Chapter 88: Setting a Heavenly Trap

“As long as no one in the Prince An’s residence tries to provoke me, I won’t stir up any trouble today,” Ye Chutang said, walking with Ye Jingchuan to the entrance of Prince An’s residence.

The butler of Prince An’s residence called out loudly, “Minister Ye! Miss Ye!”

Ye Jingchuan handed the congratulatory gifts to the butler and entered the residence.

A young servant led the father and daughter inside.

“Minister, Miss Ye, please follow me.”

Prince An’s residence was a four-courtyard house.

As they entered through the main gate, the first thing they saw was an exquisite relief screen, like a sea embracing all rivers.

In the center of the courtyard was a large jar, surrounded by lotus leaves, and koi fish swam happily in the water.

Turning right, they passed through a covered corridor leading to the Yiyuan garden.

The female guests were temporarily arranged at the furthest end of the Yiyuan garden, near the stage.

The male guests entered the front yard from the Yiting Hall and proceeded to the main hall.

Prince An and his wife greeted them at the entrance of the Yiting Hall.

After exchanging greetings with the couple, Ye Jingchuan introduced his daughter to them.

“This is my youngest daughter, Ye Chutang.”

Ye Chutang lowered her body and bowed. “Greetings to Prince An and Princess An. I wish the princess everlasting youth and good health.”

Princess An, upon seeing the young woman whose beauty could overshadow even Bai Yi, forced a smile that was somewhat stiff.

“Please rise. You’re quite the charmer, child.”

She was almost a mirror image of her own daughter, with a captivating, enchanting face that could easily mesmerize men!

Prince An, gazing at Ye Chutang, whose face resembled that of Tang Wanning by seventy percent, found it hard to tear his eyes away.

“Miss Ye, you look so much like your mother.”

Ye Chutang, meeting Prince An’s intense gaze, quickly shifted her eyes with disdain.

“My father has said the same.”

Princess An barely managed to hold her smile.

She called for a maid. “Take Miss Ye to the tea room in the Yiyuan garden to enjoy tea and the view.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The maid led Ye Chutang away, and Ye Jingchuan’s face darkened.

“Your Highness, may we have a word?”

Back in the day, when Tang Wanning first appeared in the capital, her breathtaking beauty caught the eye of countless nobles.

Not only Prince An, but even the emperor had been captivated.

At this moment, Ye Jingchuan wasn’t here to talk about Tang Wanning, but rather the emperor’s plans.

Prince An nodded. “Minister Ye, please follow me.”

He then called for his son.

“Qingshu, please entertain the guests for a while. I’ll return shortly.”

“Yes, Father.”

Zhao Qingshu, noticing his mother’s displeased expression, asked with concern, “Mother, are you unwell?”

“It’s nothing, I’m just a little tired from standing for too long.”

“You are the birthday celebrant today, you can’t afford to be exhausted. Go rest, and let Anping greet the female guests.”

Princess An nodded in agreement. “Alright, you take care of the guests. I’ll go find Anping.”

At that moment, Princess Anping was at the tea pavilion.

She wore a fiery red gauze dress, strikingly beautiful and incredibly bold.

But as soon as Ye Chutang appeared, she was completely overshadowed.

Originally the star of the show, Anping found herself surrounded only by a few close friends, while everyone else sought to flatter Ye Chutang.

“Miss Ye, not only is your appearance unparalleled, but I hear you’re also skilled in medicine. Truly admirable.”

“I didn’t know much about Miss Ye before, and I may have been rude. Please forgive me.”

“Miss Ye excels at everything, a role model for women everywhere.”

These noble ladies, who had once looked down on Ye Chutang, now regretted their previous judgments.

It’s easy to send coal in the snow, but adding flowers to the brocade is much harder.

Complimenting her was the right thing to do, no matter how you look at it.

Ye Chutang was the type of person who would return a smile for a smile.

She responded to the praise with a graceful smile, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed Princess Anping’s darkened expression. Without hesitation, she flashed a provocative smile in her direction.

