Glory

But there was no other way. To prevent the Ye family and their servants from overthinking, she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

As for the page Zan'er, he only entered the inner courtyard when there was business to report, and it was inappropriate for him to linger without reason. Ye Yaming assigned him to the Ye family's accountant Wen Tao, instructing Wen Tao to mentor him. Xia Momo was getting on in years, and though Ye Yaming once suggested she learn to read, seeing the old woman's evident reluctance, she never brought it up again.

The next day, as dawn barely broke, Ye Yaming went out for a run with her four maids, Guan Ting and Bai Rui among them.

To avoid disturbing others and becoming a spectacle, they always chose secluded paths.

"Ah!" Guan Ting, who was running ahead, suddenly halted with a sharp cry as they passed a small grove.

Ye Yaming and the others tensed, rushing forward immediately.

The four maids instinctively closed ranks around Ye Yaming in a protective stance.

Guan Ting covered her mouth, pointing urgently ahead as the others approached. "Look! What is that?"

Ye Yaming followed her gaze and saw a mangled, bloody mass not far from the path.

Frowning, she turned to Lve E. "Fetch a tree branch."

Lve E instinctively wanted to object. In her view, whatever this was should be reported to Old Mrs. Ye and Tao Shi for them to handle.

But her young mistress had grown increasingly assertive, and at the command, she automatically broke off a branch from nearby and handed it to Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming stepped forward to poke at the bloody mass.

Guan Ting hesitated, her lips parting as if to speak when Ye Yaming moved.

She had been hired by Ye Yaming as a guard, receiving a generous monthly wage. Logically, she should be the one handling such matters.

But this was still the Ye household, and she wasn't a member of the family. When faced with such unsavory, private affairs, it was wiser to keep her distance rather than involve herself.

So she remained rooted to the spot.

Bai Rui wanted to dissuade Ye Yaming, but her mistress acted too quickly—by the time she opened her mouth, Ye Yaming had already finished examining the mass.

Ye Yaming straightened up, her expression grim as she glanced ahead, then turned and whispered to Qingzhi, "You're fast. Go report to Old Madam Ye that there's a fully formed stillborn fetus discarded in the small grove."

The young maids were startled by her words.

A stillborn fetus?

Gathering their courage, they took a closer look and indeed saw that the bloody mass vaguely resembled a human form. Traces nearby suggested it had been dragged from elsewhere, with marks leading away from the spot.

Qingzhi didn't dare delay. Acknowledging the order, she swiftly ran toward the main house.

"Young mistress, perhaps we should..." Bai Rui murmured, trying to persuade Ye Yaming to leave.

The area was near the Third Branch's courtyard, one of the more secluded corners of the Ye estate. When the century-old Ye residence was built, a few peach, plum, and loquat trees had been planted here. Over the years, not only had the original trees grown tall, but their fallen seeds had sprouted into many saplings, gradually forming a small grove.

The Ye property was vast, and the family wasn't large. Moreover, lush vegetation was considered a sign of prosperity, so the trees had never been cleared.

Now, with the sky just beginning to lighten and the surroundings eerily quiet, the discovery of the ominous stillborn fetus sent chills down the maids' spines. They only wished to leave this place as soon as possible.Ye Yaming glanced at her pale-faced maidservants, thought for a moment, then pointed to the pavilion ahead and said, "Let's go sit over there."

Bai Rui quickly nodded in agreement.

The group made their way to the pavilion.

This corner was remote, and due to the Third Madame's eccentric temperament, no one in the Ye residence would come here unless necessary. The pavilion, built in this location, was rarely used for rest.

Fortunately, the servants responsible for cleaning occasionally swept the area, so the pavilion remained relatively tidy.

Bai Rui took out a handkerchief and placed it on the stone bench.

Ye Yaming sat down and gestured to the others, "Sit, all of you. Stay quiet." After such an incident, everyone's hearts were still racing, and their legs felt weak. Following Ye Yaming's instruction, they all sat down. Even Lve E, who had been about to say something, closed her mouth.

Just as they settled, a creaking sound of a door opening broke the silence. In the quiet morning, punctuated only by occasional birdsong, the noise seemed unusually loud.

