After Li Weihai finished speaking, the hall fell silent. Everyone stared at him, stunned.
The matter of the murders of Li family members Li Zhi and Li Bing, and their joint killing of their eldest brother Li Zhen, was not a secret within the Li family. However, after the deed was done, no one in the Li family ever mentioned it again, as if they had forgotten.
Yet, Li Weihai had unexpectedly brought up the details of that incident in public, and in such a casual manner.
“I’m asking you, did you confirm it back then?” Li Weihai’s expression darkened, and his tone grew heavier as he repeated the question, seeing Li Zhi remain silent.
“Father, back then, he was the only child on the boat, and his clothes and height haven’t changed. It should be him!” Li Zhi hurriedly replied, feeling a sense of unease. At the time, they never imagined a ten-year-old child could escape, so they hadn't pursued the matter further afterward.
Hearing this, Li Weihai cast a deep look at Li Zhi, who shifted his gaze evasively.
“If that child is alive, and has returned now seeking revenge, could everything our Li family is currently facing be his doing?” Li Weihai said unhurriedly, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed drastically.
“Impossible! How could he possibly be alive? We destroyed that ship at sea back then, leaving no survivors!” Li Zhi exclaimed loudly, his face etched with disbelief, before sneering.
“Even if he is alive, only ten years have passed. What right does he have to threaten our Li family?”
Li Weihai glanced at Li Zhi, then gritted his teeth and said, “I hope this is not his doing. If a member of the Li family deliberately causes trouble for the Li family, that would be truly heinous!”
No one in the hall spoke for a moment. Li Wenbo, standing behind Li Weihai, his eyes flickering. He secretly wished that his deceased elder brother would come back to life. That way, he could prove his position as the young master of the Li family beyond doubt, and then let his elder brother die a second time!
“The God of War banquet hosted by Commander Li is something the Li family must attend! Let’s see if we can befriend the God of War Long Batian,” Li Weihai instructed.
“The Li family’s Heavenly Army is being targeted by that damned Dragon King Hall, and the Great Qin War Department doesn’t want to get involved. But we can find a way to get the Great Qin God of War to intervene. I don’t believe that if the Great Qin God of War takes action, the Dragon King Hall would dare to oppose our Heavenly Army?”
Li Zhi nodded, strongly agreeing with his father’s words, and then said, “If the God of War Long Batian intervenes, the Dragon King Hall will definitely be forced to retreat.”
“Grandfather, I’ve met the God of War Long Batian a few times before, and we have some acquaintance. Let me handle this matter!” Li Wenbo spoke up. He had helped Long Batian with a small favor previously, and if he asked, the man should grant him some face.
With this thought, Li Wenbo’s face was filled with confidence, appearing self-assured. He, the young master of the Li family, also had his own connections.
Hearing Li Wenbo’s words, Li Weihai’s eyes lit up with surprise, and he quickly said.
“Really? Good, good!! Let Wenbo handle this matter. Whatever Long Batian asks for, our Li family will agree! As long as he can help my Li family’s Heavenly Army resolve the troubles with the Dragon King Hall, he will be an honored guest of our Li family from now on!”
“Don’t worry, Grandfather, your grandson is confident in this matter!” Li Wenbo replied with a smile, a proud expression on his face.
Seeing his grandson Li Wenbo’s confident demeanor, Li Weihai felt a slight sense of relief. Although their Li family was facing many difficulties, the Li family had deep foundations, and these minor setbacks would not drive them to desperation.
With their family’s influence, once they found a breakthrough, they would be able to turn the tables in an instant. The more miserable they appeared now, the more glorious their comeback would be!
In the blink of an eye, a night passed. The next day at noon, Li Xiaotian, along with Ye Qingmei and Tiantian, visited the Zhao family.
The Zhao family was somewhat perplexed by the visiting card Long Yi had delivered on Li Xiaotian’s behalf yesterday.
Previously, the Zhao family’s elder had sent Zhao Tianlong to Jiangnan to ask Ye Qingmei to hand over her company, Fengxing, as a pillar for the Zhao family’s expansion in Jiangnan. In return, the Zhao family would accept Ye Qingmei and allow her to return to the family.
However, after Zhao Tianlong returned from Jiangnan and reported the results to the family, it not only enraged the Zhao family elder but also led to mockery from Zhao Tianlong’s brothers, causing Zhao Tianlong to lose face.
If he couldn’t even handle his own daughter, how could he ever become the person in charge of the Zhao family’s industries in Jiangnan?
But just as the Zhao family was using other means to force Ye Qingmei to hand over her company, Li Xiaotian’s visiting card arrived.
All of a sudden, the Zhao family members assumed that Ye Qingmei had regretted her past decision, or had finally realized the power of the Zhao family, and was therefore coming to visit.
On this day, almost all the core members of the Zhao family were at the old Zhao residence. Some were curious to see Ye Qingmei, the “sparrow” who had turned into a phoenix, in relation to her return to the family. Others were waiting to watch the show, as Ye Qingmei had refused the Zhao family once before, and if she expected an easy return this time, the Zhao family would not agree so readily.
Li Xiaotian and his family arrived outside the gates of the Zhao family. Four bodyguards were stationed at the entrance.
“Hello, Ye Qingmei from Jiangnan, here to pay respects to Madam Fang Yuan of the Zhao family.”
Ye Qingmei stepped forward and said. She and Li Xiaotian had discussed this beforehand. She didn’t care about the Zhao family or anything else. She only wished to have a free and unfettered relationship with Fang Yuan in the future. As for the identity of a Zhao family member, she didn’t care and didn’t want it.
“Ye Qingmei from Jiangnan? Is she the daughter of the third young master?”
The bodyguards at the gate sized up Ye Qingmei and her family of three, their eyes filled with disdain. He obviously knew the true identity of the person before him, but the old residence had previously given instructions that Ye Qingmei should not be allowed to enter the Zhao family gates easily.
“Wait here, I’ll report first,” the bodyguard at the gate said indifferently, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, before slowly walking into the gate.
At the same time, in the main hall of the old Zhao residence, the Zhao elder and other core members also learned of Ye Qingmei’s arrival.
“Father, let me go,” Zhao Tianlong said eagerly. He hated Ye Qingmei and her good-for-nothing husband for his previous poor performance, and now that she had come to apologize herself, he was determined to redeem himself.
However, as soon as he spoke, the Zhao elder cast a light glance at him and then said calmly.
“Wait first. Make her wait for an hour. As a child of the Zhao family, to dare to refuse the Zhao family, such a woman, though raised outside since childhood, is too ignorant of the rules!”
“Since she regrets it and wants to become a member of the Zhao family again, let her truly understand what the rules of the Zhao family are!”