Chapter 8: Investigation

“Yes.” Ye Chongming didn’t stand on ceremony with her, mounted his horse, and quickly disappeared around the corner with a few attendants.

Ye Yaming’s carriage wasn’t slow either. By the time Ye Chongming had gathered the people at the tea shop, Ye Yaming had arrived as well. Accompanying her was her father, Ye Hongsheng.

Ye Hongsheng was a refined and elegant man. People in this era married and had children early, so at thirty-three, he was only two years older than Ye Yaming in her modern life.

Fortunately, Ye Yaming had the original owner’s memories and emotions, so calling this handsome young man “father” didn’t feel too out of place.

Mainly, this man had never been dissatisfied with Madam Yin for only bearing two daughters. He always said it didn’t matter if they had a son or not, and he treated his wife and two daughters very well. At this moment, he was still acting like a worried father, nagging as soon as he saw her.

“…This is nonsense. The elders will take care of the family’s affairs. You were sick just a few days ago, so why are you getting involved now? How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?”

Ye Yaming: “…” Who said the second master of the Ye family was taciturn and not good with words? He could talk more than she could.

“Shh.” She gestured to Ye Hongsheng, “We’ll talk about this later. Since I’m here, I’m not going back. If people hear you, what will they think of me? I have to save face, you know?”

Her words almost made Ye Hongsheng laugh.

“Alright, alright, you can stay.” Ye Hongsheng said, half-annoyed. Then, with a doting expression, he added, “If you get tired, let me know, and I’ll have someone take you back.”

Ye Yaming rolled her eyes inwardly and obediently nodded, “Okay.”

Father and daughter entered the tea shop, where the head manager, the deputy manager, and two clerks who knew about the private tea incident were already present.

Ye Chongming raised his eyes and asked the head manager in a deep voice, “Manager Song, what do you have to say about the private tea matter?”

Song Dequan bowed and smiled bitterly, “I was negligent. Please punish me, Boss.”

Before he finished speaking, the deputy manager, Ding Jian, bowed deeply, “It’s not the head manager’s fault. I did this behind the Boss’s and head manager’s backs.”

With that, he lifted his robe and knelt, “If any tea customers file complaints with the authorities, you can put all the blame on me. Boss truly didn’t know. It was my dissatisfaction that led me to do this behind Boss’s back, violating the court’s laws. I am willing to take full responsibility.”

Ding Jian, in his thirties, had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a straight posture, making him very likable. His words were impassioned and righteous, making people feel he had no choice but to do this due to the fourth master’s status. Now, he was bravely taking all the blame. Everyone present felt only admiration and gratitude, without any resentment.

Sure enough, Ye Chongming, who had been full of anger, felt most of his anger dissipate, leaving only self-blame and helplessness. He had been busy making a living all his life and had little time to discipline his children, except for his eldest son, Ye Hongchang.

He knew his wife favored their youngest son. Thinking that she had raised several children well, he didn’t interfere much. When he realized Ye Hongrong was not very capable, his eldest grandson had already been born.

Thinking that the eldest household would inherit the family business, Ye Hongrong didn’t need to be very capable. With his elder brother managing things, he could live a peaceful life even if he did nothing. Moreover, changing his temperament would require a lot of time and effort.

With that time and effort, it was better to focus on nurturing his eldest grandson. Therefore, he only scolded Ye Hongrong when they met and had someone watch him to prevent him from doing bad things, but he didn’t interfere much.

When Ye Hongrong got married and had children, Ye Chongming was even older and had less energy to manage him.

Now that his fourth son had caused trouble, how much fault could Ding Jian, who was loyal to the master, have? He was willing to take full responsibility, showing loyalty and righteousness. What right did he have to resent him?

“Sigh, it’s my fault for not teaching my son well.” Ye Chongming waved his hand tiredly, looking much older.

Ye Yaming glanced deeply at Ding Jian and nudged Ye Hongsheng, signaling him to help Ding Jian up.

To protect the Ye family, Ye Chongming had to sacrifice Ding Jian, so he tacitly agreed with Ding Jian’s statement. He just couldn’t express it clearly and had to maintain this stance. It was most appropriate for Ye Hongsheng to express gratitude and appreciation at this moment.

Following Ye Yaming’s signal, Ye Hongsheng stepped forward to help Ding Jian up, “Manager Ding, please get up. We all know your loyalty.”

In such a serious situation, it wasn’t suitable for Ye Yaming, who had never managed affairs, to intervene. But seeing her father not addressing the main point, she became anxious.

She stepped forward, pretending to help Ding Jian, and said, “Yes, although this is a big matter, Manager Ding should have informed my grandfather and uncle at that time, instead of letting my fourth uncle act recklessly. But the matter has already happened, and assigning blame is meaningless. Manager Ding’s statement has shown his loyalty. Let’s put aside the blame for now and discuss how to resolve the issue.”

Her words instantly pulled everyone out of the atmosphere of loyalty and righteousness created by Ding Jian. Reason returned, and they looked at Ding Jian with suspicion.

Indeed, while Ye Hongrong was responsible, Ding Jian knew he was unreliable but still followed him. Why? His fault was not less than Ye Hongrong’s but even more. Yet, with a few words, he shifted all the blame to Ye Hongrong and appeared loyal and righteous, gaining the Ye family’s gratitude. This guy was cunning; they almost fell for it.

If Ye Chongming had said a few words of gratitude in that atmosphere, the matter would have been settled. Regardless of the outcome, it would have been difficult for Ye Chongming to go back on his word. After all, merchants valued their word. Such a cunning person, allowing Ye Hongrong to act recklessly and putting the Ye family in danger, who would believe there was no ulterior motive?

When Ye Yaming spoke, Ye Chongming frowned, but now he was very grateful he had brought her along.

This little girl, usually unremarkable, was more capable than her father at critical moments, making Ye Chongming see her in a new light.

Seeing Ding Jian being helped up, Ye Chongming said, “Alright, Ding Jian, tell us who you sold the tea to.”

He had asked Ye Hongrong, but that fool knew nothing. He only made the decisions, while Ding Jian handled the details, and the customer information was with Ding Jian.

Thinking of this, Ye Chongming felt even more frustrated.

“Grandfather, time is tight. Why don’t we split up?” Ye Yaming suggested again, “If there are many customers, one person’s memory might be inaccurate. You and Manager Ding can stay in this room, and my father and I can question the two clerks separately. We can compare the lists later to ensure accuracy.”