.

Since they had no children, they took in apprentices to continue their family line.

Wu Zheng had never taken on any disciples before; Chen Buyu was his first disciple.

Oh well, it was almost there, but at least I have an apprentice now.

Yang Zhengshan thought to himself, then reached out and took out some pills, handing them to him.

"These pills are a gift from your senior uncle. Strive to cultivate diligently in the future, and do not disgrace your master!"

"Also, you can go to Shenmu Island with your master to collect your salary in the future!"

Chen Buyu was somewhat bewildered; he didn't understand what Yang Zhengshan meant.

Ma Yan reacted quickly, giving him a push and reminding him, "Hurry up and thank the master!"

Chen Buyu snapped out of his daze and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you for the reward, Senior Uncle!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded, then turned to Ma Yan and asked, "What are Mingzhao's plans?"

Ma Yan quickly replied, "Fourth Master is currently handing over the military affairs of the Taiping Army to Marquis Wuding. Once things are settled in Sichuan and Chongqing, Fourth Master will return to Shenmu Island! Fourth Master said he misses his children and won't be coming to the capital!"

Marquis Guo Ying of Wuding was quite efficient. After surrendering to Da'an, he immediately handed over Yunling Town. Yang Chengye had already sent officials to take over Yunling Town. As compensation, and also to appease the Guo family, Yang Chengye let Guo Ying take over the Taiping Army.

The Guo family is already on their way back to Kyoto, along with many other families and nobles.

The Zhou and Liang families are also planning to move back, but they have left many of their members on Shenmu Island.

During this period, Kyoto is gradually recovering its former prosperity. Although it is still not comparable to what it was twenty years ago, it has given this disaster-stricken city a new lease on life.

As for Yang Mingzhao's choice, Yang Zhengshan did not interfere; it was all discussed with him by Yang Chengye.

Since Yang Mingzhao is willing to give up everything and return to Shenmu Island, then let him return to Shenmu Island.

Yang Zhengshan then asked a few more questions before letting Ma Yan and Chen Buyu leave.

After leaving the study, Chen Buyu let out a heavy sigh.

"The old Marquis is terrifying!"

"Is it scary?" Ma Yan asked doubtfully, having been too busy being happy.

"Just standing next to him, I could feel immense pressure from his aura!" Chen Buyu said with lingering fear.

Ma Yan thought for a moment, "It's alright, the old Marquis is very kind."

The Yang family servants, like themselves, had the impression that Yang Zhengshan was kind and approachable.

Although the Yang family had many rules and strict family laws, Yang Zhengshan never lost his temper with the servants. Sometimes he would even guide them in their cultivation.

Therefore, the servants all respected and loved Yang Zhengshan very much. In their eyes, Yang Zhengshan was a kind and amiable old man.

In contrast, Yang Mingcheng, the eldest son of the Yang family, was much more authoritative at home.

Yang Mingcheng was honest and meticulous in his work. In addition, he had previously helped Yu Qingyi manage the household, and he was usually the one to punish servants when they made mistakes.

Therefore, the servants of the Yang family had more respect for their master.

Then there are Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao. In the eyes of the servants, these two gentlemen are also extremely serious, far less approachable than Yang Zhengshan.

Chen Buyu recalled Yang Zhengshan's words and asked, "By the way, what did the old Marquis mean when he said I could receive the salary from Shenmu Island with my master?"

Ma Yan laughed and said, "This is a good thing, haha, that's a cultivation-based salary, not an ordinary salary!"

"Cultivation-based salary, what does that mean?" Chen Buyu was even more confused.

Ma Yan explained, "It means that you can receive a certain level of cultivation salary based on the level of your cultivation."

"Since you are at the seventh level of the Acquired Realm, you can receive the cultivation stipend of the seventh level of the Acquired Realm, and you can receive six jars of wine and three catties of Dongling Spring every year!"

Chen Buyu blinked. "That's all?"

Ma Yan gave him a knowing look and said, "That's all? Do you know the value of these wines and teas? They're not ordinary wines and teas, but a cultivation resource!"

"They all have the effects of strengthening the body and healing hidden injuries; long-term consumption can even improve cultivation!"

"Also, this is only the salary for the seventh level of the Acquired Realm. The higher your cultivation level, the more you will receive. There will be spiritual fruits later on!"

"However, the cultivation level and salary cannot be revealed to outsiders, so please don't tell anyone."

"The old Marquis is only allowing you to receive cultivation stipends because of Master Wu's sake. You should know that no outsider has ever been able to receive cultivation stipends from our Yang family before!"

"Also, this means you can settle down on Shenmu Island in the future."

Chen Buyu pondered for a moment and said, "I see!"

He hadn't considered settling down on Shenmu Island; he was already quite content with his current situation.

Now he is the First-Class Earl of Taiping in Da'an, a hereditary earldom. From a mere military household to a nobleman of the new dynasty, what more could Chen Buyu possibly want?

As for other things, to be honest, Chen Buyu didn't have much ambition.

Chen Buyu wanted to rebel back then because he was forced into a corner. He didn't want to be a bandit forever, so he wanted to do something great. He thought, "If I die, I'll live forever."

Secondly, he disliked those officials, pitied those ordinary people, and wanted to make some changes for them.

That's why he encouraged Yang Mingzhao to rebel.

But now that he has achieved success and fame, he no longer has so many thoughts.

Simply put, Chen Buyu is somewhat short-sighted and lacks ambition.

"Where do we go next?" Chen Buyu asked.

Ma Yan thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the Ministry of War to report first, and then go to the capital to see the eldest young master. I don't know if the eldest young master will see us!"

"Also, you don't have a residence. We might have to go to the Ministry of Rites. All the titles conferred this time are awarded residences. You should also have a marquis's residence. The Ministry of Rites should have made arrangements!"

After Yang Chengye entered the capital, many of the mansions in this vast city fell into his hands. He naturally wouldn't touch the mansions that already had owners, such as the Ningguo Duke's Mansion and the Changping Marquis's Mansion. Some mansions became ownerless, or their owners had already fled the capital.

Yang Chengye then bestowed it upon the meritorious officials of the new dynasty.

For example, Wang He's Shouguo Duke's Mansion was bestowed upon Han Fei by Yang Chengye and became Chengguo Duke's Mansion. Anguo Duke's Mansion became Qingguo Duke's Mansion, and Rongguo Duke's Mansion became Changguo Duke's Mansion.

Despite Yang Chengye bestowing so many titles at once, the number of nobles in the new Da'an Dynasty is actually far less than that of the previous Da Rong Dynasty.

There are still many empty mansions in Kyoto, and Yang Chengye has no shortage of large houses.

In addition, Yang Chengye was not short of gold and silver. All the money looted by the Liang army fell into his hands, amounting to twenty or thirty million taels of silver.

However, the new dynasty is currently short of food, and the Yang family business has been helping the new dynasty purchase food from the vast seas.

(End of this chapter)