Chapter 81: Starting to Deal with Song Yifeng

He worried that Meng Liang and others might divert the topic, so he pointed at Meng Chengwei and shouted, “Do you dare to say you didn’t collude with bandits to rob our tea silver and injure my father? Do you dare to swear? Haha, you don’t dare because you did it.”

“Why should I swear? I don’t even know what tea silver bandits you’re talking about!” Meng Chengwei’s eyes were filled with malice as if he wanted to kill Ye Jiaxing with his gaze.

“But you, Ye Jiaxing, I saved you on the mountain, and this is how you repay me? I came to Lin’an for a few days of leisure, planning to return to the capital tomorrow, and your Ye family comes to slander me. What is your intention?”

What? Meng Chengwei saved Ye Jiaxing? What kind of dramatic plot is this? Could it be a case of love turning to hate, with two young masters fighting over a young lady? Or is there some deep-seated grudge between them?

The onlookers’ excitement reached a new level.

“Hah, saved me? Wasn’t it your trap that made me fall off my horse? You pretended to care and sent me back to the villa. You wanted to use this to get close to my grandfather and frame us, right? Fortunately, I saw through your scheme and didn’t fall for it.”

“As for whether it’s slander, you know best. Not only do you and we know, but the authorities also know. Let me tell you, Meng Chengwei, your days are numbered. Officers, where are the officers?”

Ye Jiaxing turned his head to look around.

They staged this scene to tarnish Meng Chengwei and Yang Hong’s reputation, avenging past grievances, and ensure that the officers arrested Meng Chengwei before everyone, solidifying his reputation as a bandit collaborator. This would prevent Consort Min’s faction and the Meng family in the capital from reversing the situation and pretending nothing happened.

With public opinion and so many witnesses, the gossip would spread throughout Lin’an City in no time. This would make it difficult for Consort Min and the Meng family to cover it up.

Consort Min, one of the four consorts in the palace, had a daughter. Even if she wasn’t favored, many people held grudges against her and wanted to bring her down. Once this news spread, someone would surely report it to the Emperor, making Consort Min’s life difficult.

Their ultimate goal was to bring down Meng Chengwei’s biggest backer.

Ye Chongming and Ye Jiaxing were cooperating with the authorities. They aimed to have as many people as possible witness Meng Chengwei’s arrest by the officers. They distracted the Meng and Yang families while the officers sneaked in, ready to appear once they had made their point.

Sure enough, as soon as Ye Jiaxing called for the officers, they appeared, putting an iron chain around Meng Chengwei’s neck, “Meng Chengwei, your collusion with bandits to rob merchants and harm lives has been exposed. Come with us.”

The onlookers were in an uproar.

“Is this… real?” Even storytellers couldn’t come up with something this dramatic.

“Of course, it’s real. The officers are here; how could it be fake?”

To ensure Meng Chengwei’s arrest went smoothly, the Prefect sent eight officers. Despite Meng Liang and Gu Jie’s efforts to stop them, the officers arrested Meng Chengwei, chaining him and leading him back to the government office.

Ye Chongming and Ye Jiaxing had to go to the government office to see Ye Hongchang as the plaintiff, so they followed the officers.

A group of onlookers from the tea house followed them. Along the way, more curious people joined, and by the time Meng Chengwei was taken into the government office, there were hundreds of onlookers. Those who knew the backstory were busy explaining it to others.

In less than an hour, half of Lin’an City knew about Meng Chengwei’s collusion with bandits to rob the Ye family’s tea silver and injure the Ye family’s eldest master, even though he hadn’t been tried or convicted yet. This news, combined with the recent rumors about the Ye family, further confirmed the truth of the matter.

Meanwhile, at the Yang family’s tea house, Yang Hong and Yang Tai, along with the manager and staff, stood in shock as they watched the officers take Meng Chengwei away.

“It’s over, it’s over,” Yang Hong muttered.

Last time, when he tried to embarrass Ye Chongming and was pushed out of Jixiang Lou by the staff, he was laughed at and didn’t dare to go out for days. Now, he had finally connected with Meng Chengwei, planning to regain his dignity and bring down Ye Chongming, making those who laughed at him come to flatter him. But now, Meng Chengwei was arrested in front of so many people.

The Yang family had just signed a contract with him!

He was in despair.

But Yang Tai quickly realized something and said to his father, “Father, the contract isn’t with Meng Chengwei; it’s with Gu Jie!”

Like a drowning man seeing a glimmer of hope, Yang Hong stared at Yang Tai and realized the same.

He was overjoyed, “Yes, yes, it’s with Gu Jie, not Meng Chengwei.”

Earlier, he had resented Meng Chengwei for not signing the contract himself and using a puppet instead. But now, that puppet was his lifeline, giving him hope.

…

Meng Chengwei’s arrest and tarnished reputation in Lin’an City was exactly what Ye Yaming wanted to see, but she couldn’t go watch.

If Meng Chengwei saw her and publicly said something disgraceful, her reputation would be ruined. The idle men in Lin’an were far more interested in scandalous stories than in tea silver being robbed. They were more interested in the Ye family’s third young lady than in Meng Chengwei, whom they didn’t know.

Her reputation would be worse than Meng Chengwei’s. So she didn’t dare appear in front of Meng Chengwei. To prevent this, she had Ye Chongming bribe the officers to gag Meng Chengwei with a rag, preventing him from speaking on the way. But she was busy at the moment and had no time to kick a man when he was down.

“Really? Are you sure?” she asked Nanny Xia.

“Yes, really,” Nanny Xia said excitedly. “I couldn’t believe it, so I went to see for myself before reporting to you.”

She had been distant from her young lady for two years. Now, back by her side, she found her changed: more rational, never losing her temper, and never speaking ill of anyone.

Moreover, Nanny Xia noticed that Ye Yaming’s presence was even more imposing. In her presence, Nanny Xia felt more pressure than in front of Old Madam Ye. Every word Ye Yaming said had to be taken seriously.

The third young lady had grown so much without anyone noticing.

Nanny Xia was deeply moved. She composed herself and continued, “That Miss Zijing is truly capable. At first, I doubted her because she wasn’t particularly beautiful and had fallen into such a situation. But in just ten days, she managed to get Young Master Song to visit her.”