Glory

Worried that Meng Liang and others might steer the conversation off track again with irrelevant talk, he pointed forcefully at Meng Chengwei and declared loudly, "Do you dare deny that you colluded with bandits to rob our family's Tea Silver and injure my father? Do you dare swear an oath? Ha! You don't dare, because you're the one who did it!"

"Why should I swear an oath? I know nothing about any Tea Silver or bandits," Meng Chengwei retorted with a venomous glare, as if his eyes alone could kill Ye Jiaxing.

"As for you, Ye Jiaxing, is this how you repay me for saving you on the mountain back then? I came to Lin'an for a brief visit and planned to return to the capital tomorrow, yet your Ye family slanders me without cause. What is your purpose?"

What? Meng Chengwei saved Ye Jiaxing?

What kind of melodramatic plot was this? Could it be a case of love turning to hatred—two young masters fighting over a lady? Or perhaps some deep-seated grudge between them?

The onlookers' excitement reached new heights.

"Hah! 'Saved me'? Wasn't it you who set up that trap on the mountain, causing me to fall from my horse? And then you hypocritically pretended to care, escorting me back to the villa. You just wanted to get close to my grandfather to frame us, didn't you? Fortunately, I saw through your scheme and didn't fall for it."

"As for whether this is slander, you know the truth best. Not only do you and I know—the authorities know as well. Let me tell you, Meng Chengwei, your day of reckoning has come. Guards! Where are the guards?"

Ye Jiaxing turned to look around.

Their plan served two purposes: first, to amplify the scandal and ruin Meng Chengwei and Yang Hong's reputation, settling old scores; second, to have the guards arrest Meng Chengwei in public, solidifying his reputation as a bandit collaborator and preventing Min Fei's faction and the Meng family in the capital from twisting the narrative and quietly freeing him as if nothing had happened.

With public opinion stirred and so many idle bystanders witnessing the event, gossip would spread throughout Lin'an in less than half a day. This made it difficult for Min Fei and the Meng family to pretend nothing had occurred.

Min Fei, one of the four consorts in the palace and mother to a princess, even if not favored, had many enemies eager to see her fall. Once this news spread, someone would surely report it to the Emperor with malicious intent. Min Fei's days would then become troubled.

Their ultimate goal was to topple Meng Chengwei's greatest supporter.

Ye Chongming and Ye Jiaxing had come to coordinate with the authorities, aiming to ensure as many people as possible witnessed Meng Chengwei's arrest by the guards. While they distracted the Meng and Yang families, the guards sneaked in, waiting to appear once the accusations were fully laid out.

Sure enough, as Ye Jiaxing called for the guards, they emerged, clamping iron chains around Meng Chengwei's neck: "Meng Chengwei, your collusion with bandits to rob merchants and take lives has been exposed. Come with us."

The crowd erupted in astonishment.

"Is this... real?" Even storytellers couldn't concoct something this bizarre.

"How could it not be real? The guards are here—could it be fake?"

To prevent any issues during the arrest, Qi Zhifu dispatched eight guards. Despite vigorous resistance from Meng Liang and Gu Jie, the guards succeeded in apprehending Meng Chengwei, marching him back to the magistrate's office in chains.

Ye Chongming and Ye Jiaxing had to follow the guards to the magistrate's office to support Ye Hongchang, who was acting as the plaintiff.A crowd of idlers from the teahouse trailed behind them. Along the way, onlookers drawn by the commotion joined in, and by the time Meng Chengwei was escorted to the magistrate's office, the crowd had swelled to several hundred. Those in the teahouse who knew the whole story eagerly spread the details.

Thus, within less than two hours—before any trial or conviction—nearly half of Lin'an City had learned that Meng Chengwei had colluded with bandits to rob the Ye family's Tea Silver and injure Master Ye.

This news corroborated the rumors about the Ye family from days prior, further confirming the truth of the matter.

Meanwhile, at the Yang Family Teahouse, as Meng Chengwei was dragged away by a group of constables, the establishment emptied in an instant. Yang Hong and his son Yang Tai, along with the manager and staff of Yang's Teahouse, stood there dumbfounded.

"It's over, it's over," Yang Hong muttered.

Last time, when he had tried to confront Ye Chongming and was shoved out by the staff of the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion, he became the laughingstock of the town and dared not show his face for days.

Now, having finally ingratiated himself with Meng Chengwei, he had hoped to regain his pride, wipe away the humiliation, bring down Ye Chongming, and force those who had mocked him to curry favor with him.

But what happened? Meng Chengwei was arrested right in front of everyone. And the Yang family had just signed a contract with him!

His face turned ashen.

It was Yang Tai whose mind worked faster. Jolted to awareness, he quickly said to his father, "Dad, the one who signed the contract with us wasn't Meng Chengwei—it was Gu Jie!"

Yang Hong, like a drowning man seeing a glimmer of light, stared at his son and grasped the implication.

Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "Yes, yes! It was Gu Jie, not Meng Chengwei!"

Earlier, he had resented Meng Chengwei for not signing the contract himself and using a puppet instead. But now, that very arrangement was like a floating log in the water, giving him a lifeline.

…

Meng Chengwei's arrest and his reputation being dragged through the mud across Lin'an City were exactly what Ye Yaming had hoped for, but she couldn't go to witness it in person.

If that madman Meng Chengwei saw her and spouted some unsavory remarks in public, her reputation would be utterly ruined. The loafers of Lin'an City were far more interested in scandalous affairs than in the robbery of Tea Silver. Their curiosity about the Ye family's third young lady would far exceed their interest in Meng Chengwei, whom they didn't even know.

In that case, her reputation would end up even more tarnished than his.

So, she dared not appear before Meng Chengwei. To prevent the very scenario she feared, she had even asked Ye Chongming to bribe the constables to gag Meng Chengwei with a rag on the way, preventing him from spouting nonsense.

However, she was too busy at the moment to bother kicking a man when he was down.

"Really? Are you sure?" she asked Xia Momo.

"Really," Xia Momo replied excitedly. "I couldn't believe it myself, so I went to see for sure before reporting back to you, Miss."

She had been distant from the young lady for two years, but since returning to her side, she found that Ye Yaming had changed a lot: she was more rational than before, never lost her temper, and never spoke ill of anyone.

Moreover, Xia Momo noticed that Ye Yaming carried a commanding presence. In her presence, Xia Momo felt even more pressure than when facing Old Madam Ye. Every word Ye Yaming spoke demanded utmost attention and seriousness.

The third young lady had unknowingly grown into such a person.

Xia Momo was deeply moved.

Collecting herself, she continued, "That Zijin girl truly has remarkable skills. At first, seeing she wasn't particularly beautiful and had fallen into such a state, I had my doubts about her. But who would have thought that in just ten short days, she managed to make Young Master Song take the initiative to visit her?"