“Master, Master?”

 

“What’s wrong with you?”

 

Seeing that Ye Zhenghuai’s face had changed, Zhao Shi grew worried as well.

 

Ye Zhenghuai suddenly snapped back to his senses, raising his head and looking at Li Wuling and Ye Chuan. Both of them wore expressions that were neither smiling nor serious.

 

Ye Zhenghuai felt as though he had fallen into an ice cave.

 

Fortunately, after many years of training in the imperial court, his mental fortitude and quick reflexes kicked in, allowing him to make a decision under pressure.

 

“Someone!” he shouted.

 

“Punish Ye Cheng with one hundred lashes and lock him in the ancestral hall for reflection!”

 

As soon as these words left his mouth, Zhao Shi almost fainted from shock.

 

“Father! What are you doing?!”

 

“My son is innocent!” Ye Cheng cried out in terror, sobbing and wailing.

 

“Shut up!”

 

“You wretched thing!”

 

“How dare you take money from the Pingbei General’s mansion! You are beyond control!”

 

Ye Zhenghuai’s loud reprimands filled the room.

 

However, he was careful not to mention the other half of the banknotes or their origin. He had only mentioned the Pingbei General’s mansion, carefully avoiding the rest.

 

He also reframed the situation, calling it “taking” rather than “stealing.”

 

Even at this point, he still showed affection for his eldest son, despite everything.

 

“The Pingbei General’s mansion’s banknotes?!” Zhao Shi, who had not heard the private conversation between Li Wuling and Ye Zhenghuai, was now in a daze. She immediately felt a wave of dizziness as she staggered backward.

 

Thankfully, Ye Ren was standing nearby and quickly supported her.

 

Ye Cheng, on the other hand, was utterly stunned.

 

What?!

 

The banknotes weren’t left to Ye Chuan by Lady Chen?!

 

They actually came from the Pingbei General’s mansion?!

 

To dare take money from Li Xuanwu himself—this would be an absolute crime in the Great Xia Empire.

 

The crowd watching around them was in an uproar.

 

So this was the real scandal!

 

Everything had just escalated dramatically!

 

“Ye Chuan, you bastard!”

 

“You framed me!”

 

“You did this on purpose!”

 

“You’ve been scheming to put me to death!”

 

“I’m going to kill you!” Ye Cheng screamed, filled with fear, and his anger exploded as he turned all the blame onto Ye Chuan.

 

He scrambled to his feet, desperately trying to charge at Ye Chuan.

 

“Enough!” Ye Zhenghuai shouted in alarm, quickly ordering the servants to restrain Ye Cheng, dragging him back to the Ye family estate.

 

“Ye Chuan, just wait!” Ye Cheng continued shouting angrily as he was dragged away.

 

Zhao Shi, supported by her second son, rubbed her temples weakly, glaring at Ye Chuan with a venomous look.

 

This little brat was cunning and had intentionally exposed the banknotes to provoke Ye Cheng into taking them!

 

Not only was Zhao Shi furious, but Ye Zhenghuai also felt disgusted and resentful toward his third son.

 

This Ye Shi Lang had used such a vicious method, pushing his own brother into a corner—truly worse than a beast!

 

Ye Chuan remained calm, silently observing the situation.

 

He understood perfectly the thoughts reflected in the eyes of his family. In essence, their malice stemmed from extreme selfishness.

 

No matter what happened, the fault would always be someone else’s. Even if they were wrong, they would always find a way to blame others for it.

 

Ye Chuan had long understood this nature of theirs, and there was no reasoning to be had. The only way to handle them was through force.

 

So from the very beginning, he had shown no mercy when dealing with the Ye family.

 

“Good nephew, this is indeed my oversight, which led to my son causing such a disaster!”

 

Ye Zhenghuai lowered his tone, his face filled with regret as he spoke to Li Wuling. “Once I deal with the family punishment, I will force that rebellious son to go to the General’s Mansion and apologize to the old general!”

 

“Take these banknotes, good nephew…”

 

Li Wuling waved dismissively and coldly interrupted Ye Zhenghuai.

 

“These banknotes aren’t mine.”

