Chapter Twenty-Four: Ruthless Enough to Kill Even Himself

North Gate Bridge Market.

Ye Xiu did not wait for Cao Youde, but he did encounter Zheng Kui, who had been beaten until his head resembled a bruised pig.

"Master Ye, please spare me! Young master, have mercy!"

"It was my own greed that blinded me. I hope you two gentlemen can overlook my ignorance and show leniency."

"It was my subordinates who misunderstood my intentions, leading to this regrettable situation. I pray you look upon this with clarity."

"I have always been a diligent and conscientious official; I have never engaged in bullying the weak or oppressing the people..."

A junior official of the eighth rank, he knelt without hesitation, slamming his head against the ground repeatedly before the two men. Cao Youde was no idle threat; he was a man in Jinling City who held the power of life and death.

"Master Ye, you have the experience. It is best that you handle this," Ye Xiren said, stroking his beard.

"We shall pay every cent of the taxes due. But if there is a next time... although I have been demoted, my closest allies in the officialdom remain. Do you understand?"

The implication was clear: a starving camel is still larger than a horse. Even if he no longer held office, his connections remained intact, and crushing a tax official like Zheng Kui would be no harder than squashing an ant.

"I will keep your teachings in mind, Master Ye!" Zheng Kui breathed a long sigh of relief, as if granted a reprieve from a death sentence.

Ye Xiu had originally intended to rebuke him further, but thought better of it. "We might forgive you, but my fiancée has not!"

"Huh?" Zheng Kui stared wide-eyed, looking at Ye Xiu and then at Ye Xiren with a complex expression.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he threw himself at the feet of Zhao Youyou, kowtowing desperately. "Miss Zhao, it is all my fault. I beg you to show mercy and let me go. If you don't, my career will be at an end. I beg you, I beg you..."

"Fiancée?" Zhao Youyou’s face turned crimson instantly. In such a crowded public place, she felt deeply embarrassed. It was only when Mother Zhao nudged her that she regained her composure. Having never encountered such a situation, and never imagining that an imperial official would kowtow to her, she was at a loss and turned to Ye Xiu for help.

"Get up, you are forgiven," Ye Xiu said, rising slowly. "In the future, keep your eyes peeled. If you provoke the wrong person again, losing your position will be the least of your worries."

"Yes, yes, I will remember! I will remember!"

Zheng Kui dared not linger and fled in disarray with his pack of bootlickers.

The onlookers whispered among themselves, speculating about the young man’s identity. Someone privately revealed the truth about Ye Xiren’s background, and the crowd realized with a start that they had offended a Censor-in-Chief—no wonder!

Zhao Yide looked at Ye Xiu, becoming more satisfied by the second: following a brother-in-law like this, one could surely go far!

With the farce concluded, the Zhao family’s stall was firmly established at North Gate Bridge. From now on, they no longer needed to fear the interference of those tax collectors. Ye Xiu finally realized who Old Man Ye was, but he chose not to speak of it, instead inviting the two elders home for a drink.

"Old Neighborhood Chief," Mother Zhao said, stepping forward, "my daughter is quite skilled in the kitchen. Let her go ahead and prepare a meal; why don't the three of you have some tea and chat?"

"That would be excellent," the Neighborhood Chief boasted to Ye Xiren. "Among all the young and old in Wulong Lane, Zhao’s girl is the finest cook. Old Ye, you are in for a treat today."

"Go on, hurry back. I can tidy up here," Mother Zhao urged.

"Sister, you go ahead. Mother and I will finish up here," Zhao Yide added.

Zhao Youyou nodded and hurried off. After brewing a pot of tea for the three men, she dove straight into the kitchen.

"You’an, you truly have a sharp eye," Ye Xiren said, looking toward the kitchen. "She will be a virtuous wife."

"You are too kind, Master Ye. It was my father who chose her," Ye Xiu said, scratching his head shyly, before quickly changing the subject. "Master Ye, I recall you were a Censor-in-Chief. How did you come to be exiled here?"

Ye Xiren sipped his tea, his expression calm. "I impeached your grandfather, Ye Tianxiang. I submitted the memorial in the morning, and before I could even eat lunch, he had me exiled to Jinling."

"..." Ye Xiu stood frozen, unable to find the words to respond.

Ye Xiren was a remarkable man. He had earned his Jinshi degree at twenty and became a county magistrate at twenty-three. Three years later, upon completing his term, he was promoted eight ranks at once to become a Censor-in-Chief of the third rank. Now fifty-five, he was at the prime of his career, ready to serve the Great Qian Empire. Yet, just as he was about to be promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief, he had somehow offended Ye Tianxiang.

Ye Xiu had initially thought that since they shared the same surname, building a relationship would be useful in the future. He never imagined that the man had been exiled for offending his own grandfather.

Gritting his teeth, Ye Xiu said righteously, "Master Ye, with your upright spirit, you must have been wronged by my grandfather!"

"You boy..." Ye Xiren shook his head helplessly. "My exile ends at the end of the month. These past two years have given me time to think. Being an official isn't just about being rigid; one cannot be a good official if they cannot tolerate a grain of sand in their eye. The true pillars of the state are men like your grandfather."

"But he..." Ye Xiu looked at him, puzzled. "I heard my grandfather embezzled over eight million taels..."

*Clatter!*

The tea bowl slipped from the Neighborhood Chief’s hand. He turned deathly pale—was this the sort of thing a neighborhood chief was meant to hear? He trembled as he rose to leave, but Ye Xiren held him back, and he sat down again with a resigned sigh.

"Was that his own embezzlement?" Ye Xiren picked up the tea bowl and refilled the Chief’s cup. "Boy, if nothing goes wrong, I will soon be returning to the capital."

"Could it be..." Ye Xiu looked at him with a complex expression. "Are you to preside over my grandfather’s case?"

"That is the indication," Ye Xiren did not hide it. "The letter from the capital arrived yesterday."

"And how will you judge?" Ye Xiu’s voice was urgent.

"Based on the crimes he has admitted to, he is already dead a thousand times over," Ye Xiren said meaningfully. "I am Ye Tianxiang’s bitter rival. If I judge the case, I will certainly pore over the Great Qian statutes and every law from dynasties past to ensure the harshest possible penalty. Executing the nine clans would be too lenient for the Ye family; if it were up to me, I would execute all ten!"

"..." *I have a sudden urge to get rid of Ye Xiren,* Ye Xiu thought.

But soon, Ye Xiu smiled. "Master Ye, you are so ruthless you would even kill yourself! You share the surname Ye—you wouldn't survive the execution of ten clans either!"

"And so?" Ye Xiren looked at him significantly.

*And so? And so what?* Ye Xiu fell into deep thought. After a long while, his eyes lit up. He straightened his robes and performed a formal bow to his elder. "Ye You’an thanks you for your great kindness, Master!"

"Boy, keep that to yourself. I never said I would save him. With the charges against your grandfather, even a celestial being could not save him. Once I return to the capital, my first act will be to submit a memorial—Ye Tianxiang must have his nine clans executed!"

Though he said this, Ye Xiren accepted the bow, the admiration in his eyes for Ye Xiu growing even deeper.

"Yes, execute the nine clans."

"Bah! A villain as great as my grandfather must be executed to appease public anger and uphold the law of the land!"

Ye Xiu rose after the bow. "Master, I have a jar of fine wine here. Let us celebrate in advance your restoration to office!"