Seeing his expression, Ye Ziāan knew that these were probably all true.
Then noticing the clothes he hadnāt taken off yet, as well as the bird feather hat, he couldnāt help but cover his face, "Son, why are you always causing such a stir?"
"Handsome Dad, please help me explain to Mom," Yangyang tugged at Ye Ziāanās clothes, "I didnāt intentionally mess with those people, and besides, they deserved it. I was just doing whatās right for the people, right?"
"Do you think youāre the Buddha? Saving the world?"
Yang Chuxia felt like dragging this mischievous kid over to give him a spanking. If she didnāt, one day he might dare to burn down someoneās palace.
"Iām the Buddhaās disciple. I may not be able to save the world, but I can still rid the people of harm," Yangyang sheepishly scratched his head. Momās analogy was too grand. How could he compare to Buddha?
"You..." Hearing this, Yang Chuxia became even more agitated, "Come here right now. If I donāt teach you a lesson today, Iāll write my name backwards."
She reached out to grab him, but Yangyang saw that Ye Ziāan wasnāt protecting him, so he turned around and ran. Spotting a tree, he climbed up swiftly and called back to Yang Chuxia, "Mom, I think your name sounds nicer written backward. Xia Chuyang is such an elegant name."
"Pfft..." This kid has grown up to be ridiculously infuriatingly mischievous.
"Yangyang, come down. Admit your mistake and accept your punishment obediently, and this matter will pass. If you stay up there for a quarter-hour longer, this wonāt blow over until next year."
Ye Ziāan saw that Yang Chuxia was red with anger, and patted her shoulder, indicating heād handle it.
"Handsome Dad, I didnāt do anything wrong, so why should I admit a mistake?" Yangyang stiffened his neck, "If Mom wants to hit me, Iāll stand still and let her, as itās my job as a son to amuse her. But why should I admit any wrongdoing?"
Ye Ziāan thought to himself, if taught properly, this child would grow up to be a skilled negotiator.
Seeing Ye Ziāan remain silent, Yangyang continued, "Handsome Dad, you have no idea about those people. Iām already being kind by not killing them. Take that county officer in Shandong, he coveted someoneās pearl, a family heirloom. When he couldnāt get it through schemes, he sent bailiffs disguised as bandits to rob the house. Itās bad enough they robbed, but they even killed the family."
"Then thereās those brothels in Mingchuan, where so many daughters from good families are imprisoned, some are as young as Yueyue. If I donāt burn them, then who will I burn?"
"As for that clinic, they took money for two prescriptions but gave only enough for one. Isnāt a clinic supposed to save lives? If they canāt save people but bully them, whatās the point of their existence? If I donāt take their medicine, whose should I take?"
"Hmph, anyway, Iām not wrong!" Yangyang huffed and turned his head away, "Fine, punish me if you want, but I wonāt admit my fault, no matter what."
Ye Ziāan listened silently to his grievances. Seeing his little face puffed with anger, he smiled; this was truly stubbornness.
Yangyang, noticing his smile, thought maybe Handsome Dad had lost his mind with anger. Why else would he be smiling?
"Youāre right; these people should indeed be punished." After a pause, Ye Ziāan said, "However, itās not your place to punish them. For instance, that county officer, as a government official, if heās committed crimes, itās up to his chief and the court to investigate. Youāre just a child, neither an official nor a titled noble, meddling in this is overstepping. Without rules, there can be no order; taking matters of the court into your own hands is wrong!"