“Is that so?” Old Master looked at Zeng Lanzhi and furrowed his brow. “And yet — why did your butler not say the same just now?”

“I — the butler?” Zeng Lanzhi glanced back, then immediately turned to face forward again.

“Yes.” Old Master gave a nod. “Your butler said it was you who ordered him to drug me.”

“Had Lady Long not arrived in time just now, I would already be in the deep, unconscious sleep you had planned for me — is that not right?”

“Second Sister — you drugged Father?” Lin Jingmin stared at Zeng Lanzhi with wide eyes.

That expression — unless she was performing — surely meant she had not known.

“I—” Zeng Lanzhi looked at Yue Jiancheng and Lin Jingmin.

Lin Jingmin drew a deep breath, grabbed hold of Yue Jiancheng’s sleeve, and together they turned to face Old Master.

“Father, I did not know. I did not know Second Sister would dare to drug you. We were planning to bring down Elder Sister. I truly did not know Second Sister would lay a hand on you, Father.”

“Lin Jingmin — what are you saying?” Zeng Lanzhi’s eyes went even wider than before.

“Third Son, Xiao Min — what exactly is going on?” Old Master looked at Yue Jiancheng and Lin Jingmin, his voice low and heavy.

“Speak! What exactly is going on? You have one chance. Do not let me down.”

“Father — I have wronged you!” Yue Jiancheng bent forward and pressed his forehead to the ground.

“Father, we have wronged you.” Lin Jingmin also kowtowed. “We nearly put you through such an ordeal.”

She drew a deep breath, raised her head, and looked at Old Master: “Father, the matter is like this — Second Sister, she…”

“Lin Jingmin!” Zeng Lanzhi called out sharply to Lin Jingmin.

She turned her head and looked at Old Master. Her legs gave way and she dropped to her knees: “Father, I know I was wrong.”

“Father, we know we were wrong. Please forgive us this once.” Yue Jianhua also looked at Old Master and spoke.

“You were wrong?” Old Master looked at Second Master and his wife, his brow creasing deeply. “You dared to drug me — and a single ‘we were wrong’ is supposed to settle that?”

Old Master closed his eyes and took several long, deep breaths before his breathing steadied somewhat.

“Third Son — you and your wife speak. I want to hear the full truth — every last detail of what happened.”

“Father, the truth is—” Lin Jingmin answered in a low voice.

“Third Son.” Old Master fixed his eyes on Yue Jiancheng and cut Lin Jingmin off.

The usually timid and conflict-averse Third Master of the Yue family was briefly startled, then gave a nod: “Father — we wanted… we wanted to take a share of the Yue Family Hall.”

“What kind of share?” Old Master listened to Yue Jiancheng’s words and did not appear especially enraged.

It seemed as though he had long since anticipated something of this nature.

Everyone else was tense. So was Yue Jiancheng — but at least he could still hold Old Master’s gaze.

“We — we wanted to ask Elder Brother to divide the Yue Family Hall into three parts, so that the three brothers, one each… one portion apiece.” Yue Jiancheng answered in a low voice.

“Then why not simply say so?” Old Master let out a soft sigh.

“And furthermore — today’s events. How much of it did you know?”

“Simply saying so — would… would Elder Brother agree?” Yue Jiancheng looked at Old Master, his brow furrowing.

Very quickly, he caught himself and continued: “I only knew the plan was to drive Elder Sister-in-law out of the family. I did not know about Second Brother drugging you.”

“Father, please believe me — I truly did not know about Second Brother drugging you. I truly did not.”

Yue Jiancheng grew anxious: “Third Brother — how could you do this?” Zeng Lanzhi glared at Yue Jiancheng, her breathing heavy and her manner agitated.

She turned her head to look at Old Master, her voice sharp: “Drugging Father — making him fall into a deep sleep — that was clearly your idea. Why are you now saying it was not?”

“It was not.” Yue Jiancheng shook his hand vigorously.

“Second Sister — we knew nothing of it. Why would you say such a thing?” Lin Jingmin also grew very anxious. “Jiancheng and I even said — Old Master would come to know the truth.”

“It was you who said he would not speak. We had absolutely no knowledge of the drugging. If we had known, Jiancheng would certainly not have agreed.”

“You said you were ninety percent certain you could drive Elder Sister-in-law away. You said once she was gone, we would have a foothold in the Yue Family Hall.”

“Everything was arranged by you — you told us to trust you, to cooperate. And now you say it was our idea? How ruthless of you!”

Zeng Lanzhi glared at Lin Jingmin, seething: “How can you two do this? It was clearly—”

Before she could finish, Yue Jianhua’s voice rang out: “Enough!”

Yue Jianhua drew a deep breath, raised his eyes to meet Old Master’s gaze, and said: “Father, everything was our doing. Third Brother only learned of it afterward.”

“The Yue Family Hall has grown larger and larger over these years. I hoped we might be given a share of it.”

“On what grounds?” Old Master looked at Yue Jianhua with fury.

“On the grounds that we are also your sons.” Yue Jianhua answered in a low, firm voice.

Old Master looked at the four of them in the hall, growing more and more agitated.

“Do you not know — if you were not my sons, you would not even have a house this size to your name?”

Old Master was angry — truly angry.

Feng Jiu’er kept a close watch on him the entire time, deeply afraid that something might go wrong.

If he were to suffer another stroke, the consequences would be devastating.

Fortunately, Old Master was no ordinary person. Even knowing that his own sons had sought to harm him for the sake of gain, he was not driven to death by anger.

Yue Jianhua furrowed his brow tightly and said: “But—”

“There is no ‘but’!” Old Master cut him off coldly.

After Yue Jianhua confessed that it had all been their doing, Zeng Lanzhi had kept her head lowered without a word.

When Old Master gave a cold laugh, she flinched — but still dared not speak.

“Yang Hong — what was her part in this? Was she also someone you arranged?” Old Master’s brow was deeply creased.

At the mention of Yang Hong, Zeng Lanzhi’s eyes went rigid.

She perhaps knew that anything she did now could not escape the notice of those above her — yet she could not stop herself from reaching out and tugging at the person beside her.

But Yue Jianhua paid her no attention.

“Yes.” Yue Jianhua met Old Master’s gaze and gave a nod. “She is an ordinary physician. The treatment she has been providing for Father has always been of the most basic kind.”

“She was drawn to Elder Brother and wished to get closer to him. She found Ah Lan.”

“That is not true!” The restrained Yang Hong suddenly pushed open a door and walked out.

She came into the hall and dropped to her knees with a thud.

“That is not how it happened, Old Master. It was Madam Lan who came to me. It was her idea. She said that as long as I followed her instructions, she would make me a wife of the Yue family. She was the one who taught me how to frame Tang Xiaohua. Every single thing was her idea.”

“Old Master, you know as well — all this time, I have been caring for you as if you were my own father.”

“Even if my medical skill is limited, I have cared for you with my whole heart. Have you already forgotten?”

Yang Hong, in great agitation, kowtowed three times to the floor with a resounding crack: “Old Master, I beg you — please ask Master Yue to take me in. I only wish to remain in the Yue family as a concubine.”

“Old Master — I know that Master Yue heeds your words above all others. I beg you to speak on my behalf. Please, Old Master — I beg you.”