Chapter 92 This isn't your problem, it's mine.

The "Ye Fang Mutual Agreement" in the diary was signed only by the heads of four families, which basically excluded the Gong family this time.

Ye Baoling was filled with questions: "Could it be that the last two plum blossom keys are in Sir Fang's hands?"

Ye Huaizhang thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said, "If they're all in his hands, why use two keys? It would be simpler to just have one lock and one key."

"Then who has the other plum blossom key? Is it in the hands of the Ye family? But the three branches of the Ye family have already guarded the first large bronze gate, which doesn't make sense."

Neither of them could understand it.

They found an old black and white photograph at the bottom of the rosewood box.

Take the photos out; they have some spots due to moisture, but it doesn't affect their visual appearance.

The photo shows a row of five teenage boys in long robes, ranging in age from seventeen or eighteen to twenty-five or twenty-six, while a pretty little girl of five or six stands in the center of the front row.

Ye Huaizhang pointed to the man in the photo and said, "The one on the far left is your grandfather, the one on the far right is my grandfather, and the ones in the middle are the two uncles from the second branch of the family and your third uncle."

So this is a group photo of Ye Qizu's cousins ​​from that generation.

Ye Baoling asked, "Who is the girl?"

He looks familiar. Where have I seen him before?

Ye Huaizhang wasn't entirely sure: "It should be a relative. I vaguely remember there being a picture of this person in my grandmother's old photo album. I'll go back and ask her."

This old black and white photograph was certainly not placed in the wooden box by accident.

Could the "mutual commitment between Ye and Fang" be related to this girl?

That's possible.

Ye Baoling took out her camera and photographed the contents of the diary and the old photos.

She plans to develop the photos and study them in more detail.

After restoring everything to its original state, they secretly left the secret room and study, returning to their room on the second floor.

The next day after get off work, Ye Baoling went straight back to the third house.

After dinner, she stayed in Grandma Guan's room and chatted with her.

Since Ye Jinsong and Han Yanmei's accident, Old Madam Guan has aged considerably. Fortunately, Yang Pinxian has been by her side during this time.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law kept each other company and were able to comfort one another.

Of course, Old Madam Guan felt that her son had wronged Yang Pinxian, so she tried to make up for it in other ways, including specifying that some of her jewelry should be left to Yang Pinxian.

The younger daughter-in-law was a little upset about this.

Although Ye Jinfeng's temper and personality were rather unpleasant, he felt that jewelry was his elderly mother's personal property, and she could do with it however she liked. He could also buy jewelry to appease his wife when she was in a bad mood.

Ye Huaizhang returned around seven o'clock. When he came in, Ye Baoling had already started looking through old photo albums with the old lady.

"Where's the picture of you when you were little, holding a gun and looking really cool? I can't find it." Ye Baoling gave him a look, and Ye Huaizhang immediately understood that she hadn't found the picture of that little girl.

He sat down next to them: "Grandma, I remember there's an even older photo album, isn't there?"

"There is another one, we need to look for it." Old Madam Guan instructed the old maid to go and find it.

After searching for a long time, I finally found it at the bottom of the cabinet.

Grandma Guan was drinking Chinese medicine, while Yang Pinxian was talking beside her.

Ye Huaizhang and Ye Baoling then looked through the old photo album they had just found. The album contained photos of Ye Huaizhang's great-grandfather Ye Qingtang and several of his wives, as well as photos of Ye Huaizhang's great-grandfather and great-grandmother.

His great-grandmother was of mixed British and British descent, so his grandfather, father, uncles, and aunts all had some Western features.

Especially his eyes and nose, which was particularly noticeable in his aunt.

Therefore, Ye Jinliu married an American in her early years and thrived in the white community abroad.

Having grown up in a Chinese environment, no matter how much one's appearance resembles that of a Westerner, one's fundamental nature remains Chinese.

Ye Huaizhang paused near the middle of the page, then found it.

The little girl, dressed in a fluffy princess dress, with her round, dark eyes typical of Chinese people, is holding a rag doll and looking at the camera with an innocent smile. She is incredibly cute.

Ye Baoling deliberately raised her voice: "This little girl looks like a little princess, she's so pretty."

Ye Huaizhang asked, "Grandma, who is this?"

After finishing her Chinese medicine, the old lady, with a preserved plum in her mouth, put on her reading glasses, glanced at the medicine, and smiled, saying, "Your grandfather's youngest cousin is your great-aunt."

It turns out this is Ye Qingtang's youngest daughter's daughter.

Ye Qingtang was nearly fifty years old when he had his youngest daughter with his third concubine.

