Upon entering the Minister's Mansion, they passed the screen wall, walked along the covered corridor, and arrived at the main hall of the front courtyard.
Ye Jingchuan sat in the host's seat, while Kong Ru and Ye Chutang took their places below.
Steward Chen promptly served tea to the three.
Knowing his master had matters to discuss, he led the maids and servants out of the hall.
Ye Jingchuan lifted the purple clay teacup, skimming the floating tea leaves with the lid, and asked Kong Ru,
"Has Chutang’s courtyard been prepared? Have all the necessary furnishings been purchased? Are the maids and servants assigned to her sharp-witted?"
Kong Ru replied, "The Ningchu Courtyard for Chutang is already ready. The furnishings are of the finest quality, and the maids and servants can be chosen by Chutang herself."
"You’ve thought of everything, as always," Ye Jingchuan said. "Take Chutang to settle into her courtyard. Later, give her two hundred taels of silver and have Ling'er accompany her to buy cosmetics, jewelry, and clothes."
"As you wish, my lord."
"Prepare a lavish dinner tonight. No one is to be absent—let Chutang meet everyone."
"Understood, my lord."
Ye Jingchuan took a sip of tea and glanced at Ye Chutang, who was surveying her surroundings.
"Chutang, if you need anything, just tell Madam Kong. As long as it’s reasonable, she’ll arrange it for you."
Ye Chutang smiled. "Then I won’t hold back."
Hearing this, Ye Jingchuan felt a headache coming on.
Another expense.
He set down his cup and added, "Starting tomorrow, you must learn proper etiquette. At the homecoming banquet in three days, many officials and their families will attend. Don’t embarrass the Ye family."
Ye Chutang grinned. "As long as their gifts are generous, I’ll greet them with a smile."
Ye Jingchuan: "..."
"Gifts must be reciprocated. They belong to the Ye family, not to you personally."
"Oh, I see. Fine."
Her easy compliance surprised and even pleased Ye Jingchuan—but only for a moment before her next words shattered his relief.
"I imagine the homecoming banquet in three days will be quite lively."
The moment he heard this, his scalp prickled.
He couldn’t afford to lose face in front of his colleagues, nor did he want Ye Chutang to earn Eunuch De’s displeasure.
"Chutang, you can keep the gifts, but you mustn’t cause trouble at the banquet. You’re not a child anymore. Leave a good impression so we can arrange a favorable marriage for you."
"As long as I get the gifts, I won’t stir trouble. But my marriage is my own decision—don’t play matchmaker without my consent."
Kong Ru watched Ye Chutang defy Ye Jingchuan and sneered inwardly.
Do you really think we’re afraid of you?
Just wait until the homecoming banquet, when you’re forced into Eunuch De’s arms. You’ll weep then!
Outwardly, she smiled and said, "Of course."
Seeing how readily they yielded to her, Ye Chutang guessed the banquet held a "big surprise" in store.
"Let’s go. I’d like to see my courtyard now."
Before leaving, she reminded Ye Jingchuan, "Minister Ye, don’t forget the twenty thousand taels."
Kong Ru froze mid-rise. "What twenty thousand taels?"
Ye Jingchuan ignored her and waved dismissively. "Take Chutang to her courtyard first."
Not daring to argue, Kong Ru bowed. "Yes, my lord."
With that, she led Ye Chutang to the Ningchu Courtyard, followed by two personal maids.
Along the way, the servants feigned deference to Ye Chutang, but the moment she passed, whispers broke out.
"That fox-like face—she’s clearly trouble."
"If she were decent, those scandalous rumors wouldn’t have followed her home."
"If not for the Second Miss, the master would never have..."
Ye Chutang, with her keen hearing, caught the two maidservants hurling vicious insults and swiftly moved to make an example of them.
But in doing so, she stumbled upon a shocking secret.
She looked at the two terrified faces caught red-handed and grinned from ear to ear.
"I was just getting into it—why stop now?"
They had brought her back for Ye Anling’s sake, and it involved a marriage arrangement.
Could it be that Ye Anling refused to marry and wanted her to take her place?
As Ye Chutang pondered, the maidservants dropped to their knees in fear, bowing their heads like quails.
