Upon seeing the large stack of silver notes in Ye Cheng’s hands, the crowd surrounding them gasped in astonishment.

The onlookers were ordinary commoners, who worked tirelessly all year round but barely earned enough to survive. The amount of silver in Ye Cheng’s hands would be enough to support them for several lifetimes.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… No wonder everyone wants to become an official. Money equals power!”

“Even the son of a Minister of Rites can have such a large sum…”

Ye Zhenghuai, seeing the silver notes, was immediately alarmed.

“How could Cheng’er have so much money?!”

It was known that Ye Zhenghuai had always maintained a reputation for integrity in both the court and the public. As for his wife and two sons, who had acquired many properties in the capital and elsewhere, that was a different matter. Their business dealings didn’t affect his own upright image.

However, Ye Cheng’s sudden wealth raised suspicions.

Zhao Shi and Ye Ran exchanged a knowing glance.

They understood the situation all too well. Although Ye Cheng owned a few properties, he had a gambling problem. The profits from those properties wouldn’t be enough to sustain his gambling habit. This meant that he must have acquired the money through dubious means—most likely by manipulating Ye Chuan.

Their assumptions seemed to be correct!

After the death of Chen Shi, it was clear that the inheritance left for his son was substantial.

Zhao Shi’s eyes gleamed with greed.

“Where did you get so much money?”

Ye Zhenghuai wasn’t a fool. Sensing something was wrong, he coldly asked.

“Father, don’t you remember?” Ye Cheng answered boldly. “I’ve been managing two restaurants, a cloth shop, and two grain and oil stores. Today I went to collect the debts. This is all the money owed to me!”

Ye Cheng explained himself confidently, having already prepared this excuse. He thought it was foolproof.

In fact, Ye Zhenghuai was slightly taken aback and believed about sixty to seventy percent of it. If these businesses had been running for several months, it wasn’t impossible for Ye Cheng to have accumulated this much money.

After all, Ye Zhenghuai didn’t bother to inspect the silver notes in detail.

“Yes, my husband, I can vouch for him,” Zhao Shi quickly added. “Cheng’er really did go to collect debts today.”

“And you know, Father, how could Chuan’er have so much money?”

With Zhao Shi’s persuasive words, Ye Zhenghuai became more confused, subconsciously nodding in agreement.

Zhao Shi turned to Ye Chuan with a look of mock sadness. “Chuan’er, if you need money, you should’ve just asked your second mother. This kind of behavior… It tarnishes your father’s reputation and brings shame to our family!”

Hearing this, Ye Zhenghuai’s anger flared.

This wretched child! First, it was the jade pendant incident that seemed to be an intentional attempt to harm his own father!

“Unfilial son!” Ye Zhenghuai could no longer control his fury.

If His Majesty knew about this, he would be furious and regret trusting him!

“You shamelessly used such underhanded methods to steal from your own family! What is this if not the actions of a thief?!”

“You’ve disgraced our ancestors!”

The more Ye Zhenghuai spoke, the angrier he became. “Guards! Bind this ungrateful child!”

The servants immediately began to move.

Seeing this, Zhao Shi and Ye Cheng couldn’t help but show smug expressions.

They were excited. Once this wretch was tied up and taken back to the Ye family, they would have plenty of opportunities to torture him and extract more money from him.

The inheritance left by Chen Shi must be more than just this!

“I dare you!”

A loud voice suddenly rang out, and Li Wuling stepped forward to block Ye Chuan.

Ye Chuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

This guy’s not bad—when it comes to taking action, he’s serious!

Ye Zhenghuai’s face darkened. “Cousin, this is a family matter. Even if General Xuanwu is here, he shouldn’t interfere!”

Before Li Wuling could speak, Ye Chuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Ye Zhenghuai, Ye Zhenghuai…”

“Today, I’ve finally confirmed it.”

“If my mother hadn’t been there back then, with your foolish head, you wouldn’t even have made it to the position of Minister of Rites in your next life!”

“The one who’s truly disgraced the Ye family’s ancestors is you!”

Ye Zhenghuai’s rage boiled over. “You wretched child! How dare you speak such rebellious words!”

Ye Chuan dismissively waved his hand. “Before you lose your temper, I suggest you take a good look at the silver notes your precious eldest son is holding.”

“As a friendly reminder, make sure to stand straight while you’re looking at them. And don’t let your legs go weak after you see them.”

Ye Zhenghuai froze, frowning slightly.

Seeing Ye Chuan’s calm demeanor, something in his heart stirred with suspicion.

Could there be something wrong with the silver notes?

Zhao Shi’s eyes flickered. “Husband, maybe we should go back to the house to handle this. There are too many eyes here. Family matters should not be aired in public…”

Ye Ren remained silent, but his gaze was fixed on Ye Chuan, filled with sharpness.

This kid must have something up his sleeve!

After a moment’s hesitation, Ye Zhenghuai looked at the defiant Li Wuling and understood that if they wanted to resolve this, this young man would not back down.

Ye Chuan was unconcerned, but Li Wuling causing a scene would definitely be troublesome.

“Bring the notes here and let me see,” Ye Zhenghuai finally spoke in a low voice.

Zhao Shi felt a bad premonition rising within her, while Ye Cheng remained oblivious.

This fool knew nothing. He thought that silver notes were all the same. What difference could it make if there was a name on it?

The servant brought the silver notes to Ye Zhenghuai.

He held them in his hand, glancing briefly at them. Suddenly, his body trembled violently, and his expression changed dramatically.

Li Wuling’s face revealed a playful smile as he stepped forward and stood in front of Ye Zhenghuai.

“Minister Ye, open your eyes and take a good look!”

“The stamp in the lower left corner of this half is from the General’s Mansion of Pingbei!”

“Now, take a look at the other half.”

Ye Zhenghuai’s throat moved, and he swallowed nervously. His face turned pale as he checked the other half.

The moment he saw it, he nearly collapsed on the spot!

Royal Tongbao!

The Dato Tongbao bills were issued by the largest bank in the entire Daxia Kingdom. The reason for this was simple—its largest shareholder was the royal family!

Among the Dato Tongbao notes, some were specifically designated for the royal family, each marked with this stamp.

At that moment, Ye Zhenghuai realized that this stack of silver notes was split in two—one half from Li Xuanwu, and the other half from His Majesty himself!

And now, this money had all ended up in Ye Cheng’s hands…

In an instant, Ye Zhenghuai felt like the world was spinning around him, his mind buzzing as though struck by lightning.

Realizing that this money might have been personally granted by His Majesty, Ye Zhenghuai’s entire body went cold.

Seeing his face turn from dark blue to ashen, completely drained of color, and his expression filled with fear, Ye Chuan’s lips curled up into a slow smile.

As he had said before, the beating of Li Wuling was merely an appetizer.

This was the real blow!

The identity of the old man surnamed Xia was unclear, but if this old man truly had the surname Xia and had such a close relationship with Li Xuanwu, then it was highly likely he was a royal family member.

The two of them had sent out the silver notes, and Ye Cheng had dared to steal them. This was a serious offense that could result in a death sentence!

A warm reminder: If you think this book is good, to avoid losing track of it next time, don’t forget to add it to your bookshelf!

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