Ye Chutang had long suspected the nature of this arranged marriage.
As she had guessed, it was exactly as she imagined.
Her scumbag father’s role was to tamper with her dowry and then frame Prince Chen for rebellion.
The sharp blade grazed Prince An’s lips before resting against his neck.
Ye Chutang asked again, "Who are those experts from Prince An’s residence? What’s their purpose?"
Prince An’s lips were cut, blood streaming down.
He felt a large hand gripping his throat, suffocating him.
Too terrified to hide anything, he immediately spilled the entire plan for the day.
Once he finished, he wished he could strangle his own daughter.
If she hadn’t interfered, the arranged marriage scheme would have succeeded long ago—none of this would have happened!
Ye Chutang saw the resentment in Prince An’s eyes and smirked mockingly.
Did he really think three mediocre men could outwit a mastermind?
Fools were fools, even if you gathered ten of them together!
After extracting the information she wanted, she knocked Prince An unconscious and stripped him bare.
Then, she carved four words into his skin with a dagger: "F me now."
(Note: Original text used "X" to bypass censorship; replaced here for clarity.)
She also took two thousand taels in silver notes and the jade hairpin from his head.
Ye Chutang hung the naked Prince An beside his own carriage and gave the horse a light slap on the rear.
The horse moved leisurely, instinctively heading toward Prince An’s residence.
Thus, it paraded Prince An through the busiest streets of the capital.
"Is… is that Prince An? How… how could he…?"
"Close your eyes! This is utterly indecent!"
"Who carved those words? So crudely done, hahaha!"
"Is Prince An into men? Ugh, with that size, no wonder!"
"What about the prince’s heirs then…?"
Prince An woke from the pain.
Though not overweight, he was tall and accustomed to luxury. His wrists, suspended for too long, had dislocated.
The sudden agony made him scream, his eyes snapping open—only to see the pointing fingers and mocking gazes of the commoners.
When he finally understood their words, he looked down in horror and nearly fainted.
"Someone! Get me down now!"
His split lips bled anew, staining his pale skin crimson.
The crowd fell silent at his awakening, either lowering their heads or turning away, no longer daring to mock him openly.
One bold soul, hoping to earn favor, rushed forward to help.
He raised a knife to cut the rope suspending Prince An—but misangled the blade.
The reflected glare startled the horse, sending it bolting wildly.
Prince An was flung violently against the carriage, his head smashing repeatedly until he passed out again.
By the time Prince An’s humiliation spread through the capital, the city guards had delivered him back to his residence.
The fire at the mansion had been extinguished, but the place was charred ruins.
The air reeked of smoke, and everyone—servants and nobles alike—was covered in soot.
Zhao Qingshu glanced at Prince An, now being treated by imperial physicians, and said to Princess An:
"Mother, the residence is uninhabitable. We should relocate to the villa for now."
With the scandal and the fire, it was best to lay low.
Princess An, drained and disheveled, bore no resemblance to her usual noble self.
She nodded weakly. "You handle it."
Zhao Qingshu coughed lightly. "We’ll need funds to furnish the villa."
Princess An’s chest tightened at the memory of their emptied vaults.
"Withdraw from the shops for emergency funds."
"Mother, we can’t. We already took most of their reserves for your birthday banquet. The remaining silver is for operations."
With no other choice, Princess An removed a gold hairpin.
She then ordered the concubines and daughters, "Each of you, contribute a piece of jewelry."
Soon, Zhao Qingshu collected over a dozen hairpins.
Never had he imagined Prince An’s household would resort to pawning women’s ornaments!
"Mother, I’ll sell some shops and land."
Rebuilding the mansion would require vast sums.
Though the deeds had been stolen, they could be reissued by the authorities.
Princess An sighed exhaustedly. "Do as you see fit."
As Zhao Qingshu arranged carriages for his parents and sister, officials from the judiciary arrived.
"Young Master, Prince Chen, Qin Muyun, and Lady Ye have been found."
"Where? How are they?"
Qin Muyun’s death wouldn’t matter, but if Qi Yanzhou and Ye Chutang died, Prince An’s household would face catastrophe!
"They were discovered at home. Lady Ye is unconscious, Qin Muyun severely injured, and Prince Chen has internal injuries."
Zhao Qingshu pressed urgently, "What happened in the guest courtyard?"
"Prince Chen and Qin Muyun are too injured for questioning. When Lady Ye awoke, she claimed assassins attacked her upon entering."
Ye Chutang described the iron cage, the guards’ uniforms, and their weapons—all matching evidence from the ruins, proving her account.
"Young Master, Lady Ye insists she nearly died. She plans to petition the Emperor for justice against Prince An’s household."
Zhao Qingshu’s head throbbed.
After dismissing the officials, he pulled Princess An aside.
"Mother, if you want to save this family, tell me the truth about the guest courtyard."
He’d recognized some of the severed limbs as Prince An’s men.
Realizing concealment was impossible, Princess An confessed.
Zhao Qingshu paled upon learning the Emperor himself had ordered Ye Chutang and Qi Yanzhou’s deaths.
If Ye Chutang petitioned the throne, Prince An’s household would take the blame for the Emperor!
"Mother, oversee the relocation. I must visit the Minister's Mansion."
He had to intercept Ye Chutang before she reached the Emperor.
Princess An agreed. "Qingshu, Minister Ye was involved. Consult him first."
After freshening up hastily, Zhao Qingshu departed for the Minister's Mansion.
Ningchu Courtyard.
Ye Jingchuan ranted at his unyielding daughter, spittle flying.
"Chu’er, Prince An wouldn’t dare attack you amidst guests! This is a misunderstanding. Don’t embarrass yourself with a petition."
Ye Chutang popped an ice-cold grape into her mouth and chuckled.
"Father, do you know why you’re still just a Minister despite serving the Emperor loyally?"
Ye Jingchuan knew a taunt was coming.
He snapped, "Do you think becoming a second-rank official is easy? Most never rise beyond fifth rank!"
Those who climbed high either had powerful backers, aided the Emperor’s rise, or—like him—achieved extraordinary feats.
Smugly, he added, "Your father, with no connections, became Minister of Revenue in under a decade. In all of Beichen Kingdom, few can match that!"
Ye Chutang eyed his pride with disdain. "Sacrificing the Tang Family, who helped you, is nothing to boast about."
Without her birth mother’s support, this wretched man wouldn’t have even had money to take the imperial exams!
Even if he’d passed on merit alone—
Yet without wealth paving the way, a poor scholar could never survive in the cutthroat world of officialdom.
In the end, he repaid kindness with betrayal—not only causing the deaths of the original host’s mother and brother but also bringing ruin to the Tang Family.
What a scoundrel!
Ye Jingchuan, stung by the accusation, raised his voice defensively.
"The Tang Family brought this upon themselves with their crooked ways. If it hadn’t been me, it would’ve been someone else."
"Whether your conscience is truly clear—you know better than anyone."
Ye Chutang scoffed before steering the conversation back.
"You rose to Minister of Revenue in under a decade by scheming. But the next ten years you’ve stagnated because you’re genuinely incompetent!"
Ye Jingchuan: "..."
Ye Chutang arched a brow. "If I wanted someone dead, I’d strike when least expected."
"Say, if I wished to kill you—now would be the perfect moment."
No sooner had the words left her lips than a razor-sharp dagger slashed across Ye Jingchuan’s throat.
