86: Chapter 86 The Trouble Encountered by the Ye Family

Others might not be clear on this, but how could Ye Tian not know in his own heart?

He was already on Wang Chen's radar as an unstable factor; he was already trying his best to avoid him.

If he really listened to Ye Zhennan and held a high-profile banquet at home, it would be troublesome if it attracted Wang Chen's attention...

Upon hearing Ye Tian's words, everyone around them wore expressions of confusion.

"Tian'er! What is wrong?"

Ye Tian first glanced at his father, then swept his gaze over the others present before speaking slowly.

"As for the celebration, I accept your good intentions. But there is no need to make a grand display of it."

Ye Zhennan froze for a moment, asking in confusion.

"Tian'er, why is that? You are now the distinguished Deputy Commander of the Divine Martial Guard and have earned such honor for our Family. Why can't we celebrate? We should let the other Families in the Imperial Dynasty see that our Family is now..."

"Father!"

Ye Tian interrupted Ye Zhennan, his tone growing slightly heavier and his expression becoming exceptionally serious.

"It is precisely because I am now the Deputy Commander of the Divine Martial Guard that I must be even more cautious."

He paused, lowered his voice, and deliberately cast a glance toward the Imperial Palace. The profound meaning in his gaze made Ye Zhennan and the others tremble inwardly.

"Your Majesty's wisdom is all-encompassing, and the laws of the Imperial Dynasty are strict. As the personal guards of Your Majesty, the Divine Martial Guard must lead by example, adhere to our duties, and keep a low profile."

"My return this time is merely a routine rest after completing my official duties. If we were to make a grand spectacle and hold a banquet because of this, it would inevitably give others an excuse to criticize us and draw unwanted attention."

He looked at his father and the several core Elders, speaking with exceptional seriousness.

"The tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Our Family's Foundation is still shallow; having suddenly attained power, we must tread on thin ice and be cautious in our words and deeds. Your Majesty... dislikes nothing more than arrogant and ostentatious subjects."

This last sentence was like a thunderclap. It instantly sobered up Ye Zhennan and the others, who had been swept up in their excitement, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on their backs.

They had been so busy being happy and showing off that they forgot that in this Imperial Dynasty, the one who truly acts as the Dominator of everything and holds the power of life and death is that unfathomable Emperor Your Majesty, who resides high within the Imperial Palace!

Ye Tian's ability to serve in the Divine Martial Guard was a tremendous opportunity, but it naturally came with immense risks.

As the saying goes, accompanying the ruler is like accompanying a tiger. If they really made Your Majesty unhappy, being killed and having one's Dao extinguished would be a matter of a mere snap of the fingers.

Thinking of Wang Chen's terrifying power, which could determine the fate of billions of lives with a mere snap of the fingers, the vanity and excitement in the hearts of the Family members were instantly replaced by boundless awe and lingering fear.

The Grand Elder was the first to react and quickly bowed.

"Tian'er is absolutely right! It was our lack of consideration; we almost caused a great disaster!"

"That Tian'er has today is entirely due to the divine grace of Your Majesty. As his Family, we should always remember our place, keep a low profile, and must never be reckless or ostentatious!"

"Yes, yes, yes! The Grand Elder is right!"

Ye Zhennan also quickly changed his tune, subconsciously wiping away the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

"It was my foolishness! Tian'er has considered everything thoroughly! As for this celebration... let us just have a simple meal as a Family, and absolutely do not make any noise about it! Absolutely no noise!"

The other uncles also repeatedly agreed. There was no longer any thought of holding a grand banquet.

In truth, they all knew in their hearts that whether or not to hold a celebration depended entirely on Ye Tian!

If Ye Tian said to hold it, they would hold it; if Ye Tian said not to, regardless of the reason, they would not be able to hold it!

Seeing everyone's reaction, Ye Tian nodded slightly, his tone softening.

"It is good that Father and all my uncles can understand. A Family reunion is warm and sufficient as it is..."

