After Ye Chuan and Li Wuling left, a group of onlookers inside the Scholar’s Hall began to discuss the situation.

“What’s with the noble family? Even Li Gongzi dared to hit him!”

The crowd murmured in amazement.

Though the people had just been impressed by Li Wuling’s literary talent, they were still far from being “die-hard fans,” and no one dared to come to his defense. The group decided to follow along and see what would happen. After all, most of the candidates preparing for exams were bored and rarely had such an exciting spectacle to watch.

Among the crowd was Lin Zhao, whose eyes were constantly shifting.

He knew what kind of person Ye Cheng was. He had already discovered that Ye Chuan had a bad relationship with his family. Now, even though Ye Zhenghuai had already been warned by the emperor, he was still treating Ye Chuan like this? Lin Zhao decided to watch things unfold more clearly.

…

Outside Ye Manor’s gates, Ye Cheng, with two bodyguards in tow, strode forward arrogantly. Ye Chuan, Ye Ying’er, and Li Wuling followed behind.

Ye Cheng signaled the guards to knock on the door and then turned to glare coldly at Ye Chuan. “Get in there, now!”

Ye Chuan smiled faintly.

Go in?

What a joke.

Such a big scene, and he was supposed to go in and just let them watch?

Without a second thought, he snapped his fingers and gave Li Wuling a command. “Fall!”

“Thud!”

Li Wuling collapsed to the ground with a scream, “Ah!!!”

At the same time, a pre-prepared blood bag burst, splattering chicken and duck blood all over him.

What an actor!

Ye Chuan nodded with satisfaction.

The expression was lively, the actions natural, and the lines had impact. If this guy went to the Blue Star in his previous life, he could have outperformed all the young idols.

Ye Chuan didn’t stand idle either. He cupped his hands around his mouth, took a deep breath, and shouted with all his might, “Help! This is bad!”

“Ye Shilang’s son is hitting people!”

The ruckus was so loud that it quickly attracted a crowd, which surrounded the scene in layers.

Ye Ying’er, watching from the side, was stunned.

Ye Cheng, on the other hand, was momentarily dumbfounded.

What kind of trick was this?!

Fraud?

Yes, he had indeed hit you, but weren’t you just hopping around a moment ago?

And now, in front of me, you pour blood all over yourself—do you think I’m blind?!

“Ye Chuan, stop this nonsense! Do you want to die?!” Ye Cheng glared at Ye Chuan angrily.

Ye Chuan ignored him and continued shouting, “Ye Zhenghuai, the Minister of Rites, is neglecting his responsibilities and allowing his son to act violently!”

“In broad daylight, he’s letting his servants beat good citizens!”

“In the capital of the Emperor, is there no law?!”

The commotion grew louder, and more people began to gossip, unable to stop themselves. It seemed the situation was spiraling out of control.

Ye Cheng started to panic, feeling both angry and anxious. He shouted to his bodyguards, “Quickly, drag them inside!”

Once the door was closed, everything would be easier to handle.

The two guards rushed forward.

“You dare?”

Ye Chuan’s voice was firm as he shouted in a commanding tone, his presence overwhelming.

The guards were immediately stunned, unable to move.

“Ye Chuan, you’re courting death!” Ye Cheng was livid, jumping up and down with rage.

“Everyone!” Ye Chuan continued to shout, his voice carrying.

“Did you see that?!”

“Ye Manor hit someone first, and then resorted to threats!”

“Heh, what a noble family!”

“What a great government official!”

Ye Chuan kept stirring the pot, eager to make the situation even more chaotic.

Li Wuling played along excellently, continuing to writhe on the ground, groaning, with blood all over his body. The effect was nothing short of dramatic.

The crowd couldn’t help but point and gossip.

“This is outrageous! They beat him so badly…”

“But wait, I heard Ye Zhenghuai from the Ministry of Rites is a righteous official…”

“Pah! I don’t know about his righteousness, but his eldest son? Go ask around!”

“What do you mean?”

“Drinking, gambling, fighting, bullying others—name it, he’s done it!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, under the Emperor’s nose, there’s such a bully!”

Hearing the gossip, Ye Chuan nearly burst into laughter.

This is the power of rumors!

He knew full well that Ye Cheng wasn’t particularly well-educated and wasn’t a good person, but he was hardly a criminal. At most, he would indulge in some vices like visiting brothels or gambling.

But when it came to bullying others, with Ye Zhenghuai around, he wouldn’t dare.

However, the public’s resentment towards officials and the wealthy, mixed with some exaggeration, was perfectly natural.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Ye Cheng was thoroughly flustered, rubbing his hands together, unsure of what to do.

“Cheng’er!”

“What’s going on?” At that moment, Ye Zhenghuai’s wife, Zhao Shi, hurried out.

The maid had been quick to report when the situation started to escalate.

Zhao Shi and Ye Ren rushed out immediately.

“Mother!”

When Ye Cheng saw his mother, he immediately relaxed and hurriedly explained the situation.

“Mother, Ye Chuan is making trouble for no reason. It’s obvious he’s trying to cause a scene!”

“Shut up!” Zhao Shi’s eyes flared with anger. She wished she could slap her son across the face.

How could he be so reckless? The marriage proposal fell through, and now, despite his husband’s warning, he was causing a scandal by fighting openly in front of the manor gates?

Zhao Shi understood that her husband, Ye Zhenghuai, cared greatly about his reputation. Now, with the whole city gathering outside their gate, this situation would soon spread throughout the capital.

Ye Ren stood nearby, his expression filled with disdain. He couldn’t help but feel a little schadenfreude.

So this was their precious eldest son? Making such a mess over a minor issue!

Zhao Shi quickly turned to Ye Ren. “Ren’er, what do you think we should do?”

Ye Ren’s eyes flashed with displeasure.

Seeing that his brother was always favored when it came to the benefits, but now it was up to him to clean up the mess, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Yet, his face remained calm and composed. After a brief pause, he said quietly, “We should first get Ye Chuan and the others inside, then send someone to explain the situation to the onlookers.”

“Yes, yes, Ren’er has a good plan!” Zhao Shi beamed with appreciation and quickly praised her second son before stepping forward.

“Chuan’er, you’re back!” Zhao Shi flashed her most gentle, “motherly” smile.

“I’ve heard about what happened.”

“You’re both young and impetuous. It’s normal to have a little disagreement and conflict.”

“Cheng’er definitely overreacted, and I will make sure to punish him properly.”

“Come, let’s take your friend inside, and I’ll call a doctor to take a look at him.”

She spoke in a sincere, heartfelt tone, but it almost made Ye Chuan laugh.

Just a few words and she framed the whole situation as a “disagreement between the young,” hoping to downplay everything?

“Heh, I suggest you stay where it’s cooler.”

Ye Chuan sneered, “You really think you’re the lady of Ye Manor?”

“Go back and bring out Ye Zhenghuai!”

“You’re not qualified to deal with this matter!”

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