Qin Jianguo ultimately abandoned the Ye family.
Now that Lin Zhige of the Beijing Garrison Command had sided with Xu Hanchen, Qin Jianguo genuinely feared Xu Hanchen entering the city under the guise of aiding the emperor. At that point, any attempt at dignity would be futile.
The news reached Jiangnan, terrifying the Ye family patriarch.
He urgently contacted Qin Fengwu, whom he had dined with not long ago. To his surprise, Qin Fengwu directly hung up his call, making it clear that the Qin family had completely cast the Ye family aside.
The Ye family patriarch sighed in exasperation, sitting in his armchair in the courtyard, lost in thought.
It was over.
Everything was over.
He had no intention of fleeing. Fleeing would alter the nature of the situation.
The Ye family patriarch sent a text message to Ye Zhengnian, instructing him to cooperate with the Jiangnan provincial authorities and strive for leniency. Afterward, he powered off his phone, shakily returned to the villa, changed into a clean Zhongshan suit, and only then walked to the entrance to personally lock the courtyard gate. Standing at the gate, gazing at the Zijin Mountain under the night sky, the old man's heart was filled with boundless emotion.
"Once upon a time, I also upheld the ideal of serving the people wholeheartedly. How have I become this way?" The Ye family patriarch lamented the changes in the world, feeling that he himself had transformed.
Before long.
Several black sedans slowly stopped in front of him. After presenting their credentials, they took him away.
Similar actions were taking place simultaneously in other parts of Jiangnan Province. Those who knew the inside story realized this was a major earthquake within Jiangnan Province, which would affect many people!
The sky in Jiangnan Province was quietly changing.
Not long after the Ye family patriarch was taken away, the head of the Su family in Jiangnan immediately stepped forward, declaring his support for the capital's decisions and pledging his utmost assistance in investigating the cases involving the Ye family.
This extinguished the intentions of some who were merely observing the spectacle.
The uprooting of the Ye family was now a foregone conclusion.
At the same time.
Inside the hotel private room where Chen Jinzhao was located.
Ye Zhengnian had not had time to be arrogant for long before he received the text message from the patriarch, telling him to humbly apologize to Chen Jinzhao. If he could gain Chen Jinzhao's forgiveness, his sentence might be reduced. Ye Zhengnian initially thought he had misjudged the situation, but after failing to contact his grandfather several times, he realized something truly big had happened!
"How dare they?" Ye Zhengnian murmured.
"My Ye family is backed by the Qin family in the capital. If the Qin family hasn't fallen, how could my Ye family possibly fall?"
However.
A flood of text messages from all over Jiangnan made Ye Zhengnian's heart turn to ice.
The entire province was in full swing, dismantling the vast network of connections the Ye family had built, piece by piece. He even saw information about the patriarch being taken away for investigation.
It was over!
Ye Zhengnian's head spun, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Ye Zifeng, unaware of what had happened, hastily asked his father what was going on. Ye Zhengnian, regaining his senses, stood up and slapped Ye Zifeng several times across the face, roaring in fury, "The Ye family's four generations have perished, all because of you! I repeatedly warned you not to act arrogantly, but you refused to listen. I'll see what you do from now on!"
Without waiting for Ye Zifeng to reply, Ye Zhengnian turned to face Chen Jinzhao and Shangguan Yu'an.
Shangguan Yu'an seemed to know what Ye Zhengnian intended to do and say, and calmly stated, "We have no interest in your pleas for mercy. Remember to leave the table with some dignity."
Ye Zhengnian was speechless, his expression becoming even more dejected and uneasy.
At this moment.
Several uniformed personnel entered the room, presented their credentials, and took away the Ye family father and son, along with Yun Yixue.
Ye Zifeng finally understood what fate awaited him. As he walked out of the hotel, he sighed to the heavens, "A moment of greed caused me to ruin the Ye family. What seemed accidental was in fact inevitable."
Inside the room.
Li Zengqi said to Chen Jinzhao, "Gentlemen, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave."
"Travel safely," Chen Jinzhao replied.
Li Zengqi nodded and left with his men.
After he left, Qian Deshui immediately sprang from his seat, knowing he was not qualified to be on equal footing with these two. Chen Jinzhao motioned for him to sit down and said with a faint smile, "There's no need for that. Please, sit down."
"Uh, okay..."
Qian Deshui remained cautious, fearing he might offend them.
He had previously speculated about Chen Jinzhao's identity and had dared to think highly of him, but no matter how bold his thoughts, they were short-sighted in the face of reality.
"Mr. Chen, if I had known you were this powerful earlier, I would never have dared to negotiate with you. You would have just given an order, and I would have obediently carried it out," Qian Deshui said with a fawning smile.
Chen Jinzhao, needing Qian Deshui's services in the future, told him, "My identity needs to remain a secret. You are not to reveal the slightest detail to outsiders, nor are you to leverage my name for personal gain."
"Otherwise—"
"You've already witnessed my methods."
Qian Deshui shivered.
Initially, he had indeed harbored such thoughts. Not to seek profit when it was available would be idiotic. But after hearing Chen Jinzhao's words, he immediately dismissed the idea and promised Chen Jinzhao he would not make any mistakes.
Shangguan Yu'an added, "If you cross the line, you won't even need Mr. Chen to act. I will erase you from this world on the spot."
"Alright, then let's leave it at that. I'll contact you if there's any news," Chen Jinzhao and Shangguan Yu'an did not linger. Accompanied by Qian Deshui, they left the hotel and headed back to the Jiangnan Military Region.
Qian Deshui watched their jeep drive away, his heart overflowing with excitement. Clenching his fists, he murmured, "This might be my chance to turn things around. I must cherish it."
"Mr. Chen, I won't disappoint you!"
That night.
Qin Fengwu sat in his office, lost in thought.
In this power struggle, the Qin family had been thoroughly defeated.
Everyone knew that the Jiangning Ye family was an ally of the Qin family. Now that the Ye family had been uprooted, and the Qin family had made no move, it was inevitable that some neutral parties would lean towards Xu Hanchen.
This news was disastrous for Qin Fengwu.
Especially since he knew that the one orchestrating this power struggle was a young general, reportedly Xu Hanchen's successor, whose status and potential were not much different from his own.
This gave Qin Fengwu a strong sense of crisis.
"I heard that girl from the Shangguan family is accompanying him," Qin Fengwu suddenly wished to meet this unknown opponent. However, when he called Shangguan Yu'an to state his intention, he was directly refused.
Qin Fengwu laughed angrily and hung up the phone.
After pacing back and forth in his office for more than ten minutes, Qin Fengwu instructed his secretary to prepare the car. He intended to visit the Su family in Jiangnan overnight. The support from the Ye family had been the foundation for his success in Jiangning, so their downfall had greatly impacted Qin Fengwu, even shaking his position. What he needed to do now was to seek the support of the Su family.
This night.
Jiangnan was in turmoil, and a new order was taking shape.