Glory

The Miss Zijin mentioned by Xia Momo was found by the wife of Mei Zhonglin.

She was once a woman from a brothel—though not the top courtesan, she was still a popular figure there, especially favored by young talents.

Later, she and a young scholar fell in love. With his help, she redeemed herself and married him. However, it wasn’t long before the scholar’s wife schemed to drive her out of the household.

After leaving the scholar’s home, she hoped to go far away from Lin’an City and start a new life where no one knew her. Unfortunately, fearing she might be harmed along the way, she had no choice but to stay in Lin’an temporarily while waiting for an opportunity.

Coincidentally, a servant by Old Madam Mei’s side happened to know her story and shared it as gossip, which Old Madam Mei overheard.

Old Madam Mei, entrusted by Old Mrs. Ye, had sought out several women from brothels but was unsatisfied with them. They were either too worldly to move Song Yifeng, demanded exorbitant prices, or were loose-lipped, posing endless risks.

Upon hearing about such a person, Old Madam Mei personally went to meet Zijin and eventually decided to enlist her help. She promised that once the goal was achieved, she would send Zijin to a southern town and provide her with a sum of money.

At the time, Xia Momo was extremely uneasy. She sent a maid from Old Madam Mei’s household to observe, and upon returning, the maid complained to Ye Yaming and Bai Rui, saying Zijin’s looks were nothing special—not even comparable to their own young lady. Only a fool like Song Yifeng would fall for her.

Fortunately, Zijin was clever and resourceful, had some education and talent, and was about to leave Lin’an, making her an excellent candidate to give it a try.

Yet, within a few days, Xia Momo was proven wrong.

Zijin, with her innocent "first love" face, had become a brothel star precisely because she was exceptionally sharp and skilled in manipulation.

She moved with an old maidservant near the Song residence, encountered Song Yifeng several times by chance, asked for his help, and gave him small handmade gifts in gratitude. After a few interactions, Song Yifeng actually began to think of her. When Zijin didn’t appear before him for three days, he took the initiative to visit and offer his assistance.

To Xia Momo, this was unbelievable. After all, in everyone’s eyes, Song Yifeng was the epitome of integrity—he studied diligently every day and never glanced at young women.

"That Miss Zijin must be an extremely clever person. Perhaps after marrying, she realized that scholar was not a good match and deliberately let herself be driven out. As for Song Yifeng…"

Ye Yaming snorted coldly, shook her head, and didn’t continue.

Song Yifeng, as the Ye family’s son-in-law, was under financial pressure and dared not stir up any romantic scandals—he knew Ye Chongming would never tolerate such behavior. To remain a candidate for marriage into influential families, he couldn’t afford such a reputation.

But young men, brimming with hormones, can rebel when suppressed for too long. After passing the Recommended Man examination and riding high on success, coupled with realizing the Ye family wasn’t invincible, his rebellious side urgently needed an outlet.

Just then, a girl with an innocent "first love" face, highly talented, eloquent, and exceptionally intelligent—perhaps even with a bit of a unique personality—appeared. Wasn’t that exactly what struck a chord in his heart?

"What do we do next?" asked Xia Momo.

Whether it was her, Old Madam Mei, or Old Mrs. Ye, they only knew to find such a girl to win Song Yifeng’s heart, ideally leading to an affair they could use against him.As for how to write such an article that would make Song Yifeng break off the engagement while still tarnishing his reputation, these three elderly women, shrewd as they were, couldn't come up with a particularly good method. However, Old Mrs. Ye and Xia Momo were both confident that Ye Yaming must have a good plan, so they weren't anxious.

"Let her continue to consolidate it; it would be best if Song Yifeng falls deeply in love with her," Ye Yaming said.

The fish had only just bitten the hook and wasn't firmly hooked yet; now was not the time to be impatient.

"Understood," Xia Momo replied. Seeing that Ye Yaming was unwilling to reveal the follow-up plan, she had no choice but to leave awkwardly.

After Xia Momo left, Ye Yaming had someone keep an eye on Ye Chongming's side for news. As soon as he returned, she went to the main courtyard.

"What happened with Meng Chengwei?" she asked.

Ye Chongming raised his hand, and Ye Jiaxing vividly recounted the events to her.

Even if Qi Zhifu hadn't decided earlier whether to take action against Meng Chengwei, he hadn't been idle. He delved deep into the matter, uncovering the movements of the group of bandits and the intermediaries who had connected them with Meng Chengwei.

Once he decided to act, he deployed multiple approaches, sending many people out to arrest both the bandits and the intermediaries.

After bringing these people to the Lin'an Prefecture office, he then had Ye Chongming cause a scene at Yangji Teahouse, leading to Meng Chengwei's arrest.

Thus, the trial proceeded very smoothly. Witnesses came forward one after another to testify, and in the end, the bandits firmly insisted that Meng Chengwei had instigated them. Ye Hongchang and the two severely injured Guards also came forward to testify, and the medical clinic provided witnesses as well, solidifying the case.

"What was the final verdict?" Ye Yaming asked.

"Eighteen strokes of the cane on the back, one year of penal servitude, and exile to two thousand li away," Ye Chongming replied.

At this, he sighed and said, "Back then, we were worried day and night about the Tea Silver being robbed. Now, it's a pity it wasn't stolen."

"Exactly," Ye Jiaxing said. "If it had been stolen, Meng Chengwei wouldn't have received such a light sentence. He would definitely have been sentenced to twenty strokes of the cane, three years of penal servitude, and exile to three thousand li away."

Ye Yaming nodded.

Although Da Jin was a fictional dynasty, it closely resembled the historical Song and Ming dynasties. Since arriving in Da Jin, aside from the busy days when she was making Osmanthus Tea, she had been quite idle. She had no interest in the romantic poetry and literature that the original host enjoyed, so she specifically asked Lve E to go out and buy the "Jin Code" for her to read.

She believed that no matter what society one was in, it was essential to first understand what could and couldn't be done. Only by knowing the laws and being familiar with the rules could one operate freely within them without getting into trouble.

In the Song Dynasty, the punishment for robbery was severe. The perpetrator would be executed, their property confiscated, and their wife and children exiled a thousand li away to perform hard labor.

The Ming Dynasty, following the "Tang Code," imposed even harsher penalties. For attempted robbery without actually stealing anything, the punishment was exile. For successful robbery, regardless of whether anyone was injured or killed, the punishment was execution.

The laws of Da Jin were more similar to those of the Ming Dynasty.

Although the Ye family's Tea Silver wasn't stolen, Ye Hongchang sustained minor injuries and three Guards were severely injured. According to the law, while the punishment might not be execution, it was still quite severe.

However, Meng Chengwei was only the instigator, not the perpetrator, which reduced the severity by one degree. Thus, he was only sentenced to eighteen strokes of the cane, one year of penal servitude, and exile to two thousand li away.

If the Meng family spent money extensively to bribe officials, he might only be exiled for two or three months before returning to the capital to continue enjoying his life of luxury.

But this experience was undoubtedly the greatest humiliation in the life of the privileged Young Master Meng, who had always had everything go smoothly. Moreover, having a criminal record would significantly impact his future reputation.Compared to the fate that befell the Ye family in their previous life, Meng Chengwei's punishment was naturally insufficient. However, despite Ye Yaming exhausting all her efforts and leveraging the influence of Lu Guanyi and Qi Zhifu, this was the most she could achieve.