Glory

He was a man who valued family honor more than his own life. Now that his son was gone, the dead could not be brought back to life. Moreover, reporting the case to the authorities might not necessarily uncover the truth.

If this matter were to affect Dragon Well Tea's chances of becoming a Tribute Tea, then...

Ye Yaming, however, frowned and said, "A human life is at stake. How can it be compared to mere vanity? Besides, as long as our tea is good and the Emperor enjoys drinking it, what does it matter whether it becomes a Tribute Tea or not?"

Ye Chongming remained silent.

He had been momentarily overwhelmed by grief and anger earlier. But now, having calmed down, he felt it might be better to handle the matter privately.

If he could seek justice for his son, he would not hesitate. But the incident had happened over a decade ago, and without concrete evidence, taking it to the authorities would only make the Ye family a laughingstock. It would also tarnish his son's reputation posthumously and jeopardize the Tribute Tea matter. What good would that do?

The deceased was gone, and he had to think of the living descendants.

Old Madam Ye simply wiped her tears, while Tao Shi and Yin Shi, as daughters-in-law and Cai Shi's sisters-in-law, found it inappropriate to comment on the matter.

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

Just then, Mama Lu hurried in and said, "Third Madam wishes to see Old Madam Ye."

Everyone exchanged glances. Ye Chongming nodded and said, "Go ahead. Let's hear what she has to say."

He added, "Let Ming'er accompany you."

Then he glanced at Tao Shi and Yin Shi and said, "You all go as well."

Ye Yaming walked over to Old Madam Ye's side, supported her, and they left the room, heading toward the adjacent side chamber.

Fearing that Cai Shi might attempt suicide, Old Madam Ye had brought both her and Ye Yayu back to the main house. The adulterer and the servants, meanwhile, had been handed over to the manor guards for custody.

Cai Shi was confined in one of the side chambers under the watch of matrons, while Ye Yayu stayed in another room, accompanied by her wet nurse and Old Madam Ye's maid, Mei'er, among others.

Upon entering the side chamber, Ye Yaming saw Cai Shi with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth, tied to a pillar.

It was not that Old Madam Ye intended to mistreat her, but in situations like this, many women chose to take their own lives. If Cai Shi were to commit suicide, not only would Ye Hongfan's justice remain unserved, but the Cai family might also cause trouble for the Ye family, demanding justice for their daughter who had been widowed for over a decade. The Ye family would be left in an unbearable predicament.

When Cai Shi saw Old Madam Ye and the others enter, she made muffled noises.

Old Madam Ye sat down in a chair and waved to a stout matron, who then removed the handkerchief from Cai Shi's mouth.

However, the matron kept a close watch on Cai Shi, holding the handkerchief ready to stuff it back into her mouth in case she tried to bite her tongue and commit suicide.

Once the handkerchief was removed, Cai Shi cried out, "Old Madam, I lied earlier. Yayu is your granddaughter. I was only afraid you wouldn't let me take her away, so I falsely claimed she wasn't."

Sobbing, she continued, "Yuan Kun was a household serf of the Cai family. After I married, he remained with the Cai family. It wasn't until Yayu was one year old that he redeemed himself and left the household. I only met him by chance on the road when I returned to my family home that year and learned of his affection for me."

"He said he wanted to follow me, but I refused. Two years later, I could no longer resist, and I had him disguise himself as a woman to enter the manor."

Hearing this, Ye Yaming looked puzzled and turned to Tao Shi. "Didn't you interrogate her back then?"Tao Shi explained in a low voice, "We had them all restrained as soon as we entered the courtyard. After the Herbalist confirmed through pulse diagnosis that Cai Shi was pregnant and the man was found, Cai Shi, seeing no way to deny it, admitted that Yayu was her child with this man. Old Madam Ye was furious upon hearing this and ordered Cai Shi bound and brought here."

Over there, Old Madam Ye sneered coldly at Cai Shi's words and asked, "The number of people in your courtyard hasn't increased or decreased. How did he get in?"

Cai Shi lowered her head. "When I returned to my maiden home, I dismissed one of the maids and had him disguise himself as that maid to enter."

