Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. The little boy, who originally looked like a beggar, was dressed up and put on new clothes. He immediately looked like a rich young master. He followed Xueyan back to Xiangmanlou, and the waiter almost didn't recognize him.
Xueyan took the little boy to the private room on the second floor, ordered a table full of food, and said, "Give me as much as you can eat. Don't be polite. If it's not enough, we can order more."
The little boy nodded gratefully at Xueyan. He was really hungry, so he reached out and grabbed a white and tender steamed bun and started to eat it.
"Eat more vegetables, don't just eat the buns." Xueyan picked up a chicken leg and put it in the boy's bowl. Seeing him wolfing down the food, she felt pity for him. "Eat slowly. No one is trying to snatch it from you. Be careful not to choke. By the way, what's your name?"
"My father's last name is Ye, and I am the fourth child in my family. Others call me Ye Xiaosi."
"Ye Xiaosi." Xueyan nodded, "Are there any other relatives at home?"
Ye Xiaosi paused, his eyes dimmed, "My parents and two brothers all died in the plague two years ago. Now I only have my sister and I to depend on."
Xueyan sighed secretly and comforted him, "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are determined by heaven, and disasters from heaven are not what people want. Fortunately, you still have a sister to rely on. Xiao Si, after dinner, I will go with you to see your sister, okay?"
Ye Xiaosi nodded vigorously and said happily: "That's great, my sister will definitely like you when she sees you."
Xueyan raised her eyebrows and laughed, "Of course. I am loved by everyone and flowers bloom wherever I see me."
After dinner, Xueyan bought some cakes and went back with Ye Xiaosi to where he and his sister lived. When she arrived at the so-called "home" of Ye Xiaosi, Xueyan was really stunned by what she saw. The dilapidated courtyard and desolate scene, the so-called home of Ye Xiaosi turned out to be a long-abandoned quadrangle on the outskirts of the city. The owner of this home was not only Ye Xiaosi and his sister, but also two old people and one child who lived here. They were obviously homeless poor people. Seeing the people huddled on the ground, looking pale and skinny from hunger, Xueyan felt uncomfortable.
"Sister, someone is here to see you." Ye Xiaosi greeted everyone familiarly, then pulled Xueyan and ran straight to a girl in the corner. The girl's clothes were ragged, but very clean, obviously a clean girl. She was mending a torn piece of clothing in her hand. When she heard Ye Xiaosi's voice, she raised her head and smiled softly, "Xiaosi, you are back so early today." When she saw Xueyan beside Ye Xiaosi, she was slightly stunned, then hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "Hello, sister, I, Ye Ying, greet you."
Ye Ying? This name sounds better than Ye Xiaosi.
Xueyan glanced around, handed the cake in her hand to Ye Xiaosi, and said, "Xiaosi, share the food with everyone."
"Okay." Ye Xiaosi nodded, took the cakes, ran to the three people on the side, and while dividing the food, he pointed at Xueyan and said to the three people: "Grandma Qi, Aunt Zhang, Sister Xiaolan, these delicious foods were bought for us by that sister. You must have been hungry all day today. Come and eat something." After hearing what Ye Xiaosi said, the two old people and the young thanked Xueyan repeatedly with gratitude. Xueyan smiled and signaled them not to be polite. She turned to look at Ye Ying and asked: "Have you been living here all the time?"
Ye Ying nodded and replied, "After our parents and two older brothers died, my brother and I were left alone, so we found a place like this that could shelter us from the wind and rain and settled down here." She glanced at the other two old people and one child and explained to Xueyan, "Grandma Qi and her family of three are from other places. They wandered here and later lived with us."
Xueyan nodded, looking at the old and young people in the room, she couldn't help but frowned and asked, "Does Xiao Si go out begging to make a living for you?"
Ye Ying's expression darkened. She glanced at Ye Xiaosi. There was pity and helplessness in her eyes, but more of it was guilt. She was silent for a moment and whispered, "It's because I, as a sister, am useless that my brother and I have to suffer..."
Xueyan interrupted Ye Ying, pondered for a moment, and said, "You are not doing this the right way. How can you go hungry and full every day?"
Ye Ying sighed and said helplessly: "What else can we do?" They are old and young here, how can they afford to go out and earn money to support themselves. She wanted to go out and earn money to support everyone, but Xiao Si refused to agree, fearing that she would be bullied after going out. She couldn't bear to put the livelihood of so many people on Xiao Si's thin shoulders, but she was powerless.
Xueyan thought for a moment and said, "We can't let Xiao Si go out to beg anymore. A child this young will inevitably be bullied outside. I will solve your problem." It's nothing more than silver. With silver, these people can live a good life. But where can they get the silver? It seems that they need to find someone to help them.
