Ye Anling noticed Ye Chutang persistently inquiring about Prince Chen and frowned slightly.
"Elder Sister seems quite interested in Prince Chen?"
"Yes, somewhat."
Ye Anling rolled her eyes inwardly.
"Prince Chen holds immense power—even His Majesty treats him with deference. He’s not someone you should provoke."
Prince Chen didn’t even spare a glance for Princess Anping—how could he possibly be interested in a country bumpkin like you?
Ye Chutang asked again, "Which family does Princess Anping belong to?"
"Princess Anping is the eldest daughter of Prince An, His Majesty’s younger brother. Prince An is the only prince with a fiefdom who is allowed to remain in the capital. Princess Anping is dearly favored by the Empress Dowager and holds status akin to a princess."
After hearing this, Ye Chutang, drawing from years of watching palace dramas, sensed that this arranged marriage was far from simple.
How could the emperor tolerate a potential threat sleeping right beside him?
Even if Prince An remained obedient, the emperor would still be wary—he would never allow him to form an alliance with a powerful prince like Prince Chen, who commanded a formidable army.
This marriage decree was nothing but a test.
If Prince Chen agreed,
the emperor would take it as a sign of rebellion and find any excuse to bring down Prince Chen’s household.
If Prince Chen refused,
he would have to sacrifice his military achievements to justify his rejection. Not only would his years of effort go to waste, but he would also be branded as defying imperial orders.
Either way, the emperor stood to gain everything.
After piecing it together, Ye Chutang couldn’t help but sympathize with the struggles of ancient military generals.
She repeated her earlier question.
"Will Prince Chen attend my homecoming banquet at the Minister's Mansion?"
Ye Anling, exasperated by Ye Chutang’s apparent denseness, snapped,
"Elder Sister, if you provoke Prince Chen, you’ll make an enemy of Princess Anping!"
Ye Chutang looked at the flustered Ye Anling as if she were a ridiculous clown.
"When you claimed I was more beautiful than Princess Anping, didn’t you already pit me against her?"
Ye Anling’s heart skipped a beat.
She’d been found out!
This country girl, born to merchants, truly had a mind full of schemes!
She quickly defended herself, "Elder Sister, you misunderstand. I was merely stating the truth—I never meant you harm."
Then, steering the conversation back to Prince Chen, she added,
"His Majesty harbors suspicions toward Prince Chen. He’s not a suitable match."
Ye Anling could accept Prince Chen marrying anyone—except Ye Chutang!
Ye Chutang chuckled. "If I ever meet Prince Chen, I’ll be sure to relay your words to him."
"..."
"Will Eunuch De attend the banquet at the Minister's Mansion?"
Before Ye Anling could recover from Ye Chutang’s shocking remark, the mention of "Eunuch De" sent a jolt through her, nearly causing her to knock over the display stand beside her.
"Why does Elder Sister suddenly ask about Eunuch De?"
Ye Chutang countered, "Is there a reason I shouldn’t?"
Afraid of revealing anything, Ye Anling hastily explained,
"Eunuch De enjoys the emperor’s highest favor—he stands second only to His Majesty. We mustn’t speak of him carelessly. Please, Elder Sister, don’t bring him up again."
With that, she lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside.
"Stop the carriage!"
At the driver’s "Whoa," the carriage halted.
Ye Anling turned to Ye Chutang. "Elder Sister, let’s visit Mingxiang Teahouse first."
She dared not continue the conversation, fearing Ye Chutang would uncover all her secrets.
Ye Chutang inhaled the sweet and fragrant aroma wafting from the teahouse and nodded.
"Let’s go."
Just as she was about to step down, she noticed Ye Anling pulling a delicate orchid-embroidered veil from her sleeve to cover her face.
Seeing Ye Chutang’s confusion, Ye Anling smirked beneath the veil.
"Aren’t you wearing a veil, Elder Sister?"
In Beichen Kingdom, societal norms were relatively relaxed.
While men and women did not share the same seating, women weren’t required to wear face-covering veils when going out.
