Ye Anling collapsed to the floor, unable to grasp the quilt, her marked body exposed to the air.
She crawled on the ground, her face twisted in humiliation, weeping pitifully.
The dried blood on her body, mingled with other fluids, created a strangely haunting beauty.
When Eunuch De saw this, vivid images flashed through his mind.
Some of his usual ferocity faded.
Kong Ru quickly covered Ye Anling with the quilt and knelt before Eunuch De.
"Please calm your anger, Eunuch. Anling is also a victim—this was all done by her two maids, Qiulu and Qiushuang."
She retold the story Ye Jingchuan had concocted, altering it slightly.
She omitted the part about drugging Ye Chutang, claiming instead that Ye Anling had merely returned to Ningxiang Courtyard to change her soiled dress before being knocked unconscious.
And the mastermind was shifted from Ye Anling to the two maids.
Hearing this, Ye Jingchuan stared at Kong Ru in shock.
The maids hadn’t even been dealt with yet, and she dared spin such lies in front of Eunuch De!
Eunuch De was no fool, of course. He didn’t believe a word of it.
Many wished to scheme against him, but none dared act!
Yet, his memories were muddled from the hypnotic effects.
For a moment, he couldn’t piece things together.
But he remembered his purpose in coming to Ningxiang Courtyard and instinctively turned his gaze to Ye Chutang.
When he saw the stunning woman, his mind conjured images of her eating garlic, picking her toes, and emitting foul odors.
Disgusted, he averted his eyes and looked instead at the pitiful Ye Anling.
Ye Anling’s beauty was undeniable, and now, broken and vulnerable, she stirred his pity.
But the thought of her drugging him, stripping him of reason and dignity, reignited his fury.
"Who gave you the audacity to plot against me?"
Ye Anling defended herself weakly, "I was tricked by my maids. After drinking the aphrodisiac, I lost consciousness and remember nothing."
Hearing this, Eunuch De recalled finding her unconscious in the courtyard.
He had ordered the maids to bring her here, intending to enjoy both sisters.
Yet he also remembered her lying seductively by the bamboo grove.
As he approached, a strange fragrance overwhelmed him, and his memories blurred.
After sorting through his thoughts, he concluded one thing: an unconscious Ye Anling couldn’t have schemed against him.
His sharp gaze returned to the loathsome Ye Chutang, scrutinizing her.
He suspected she was behind today’s events.
But no matter how he analyzed it, he found no evidence.
Eunuch De turned his cold stare to Ye Jingchuan.
"Minister Ye, you have three days to give me an explanation. Otherwise, your position as Minister is over."
Ye Jingchuan dared not protest. "This official obeys."
"Let’s go. To the front courtyard."
Though he cared little for others’ opinions, there was no need to let a scandal spread.
Before leaving, he seized the physician’s throat, intending to silence him.
But Ye Chutang swiftly pulled a hairpin from her bun and drove it into the physician’s chest.
Blood spread across the indigo robe, staining it dark.
Eunuch De stared at her in surprise. "What is the meaning of this, Lady Ye?"
Ye Chutang pressed the pin deeper.
"Lightening your burden."
Watching the physician cough blood, Eunuch De released him in disgust.
"What a shame."
With that, he left Ningxiang Courtyard, Ye Jingchuan trailing behind.
Ye Chutang knew the "shame" wasn’t for the physician—but for her.
Had she not repelled him with her imagined vulgarity, he would never have let her go.
Kong Ru was baffled by Eunuch De’s sudden departure.
She glared at Ye Chutang. "What did you do? How did he spare you?"
He had been determined to claim her earlier!
Ye Chutang smiled. "Perhaps he prefers those who throw themselves at him."
Then she glanced at the motionless physician.
"What shall we do with the body?"
Kong Ru eyed the golden pin embedded in the man’s chest, a flicker of fear crossing her face.
So ruthless. A killer without hesitation.
"There’s a well behind the ancestral hall, connected to an underground river."
Tossed inside, the body would vanish without a trace.
Ye Chutang nodded, hoisting the physician’s limp form and leaving.
Once she was gone, Ye Anling turned on Kong Ru in hysterics.
"You said the plan was foolproof! What now?"
Her reputation was ruined, her dreams of becoming empress shattered. Eunuch De hadn’t even promised anything.
Was she supposed to hang herself?
Kong Ru, now composed, stroked her daughter’s back.
"Anling, since Eunuch De didn’t punish you, he believes you’re a victim. We still have a chance."
"I’m ruined! Even if I stay hidden, the whispers will follow me. How can I live like this?"
"Listen to me, and people will only fear and respect you."
While mother and daughter plotted their next move, Ye Chutang carried the physician to the ancestral hall.
The hall was serene, filled with sandalwood incense.
Who would guess such a sacred place doubled as a graveyard for the disposed?
From her hidden space, she retrieved medical supplies, cut open the physician’s robes, and removed the pin.
Blood gushed, but silver needles sealed the wound. She cleaned and bandaged it.
With a final needle to his pressure point, the physician awoke—and her virtue points surged by nearly a thousand.
Healers who saved lives earned boundless merit.
Dazed, the physician touched his bandaged chest, as if unable to believe he lived.
Ye Chutang wiped her hands. "You’re alive, but Eunuch De thinks you’re dead. Until he rots in hell, you must disappear."
The physician, now alert, kowtowed fervently.
"Lady Ye, I will never forget your mercy!"
"Do good, and good will return to you."
She handed him strong anti-inflammatory medicine with instructions.
"I’ll get you out of the estate."
After knocking him unconscious, she used an earth-walking technique to transport him to a ruined temple outside the city.
When she returned to the Minister’s estate, Ye Anling was attempting suicide by hanging.
By the time Ye Chutang arrived at Ningxiang Courtyard, Ye Anling had been cut down.
Her friends comforted her.
"Anling, today wasn’t your fault. Don’t despair."
"You’re the victim—the ones who hurt you should die!"
"Live well, spite those who wished you harm!"
"Don’t let your enemies rejoice in your suffering!"
Amid the consolations, Eunuch De made his proposal to Ye Jingchuan.
"Minister Ye, once His Majesty returns to the palace, I will request an imperial decree for our marriage. Then I shall formally propose."
This was the best outcome for Ye Anling.
Ye Jingchuan was pleased.
"It is Anling’s honor to wed the Grand Eunuch."
The men outside the courtyard exchanged glances, unsurprised.
All eyes turned to the Crown Prince.
His face was dark with fury, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles whitened.
He listened to Ye Anling’s sobs, heart aching.
The thought of her marrying Eunuch De filled him with helpless rage.
But he couldn’t offer to wed her himself—nor could he stop the marriage.
Just as frustration and irritation were boiling within him, his peripheral gaze caught sight of Ye Chutang.
The anger found its target, igniting in an instant.
The Crown Prince strode swiftly toward Ye Chutang, raising his hand to strike her across the face.
