Chapter 123: Total Paralysis

Everyone had assumed that under the immense pressure of this meeting, the Matriarch would choose to bow her head and concede. Yet, to everyone's surprise, she remained hopelessly set in her ways, stubborn to the extreme. Not only did she refuse to compromise or acknowledge her own faults, but she even brandished her status as an elder, using it as a shield to act with self-righteous arrogance.

Fortunately, Ye Tianlin had already notified the Shangjing Consortium long ago, ensuring everything was fully prepared. With a mere wave of his hand, the senior executives immediately followed his orders and took action right before everyone’s eyes.

In less than five minutes, the phones of the family members present began to ring in unison. As they answered one after another, their faces turned ashen with terror.

"Operations at local chambers of commerce have come to a massive standstill, and the number is still growing?"
"The major supply chains of our family branches have been severed?"
"Even the upstream manufacturing industry under the Ye Clan, the largest in Yandu, has run into critical trouble?"
"And now, the Tiandu Chamber of Commerce in Jiangnan Province has also ceased operations?"

In an instant, a mountain of intractable problems converged at a single moment, erupting with such force that the clan members were struck with pure horror. The Matriarch, who had been full of fury just moments ago, was left stunned and incredulous at the sight of this orchestrated collapse.

As the backbone of the Ye Clan, the Matriarch knew the scale of their industries better than anyone. She simply could not believe that the Shangjing Consortium possessed such formidable power, capable of cutting the Ye Clan’s domestic business in half with such ease. This was not overseas business; this was their home turf! The Ye Clan had stood firm for years, and their status and influence within the country had long been considered unshakable. That such a situation could occur was entirely beyond comprehension.

Before she could even process this, the chief representative of the Ye Clan’s overseas operations called in with an urgent report. After listening to the call, the Matriarch looked as if she had been struck by lightning.

"Matriarch, what is the situation?" one of the elders asked in a panicked voice.

The Matriarch replied, breathless, "All of our overseas businesses have been paralyzed. We’ve been completely blacklisted abroad!"

Once those words were uttered, the entire Ye Clan seemed to collapse along with their business interests. They were so shocked they couldn't even utter a coherent sentence, reduced to incoherent wailing. This was far more than just "cutting them in half"—it was a fatal blow, one that threatened to cast the Ye Clan into an abyss from which there was no return.

"Has the Shangjing Consortium truly reached such heights?" Ye Tiancheng sat slumped on the floor, his brain buzzing. His perception of Ye Tianlin reached a new, terrifying level; his heart hammered against his ribs as if it were about to burst.

Seeing this, Ye Gong could no longer remain silent. If the Ye Clan collapsed, no one would benefit, and everyone would pay a heavy price. He spoke up: "Matriarch, what time do you think it is? You are still indulging your temperament! You keep harping on about being an elder, but your actions aren't for the sake of the Ye Clan—they are purely for your own gratification!"

"You had better apologize to our Young Master right now. Otherwise, you will be the true sinner, and our ancestors will never forgive you. It will be your fault alone!"

"The Young Master’s strength is extraordinary. The Ye Clan should have been handed over to him all along. My previous suggestion to have Ye Tiancheng succeed was a grave mistake. We all underestimated the Young Master!"

Ye Gong gritted his teeth, simultaneously condemning the Matriarch and desperately currying favor, raising his voice to emphasize the legitimacy of the Young Master’s position. He spoke with such conviction that someone unaware of the circumstances might have mistaken him for a decent man.

The Matriarch, veins bulging with rage, snapped, "I told you there is no place for you to interrupt! This is a matter between Ye Tianlin and me. Don’t forget what you’ve done; if it weren't for your own proposal, we wouldn't be in this much trouble!"

Ye Gong’s mouth twitched, and he was rendered speechless, his heart filled with panic. He silently cursed his own blindness for failing to recognize the treasure that had been right in front of him.

At that moment, Jiang Yingxia stepped forward, pleading earnestly, "Matriarch, please, enough is enough. Do not continue down this path. Tianlin is no longer the Tianlin of the past; he no longer needs you to arrange his life. Do you truly intend to drag the entire Ye Clan down with you for the sake of your own pride?"

Upon hearing this, the Matriarch only grew more furious. "Jiang Yingxia, stop your nonsense! That scoundrel Ye Tianlin—he is the one who committed such an act of treason. He is the sinner who has brought ruin to the Ye Clan, not me!"

Even Jiang Yingxia could only shake her head in despair. She realized that the Matriarch was hopelessly stubborn, forever unwilling to discard her lofty, arrogant mindset to humbly accept the truth.

"If that is the case, then by all means, continue your stubbornness, Matriarch," Ye Tianlin said. "I would like to see how long the Ye Clan can hold out."

"You degenerate! You have no right to lecture me," the Matriarch retorted, sounding self-assured. "If you had even a shred of decency, you wouldn't be so absurd. You have completely ruined the reputation and dignity of the Ye Clan!"

Ye Tianlin responded, "Even if the reputation and dignity of the Ye Clan were ruined by my own hand, so what? Forget a mere Ye Clan—even if ten such clans were combined, I, Ye Tianlin, could still... crush them with a single hand!"

"I hope that when the day comes for the total collapse of the Ye Clan, you won't come crawling to me in disgrace!"

"As for you..."

With that, Ye Tianlin finally shifted his gaze toward Ye Tiancheng.