The emperor had assumed that his plan to arrange a forced marriage would be straightforward, and coercing Ye Chutang into obedience through poison wouldn’t be difficult either.
Yet, he ended up losing four shadow guards without accomplishing a single thing.
Instead, it was that fool Ye Jingchuan who got poisoned!
When he agreed to see Ye Chutang, it wasn’t just to reprimand her—he also intended to poison her.
How dare she threaten the Son of Heaven by threatening to strike the imperial drum? Such audacity!
"Eunuch De, prepare some tea and refreshments to reward Miss Ye later."
Eunuch De understood the emperor’s hidden message.
"This servant obeys."
Ye Jingchuan had long anticipated that the emperor would act against Ye Chutang. Hearing this, a pleased expression surfaced on his face.
A noble title was within reach!
He pretended to speak in Ye Chutang’s defense.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. My daughter had some conflict with the princess consort. Yesterday, when she was attacked at Prince An’s residence, she mistakenly assumed it was Prince An’s doing. It’s all just a misunderstanding—please don’t take it seriously."
Prince An knew that if this matter escalated, his situation would only worsen.
He chimed in, "It was indeed my negligence in hosting that led Miss Ye to misunderstand. I beg Your Majesty not to blame her."
The emperor naturally wouldn’t punish a mere pawn—after all, she still had great use.
But a lesson was necessary.
If he let this precedent stand, everyone would start filing grievances and striking the imperial drum.
Just then, a shrill voice echoed from outside the Golden Luan Hall.
"Miss Ye of the Ye family requests an audience!"
The emperor glanced at Eunuch De. "State affairs are still under discussion. Have Miss Ye wait outside the hall."
Eunuch De bowed and stepped out.
"Miss Ye, His Majesty is still handling court matters. Please wait a moment."
It was already mid-morning, the scorching sun blazing overhead.
Ye Chutang had walked all the way from the palace gates, her clothes damp with sweat.
She knew the emperor was deliberately humbling her, forcing her to stand under the burning sun.
"This humble subject awaits His Majesty’s summons at any time."
With that, she strode to the shaded corridor outside the Golden Luan Hall and sat down.
Meeting Eunuch De’s stunned gaze, she arched a brow.
"His Majesty didn’t explicitly order me to stand under the sun as punishment, did he?"
As the victim, even if the damned emperor had such intentions, he wouldn’t say it outright.
Eunuch De took in Ye Chutang’s unrefined posture, recalling her notorious habits—skipping baths, refusing to change clothes, even picking at her toes. Disgusted, he averted his eyes.
"His Majesty is benevolent. Miss Ye overinterprets."
With that, he returned to the hall and quietly informed the emperor of Ye Chutang’s clever evasion of the heat.
The emperor hadn’t expected such cunning from her and muttered under his breath,
"Just as deceitful as her mother!"
Back in the day, Tang Wanning’s beauty had been unmatched in the capital. The Tang family, the wealthiest in Jiangnan, ensured she had countless suitors.
Not only had Prince An considered taking her as a concubine, but the emperor himself had entertained thoughts of making her his consort.
Who wouldn’t want a beautiful, priceless vase?
Yet her heart belonged solely to Ye Jingchuan. She rejected all advances—both overt and subtle—and even leveraged the people’s goodwill from her charitable deeds to shield herself from forced possession.
The emperor felt Ye Chutang was walking the same path.
Except she was even more capable than Tang Wanning.
In less than a month, she had made it impossible for him, the emperor, to act against her freely!
Since his intimidation tactic had failed, there was no point wasting time.
The emperor waved a hand. "Summon her."
Eunuch De flicked his snow-white horsetail whisk. "Ye Chutang is summoned for an audience!"
Hearing this, Ye Chutang rose, straightened her robes, and strode into the Golden Luan Hall.
She was the first noblewoman to enter since the emperor’s reign.
"Your subject greets Your Majesty. May the Emperor live ten thousand years!"
Instead of kneeling, she clasped her hands and bowed deeply—a scholar’s salute.
