"Moreover," Ye Peng continued,
"She only suffered a minor scratch on her skin, yet she made such a big fuss and got her own sister and future fiancé thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice. Out of resentment, she even spread rumors to slander your son and her own sister. Such behavior is unfilial, unkind, and goes against human ethics..."
"If she dares to play hard - to - get and refuses to see us, it would be an act of defying her parents and disrespecting her elders. She'll never be able to turn things around in her whole life!"
"This..."
Cao Dexiu shrank back in shock at the harshness in Ye Peng's words. This didn't seem like a father talking about his own daughter at all. Every word seemed to wish to kill the other person.
Cao Dexiu knew Ye Xi well. She was a girl of good character. It was just that she was not good - looking. He could sense that his eldest son didn't seem to like Ye Xi as much as he pretended to. He thought it was just that Cao Sheng hadn't fully understood Ye Xi yet and was still bothered by her appearance.
When the rumor about Ye Jueyao and Cao Sheng's secret affair spread, he was suddenly shocked to realize that his son had such dirty thoughts. He was extremely angry. When he heard that Cao Sheng had been thrown into the prison of the Ministry of Justice, he even thought it was good for him to suffer a bit and reflect on his actions.
However, his wife swore repeatedly that there was no affair between Cao Sheng and the eldest daughter of the Ye family. They were just having normal interactions. And on that day when they went to the jewelry shop, Cao Sheng went there with Ye Xi. Ye Jueyao just happened to meet them.
As for the hugging and other things, it was just a last - resort act to save someone in an emergency. It was definitely not as disgraceful as the rumors outside.
Seeing Zhao E so determined at that time, he also thought that his son couldn't be that stupid. So he listened to her advice and went to find Yi Yuan to defend his son.
Now Ye Peng said the same thing, but his expression and tone made it seem like he was just annoyed and angry because his misdeeds had been exposed.
Cao Dexiu was in a dilemma for a moment.
Seeing Cao Dexiu hesitating, Ye Peng secretly spat.
He thought to himself: What a useless man! He's still hesitating at this moment. No wonder the Cao family is in decline. If it weren't for the empress in the family, the Cao family might have been squeezed into some corner long ago.
"Brother Cao, now your wife and son are both in prison. You have to make a decision quickly," Ye Peng said in a seemingly sincere and concerned tone.
It was impossible for him to go to see Yi Yuan, that god of death, by himself. Although Cao Dexiu was useless, he had the backing of Duke Cao and the empress. This support must be enlisted.
Cao Dexiu gritted his teeth and said: "Fine. After all, it's just hearsay. No one knows better than Ye Xi, the person involved. It's good to go and ask."
"Okay, then let's go and see Miss Ye the Second," Cao Dexiu replied.
After they reached an agreement, they immediately got into a carriage and headed towards the Prince Yu'an's Mansion.
On the other hand, Lord Zhou, Zhou Ying, didn't have so many concerns. His son was already "well - known" far and wide. One more love affair wouldn't make much of a difference. The most important thing was that his son was his only heir, and he must get him out of prison as soon as possible.
So he made a prompt decision and went to find his father, Duke Shen, Zhou Jisong. After briefly explaining the situation, father and son also set off together for the Prince Yu'an's Mansion.
They originally thought they definitely wouldn't be able to see Yi Yuan this time. But unexpectedly, just as they arrived at the mansion gate and hadn't even had a chance to knock, they saw Steward Chen smiling as he opened the gate wide and welcomed them in.
Everyone was completely confused. Ye Peng had a whole bellyful of words about ethics and moral principles, well - reasoned arguments, but none of them were used. He felt an indescribable sense of frustration. But at least they could get into the mansion now, which was better than being blocked outside.
So everyone followed Steward Chen through a series of twists and turns to the side hall. Immediately, maids served them tea, as if they had been waiting for them all along.
After arranging the lords to sit down, Steward Chen left.
They didn't know what Yi Yuan was up to, so they could only wait patiently. But they waited and waited, and Yi Yuan didn't show up for a long time.
Zhou Ying was the first one to lose his patience. He walked out of the door angrily and questioned the young servant by the door:
"What on earth does your prince mean? Is he coming or not? Does he think he can just ignore us like this and this matter will be over?!"
The young servant didn't know Yi Yuan's arrangement either, so he had to go and invite Steward Chen.
Steward Chen came quickly. As soon as he heard that everyone wanted to see Yi Yuan, he slapped his thigh immediately, with a look of regret on his face and said:
"Alas, this old servant is so stupid. I actually forgot to tell you lords. Our prince said that although Miss Ye was only invited to the mansion as a tutor, she also represents the face of the mansion to some extent."
"Miss Ye was just out shopping on the street last time, but she was so ridiculed and bullied by others. As a result, she hit her face and was disfigured. Out of fear, she's still in a coma."
As he said this, Steward Chen clicked his tongue twice, looking extremely pained and pitying. He described vividly:
"You lords didn't see it. Miss Ye's face at that time was all bloody. You couldn't even tell her eyes and nose apart..."
With every word Steward Chen said, everyone's face turned uglier. Ye Peng was especially affected.
He had just told Cao Dexiu that Ye Xi had only suffered a minor scratch and was being overly delicate. But after Steward Chen's description, not only could they not get Ye Xi involved, but he also seemed like a really heartless father.
Everyone's faces turned from green to red and then from red to green.
Steward Chen pretended not to notice and continued:
"Our young master was scared out of his wits when he saw the wound on Miss Ye's face. He cried and begged Miss Ye not to die. He was so scared and angry that he couldn't eat or sleep well and lost a lot of weight."
"The prince felt extremely heart - broken. And since Miss Ye was the young master's tutor, half of the matters related to her should be decided by the young master. So the prince said: If you lords have any opinions on this matter, you can go and tell them all to the young master. As long as the young master gives the nod, he, as an uncle, will agree to everything."
After saying that, Steward Chen bowed respectfully and left.
Everyone was almost furious at these words.
How old was Yi Yaofeng? He was just a five - or six - year - old child. No matter how eloquently they spoke and how clearly they explained the relationships and interests involved,
Yi Yaofeng wouldn't understand!
After scolding for a while, they finally left dejectedly.
Ye Xi, who was "in a coma", heard Saixing's report and "puffed" out the Junshan Yinzhen tea she had just sipped.
"Cough, cough..."
Taking the handkerchief Saixing handed her, Ye Xi wiped the corner of her lips and laughed uncontrollably:
"Sure enough, only Yi Yuan could come up with such a method. Those people must be furious."
"That's for sure," Saixing also looked extremely excited, "I specially went to take a look. When those lords left, their faces were as black as the bottom of a pot."
The mistress and the maid laughed and played for a while. Ye Xi then slightly composed herself and said:
"This matter can't be dragged on for long. Although Cao Sheng and Zhou Hao had a conflict at that time, the charges of gathering a crowd to fight and jointly bullying me can't withstand careful scrutiny. They'll probably be released soon."
"Lord Cao, the grand tutor, didn't come today, which means Cao Dexiu definitely doesn't have the guts to tell him yet."
"Saixing, you go. You must make sure that Lord Cao, the grand tutor, knows about this within today."