"Has Father ever seen General Ye's husband?"
Xie Tingzhou asked this question.
All he knew was that Ye Jinghong was kidnapped by human traffickers when he was young, but was rescued by a reclusive master who took him in as a disciple and taught him unparalleled martial arts skills.
Before joining the army, she would return to Beijing for about one or two months a year, spending most of the rest of her time in the martial arts world. Her husband was also a member of the martial arts world. He passed away when Ye Jinghong was pregnant.
The specific details are unknown.
What the Marquis of Zhongyong had just said made him somewhat suspicious. Not only was Ye Wantang's personality different from Ye Jinghong's, but her appearance also bore little resemblance to Ye Jinghong.
Marquis Zhongyong shook his head.
"No, he is not from the capital and has never been to the capital. The two got married outside the capital."
What he didn't say was that he even suspected Ye Jinghong hadn't gotten married.
However, a woman's pregnancy out of wedlock would be criticized by the world, and since it concerned his old friend's reputation, he never dared to investigate further.
Worried that Xie Tingzhou might overthink things, he added, "Although they didn't come to the capital, the Ye family sent out a dowry and held a wedding banquet in the capital."
A wedding banquet in which neither the bride nor the groom was seen caused quite a controversy at the time.
Xie Tingzhou had also heard about this matter.
He frowned. Marquis Zhongyong and Ye Jinghong were good friends. If he had never met her husband, then probably no one else in the capital had.
Did Ye Wantang's appearance really resemble her father's, or...?
Marquis Zhongyong asked suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly asking about these things?"
This person doesn't have the leisure to spare time.
Before Xie Tingzhou could answer, Xie Jinyao rushed over, "Father, how could my second sister-in-law kill so many people?"
She was forced to kneel for several days as punishment, and although she mostly slacked off, she had been pampered since childhood.
In order to win the favor of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, she also had to accompany Xie Lanzhou in the evening, which made her feel very tired.
She woke up late in the morning, and when Ye Zhen gathered all the servants in the mansion, she was still asleep.
The maids, including Zhiyun, assumed that Ye Zhen was just giving a speech, going through the motions to let everyone know that she was now in charge of the household, and then they would disperse.
Therefore, they didn't wake her up. When Xie Jinyao woke up naturally, the room was empty.
Xie Jinyao guessed that Ye Zhen had called her away. When she arrived at the martial arts arena, she saw the old steward and the others being dealt with.
She was overjoyed.
The old housekeeper and his wife were left by my grandfather, and even my mother didn't dare to touch them easily. Ye Zhen, that fool, has really caused a huge mess this time.
Good job though.
Even if her father could be deceived by her, her grandmother would never let her off easily when she returned. That old nanny Wang used to serve her grandmother.
So she hid in the shadows and watched for a while, trying hard to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth, before going to find the Marquis of Zhongyong.
"The old steward and Granny Wang have been in this household their whole lives, they're so old, how could Second Sister-in-law... how could they..."
She looked terrified. "Father, several people died at once. Isn't my second sister-in-law being too cruel?"
If word gets out, it won't be good for the Marquis's reputation.
Xie Tingzhou sneered, "Killing a few wicked servants is considered cruel? Then in your eyes, wouldn't I be the King of Hell?"
He burned and killed 50,000 prisoners.
That's what Xie Jinyao thought, but she didn't dare to provoke Xie Tingzhou.
Her current target is Ye Zhen.
"Jinyao dares not think of her elder brother like that. There must be a reason why he did it this way."
But home and the battlefield are different; the old steward and his men are not the enemy.
He even held Jin Yao when she was little.
He also embraced the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.
She deliberately brought it up, feigning sadness, saying, "Even if they've made mistakes, it would be good to settle them off with a manor."
Although I don't know why it was my father's close attendant who carried out the execution, my mother said that my father had feelings for the old steward.
Previously, Mother wanted to punish the old steward, but the old steward pleaded with Father for leniency, and the matter was dropped. Now that the old steward has been beaten to death, Father must be saddened and may even hate Ye Zhen.
If these words had been spoken earlier, they would have resonated deeply with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.
But for now, he patted his daughter on the shoulder and said, "Come to the study with your father."
Xie Jinyao was somewhat bewildered when she saw that the Marquis of Zhongyong did not seem angry.
But they were too cautious to say anything more.
After sitting down in the study, Marquis Zhongyong showed her the evidence that Ye Zhen had found.
He also told Xie Jinyao how Ye Zhen obtained this information and found this evidence.
Xie Jinyao was shocked. "Father, could there be something fake in this?"
She still refused to believe that Ye Zhen really had that ability.
Marquis Zhongyong seemed to know his daughter's thoughts and shook his head.
He can still distinguish between what is real and what is fake.
Xie Jinyao was unwilling to accept it. "Isn't her reward too much? A few taels here, a few taels there. No matter how big the family business is, it can't withstand such generosity."
And what about those quotas for escaping slavery? A slave is a slave; wouldn't that create chaos?
Regarding the rewards, Ye Zhen showed the Marquis of Zhongyong the monthly ledgers showing how the stewards had embezzled money.
The rewards sounded substantial, but the managers embezzled far more than that.
He patiently explained it to Xie Jinyao.
"...If this reward can make the servants stick to their duties and wholeheartedly serve the Marquis's mansion, then this money is well spent."
Rewards are also a form of encouragement; my father often did the same when leading troops into battle.
Marquis Zhongyong recalled Ye Jinghong's words: "If people fear my strict discipline more than they fear the enemy, then they will surely win the battle."
Ye Zhen's system of rewards and punishments follows the same principle.
If the Marquis's mansion can provide them with a better life, they will not easily commit evil deeds, and perhaps the Marquis's mansion's businesses will be more profitable than before.
Seeing that Marquis Zhongyong was speaking up for Ye Zhen, Xie Jinyao quickly explained, "Father, I don't have any issues with my second sister-in-law. I'm just worried that she lacks experience and that her reckless behavior will ultimately harm the Marquis's mansion and you..."
Marquis Zhongyong interrupted her, speaking earnestly, "Yao'er, do you know the difference between you and Ye Zhen?"
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