Princess Anping was furious and marched forward, but before she could speak to Ye Chutang, Princess An quickly approached.

“Anping, your mother is feeling a little tired. Please go greet the guests in the flower hall.”

In the Northern Chen Kingdom, filial piety was highly valued.

Though Anping was headstrong, she respected her elders.

“Yes, Mother.”

With Princess An present, the atmosphere among the noble families was quite harmonious.

The older guests chatted casually, while the younger ones recited poetry and sipped tea.

Ye Chutang, munching on sunflower seeds, enjoyed both the poetry and the gossip.

---

At the same time.

Ye Jingchuan was led to the study by Prince An.

On the desk was a small white jade bottle.

Prince An picked up the bottle, holding it tightly in his palm, torn with inner conflict.

After meeting Ye Chutang, he no longer wanted to send her to her death.

Ye Jingchuan noticed that Prince An was silent, holding the white jade bottle, and asked, “Your Highness, what did the emperor instruct?”

Prince An snapped back to reality and, with great pain, handed the white jade bottle to Ye Jingchuan.

He was a powerless pawn, confined in the capital to showcase the emperor’s benevolence.

If he disobeyed the emperor, the Prince An’s residence would cease to exist in an instant!

“This is the emperor’s secret medicine. It’s colorless and tasteless, similar to the effect of softening tendons powder. But after seven days without the antidote, the person’s tendons will snap, and they will die.”

Ye Jingchuan took the jade bottle and asked, “Is the antidote with the emperor?”

“Yes. After it’s consumed, the emperor will meet with Master Ye.”

“Where is the shadow guard?”

Before Prince An could answer, two figures, completely wrapped up, suddenly appeared, standing beside Ye Jingchuan.

Prince An glanced at them and said, “If poisoning fails, we’ll go with more drastic measures.”

The Prince An’s residence was a well-laid trap for Ye Chutang.

Once she entered, she wouldn’t be able to escape!

Ye Jingchuan, seeing that the emperor had made all the arrangements, felt somewhat relieved.

But now there was a problem before him.

Men and women cannot be in the same room—how would he poison Ye Chutang?

“Your Highness, can’t you be the one to administer the poison?”

Whether through food or drink, the people in the Prince An’s residence would be the ones most convenient for the task.

Prince An shook his head. “No, I’m just helping Minister Ye fulfill the emperor’s order. I don’t want to get involved in this matter.”

No matter how things turned out with Ye Chutang, Prince An’s residence couldn’t be implicated.

Ye Jingchuan frowned slightly. “Let me think for a moment.”

Unable to come up with a solution immediately, he brought up another issue.

“Your Highness, how do you plan to make King Chen and Chuer have intimate contact?”

“By having her fall into the water.”

Ye Jingchuan thought Prince An’s method was unreliable.

This plan might work on most young women, but it would be difficult for Ye Chutang, who had grown up in the countryside.

“Chuer grew up in the countryside. She likely knows how to swim.”

Prince An looked at the two shadow guards and instructed, “Let them hide in the lotus pond first. Once Ye Chutang is there, they can drag her in.”

“How can you ensure that King Chen will definitely jump in to save her?”

“Of course, we’ll create an opportunity where only King Chen is near the lotus pond.”

Ye Jingchuan realized that if Ye Chutang were to fall into the water, he, as her father, would have to be the one to appear.

This would create the perfect opportunity for him to poison her.

“Alright, since Your Highness has already made all the arrangements, I won’t let you down.”

“It’s not about letting down King Chen, it’s about not letting down the emperor.”

Prince An said, rising.

“Minister Ye, we’ve been in the study for a while. We should return to the front yard.”

Ye Jingchuan nodded and followed Prince An.

As soon as they left the study, he suddenly remembered a question.

“Your Highness, what if the water plan fails?”

Prince An turned back, a faint, confident smile curling at the corners of his lips.

“Minister Ye needn’t worry. Even if it fails, King Chen still has a backup plan.”