As for Cheng Qingyan, they never intended to take anything else from the Ye family. They only wanted to get back what belonged to Ye Lingyu from Ye Zongzhi. They didn't care about anything unrelated to the Ye family.
While waiting for Mu Zhiyue to regain consciousness, a general direction had already been discussed in the front hall of the county government office.
In summary, the plan involved taking stock of all of the Ye family's businesses, categorizing them, and then discussing how to effectively and quickly destroy all of the Ye family's shops.
Cheng Qingyan's first thought was to use their own methods against them.
Didn't they plot to get Mu Zhiyue imprisoned? Now let's start preparing to cause trouble for every shop in the Ye family. First, bring Ye Zongzhi to the yamen and, like him, lock him up in jail.
When they discussed these matters, they deliberately sent Shen Ziyu away.
How could the dignified Marquis of Ping Le get involved in such shady dealings? Moreover, Cheng Qingyan didn't want to leave any ammunition for criticism.
In particular, Shen Tzu-yu must not be involved.
She knew that every dynasty had officials who could speak out against wrongdoing, and that factionalism existed everywhere, including the imperial court.
We cannot let the reputation of Marquis Ping Le be ruined because of the Ye family.
Therefore, Shen Ziyu is only suitable for operating behind the scenes, just like the person behind Wei Yong, and should not show his face.
The discussion in the front office has now concluded. A general direction has been established; all that remains is to implement it.
Suppress the Ye family's business, win over the Ye family's rivals; the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Luo Ji also worked himself to the bone in Yuanning County. He was very successful in his business there.
During his years with the Luo family, he had dealt with many people from Yuanning County and knew many of the Ye family's enemies and business partners.
According to Cheng Qingyan, there are only permanent interests, not permanent friends. Moreover, there is certainly no genuine affection between Ye Zongzhi and his partners.
Once a breach is made, Ye Zongzhi will face utter annihilation.
No one can save him, no one can.
When you no longer need benefits, those who do and crave them will become your weapons.
When Ye Zongzhi was summoned to the county government office, he had already sent someone to notify the person behind the scenes.
In fact, he received the news from the county government office after Mu Zhiyue was rescued.
However, he did not act rashly; he was waiting for someone who could support him.
So when his shop ran into trouble the next day, and coincidentally the yamen runners were all nearby and sealed off all the shops that had been affected, he knew that Ye Lingyu's revenge had begun.
When he arrived at the county government hall and saw that the county magistrate was Cai Wuping, he was not surprised.
Ye Zongzhi stood calmly in the hall, without kneeling.
Cai Wuping glanced at the person behind the screen, then slammed his gavel: "Bang! You audacious Ye Zongzhi, why do you not kneel before me!"
It's unclear whether he's truly become arrogant or actually has some trump card up his sleeve. Ye Zongzhi completely disregarded Cai Wuping, saying dismissively, "I am a relative of an official; why should I kneel before a mere county magistrate like you?"
Cai Wuping laughed in anger: "Guards, Ye Zongzhi has shown contempt for the court and openly challenged this county magistrate, defying the authority of the imperial court. Take Ye Zongzhi away and give him fifty lashes."
"Ye Zongzhi, didn't you say that I, the county magistrate, am just a mere county magistrate? Today, I will show you what a mere county magistrate really is!"
Cai Wuping had been in the position of county magistrate for almost ten years without any sign of promotion. He hated it most when people said he was just a county magistrate. Although he hadn't been promoted in ten years, he was still an official appointed by the imperial court. Ye Zongzhi, a mere merchant, dared to mock him; he really had given them too much face.
Ye Zongzhi screamed as he was dragged away, the sound of being beaten with a cane echoing in the hall, mixed with Ye Zongzhi's pleas for mercy.
In a corner behind the screen in the main hall of the county government office, Cheng Qingyan gave Cai Wuping an approving look. This Cai Wuping was really perceptive; she only gave him a couple of instructions—don't be afraid of Ye Zongzhi.
Even if Ye Zongzhi had some trump cards up his sleeve, he was still just a merchant until he revealed them.
What about the merchant? He's just unlucky.
Since ancient times, the common people have never fought against officials. He himself risked his life to challenge Cai Wuping. If we don't fight him, who will we fight?
Moreover, these yamen runners had already been bribed by Cheng Qingyan. They were all killing with deadly force; if they could have killed Ye Zongzhi in front of the court, no one would have dared to say anything, saving her the trouble of wiping out the Ye family bit by bit.
Unfortunately, we can't kill him yet; we still need him to reveal who his protector is.
Fifty strokes of the cane, each stroke heavy, and the people wielding the canes changed several times. After these strokes, Ye Zongzhi was almost half dead.
When Ye Lingxi saw Ye Zongzhi being beaten half to death outside, she was stunned and tried to rush inside.
The constables deliberately made an opening for her, allowing her to rush through without any obstruction and go straight to the courtroom.
Just when he was worried about not finding a chance to openly and legitimately deal with her, she barged into the courtroom like this, all fresh and vibrant.
After receiving a signal from Cheng Qingyan, Cai Wuping slammed his gavel: "How dare you, Ye family woman, ignore my obstruction and hinder my trial!"
"Guards, seize him! Disrupting the court proceedings, he deserves thirty strokes of the cane! Take him away to be punished!"
Ye Lingxi was held down by the constables. She struggled unwillingly and said, "Sir, I didn't mean it. I just acted impulsively. I won't do it again. Please, sir, spare me!"
Cai Wuping snorted heavily. Now she knew to plead for mercy. But he had a mission to complete today, so how could he let her off so easily?
Ignoring Ye Lingxi's pleas for mercy, he said to the constables who were preparing to carry out the execution, "Guards—"
Just as the order to execute was about to be given, a yamen runner next to Cheng Qingyan handed Cai Wuping a piece of paper.
The inscription reads, "Call her by her given name, and do not refer to her as a daughter of the Ye family."
Cai Wuping glanced at Cheng Qingyan discreetly and saw that Cheng Qingyan's expression had changed. He stammered, "How dare you, Ye Lingxi, roar in court and disregard the law! Twenty slaps to the face!"
In the courtroom, the sounds of slapping and Ye Lingxi's pleas for mercy rang out.
Ye Zongzhi was also lying on the ground at this time. He had not yet fainted, because he could not faint.
When he was being beaten, he would faint each time, only to be woken up by the bailiffs splashing water on him. Once he regained consciousness, the beating would continue.
Ye Lingxi's constant wails were causing him pain both physically and emotionally.
He silently pulled a letter from his person, and his weak voice rang out amidst Ye Lingxi's wails: "My lord, I have a letter from the prefect here. I hope you will examine it."
After the letter was presented, Cai Wuping examined it carefully and confirmed that the seal on the letter was indeed that of the prefectural government.
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