However, unmarried noblewomen typically wore veils as a custom—something Ye Chutang, having grown up in the countryside, wouldn’t know.
Qiulu, her maid, was aware but deliberately didn’t mention it.
Because Ye Anling’s true purpose in bringing Ye Chutang out was to flaunt her stunning beauty.
Within three hours, Eunuch De would hear of a peerless beauty who outshone even Princess Anping!
Given his notorious lust, he would undoubtedly attend the Minister's Mansion banquet in three days to verify the rumors.
Ye Chutang yanked off Ye Anling’s veil.
"Did you think this flimsy veil could hide your ill intentions?"
With that, she leaped off the carriage.
Caught red-handed, Ye Anling panicked and tried to follow, eager to explain.
But she misstepped on the carriage stool, let out a shriek, and tumbled forward.
The driver rushed to catch her, but—
Unnoticed by anyone, the once-flat cobblestone beneath them had risen slightly.
The driver’s foot twisted as he landed, causing him to miss Ye Anling entirely.
"Thud!"
Ye Anling crashed onto the ground, her face smeared with dirt.
Satisfied, Ye Chutang discreetly smoothed the cobblestone back into place.
Qiulu, who had been on the other side of the carriage, hurried over to help Ye Anling up.
"Second Young Miss, are you alright?"
As she spoke, she nervously dabbed at Ye Anling’s face with a handkerchief.
Humiliated beyond measure, Ye Anling shoved Qiulu away.
"Useless wench!"
She then scrambled back into the carriage to fix her appearance.
Qiulu immediately knelt. "Second Young Miss, please forgive me!"
Meanwhile, the driver stared at the perfectly flat cobblestone, lost in thought.
Mingxiang Teahouse was a renowned pastry shop in the capital, famous for its tea-infused delicacies.
Its prices were exorbitant—even the cheapest pastry cost two taels of silver.
Thus, its patrons were either nobles or their servants—all of whom recognized Ye Anling.
Hearing the maid address her as "Second Young Miss," the onlookers exchanged puzzled whispers.
"Wasn’t the one who fell the Minister's eldest daughter?"
"Who’s the breathtaking beauty who stepped out of the carriage first?"
"Miss Ye seemed to be chasing after her when she tripped."
"She’s stunning! Even more beautiful than Princess Anping."
"Shh! Do you have a death wish…?"
Though hushed, the murmurs reached the private chamber on the teahouse’s second floor.
Two men sat inside.
The one in green robes carefully placed this year’s freshly picked Longjing tea into a bone-china cup and poured steaming mountain spring water over it.
The fragrant aroma filled the air.
Curious, he pushed open the window and glanced down.
Ye Chutang stood sideways, her exquisite profile catching his eye.
"Tsk, she really is more beautiful than Princess Anping. Ziqian, look—a celestial beauty unseen in a century."
Prince Chen’s full name was Qi Yanzhou, styled Ziqian.
Qi Yanzhou glanced at Qin Muyun’s awestruck expression. "If your grandfather heard that, he’d leap out of his sickbed."
Qin Muyun: "..."
This scoundrel knew he was being pressured to marry for his grandfather’s sake—yet he still jabbed at his sore spot!
"Been eating too many southern venomous bugs? Your tongue’s gotten vicious."
Qi Yanzhou laid out the facts. "You can’t avoid marriage. Since you’re being forced into it, you might as well pick someone you like."
Qin Muyun knew that if his grandfather’s condition didn’t improve, he’d have to marry to bring auspicious fortune.
"True. I wonder which family she’s from? What’s her temperament? Is she betrothed? And would she even marry the capital’s most notorious playboy?"
After rattling off his questions, he handed the brewed tea to Qi Yanzhou.
"Ziqian, help me look into her."
Qi Yanzhou nodded. "Fine."
"Don’t just say ‘fine’—take a look at her first. How can you investigate without knowing what she looks like?"
With that, he pushed the window wider.
As Qi Yanzhou glanced downward, Ye Chutang heard the faint creak of a window opening on the second floor and instinctively looked up.
