Chapter 155 – Squeezing the Emperor for Every Last Drop

The emperor hadn’t come up with anything particularly clever—just the same old trick of framing someone.

He wanted Ye Chutang to hide weapons in her dowry trunks and smuggle them into Prince Chen’s residence, to serve as fabricated evidence of rebellion.

He also wanted her to plant fake letters proving collusion with the enemy, as well as voodoo dolls meant to curse the emperor, in the bridal chamber.

Treason, collusion with the enemy, and witchcraft.

A triple blow—enough to utterly annihilate the Qi family, leaving them without even a grave to rest in!

Ye Chutang feigned hesitation. “Your Majesty, isn’t exterminating nine generations a bit too ruthless? A lot of innocent people will die.”

“When you’re weeding, you have to pull out the roots. If I’m not ruthless, my throne won’t be stable!”

After saying that, the emperor looked at her mockingly.

“Miss Ye, don’t tell me you’ve grown soft-hearted and are backing out now?”

“As the saying goes, ‘better a dead friend than a poor one.’”

In other words, as long as she could live, other people’s lives or deaths didn’t concern her.

“What a benevolent little Bodhisattva!”

Ye Chutang listened to his sarcasm, the corners of her lips curving into a flirtatious smile.

“Just an act.”

The emperor’s breath caught at her captivating smile.

If his body weren’t still recovering, he would’ve taken this little seductress right there and then!

Thinking of this, he warned her sternly.

“I only want clean women. Don’t get too cozy with Qi Yanzhou. Don’t mistake playacting for real feelings.”

Ye Chutang nodded obediently. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. I would never do something that harms others without benefiting myself.”

Then she asked, “Where are the weapons coming from? Who’s writing the fake letters? And who’s making the voodoo dolls?”

“You don’t need to worry about any of that,” the emperor waved her off. “Just cooperate. The Ministry of Rites will handle all the wedding arrangements.”

“You may leave the palace now.”

But Ye Chutang didn’t move. She shook the imperial edict in her hand.

“Your Majesty, I came to the palace to receive the imperial marriage edict. Isn’t it a little inappropriate to leave empty-handed? What if Prince Chen asks about it—how am I supposed to explain?”

The emperor’s private treasury had been cleaned out—not a single coin left. He really had nothing to give.

And besides, he didn’t want to give her anything.

“If I give you rewards right after granting a marriage, Prince Chen might grow suspicious.”

“You’re mistaken, Your Majesty. The rewards aren’t for the marriage—they’re for the prescription I gave you to prevent and cure the plague. The marriage edict is just a bonus.”

Seeing the emperor frown, Ye Chutang pressed further.

“Summoning me to the palace just to hand over an edict? That’s out of character for you.”

Even if this mangy emperor had been robbed blind, she was still going to squeeze something out of him!

Ye Jingchuan agreed with her logic.

“Your Majesty, Prince Chen is a suspicious man. It’s better to play it safe—we don’t want to fumble the ball right at the finish line.”

The emperor turned to Ye Jingchuan. “Lord Ye, go pick a few good items from the national treasury and reward Miss Ye.”

“I shall obey.”

As Ye Chutang was leaving, the emperor gave her another dose of the temporary antidote.

Once outside the palace, she turned to Ye Jingchuan and said, “Father, pick something decent—don’t be too stingy. When the eunuchs read out the reward list at the gates of our residence, everyone will know how much the emperor values you.”

Right on target—Ye Jingchuan’s heart swelled with satisfaction.

The Ministry of Appointments had been under too much scrutiny lately, with people pointing fingers left and right.

A reward from the emperor would shut a lot of mouths!

“Alright. We’ll do just that.”

Ye Jingchuan headed off to the Ministry of Revenue, while Ye Chutang got off the carriage at the main street.

She held out her hand. “Father, I want to go for a stroll. Give me some money.”

Seeing Ye Chutang asking so brazenly, Ye Jingchuan sighed in resignation and handed over all the silver notes and loose change he had on him.

“This is all I’ve got. Use it wisely.”

“I’ll try. And don’t forget about Aunt Jin’s hundred thousand taels.”

With that, Ye Chutang skipped off to enjoy her shopping.

Her main stop was the fabric shop. Fabric stores didn’t just sell cloth—they also carried materials used to stuff bedding and winter clothes.

Since it was summer, those winter fillers were all stored away in the warehouse.

After checking the prices, Ye Chutang left the shop.

Tonight, she’d be “restocking” that warehouse!

She headed to a quiet spot, changed into men’s clothing, and went to the vegetable market.

The northwest had plenty of cattle and sheep but very few vegetables. She needed to stock up.

By then, the sun was already low in the sky. The market was nearly deserted, and the remaining vegetables weren’t exactly fresh.

One stall was selling ginger—both tender young ginger from this season and old ginger preserved from the previous year.

Too much ginger could cause heatiness, so it didn’t sell well during summer.

The old man running the stall lit up when Ye Chutang approached.

“Young master, want some ginger? I’ll sell it cheap!”

Ye Chutang asked in a masculine voice, “How much per jin? If it’s cheap enough, I’ll take it all.”

The old man’s eyes sparkled. “Usually five wen per jin, but if you’re buying all of it, I’ll let it go for three. The young ginger’s even cheaper—two wen a jin.”

“Deal. Let’s go with your prices.”

“Great! I’ll weigh it right away—”

Ye Chutang cut him off. “Hold on, I’m not finished talking yet.”

The old man looked startled, thinking she’d changed her mind.

“Young master, don’t worry—none of my ginger is spoiled. It’s all top quality.”

Ye Chutang picked up a piece of old ginger. “If all your ginger is this quality, I’ll take as much as you’ve got.”

“Really? I’ve got over a thousand jin in my cellar at home!”

“Perfect. My master plans to plant ginger—he needs old ginger to use as seed.”

The old man hesitated. He wanted to sell, but—

“Young master, it’s already past planting season. The ginger won’t mature before the cold weather hits.”

“We’re not planting for mature ginger—just for the shoots. Are you selling or not?”

That settled it. The old man beamed.

“Selling! Would you like to pick it up now, or come by tomorrow?”

“Now.”

“My home’s just outside the city. Please wait here, I’ll fetch it—”

“I’ll go with you. I want to inspect the quality.”

“Alright!”

The old man packed up the ginger from his stall, loaded it onto a handcart, and led Ye Chutang out of the city.

His cellar was half-empty already, but the rest was crammed full of old ginger.

“Have a look, young master. All good quality—no bruises or damage.”

“How much do you think this is?”

“Should be no more than fifteen hundred jin.”

Ye Chutang pulled out five taels of silver from her space and handed it over.

“Let’s call it fifteen hundred. I’ll take it all. As for the rest, I’ll buy tender ginger.”

The old man was thrilled to the point of tears. “Yes, yes! Please wait a moment. The tender ginger’s still in the field—I’ll get my family to help dig it up.”

“Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

Once the old man’s family was gone, Ye Chutang stored all the ginger in her space.

In winter, ginger water could prevent colds and warm the body—it would come in handy.

The family of seven quickly returned with a cartful of tender ginger—at least three hundred jin.

Ye Chutang handed over another piece of broken silver.

“I’m buying this handcart too.”

With that, she wheeled off the already-cleaned ginger straight from the river.

Once far enough from sight, she stored the ginger in her space.

By the time she re-entered the city gates, the sun had just set, painting the sky in brilliant hues of red—a sign of fair weather tomorrow.

News of her imperial engagement to Qi Yanzhou had already spread throughout the capital.