Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

As Zeng Qian's actions against Shen Lang set the stage for a battle for the emperor's son-in-law, Ye Mo also experienced the most explosive day of his life in many years.

The day after Zeng Qian's visit, Ye Hui received a letter from home and hurriedly returned from Xiangyang City in Jingzhou.

Upon arriving at Jinling Port, Ye Hui immediately boarded the carriage and casually tossed a handful of copper coins to the port laborers who were unloading goods, instantly attracting a scramble among them.

Seeing this, Ye Hui smiled with satisfaction.

This isn't because Ye Hui has any sympathy for the common people; it's simply that he can't stop showing off his wealth and is eager to prove how rich and powerful he is.

"walk home!"

Ye Hui climbed into the carriage, and the carriage slowly headed towards the Prime Minister's residence.

The journey was safe and uneventful, and we arrived safely outside the Prime Minister's residence.

The moment he jumped off the carriage, countless servants rushed to greet him.

"Quickly, unload everything from the car. This is a gift I prepared for my father."

Ye Hui, who was twenty-six years old, was very generous. While speaking, he took out more than a dozen silver melon seeds from his pocket and distributed them all to the busy servants.

At this moment, Juan came to his side with a worried look on his face.

Before he could speak, Ye Hui said with a smile, "Uncle Hu, it's been over a year. How have you been?"

Juan bowed and replied calmly, "Thank you for your concern, young master. I am in good health, but my master..."

At this point, Juan gave Ye Hui a meaningful look and didn't continue.

Ye Hui didn't pay attention to the change in Hu An's expression, but patted him on the shoulder and said, "Uncle Hu, what's wrong with my dad? Why did he call me back out of the blue? Is there something important?"

"Ah~"

Juan sighed and carefully removed the pig's paw that was resting on his shoulder.

"Young Master, the Master is waiting for you in the ancestral hall. Go quickly."

Upon hearing the word "ancestral hall," Ye Hui instinctively shuddered, as if it reminded him of some unpleasant memories.

"Uncle Hu, tell me, what's wrong with my father?"

"Young Master, you'll see when you get there. But let me remind you, the Master has a terrible temper, so you'd better watch out."

Upon hearing this, Ye Hui immediately turned around and instructed the coachman, "Quickly, change course and head to the Zhang residence..."

He was about to jump onto the carriage when he said that.

"Young Master! What are you doing?"

"I'll come back after my dad calms down."

"Master!"

Juan was speechless and directly shouted at him to stop.

"Master has already given the order: today, you are not to go anywhere in the capital except the Prime Minister's residence. You'd better listen to me and go see Master."

"We'll have to face it sooner or later anyway. We can't escape it forever. Let's go."

After Juan said that, Ye Hui's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and he withdrew his leg from stepping onto the horse stool.

"Uncle Hu, give me the answer. Why is my father angry? What does he want by calling me back?"

"This humble servant doesn't know either, but I'll remind the eldest young master to try to go along with the master, let him scold or beat you, and that'll be the end of it."

Upon hearing this, Ye Hui immediately turned pale and cried, "Uncle Hu, don't scare me!"

You know I'm not afraid of anything, except my dad's anger. You... you'll have to take some of my blame.

As he spoke, he grabbed Juan's arm and refused to let go.

"Let's go, don't keep the master waiting."

Juan shook off Ye Hui's pig-like hand again, sighed, and entered the mansion.

Ye Hui could only follow cautiously.

As Ye Hui passed through the front hall, the maids and servants who were passing by in the mansion all greeted him spontaneously.

Everything was the same as usual, seemingly no different.

But Ye Hui felt that the Ye mansion was now like an execution ground, and he was heading to the guillotine.

Finally, when the gate of the ancestral hall came into view, Ye Hui felt his legs go weak. If Hu An hadn't caught him quickly, he would have collapsed to the ground.

Juan gave Ye Hui a reassuring look, then walked to the entrance of the ancestral hall and called out, "Master, the eldest son has arrived."

"You go down first, let him in."

"Yes, sir."

After Juan responded, he gestured for Ye Hui to proceed.

Ye Hui was covered in sweat, looking as if he had just come out of a sauna.

He tried to calm himself down, then took a step and paused three times, slowly moving towards the ancestral hall, trying to delay as much as possible, as if waiting for Ye Mo to change his mind.

"Are you having trouble walking?"

Suddenly, Ye Mo's words shocked Ye Hui so much that he almost fell to his knees.

"No, no."

Ye Hui then quickened his pace and entered the ancestral hall under Hu An's watchful gaze.

"Young Master, may you have good luck."