Old Madam Ye turned to Mama Lu. "Separate and interrogate the servants in her courtyard to verify if what she says is true. Use torture if necessary." Ye Yaming observed Cai Shi carefully and noticed she showed little panic upon hearing Old Madam Ye's orders. She guessed that either Cai Shi had unified the accounts of everyone in the courtyard and wasn't afraid of interrogation, or she was telling the truth.

Interrogation would take time. Old Madam Ye signaled the sturdy woman to gag Cai Shi with a handkerchief.

Having finally gained a chance to speak, Cai Shi resisted fiercely and cried out, "Old Madam, I know I have no face to remain in Ye Jia. I have no maiden home to return to. You know what my family is like—they would never allow me back. I will fall ill soon and then pass away. I beg you not to make this matter public. I'm not making this request for myself. When I took a lover, I knew discovery would mean my death. I only ask that you treat Yayu well. She cannot have a mother who was an adulteress."

As she spoke, she began to weep.

Old Madam Ye seemed somewhat moved by this.

If it were confirmed that Cai Shi hadn't caused the death of the third master, the matter could be handled this way. It would save everyone's face and prevent the Cai family from causing trouble.

But Ye Yaming couldn't stand to listen any longer.

She sneered, "You make it sound as if you're such a noble mother. To hide your lover, you kept Fifth Sister from socializing. Look at how you've warped her character. Have you ever considered how she will marry or interact with others? You harmed your daughter for your own pleasure, and now you pretend to care for her."

Cai Shi flushed crimson at these words. She seemed to want to retort but held back, finally unable to resist crying out, "Third Young Lady, you've never been married. You don't know how difficult it is for a widow."

Her words made every woman in the room blush.

Tao Shi and Yin Shi wanted to rebuke her to defend Ye Yaming but felt the topic was too awkward to pursue further.

Ye Yaming cut her off. "Ye Jia never demanded that you remain chaste. Grandmother asked you back then if you wanted to remarry."

"But if I remarried, I wouldn't be able to see my Yayu," Cai Shi wailed.

"What good is seeing her? You've raised her so poorly that she'd be better off without you. She would fare better staying with Grandmother."

Old Madam Ye was kind-hearted; Tao Shi, though somewhat calculating, wouldn't bully an orphaned girl. She would only treat Ye Yayu better to showcase her own kindness and virtue.

Yin Shi went without saying; even Zhang Shi, though she loved to assert herself, wouldn't seek validation by targeting an orphan.

Without a mother, Ye Yayu would only receive the elders' compassion. Her sisters would also look after her.What disgusted Ye Yaming most about Cai Shi was precisely this.

She made it sound noble, but was it really for her daughter's sake?

The Cai family ran a silk fabric shop, their financial status far inferior to that of Ye Jia. They took great pride in having Ye Jia as in-laws.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would greet acquaintances he encountered with a nod or a brief exchange.

Yet regardless of who it was,

everyone's face bore an expression of detachment, as if indifferent to everything.

To this,

Shen Changqing had grown accustomed.

For this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution tasked with maintaining the stability of Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons, monsters, and supernatural evils, though it also handled some secondary responsibilities.

It could be said

that every person in the Demon Suppression Division had blood on their hands.

When one had witnessed life and death too often, they would grow indifferent to many things.

When Shen Changqing first arrived in this world, he found it hard to adjust, but over time, he grew used to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who could remain here 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 roles: the Garrison Envoy and the Demon Subduing Envoy.

Anyone joining the Demon Suppression Division started as a Demon Subduing Envoy at the lowest rank,

advancing step by step, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Garrison Envoy.

Shen Changqing's predecessor had been a probationary Demon Subduing Envoy within the division, the lowest tier among them.

With the memories of his predecessor,

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

It didn't take long for Shen Changqing to stop before a pavilion.

Unlike the solemn and murderous atmosphere prevalent elsewhere in the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, exuding an unusual tranquility amidst the pervasive bloodshed.

At that moment, the pavilion's doors were wide open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

After only a moment's hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

The scent of ink, mingled with a faint trace of blood, assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively furrow his brows before quickly relaxing them.

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