When the third concubine passed away, her youngest daughter was still a baby, so she was raised by the first wife and the second concubine in turns.

After growing up, the youngest daughter married Ye Qingtang's favorite assistant. She only had this one daughter after marriage, the girl in the photo, named Yan Yujun. She was showered with love and affection from a young age.

Yan Yujun lost his parents at a young age and was entrusted to his maternal grandparents' home, where he grew up with the love of his uncle, aunt, and many cousins.

Because of her exceptional beauty, she had many suitors since childhood.

At a ball, Yan Yujun met the nephew of the then Governor of Hong Kong, a baron heir, and the two quickly fell in love.

The talented man and beautiful woman enjoyed a few years of happy married life.

Ye Huaizhang frowned slightly: "Why haven't I heard you mention this great-aunt before?"

Grandma Kwan: ​​"During the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, they were hit by a bomb during a major bombing, and both husband and wife died."

An unfortunate story.

Ye Baoling sighed softly and asked, "Where are they buried?"

"I don't know the specifics. It was a chaotic time, and it seems they didn't find any remains." The old lady took off her reading glasses.

Therefore, Ye Qingtang's youngest granddaughter passed away at a very young age.

Ye Baoling subconsciously felt that things were not so simple, and several thoughts rushed through her mind in an instant.

Just then, Ye Jinliu walked in, interrupting the conversation.

After looking through the photo album, Old Madam Guan had it put away. She then asked Ye Jinliu, "Have you eaten? You're never around dinner time."

Ye Jinliu smiled and said, "I ate two pancakes, I'm not hungry. Mom, sister-in-law, do you have any plum blossom-related items?"

Old Madam Guan: "I've given you everything I have."

Yang Pinxian agreed to go back and look for it again.

When does your plum blossom exhibition start? Are tickets sold?

"It'll be soon, early next month, next week. No tickets, it's free. Sister-in-law, you can come visit with Mom and the others then."

Yang Pinxian smiled and agreed.

Grandma Guan complained, "I can go see the Green Bamboo Pavilion every day."

Ye Jinliu: "It's different. Once it's set up, with lighting and text descriptions, it feels completely different from when it's in the warehouse. Mom, you absolutely have to come and see it."

Old Madam Guan had no choice but to nod: "Alright, alright, I'll go take a look."

Ye Huaizhang said, "Baoling and I will go with you then."

Ye Jinliu laughed and said, "Huaizhang and Baoling are the ones who truly care about me. Mother, you're so biased; you never seem to care about me."

These words displeased Old Madam Guan. "If I were biased, I wouldn't have let you come back to live here. Now I've given you the entire Cuizhu Pavilion, and your fourth sister-in-law still has objections."

Yang Pinxian smiled and softened the tone: "You're my only daughter, how could I possibly be biased?"

Ye Jinliu gently massaged Old Madam Guan's shoulders. "I'll only be staying at Cuizhu Pavilion for a while. If Tang Jing really likes it, I'll let her have it. I'll move out then."

Grandma Guan was unhappy again: "Who will you live with if you move out? I don't care if you go abroad, but in Hong Kong, you can stay at home."

"I know." Ye Jinliu couldn't help but complain to Ye Huaizhang, "Look at your aunt, I'm so old and I still have to be managed by my mother."

"No matter what, you'll say I'm biased again." Old Madam Guan's thoughts were quite clear.

Everyone laughed.

Back in the bedroom, the couple nestled on the sofa, analyzing the various possibilities.

"Could it be that my great-aunt and the Baron died at the foot of Silver Serpent Mountain for some reason? Could the head on top of the small bronze gate be one of them?" As she spoke, Ye Baoling shuddered.

Ye Huaizhang put his arm around her and said, "I can't be sure. But I can't rule out the possibility."

However, since Ye Qizu's cousins ​​loved and cared for this cousin so much, what conflict of interest could there be that would be so great as to make them kill both their cousin and the baron?

Why did Sir Fong get involved?

I can't figure it out.

Finally, Ye Huaizhang said, "I took a picture of that skull a while ago and sent it to relevant professionals for analysis. I expect to have the results in a few days."

Then we can only wait and see.

*

That night, Ye Baoxin, carrying a thick English novel, slowed her pace as she walked to the door of the study on the second floor.

The study door wasn't closed properly, and you could hear Sir Fang talking to Sister Ju inside.

"Ye Jinliu is going to hold some kind of plum blossom exhibition next month. It's a bit strange. Send someone to keep an eye on it."

Sister Ju asked, "What exactly are you keeping an eye on?"

