The palace maid was frightened by Ye Anling’s vicious glare and picked up the dowry gifts that had fallen to the ground.
"Madam, Eunuch De has instructed that you bring your dowry and return early."
That’s right—the reason Eunuch De allowed Ye Anling to visit her family was so she could hand over her dowry to him.
To maintain his current position, he needed money for bribes.
But both his own residence and the Emperor’s private treasury had been completely emptied by thieves.
With no silver left and no rewards forthcoming, he had no choice but to set his sights on Ye Anling’s dowry.
Though her dowry wasn’t much, something was better than nothing.
Ye Anling knew her dowry was her last bargaining chip.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself, then snatched the gifts from the maid’s hands.
"No need to remind me. I haven’t forgotten the purpose of this visit."
With that, she limped into the Minister’s Mansion.
Since there was no mistress of the house and Ye Jingchuan was absent, Old Madam Ye received Ye Anling for her homecoming.
Looking at the meager gifts on the table, the old woman’s eye twitched.
Married into such a prestigious family, yet her homecoming gifts were so shabby—did she have no regard for her own kin?
"Anling, why didn’t Eunuch De come with you?"
Ye Anling smiled. "Eunuch De is highly trusted by His Majesty and is busy reviewing memorials. He truly had no time to leave the palace. Please forgive him, Grandmother."
Though she wasn’t lying, the truth was that Eunuch De simply didn’t care enough to accompany her.
Old Madam Ye naturally didn’t dare criticize Eunuch De in front of the palace maid.
She advised Ye Anling, "Now that you’re a married woman, you must serve your husband well and maintain harmony."
"Your granddaughter understands. Please don’t worry, Grandmother. When will Father return?"
Ye Jingchuan had been granted five days of leave by the Emperor to prepare for Ye Chutang’s wedding.
At the moment, he was at the Ministry of Revenue, handing over duties to his deputies.
Old Madam Ye knew this and replied, "He should return by lunchtime."
"Grandmother, where is my dowry kept?"
"You’ve barely stepped through the door, not even warmed your seat, and already you’re asking for your dowry? Truly, a married daughter is like spilled water!"
With Old Madam Ye now managing the Minister’s Mansion, the household’s financial troubles weighed heavily on her.
Though she knew Ye Anling’s dowry couldn’t be kept, she was still furious.
Ye Anling’s suppressed emotions erupted as she retorted sarcastically, "Grandmother, if you don’t want me to take my dowry, you can go tell Eunuch De yourself. I won’t object."
"You—!"
"Grandmother, think carefully before losing your temper. I am now the wife of the Chief Eunuch!"
Old Madam Ye’s face flushed crimson with rage as she stood abruptly.
"This old one is unwell and cannot entertain the Chief Eunuch’s wife. Do as you please."
Watching the old woman’s furious retreat, Ye Anling called out, "Grandmother, is there still hope for my brother?"
She didn’t want to be left utterly alone, even if her brother was useless.
Old Madam Ye genuinely doted on Ye Anzhi.
At these words, she staggered, nearly collapsing.
"Your brother… will be executed after autumn."
Her posture suddenly sagged, her steps unsteady as she walked away.
Ye Anling thought of Ye Chutang, the root of all her suffering, and clenched her fists.
That wretched girl had destroyed her family, yet she would still marry the man Ye Anling loved. The hatred burned in her chest!
Eunuch De despised Ye Chutang for stealing the dowry—why hadn’t he dealt with her yet?
The palace maid reminded her, "Madam, you should check on your dowry now."
Thinking of Eunuch De’s demands, Ye Anling slapped the maid across the face.
"Remember—I am your mistress!"
She glanced at her stinging palm, her mood slightly improved.
She summoned Steward Chen and asked, "Where is my dowry kept?"
"Madam, it’s in the side room of Ningxiang Courtyard."
After Ye Chutang took the dowry left by Tang Wanning, Ye Jingchuan had the remaining items returned to Ye Anling’s courtyard.
Finding it too paltry, he added a dozen more chests, bringing the total to thirty-two.
Ye Anling returned to Ningxiang Courtyard and entered the side room.
Seeing the extra chests, her spirits lifted slightly.
"Steward Chen, has the dowry list been prepared? Was it registered with the authorities?"
Once registered, she could reclaim everything intact if Eunuch De ever fell from power!
Steward Chen replied respectfully, "The master has already taken care of it."
He opened the nearest chest and handed her the dowry list.
"Please keep this safe, Madam."
Just as Ye Anling reached for it, the ground beneath her suddenly shook violently.
