Chapter 15: The Man She Slept With Turns Out to Be the God of War Prince

Ye Anling turned her head to glance at Ye Chutang.

She thought she’d be so terrified her face would go pale—but instead, she stood there as calm as if she hadn’t even seen the whip.

Had she gone dumb from fright?

“Elder Sister…”

She had just opened her mouth when Princess Anzhi strode into the rouge shop, whip in hand.

Everyone dropped to their knees and saluted. “Greetings, Princess Anzhi!”

In the entire shop, only Ye Chutang and Princess Anzhi remained standing.

Ye Anling immediately tugged on Ye Chutang’s sleeve.

“Elder Sister, this is Princess Anzhi. You need to show respect.”

She didn’t want any trouble before the family banquet.

Princess Anzhi looked at the stunningly beautiful Ye Chutang and deliberately made things difficult.

“It’s our first meeting. You should offer this princess a formal bow!”

Ye Chutang knew very well that such formal rituals were only required on specific holidays or occasions.

She understood that Princess Anzhi was jealous of her looks, so she deliberately lifted the corners of her lips in a smile that could steal souls.

“Your humble subject grew up in the countryside and doesn’t know how to perform a formal bow. Why don’t Your Highness show me how it’s done?”

“Insolence!”

Princess Anzhi raised her whip and aimed it straight at Ye Chutang’s face.

She was determined to ruin this face that could bring down a kingdom.

She, and only she, should be the number one beauty in the capital!

Ye Anling hadn’t expected Ye Chutang to stir up so much trouble. She was startled and rushed forward to shield Ye Chutang’s face.

The whip lashed across the back of Ye Anling’s head, sending waves of pain and a sudden blackness before her eyes.

Warm blood began to flow, soaking the pink gauze of her dress.

Everyone was stunned by Princess Anzhi’s cruelty.

The timid ones, fearing they’d be collateral damage, began to quietly tiptoe backward.

Even Princess Anzhi was shocked when she saw how much Ye Anling was bleeding.

She actually had a good relationship with Ye Anling and hurried forward in worry. “Anling, why did you rush over? I’ll take you to the clinic right now.”

With that, she shoved Ye Chutang aside. “I’ll deal with you later!”

Ye Anling was trembling in pain, but she still defended Ye Chutang.

“Please don’t be angry, Your Highness. My sister just returned to the capital and doesn’t understand court etiquette. She meant no offense.”

“Anling, if she dares defy me today, who’s to say she won’t defy His Majesty tomorrow? How will you defend her then?”

That heavy accusation silenced Ye Anling—she dared not speak for Ye Chutang again.

“Your Highness, my head hurts…”

She could only try to get Princess Anzhi to leave. Otherwise, Ye Chutang would be skinned alive, if not worse.

“Alright, I’ll take you to the clinic right now.”

Before leaving, Princess Anzhi turned to the unbothered-looking Ye Chutang and commanded, “Kneel! Reflect on your behavior!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she suddenly dropped to her knees with a loud “thud.”

Everyone still kneeling was stunned. So was Princess Anzhi.

Ye Chutang felt her Virtue Points increase by two, raising an eyebrow in delight.

Since Princess Anzhi clearly wasn’t a good person, she saw no reason to hold back.

“Oh, I thought Her Highness was talking to me. Didn’t expect she was referring to herself.”

Ye Anling wanted nothing more than to sew Ye Chutang’s mouth shut.

If you want to die, fine—but don’t drag the entire Minister’s residence down with you!

“Elder Sister, mind your words!”

After warning her, she endured the dizziness and headache and helped Princess Anzhi to her feet.

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Princess Anzhi snapped out of it and looked down at her feet, even stomping a few times.

The wooden floor was flat and solid, no sign of it loosening or warping.

But she clearly felt something lift her heel up, causing her to fall.

It was like she’d seen a ghost!

Embarrassed, she turned her anger back on Ye Chutang.

“It was you, wasn’t it?!”

Before the words finished, her whip lashed out again.

Ye Chutang didn’t move.

Everyone thought she was frozen with fear—but in truth, she had already used her earth-based ability to form two earth needles beneath the floorboards.

At any moment, the needles could shoot up and jab Princess Anzhi’s soles.