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.

It came from the gate of the Third Household's courtyard.

They saw the gate open, and a head peeked out.

For landscaping purposes, artificial rockeries and clusters of bamboo had been planted near the pavilion. The clothing Ye Yaming and her maids wore had been modified by Ye Yaming based on modern sportswear designs and made by Bai Rui and the others, all in light colors.

Sitting motionless and partially obscured by the rockeries and sparse bamboo, they went unnoticed by the person from the Third Household, whose attention was fixed on the path.

That person was wary of their usual morning jogging route.

Seeing no one on the path, the figure hurried out, searching around until they found the stillborn fetus. Muttering a low curse, they turned and rushed back into the courtyard.

Recognizing the person as the trusted matron brought by Third Madame Cai Shi from her maiden family, Ye Yaming and her maids exchanged uneasy glances.

The Third Household originally had many servants, but after the Third Lord's death, Cai Shi claimed that seeing them would evoke painful memories and that she disliked having too many attendants. She dismissed all the servants who had served the Third Lord, keeping only those she had brought from the Cai family—maids, matrons, and two accompanying families.

Initially, upon discovering the stillborn, everyone except Ye Yaming assumed it was the result of a secret affair between a maid from the Third Household and a Page, with the fetus intended to be buried but somehow dug up by a cat.

It was well known that Fifth Miss Ye Yayu disliked socializing but adored raising cats—she kept five or six of them.

But now, seeing that it was Matron Zeng who emerged, and that she seemed aware of the stillborn's existence and had come out specifically to search for it, the situation seemed unusual.

Ye Yaming turned and instructed, "Guan Ting, go hide behind that tree. Your target will be that matron from earlier."

She handed over a handkerchief. "When you catch her, gag her mouth. Try not to let her make any noise that might alert others in the courtyard."

Bai Rui quickly offered her own handkerchief. "Use mine instead."

Ye Yaming retrieved her own handkerchief.

Her handkerchief was made from exquisite fabric, meticulously embroidered by Bai Rui with great effort. She cherished it dearly and couldn't bear to see it ruined.

She turned to the others and added, "Lve E, Ziyuan, you two hide behind those trees. See how many come out later and try to capture the two most important ones. If that's not possible, work together to catch at least one.""Alright." Lve E even deliberately pulled a handkerchief from her bosom. "I'll stuff it in her mouth in a moment."

Ziyuan also took out a handkerchief.

"Brother Shen!"

"Mm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, whenever he encountered someone familiar, they would greet each other or nod in acknowledgment.

But no matter who it was.

Everyone's face lacked any extra expression, as if they were indifferent to everything.

Regarding this.

Shen Changqing was already accustomed to it.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an organization that maintained the stability of Great Qin. Its main duty was to slay demons, monsters, and supernatural beings, though it also had some other side duties.

It could be said.

In the Demon Suppression Division, every person had blood on their hands.

When a person becomes accustomed to life and death, they grow indifferent to many things.

When Shen Changqing first arrived in this world, he found it somewhat difficult to adapt, but over time, he grew accustomed to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who could remain in the Demon Suppression Division were either formidable experts or individuals with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

Within the Demon Suppression Division, there were two main professions: the Garrison Envoy and the Demon Subduing Envoy.

Anyone who entered the Demon Suppression Division started as the lowest-ranking Demon Subduing Envoy,

then gradually advanced, with the ultimate hope of becoming a Garrison Envoy.

Shen Changqing's predecessor was a probationary Demon Subduing Envoy in the Demon Suppression Division, the lowest rank among the Demon Subduing Envoys.

Possessing the memories of his predecessor,

he was also very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long before Shen Changqing stopped in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the other solemn and imposing areas of the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, exuding an unusual tranquility amidst the pervasive bloodshed of the Demon Suppression Division.

At this moment, the pavilion's door was wide open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

Shen Changqing hesitated only briefly before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

A scent of ink, mixed with a faint smell of blood, wafted toward him, causing him to instinctively frown, but his expression quickly relaxed.

The scent of blood that clung to everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash away completely.