The emperor hadn’t come up with any brilliant plan—just the usual frame-up.
He ordered Ye Chutang to hide weapons in her dowry chests and bring them into Prince Chen's Mansion as evidence of rebellion.
He also instructed her to plant forged letters of treason and a cursed voodoo doll targeting the emperor in the bridal chamber.
Rebellion, treason, and witchcraft.
With these three charges combined, the Qi family would be utterly annihilated!
Ye Chutang feigned reluctance. "Your Majesty, exterminating nine generations seems too harsh. Many innocent lives will be lost."
"To uproot the weeds, you must pull them from the roots. If I’m not ruthless, my throne won’t be secure!"
After speaking, the emperor sneered at her.
"Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts, Miss Ye?"
"As the saying goes, better others die than oneself."
In other words, as long as she survived, others’ lives meant nothing to her.
"What a merciful saint!"
Ye Chutang curled her lips into a bewitching smile at the emperor’s mockery.
"Just pretending."
The emperor’s breath hitched at her captivating expression.
If not for his lingering illness, he would’ve taken this temptress right then!
The thought made him warn her sharply.
"I only want untouched women. Don’t let things get too real between you and Qi Yanzhou."
Ye Chutang nodded obediently. "Rest assured, Your Majesty. I won’t do anything that harms others without benefiting myself."
Then she asked, "Where will the weapons come from? Who will forge the treason letters? And who’ll make the voodoo doll?"
"Don’t concern yourself with that. Just play your part. The Ministry of Rites will handle all wedding arrangements."
The emperor waved dismissively. "You may leave the palace now."
Ye Chutang didn’t move. Instead, she shook the imperial decree in her hand.
"Your Majesty, I came to the palace to receive the marriage edict. Returning empty-handed would raise suspicion. How should I explain it to Prince Chen?"
The emperor’s private treasury had been cleaned out—not a single coin remained.
Besides, he had no intention of rewarding her.
"If I reward you for the marriage decree, Prince Chen will grow suspicious."
"Your Majesty is mistaken. The reward isn’t for the marriage decree but for my prescription to prevent and treat the plague. The decree is merely incidental."
Seeing the emperor frown, she added,
"Summoning me to the palace just for the decree would seem illogical."
Even if this dog emperor had been robbed blind, she’d still squeeze something out of him!
Ye Jingchuan agreed with her reasoning.
"Your Majesty, Prince Chen is highly suspicious. We must be cautious to avoid ruining everything at the last moment."
The emperor turned to him. "Minister Ye, select a few treasures from the national treasury later and bestow them upon Miss Ye."
"Your servant obeys."
Before Ye Chutang left, the emperor gave her another temporary antidote.
Outside the palace, she said to Ye Jingchuan, "Father, pick something worthy. Don’t embarrass us. Have the eunuchs announce the rewards at the Minister's Mansion gates so everyone knows how much the emperor values you."
The words struck a chord with him.
The Minister's Mansion had faced too much scandal lately, drawing endless gossip.
The emperor’s favor would silence many tongues!
"Fine, we’ll do it that way."
Ye Jingchuan headed to the Ministry of Revenue, while Ye Chutang disembarked at the main street.
She held out her hand. "Father, I’m going shopping. Money, please."
Ye Jingchuan sighed at her audacity but handed over all the silver notes and loose change he carried.
"This is all I have. Spend it wisely."
"I’ll try. And don’t forget Aunt Jin’s hundred thousand taels."
With that, she cheerfully strolled off.
Her first stop was a fabric shop.
Besides selling cloth, the shop also stocked padding for quilts and winter garments.
In the summer heat, such materials were stored away in the warehouse.
After checking the prices, Ye Chutang left.
Tonight, she’d "shop" at the warehouse.
Changing into men’s attire in a secluded spot, she headed to the marketplace.
The northwest had plenty of livestock but scarce vegetables—she needed to stock up.
By late afternoon, the market was nearly deserted, the remaining produce far from fresh.
One stall sold ginger—fresh young ginger from this year’s harvest and aged ginger stored since last year.
Ginger’s heat-inducing properties made it hard to sell in summer.
The old vendor beamed as Ye Chutang approached.
"Young master, care for some ginger? I’ll sell it cheap."
In a masculine voice, she asked, "How much per pound? If the price is right, I’ll take it all."
The man’s eyes lit up. "Normally five coppers per pound, but for you, three. The young ginger’s even cheaper—two coppers."
"Deal. But I’m not done."
The vendor paled, thinking she’d changed her mind.
"Young master, I swear, none of it’s spoiled. Top quality!"
Ye Chutang picked up an old ginger root. "If all your stock is like this, I’ll buy every last piece."
"R-really? I’ve over a thousand pounds in my cellar!"
"Of course. My master plans to grow ginger and needs these for seedlings."
The old man hesitated.
"Young master, it’s past planting season. The ginger won’t mature before winter."
"My master wants young ginger. So, will you sell or not?"
Reassured, the vendor eagerly agreed.
"Sold! Do you want it now or tomorrow?"
"Now."
"My home’s just outside the city. Wait here, and I’ll fetch it."
"I’ll come to inspect the goods."
After loading his cart, the old man led her outside the city walls.
His cellar was half-empty, the rest packed with ginger.
"Young master, see? No bruises or rot."
"How much is here?"
"About fifteen hundred pounds."
Ye Chutang handed him five taels of silver.
"Call it fifteen hundred. The rest covers young ginger."
Overjoyed, the vendor wiped his eyes. "Yes, yes! My family will dig it up right away!"
"Go. I’ll wait."
Once they left, she stored all the ginger in her space.
Ginger tea in winter could ward off chills and warm the body.
The family of seven soon returned with a cartload of young ginger—at least three hundred pounds.
Ye Chutang tossed the man another silver fragment.
"I’ll take the cart too."
Pushing the freshly washed ginger away, she stored it once out of sight.
By the time she re-entered the city, the sun had set, painting the sky in crimson—a sign of fair weather ahead.
News of her betrothal to Qi Yanzhou had already spread through the capital.
