Ye Anling glanced sideways at Ye Chutang.
She had expected her to be frightened out of her wits, but the woman stood there calmly, as if she hadn’t even noticed the whip.
Had she been scared senseless?
"Eldest sister—"
Before she could finish, Princess Anping strode into the rouge shop, whip in hand.
Everyone immediately dropped into a curtsy. "Greetings to Princess Anping!"
In the entire shop, only Ye Chutang and Princess Anping remained standing.
Ye Anling quickly tugged at Ye Chutang’s sleeve.
"Eldest sister, this is Princess Anping. You must pay your respects."
She didn’t want any mishaps before the homecoming banquet.
Princess Anping eyed Ye Chutang’s stunning beauty and deliberately made things difficult for her.
"Since it’s our first meeting, you must perform a grand bow to this princess!"
Ye Chutang knew full well that grand bows were reserved for specific festivals and formal occasions.
Recognizing the princess’s jealousy, she deliberately flashed a mesmerizing smile.
"This commoner grew up in the countryside and doesn’t know how to perform such a bow. Perhaps Princess Anping could demonstrate?"
"How dare you!"
Princess Anping raised her whip and lashed it toward Ye Chutang’s face.
She wanted to ruin that face—the kind that could bring kingdoms to ruin!
The title of the capital’s most beautiful woman belonged to her alone!
Ye Anling hadn’t expected Ye Chutang to provoke trouble so easily. Startled, she rushed forward to shield her sister’s face.
The whip struck the back of her head with a sharp crack, sending a burst of pain through her skull.
Warm blood trickled down, staining her pink gauze dress crimson.
Everyone was horrified by Princess Anping’s cruelty.
Those with weaker nerves, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire, quietly shuffled backward.
Even Princess Anping was shaken by the sight of Ye Anling’s bleeding wound.
She and Ye Anling were on good terms, so she hurried forward in concern. "Anling, why did you get in the way? Let me take you to the physician."
With that, she shoved Ye Chutang aside. "I’ll deal with you later!"
Ye Anling trembled from the pain but still tried to defend her sister.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger. My eldest sister has just returned to the capital and doesn’t understand etiquette. She didn’t mean to offend you."
"Anling, if she dares to offend me today, she’ll dare to offend His Majesty tomorrow. How will you speak for her then?"
The weight of those words silenced Ye Anling.
"Your Highness, my head hurts."
She could only try to divert the princess’s attention—otherwise, Ye Chutang wouldn’t escape unscathed.
"Fine, I’ll take you to the physician now."
Before leaving the shop, Princess Anping turned to Ye Chutang, who stood there as if nothing had happened, and commanded, "Kneel! Reflect on your actions!"
The moment the words left her lips, she suddenly dropped to her knees with a loud thud.
The crowd, still in their curtsies, froze in confusion. So did Princess Anping.
Ye Chutang felt her merit points increase by two and couldn’t help but smirk.
Since Princess Anping was no saint, she had no qualms about retaliating.
"I thought Your Highness was ordering this commoner to kneel. Turns out you were talking about yourself."
Ye Anling nearly choked on her own breath. If she had a needle, she’d sew her sister’s mouth shut right then.
If Ye Chutang wanted to court death, fine—but she shouldn’t drag the entire Minister’s Mansion down with her!
"Eldest sister, watch your words!"
After the warning, she fought through her dizziness and helped Princess Anping up.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Princess Anping snapped out of her daze and immediately checked the floor, even stomping on it a few times.
The wooden planks were smooth and sturdy, with no loose boards.
Yet she had clearly felt something lift her heel, forcing her to her knees.
What kind of sorcery was this?
Humiliated, she redirected her fury at Ye Chutang.
"It was you, wasn’t it?"
Before anyone could react, she swung her whip again.
Ye Chutang didn’t move.
The onlookers assumed she was paralyzed with fear, unaware that she had already summoned two earthen needles beneath the floorboards.
At any moment, they could pierce through the gaps and stab Princess Anping’s feet.
