Ye Shixian froze, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.

That was right. Her father’s life had been spared only because the Ministry of Justice hadn’t found irrefutable proof that he had murdered his own brother.

If they went to ask Ye Chutang for help now, she would have no reason to refuse!

But the thought of having to beg Ye Chutang made her stomach churn with indignation.

Ye Shixian stood rooted to the spot for a long while before finally snapping impatiently,

"Just stay out of it! I’ll decide what to do about this myself!"

Mrs. Gao was useless right now, only causing more trouble. She was getting on Ye Shixian’s last nerve.

She glanced up at the sky.

’At this hour, I wonder how far Father has gotten?’

’But... if I’m going to suffer, Ye Chutang won’t be getting any peace either!’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

...

Ye Shixian changed into a simple, plain-colored dress and set out for Liuwan Lane on foot.

Many people noticed her along the way.

The Ye Family had been the source of endless drama these past few days. Who would have thought Ye Shixian would dare to show her face in public at a time like this?

When they saw her turn into Liuwan Lane, it dawned on many of them—she was here to ask Ye Chutang for help!

Sure enough, the moment she came to a stop before the Ye Mansion’s gates, Ye Shixian’s eyes reddened instantly, and tears streamed down her face.

"Cousin, I’m begging you, please help me!"

The onlookers exchanged secretive glances, unable to stop themselves from whispering amongst themselves.

"She actually came to beg for help in person?"

"If I were her, I could never do something like this!"

"Hey, what’s so wrong with it? Didn’t you hear? Ye Heng was exiled, but he wasn’t implicated in his brother’s murder case. Everything that was said before was false!"

"So what if it was false? Don’t forget, Ye Heng has other crimes to his name! If Ye Chutang hadn’t separated her branch of the family from them long ago, she’d probably be getting dragged down with them today!"

"Exactly! After everything Ye Heng has done, he doesn’t deserve to be called ’uncle’! Ye Shixian must be at her wit’s end to come begging here."

"...I wonder if Second Miss Ye will help?"

This, in fact, was what they were most curious about.

Help?

The two branches of the family had such an ugly falling out. Besides, Ye Heng was now a convicted criminal. Who would want to get entangled with someone like that?

Not help?

Then Ye Chutang would inevitably be labeled as cold and heartless, which was not a good look for her reputation...

Ye Shixian turned a deaf ear to the murmurs, her gaze fixed on the tightly shut gates before her.

CREAK—

The gates opened, and a servant walked out.

Ye Shixian’s expression shifted, and she immediately called out in a desperate voice, "Is my cousin willing to see me?"

Her tone was subservient and her expression sincere. She had perfectly adopted the posture of a supplicant, and her hazy, tear-filled eyes were enough to stir pity in anyone’s heart.

But the servant simply looked apologetic. "Oh, what a shame. Our Second Miss Ye went out today and hasn’t returned yet." He didn’t budge from his spot, clearly having no intention of inviting Ye Shixian inside. "Perhaps you could come back another day?"

Ye Shixian was taken aback. "Ye... My cousin is out? Where did she go?"

The servant looked hesitant.

Ye Shixian sneered inwardly. ’That Ye Chutang is so devious. She stirs up all this trouble and then pretends to have nothing to do with it!’

’She thinks she can just live her life peacefully and pretend none of this ever happened? In her dreams!’

Ye Shixian bit her lip, her expression turning pitiful and sorrowful.

"I truly have no other choice. Besides my cousin, I don’t know who else to turn to... Even if it’s just for the sake of our past connection, I beg her to see me, just for a moment!"

Her pitiable display did manage to stir a sense of compassion in many of the onlookers.

"Second Miss Ye isn’t a petty person. They had some misunderstandings before, but those should be water under the bridge now. Ye Heng may be at fault, but his wife and daughter are innocent. What’s the harm in coming out to see her? They’re family, after all. Why must things be so ugly?"