Sir Fang said, "Let's see if there are any plum blossom keys on the exhibition."

"A plum blossom key? What does it look like?" Sister Ju didn't understand what a plum blossom key was either.

Sir Fang took out a photo. "It looks like this."

Sister Ju took the photo and examined it closely: "Okay, I'll have someone take a look later. What should we do if they find the plum blossom key?"

Sir Fang: "No need to do anything, just tell me."

Ye Baoxin, standing outside the door, listened to their conversation, but because they weren't speaking loudly, she couldn't hear them very clearly.

But she understood that Fang Dingkun, that old bastard, wanted to find the plum blossom key.

Seeing that Sister Ju was packing her things and looked like she was about to come out, Ye Baoxin didn't dare to linger and quickly tiptoed back to her bedroom.

Fang Shanxing was reading a magazine in bed when his wife returned. He couldn't help but ask, "Weren't you going to put the novel back in the study?"

Ye Baoxin: "Your grandfather and Sister Ju are talking inside, so it's not convenient for me to go in."

Fang Shanxing laughed and said, "What's inconvenient about that? Don't treat yourself like an outsider."

Ye Baoxin complained in a low voice, "You men would never understand how careful we women are after we get married."

Her cautiousness is different from that of ordinary women.

She was being targeted by hungry wolves and was worried that she might be snatched away if she wasn't careful.

Fang Shanxing could only comfort her: "Put it on the table, I'll put it back tomorrow."

Ye Baoxin threw back the covers and got into bed. "I overheard your grandfather and Sister Ju talking outside the door. They seemed to be looking for some kind of plum blossom key, which should be the one you mentioned last time. Is this key lost?"

Fang Shanxing put down the magazine. "Impossible. The key was in the safe, how could it be lost?"

"I don't know either, I didn't hear very clearly. What if it gets lost? Won't they suspect us?"

Fang Shanxing: "No. If it were really lost, it wouldn't be as simple as losing the key. Other things in the safe would definitely be gone too. I've never heard Grandpa mention anything about losing anything, you must have misheard."

Ye Baoxin asked curiously, "What kind of lock does this plum blossom key open? Is it that important?"

"Don't even mention me, even my dad might not know. My grandpa doesn't like people asking about his affairs. You should behave yourself, pretend you didn't hear anything, and don't ask around out of curiosity, so as not to make grandpa overthink."

Ye Baoxin wasn't curious; she just wanted to know if Fang Dingkun, that old man, had any secrets or leverage over her. In this house, she didn't dare to stay home alone with Fang Dingkun.

She leaned on Fang Shanxing's shoulder, her only wish being that the old man would soon pass away peacefully.

*

Thanks to the active treatment by renowned Chinese and foreign doctors during this period, Ye Qizu's condition has improved significantly.

He speaks more clearly, his face isn't as crooked anymore, and he can walk slowly with the help of assistive devices.

As was his custom, Chen Jincai would come to report on the company's operations to him every week.

Ye Qingtang and Su Man Jewelry underwent a major reshuffle of their senior management. Of the original direct management team of Ye Qizu, only Lin Zhong remained, struggling to hold on.

"We recently signed contracts for two water source sites in mainland China, with the maximum contract term of fifty years. The mineral water brand team has been established, and the work is progressing smoothly."

Ye Qizu asked, "Who were the contracts for these two water sources with?"

Chen Jincai replied, "It was signed with Huayuan Investment, a company wholly owned by the young lady."

"What about the mineral water brand?"

"It's also under Huayuan Group."

Ye Qizu was slightly excited: "Use our... our Ye Qingtang's people and resources to do what Ye Baoling needs to do!"

Yes.

But there's nothing we can do; nobody in the company can control Ye Baoling now.

Taking the matter to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange would be detrimental to the company's stock price, and even if it were taken to the stock exchange, the exchange wouldn't be able to do anything about Ye Baoling.

Resources and manpower are the most difficult things to control.

She didn't embezzle Ye Qingtang's assets; she just slowly eroded them, and no one could do anything about it.

Seeing that Chen Jincai dared not speak, Ye Qizu quickly paused, "What about the company's performance?"

“Currently, both companies are performing better than expected, and the minority shareholders are very satisfied, so…” Chen Jin lowered his voice, “the young lady is quite secure in her current position.”

With the tide turning, Ye Qizu could no longer stop his granddaughter's momentum.

In other words, Ye Qizu is a thing of the past. Minority shareholders prefer a boss who can make money now, and it's unlikely that this old man will rise again.

In the distance, as the sun set behind the western mountains, Ye Qizu sat in his wheelchair and sighed heavily.

