It wasn't like before, when he would simply accept whatever happened to him. He used to accept the way people treated him, even if it was from a stepmother or anyone else. His status didn't mean much, it was just a name with no respect. But now, he had decided that this was his second chance.
In this second chance, he would change completely. He would stand tall, determined to do what he said. He wouldn't tolerate any injustice anymore.if someone treated him well, he would be kind and fair in return. But if someone treated him badly, he would make sure to give them back ten times worse. This was the new him, someone ready to stand up for himself and those who showed him respect.
Ye Zeng, sitting beside Ye Feng, commented with a wry grin. "My nephew has a strange taste."
His tone was amused but tinged with disapproval as he glanced at the woman dressed in green.
Before he could continue, his wife, sharp-eyed and quick-witted, twisted his ear lightly, a playful smile crossing her lips.
"You better watch what you say," she teased, her voice light but sharp with meaning.
Ye Zeng winced but grinned. "I was just commenting on his..." He trailed off, seeing the playful glint in his wife's eyes.
Ye Xian noticed their reaction and gave a small smirk. "Looks like I'm not the only one with strange preferences today," he said casually, though there was a sharp undertone in his voice..
The laughter that rippled through the hall served to ease the tension, but Ye Xian gaze remained hard, his voice sharp as he focused back on the woman in green.
He leaned forward and asked, "So... were you satisfied with my body? Did I please you well?"
She shyly answered, "Yes… you satisfied me. I was happy with you."
Ye Xian smiled, then asked again, "Then you must have seen my body clearly, right?"
She nodded.
He asked, "Was my body to your liking.? Did i have any ugly mark or something you didn't like? Please tell me this clearly."
She looked at him and felt puzzle but she instantly collected her thoughts before blushed again and answering softly.
'Do you think I would falter at this point? You bastard, just watch this how I'll handle this situation before I ruin what's left of your already ruined life.'
"Your chest was broad and clean. It's was pleasing to see. Your skin was smooth like jade. Your arms were strong…"
She said all this while looking down, clearly embarrassed.
Ye Xian laughed, and then turned to the crowd.
"As you all heard—this woman said my body was clean. In a way 'Not a single mark or scar'. But let me remind you all: two days ago, I was not in the Ye clan and the day before yesterday I rested a in inn near the city walls and the next day I was ambushed during a mission and almost killed. I was seriously wounded—and I still have scars on my chest."
Ye Xian looked at Sheng Qinhua and then at the woman in green hanfu dress who was visibly confused and startled.
"if we truly spent the night together," he said slowly, "surely, you would have seen these."
With a slow and deliberate motion, he pulled open his robe down the middle, exposing his toned chest.
A gasp spread through the room. Eyes widened in shock.
"What is he doing?!"
"Has he lost his mind?!"
Ye Xian remained calm, his expression as still as a calm lake. His robe fell away, revealing two cross-shaped scars, faint but clear. His eyes locked onto the woman's, intense and unyielding.
"You said we spent the night together," Ye Xian continued, his voice steady but strong. "So tell me, did you see these scars while we were... intimate?"
Whispers quickly spread, some mocking, others quietly amused.
The woman's face lost all color. She gasped, her breath caught in her throat, as if the ground beneath her had suddenly disappeared.
"You called my body 'clean' and 'pleasing to the eye," Ye Xian continued, his voice colder now.
"But these scars are big and noticeable. If we truly spent the night together, how could you have missed them?"
The woman froze, her hands shaking as she held onto her dress, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"She's lying!"
"Shameless! What a pathetic scheme!"
Ye Xian silenced the crowd with a single, unwavering stare. His voice rang out, sharp and clear, cutting through the noise. "These scars aren't just from an injury," he said, his voice calm but unyielding. "They were caused by an ambush"
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle in. "I was on a mission, when two assassins attacked me. I fought them off alone, barely holding my own, until a passing Taoist intervened. He took down the attackers and left healing elixirs, telling me to stay silent if possible and offer him a little help if needed in the future."
The room fell silent, the tension thick in the air.
Ye Tian, who had been silent until then, gave a small nod. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, "Go. Check his story."
The Ye Clan guards quickly mounted their horses and rode out to the valley outside the city. Everyone's eyes shifted between Ye Xian and the woman, whose earlier confidence was now gone.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She was trapped, with no way out.
After half a stick of incense had burned, the guards returned. Their leader dismounted and approached Ye Tian.
"Patriarch Ye," the leader reported, "Young Master Ye Xian is telling the truth. He stayed at an inn near the city wall, and we also found the bodies of the two men. One was decapitated, and the other's face was so disfigured it was unrecognizable. It seems someone reached the scene before us and tried to remove evidence that could identify them. Based on their condition, they died last night—the same night Young Master Ye Xian was attacked."
The room filled with gasps of shock.
The woman in green wavered, her lies falling apart in front of everyone. Her voice barely a whisper, she stammered, "I... I..."
Ye Xian let the silence stretch before giving a slow, almost lazy smile. "Now tell me, who put you up to this?"
Fear flashed in her eyes. She clutched her hands together, hoping she could vanish.
"I… I lied," she admitted, her voice trembling. "I did it for money. Di Ye... He promised me gold if I could ruin Young Master Ye Xian's reputation."
Outrage rippled through the hall.
Ye Xian turned his gaze to Di Ye, who now looked terrified.
"I... I didn't mean to," Di Ye stammered, sweat pouring down his face.
Ye Xian's voice was ice-cold. "You didn't mean to? But you took the gold and carried out the plan." His tone was harsh.
"Who ordered you to do this? Tell the truth, and your punishment may be lighter."
Di Ye trembled, looking around desperately for a way out.
"I— He was wearing a black cloak. He paid me to frame you, Young Master Ye Xian... He wanted to humiliate you in front of everyone."
Ye Xian's eyes darkened. "And who was this man?"
Di Ye swallowed hard and finally spoke a name. "It was... the Young Master of the Lu Clan."
The room went silent.
The name hung in the air, a death sentence. Shock quickly turned to anger.
Ye Tian's voice was low but firm. "So, the Lu Clan tried to manipulate this event and disgrace my nephew." His gaze sharpened. "We will deal with this properly."
He made a single motion with his hand. "Guards, take them away."
"No, please! Mercy! I was just following orders!" Di Ye begged, his voice desperate.
Ye Xian remained unmoved, his face as cold as before. "You made your choice," he said, his voice like steel.
"Now, you'll face the consequences."
The guards moved quickly, seizing the two guilty individuals. They struggled, their pleas for mercy echoing, but no one spoke in their defense. Their fates were sealed.
As they were dragged out, their cries faded into the distance.