Not only would it make her lose balance and kneel again, but it would also throw off her aim.
As the whip hurtled toward Ye Chutang’s face—
Ye Anling couldn’t shield her in time.
This is it, she thought.
If Ye Chutang’s face was ruined, she would be the one forced to marry Eunuch De as his companion.
Unable to bear the sight, she shut her eyes.
But Ye Chutang remained unruffled. After a brief glance at the swaying Ye Anling, she prepared to strike back.
Suddenly, a small stone shot into the shop at lightning speed, striking Princess Anping’s right wrist.
"Ah!"
The princess cried out in pain, her whip clattering to the ground.
She stared at her swollen wrist, then at the pebble on the floor.
"Who dares harm this princess? Do you have a death wish?"
Her furious gaze swept toward the shop’s entrance.
The moment she saw Qi Yanzhou, her expression shifted from rage to a pitiful, delicate pout.
"Brother Yanzhou."
Ye Chutang nearly gagged at the princess’s sickly-sweet tone.
Then she noticed Ye Anling’s odd expression and realized—
"Brother Yanzhou" must be Prince Chen.
Dispelling her earth-based power, she too looked toward the entrance.
She wanted to see what the legendary war god, the man who set every maiden’s heart aflutter, looked like.
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to see the very man she had once used as an antidote.
Don’t tell me this is Prince Chen?
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than the crowd bowed deeply.
"Greetings to His Highness Prince Chen! May you live a thousand years!"
Ye Chutang turned to stone.
She thought she’d slept with a martial arts master—not the god of war himself!
Remembering how she had brazenly offered him silver and an official position, she cringed with embarrassment.
When Qi Yanzhou entered, he didn’t spare her a single glance, his cold eyes fixed on Princess Anping.
His voice was sharp with disapproval. "Anping, have you been harming people again?"
Princess Anping feared nothing—except Qi Yanzhou’s displeasure.
"Brother Yanzhou, it was an accident! I didn’t mean to."
She pointed accusingly at Ye Chutang.
"This peasant insulted the royal family first. I was merely defending our honor."
Seeing that Prince Chen had intervened on her behalf, Ye Chutang decided to seize the opportunity.
She curtsied gracefully.
"Your Highness, this commoner hails from the countryside and is unfamiliar with capital etiquette. If ignorance warrants punishment, then I submit to your judgment."
Princess Anping’s face twisted with rage as Qi Yanzhou’s expression darkened further.
"Brother Yanzhou, I—"
Qin Muyun cut her off, glancing at the pale Ye Anling.
"Your Highness, Miss Ye is severely injured. You should take her to a physician."
Princess Anping had waited so long to see Qi Yanzhou—she didn’t want to leave.
But Ye Anling was her friend, and she couldn’t abandon her.
"Brother Yanzhou, I’ll take Anling to the physician and return shortly."
Qi Yanzhou dismissed her coldly. "This prince has official business to attend to. We’ll take our leave."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Qin Muyun wanted to stay and warn Ye Chutang about Ye Jingchuan’s schemes.
But—
"Huai Xuan, aren’t you coming?"
Reluctantly, he followed Qi Yanzhou out of the shop.
Once they were gone, Princess Anping glared venomously at Ye Chutang.
"I’ll remember you!"
"This commoner is honored to be remembered by Your Highness."
Princess Anping threw a punch only to meet soft resistance, as if striking cotton. Furious, she nearly raised her whip again.
Ye Anling quickly claimed a headache as an excuse, deftly coaxing Princess Anping to leave.
Still unsatisfied with her shopping spree, Ye Chutang called after Ye Anling’s retreating figure, "Second Miss Ye, I’ll wait for you at the teahouse across the street."
With that, she entered the teahouse, Shuang'er trailing behind with a troubled expression, and secured a private room.
Shortly after the tea and snacks arrived, she noticed a small hole punctured through the paper-paneled door.
A bamboo tube slid through the opening, releasing a faint, swirling mist of knockout smoke into the room.