"Ah!"
She screamed, gripping the doorframe, but still couldn’t keep her balance.
Steward Chen bolted from the room first—only to witness a bizarre sight.
Everything outside was undisturbed, yet the side room trembled violently, tiles crashing down in a deafening clamor.
"Help! Someone, save the Second Miss!"
By the time the guards pulled Ye Anling and the maid to safety, the side room collapsed with a thunderous crash, reduced to rubble.
Staring at the swirling dust, Ye Anling was momentarily stunned—then her face twisted in horror.
"My dowry! Find my dowry now!"
Before her words faded, the tremors ceased.
The guards rushed forward, clearing away broken tiles, fallen beams, and collapsed walls.
Beneath the wreckage lay only splintered floorboards.
Not a single chest remained—not even fragments.
Steward Chen paled.
"It’s… it’s the ‘Ghost Thief’ again!"
He ordered the guards, "Quick, check the Eldest Miss’s courtyard—see if her dowry is still there!"
On their way to Ningxiang Courtyard, the guards ran into Ye Jingchuan returning from the Ministry of Revenue.
Frowning, he demanded, "Why this panic?"
"Master, the Second Miss’s dowry was stolen by the ‘Ghost Thief.’ The Eldest Miss’s might be gone too."
Ye Jingchuan turned even paler than the guards.
"Go check immediately! And inspect the Quiet Fragrance Courtyard and the treasury too!"
With that, he sprinted toward the ancestral hall, legs pumping like cartwheels.
There, he ordered servants to dig beneath the floorboards where dowry chests had been hidden.
Three inches down—nothing but dirt.
The guards returned with grim news.
"Master, the Eldest Miss’s dowry in the storage room is gone."
"The Quiet Fragrance Courtyard has been emptied too."
"And… the treasury is completely bare."
Overwhelmed, Ye Jingchuan coughed up blood and fainted.
Meanwhile, in Ningxiang Courtyard—
Ye Chutang gazed mournfully at the empty storage room, feigning distress.
"Why must the ‘Ghost Thief’ target me? I’ve been robbed down to my last coin!"
She hadn’t planned to take everything so soon, but the maid’s words to Ye Anling had spurred her.
Once Ye Anling lost all value to Eunuch De, her life would become a living hell.
Yet stealing only her dowry would be too obvious—so she took the entire Minister’s Mansion instead.
Unaware of the truth, Dan'er and Jinzhi cursed the "Ghost Thief" vehemently.
Jun'er offered Ye Chutang the birthday money she’d once given him.
"Elder Sister, take this. When I grow up, I’ll earn lots of money for you."
Ye Chutang smiled, ruffling his hair.
"No need. I still have plenty of silver notes. Keep your gift."
After speaking, she grabbed a large handful from her space—denominations ranging from fifty taels to ten thousand taels were all there.
"Dan'er, Aunt Jin, 'Ghost Thief' saved my life. No matter how much gold or jewelry he takes from me, it’s not excessive."
Hearing this, the two did not seem reassured.
Aunt Jin looked at the empty firewood shed and said worriedly, "Miss’s dowry is all gone. What will we do when it’s time for the wedding?"
A woman bringing a substantial dowry to her husband’s family would earn greater respect from them.
Ye Chutang knew what Jinzhi was worried about and reassured her, "Aunt Jin, the Chenwang family isn’t shallow. Besides, as long as I want to make money, I’ll never be short of it."
Jinzhi had no doubts about Ye Chutang’s capabilities.
Thinking of Qi Yanzhou’s devotion to Ye Chutang, her gloomy mood lightened somewhat.
"Miss, should we release the pair of wild geese on an auspicious day?"
Ye Chutang glanced at the bamboo cage by the nest and said, "Pick an auspicious day and slaughter them."
A lone wild goose would struggle to survive the flight north.
Rather than letting others eat them, we might as well enjoy them ourselves.
After all, ancient traditions held that consuming "tribute offerings" brought blessings.
Jinzhi had no objections. "Very well."
At that moment, Le'er returned from the main kitchen with vegetables—and two pieces of news.
"Eldest Miss, I heard 'Ghost Thief' came to the Minister's Mansion. Ningxiang Courtyard, the prayer hall, Qingyou Courtyard, and the treasury were all robbed. The master and Second Miss were so furious they fainted. The treasury’s—"
Before she could finish, she saw the empty firewood shed and paled.
"It… it really was stolen? Eldest Miss is about to marry—what do we do?"
