"You dare lay a hand on Ling'er? I'll kill you!"
As the Crown Prince's palm was about to strike Ye Chutang's face, Qin Muyun swiftly stepped in front of her.
"Your Highness, as the heir apparent, is it appropriate for you to covet Eunuch De’s betrothed and slander the daughter of a second-rank official?"
He dared not provoke Eunuch De, but he had no fear of the Crown Prince.
The former acted solely on whims, while the latter sought a virtuous reputation.
The Crown Prince glared at the carefree Qin Muyun and reluctantly withdrew his hand in fury.
"Qin Muyun, slandering the heir apparent—what punishment do you deserve?"
"May I ask, Your Highness, which part of my words was slander? Everyone here heard and saw clearly that you sought to strike the eldest Miss Ye for the sake of the second Miss Ye."
Ye Chutang cast a grateful glance at Qin Muyun before bowing to the enraged Crown Prince.
"This humble girl greets Your Highness."
"Might I ask, does Your Highness have any proof for the accusations you just made?"
Of course, the Crown Prince had no evidence.
But he was certain that whatever had happened to Ye Anling was Ye Chutang’s doing.
No one in the Ye family would harm Ling'er—only Ye Chutang would target her at every turn!
Seeing the Crown Prince fall silent, Qin Muyun smirked. "Your Highness, without evidence, it is nothing but slander."
The Crown Prince scoffed. "Whether she harmed Ling'er or not, she knows in her heart!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve and stormed off, shooting Ye Chutang a murderous glare before leaving.
Ye Chutang paid him no mind.
A man who couldn’t protect the one he loved and only knew how to exploit the common people was nothing but a worthless coward!
After the Crown Prince departed, the Second Prince teased,
"Qin Muyun, you’ve always kept your distance from women. What inspired this heroic rescue today?"
Qin Muyun rolled his eyes at the Second Prince.
"Your Highness only sees Miss Ye’s beauty—how shallow."
"True enough. The skill Miss Ye displayed earlier would earn praise from scholars across the land."
The Second Prince then turned to Ye Chutang. "Miss Ye, my apologies for the earlier rudeness."
Knowing the Second Prince was no good man, Ye Chutang forced a polite smile.
"It’s nothing."
"Might this prince request a poem written in different calligraphy styles from Miss Ye?"
He quickly added, "Ten taels of gold—I’ll pay."
Ye Chutang sensed he was testing her attitude toward royalty.
She smiled. "As I’ve told Eunuch De before, as long as I’m paid, I’ll write as many poems as you want. After all, I’m no refined scholar—just a commoner."
When it came to leeches like him, she’d squeeze every penny she could.
The Second Prince glanced at Qi Yanzhou’s impassive face.
"So, in Miss Ye’s eyes, this prince falls short of Prince Chen."
Worried Ye Chutang’s bluntness might provoke the Second Prince, Qin Muyun interjected,
"Your Highness, don’t compare yourself to Ziqian. He was winning military glory while you were still playing with crickets!"
"True enough. Prince Chen’s military achievements are unmatched, beloved by the people. This prince could never measure up."
After his self-deprecating remark, the Second Prince turned back to Ye Chutang.
"Today is inconvenient. This prince shall return another time for Miss Ye’s calligraphy."
"I shall await Your Highness’s visit."
Just then, Eunuch De and Ye Jingchuan emerged from Ye Anling’s chambers.
Ye Jingchuan cleared his throat. "My apologies, everyone. Today’s unexpected incident has disrupted the gathering. This official will provide an explanation and offer three cups of wine in apology."
Eunuch De’s cold, shrill voice cut through the air.
"Everyone, return to the front courtyard and rear garden. This eunuch has words to share."
The guests dispersed.
As they did, Qi Yanzhou subtly moved closer to Ye Chutang, slipping her a detailed layout of the imperial palace.
Princess Anping sensed something amiss between them.
But the moment she pushed forward, Qi Yanzhou distanced himself from Ye Chutang and strode away.
Ye Chutang returned to the main table in the rear garden and began eating the now-lukewarm delicacies without a care.
Princess Anping sneered, "One might think Miss Ye hasn’t eaten in days."
"Those who aren’t enthusiastic about food must have something wrong with their heads."
"You—"
Before Princess Anping could erupt, Eunuch De’s voice, amplified by inner energy, rang out from the front courtyard to the rear garden.
"If anyone dares spread even a word of today’s events, they will face this eunuch’s wrath!"
"Once His Majesty returns to the palace, the marriage decree between this eunuch and the second Miss Ye will be issued. Let there be no idle gossip!"
"As for the mastermind behind the plot against this eunuch and the second Miss Ye—they will be torn limb from limb!"
A chorus of voices responded, "We heed Eunuch De’s command!"
Next, Ye Jingchuan briefly recounted the fabricated story he and Kong Ru had devised.
Whether the guests believed it or not, at least an explanation had been given.
Eunuch De soon departed.
Once he left, the guests quickly took their leave.
After eating her fill, Ye Chutang returned to Ningchu Courtyard.
She unfolded the palace layout Qi Yanzhou had given her.
It was larger than the table itself.
More detailed than any modern map, it marked every tree, listed palace residents, and even noted the Imperial Guards’ patrol routes and shift changes.
"If Prince Chen wished to rebel, he could take the Emperor’s head in one strike!"
After this observation, she stored the map and entered her space.
Seeing that her virtue points had surpassed a million by nearly six thousand, she upgraded the space.
It expanded visibly in all directions, soon forming a massive cube, one hundred meters in length, width, and height.
Standing on the ground centered around the spirit spring, Ye Chutang felt dwarfed by its scale.
"With a space this vast, I can hoard supplies like never before!"
She exited the space, changed into practical athletic wear, and tunneled from the bamboo grove to Eunuch De’s palace.
Xishou Palace was sprawling, a grand two-section compound rivaling the Emperor and Empress’s quarters.
With Eunuch De absent and the servants napping at midday, Ye Chutang easily drugged them and strolled into his bedchamber.
Her first act was to retrieve the eunuch’s severed manhood, hidden in the rafters.
Then she looted every valuable in sight.
She pried jewels from the pillars, took the golden nanmu furniture, and even stripped the jade floor tiles.
"If I took these back to the 23rd century, just the beads alone would fetch a fortune."
After this quip, she left the bedchamber—now as bare as her freshly washed face—and ransacked every room.
In the study, she found Eunuch De’s secret chamber.
"What is it with ancients and hiding vaults in studies? Even the mechanisms are the same."
Inside, countless luminous pearls cast an eerie green glow, as if filming a horror scene.
Amid this light, she saw mountains of gold, silver, jade, antiques, paintings, and rare treasures.
The wealth here likely surpassed the Beichen Kingdom’s national treasury!
With a wave, she claimed it all.
Back in the study, she seized every book and letter without inspection, even taking the rosewood shelves.
As she left Xishou Palace, thoroughly plundered, Eunuch De’s palanquin arrived.