 

Ye Zhenghuai froze, his pupils contracted as he clenched his teeth. He fell silent for a moment, but in the end, he swallowed his pride and turned to Ye Chuan.

 

“Chuan’er, it seems your father… has wronged you.”

 

Ye Zhenghuai awkwardly handed over the banknotes.

 

Smack!

 

Ye Chuan didn’t hesitate to grab the banknotes from Ye Zhenghuai’s hand, slipping them into his own pocket as he said indifferently, “And then?”

 

Ye Zhenghuai’s eyelids twitched, his fist clenched as he glared at Ye Chuan, his voice cold as ice. “What else do you want?”

 

“That depends on Ye Da-ren’s sincerity.”

 

Ye Chuan smiled faintly. “If it’s just a bow and an apology, then perhaps I should report this matter to the capital court.”

 

“You!” Ye Zhenghuai trembled with rage.

 

This rebellious son was going too far!

 

“Haha!” Li Wuling laughed heartily, “Big brother, I’m familiar with the capital court. I can lead the way, let’s go!”

 

“Hiss…” Zhao Shi, terrified, almost fainted again. Instinctively, she screamed, “Master!”

 

If this went to court, Ye Cheng would be in serious danger!

 

Li Xuanwu wouldn’t even need to intervene. The prefect of the capital would be more than eager to use this as an opportunity to please Li Xuanwu, and Ye Cheng would be lucky if he didn’t lose his life in the process.

 

“Ye Chuan!”

 

Ye Zhenghuai gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tightly, as he stared coldly at Ye Chuan. “What conditions do you want? Speak!”

 

Ye Chuan narrowed his eyes and glanced at Ye Ren, who was standing nearby, gently supporting his mother. His lips curled upward.

 

“How about you speak instead?”

 

“Second brother has always been fair and wise, surely he will offer a just decision.”

 

Both Ye Zhenghuai and Zhao Shi were stunned.

 

What did Ye Chuan mean?

 

Zhao Shi was completely puzzled.

 

In the Ye family, although Ye Ren had never treated Ye Chuan as cruelly as Zhao Shi and Ye Cheng, they were still family. How could Ye Chuan possibly want Ye Ren to mediate the matter?

 

But at that moment, Ye Ren’s eyes flickered with meaning, and a subtle understanding passed between him and Ye Chuan. They were both clever men, and a single glance had conveyed everything.

 

The seeds Ye Chuan had planted earlier had already begun to sprout. Ye Ren, frustrated by the biased favoritism of his parents toward Ye Cheng, was now feeling the pressure to make a decision.

 

This was no longer just about family. With Ye Chuan now backed by the Pingbei General’s mansion and in close relations with Li Wuling…

 

Ye Ren thought about it quickly and made his decision.

 

There were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.

 

With the way Ye Zhenghuai and Zhao Shi favored Ye Cheng, Ye Ren—who had always seen himself as superior—would never be content to just play second fiddle.

 

Having Ye Chuan as a counterbalance was a good thing.

 

“Cough, cough…” Ye Ren cleared his throat, then smiled gracefully. “Since Third Brother trusts me, I’ll offer my opinion.”

 

“This matter is wrong on Big Brother’s part, and he cannot escape responsibility.”

 

“But Third Brother, being part of the family, might consider resolving it privately.”

 

“I believe Big Brother should show some sincerity.”

 

“How about this—Big Brother’s property on South Gate Street, the Shengde Building, can be transferred to Third Brother. What do you think, Father, Mother?”

 

The moment Ye Ren spoke, Zhao Shi trembled in shock, staring at him in disbelief.

 

Could this really be Ye Ren speaking?!

 

Ye Zhenghuai, too, looked at his second son with a stunned expression.

 

The Shengde Building on South Gate Street…

 

That was Ye Cheng’s most profitable asset!

 

Its monthly profits, though slightly less than those of the Zhuangyuan Building, were still considerable in the capital.

 

Losing this asset would affect the Ye family’s finances to some extent.

 

And now, Ye Ren was suggesting giving it away to Ye Chuan?!

 

Zhao Shi and Ye Zhenghuai exchanged glances, both flabbergasted.