Glory

On the surface, all her methods of dealing with Song Yifeng were carried out through Zhou Xiang, and Ye Chongming could learn everything with a single inquiry. But in secret, she had ordered Fang Xing—who was still called Laiyun at the time—to handle many matters.

Thus, Zhou Xiang felt that dealing with Song Yifeng went exceptionally smoothly, without any obstacles. In reality, Fang Xing had expanded the network of contacts he provided severalfold and used this opportunity to screen for individuals of good character and strong capabilities. Through them, information from corresponding areas was collected.

After sending Song Yifeng to prison, Ye Yaming completed her personnel screening and established her own intelligence network across the general regions of Lin'an City. Every five days, someone would gather information and compile it for her.

In special circumstances, those below would proactively report.

To avoid being deceived or misled, she would rotate the personnel collecting information rather than having one person manage a specific area long-term.

Due to her contributions to Ye Jia and her needs, her monthly allowance increased from ten taels to fifty taels of silver. If necessary, she could directly withdraw five hundred taels from the accounts office without needing prior approval from Ye Chongming.

Since she employed loafers, ruffians, and beggars—providing daily porridge as basic sustenance and rewarding effective information with buns, pancakes, poultry, or even silver—maintaining this intelligence network did not cost much. Her monthly allowance alone was sufficient to keep it operational.

"What should we do now?" Old Mrs. Ye asked.

"Ma Dafu's evidence is there, and if necessary, Ma Dafu can testify in court." Ye Yaming looked at Ye Chongming. "Grandfather, this matter ultimately involves Second Cousin being framed. Da Bo, his wife, and Eldest Cousin likely wish to personally destroy the Yang family, don’t they?"

Old Mrs. Ye’s pupils dilated slightly as she turned to look at Ye Chongming.

What did Ye Yaming mean? Was she saying she wouldn’t intervene and would leave it entirely to the main branch to handle?

Ye Chongming understood Ye Yaming’s implication. Still, he wanted clarity: "What if your Da Bo and the others don’t handle it well enough?"

With Ye Yaming’s intellect and tactics, if the Yang family handed over such leverage, she could undoubtedly crush them beyond recovery, just as she had with Song Yifeng.

But entrusting it to his eldest son and grandson? Ye Chongming lacked confidence.

As the saying goes, "Wildfires cannot burn it all away; with the spring breeze, it revives."

If they failed to eradicate the Yang family completely while they had the chance, once the Yangs recovered, they would surely retaliate against Ye Jia with all their might.

Was Ye Yaming truly so unconcerned? Wasn’t she afraid?

"Da Bo and Eldest Cousin are, after all, the main branch," Ye Yaming said with a smile. "My desires are few—I only wish for my parents and younger sister to be safe, healthy, and free from want."

Ye Chongming gazed at Ye Yaming, seeing nothing but resolve in her beautiful eyes. He nodded gratefully. "Ming'er, you are a good child. Grandfather doesn’t know how to thank you."

After several incidents, even if the main branch harbored any lingering resentment, once they annihilated the Yang family with swift and decisive action, they would have no choice but to defer to Ye Yaming.

By then, the entire Ye Jia would be under Ye Yaming’s command.

Whether it was the second branch overshadowing the main branch or Ye Yaming, as a daughter of the Ye family, replacing Da Bo and Eldest Cousin as the head, it would be a remarkable achievement.But now, Ye Yaming was giving Da Bo and her elder cousin the opportunity to gain experience. With the ideas and evidence she provided, and with her overseeing from the rear, Ye Hongchang and Ye Jiaxing could fully unleash their abilities and give it their all.

To be honest, even Ye Chongming himself, since becoming the head of Ye Jia, had been treading carefully, fearing that a single misstep might lead to the decline of the Ye family under his watch. Although he relied on his eldest son and grandson, when it came to major matters, he never dared to fully let go and allow them to gain experience.

Now, Ye Yaming was handing this opportunity to the eldest branch. Such breadth of mind and magnanimity were rare in this world. Moreover, Ye Yaming was just a young girl not yet sixteen, making it all the more remarkable.

Ye Chongming felt a tightness in his throat, and tears welled up in his eyes without him realizing. He lifted his head, forcing the tears back.

After a long while, he said, "But... is this really appropriate? Ming'er, I'll be honest with you. I plan to entrust the future of Ye Jia to you. Only with you in charge can I rest assured. Your Da Bo and elder cousin seemed competent before, but compared to you, they fall far short. If you step back, not to mention the future of Ye Jia, even your Da Bo and elder cousin would feel uneasy." Given Ye Yaming's recent strategic planning, the father and son of the eldest branch would likely be happy to be carried along by her.

"If you give them orders in the future, they will surely carry them out diligently. But once you let them gain experience and their abilities improve, it might not be in your best interest."

"No, no." Ye Yaming shook her head. "A single tree cannot form a forest. The stronger Da Bo and the others are, the better. Besides, all I want is for my parents and younger sisters to be safe and healthy, to live without worries, and to have a more relaxed life myself. If Da Bo and my elder cousin can shoulder the heavy responsibilities, I would be more than happy. You know my temperament—if not for the family's misfortune, I would have remained as ordinary as before, just the unremarkable third daughter of the Ye family's second branch."

Recalling how Ye Yaming had indeed been quite ordinary in the past, no different from Ye Yaqing and Ye Yayin, Ye Chongming's emotions grew complex.

Nevertheless, he believed her words.

He said, "Alright. I'll leave it to you."

No matter what, as long as Ye Yaming was willing and felt that this would make her happy, it was fine. He would follow her lead.

As long as she desired it, as long as she willed it, this family would be under her command.

Ye Yaming added, "Fourth Uncle is always idle, staying at home with nothing to do, which could easily lead to trouble. Grandfather, why not assign him some tasks?"

Mentioning his youngest son, Ye Chongming felt like sighing again.

He said, "I've been thinking about this lately. But..." He shook his head. "I really don't know what to assign him. After what happened, I simply don't trust him."

"After the Lantern Festival, there are still about two months before the spring tea production. Why not let Fourth Uncle accompany me and Young Master Lu to purchase tea mountains? Since Fourth Uncle is my elder, having him escort me will prevent gossip, even with Young Master Lu along."

"My father can still go to the capital. Elder Cousin can either stay in Lin'an with Da Bo to deal with the Yang family or follow Qi Gongzi to Xinping Town."

"Actually, since the tea utensil production in Xinping Town is already well-established, Qi Gongzi doesn't need to be there all the time. Elder Cousin can easily manage both sides. After all, dealing with the Yang family doesn't require personal involvement. With you and Da Bo overseeing things in Lin'an, it won't matter if he's not there."

Ye Chongming slapped the armrest. "That's an excellent idea!"Although Ye Yaming was his niece, with her intelligence, she could absolutely handle Ye Hongrong. And Lu Guanyi appeared to be steady and reliable as well. With the two of them managing him, even if Ye Hongrong acted recklessly, nothing serious would happen.

Ye Hongrong had legs—he couldn’t be confined at home. During this period, Ye Chongming had spent a great deal of time worrying about Ye Hongrong’s future, unsure of how to arrange things for him.

Now, with Ye Yaming proposing this idea, it had practically solved a major problem for Ye Chongming.