A violent storm swept in.
The lanterns under the corridor swayed wildly, their flames soon extinguished.
The brightly lit Minister's Mansion gradually plunged into darkness.
All the servants braved the storm, using the flashes of lightning to search for Ye Chutang.
Ye Jingchuan stood in the main room of Ningchu Courtyard, staring at the rain outside with a furrowed brow.
He questioned the three maids who had passed by Ningchu Courtyard two incense sticks ago.
"Did you hear any commotion inside the courtyard? Or see anyone suspicious?"
All three maids shook their heads.
"Master, we saw nothing."
Ye Jingchuan noticed something off about one maid’s expression and kicked her in the knee.
"Speak! What did you see?"
The maid collapsed to her knees, the pain making her feel as though her kneecap had shattered. Tears welled in her eyes.
Too frightened to cover for Ye Anzhi any longer, she confessed,
"When this servant passed Ningchu Courtyard, I saw the young master peering over the wall."
"Nonsense!"
Realizing the gravity of her words, the maid quickly backtracked.
"It was too dark—this servant couldn’t see clearly. The figure just resembled him. I must have been mistaken."
She then slapped herself in repentance.
Ye Jingchuan warned the other two maids,
"Forget what you just heard. If even half a word of this spreads, you’ll regret it!"
"Yes, Master."
"Now go find the young mistress!"
The maids hurried off into the rain. Steward Chen stepped forward and asked,
"Master, should we summon the young master?"
"Do it! Ningchu Courtyard only has one gate. If he was truly outside, he must know when Ye Chutang left."
Steward Chen soon brought Ye Anzhi before him.
Drenched from the storm, water dripped from their clothes, pooling at their feet.
"Father, why call me here in such weather—"
Slap!
Before he could finish, Ye Jingchuan struck him across the face.
"You disgrace! Climbing the walls of Ningchu Courtyard—what were you thinking?"
Ye Anzhi clutched his cheek, stunned. "Father, you hit me?"
Ye Jingchuan slapped him twice more.
"Answer the question!"
Terrified, Ye Anzhi dared not lie. "Elder Sister just returned home. I worried she might feel uneasy, so I came to check on her."
"What did you see?"
"Nothing. By the time I arrived, Elder Sister was preparing to rest."
He had tried to climb in, but the wall was too high.
Ye Jingchuan knew his son was holding back. "And then?"
"Later, I heard Elder Sister scolding a maid. Soon after, the maid ran out, her face covered in blood.
I hid in the bushes by the wall. When I tried climbing again, the maid spotted me, so I returned to my own courtyard."
"After the bloodied maid left, you saw no one else enter? Heard no movement?"
Ye Anzhi nodded firmly. "Nothing!"
Ye Jingchuan believed him—his son wouldn’t dare lie now.
If no one entered and there was no disturbance, how could the wardrobe and canopy bed have vanished?
Who could steal such heavy objects without a sound?
"Steward Chen, search the courtyard. See if there’s a hidden passage."
"Yes, Master."
Steward Chen scoured the area in the rain but found nothing.
Soon, guard Chen Zhong arrived to report.
"Master, we’ve turned the Minister's Mansion upside down, but there’s no trace of the young mistress or her maid, Dan'er."
"Did they vanish into thin air?"
Steward Chen glanced at the empty bedchamber and gulped.
"Master… could it be ghosts?"
At those words, Ye Jingchuan’s limbs turned to ice.
He refused to entertain the thought.
"Keep searching!"
As Chen Zhong left, he hesitated. "Master, should we check the Library Pavilion?"
The Library Pavilion housed the study—a forbidden area. No one could enter without Ye Jingchuan’s permission.
It was the most heavily guarded part of the mansion. An intruder would never go unnoticed.
Ye Jingchuan shook his head. "No need. I’ll inspect it myself."
When he arrived, Ye Chutang was listening to the howling wind and pounding rain.
She sensed his approach immediately.
Originally planning to slip away with Dan'er through a hidden exit, she instead hoisted the maid onto the rafters as Ye Jingchuan entered alone.
Dripping wet, Ye Jingchuan strode straight to the study.
Relieved to find it undisturbed, he turned the bronze statue of Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow, unlocking the stone door’s mechanism.
Seeing the staircase intact, he finally relaxed.
After securing the vault, he left without realizing it had been emptied—just like Ningchu Courtyard.
Once the gate closed, Ye Chutang and Dan'er dropped from the rafters and settled in for a peaceful sleep.
The storm raged all night.
So did the search.
By dawn, the servants’ skin was wrinkled and pale from the rain, their eyes shadowed like smudged soot—exhausted and weak.
Ye Jingchuan hadn’t slept either. He skipped court that morning.
Standing in Ningchu Courtyard, he stared at the waterlogged flagstones and wind-scattered leaves, his head throbbing.
If Ye Chutang wasn’t found, Eunuch De would demand answers—and the Ye family might fall.
Then Kong Ru arrived, having spent half the night in agony.
Her legs trembled, her face was ghastly pale, and she’d lost weight.
"Master…"
The moment she spoke, Ye Jingchuan recalled her humiliating accident the night before—the stench had nearly suffocated him.
He recoiled three steps. "Stay back!"
Kong Ru stiffened. "The physician said I was poisoned—that’s why I… I’m better now."
Ye Jingchuan didn’t care. Disgusted, he snapped,
"You’re weak. Go rest."
Seeing his revulsion, her chest tightened with pain.
"It was Ye Chutang. She knew I poisoned her, so she retaliated!"
Her words only angered him further.
"Didn’t I warn you to wait? Or are your ears just for show?"
Knowing he was venting, Kong Ru held her tongue. Then she murmured,
"Master, I heard valuables are missing from Ningchu Courtyard. Could thieves have taken her too?"
Ye Jingchuan scoffed. "Who could empty an entire courtyard in two incense sticks—without a sound?"
He still suspected an inside job.
Kong Ru whispered, "Then… is it really ghosts?"
"Whatever it is, we must find her!"
Suddenly, she remembered.
"Master, do you recall the three conditions Chutang demanded last night?"
Ye Jingchuan’s eyes widened. He shouted,
"Chutang! I agree to all your terms. Come out now!"
He felt like a fool.
But with no one else to turn to, they had no choice but to give it a try—desperate times called for desperate measures.
And to their surprise, Ye Chutang actually appeared.
She descended gracefully from the rooftop, landing right between Ye Jingchuan and Kong Ru, her smile radiant.
"You two lovebirds better prepare some offerings and go kowtow at my mother’s grave to beg for forgiveness!"