As the night grew deeper, the Family residence remained brightly lit.

Although Ye Tian had cancelled the decision for the Family to hold a grand banquet, in the evening, the Family still held a simple Family gathering within their residence.

Inside the main hall of the Family, Ye Tian and the high-ranking members of the Family sat at a table.

According to common logic, it should have been him, the Junior, who stood up to toast his father and the various uncles and Elders.

However, the reality was that, apart from his father, the other Elders all stood up cautiously, holding their wine cups with both hands, respectfully offering him a toast.

"Tian'er is young and promising; he is truly the blessing of our Family!"

"Tian'er, the Family will need you to look after us in the future!"

"With Tian'er here, why should our Family worry about not prospering!"

To this, Ye Tian could only return the gesture one by one. At the same time, he felt a thousand emotions in his heart.

This is a world where strength is respected; in the face of absolute power and status, seniority and ethics indeed appear very pale and powerless.

When the banquet was halfway through, Ye Tian keenly noticed that the Grand Elder sitting opposite him had glanced at him several times, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

But it seemed he was hesitant about something and had not spoken it aloud!

His appearance clearly indicated that he had an important matter to discuss, but was unable to voice it due to Ye Tian's current status.

Ye Tian put down his wine cup and took the initiative to break the subtle silence.

"Grand Elder, I see that you seem to have something to say? There are no outsiders here, and I, Ye Tian, am also a member of the Family. If you have any difficulties or thoughts, feel free to speak."

As soon as these words were spoken, the noise at the table instantly quieted down. Everyone's gaze turned to the Grand Elder.

A flash of embarrassment at being seen through crossed the Grand Elder's face, but he quickly steadied his composure.

He glanced at Ye Tian, then at Ye Zhennan in the seat of honor, before speaking.

"Since Tian'er has asked me to speak directly, this old man will not beat around the bush."

"Tian'er, you must know that when our Family was in Chiyan Ancient City, we had our own businesses, but ever since we moved the whole Family to this Imperial Dynasty..."

At this point, the Grand Elder couldn't help but pause, then sighed and continued.

"Living in the Imperial Dynasty is not easy. Prices here are exorbitant, experts are as numerous as clouds, and forces are intertwined. As newcomers to the Imperial Dynasty, aside from the residence bestowed by Your Majesty and some relocation expenses, we truly do not have any businesses under our hands."

These words struck a chord with all the high-ranking members of the Family. During this time, they, the high-ranking members of the Family, had worried quite a bit about this matter.

"Although the Family still has some savings from the past, we cannot just sit and eat away our fortune. To truly establish ourselves in the Imperial Dynasty, we must find a suitable business as soon as possible and establish a stable source of income to support the cultivation of our descendants."

"Otherwise, even with you, Tian'er, the Family will be like duckweed without roots and will find it difficult to last long."

After hearing this, Ye Tian couldn't help but nod. Every word the Grand Elder said was reasonable; for Family development, wealth, companions, methods, and land—wealth comes first.

Without a stable economic Foundation, everything is just empty talk.

"The Grand Elder is absolutely correct; this matter is indeed urgent. I wonder... do you have any specific plans? Or, is there anything you need my help with?"

He understood in his heart that the Grand Elder choosing to bring this up now was not merely to complain; he must have encountered a difficult problem that required leveraging his current status and power.

As expected, a flash of light appeared in the Grand Elder's eyes, and he lowered his voice.

"To tell you the truth, Tian'er, some time ago, we Elders did indeed set our sights on a few storefronts in the bustling downtown area of the South Street, which were in an excellent location."

"We had already negotiated with the owners of those shops and were just waiting to take them over, but in the end, someone snatched them out from under us..."

"Snatched out from under you?"

Ye Tian realized it at this moment. Since it had already reached the stage of handover and could still be snatched away by someone else, the other party must have a significant background...

But, within the entire Imperial Dynasty, how many people could have a bigger background than him, the Deputy Commander of the Divine Martial Guard?

Interesting. This is truly interesting...