Starting from a thatched cottage, the farmer embarked on the road to wealth through imperial examina

“Ding!”

Ye Changyan picked up the wake-up stick and slammed it hard on the fan-shaped table. The people below the stage who were listening with fascination were brought back to their senses by the slam of the wake-up stick.

“I’m sorry for making a fool of myself.”

Ye Changyan knew when to stop. Seeing that all the scholars and literati present were fascinated by the story, he stopped abruptly at the most exciting part. After he finished speaking, he stood up with a smile on his face, bowed to Mr. Hao in the audience, and was about to return the stage to Mr. Hao.

Mr. Hao had just come back to his senses from this unprecedented and novel story. He did not expect that he would have to return to the stage this latecomer, and he was unable to react for a while.

The people in the audience had already been aroused by this novel story, which was completely different from that of other storytellers, but Ye Changyan suddenly interrupted them. Seeing that Ye Changyan was about to return the stage, everyone was unwilling to listen for a moment.

“Why did it stop?”

"yes!"

"What kind of monster is in Prince Qiu's mansion? Was Bai Suzhen really abducted by this monster and made a princess?"

"That's right, Bai Suzhen hasn't found the little shepherd boy yet?"

"Is this Bai Suzhen really like a fairy descended from heaven?"

……

For a moment, the young men and scholars in the audience were like curious babies, asking questions non-stop.

Ye Changyan just smiled and said nothing, then walked off the stage.

Seeing Ye Changyan really walking towards the stage, the Yunfeng Tower was like a boiling oil pan that was poured with a basin of water and immediately exploded.

“How can it just stop like this?”

"This is really tantalizing!"

The scholar, who was still not satisfied with the performance, blocked the stage steps.

"Sir, please tell me more!"

"Yes, sir, please tell me more."

Mr. Hao had not expected that Ye Changyan's short speech could cause such a sensation. Thinking about his storytelling career, he seemed to have never encountered such a scene. For a moment, he felt a little lonely.

Seeing that Ye Changyan was blocked and the scholars who were blocking him seemed to be quite agitated, Zhong Yunfeng and Li Yuanlin quickly squeezed over.

"Everyone, please be patient, please be patient!"

Zhong Yunfeng and Li Yuanlin used their position to cleverly separate Ye Changyan from the somewhat agitated scholar.

"Brother Ye, you see everyone is still so eager to hear more, can you please continue with the previous part?"

Hearing that Zhong Yunfeng, the young master of Yunfeng Tower, had spoken, the onlookers all looked expectant.

"Today, the elder brother of the Yuanlin brothers invited scholars to hold a literary gathering here. Previously, I was just itching to show off my skills and really took the spotlight!"

When the people in the audience heard Ye Changyan's refusal, they became noisy again.

Just when the scene was in a stalemate, the crowd that was surrounded by people under the stage suddenly made way for a path. Although it was not wide, it was wide enough for one person to pass through.

Then a young man with elegant demeanor walked out. He was the host of this literary gathering, Li Yuanpu.

Li Yuanpu bowed to Ye Changyan and then began to speak.

"Mr. Ye, I am Li Yuanpu."

"Mr. Li, you are too polite."

Ye Changyan also bowed and returned the greeting.

"I often hear my cousin Yuan Lin mention Master Ye. Seeing is believing. Master Ye is indeed a man of great talent. I am very happy that Master Ye has shown me his kindness."

"Mr. Li, you are too kind. I am just a scholar. I would like to thank you for organizing this literary gathering, inviting scholars and students, and providing a platform for everyone to exchange knowledge."

As he said this, Ye Changyan bowed again.

"I invite scholars and students to come to Yunfeng Tower so that everyone can communicate freely. The passage of the book that Mr. Ye mentioned earlier really opened my eyes."

"Mr. Li, thank you for your compliment!"

"This literary gathering is for the purpose of making friends through literature. Mr. Ye's previous talk about the book has aroused great interest among the friends present. Why don't you repeat the previous part to provide everyone with an opportunity to discuss the topic in more depth."

