Chapter 46 – Entering Crazy Hoarding Mode

Ye Chutang watched Ye Anling lift the clay pot and guessed she was about to kill to silence the witness.

Without hesitation, she grabbed Doctor Gao by the ankle and dragged him away.

Bang!

The clay pot crashed to the floor and shattered instantly.

Boiling hot soup splashed onto Ye Jingchuan’s pant leg.

He screamed and shouted from the burn.

“Ling’er, what are you doing?!”

Ye Anling shot Ye Chutang a hateful glare, shifting the blame.

“Father, I only wanted to avenge Jun’er. I didn’t expect Eldest Sister to save that beast and get you burned in the process!”

Ye Chutang let out a soft laugh at Ye Anling’s blatant lie.

“Did you forget? I’m the one who brought Doctor Gao back.”

With that, she crouched down and looked at the terrified Doctor Gao, who looked like his soul had flown halfway out of his body.

“Everyone in the Ye family wants you dead. I’m the only one who can save you.”

Doctor Gao clung to her like a drowning man to a lifeline, pleading.

“As long as you spare my life, Miss, I’ll do whatever you say!”

“Tell me about Jun’er’s illness—and how you escaped.”

Ye Anling quickly grabbed Ye Jingchuan’s arm.

“Father, that quack would do anything for money. He even targeted a newborn baby. You can’t believe a word he says!”

Doctor Gao ignored her and confessed that Kong Ru had drugged Ye Anjun to use him as a tool in her fight for favor.

“The evidence is hidden under the second floorboard beneath the bed. Second Young Master is a witness.”

The implication was clear: Ye Anjun knew he was being used.

Doctor Gao added, “The one who let me go was Zhang Kui. Who he belongs to, Master can easily find out.”

Ye Jingchuan didn’t even need the evidence. He already knew Doctor Gao was telling the truth.

Because every time Jun’er had an episode, it happened to coincide with him not visiting Liuli Courtyard for a while.

His face darkened as he turned a cold gaze on Ye Anling. “Did you know about this too?”

Ye Anling knew her godmother was finished and tried to distance herself immediately.

She wanted to deny it but was afraid Ye Chutang would force Doctor Gao to expose her.

“Father, I did know. I tried to talk her out of it before. But she was so stubborn and swore Jun’er wouldn’t be harmed, so I…”

Ye Jingchuan was seething with rage.

“Unfilial daughter!”

Seeing him raise his hand to strike, Ye Anling quickly tried to stop him.

“Father, if nothing goes wrong, the imperial edict for my marriage will arrive at the Ministry of Rites in three days.”

Now that she had Lord De as her backer, she refused to endure this anymore!

Ye Jingchuan pulled his hand back upon hearing that.

The Old Madam, who had been silent, spoke up, “Chuan’er, confine Kong-shi to the Liuli Courtyard and take a second wife.”

They couldn’t just divorce Kong Ru, but she couldn’t remain the legal wife either. Taking a second wife was the only solution.

“Yes, Mother.”

As the Old Madam left, she gave Doctor Gao a cold glance.

“He must die.”

Hearing that, Doctor Gao immediately lunged toward Ye Chutang to hug her leg—but missed.

“Miss…”

Ye Chutang looked at him mockingly. “That poison Kong Ru used on me—was it your handiwork?”

“Someone like you isn’t worth sparing.”

Then she turned to Housekeeper Chen. “Get me a new bed. This one’s filthy.”

Housekeeper Chen looked to Ye Jingchuan. After getting his nod, he replied, “Yes, Miss.”

Ye Chutang left the kitchen and headed toward Qingsong Courtyard.

Seeing that no one was around, she took out the clothes she had bought for Jinzhi from her space.

Today, there were four guards at Qingsong Courtyard.

Ye Chutang took them down easily and said, “Go tell Ye Jingchuan—I’m taking Jinzhi with me.”

She pushed open the gate and saw Jinzhi, covered in filth, standing in the yard.

“Jin—”

Jinzhi threw herself into Ye Chutang’s arms. “Miss! You’re back—give me a hug!”

“Miss, I’ll keep pretending to be mad for now.”

She was afraid that if she acted sane, Ye Jingchuan would harm the young miss over the dowry.

Ye Chutang realized she couldn’t always stay by Jinzhi’s side. Pretending to be mad was her best protection for now, so she agreed.

“Alright.”

She gently pushed Jinzhi away, took her hand, and asked with a smile, “Do you want to come with me?”

