After the mind-reading and gossip-eating incident, officials in the imperial city were demoted one a

"Twelve years, what a vicious old woman."

"Heavens! Even rich young ladies are not as well off as us commoners. Poor Third Miss."

“What vicious people! Kill them!”

Some people threw vegetable leaves at them.

"No, the four servants who served Madam Ye abused their master, Madam Ye, you know that!"

"Of course, how could they dare without the old lady's orders?"

"Does Lord Ye not know? Does Madam Ye not know either?"

"It must be that the Third Miss was threatened by her own grandmother and dared not say it."

"But doesn't the Ye family have no concubines or illegitimate children?"

"There are many intricacies within the official system; who knows?"

"Given Madam Ye's background, just think about it, if someone with ulterior motives whispers a few bad words in her ear, what is her granddaughter?"

"The Third Miss dared not say, and Madam only just discovered that something was wrong with her."

The third young lady is truly filial. Her repeated forbearance is all for the sake of family harmony.

"That's what the last maid said."

Actually, they didn't dare to go too far at first, but as time went on, they became bolder. Later, when the old lady spoke up, they hit her even harder, and the old lady didn't say anything.

They became increasingly unscrupulous, and even they didn't understand why the old lady hated the good-natured third young lady so much. Sometimes she even wondered if the third young lady was the old lady's granddaughter.

"No, it wasn't the old lady who told us to do it. We were the ones with malicious intentions. We are not good people and deserve to go to the eighteenth level of hell."

Granny Zeng verbally defended Madam Ye, but her eyes were filled with fear. The people were not blind, and they became even more convinced that Madam Ye was abusing her granddaughter.

"The road ahead is passable," Zheng Tianxing said to the crowd.

"Everyone, please make way. The matter concerning the Ye family's servants has seriously affected the morals of the Holy Capital City."

After this official has reviewed the case, he will post the list of crimes on the notice board for everyone to see.

"Make way, let us pass first."

"They actually have to post it on the notice board."

Only the most heinous criminals, murderers, or wanted posters could be displayed throughout the Holy City.

Other than a few special cases, only those that serve a deterrent purpose are included on the list, and such cases are rare.

The people eagerly awaited the announcement from Chang'an Prefecture, and the infamous reputation of Old Madam Ye spread far and wide.

Ye Li'an arrived at the Liu family home and encountered Liu Lingchuan, who had just returned to the mansion.

"Uncle," Ye Li'an greeted.

"Li An is here. Let's go inside and talk."

Ye Li'an recounted everything that had happened at home that morning.

"Sigh! Yao Yao's feelings are all true." They all believed Ye Yao Yao after receiving the letter sent by Liu Yunshu yesterday.

"Uncle, so far only we can hear my little sister's thoughts. Mother is very worried that others will discover my sister's strange behavior."

"Let me take two maids who know martial arts back to protect her."

"It just so happens that Third Sister has trained two of them. You can take them back later."

The old Marquis had two sons and two daughters. Liu Lingchuan was a civil official in the capital, and his third sister, Liu Wangshu, was a female general. Neither he nor his second brother, Liu Yunchuan, were in the capital.

"Okay, Uncle, how's the investigation into my little sister falling into the water going?"

At this moment, Lady Liu Yunmeng arrived after being informed by a servant.

"Li An is here."

"Auntie."

Ye Li'an quickly stood up and respectfully bowed to Mu Yunmeng.

“You said that your eldest aunt was right there.”

Liu Lingchuan frowned slightly, his expression serious, as he recalled the information he had found.

"The fence was indeed tampered with. We checked everyone on the pleasure boat who had a grudge against the Liu family, but we found no clues."

I think Miss Zhao, who had an argument with Lang Yue, is the most suspicious, but I haven't found any concrete evidence yet.

Arguments and quarrels among the noble ladies are common, but they are never serious enough to warrant murder to silence them.

Mu Yunmeng said, "Lang Yue has been running around a lot these past two days, investigating Miss Zhao's background."

"Li An, there are still three months until the imperial examination. During these three months, you must be careful and try to avoid carriages."

"I will, Uncle." Ye Li'an nodded solemnly.

"Ye Mian's mistress's identity is hidden and cannot be found out yet. We can only wait for the right opportunity and send someone to secretly follow her after she recovers from her illness."

"Uncle, we already know who it is. It's Xue Ruoxue."

"Xue Ruoxue? The goddaughter of Old Madam Ye."

Mu Yunmeng's face was full of disbelief, and her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"is her."

So, the mistress used a different identity to become a member of the Ye family. Who could have predicted such a scheme? Ye Mian's methods are truly ingenious.

"Then her two children are also Ye Mian's?" Mu Yunmeng pressed on.

"That's right, Grandmother..."

Ye Li'an recounted the events in detail, and the Liu couple listened with furious expressions.

Liu Lingchuan frowned, his face full of anger, his fury seemingly capable of igniting everything around him.

He suddenly raised one hand and slammed it on the table with a loud "bang," making the teacup on the table jump and tremble.

"You, Ye Mian, actually approached Yun Shu with a belly full of ulterior motives. My Liu family will not let you get away with this."

"Don't worry, Uncle. We already know his true colors and won't let him succeed."

Ye Li'an's expression was firm, and his tone was full of determination.

Liu Lingchuan sighed helplessly, his sigh filled with regret and self-blame.

"We all misjudged that hypocrite Ye Mian. Your aunt is the best judge of character."

A hint of curiosity flashed in Ye Li'an's eyes, and he couldn't help but ask:

"My aunt doesn't like my father?"

Liu Lingchuan tilted his head slightly, as if lost in memories.

"Back then, we thought Ye Mian was a good person, but only your aunt said he was too fake and told Yun Shu to be cautious."

"Alas! It's all fate! Yun Shu still ended up marrying Ye Mian."

After saying that, Liu Lingchuan reached out and patted Ye Lian'an's shoulder heavily.

"Prepare well for the imperial examination. I will investigate Ye Mian's affair. Also, tell Jingyang and Xiyao to protect themselves."

After the imperial examination, it will be your maternal grandfather's birthday. Let him have a good birthday celebration.

"Don't worry, Uncle, we won't let anything happen to us."

Ye Li'an believed that with Ye Yaoyao, their lucky sister, around, their family would be fine.

Thinking of the possible tragic fate of the Liu family in the future, Ye Li'an asked:

"Is my cousin close to the Fourth Prince?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Lingchuan's face instantly filled with worry.

"Han Xing was ordered to escort the grain, and the Fourth Prince happened to be in Jiangnan. I'm afraid that some people with ulterior motives have already begun to make trouble for him."

"My lord, once Hanxing receives the letter, she will definitely rush back."

Mu Yunmeng stepped forward, gently took his hand, offering him comfort, and also comforting herself.

The couple were unwilling for their son to stay in the same place as the fourth prince for too long. After hearing Ye Yaoyao's thoughts, they wrote a letter urging him to return immediately after delivering the grain.