Shen Ziyu didn't bring Jiang Jiang over to join in the fun; she just stood aside and smiled at Cheng Qingyan and the others.
Chen Yuanze and the others haven't arrived yet, so there's no need for her to take action for the time being.
It's always good to have a couple more cards up your sleeve, so you can be more confident when you're doing things.
The journey was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and a great deal of noise.
Ye Zongzhi and Ye Lingxi, apart from struggling at the beginning, did not shout or make a fuss the whole way, probably thinking of avoiding losing face.
Many onlookers followed Cheng Qingyan and her group all the way to the gate of the Ye residence.
However, the gates of the Ye residence were tightly closed, so the yamen runners placed the cart at the gate and went to knock on the door.
Chen Yuanlin opened the door. He looked very haggard, with an unshaven beard and disheveled clothes.
When Chen Yuanlin opened the door and saw the scene at the entrance, he knew something was wrong. After Ye Zongzhi and Ye Lingxi disappeared, he knew they had been arrested and imprisoned.
He immediately sent a message to his elder brother Chen Yuanze for help, but he didn't expect that Chen Yuanze still hadn't come.
When the door was opened, people from the Yuanning County government were the first to arrive.
His voice was a little hoarse, but he forced himself to greet Nie Yilin: "Officer Nie, what brings you to the Ye residence today?"
Nie Yilin stepped aside, making way for the two flatbed carts behind him, so that Chen Yuanlin could see the people on the carts.
"Young Master Chen, at Master Ye's request, we are taking him back to his residence to retrieve some items. We hope you can help us find our way."
Chen Yuanlin was shocked to see the person lying on the flatbed cart. The body was almost tightly bound by iron chains, and some blood-stained clothes were showing.
Ye Zongzhi and Ye Lingxi have both been tortured, and now they're being escorted back to the Ye residence like this. Without a doubt, it's no good.
He couldn't disobey Nie Yilin now, after all, he was no longer the young master of the county magistrate's family. And Chen Yuanze hadn't come yet, so he had no one to rely on here.
He hurriedly smiled and invited the man into the Ye residence: "Officer Nie, what are you saying? If there's anything you need my help with, just ask."
After the group arrived at the Ye residence, Ye Zongzhi's wife, who was also Ye Lingxi's mother, rushed over to them, crying and wailing.
Cheng Qingyan shielded Ye Lingyu and hid behind her, not wanting his wife to get hurt.
They didn't see many servants from the Ye family along the way. Chen Yuanlin even opened the gate himself. It seemed that many servants had run away, at least the steward had.
Jing Qianqian, Ye Zongzhi's wife, lay on Ye Lingxi's cart and began to wail loudly, her cries echoing over the courtyard wall as if she wanted everyone to hear her.
"Oh, my poor daughter, how did you get tied up like this? How are you going to live like this? Who is the heartless bastard who would do such a cruel thing to my daughter?"
"How am I, this old woman, supposed to live now? Do they really think the Ye family has no one left? Chen, come here right now and untie my Xi'er!"
Nie Yilin stepped forward without making a sound, and two yamen runners pulled up the unruly Jing Qianqian and moved her away from Ye Zongzhi and Ye Lingxi's cart.
Ye Lingxi, who had been quiet the whole way, finally began her performance at this moment.
She was bound tightly, with heavy iron chains pressing down on her body, making it difficult for her to even cry out: "Mother, save me! It's all Ye Lingyu's and that lowly bastard of a man's fault that I'm like this!"
Upon hearing Ye Lingyu's name, Jing Qianqian immediately began searching for Ye Lingyu among the crowd that had gathered at the Ye residence that day.
After locking onto Ye Lingyu's location, she began her verbal attack: "You ungrateful wretch! Even after getting married, you still can't stay still. You even tried to harm your sister. This time, you even went so far as to harm your father! After all these years, how come you're still alive!"
Ye Lingyu pretended to be deaf and dumb, completely ignoring Jing Qianqian's words. She talked for a long time, but Ye Lingyu didn't even give her a glance.
Seeing that Ye Lingyu was still scolding her without retaliating, Jing Qianqian became even more emboldened and tried to rush forward.
It came on fiercely, heading straight for Ye Lingyu.
Cheng Qingyan dodged with Ye Lingyu, then stretched out his leg, causing Jing Qianqian to fall flat on her face, groaning in pain as she lay on the ground.
The constables also stepped forward and pinned Jing Qianqian to the ground. Ye Zongzhi roared, "Let her go! If you still want to know where the thing is, then let her go!"
Ye Lingyu was too lazy to play any more tricks on Ye Zongzhi. After having Jing Qianqian released, she asked him directly, "Now you can tell me, where is the thing?"
Now that we're here, we're not afraid of what tricks he might pull.
Ye Zong didn't waste much time that night. He pointed to a flowering tree in the yard and said, "I buried the thing under that tree. Have someone dig it up."
Nie Yilin had someone fetch a shovel and personally went to dig up the tree. Before long, they unearthed a jar beneath the tree. It resembled a wine jar, and its mouth was sealed shut.
After brushing off the dirt, Nie Yilin carried the jar over.
Jing Qianqian rushed over again, trying to snatch the jar away: "What are you doing? These are all our family's things, how can you take our things!"
Caught off guard, Nie Yilin was pushed to the ground by Jing Qianqian. The jar also fell to the ground with a thud, rolled a few times, and cracked.
Ye Lingyu looked at Jing Qianqian, who was being held captive, and said in a cold voice, "Ye Zongzhi, this time Jing Qianqian disrupted official business and attacked Constable Nie. What will you use to save her this time?"
"Officer Nie, since she's not being honest and wants her family to be together, then have her tied up."
Ye Zongzhi's eyes were bloodshot: "How dare you! You unfilial daughter!"
Jing Qianqian also started throwing a tantrum: "Murder! Murder! Help! Ye Lingyu not only killed people, but also blatantly stole things!"
The few remaining servants in the Ye household only dared to watch from the sidelines, not daring to take any action.
Nie Yilin took out what was hidden in the jar: a stack of land deeds and Mu Zhiyue's identity certificate. Among them was a yellowed piece of paper that caught Ye Lingyu's attention.
Upon opening it, I found a divorce agreement; the paper was yellowed, as if it were something from a long time ago.
The signature at the bottom clearly reads Bai Ruosu, but Ye Zongzhi's name is absent. The date on the signature is twenty years ago, which is quite puzzling.
Ye Zongzhi seemed to remember something and struggled frantically, trying to break free of his restraints. However, the chains were too numerous and too tight; he was merely a laborer.
Looking at the divorce papers in her hand, Ye Lingyu was somewhat bewildered. In her memory, Ye Zongzhi had always been very gentle and loving towards her mother. She had never heard her mother say anything bad about Ye Zongzhi, so how could a divorce agreement from twenty years ago appear now?
At that time, she was only a few years old. Before she could even walk steadily, her mother was already preparing to divorce Ye Zongzhi.
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