Chapter 7

The young master was beaten.

The entire Ye family had already been alarmed.

It was said that the ones who beat him were Ye Juncai and Ye Chunqiu. Second Master Ye Song was the first to arrive at the main hall, where Ye Lao Taigong was already present. Seeing his father's stern face, Ye Song knew that his father was extremely angry.

The third son, Ye Bai, also arrived. He still looked sickly, and he merely nodded at Ye Song. The expression of this third uncle seemed somewhat anxious, as his own son was one of the ones who did the beating. If the old master got angry, it would not be a good situation.

Most importantly, this matter also involved Master Zhou.

Master Zhou sat calmly on one side. Ye Bai knew the old master's character. If it was just a family matter, it might be better to keep it within the family. However, once outsiders were involved, the old master would be very concerned about maintaining the family's reputation. This matter would not end well, and there would certainly be severe punishment.

Everyone had already taken their seats. Master Zhou then recounted the details of the incident, adding more fuel to the fire. However, his words made Ye Bai feel somewhat relieved.

"The most despicable one is Ye Chunqiu. I don't know where he learned such methods, to attack his elder brother so viciously. This child has never been diligent in his studies, and is completely uneducated and absurd. Old Master, these words should not be spoken, but if I remain silent, what will I say to you if something worse happens in the future? I have been teaching for many years, and I have never seen such a wayward child."

Master Zhou launched a full attack, targeting Ye Chunqiu entirely.

The old master's face had already turned extremely ugly.

He was a man who cared about his reputation. Now that the Ye family had produced such an 'unworthy son,' how could it be good if it got out? Moreover, he was very clear that Master Zhou was hired to teach, and even if the children had some faults, he would usually cover them up to avoid saying anything too ugly and causing trouble. So even though Ye Juncai was usually very mischievous, Master Zhou only made a few comments to the old master and would not say anything as harsh as 'uneducated and absurd.'

It seemed... that Ye Chunqiu... was really no good...

Ye Lao Taigong maintained a calm demeanor despite his stern face: "Bring them in."

A moment later, a commotion was heard outside. First, Ye Chenliang stumbled in, falling to his knees and crying out, "Grandfather, Ye Chunqiu and Ye Juncai beat me!"

The old master saw that Ye Chenliang's nose was bruised, his face swollen, his clothes torn, and his face covered in dirt. Ye Chenliang raised his face, which was no longer clear, and it was full of blood, a terrifying sight.

The old master felt both heartache and anger. He was heartbroken to see his beloved grandson in such a state, and angry that Ye Chunqiu and Ye Juncai, who were brothers, could be so ruthless.

The old master withdrew his gaze and was surprisingly calm, as Ye Juncai and Ye Chunqiu had also entered.

Despite Ye Juncai's arrogance in front of Master Zhou, he was like a sick cat in front of the old master, entering with small steps, his hands hanging down, and a dejected look.

Ye Chunqiu couldn't help but despise him. What the hell... he's just a three-second hero. This also showed that the old master must be a strict and harsh person in managing the family.

However, Ye Chunqiu admired his elder brother, Ye Liangchen, from the bottom of his heart. He was really good at pretending to be pitiful, truly an eye-opener.

Hearing the old master's tone, Ye Chenliang knew that the old master was heartbroken for him, so he gained confidence and cried even more dramatically, "Grandfather, you must stand up for me! The county examination is about to start, and with my condition, how can I take the exam? This time, I will surely fail."

This sentence made the old master's calm face finally lose its composure.

The old master valued the county examination this year the most. For a family of scholars, could anything be more important than the children achieving success? If Ye Chunqiu and Ye Juncai caused the most promising grandson to miss the county examination, it would be like the sky falling.

The old master was furious. He threw the teacup he was holding, and it shattered on the ground with a loud noise, the porcelain shards flying everywhere.

Second Uncle just coldly watched Ye Chunqiu. He was naturally heartbroken that his son had been beaten, but he was more interested in what punishment Ye Chunqiu would receive.

The return of his brothers had already put Second Uncle under great pressure. Although he was still in charge of the family, nominally, the family belonged to the eldest branch. Even if they were to divide the family, how much could he, the second son, get?

Most importantly, it was the old master's attitude. The more the old master disliked the eldest branch, the better for him.

Finally, the old master spoke, his voice trembling, no longer hiding his anger: "Why did you beat your brother? Speak clearly!"

Ye Juncai hesitated and couldn't say a word.

Ye Chunqiu, however, remained calm and said, "Grandfather, I did not beat my elder brother."

He outright denied it.

This, of course, did not win the old master's favor. Instead, it made the old master somewhat dislike him. Could it be that Ye Chenliang was lying, or that Master Zhou was lying?

Ye Chunqiu ignored the old master's feelings and continued, "If Grandfather doesn't believe me, there were many people there. Call them in and ask, and you will know."

Ye Chenliang, you're good at pretending, but so am I.

So when Ye Chunqiu spoke, he had an innocent and harmless expression, his eyes showing a look of innocence.

Ye Chenliang knew that many people were present at the time, and if they were to investigate, the evidence might not be conclusive. However, he never expected that Ye Chunqiu could be so calm in his defense. If it were anyone else, even someone as bold as Ye Juncai, they would have been too scared to speak.

Ye Chenliang quickly shouted, "Although you didn't do it yourself, you incited Juncai to beat me..."

The word 'incited' made the old master even angrier. A child, no matter how big, was already wrong for beating someone. If he had a malicious heart and incited others to beat his brother, such a child was truly too wicked.

The old master was already showing signs of impatience. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, "Chunqiu, stop lying. You... " He was about to say something harsh, but seeing Ye Chunqiu's innocent face, he ultimately did not say it, only coldly snorted, "If such a thing happens in the family and we do not punish you properly, how can we face our ancestors? Bring them in..."

Seeing the old master's complete disappointment and even disgust with Ye Chunqiu, Second Master Ye Song felt relieved. Moreover, the family law would be used next, and the Ye family's family law was not something a child could bear.

Ye Song felt a faint sense of anticipation.

Several strong servants outside were peeking, and upon hearing the old master's order, they were about to come in to respond.

"Grandfather, I have only been in the family for half a month, and I haven't had much interaction with Cousin Juncai. How could I incite him to beat someone?" Ye Chunqiu looked at the different expressions of the people in the hall and remained calm, "Cousin Juncai did come to me, but he just happened to ask about Third Aunt. When I honestly answered, Cousin Juncai became very angry and went to beat my elder brother. I am innocent, please, Grandfather, stand up for me."

A fierce look flashed in the old master's eyes, and he said with a murderous tone, "Third Aunt? What does this have to do with her?"

Ye Chunqiu scratched his head, "I don't know, but Cousin Juncai kept talking about Third Aunt's mole and asked how my elder brother knew. Grandfather, it's really strange. What's so special about having a mole? I have a mole too, right on my belly, and my elder brother and Cousin Juncai never cared."

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chunqiu showed a very innocent smile.

He looked very naive and sincere.

The innocent and pure expression on the face of the young boy, Ye Chunqiu, had already portrayed the role of a child to the bone.

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