The emperor gazed down at her from his dragon throne.
"Rise. Look at me."
Ye Chutang straightened and met his eyes.
For a moment, the emperor was dazed by her breathtaking beauty, his gaze darkening.
A stunning woman who was literate, skilled in martial arts, and versed in medicine… He was reluctant to let her die.
"Minister Ye mentioned you wish to file a grievance?"
"Your Majesty, yes!"
Ye Chutang caught the hunger in the emperor’s eyes and felt a wave of revulsion.
She recounted the strange occurrences from her visit to Prince An’s residence and the subsequent assassination attempt.
"Your Majesty, it’s not that I’m overly suspicious, but from the moment I entered Prince An’s estate, things went awry—especially the massive iron cage in the guest quarters and the dozen elite assassins. How does Prince An explain this?"
Without giving Prince An a chance to defend himself, she added,
"I can sketch the faces of those assassins. With their portraits, tracing their identities won’t be difficult."
This was directed at the emperor.
Though those four shadow guards rarely appeared in public, someone must have seen them.
Once the portraits circulated, the emperor would be implicated in the assassination plot.
A man who prized his reputation would never allow such a scandal.
So, the damned emperor’s blame would fall squarely on Prince An!
The emperor’s heart lurched, but he ignored her provocation, instead recalling Prince An’s report from the previous day.
"Ye Chutang, you claim Prince An tried to kill you. Then tell me—how did you escape so many skilled killers?"
Ye Chutang knew the emperor suspected her connection to the "Phantom Thief."
She met his oppressive gaze calmly.
"I don’t know. At the time, Prince Chen, Young Master Qin, and I were on the brink of death when the ground suddenly shook, as if in an earthquake. Then I lost consciousness and woke up in my own chambers."
"Later, I learned from the constables that the 'Phantom Thief' had emptied Prince An’s entire estate and set it ablaze."
The emperor’s imperial aura bore down on her.
"So you were saved by the 'Phantom Thief.' Why would he rescue you? Are you colluding with him?"
Unfazed, Ye Chutang replied,
"I’ve never met the 'Phantom Thief,' nor do I know why he saved me. My guess? He likely saw Prince An and Heavenly Master Zhang as two sides of the same coin, so he rescued their intended victim and looted the estate."
Ye Jingchuan, unwilling to let the Ye family be associated with the Phantom Thief and risk the emperor’s displeasure, hastily interjected,
"Your Majesty, the Phantom Thief first targeted my daughter’s Ningchu Pavilion. She couldn’t possibly be his accomplice. Her rescue was pure coincidence."
Suddenly, a voice cut in,
"Or perhaps it’s a case of the thief crying 'stop thief'—a way to divert suspicion."
Ye Chutang instantly pinpointed the speaker.
"So, this official implies the Phantom Thief is in league with Eunuch De, Your Majesty, and Prince An?"
The official paled and dropped to his knees.
"Your Majesty, I meant no such thing!"
Ye Chutang smiled sweetly.
"Then you’re targeting me?"
"Miss Ye misunderstands. This official merely offered a hypothesis."
"Oh? Then I have one too—perhaps the Phantom Thief works for you, since your estate was spared."
The official spluttered, "Plenty of officials weren’t robbed!"
Ye Chutang smirked.
"Exactly my point. So, esteemed official, don’t spout baseless accusations."
Tonight we’ve secured another shipment—what a thrill!
The official was left speechless, unable to muster a single word of rebuttal.
"Miss Ye is right. This official acted rashly," he conceded.
The Emperor observed Ye Chutang, sharp-tongued and unwavering, and became convinced she had no ties to the "Phantom Thief."
The Phantom Thief had only emerged after Qi Yanzhou returned to the capital—it was almost certainly his doing!
Once this realization struck, the Emperor’s resolve to eradicate the Qi family grew even fiercer.
Withdrawing his imposing aura, the Emperor turned to Prince An.
"Prince An, ever since Miss Ye entered your estate, incidents have been piling up. How do you explain this?"