After Chen Jincai left, he sat by the window of the ward for almost half an hour.

Uncle Xing handed him warm water, served him the water, and whispered, "It's a blessing to be able to retire peacefully. You've successfully handed over the reins, sir."

He didn't successfully hand over the reins; he was forced out of office.

Ye Qizu knew the answer in his heart.

"Master, you really should change your mindset and go with the flow. That's what makes a true hero. If you keep thinking that you and the eldest young lady are rivals, you'll only end up losing. Change your perspective: you and the eldest young lady are family. You're her grandfather. You should be firmly bound to her and make it clear that she's the heir of the eldest branch, not the third branch. Then you'll win without a fight."

Ye Qizu looked up at Uncle Xing and said, "The spirit of Ah Q."

Uncle Xing laughed, “I don’t understand what Ah Q’s spirit is. Don’t worry, sir, I haven’t been bribed by the young lady. You know what kind of person I am. The young lady can use both soft and hard tactics; she doesn’t need to bribe me at all. If you give her the shares and the position of head of the family, she will carry on Ye Qingtang’s legacy. You will always be her grandfather, and she will always be your heir. If you don’t give her the shares, Ye Qingtang may very well become an empty shell company in the near future. The young lady will not be your heir, but you, sir, will be remembered as an unfilial descendant who has lost Ye Qingtang.”

Good medicine tastes bitter, and honest advice is hard to hear.

Ye Qizu coughed a few times and then fell silent.

It's annoying. But he knows Uncle Xing is right.

*

A few days later, Ye Qizu was discharged from the hospital.

Back home, Ye Kaisi and Liang Meiyun were more docile than before, but there was still no news of Baoshun.

"I heard someone saw him at a bar."

Dressed in a way that's neither male nor female...

Ye Kaisi didn't say the second half of the sentence, afraid that if he did, the old man would be unhappy.

It's good that there's news that he's still alive.

Ye Qizu had no other expectations.

After dinner, Ye Qizong came to chat with the old man, and Ye Kaimin was also there.

Seeing that Ye Qizu was in a good mood today, Ye Qizong said, "Second brother, if you want your offspring to multiply, would you consider adopting our Binzai?"

Seeing that his third brother had finally spoken his mind, Ye Qizu put away the walnuts he had been waving in his hands. "My descendants have expanded Ye Qingtang's market to the United States. Having one capable descendant in the family is more than enough. No matter how many people there are or how prosperous the family is, it's all just so-so. What else can it do?"

"..." Ye Qizong was embarrassed. He laughed and said, "Pretend I didn't say anything."

Ye Kaimin thought that his chance had come after the old man approved of Ye Baoling.

He whispered, "Baoling is the major shareholder herself, and she's leading the charge. As for Baolong, he can get married in the future, take responsibility for having children, and inherit the family business."

Ye Qizu glared at him and said bluntly, "Let an idiot have another idiot?"

"The probability is very low. On the contrary, most children born to people with intellectual disabilities are intelligent."

"Do you think I'm stupid? Bao Ling said last time that your genetic defect is congenital and can be inherited."

These words felt like a slap in the face to Ye Kaimin. It was his fault that the child had a defect. His face immediately burned with embarrassment, and he dared not say anything more.

But deep down he was still unconvinced; he had never seen a child born to a fool also be a fool.

He didn't believe it.

Seeing that Ye Qizu was so heartless towards his own son, Ye Qizong felt a little better and quickly acted as a peacemaker, saying, "Second brother, the most important thing for you now is to get well. As long as you are here, you are the head of all of us."

Ye Qizu slowly hummed: "As long as I live, I am the head of the family. I am not confused, and I decide who inherits the family business."

"Yes, yes, you decide."

As long as he still has money and shares, there will still be people to fawn over him.

That evening, after Ye Baoling returned home, Ye Qizu called her to his study for a detailed discussion.

Ye Qizu finally made up his mind: "You can inherit the family business, but I have conditions."

"What are the conditions?"

"Have you ever heard of the concept of inheriting two branches of the family? You and Huaizhang can inherit two branches of the family, provided that you have two children, one to inherit the eldest branch and the other to inherit the third branch." Ye Qizu thought to himself that this was the biggest concession he could make.

"Don't rush to refuse me. Go back and discuss it with Huaizhang first. My requirement is that the eldest son inherits the eldest son's branch of the family, and the second son inherits the third son's branch. I'm not picky."

She wants two sons, and she's not even picky?

