eurekapd Chapter 196 Divorce in Court 2
Chapter 196 Divorce in Court 2
Ye Mian was terrified, but still clung to a sliver of hope—the Emperor still needed him to deal with the Liu family—and desperately pleaded:
"Your Highness, Liu Yunshu... she is slandering me. I am loyal to the court and would never do such a treasonous thing."
I do indeed possess genuine talent and learning; I earned my academic credentials through my own efforts.
Ye Yaoyao sneered, "Scumbag father, you still want to argue? Do you think we're the only ones who can find out what you've done?"
Those who secretly helped you back then are now in dire straits themselves, and the Emperor has likely received evidence as well. Do you think the Emperor will continue to do nothing to you indefinitely?
Ye Mian was merely trying to comfort himself; Ye Yaoyao's words shattered any remaining hope he had, and his face turned ashen.
Lord Mu said, "I will report the matter of the imperial examination to the Emperor myself."
Upon hearing this, the onlookers erupted in anger once again, expressing their indignation at Ye Mian's actions.
"This is outrageous! How can someone like this be allowed to serve as an official in the imperial court? It's a disgrace to the court."
"The crime of deceiving the emperor would implicate the entire Ye family. How could he dare to do that!"
The old patriarch Ye's face was ashen, and he muttered to himself, "It's over, the Ye family is finished..."
Elder Ye panicked and looked at Ye Mian, saying urgently, "Mian, you must think of a solution! We can't let the Ye family be ruined in your hands."
Ye Mian was completely flustered at this point. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He looked at Ye Yaoyao and the others with despair and resentment in his eyes.
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review looked at the object in his hand and asked in confusion, "What is the purpose of a human skin mask?"
Liu Yunshu explained, "Ye Mian is cautious. He uses this face when he meets Xue Ruoxue. Once he puts on the mask, he becomes Ye Zhenghui."
I've seen this mask before, but I wouldn't recognize him as Ye Mian. Ye Zhenghui's identity was revealed when he died two years ago; this further conceals his secret with Xue Ruoxue's family.
"He's quite the player, reaping the benefits of a mask all he has."
Lord Xin sighed, "If I had put more effort into politics, I wouldn't still be a third-rank official even with the help of the Liu family."
"Nonsense, the mask isn't mine!" Ye Mian shouted excitedly; his mask had already been destroyed long ago.
Of course it's not yours. If you could get one, we could get one too.
"Didn't you not treat the four of us as your own children and grandchildren? You even hired assassins to kill us in order to make room for Ye Chengzhu."
Now that he's disabled, you two absolutely mustn't disown him!
Ye Mian heard the disdainful voices around him, his chaotic mind unable to come up with a solution. He didn't hear what Ye Yaoyao was saying, while Old Madam Ye had already collapsed to the ground in fright.
"My lord, Xue Ruoxue has arrived."
The first time Ye Yaoyao saw Ye Chengzhu after he became disabled, she noticed that he had become much thinner than before.
"This humble woman, Xue Ruoxue, greets all esteemed officials."
"Xue Ruoxue, you were married to Ye Mian before, and later you conspired with him to deceive Madam Ye. What is your crime?"
"My lord, I know I am guilty. I have my reasons. When I was brought here, I found out that he was going to marry a noblewoman. I had no one to rely on and could only obey them. I was reduced from a legal wife to a mistress who could not be seen in public."
Xue Ruoxue spoke with a heavy heart, portraying herself as a victim.
"So it is true that Ye Mian used a human skin mask to impersonate Ye Zhenghui."
"Yes, sir. The mother and son have been telling me that Chengzu is the legitimate son of the Ye family, and that I should wait patiently until they murder Liu Yunshu and her son before our family can live together."
Now my son is crippled, and they neglect him completely. I've finally gotten my just desserts. If I had known this would happen, I should have knelt at the Liu family's doorstep, even if it meant death, to expose Ye Mian's conspiracy.
Hearing firsthand that the mother and son had abandoned Ye Chengzhu, Xue Ruoxue's already resentful heart led her to choose to distance herself from the situation.
"You... Ruoxue, how can you say that? You were the one who agreed to it in the first place." Old Madam Ye couldn't believe that her good daughter-in-law would sever ties with them.
“Am I wrong? If I hadn’t agreed, you would have taken Chengzhu away, separating my son from me.”
Xue Ruoxue wasn't stupid. With Ye Mian's secret exposed, she could only use her weakness to avoid being implicated.
"You're talking nonsense. That's not what you said back then. You said that everything Liu Yunshu has would be yours in the future."
We were just making a suggestion, and you agreed without even thinking about it, and even offered suggestions.
“If I hadn’t said that, would I still be alive today? You would have killed me for wealth and glory.”
"Ruoxue, how could you look at me like that?" Ye Mian looked at her hurt expression.
Xue Ruoxue scoffed, "We've been childhood sweethearts, I know you better than anyone, don't I?"
"Thus, the matter alleged by Madam Ye is confirmed. This official hereby sentences Ye Mian and Madam Wang to temporary imprisonment..."
"Lord Mu, please slow down the sentencing," Qin Yunshang said, trying to stop him.
"What brings you here, Princess?"
"One thing at a time. Ye Mian has committed numerous crimes, but there is still no result in the case of Ye Yaoyao beating him severely."
Filial piety has always been of paramount importance. If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, I believe that this code of conduct will be rendered meaningless in the eyes of some.
"Without manners, there will be no order, otherwise the world will be in chaos. The Empress Dowager often teaches Yan'er about filial piety and righteousness. There are so many things going on in the Ye family in secret, so what Ye Mian said may not be a slander."
Mu Ningyan watched the Ye family's affairs unfold like a good show, and was certain that Ye Mian's behavior was definitely related to Ye Yaoyao.
"Filial piety is of paramount importance; this should indeed be thoroughly investigated." Many people in the hall nodded in agreement.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle, what do you think?" the Third Prince asked Qin Jingyu.
"Trial!"
"Ye Mian, please tell me in detail how you were injured that day."
"That night, I was about to go back to my room to rest when Ye Yaoyao appeared with a masked man. I was just scolding her for startling me with her sudden appearance when Ye Yaoyao suddenly punched me in the eye and said that she was not my daughter."
When the coroner examined the injuries, Ye Mian's left eye showed obvious bruising, which matched his account.
"My lord, judging from the size and strength of the bruises around the eyes, it can be determined that this was not done by a man."
"Sir, I really did throw that punch." Ye Yaoyao stepped forward and admitted it directly.
"She admitted it; she really did hit her father."
Mu Ningyan listened with schadenfreude. Ye Yaoyao has a god helping you, let's see what you can do now.
The courtroom erupted in uproar, with everyone condemning Ye Yaoyao's beating of her father as an act against the natural order.
"Bang... Silence! Silence!"
Lord Mu struck the gavel several times before the noise subsided.
"I hit Ye Mian because I discovered something incredible. As you all know, the Liu family was reported yesterday for treason, and that person was Ye Mian."
Ye Yaoyao pointed to Ye Mian in court.
"The day before yesterday, he went to visit his maternal grandfather. In reality, he brought someone and hid under the car to sneak into the Liu family's house and buried the forged documents of treason in the garden."
Ye Lian took out the items. "Sir, here are the forged documents of treason and collusion with the enemy."