The Double
Chapter 224 - 224 100 Outer Room_2

224: Chapter 100: Outer Room_2 224: Chapter 100: Outer Room_2 Tong Zhiyang, having listened to the end, had a complexion mixing shades of green and white.

It took him quite some time to force out two words, “Bastard!”

Being so mercilessly mocked by a junior was for someone as proud and pretentious as Tong Zhiyang akin to being stripped and paraded down the street.

He had to admit, Jiang Li’s sarcasm was sharp as a knife—cutting deep without containing a single vulgar word.

To make matters worse, faced with such mockery, Tong Zhiyang couldn’t say a thing in response, for Jiang Li was Jiang Yuanbai’s daughter, and Jiang Yuanbai was the current Grand Secretary.

By comparison, his own status as a prefect was utterly insignificant.

He couldn’t afford to retort, and he had to curry favor with Miss Jiang the scion, even if it was only a façade.

“My lord, originally dealing with the Ye Family was almost a sure thing, but who could have expected Miss Jiang the Second to emerge out of nowhere?

Miss Jiang the Second is a Jiang family member, then…

should we reconsider our plan now?”

His subordinate’s words made Tong Zhiyang think as well.

Not long ago, his brother-in-law had instructed him to find a way to deal with the Ye Family, saying that once the Ye Family was taken care of, even he, the prefect, could have a chance at promotion.

Tong Zhiyang’s rise to the position of prefect was all thanks to his brother-in-law, who served powerful people in Yanjing City and had numerous connections.

Naturally, Tong Zhiyang had agreed without a second word, following his brother-in-law’s plan to a tee, just waiting for the Ye Family to be driven to desperate straits before offering them a way out—a route to survival that had long been planned.

Of course, Tong Zhiyang himself was also covetous of the Ye Family’s massive wealth.

He dared not think of monopolizing it, especially since the Ye Family’s businesses were well-known in Northern Yan and not so easily devoured.

But now, with his brother-in-law’s support and the backing of nobles from Yanjing City, Tong Zhiyang was emboldened.

Taking this opportunity not only to secure a chance for his own promotion but also to make a fortune from the Ye Family’s silver was a no-brainer.

Everything was going smoothly until Jiang Li suddenly appeared out of the blue.

Tong Zhiyang guessed that in his brother-in-law’s original plan, there was no anticipation that Miss Jiang the Second, who no longer had any dealings with the Ye Family, would suddenly arrive in Xiangyang to stand up for them, even mentioning the Head of the Weaving Department.

Tong Zhiyang was well aware of what the Head of the Weaving Department signified; though he ruled supreme in Xiangyang City, before the officials of Yanjing, he was nothing.

“This won’t do,” Tong Zhiyang paced back and forth in the room, and said, “Bring me paper and brush.”

The subordinate hurriedly brought the paper and brush, and Tong Zhiyang, wiping the sweat from his forehead, looked at the paper and brush still considering how to begin.

The current situation with Jiang Li’s unexpected involvement had deviated from the plan.

Since Jiang Li had dared to talk about writing to Jiang Yuanbai in front of Lizheng Hall, this indicated Jiang Yuanbai’s attitude—his relationship with the Ye Family was not completely indifferent.

If Jiang Yuanbai became enraged with him as a result, he might not just face the wrath of his brother-in-law; his position as a mere prefect could be at risk.

Wealth and honors were indeed attractive, but it would be far less desirable to lose one’s wife and soldiers in the process.

Tong Zhiyang decided to write to his brother-in-law to ask for advice, or to have his brother-in-law consult that noble for a decision and at least tell him what his next move should be.

Otherwise, relying on himself alone and taking the wrong path could lead to irredeemable regret.

As he was hastily writing, his subordinate suddenly remembered something, and said, “My lord, Third Master Ye is still in custody right now—should we release him or not?”

In the original plan, Ye Mingyu was an insignificant figure; he was not involved in the Ye Family’s business and knew nothing of it, so there was no specific instruction regarding what to do with Ye Mingyu.

Since Ye Mingyu had come to him on his own, Tong Zhiyang didn’t mind arresting him for a bit—after all, scared and panicked, the Ye Family bringing a substantial amount of silver to ransom Ye Mingyu was an unexpected windfall for him.

But the situation had changed, and it was best to cause as little trouble for himself as possible.

Offending Miss Jiang the Second without reason was not a good thing.

“What custody?

Release him immediately!

Just say that it was a misunderstanding, and my subordinates acted of their own accord; it has nothing to do with me!” Tong Zhiyang cursed.

The subordinate hurriedly went to carry out the order.

Tong Zhiyang stood in the room, getting angrier by the minute.

However, the circumstances left him no time to waste; as Jiang Li had said, since she was already writing back to Xiangyang to inform Jiang Yuanbai, he had to act quickly and immediately write to his brother-in-law for a countermeasure.

It was truly a bolt from the blue.

…

One shichen later, Ye Mingyu returned to the Ye Residence.

The members of the Ye Family were overjoyed to see him return unharmed.

Lady Guan asked Ye Mingyu if he had sustained any injuries, to which Ye Mingyu just shook his head.

Although he had been apprehended by the government officers, he was not one to be trifled with and had given them a taste of their own medicine.

As for what they wanted to do to him—after all, he was still the Third Master of the Ye Family, and his friends from the martial arts world were numerous.

If there was really any trouble, it was hard to say who would be the one in trouble.