Ye Baoling disagreed: "If I inherit the family business of the eldest son's family, it would be a good thing for you, Grandpa. I will definitely find a way to carry forward the family business. If you regard me as the heir, you can take care of my generation. As for the next generation, who will inherit and how they will inherit, that is not your responsibility, but mine. Grandpa, please don't overstep your bounds."

"..."

Going above one's level?!

The old man had just been discharged from the hospital, but now he felt his heart couldn't take it anymore.

He had discussed this issue with Ye Baoling before, and he knew that his granddaughter was not easy to talk to. "You should have Huaizhang come along to talk to her."

"Will you choose him as your successor or me? If you choose me, then talk to me." Ye Baoling said with a smile.

Ye Qizu couldn't laugh; he felt a lump in his throat.

He was furious. He had finally convinced himself to let his granddaughter inherit the family business, but now he was practically begging her to do it!

They didn't give us any room for negotiation.

Where does he put his pride?

The grandfather and grandson's talks broke down again, and he refused to continue.

*

Ye Huaizhang consulted experts and obtained the basic information about the skull.

Middle-aged male skull, East Asian.

This is completely different from what they had previously speculated.

If it is an East Asian skull, then it should be female, namely my great-aunt Yan Yujun.

If it's a man's skull, then it should be a Western skull, belonging to an heir to a British baronship.

Neither of these results were true.

Who is that?

The couple has no ideas for the time being.

Before long, the plum blossom exhibition was about to begin, and Ye Jinliu once again invited Ye Huaizhang and Ye Baoling to help select the special exhibition items to be placed in the center.

Ye Baoling wasn't good at this, so she invited Fang Haiming, an expert in antique appraisal, to help her.

Fang Haiming selected several plum vases, jade artifacts, and gold items. He and Ye Jinliu got along very well when it came to antiques.

Ye Huaizhang and Ye Baoling continued to wander among the many collections, looking around and taking a look.

Ye Baoling, in particular, observed very carefully.

After all, the system gave a reward, so it shouldn't be let off so easily.

Since the system has given her a hint that Ye Jinliu will provide her with clues about the plum blossom key, there must be some clues, she just hasn't discovered them yet.

After circling around twice, she discovered several small scrolls inserted in a stone bottle in the corner.

Pull out one of the scrolls, open it up and take a closer look. The signature is Ye Jinliu's own painting of various plum blossoms.

Upon opening them one by one to admire them, I discovered a pattern of a plum blossom key among them.

The signature was also Ye Jinliu.

Was it painted by Ye Jinliu? Has she ever seen the plum blossom key?

Ye Baoling looked up and gave Ye Huaizhang a look, and he quickly walked over.

He was startled when he saw the plum blossom key.

"Is this the pattern of the plum blossom key we're looking for?"

Ye Baoling nodded emphatically: "It should be."

Looking at the intricate textures in the painting, Ye Huaizhang asked, "How could Auntie draw such a detailed plum blossom key pattern? Did she see it before? Did she copy it?"

Because Fang Haiming was there, they quietly put the drawing back.

After seeing Fang Haiming off, Ye Huaizhang took out the scroll painting and asked, "Auntie, why did you paint a key?"

Ye Jinliu looked at it and laughed, "You guys found it even though it was in such a corner. I have a plum blossom key. I was going to take it out to exhibit it, but your grandma said that the key had been blessed and couldn't be exhibited. Later, she wouldn't even let me see this picture. I had no choice but to put it away."

So, is the other plum blossom key on Ye Jinliu?

This was something they hadn't expected.

"Did Grandma give it to you?"

Ye Jinliu nodded: "Yes. It was one of the dowry items she gave me when we got married. She said it had been blessed and shouldn't be taken out easily. She also wouldn't let me exhibit it at this exhibition. I never realized the old lady was so superstitious before. No, she wasn't superstitious at all before. I don't know why she suddenly believes in this. She said that I was weak when I was young, and a lock was left at a temple. I must keep the key that matches that lock carefully."

Ye Baoling and Ye Huaizhang exchanged glances, and a bold conjecture blossomed in her mind: Ye Jinliu's identity was in doubt.

She didn't show it, only smiled and asked, "Is it that amazing? Then Auntie, you must keep this key safe."

Ye Huaizhang: "You can put it in a bank safe deposit box."

He was helping to eliminate answers.

Sure enough, Ye Jinliu laughed and said, "It's not some valuable antique, why would I need to put it in a bank? I'll just put it in the cabinet in my room."

Okay, I understand.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Recently, many readers have asked when the story will end. It'll be soon; the main story will likely conclude in early December.

Babies, please pre-order! And don't forget to add it to your favorites if you pass by! [doge head with rose][doge head with rose][doge head with rose]