Ye Changyan guessed that his recitation of the last paragraph of "White Snake" would attract people, but he never expected that it would arouse such popularity. He wanted to stop while he was ahead, but now he was in a dilemma. It seemed that if he didn't continue to sing, he was afraid that it would not end well.

A thought flashed through Ye Changyan's mind for a moment, but it passed by so quickly that he seemed unable to grasp it. He could only put his thoughts aside and answered calmly.

"Since Master Li said so, I will throw out some ideas to attract more attention and show my ugliness."

“Pah pah pah…”

Thunderous applause broke out.

“Ding!”

Ye Changyan sat down at the fan-shaped table again, and heard a crisp sound as the wake-up stick hit the tabletop.

"It is said that Bai Suzhen came to Qiantang to look for her benefactor, the little shepherd boy, and planned to temporarily live in the long-abandoned Prince Qiu's mansion. However, she encountered a demon who claimed to be Prince Qiu and tried to tease Bai Suzhen."

……

Yunfeng Tower fell into a rare silence again. Ye Changyan was not as passionate as other storytellers, but his story was told in a leisurely manner, like the mountain breeze in summer or the stream in the mountain ravine, so intimate and pleasant to the ear.

The audience was fascinated. Even a well-known storyteller like Mr. Hao was impressed by Ye Changyan's narrative style and attracted by the fascinating stories he told.

“Ding!”

With the sound of the wake-up stick, Ye Changyan stood up, bowed, and spoke.

"It's embarrassing."

The audience was still not satisfied. Seeing Ye Changyan had stood up, they asked, "How come it's over? How long have we been talking?" Someone started shouting.

"Mr. Ye, please tell me another story."

Ye Changyan shook his head and spoke.

"Everyone, today is a literary gathering. Literary gatherings should be a place for everyone to speak freely, express their own opinions, and exchange ideas extensively. I have really taken over the show."

As he spoke, he pointed to the copper clepsydra beside the stage, indicating that he had taken up quite a bit of time. Then he bowed slightly and walked off the stage in the gaze of everyone.

When everyone saw the dripping water next to the stage, they all lamented how time passed so quickly and wondered when they would have the chance to hear the sequel to this story again.

Seeing Ye Changyan walking off the stage, Li Yuanpu nodded to him and walked onto the stage.

"Mr. Ye's two sections of White Snake today are really fascinating. Let's let Mr. Ye take a rest first. There is a long way to go. There are rich arrangements waiting for everyone after lunch."

Li Yuanpu had a warm smile on his face, without any arrogance of a young man from a wealthy family. After he finished speaking, he bowed and saluted to everyone.

The people in the audience also knew what to do and stopped making noise, and went back to their original seats.

Mr. Hao, who was sitting not far from the stage, saw Ye Changyan walking off the stage, so he walked up and stopped Ye Changyan from going upstairs.

"Mr. Ye is indeed full of talent. I was too careless in my previous words. Please accept my student's greetings!"

Mr. Hao was a straightforward person who always kept his word. As he spoke, he bowed to Ye Changyan as a disciple.

"Mr. Hao, this is absolutely not allowed. This literary gathering is for people to talk about what they have learned and exchange knowledge. I feel honored to be able to share the stage with you!"

At Mr. Hao's enthusiastic invitation, Ye Changyan stayed and sat at the same table with Mr. Hao. The two then talked to each other, and there was a sense of regret that they had met too late.

The people at the scene saw that the master and apprentice were polite to each other, and they all had smiles on their faces. They admired Mr. Hao for his frankness, and they liked Ye Changyan even more because he was not pretentious.

Only Master Tang on the second floor was bewildered. He didn't expect that these two people actually became master and apprentice, and he didn't expect that Ye Changyan really had some skills. But he was not afraid of him. He just didn't know if he could hear Ye Changyan recite "White Snake" again in the future.