Chapter 144: The Dowager Finally Despairs

The official notice from the Capital Consortium had arrived precisely at this moment.

Elder Ye's smile froze instantly, his face turning the color of goose liver.

When the Matriarch personally inquired about the contents of this notice, Elder Ye was struck as if by lightning, his entire body stiffening. His throat felt as though it were blocked by a stone, rendering him completely unable to utter a single word.

The two senior elders seated to his left and right wore similarly vacant expressions, so shocked that they forgot to breathe, their pupils gradually dilating.

This bizarre scene gradually drew looks of astonishment from everyone present.

Realizing something was amiss, the Matriarch frowned slightly and asked in a lowered voice, "What exactly does this notification document say?"

"This..." Recovering his wits, Elder Ye stammered, his eyes filled with sheer disbelief. He simply could not comprehend how a situation that was previously well within his grasp could undergo such a drastic and massive reversal.

With a sharp, cold smirk at the corner of his mouth, Ye Tianlin raised the notification document from the Capital Consortium and motioned, "Allow me to read the contents aloud to all of you!"

"Effective immediately, the Capital Consortium officially passes a resolution agreeing to accept the Ye Family as a subordinate branch. From this day forward, you must strictly follow orders and obey the arrangements of the Capital Consortium!"

"Furthermore, after careful consideration by the Capital Consortium, Ye Tianlin shall be granted full authority to manage all affairs of the Ye Family. No one is permitted to defy him, or suffer the consequences at their own peril!"

"This notice is genuine, valid, and accepts no appeals from subordinate entities!"

Boom!

Instantly, the entire hall erupted in uproar.

The conference room was shaken as if by an earthquake or tsunami.

Every single member of the family was stunned on the spot, unable to control their gasps of shock.

"How could it come to this?" Elder Ye's legs went weak. All his prior confidence was shattered in a split second, and he collapsed limply to the ground, enveloped in a thick aura of defeat.

"This is impossible!" The Matriarch felt a suffocating sensation, finding the situation utterly incomprehensible. It felt as though a bolt of divine lightning had exploded within her mind, roaring with deafening thunder.

Ye Tianlin narrowed his eyes. "This notification document bears the official seal of the Capital Consortium. Could I possibly have forged it? Matriarch, I suggest you accept reality. Even if you chose to submit and curry favor, I still tower above you!"

"You, a mere good-for-nothing, how could you possibly be more important than me? Why would the Capital Consortium do this? Is it to deliberately strike me down?" The Matriarch's face turned pale, her inner state nearing collapse. Her lips trembled and took on a faint purplish hue.

Following the Matriarch's outburst, the surrounding commotion quickly plunged into a dead silence, the air freezing as if solidifying.

Jiang Yingxia's heart pounded wildly with shock. All her previous resentment and gloom were completely swept away by the public disclosure of this notice, replaced by unprecedented excitement.

"Hahaha, as expected of my precious son! This is simply too surprising, too delightful!"

"To think the situation would take such a miraculous turn, with my Tianlin directly taking charge of the Ye Family! Matriarch, oh Matriarch, I bet you never even dreamed of this in your wildest dreams, did you?"

"Why did the Capital Consortium do this? What other reason could there be, other than my precious son's exceptional capability? The waves behind drive on the waves ahead—it is time for these stubborn old fossils of the Ye Family to step down!"

With that, Jiang Yingxia felt an intoxicating wave of satisfaction wash over her from head to toe.

"The Capital Consortium is making it crystal clear that they are targeting us! If we try to back out now, it will only trigger even greater trouble. It's over, everything is over!" Collapsed on the ground, Elder Ye could not bear the blow delivered by this sudden reversal. A surge of heat rose in his throat, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood before keeling over and fainting instantly.

Stung to the point of trembling in her hands and feet, and watching Elder Ye collapse unconscious, the Matriarch felt a violent surge of vital energy and blood. Every single nerve in her body felt intensely provoked.

Despite all her scheming and calculating, she had never imagined that a mere puppet like Ye Tianlin would be valued so highly by the Capital Consortium—to an extent that far surpassed the entire Ye Family!

Depose Ye Tianlin of his status as Young Master and banish him from the family?

Viewed now, that was undoubtedly a colossal joke.

With just a single sentence, the Capital Consortium had propelled Ye Tianlin straight to the pinnacle, ruthlessly crushing him down upon her old head. From now on, not only could she not harbor the slightest grievance, but she also had to obey Ye Tianlin's every command and instruction!

To put it harshly, under the current circumstances, the authority bestowed upon Ye Tianlin by the Capital Consortium indirectly equated to him becoming the master of the Ye Family. He had forcibly sidelined her, reducing her old self to a dispensable existence!

If the previous blockade by the Capital Consortium had plunged the Ye Family into panic and despair, then this notification document had driven the entire Ye Family into utter hopelessness!

After these successive dual blows, who within the Ye Family dared to speak recklessly anymore? Who dared to gloat over misfortune? And who would ever dare to ignore Ye Tianlin's status again?!

At that moment, the Matriarch finally plunged into hysteria. Pushed to an unbearable extreme of suppressed humiliation, she let out an extremely harsh, piercing roar.

"I don't believe it! I refuse to believe this is real! How could I possibly lose to a scoundrel like you? You clearly lack any great ability; what gives you the right to ride roughshod over me?!"

"I have controlled the family for years. From any perspective whatsoever, you are no match for me! Why would the Capital Consortium make such a decision?!"

"Could it be that the Capital Consortium is genuinely deliberately targeting me, and that is why they are supporting you to this extent? I won't accept it! I absolutely refuse to accept this result!"

Her roars echoed through the surroundings, reaching the ears of every single person present.

Without exception, everyone who heard those words turned ashen-gray.

For all these years, holding absolute power in her hands, the Matriarch had never encountered such a situation. To be driven to this extent was evidently a rarity indeed!

One must know that facing the outside world, the Matriarch had never stumbled a single time!

Yet this time, the Matriarch had unquestionably suffered a crushing, disastrous defeat!

Even if Ye Tianlin's status was merely that of a puppet for the Capital Consortium, the ability to serve as such a puppet and win the heavy patronage of the Capital Consortium—was that not, in itself, a form of supreme capability?!

The Matriarch had lost—lost thoroughly, losing in a state of utter wretchedness!

All her previous persistence, along with her lofty dignity, had vanished into thin air at this moment, leaving her nothing more than the vanquished loser of this struggle.

After a brief spell of roaring, the Matriarch lost all her strength. Her walking stick dropped to the ground, and her body slumped down accordingly. In an instant, she seemed to age a dozen years, panting heavily like an asthma sufferer, her face covered in agony.

Pacing forward, Ye Tianlin finally stopped right in front of the Matriarch. Looking down directly into her pale face, he said calmly, "Now, can you accept reality? Do you still wish to carry on?"