Ye Chutang remained calm. "My father will think of something. He won’t let the future princess consort leave empty-handed."
She would have a lavish dowry—but instead of gold and jewels, it would be filled with weapons!
Hearing this, Jinzhi and the others immediately felt relieved.
"You all prepare the meal. I’ll go check on that scoundrel father of mine."
Ye Chutang went to Ye Jingchuan’s courtyard.
He had already woken up, lying on the bed with lifeless eyes, his face ashen.
There was a despair about him, as if he had suffered a loss greater than death itself.
Ye Chutang found it amusing. "Anyone would think you’d lost your parents."
Ye Jingchuan sat up in anger. "Must you always speak so sarcastically?"
"Yes, so I’ll add one more thing—you deserve this."
"Ningxiang Courtyard was robbed too! If I deserve it, so do you!"
Ye Chutang shrugged indifferently.
"So what if it was stolen? If the dowry had been taken to the palace, 'Ghost Thief' would’ve stolen it there anyway."
Ye Jingchuan immediately retorted.
"It’s not the same! If the dowry is stolen from the Minister's Mansion, you’ll have to marry in disgrace, mocked by everyone—just like Anling. But if it’s stolen in the palace, that’s the imperial guards’ and the palace sentinels’ fault!"
Ye Chutang sneered.
"So? Does Father have a way to get the dowry back?"
Of course, Ye Jingchuan had no solution, so he could only wallow in resentment.
He lay back down, turning his back to her.
"Leave. I don’t want to see you."
Ye Chutang kicked his back lightly.
Ye Jingchuan sat up with a pained yell. "What do you want now?"
"Get up and suppress the news of the robbery. If word gets out that my dowry was stolen, yet I still bring a full dowry to Chenwang’s estate, people will grow suspicious."
The realization sent a chill down Ye Jingchuan’s spine, and he hurriedly got up to leave.
Ye Chutang was only helping the emperor cover his tracks because she needed the chaos of raiding Chenwang’s estate to execute her exile plan.
She returned to Ningxiang Courtyard.
After lunch, she took Jun'er out of the mansion to Huating Academy.
Song Zhiyan was surprised by Ye Chutang’s visit.
"Miss Ye, aren’t you busy with wedding preparations? What brings you here today?"
"Today is the fifteenth—the day I promised to teach calligraphy. No matter how busy I am, I had to make time."
She then gently pushed Jun'er forward.
"Dean Song, can my younger brother take the entrance exam today?"
"Of course. Zigui, take Second Young Master Ye to the preparatory hall."
The preparatory hall was where prospective students took Huating Academy’s entrance exams.
Jun'er had been told about the exam on the way.
"Elder Sister, I’ll pass for sure. I won’t embarrass you."
Ye Chutang patted his head. "Don’t pressure yourself too much. Go on."
After Zigui led Jun'er away, Song Zhiyan said, "Please wait a moment, Miss Ye. I’ll make arrangements."
Assuming her tight wedding schedule wouldn’t allow time for calligraphy lessons, he had previously canceled the scheduled class.
"Take your time. I’m free all afternoon."
Shortly after Song Zhiyan left, a refined man around forty entered the hall.
Seeing Ye Chutang, he paused in surprise.
"Zhiyan once said Miss Ye’s eyes and brows were identical to Jingning’s. Seeing you today, I realize he wasn’t exaggerating at all."
He then introduced himself.
"I am Zhiyan’s father, Song Mingyu."
Ye Chutang stood and bowed. "This humble girl greets Master Song."
"No need for formalities, Miss Ye. Please, sit."
Song Mingyu took the seat of honor, and a page served tea before being dismissed with a wave.
"Congratulations on your auspicious match, Miss Ye. I must apologize for my earlier presumptuousness."
Ye Chutang knew he was referring to his attempt to pair her with Song Jingning.
"To earn your regard was an honor."
Song Mingyu shook his head earnestly. "You flatter yourself too little, Miss Ye. Jingning isn’t worthy of you."
"Young Master Song lives up to his reputation as the 'Bright Moon.' He deserves a better match."
"That boy hasn’t settled down yet. No matter how fine the lady, fate won’t bring them together."
Unfamiliar with Song Mingyu, Ye Chutang didn’t know how to respond and simply smiled politely.
Song Mingyu sighed, thinking of a certain suspicion in his heart.
"I once met your mother, Miss Ye. Though she helped those in need to pave Ye Jingchuan’s path to power, her kindness was real. Countless people benefited from her generosity. Yet she died by the vile schemes of the inner court—what a pity. And that eldest son of hers…"
