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

The sound of the night watchman's drum came from outside. A tall, slender figure climbed into Ye Yaoyao's room. The person moved lightly and landed silently.

The person approached Ye Yaoyao's bedside, saw that she had kicked off a corner of the blanket, and pressed her pressure point to put her to sleep.

A hint of doting flashed in his eyes as he gently tidied the blankets for her.

Then he picked up the cage containing the venomous snake on the table, along with the medicine bottle next to it, and left.

The tall, slender figure arrived at Qingzhu Courtyard, entered Ye Mian's room, and sprinkled a handful of sleeping powder.

By the moonlight, he opened the cage, pulled out the venomous snake, and saw the person on the bed. The man's face was cold and stern. He picked up a medicine bottle and poured it into the snake's mouth, then threw the snake onto the bed without hesitation.

The snake, which had been sleeping, began to writhe and bite Ye Mian after drinking the medicine.

The man smiled and then left Qingzhu Courtyard.

The next morning, Ye Yaoyao woke up and realized that the system hadn't woken her up. Seeing that the little flower on the table was gone, she quickly jumped out of bed to check around.

[System, system.]

[Yes, host.]

Where's Xiaohua? Didn't you wake me up last night?

[Don't worry, host, Little Flower was put in her scumbag father's bed last night.]

[No way? I don't remember waking up. Did I sleepwalk?]

Ye Yaoyao blinked, trying hard to recall the events of last night, but she couldn't remember ever getting up. Could she have really been sleepwalking?

[You really weren't awake; your brother did it for you.]

[My second brother?]

[Host, why do you think it's your second brother?]

My eldest brother is gentle and refined; he wouldn't do such a thing. But my second brother, knowing there were poisonous snakes in my room, is capable of retaliating against our scumbag father.

Okay! That's a reasonable reason.

Ye Yaoyao thought the system had acknowledged her.

When they went to Nuanchun Pavilion for a meal, she sat next to Ye Jingyang with a big smile on her face, and kept putting food into his bowl with her chopsticks, piling the bowl high.

"Second brother, you've worked hard, eat more."

Ye Jingyang looked flattered. He had gone out to investigate Xue Ruoxue's family yesterday, and his little sister felt sorry for him!

My second brother secretly put a poisonous snake in my scumbag dad's bed in the middle of the night, and I slept soundly all night. Thank you so much!

Ye Jingyang paused in his chewing, looking completely bewildered. Putting poisonous snakes in his scumbag father's bed? He didn't.

Liu Yunshu looked at the two siblings in surprise. What happened yesterday? How come there were poisonous snakes?

Liu Yunshu looked at her second son, who looked puzzled, and then at her eldest son, who was all smiles, guessing that her daughter had mistaken someone for someone else.

Ye Jingyang looked at his elder brother, who nodded at him.

So what did he miss?

"Mother, has Father gone to court?"

Ye Xiyao broke the silence, saying that they had put the poisonous snake in the bed, yet they hadn't heard a sound.

"Dongzhu, has the master gone to court?" Liu Yunshu didn't know either.

“Madam, this old servant knows.” It was Granny Zhang who spoke.

"My lord has gone to court, but this old servant noticed that he walks with a limp and his face is covered."

Ye Yaoyao smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits, and her shoulders shook incessantly.

[Hahaha! That scumbag father is so dedicated! Even in this state, he still insists on going to court. I wonder if the Emperor will banish him from the court when he sees him like that?]

The breakfast ended with Ye Yaoyao feeling smug.

Ye Mian, disheveled and exhausted, boarded the carriage. Despite his extreme anger, he remained calm.

He woke up in pain all over his body. He lifted the covers and saw bloodstains on his nightgown. He panicked and fell off the bed.

There were also many wounds on his face, none of them very large. The doctor diagnosed them as snake bites, but fortunately they were not poisonous.

The servants searched the entire courtyard but couldn't find a snake. After applying the medicine, he could only endure the pain and go to court.

There was no other way; he had already taken three days of leave, and he couldn't stay absent indefinitely.

There were many people who wanted to go up, so they had no choice but to endure the pain, cover their faces, and go to the morning court session.

He had someone put snakes on Ye Yaoyao's bed, and snakes also appeared on his bed. She must have done it. He couldn't openly confront her, so he had nowhere to vent his anger.

Ye Yaoyao is truly a monster; she should have been strangled the moment she was born.

Ye Mian covered his face, revealing only his eyes, and limped into the court, attracting the attention of the officials along the way.

"Who is that? He's walking with a limp and covering his face."

Judging from his official robes, he could only be identified as a third-rank official.

"They must have fallen on the way!"

"This official insisted on coming to court without asking for leave; he is truly a role model for us all."

Hearing the voices praising him from behind, Ye Mian calmed down considerably.

"Lord Xin, it's been a long time."

"Lord Xin, it's been many years, you've finally come up."

"Lord Xin, let's go to the teahouse for a few drinks after court."

"Master Xin..."

Ye Mian stood at his workstation, expecting someone to come and ask him something, but after waiting for a long time, everyone was greeting Lord Xin.

Lord Xin, could it be that neighbor next door? A local official transferred here, yet so many people know him. Could this person be from the capital city?

Ye Mian analyzed the situation for a moment, then turned around and stole a glance. It really was him. Fortunately, he hadn't offended him.

Ye Mian was unaware that the other person had already seen through his disguise and could not possibly be on the same side as him.

"Lord Ye, so it was you who was covering your face!"

The official standing next to Ye Mian looked him up and down with some surprise.

Ye Mian covered his face, his slightly embarrassed expression hidden from others. His facial muscles twitched slightly as he tried to appear calm and explained:

"On the way here, the horse got spooked, fell, and injured its face."

Fearing that her appearance might startle the Emperor, she covered it up.

"Lord Ye looks like he's fallen quite hard; he should ask for leave."

"Although Ye was unwell, he was still on duty and dared not slack off in the slightest."

The importance of the imperial court cannot be compared to the safety of any one person. Today, I will do my utmost to fulfill my duty and live up to the Emperor's grace.

"Lord Ye's dedication to his duties is truly admirable, but please take good care of your health."

The official nodded, his eyes showing admiration.

"The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen. Even though I am still ill, I dare not shirk my duty."

"Such unwavering loyalty is truly a model for us all. May Lord Ye recover soon!"

After a few rounds of mutual flattery, the announcement of the Emperor's arrival was heard. Everyone quickly straightened their clothes and stood respectfully at attention.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, and all the officials bowed in respect.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

"May all of you rise?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Where is Minister Xin?" the emperor asked.

“Your Majesty, I am here.” Xin Chonglian stepped forward.

"My dear minister, it has been many years since we last met. Xuzhou is well-governed, the people live in peace and contentment, and the government is efficient and the people are harmonious. You truly deserve to be the youngest top scholar in our dynasty back then."

"Your Majesty's praise is too much for me to accept. Thanks to Your Majesty's great blessings, the land of Xuzhou has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, which has made the fields accessible and the sounds of chickens and dogs heard everywhere."

The Emperor smiled slightly and said, "My dear minister, you are too modest. Xuzhou was originally a poor and humble place, but it has become prosperous under your leadership. I wonder what reward you would like?"

Ye Mian never expected that Lord Xin was actually the once-famous young top scholar from twenty years ago.