Chapter 134: The Response from the Capital Consortium

As the conference room doors swung open, the results were finally delivered.

A single notification was placed reverently upon the table, drawing every eye in the room. This document, unmistakably, bore the seal of the Shangjing Consortium.

The Matriarch did not hesitate for a moment, immediately snatching up the notice to examine it. But upon reading its contents, her face instantly turned a ghastly, livid shade of grey. She was so consumed with humiliation and rage that she tore the paper to shreds on the spot, unleashing a torrent of furious curses.

Jiang Yingxia and Zhao Shanhe stood to the side, stunned into silence. The other members of the clan were similarly struck dumb.

The smile on Elder Ye’s face vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. He asked, stuttering, "Matriarch, what, specifically, does the Shangjing Consortium’s notice say?"

"The notice clearly states that the Shangjing Consortium has rejected the Ye Clan’s petition to become an affiliate!" the Matriarch roared.

A wave of shock rippled through the room, leaving everyone in a state of alarm. If the Shangjing Consortium had truly intended for the Ye Clan to become their subordinate, there was no way they would have issued a rejection. The truth was now painfully obvious.

"How could this be?" Elder Ye asked, his spirit collapsing as his hopes were dashed.

The Matriarch’s lips trembled as she raged, "So this was all a charade from beginning to end, a double act by Su Weimin and Ye Tianlin! They fed me a glimmer of hope just to ensure my total humiliation!"

A deathly, unprecedented silence descended upon the conference room.

Every face present was marked by deep agitation, even a sense of profound ignorance and growing shame. Jiang Yingxia’s face began to flush with excitement, but before she could celebrate with Zhao Shanhe, Elder Ye stood up again. With a look of stubborn refusal, he gritted his teeth and said, "Perhaps... there is another possibility!"

"What possibility?" the Matriarch frowned.

Elder Ye spoke in a deep, gravelly voice, "How could a fool like Su Weimin have the wit to pull off a ruse with Ye Tianlin? In my view, he was telling the truth. The reason the Shangjing Consortium rejected us so quickly is likely to test the mettle of the Ye Clan—a show of force to remind us of our place."

Elder Ye’s words were delivered with ironclad conviction. The atmosphere, previously dead, began to stir with renewed energy at his insistence.

Seeing the situation spiraling, Zhao Shanhe stepped forward urgently, "Matriarch, this is utter nonsense! The stance of the Shangjing Consortium is laid bare before us—how can there be any other interpretation?"

"Zhao Shanhe, you are a mere servant! What right do you have to interrupt again and again? Do you think I need your validation to speak?" Elder Ye glared at him.

Zhao Shanhe, pushed to his limit, steeled himself and replied, "You are simply grasping at straws. You are fabricating reasons because you refuse to accept reality. At the end of the day, you cannot accept Ye Tiancheng’s death, and you cannot bear to see the Young Master succeed!"

"Insolent!" The Matriarch slammed her hand onto the table, silencing the room instantly.

Zhao Shanhe took a deep breath, bowed slightly, and said, "Matriarch, the notice is perfectly clear. I believe you should face reality and find a way to apologize to the Young Master. That is the best path forward, rather than continuing like this..."

The Matriarch squinted, "Are you saying that I, an old woman, am being unreasonable?"

"I..." Zhao Shanhe looked stifled and frustrated.

The Matriarch scoffed, "Even if I am being unreasonable, so what? There is no possibility that I will bow to Ye Tianlin. I will not let a single chance slip by, even if it is just a possibility as Elder Ye suggests!"

Zhao Shanhe’s face went pale. He realized with a sinking heart that the Matriarch was so stubborn that she would rather continue to humiliate herself than ever lower her head.

"Ye Tianlin has already been cast out of the clan, yet you, Zhao Shanhe—a mere servant—continue to make excuses for this sinner. I would like to know how the clan rules dictate we should handle this," Elder Ye said, his tone dripping with malice.

Jiang Yingxia gasped, quickly stepping forward to plead, "Matriarch, Zhao Shanhe has been a loyal servant to this family for years and has managed the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce without a single oversight. To punish him over a few words would be too..."

The Matriarch waved a hand, cutting her off with an air of absolute authority. "From this moment on, Zhao Shanhe is dismissed as President of the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, none of his relatives are permitted to participate in the Chamber’s affairs!"

"This..." Jiang Yingxia was aghast. She realized that this punishment was tantamount to casting Zhao Shanhe’s entire family out of the clan's inner circle, leaving him with only the nominal status of a servant.

Zhao Shanhe, however, did not react with shock. Instead, a sudden, profound calm washed over him as he truly grasped the extent of the Matriarch’s tyranny.

"Matriarch, there is no need to trouble yourself with my dismissal. From this day forward, I, Zhao Shanhe, and my entire family sever all ties with the Ye Clan!" Zhao Shanhe declared, finding a rare moment of backbone.

The Matriarch asked with a dark, chilling tone, "Zhao Shanhe, you dare?"

"Is it only permitted for you to treat me this way, but not for me to leave? That is laughable. If you intend to destroy me, I trust that the Young Master will stand by me. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for being unable to hear a single word of truth!" Having said this, Zhao Shanhe turned and left in a fury.

The Matriarch was trembling with rage. "Rebellion! This is pure rebellion! A mere servant now dares to shout at me—he has a death wish!"

"It is a good thing that a servant like Zhao Shanhe is no longer around to be an eyesore. Besides, he was a blind loyalist to Ye Tianlin; who knows what he might have leaked? Our priority now is the Shangjing Consortium. We must decide on a course of action!" Elder Ye suggested, cupping his hands.

The Matriarch struck the floor with her cane and declared sternly, "What other decision is there? If once isn't enough, we try twice. If twice isn't enough, we try three times, until the Shangjing Consortium agrees!"