Jinzhi nodded like a woodpecker. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

Back at Ningchu Courtyard, Dan’er was waiting anxiously in the yard. She wasn’t surprised to see Ye Chutang return with the “madwoman.”

“Miss, where should I arrange for her to stay…”

Ye Chutang noticed Dan’er didn’t know what to call Jinzhi and said, “Just call her Aunt Jin.”

“Settle her in the outer room of my bedchamber.”

“Yes, Miss. I’ll go prepare water so Aunt Jin can bathe.”

Ye Chutang stopped her. “Where’s Shuang’er?”

“She knelt for three days and was beaten again today. She’s running a fever and too weak to get up.”

“Alright. Let’s eat first, then boil water and wash up.”

Dan’er nodded and laid out the dishes from the food box.

“You’re hurt and can’t sit—stand and eat with me.”

Dan’er knew Ye Chutang’s words weren’t to be argued with. She didn’t refuse, but was deeply touched.

During the meal, Jinzhi acted out her madness and refused to eat properly.

Dan’er patiently coaxed her.

Ye Chutang knew Jinzhi was testing Dan’er and didn’t interfere.

After the meal, Dan’er boiled water. Ye Chutang applied medicine for her again before letting her rest.

She fetched water for Jinzhi, who bathed herself.

It took three buckets of water before she was clean.

She was skin and bones, covered in scars, her hair dry and tangled, looking much older than she was.

Ye Chutang helped wring out her hair. “Aunt Jin, I’ll make sure you get fat and healthy again.”

Jinzhi took the towel. “Miss, let me do it. You’ve had a long day—go bathe and rest.”

Ye Chutang nodded. “Alright.”

When she finished bathing, Jinzhi had already dried her hair and gone to sleep.

Over an hour later, everyone in Ningchu Courtyard had fallen into a deep sleep.

Ye Chutang changed into men’s clothing, disguised herself, and used her tunneling technique to appear on the main street of the capital.

It was curfew hour. The streets were deserted.

Only the night watchman was banging a gong, announcing it was midnight.

“The air is dry, beware of fires!”

Ye Chutang headed to the rice shop she had scouted earlier that afternoon, climbed in through the back courtyard, and woke the sleeping shopkeeper.

The man was scared half to death.

Then a gold ingot appeared in front of his eyes—enough to calm him down.

“I want all your stored grain, excluding three days’ worth of sales.”

She didn’t want to clear out all the rice and trigger market panic or price surges that would hurt the people.

Three days was enough time for the shopkeeper to restock.

The shopkeeper, hearing the rough male voice and seeing the gold, nodded like mad.

“Okay, I’ll sell it! The brown rice is—”

Before he could name a price, Ye Chutang interrupted him.

“I already know the market rate. If you try to cheat me, I’ll kill you.”

As her words fell, a flash of cold light streaked past—a sharp blade pressed against his neck.

The shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat and gave up all tricks.

“Sir, we businessmen value honesty. I’d never dare to lie.”

He then honestly reported the prices and stock.

“Sir, it totals seventy-eight taels and five hundred sixty-three wen. Since you’re buying in bulk, I’ll take seventy-eight taels even.”

His shop didn’t actually hold that much grain—but he had a personal warehouse stockpiled outside the city.

Ye Chutang let him go, asked for the warehouse location, and handed over eighty taels.

“Consider the extra two taels a hush fee. Don’t tell anyone your granary’s been emptied—avoid causing panic. If anyone asks why you restocked so soon, say you predicted prices would rise and wanted to stock up.”

The shopkeeper fondled the heavy silver with joy.

“Don’t worry, sir, I know how to play it.”

He had just sold off half a year’s worth of rice.

If he didn’t want jealous competitors, he had to keep this secret locked down.

“If anyone finds out your rice is gone, play dumb—then spread a rumor that there are rice thieves in the area.”

Once the shopkeeper nodded, Ye Chutang knocked him out with a palm strike.

The shop’s rice was enough for ten days. She stored six and a half cartloads in her space.

Then she went to the warehouse outside the city and took all the grain stored there.

Ye Chutang returned to the city and repeated this strategy, buying out five rice shops in total, spending nearly seven hundred taels.

She kept going until just before 5 a.m.

“Mission complete. Time to head home.”

The last rice warehouse she cleared was within the city—just a short distance from the Ministry of Rites.

Ye Chutang figured it’d be wasteful to use her tunneling technique again and decided to walk back.

But just as she climbed out of the warehouse—

She ran into Qi Yanzhou, who was on his way back to the Prince of Chen’s residence.