"You misheard, Young Miss. We said nothing."
They served in The Old Lady’s courtyard, favored enough to know a few secrets.
Usually tight-lipped, they had only muttered among themselves—never expecting the subject of their gossip to overhear!
Ye Chutang gripped their chins with both hands, her smile vanishing as her gaze turned sharp and dangerous.
"Are you saying my ears are faulty?"
"This servant wouldn’t dare!"
"Wouldn’t dare? I think you dare quite a lot!"
The maids winced, tears welling as their jaws ached under her crushing grip.
"Spare us, Young Miss! We’ll never do it again!"
Ye Chutang smirked mockingly. "If apologies solved everything, what use would laws and rules be?"
She tightened her hold.
"Finish what you were saying. If you lie, I’ll sell you to the lowest brothel in town."
Pale and trembling, the maids hesitated—their contracts were held by the madam.
Betraying the Second Young Miss would doom them worse than any brothel!
Ye Chutang’s hands slid to their slender throats, squeezing slowly.
"I’ve changed my mind. Your filthy mouths don’t deserve to live."
Gasping for air, their faces turned from red to purple, eyes bulging.
The terror of death sharpened their survival instincts to a breaking point.
"I’ll… talk…"
Ye Chutang loosened her grip just enough. "You get one chance. Choose wisely."
Between ragged coughs, one maid choked out, "The Second Young Miss was—"
Just as the truth teetered on the edge of revelation, Kong Ru’s personal maidservant rushed over, sweating profusely.
"Young Miss, why did you run back? Did these two offend you somehow?"
Kong Ru herself appeared moments later, her hairpins askew from haste.
"Chu’er, if the servants disrespected you, let Steward Chen handle them. No need to dirty your hands."
Close call!
Had she arrived a moment later, their plans for three days hence would’ve been ruined.
Ye Chutang knew the maids would clam up now. She released them and turned to Kong Ru, who dabbed her brow with a handkerchief, and smirked coldly.
"Somehow, no one else hears these servants overstepping their place. I had to step in myself."
"Ah yes, Madam—they mentioned that Lord Ye summoned me back to take Ling’er’s place in a marriage."
Kong Ru hadn’t expected that bombshell.
Her hand jerked, smudging her makeup with the handkerchief.
"N-nonsense!"
Hadn’t the maids kept their mouths shut?
How did this wretched girl find out?
Deny it—at all costs!
"Chu’er, don’t listen to their lies. Ling’er isn’t even betrothed yet. What ‘replacement’ could there be?"
The maids, still coughing, scrambled to refute Ye Chutang’s accusation.
"Madam, we never said such things! The Young Miss is slandering us!"
"Young Miss, don’t tarnish the Second Young Miss’s reputation with falsehoods!"
Hearing this, Kong Ru did not feel the slightest bit relieved.
Because regardless of whether the maids had slipped up or not, Ye Chutang had already guessed the purpose behind bringing her back to the mansion.
She glared furiously at the two maids. "For slandering the young mistress, slap yourselves thirty times!"
"Yes, Madam!"
The maids knew that if they didn’t punish themselves harshly, the matter of fabricating rumors about their mistress wouldn’t be forgiven.
They struck their own faces with brutal force, the sharp sound of slaps echoing one after another.
Kong Ru turned to Ye Chutang and assured her, "Chu'er, don’t worry—there will be no substitute marriage. At the homecoming banquet, you can observe the talented young men of the capital. If any catch your eye, I’ll have your father arrange a match for you."
Ye Chutang took note of Kong Ru and the maids’ guilty expressions, adjusting her earlier suspicions.
It was likely that someone of high status had taken a liking to Ye Anling.
But Ye Anling had no interest in that person, and since the marriage couldn’t be refused, they had schemed to make her the substitute bride.
She ignored Kong Ru’s attempt to placate her, her gaze fixed on the two maids still slapping themselves.
"Madam, isn’t this punishment too light for these maids?"
Kong Ru understood that Ye Chutang wanted to make an example of them.
Coincidentally, she had long wanted to deal with these two maids from The Old Lady’s courtyard. Now was the perfect opportunity.
"How would you like them to be punished, Chu'er?"