After dinner, Xueyan took Ye Xiaosi out, picked out a few sets of clothes for Ye Xiaosi's siblings and Grandma Qi's family, and bought some daily necessities. After everything was arranged, she went out alone. Turning to a corner where no one could see, Xueyan performed a summoning technique. In a moment, dark clouds covered the moon, and a strong wind blew. When the moon appeared and the wind died down, five rays of light flashed by: black, white, yellow, blue, and purple. Five figures stood side by side where the light converged, clasped their fists and saluted, and said to Xueyan: "Your subordinates greet the princess!"
Xueyan's eyes swept over the five people in front of her, and she sighed, with a feeling of being in another world in her eyes: "Long time no see, Five Dragon Envoys."
The five dragon envoys are named Baifu, Heimian, Huangpo, Lanhun, and Ziying. The five were originally the five generals of the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea. Later, they were demoted by the Dragon King for their mistakes and Xueyan was given as their personal bodyguard. On the day when Xueyan fought with the thousand-year-old evil dragon to save the Lotus Fairy, the five envoys died in the battle to protect her. Afterwards, they did not want to fall into reincarnation, so they became wandering ghosts. Xueyan had already known the situation of the five envoys through Mo Yun. The reason why she had not looked for them was that there was no important matter; secondly, the five envoys had been doing their duty since they followed her. Not only did she not reward them, but she caused their deaths. She felt guilty about this and did not know how to face them. If she had not invited them to discuss something this time, Xueyan would have delayed for a while before looking for these five people.
"Are you five doing well?" Xueyan glanced at the five people and asked.
Heimian chuckled and said repeatedly, "Of course it's fine! The five of us are the bosses among the lonely ghosts. Which little ghost dares to mess with us?"
"Not bad, not bad. Even the Black and White Impermanence were fooled by us. These days are really interesting." Lan Hun also echoed. The five of them were originally unruly and unrestrained. They were never used to a regular life. They didn't expect that they would be free and easy as wandering ghosts without anyone to restrain them.
Xue Yan burst out laughing when she heard that, glared at the two ghosts in annoyance, and said, "You guys are really restless. When you were in the Dragon Clan, you were causing trouble everywhere. Even after becoming ghosts, it's hard to change your nature!" She shook her head, suppressed her smile, and said solemnly, "Don't blame me for not reminding you. Even if the Black and White Impermanence are incompetent, they are still servants of the underworld. Don't provoke them, otherwise they will report you to the Lord of Hell, and you will have a hard time."
The five emissaries straightened their expressions and said in unison: "Yes, we obey your command!"
Xueyan nodded, feeling a little relieved.
"Princess...are you okay?" Bai Fu, who had not spoken for a long time, looked at Xue Yan and asked hesitantly. Among the five dragon masters, Bai Fu had the highest skill and the strongest magic. Looking at Xue Yan, there was a hint of doubt in his eyes. On that day, the five of them were defeated by the thousand-year-old evil dragon, and their souls were scattered. They did not know what happened later, nor did they know whether Xue Yan escaped safely that day. Now that they saw her again, the five of them were finally relieved, but Bai Fu found that the dragon aura on Xue Yan was weak, but the demon aura was strong, which puzzled him.
"It's hard to explain in a few words. I'll tell you some things later." Glancing at Bai Fu's expression, Xue Yan knew that he must have noticed something wrong with her and that he was full of questions. However, this was not a good time to chat. She glanced at the five people and said straight to the point, "I came to you this time to discuss something. You are more familiar with this world than I am. Do you know where to get money in this world?"
The five envoys looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Is the princess short of money?" Huang Po asked after a moment's hesitation.
Xueyan did not hide anything and briefly described the situation of Ye Xiaosi and the others. She then sighed, "I have used up all the money I have. I want to help them but I am unable to do so. You should think of a place for me to get the money."
The black-faced blue soul looked at each other, both pairs of eyes shining brightly.
"We both know a place with lots of silver."
Bai Fu looked at the two of them, and with a thought in his mind, he blurted out, "Qiantang County Silver Vault?"
Black-faced Blue Soul laughed loudly, rubbing his hands, eager to try, "Yes, it is the silver vault of Qiantang County, which is filled with boxes of silver, and that County Magistrate Yang is a corrupt official, let's steal his silver and make him pay in front of the old emperor. This can not only solve the livelihood problem of Ye Xiaosi and others, but also benefit the people of Qiantang County, right?"
"This proposal is feasible." Huang Po nodded, Bai Fu and Zi Ying also had no objection. The five of them looked at Xue Yan together. Xue Yan raised her eyebrows slightly, curled her lips, and smiled: "Well, let's go to the silver vault of Zhenjiang Prefecture!"