Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Two Choices, Mo Yinhe Can Only Choose One
Ye Shen was dumbfounded!
"Sister, I really didn’t do it!"
"Then how could they have detected your DNA? It’s come to this, and you still won’t tell the truth?"
"I have no idea! How low would my tastes have to be for me to touch her?! Can’t you guys believe me?"
Unfortunately, even if Ye Siyuan was willing to believe her brother, netizens would not believe him!
Yang Wanling’s dying declaration and the forensic report caused an uproar on Weibo, and people from all walks of life joined in the condemnation of Ye Shen.
"Is this the national idol our A Country people have supported with our taxes? His public image has completely crumbled!"
"Ye Shen is nothing but a beast! What did our Lingling do wrong to deserve such humiliation?"
"To be honest, if Ye Shen were willing to sleep with me, I definitely wouldn’t commit suicide; I’d be crazy happy. Don’t you think there’s something fishy about this?"
"Is the person above even human?"
"Obsessive fans are truly terrifying!"
"I’m going to get everyone I know to unfollow him. Ye Shen doesn’t deserve to be called the treasure of A Country!"
"So what if he’s powerful and privileged? When will workplace sexual harassment against women ever end?"
Ye Shen was a national treasure, protected by the state in A Country, and possessed special privileges. Even if he became a suspect, he could still be released on bail and stay at home, eating and drinking extravagantly.
How could Yang Wanling’s fans simply let this go? They initiated an offline protest, blocking the entrance to the Ye Family manor, holding up Yang Wanling’s portrait and light-up signs, demanding justice for her.
Unable to withstand the pressure from public opinion, the police arrived at the Ye Family manor the next morning and took Ye Shen away.
Ye Siyuan anxiously called Mo Yinhe, but his phone was busy, and she couldn’t get through.
Ye Siyuan then called Fengjue, only to learn even worse news from him. Fengjue said on the phone, "Second Miss, Yang Wanling wasn’t just a rising star in A Country’s entertainment industry; she had another identity—a princess of Gendaya Country."
"What did you say?"
Ye Siyuan was dumbfounded. This revelation was too much for her to process all at once! Yang Wanling, like her, was a princess of one of the Undersea Empires? Had the world gone mad? She lived in anonymity until now, only to commit suicide?
"Explain clearly. What exactly is going on?"
Fengjue said, "Yang Wanling’s status isn’t as noble as yours. She’s the illegitimate daughter of the Emperor of Gendaya Country."
Fengjue explained to Ye Siyuan that Yang Wanling was born into a single-parent family; her mother was from A Country. Years ago, while traveling in South America, her mother accidentally fell into the ocean and was rescued by the Emperor of Gendaya Country. Afterward, she had a fleeting romance with him.
The people of the sea looked down on land-dwellers. Because of this disdain, the Emperor of Gendaya never publicized the affair and couldn’t bring Yang Wanling’s mother into his harem. The Empress of Gendaya Country, even less tolerant, found a way to drive her mother back to the land.
When Yang Wanling’s mother was sent back, she was already pregnant. With no other options, she had to return to A Country, give birth to her child, and from then on, she and her daughter relied solely on each other.
"At the Four Nations Summit, Yang Wanling’s identity was revealed by Qu Gaoyang, the Crown Prince of Gendaya Country. She transformed from an A Country female star into a princess of Gendaya, one of the four great nations of the Undersea Empire!"
Yang Wanling’s death was indeed part of a huge conspiracy! The target was Mo Yinhe! Ye Shen, a prince of the Atlantis Empire, had supposedly insulted a princess of Gendaya, who then committed suicide out of disgrace. This alone could directly trigger a war between the two countries!
Even without being there, Ye Siyuan could imagine the tricky situation her brother, Mo Yinhe, was now facing.
Ye Siyuan asked, "What does Gendaya Country want now?"
Fengjue said, "At the Four-Nation Summit, Qu Gaoyang, the Crown Prince of Gendaya Country, directly challenged His Excellency, giving him two choices. First, His Excellency must personally admit that his marriage to the Crown Princess Consort is invalid and send Xiaobai to the Mu Continent. Second, direct war. The other two nations have also stated that if war breaks out, they will send troops to support Gendaya, forming a three-nation alliance to attack Atlantis."
Damn it all! Ye Siyuan wanted to curse aloud.
Without a doubt, her brother, Mo Yinhe, would absolutely not choose the first option. The courtiers and citizens back home would definitely pressure him to choose the second! Throughout history, whenever an issue could be resolved by a woman, no courtier would wish for war. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been so many princesses sent for marriage alliances!
Moreover, now there’s an imposter sister-in-law who has publicly announced her divorce from him! This has enraged the citizens of Atlantis! What’s the use of keeping such a woman? All her brother needs to do now is publicly announce the dissolution of the marriage contract—a task that requires hardly any effort!
If he doesn’t agree, he will lose the support of the people. The populace will say: ’You’re willing to plunge the entire nation into war for a woman who no longer loves you. Are you even fit to be a political leader?’ They’ll say: ’So, Mo Yinhe, you’re just a love-struck fool! You don’t deserve to be the Crown Prince!’
Mo Yinhe, this de facto Crown Prince, had seized power for himself, infringing upon the interests of others! Those he suppressed would certainly be restless, eager to snatch national authority back from his hands! Gendaya Country’s strategy this time was too venomous. It must have been designed by that scoundrel, Qu Liushang! He considers my sister-in-law his fiancée and can’t tolerate her marriage to my brother, so he concocted this vicious plan to force them to dissolve their marriage!
Ye Siyuan was furious. After hanging up, she immediately told her uncle, Ye Shiting, about the situation.
Ye Shiting’s eyes darkened. It was just as he feared; the worst had come to pass.
"The most urgent matter now," Ye Shiting said, "is to clear Ye Shen of the suspicion of defiling Yang Wanling. Otherwise, the public support your brother, Mo Yinhe, has built in the Undersea World over many years will be completely destroyed. Once he loses the people’s hearts, his regime in Atlantis will become unstable. When he consolidated royal power, transforming from a nominal Crown Prince into one with actual authority, he damaged the interests of many noble Undersea families. They could strike back at any moment, ready to tear him apart."
Ye Siyuan felt like crying. "But Yang Wanling is dead now! Ye Shen’s DNA was found in her body. Surveillance footage and front desk records prove he took her to get a room. She even left a suicide note! All the evidence points to these facts; there’s no way to clear his name!"
With Yang Wanling dead, Ye Shen’s guilt seemed undeniable. This was a premeditated plot; the enemy intended to make it impossible for the Ye Family to exonerate Ye Shen. The Ye Family had lost the initiative, and with it, all power to act.
「...」
The Four-Nation Summit of the Undersea World was not held in any single undersea nation but on an island in the Bermuda Triangle region of the Atlantic Ocean. This island didn’t belong to any undersea or terrestrial country, yet all four Undersea nations had established offices there. Its status was similar to that of a "United Nations Office" on land.