Glory

Lü E felt as if granted a great reprieve. Overjoyed, she bowed deeply to Ye Yaming and then turned and dashed out of the courtyard gate.

Guan Ting, meanwhile, was pacing back and forth in front of the corridor.

Before long, Lü E returned and reported to Ye Yaming, "At first, Nanny Zeng insisted it was just a maid, but when the herbalist Old Madam Ye summoned arrived and took her pulse, Third Madam had nothing more to say."

At this point, she lowered her voice and whispered into Ye Yaming's ear, "Old Madam Ye had the herbalist check the pulses of all the servants in that courtyard. Guess what? One person dressed as a maid tried to slip away but was caught by the manor guards who had already surrounded the area."

"After being caught, that person struggled, so Old Madam Ye ordered two matrons to strip off their clothes. And guess what? That person turned out to be a man in disguise."

This was more or less what Ye Yaming had suspected.

Ye Yaming asked, "Did you find out what Old Madam Ye plans to do?"

Lü E shook her head, "Old Madam Ye is still speaking with First Madam. They probably haven't reached a decision yet."

Then she asked, "What should I say to Miss Guan?"

Even though Guan Ting shared her love for gossip, as Ye Yaming's senior maid, Lü E knew her boundaries.

This matter was a family scandal—how could it be discussed with an outsider like Guan Ting? If Guan Ting were to spread it around, not only would the masters of Ye Jia lose face, but even the servants would be disgraced.

"Just say that a maid is pregnant, and Third Madam tried to cover for her, which led to a conflict with Old Madam Ye. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a quarrel."

The outcome was still uncertain. Ye Yaming guessed that Old Madam Ye would absolutely not allow Cai Shi to remain in Ye Jia. Not just in ancient times, but even in modern days, if a widow living with her husband's family committed adultery and became pregnant, she would be driven out by her in-laws.

So, this initial lie had to pave the way for what was to come.

Lü E nodded, "Alright, I'll say that then."

But Ye Yaming thought more deeply.

Who exactly was this adulterer? Did Cai Shi commit adultery with him only after Ye Hongfan's death, or had they been involved all along? If they had been involved from the start, was Ye Hongfan killed by them, or did he truly die of illness?

This matter couldn't simply be resolved by expelling Cai Shi.

Just as she was wondering whether she should go to the main house, Lan'er, a maid from Old Madam Ye's side, arrived and said, "Third Young Miss, Old Madam Ye requests your presence."

Ye Yaming stood up, "Alright, I'll come right away."

She turned to Lü E and said, "Come with me," then walked out the door.

Lü E stepped outside, shrugged helplessly at Guan Ting, who was standing under the corridor, and then hurried off after Ye Yaming.

When they reached the main house, Ye Yaming saw that not only were Old Madam Ye and Tao Shi seated in the hall, but Yin Shi was also present.

She greeted each of them in turn.

Old Madam Ye had sent a maid to summon Ye Yaming without informing her two daughters-in-law beforehand.

Seeing their surprised expressions, she explained, "Normally, this matter shouldn't involve a young girl. But Ming'er is quick-witted, far-sighted, and thinks more deeply than we do. We need to hear her opinion on this matter."

In truth, it was because Ye Yaming was the next head of Ye Jia. This was a major issue, and she had to be involved.

However, out of consideration for Tao Shi's feelings, she phrased it differently.

Tao Shi was deeply dissatisfied with the fact that Ye Jia had chosen Ye Yaming, a girl from the second branch who was supposed to marry out, to be the family head.But since both her husband and son agreed, her opposition was useless. She was seething with anger inside but couldn't show it.

Her husband had warned her that if they offended Ye Yaming and she stubbornly refused to become the family head, instead demanding the family split, the eldest branch would indeed get seventy percent of the property. However, they would gain no benefits from the Dragon Well Tea at all.

The Ye family had substantial wealth and considerable assets. But no matter how much money they had, without power to protect it, it wouldn't be a good thing—instead, it could bring disaster. Yet if Dragon Well Tea could become Tribute Tea, and if the Ye family could even become Imperial merchants because of it,

the power and the wealth that followed would be endless. Therefore, Tao Shi had no choice but to swallow her deep resentment.

