Ye Chutang watched the commotion for a while before preparing to leave to attend to more pressing matters.
Just then, Princess An arrived in a hurry.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies for the inadequate hospitality today. I’ve prepared modest gifts as a token of my regret, and I will personally visit to make amends another day."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Qin Zheng bellowed, "After such a major incident today, no one is allowed to leave until the investigation is concluded!"
He knew the destruction of the guest quarters had nothing to do with the officials or their families.
But keeping them here would pressure Prince An to expedite the investigation.
Ye Jingchuan spoke up, "Chancellor Qin, there’s no need to vent your anger—"
Before he could finish, Qin Zheng cut him off with a cold laugh.
"Minister Ye, you must be overjoyed that your daughter is missing without a trace, dead or alive?"
Ye Jingchuan bristled like a cat with its tail stepped on.
"What nonsense are you spouting? I’m deeply concerned about Chutang’s safety. I simply don’t want to blame innocent people."
"Investigating the truth is ‘venting anger’? Did all your studies go to waste, Minister Ye? Or do you already know who’s responsible and are trying to let them slip away in the chaos?"
Provoked by the taunt, Ye Jingchuan angrily changed his tune.
"Fine, investigate! No one leaves until we get to the bottom of this!"
Prince An, unwilling to antagonize the Qin family, interjected, "The weather is sweltering. Please, everyone, retire to the main hall or the gardens to rest. Once we have answers, I will personally inform you at once."
Princess An and the heir, Zhao Qingshu, promptly ushered the guests away from the ruined guest quarters, leaving only Qin Zheng and Ye Jingchuan behind.
Ye Chutang was the first to slip away, vanishing underground toward the rear courtyard.
Nearly all of Prince An’s servants and guards were busy digging through the rubble of the guest quarters, while the maids attended to guests in the main hall and rear courtyard.
Apart from Princess Anping’s chambers, the rear courtyard was deserted.
After familiarizing herself with the layout, Ye Chutang headed straight for Prince An’s private residence.
The main compound was the heart of the estate and the only guarded area in the rear courtyard.
She emerged from beneath the wooden floor of the bedchamber and emptied the entire room into her spatial storage.
Before leaving, she splashed gasoline and set the place ablaze.
The daylight was too bright, and it wasn’t until black smoke billowed from the bedchamber that the guards noticed the fire.
By then, Ye Chutang had already looted every book and letter from the study.
She even found a hidden chamber and cleared it out completely.
As she left the study, she heard the guards shouting,
"The bedchamber is on fire! Alert His Highness and Her Highness at once!"
A burning matchstick landed as the words were spoken, igniting the gasoline-soaked study.
Ye Chutang then made her way to the storeroom opposite the study.
She didn’t know when Prince An would meet his end.
But she knew exactly when the Prince An estate would turn to ruins—today.
The main hall was just behind the front courtyard. Guests chatting along the covered walkway spotted thick smoke rising and hurried to find Zhao Qingshu.
"Young Master, is the rear courtyard on fire?"
Zhao Qingshu was about to investigate when a soot-covered guard from the main compound came running.
"Young Master—"
"Never mind, I’ll check the rear courtyard myself."
By the time Zhao Qingshu arrived, Ye Chutang had already emptied the storeroom and set it alight.
The sprawling main compound was engulfed in rolling smoke, the wooden beams crackling as flames roared and heat seared the air.
"How did this fire start?"
The guard’s lips trembled as he recalled what he’d seen upon opening the bedchamber door.
"Young Master, it’s the ‘Phantom Thief’—His Highness’s bedchamber has been stripped bare!
"The study too—everything’s gone."
Zhao Qingshu’s face darkened as he turned toward the storeroom.
"Check it now!"
The storeroom was locked, but the guard, skilled in martial arts, kicked the door open with a single strike.
Flames and thick smoke surged forward, singeing the guard’s hair.
Zhao Qingshu took a deep breath and ordered, "Call for help to put out the fire!"
