Qiao Zimo naturally understood his strong reaction. After the terrible falling-out between their two families, not a shred of goodwill remained. Everyone had assumed Ye Heng was a dead man this time, but who could have guessed he would actually manage to save his own skin!

"I heard the Ministry of Justice couldn’t find any direct evidence connecting him to Lord Ye Zheng’s murder, so... so..."

Ye Yunfeng’s fists clenched, veins popping on his forehead. "How could it have nothing to do with him! Obviously—" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

’Sis had her eyes on him even before she returned to the capital!’

’Knowing my sister, she would never have acted unless she was absolutely certain!’

’But now—he’s just getting a slap on the wrist!?’

Ye Yunfeng swallowed the rest of his words, a storm raging in his chest that refused to be quelled.

He said through gritted teeth, "Even so, the sheer amount of wealth discovered in his mansion is enough for a death sentence!"

Ye Heng had risen to the position of Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice in just three short years. It was obvious that political machinations were involved. The slightest investigation would have uncovered irrefutable crimes!

No matter how you looked at it, this verdict was far too lenient!

Qiao Zimo shot a nervous glance around before gripping Ye Yunfeng’s shoulder tightly. "Keep your voice down! If the wrong person hears you, you’ll be in a world of trouble!"

If someone with ulterior motives were to hear such a public outburst, they could easily have him charged with gross impertinence.

Ye Yunfeng ground his teeth audibly. If not for his sister’s repeated warnings, he would have exploded by now.

Ye Jingyan, however, was far calmer. After the initial shock of hearing the verdict, he showed no outward signs of distress.

He paused in thought before asking in a level voice, "A Feng has a point. Putting aside the incident from all those years ago, the other charges combined should have led to a different outcome... Did someone speak for him?"

Qiao Zimo gave Ye Jingyan an admiring glance. ’As expected of the Lord Sacrificial Officer’s favorite student,’ he thought. ’He saw right through the trickery.’

"I only overheard a whisper of it myself." Qiao Zimo lowered his voice. "It seems... the Prime Minister stepped forward."

Both brothers were stunned.

Ye Yunfeng thought he had misheard. "The Chief Cabinet Minister? Jiang Zhao Yuan!?"

He’d considered many possibilities, but he never would have imagined that this was the man who had helped Ye Heng!

Even though Ye Heng’s career had been soaring these past few years, as far as he could recall, he had no connections to the Jiang family. Why would a man of his stature—

Qiao Zimo patted his arm. "Don’t forget whose man Ye Heng is!"

Ye Yunfeng froze.

Ye Jingyan, however, narrowed his eyes. His tone was nonchalant. "That man certainly values loyalty."

The realization hit Ye Yunfeng in an instant—the Second Prince!

This whole affair with Ye Heng had blown up to such a degree that ordinary officials wouldn’t dare get involved, terrified they’d be implicated as well.

But in private, many knew he was one of the Second Prince’s men.

If the Second Prince had stood idly by, he would have inevitably disappointed his followers. By protecting Ye Heng, he could seize the opportunity to bolster his own reputation!

But Ye Yunfeng still didn’t quite understand.

"Is a mere fourth-rank official really worth him going to all this trouble?"

He even got the Prime Minister involved!

Ye Jingyan lowered his gaze, lost in thought.

"Ah, but that’s what you don’t know," Qiao Zimo said in a hushed, mysterious tone. "The Prime Minister didn’t just step in to save his life. More importantly, it seems this case also involves General Huo from all those years ago!"