He was a man who valued family honor more than his own life. Now his son was gone, and the dead could not be brought back to life. Moreover, reporting the case might not necessarily uncover the truth.

If this matter affected Longjing tea becoming a tribute tea, then this…

Ye Yaming frowned: “We’re talking about a human life. How can it be compared to some vanity? Besides, as long as our tea is good and the Emperor enjoys drinking it, does it matter whether it officially becomes tribute tea or not?”

Ye Chongming remained silent.

He had been overcome with grief and anger moments ago. But now that he had calmed down, he felt that perhaps it would be better to settle this matter privately.

If he could seek justice for his son, he would do so without hesitation. But this matter had occurred over ten years ago, and there was no evidence. Taking it to the authorities would only make the Ye family a laughingstock, posthumously label his son a cuckold, and ruin the tribute tea prospect. What would be the point?

The deceased were gone; he had to think of the living descendants.

Old Lady Ye just kept wiping her tears. Madam Tao and Madam Yin, as daughters-in-law and Madam Cai’s sisters-in-law, didn’t feel it was their place to say anything.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Just then, Nanny Lu hurriedly entered and said: “The Third Madam wishes to see the Old Lady.”

Everyone exchanged glances. Ye Chongming nodded and said: “Go ahead. Listen to what she has to say.”

He added: “Let Yaming accompany you.”

Looking at Madam Tao and Madam Yin, he said: “All of you, go.”

Ye Yaming walked to Old Lady Ye’s side and supported her as they left, heading toward the side wing.

Fearing that Madam Cai might commit suicide, Old Lady Ye had brought her and Ye Yayu back to the main house. The adulterer and the servants were placed under the watch of the estate guards.

Madam Cai was confined in a side room under the surveillance of servant women, while Ye Yayu, accompanied by her wet nurse and Old Lady Ye’s maid Mei’er, stayed in another room.

Entering the side room, Ye Yaming saw Madam Cai with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth, tied to a pillar.

This wasn’t because Old Lady Ye wanted to torture her, but because in such situations, many women would choose to end their lives. If Madam Cai committed suicide, not only would Ye Hongrong’s justice remain unserved, but the Cai family might also cause trouble for the Ye family, demanding justice for their daughter who had been a widow in the Ye family for over a decade. The Ye family would be in an impossible position.

Seeing Old Lady Ye and her entourage enter, Madam Cai made muffled “mmm” sounds.

Old Lady Ye sat down in a chair and waved her hand at a robust woman servant, who then removed the handkerchief from Madam Cai’s mouth.

However, she still kept her eyes fixed on Madam Cai, handkerchief ready in hand, prepared to stuff it back in her mouth if she attempted to bite her tongue.

With the handkerchief removed, Madam Cai cried out: “Old Lady, I lied earlier. Yayu is your granddaughter. I was afraid you wouldn’t let me take her away, so I falsely claimed she wasn’t.”

Sobbing, she continued: “Yuan Kun is a house-born servant of the Cai family. He remained with the Cai family after I married out. It wasn’t until Yayu was one year old that he redeemed himself and left. I only learned he had feelings for me when I encountered him on the road during a visit to my maiden home that year.”

“He said he wanted to follow me, but I refused. Two years later, I couldn’t resist any longer, so I let him enter the mansion disguised as a woman.”

Hearing this, Ye Yaming looked at Madam Tao, puzzled: “Didn’t you question her?”

Madam Tao explained in a low voice: “As soon as we entered the courtyard, we had them all under control. When the physician confirmed through pulse diagnosis that Madam Cai was pregnant and found that man, Madam Cai, seeing no way to deny it, claimed Yayu was her child with this man. The Old Lady was furious and had Madam Cai bound and brought here.”

Meanwhile, Old Lady Ye, having heard Madam Cai’s words, sneered and asked: “The number of people in your courtyard never increased or decreased. How did he get in?”

Madam Cai lowered her head: “When I visited my maiden home, I released a maid and had him disguise himself as that maid to enter.”

Old Lady Ye turned to Nanny Lu: “Separate and interrogate all the servants in her courtyard. See if what she says is true. Use torture if necessary.”

Ye Yaming carefully observed Madam Cai and noticed that she didn’t appear particularly alarmed by Old Lady Ye’s words. She suspected that either Madam Cai had coached everyone in her courtyard to maintain the same story and wasn’t afraid of interrogation, or she was telling the truth.

Questioning people would take time. Old Lady Ye signaled the robust woman servant to gag Madam Cai again.

Having finally gotten a chance to speak, Madam Cai was unwilling to be silenced. She cried out: “Old Lady, I know I have no face to remain in the Ye family. I also have no maiden home to return to. You know what my family is like; they would not allow me to return. I will fall ill, then pass away. I beg you not to make this matter public. I’m not asking this for myself—when I had the affair, I knew I couldn’t survive if discovered. I only ask that you treat Yayu well. She cannot be without a mother, even one who committed adultery.”

With that, she began to cry.

Old Lady Ye, hearing this, seemed somewhat moved.

If they discovered that Madam Cai hadn’t killed her third son, perhaps the matter could be handled this way. This would save everyone’s face and alleviate concerns about the Cai family causing trouble.

But Ye Yaming couldn’t bear to listen anymore.

She sneered: “You speak as if you’re such a great mother. For the sake of hiding your lover, you prevented my Fifth Sister from seeing people. Look at what her personality has become under your care. How will she marry in the future? How will she get along with others? Have you thought about that? You’ve harmed your daughter for your pleasure, and now you claim to be concerned for her.”

Madam Cai’s face turned crimson at these words. She seemed to want to say something but hesitated, until finally she couldn’t hold back and cried: “Third Miss, you’ve never been married. You don’t know how difficult a widow’s life can be.”

This statement caused all the women in the room to blush.

Madam Tao and Madam Yin wanted to reproach her to defend Ye Yaming, but they felt the topic was becoming increasingly awkward and inappropriate to continue.

Ye Yaming interrupted her: “The Ye family never required you to remain a widow. Grandmother even asked you back then if you wanted to remarry.”

“But if I remarried, I wouldn’t be able to see my Yayu anymore,” Madam Cai sobbed.

“What good has your presence done her? The way you’ve raised her, she’d be better off without you. Living with Grandmother, her life would be much better.”

Old Lady Ye was kind-hearted; Madam Tao, despite her agenda, wouldn’t mistreat an orphaned girl. To demonstrate her kindness and virtue, she would treat Ye Yayu even better.

Madam Yin needn’t be mentioned; even Madam Zhang, though sometimes sharp-tongued and competitive, wouldn’t seek validation at the expense of an orphaned girl.

Without her mother, Ye Yayu would only receive the compassion of her elders. Her sisters would also look after her.

This was precisely what disgusted Ye Yaming the most about Madam Cai.

Her words sounded noble, but was it really for her daughter’s sake?

The Cai family ran a silk shop, and their financial situation was significantly inferior to the Ye family’s. They felt honored to have the Ye family as in-laws.