But before the flames in the main courtyard could be extinguished, fires broke out one after another in the smaller courtyards.
Ye Chutang left Princess Anping’s residence, the Blossom Courtyard, for last.
As soon as she entered, she heard furious shouting.
"How could Father handle things so poorly? Why didn’t Brother Yan jump into the water to save me?"
"I’ll have those two scoundrels torn limb from limb and their bones ground to dust!"
"And you cowards—I won’t spare any of you either!"
Crash!
A teacup shattered on the floor.
"Get out, all of you! Kneel outside for two hours!"
Two maidservants emerged from Princess Anping’s chamber, feigning obedience before settling under the shade of a tree in the courtyard.
Seizing the moment, Ye Chutang slipped into the princess’s room.
Princess Anping was seething, her eyes tightly shut, unwilling to see anyone.
Suddenly, she felt a shadow loom over her—then a cold blade pressed against her neck.
Her eyes flew open.
A strange man stood before her, a sharp dagger grazing her throat.
Terrified, Princess Anping tried to scream, but the blade nicked her skin.
Ye Chutang deepened her voice to a masculine growl. "Don’t move. Don’t scream. Unless you want me to have my way with you before slitting your throat."
The princess trembled violently, sobbing in fear.
"Spare me, brave sir! I’ll obey!"
"Call me ‘Phantom Thief.’"
At the mention of "Phantom Thief," Princess Anping thought of the "Eighteen Hells" of the Skyward Tower—where eighteen young women had met gruesome deaths.
Would she become the nineteenth?
Her face turned ashen, her body shaking uncontrollably. "Y-you…"
Before she could finish, she fainted.
Ye Chutang scoffed. "A bully who crumbles at the first sign of real danger."
She sheathed her dagger, dumped the unconscious princess onto the floor, and ransacked the room.
Then she slapped the princess’s cheeks sharply, jolting her awake.
"Answer my questions truthfully, and I’ll let you live."
Princess Anping stared at her emptied chamber, trembling even harder.
"Y-yes! I’ll tell you everything!"
"Why is the Emperor so determined to force Prince Chen to marry Ye Chutang?"
The princess had expected questions about the family’s hidden treasures—not this.
Stunned, she shook her head frantically.
"I don’t know! I only know His Majesty ordered my father to trap Prince Chen and Ye Chutang in a compromising situation, so they’d have no choice but to accept the imperial marriage decree."
Ye Chutang smirked coldly. "Useless people don’t deserve to live."
Princess Anping burst into terrified tears.
"I swear I’m telling the truth! May I die horribly if I lie!"
"You love riches, don’t you? I’ll tell you where the family’s wealth is hidden!"
Like beans spilling from a sack, she revealed every secret vault in Prince An’s estate.
Ye Chutang’s lips curled. "Quite the hiding spots."
Two locations were so cleverly concealed even she had missed them.
With a kick, she sent Princess Anping flying toward the door. The princess’s head struck the wood, knocking her unconscious again.
Outside, the two maids heard the commotion but ignored it.
Just then, Zhao Qingshu arrived in haste.
"Why are you kneeling here? Where’s the princess?"
Noticing the fires had targeted only the nobles’ quarters, he had rushed straight to the untouched Blossom Courtyard.
The maidservant quickly replied, "We have angered Princess Anping and are kneeling here as punishment. Her Highness is resting in her chamber."
Though Zhao Qingshu was Princess Anping's elder brother, it was improper for him to barge into her private quarters.
"Go check on the princess at once," he ordered.
"Yes, Young Master."
The maid rose and hurried to the chamber, pushing against the door.
But it did not budge.
"Young Master, the door won't open—it seems to be barred from the inside."
Realizing something might be wrong, Zhao Qingshu rushed forward and kicked the door open with a forceful blow.
Princess Anping, who had been leaning against the door, was sent flying by the impact and tumbled into the freshly spilled gasoline, now ablaze.
