Eunuch De was a man of formidable willpower, typically impervious to hypnosis.
But today, the timing was perfect.
His mind was clouded by medicinal herbs, his body weakened from exertion, and with the aid of hallucinogens—
Under this triple assault, Ye Chutang easily hypnotized him.
With a vacant stare, Eunuch De repeated her words verbatim.
"The one who drugged me and lay beside the bamboo grove was Ye Anling."
Ye Chutang then meticulously described Ye Anling's attire that day, reinforcing the memory in Eunuch De's mind.
She added, "After your passionate encounter with Ye Anling, you became enamored with her wild nature and decided to marry her."
Eunuch De nodded obediently. "I adore Ye Anling and will take her as my wife."
Ye Chutang continued, "You discovered that Ye Chutang loves eating garlic, picks at her toes, rarely bathes or changes clothes, and farts disgustingly. She’s all show and no substance, and you despise her."
Eunuch De repeated this three times without hesitation.
Once certain of the hypnosis’s success, Ye Chutang asked, "Where do you keep your severed root?"
For eunuchs, their "root" was sacred—buried with them upon death.
To lose it meant dying incomplete!
Eunuch De struggled briefly but succumbed to the hypnosis.
"In a red cloth, hidden on the beam of my bedchamber."
A symbol of rising fortune.
Ye Chutang withdrew her silver needles and left the chamber.
Ye Anling and Kong Ru had awoken, their bodies cleansed of the drugs.
Pale-faced, they clutched the blankets around themselves, their eyes hollow—still reeling from the horror of being defiled by Eunuch De.
Ye Chutang glanced at them and turned to Ye Jingchuan. "Have you settled things?"
Ye Jingchuan scoffed irritably.
"Talking to them is like reasoning with a brick wall—no response whatsoever."
"Then divorce Kong Ru and expel Ye Anling from the family registry. Cast them out!"
At this, both women reacted.
Their gazes snapped to Ye Chutang, burning with hatred.
Kong Ru, heedless of her disheveled state, lunged at her.
"I’ll kill you, you wretched bitch!"
"I killed your mother back then, and I’ll kill you now!"
Ye Chutang’s expression darkened instantly.
She seized Kong Ru by the throat and lifted her off the ground.
"You murdered my mother?"
The terror of suffocation cleared Kong Ru’s mind.
Realizing her slip, she hastily denied it.
"N-no... I didn’t! I was just... spouting nonsense in anger!"
Her face turned purple as she gasped for air.
"What convenient nonsense!"
Ye Chutang slammed Kong Ru onto the floor and glared at Ye Jingchuan.
"You heard her. What will you do about it?"
Ye Jingchuan, sweating at the sight of his bloodied wife, cursed her stupidity.
He pinched his brow. "Chutang, let’s deal with Eunuch De first, then our family matters."
Normally, Ye Chutang might relent—but not when it came to her late mother.
"The dead deserve justice!"
When Ye Jingchuan hesitated, she pressed harder.
"Choose: protect Kong Ru or save the Ye family. Eunuch De will wake soon."
Ye Jingchuan would never sacrifice the family, but Kong Ru’s powerful lineage—the Kongs—made defiance perilous.
Though his father-in-law, Kong Qingyuan, held the same ministerial rank, the Kongs’ century-old influence, connections, and disciples dwarfed the Ye family’s.
He asked weakly, "Chutang, what do you want me to do?"
"Kong Ru dies the same way she killed my mother."
Ye Jingchuan agreed without hesitation.
"Fine. If it’s true, I’ll grant your wish."
He had no intention of killing Kong Ru—after all, he’d condoned Tang Wanning’s slow poisoning years ago.
His compliance was merely a stalling tactic.
Ye Chutang saw through him.
From her hidden stash, she produced a vial of poison and handed it to him.
"Gut-Rot Elixir. Death in three days. You take it, or she does. Decide now."
With a snap of her fingers, Eunuch De awoke.
Disoriented, he glanced at his sheer robe—then remembered.
Ye Anling had drugged and seduced him.
Rage erupted. "Guards!"
That voice sent Ye Jingchuan scrambling. He forced the poison into Kong Ru’s mouth.
"Forgive me, my dear."
Kong Ru stared in disbelief, gagging, but Ye Jingchuan clamped her jaw shut.
The toxin, mixed with blood, slid down her throat.
As she swallowed, he hissed, "If you don’t want the Kongs ruined, make Anling confess to scheming against Eunuch De!"
He knew his wife and daughter had heard him earlier—they’d simply refused to respond while cornered.
"Eunuch De, I’m here!"
Ye Jingchuan hurried to the eunuch’s side.
Kong Ru spat blood at Ye Chutang’s feet, her eyes venomous.
"Are you trying to kill Anling?"
Ye Chutang ignored the guilt-tripping.
The name "Eunuch De" alone would force Kong Ru’s hand.
Clutching her catatonic daughter, Kong Ru whispered into Ye Anling’s ear,
"Don’t worry, my love. I won’t sacrifice you. When Eunuch De comes, blame your maids."
Sacrificing pawns was their only escape.
Ye Anling’s lifeless eyes flickered with hope.
"Yes. That’s the way."
She’d survive—and shift the shame onto her servants.
Ye Chutang overheard, her lips curling in disdain.
Eunuch De emerged with Ye Jingchuan, his steps unsteady from earlier "exertions."
His gaze locked onto Ye Anling, cold as a serpent’s.
After years of dominating women, being used as a plaything was an unbearable humiliation.
Before he even reached her, his sleeve lashed out like a whip, knocking Ye Anling down.
"You whore—you’ll pay for this!"