As soon as her footing faltered, she stumbled again, and the whip missed its mark.

The whip was about to strike Ye Chutang’s face. Ye Anling wanted to shield her again but it was too late.

She thought, It’s over.

If Ye Chutang got disfigured, then the one married off to a lowly man as a mere companion would definitely be her!

She couldn’t bear to watch and shut her eyes.

Ye Chutang, however, wasn’t flustered in the slightest. She glanced at the swaying Ye Anling and prepared to strike back.

Just then, a small stone shot into the rouge shop at lightning speed, hitting Princess Anzhi’s whip-holding wrist.

“Ah!”

Princess Anzhi screamed, and the whip clattered to the floor.

She looked down at her now swollen wrist, then saw the tiny stone on the floorboards.

“Who dares harm this princess?! Do you have a death wish?!”

She immediately looked outside in a rage.

But the moment she saw Qi Yanzhou, she quickly wiped the harshness off her face, replacing it with a delicate and aggrieved look.

“Brother Yan…”

Ye Chutang was disgusted by Princess Anzhi’s oily-sweet act.

Then she noticed Ye Anling’s expression had also changed.

She immediately realized that “Brother Yan” must be synonymous with Prince Chen.

Retracting her earth powers, she also looked outside the shop.

She wanted to see what kind of man could make all the girls in the capital swoon.

What she didn’t expect—was that the handsome man she had once used as an “antidote” would be him.

No way… That’s Prince Chen?

Just as she thought that, the shopkeepers at the entrance bowed low to Qi Yanzhou.

“Greetings to His Highness, Prince Chen. May you live a thousand years!”

Ye Chutang turned to stone.

She’d thought she’d slept with a martial arts master. Never expected… it was the God of War Prince himself!

And thinking back to how she’d tried to bribe him with silver and an official title…

So humiliating.

When Ye Chutang looked over, Qi Yanzhou didn’t look back at her. His gaze remained fixed on Princess Anzhi.

He wore a cold expression, his tone sharp. “Anzhi, hurting people again?”

Princess Anzhi feared no one—except making Qi Yanzhou unhappy.

“Brother Yan, it was an accident. I didn’t mean to.”

She raised her hand to point at Ye Chutang.

“It was that vile commoner! She showed disrespect to royal authority first—I had to punish her!”

Ye Chutang figured that since Prince Chen had intervened, he was on her side.

If she didn’t take this chance to tattle, it’d be such a waste.

She gave him a proper bow.

“Your Highness, this humble girl comes from the countryside and is new to the capital. I truly don’t know the formal bowing rituals. If that counts as disrespecting royal authority, then I accept whatever punishment comes.”

Princess Anzhi saw Qi Yanzhou’s face growing darker by the second and wished she could tear Ye Chutang’s mouth apart.

“Brother Yan, I—”

Qin Muyun glanced at Ye Anling, whose face had gone pale, and cut in before Princess Anzhi could finish.

“Your Highness, Miss Ye is badly hurt. Please take her to get treated first.”

Princess Anzhi hated to leave Qi Yanzhou after finally seeing him again.

But Ye Anling was her friend—she couldn’t just ignore her.

“Brother Yan, I’ll take Anling to get treated first. I’ll come find you later.”

Qi Yanzhou refused coldly. “I have other matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”

He turned and walked away.

Qin Muyun wanted to stay behind to warn Ye Chutang to be wary of Ye Jingchuan.

But—

“Huai Xuan, you coming?”

Qin Muyun had no choice but to follow Qi Yanzhou and leave the rouge shop.

As soon as they were gone, Princess Anzhi shot Ye Chutang a venomous glare. “I’ll remember you!”

“To have a princess remember me—what an honor.”

Princess Anzhi felt like she’d punched cotton. Furious, she wanted to raise her whip again.

Ye Anling quickly used her headache as an excuse to coax Princess Anzhi away.

Ye Chutang hadn’t finished shopping yet. She called after her, “Second Miss Ye, I’ll be waiting for you at the teahouse across the street.”

Then she took her maid Shuang’er—whose face was full of worry—and went into the teahouse, asking for a private room.

Not long after the tea and snacks were served, she noticed a hole poked in the paper door.

A bamboo tube poked through the hole—sending in knockout smoke.