Juan muttered something to himself and quietly closed the ancestral hall door.

The moment the heavy door slammed shut, Ye Hui felt as if he were seeing hell.

"Father, I'm back..."

He tried to remain calm and gently called out to Ye Mo's retreating figure.

Ye Mo slowly turned around, his sinister eyes revealing an undisguised question.

Ye Hui swallowed hard and forced a smile: "Father, did you call me back because you have something to tell me?"

Ye Mo withdrew his imposing aura and instead revealed a kind expression.

"Hui'er, I've called you here for no other important matter. I just want to ask you one thing, and you must answer honestly without hiding anything."

Ye Hui nodded repeatedly: "Father, you know that I have always been honest and upright and would never lie to you. Please ask."

Ye Mo: "Two years ago, did you touch the batch of gold-threaded silk garment materials that the Jiangnan Textile Bureau presented as tribute from the Yue Kingdom?"

Ye Hui was shocked and hurriedly said, "Father, didn't I go back to the capital to recuperate at that time? That batch of gold-threaded silk clothing materials has nothing to do with me!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mo immediately stopped smiling and said in a deep voice, "Kneel down."

Ye Hui instinctively knelt on the ground, still half a step away from the prayer mat.

The next moment, Shen Lang threw the letter he had given Ye Mo directly in front of Ye Hui.

"You take a look at this first."

After Ye Mo finished speaking, he sat down directly on the left side below the memorial tablet.

Ye Hui opened the envelope with trembling hands, and after reading the contents, he exclaimed in shock: "Father, this is a frame-up, a frame-up, Father!"

"Even now, you still dare to deceive me?"

Ye Mo narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming more serious than ever before.

"They colluded with the supervisor of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau to embezzle the raw materials for the gold-threaded silk garments, and then profited a total of 2.6 million taels of silver by selling them to the Taiji Kingdom. You received 1.6 million taels of that."

I've investigated the Naval Bureau, the Arsenal, the Manufacturing Bureau, and the officials in Suzhou, Jiangnan, one by one. You still dare to say you didn't do it!

"me……"

Ye Hui instantly wilted, like a frostbitten eggplant.

"Tell the truth!"

Ye Mo slammed his hand on the table, and Ye Hui immediately recounted the whole story.

"Father, I really didn't mean to covet those silk garments from the imperial court. It's just that I was desperately short of a large sum of money at the time."

He went to befriend Zhao Ji, the third prince of the Song Dynasty. Zhao Ji needed money urgently to purchase rare stones and ancient books and poems, so he used this batch of materials.

As you know, the Third Prince Zhao Ji is the most likely successor to the throne of the Song Dynasty. Befriending him would also benefit the Ye family.

"So this is your reason for embezzling government assets?" Ye Mo was so angry that he laughed. "Do you know what my Ye family has relied on to survive since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty?"

It all comes down to strict family discipline; they simply refuse to offend the imperial court. As for your usual frivolous eating, drinking, and associating with disreputable friends, that's one thing.

But one must be loyal to the court and not harbor any delusions! But you, alas…

In the end, Ye Mo slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair, looking utterly disappointed.

Ye Hui, with tears streaming down his face, said, "Dad, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I promise I'll never do it again."

Ye Mo snorted coldly: "The Ye family rules are irreversible. If someone makes a mistake, they must be punished. Hui'er,..."

Don't blame your father for being heartless. For your future and the future of the Ye family, this punishment was unavoidable.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Kong came to Ye Mo with a golden steel whip in his hand.

Upon seeing this scene, Ye Hui's face turned ashen.

"According to the Ye family rules, those who commit minor offenses shall be punished with five lashes, and those who commit major offenses shall be punished with ten lashes. As direct descendants, they shall be punished with double the amount."

"No, Father, please, Father, spare me this once! Twenty lashes would be hard to withstand even for someone with innate cultivation, Father..."

Ye Hui was so frightened that he immediately grabbed Ye Mo's leg.

Ye Mo frowned, feeling a pang of pity, but he turned away and said to Ye Kong, "Use torture!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Hui exclaimed in shock, "No, Father! Oh Mother! Did you see that? This is how Father has treated us since you left!"

"Hit me!"

Upon hearing Ye Hui call for his mother, Ye Mo angrily slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair and gave Ye Kong another order.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Ye Kong obeyed the order and pressed down on Ye Hui's major acupoints, then raised the Tiger God Whip and lashed it down hard on his back.

"Oh my goodness!"

A pig-like scream erupted from the ancestral hall, bringing tears to the eyes of all who heard it.