So now, despite her inner displeasure, she had to put on a smiling face and show her magnanimity: "Ming'er is the next head of our Ye family. Such important matters must involve her."

Tao Shi's composure wasn't deep enough; the jealousy in her eyes and the forced smile on her face were obvious to Ye Yaming at a glance.

Ye Yaming smiled at Tao Shi, then turned to ask Old Mrs. Ye: "What happened with Third Aunt? How do you plan to handle this?"

Old Mrs. Ye recounted the findings of the investigation.

It turned out the man disguised as a maid was actually a male servant from the Cai family. Cai Shi had been secretly involved with him even before she married into the Ye family.

Old Mrs. Ye said bitterly: "They cuckolded your Third Uncle. Yayu isn't your Third Uncle's biological daughter at all. I don't know how she has the nerve—the moment she saw her lover couldn't hide anymore, she confessed everything, and even acted as if it were perfectly justified."

At this point, tears streamed down her face. Covering her mouth, she cried: "My poor Fan'er, why was his fate so bitter?"

Ye Yaming asked: "Third Uncle's death—could they have caused it?"

Tao Shi said: "We asked her, but she denied it. She said your Third Uncle was already ill when he went to work, and that's why he passed away."

Old Mrs. Ye wiped her tears: "At the time your Third Uncle was sick, the Herbalist we hired and the medicine he took were all arranged by me. As for whether they added anything to the medicine, I don't know. I never imagined a wife would harm her husband, so I didn't guard against her at all."

She lifted her tear-filled eyes: "I called you here to ask your opinion—what should we do? Should we report it to the authorities?"

The thought that her third son might have been killed by that adulterous pair made her wish she could devour their marrow and feast on their flesh.

But the incident happened over a decade ago, and there was no evidence. Even if they reported it, the authorities wouldn't be able to gather proof. As long as Cai Shi and her lover insisted they hadn't harmed anyone, the authorities couldn't convict them.

And who would admit to being a murderer? Confessing meant death; denying it meant they could live. No one would be foolish enough to admit it.

"Report it to the authorities," Ye Yaming said. "The magistrates have more experience in investigating cases than we do. We might be at a loss, but perhaps the officials can uncover some clues."

Just then, Ye Chongming hurried back.

He had gone to the Tea Factory early in the morning. He had just arrived and hadn't even gotten out of the carriage when someone sent by Old Mrs. Ye called him back.

Old Mrs. Ye told him what had happened, and Ye Chongming was also furious.

"Report it, we must report it," he declared, slapping the table. "We must seek justice for Third Brother."Tao Shi hesitated, "But our Dragon Well Tea is at a critical juncture in its bid to become Tribute Tea. If such a scandal were to spread from our family, I'm afraid the Tribute Tea designation would be lost. After all, they require a clean family background and upright conduct."

Hearing this, Ye Chongming also became hesitant.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would greet or nod to familiar people he encountered.

But regardless of who it was.

Everyone's face bore no extra expression, as if they were completely indifferent to everything.

Regarding this.

Shen Changqing had already grown accustomed.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution that maintained the stability of Great Qin, with the primary duty of slaying demons, monsters, and supernatural beings, though it also handled some other side operations.

It could be said.

Every person in the Demon Suppression Division had much blood on their hands.

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

When he first arrived in this world, Shen Changqing was somewhat unaccustomed, but over time he became used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

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

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

The Demon Suppression Division was divided into two main professions: Garrison Envoy and Demon Subduing Envoy.

Anyone entering the Demon Suppression Division started from the lowest level as a Demon Subduing Envoy,

then gradually advanced through promotions, 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 Demon Subduing Envoys.

Possessing his predecessor's memories.

He was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

Without taking much time, Shen Changqing stopped before a pavilion.

Unlike other solemn and murderous places in the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, presenting a different kind of tranquility within the blood-soaked Demon Suppression Division.

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

Shen Changqing hesitated only for a moment before striding inside.

Upon entering the pavilion.

The environment suddenly transformed.

The scent of ink mixed with a faint bloody odor assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively frown, but his expression quickly relaxed.

The bloody scent that clung to every person in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash clean.