Chapter 103 – Five Thousand Taels to Meet

Ye Jingchuan hadn’t even seen how Ye Chutang made her move.

A cold flash, and the skin on his neck was sliced open.

A sharp sting rushed in. His eyes widened in horror, and his heart almost jumped out of his throat.

He reached for his neck—his hand came away drenched in blood.

“What are you doing?!”

Ye Chutang calmly put away the bloodied dagger, then used Ye Jingchuan’s luxurious robe to wipe it clean.

“Father, why are you panicking? It’s just a flesh wound. It’ll heal quickly. I simply wanted to show you—when it comes to killing, the most effective move is often the unexpected one.”

With that, she smiled and patted Ye Jingchuan on the shoulder.

“Don’t be afraid. No matter how much I hate you, I would never commit patricide.”

I’ll just make you wish you were dead.

Clutching his bleeding neck, Ye Jingchuan gritted his teeth and growled, “Maniac!”

“Thanks for the compliment. Now, if there’s nothing else, hurry up and leave. Don’t keep me from enjoying my grapes.”

“How did you make it back?”

Ye Chutang popped a grape into her mouth and replied leisurely, “Didn’t I already tell the Dali Temple investigators? I don’t know. When Prince Chen was losing to the assassins and about to be killed, I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I was in my own room.”

Ye Jingchuan stared at her and pressed, “Why did the ‘Ghost Thief’ save you? Do you have any idea what kind of disaster you’re inviting upon the Ministry of Rites by being connected to him?”

Ye Chutang picked up the dagger from the table and played with it.

The cold gleam reflected repeatedly into Ye Jingchuan’s eyes, making him nearly go blind.

“My life was hanging by a thread. Why would I care about the Ministry of Rites? As for why the ‘Ghost Thief’ saved me—ask him yourself.”

Seeing that she wouldn’t say more, Ye Jingchuan rubbed his eyes, got up, and prepared to leave.

“Chuer, let’s hold off on filing a report with the emperor. Once the Dali Temple—”

Before he could finish, Housekeeper Chen rushed into Ningchu Courtyard.

“Master, the Heir of Prince An is here. He needs to speak with you urgently.”

Ye Jingchuan assumed Zhao Qingshu was here about the imperial complaint.

“Please ask the heir to wait in the main hall. I’ll be right there.”

“Yes, Master.”

After Housekeeper Chen left, Ye Jingchuan continued his earlier sentence.

“Chuer, Prince An is the emperor’s younger brother. Filing a complaint is a direct slap in the emperor’s face. Don’t do anything so foolish that it hurts others and yourself. Ling’er’s wedding is approaching—just behave.”

With that, he left.

Ye Chutang treated his words like a fart and went on eating grapes.

Just then, Jun’er, who had been hiding behind the main room’s door, ran over with a handkerchief.

“Big Sister, let me wipe your dagger.”

Ye Chutang gave him a grape and asked with a smile, “I almost killed Father just now. Aren’t you scared?”

“Not at all. Jun’er knows you always have a reason for what you do.”

“Why do you trust me so much?”

From the first time he met her, Jun’er had treated her with incredible kindness.

Eventually, he became her little fanboy.

Jun’er offered the peeled grape to her lips, his large eyes dark and shining.

“Because you saved me.”

She didn’t just save his life—she saved him from a life of despair.

He really liked his big sister and wanted to follow her forever!

From the moment he was born, she was the first person who genuinely cared for him with no strings attached.

Father’s so-called love was just surface-level. Otherwise, how could he go so many years without realizing Jun’er’s frailty wasn’t natural but caused by someone?

And more importantly—how could he not know that Jun’er wasn’t even really his son?!

Ye Chutang had no idea what Jun’er was thinking. After eating the grape he gave her, she handed him the dagger.

“It’s yours now. Once your health improves, I’ll teach you martial arts.”

“I’ll do whatever Big Sister says.”

“Go study. I hope you’ll grow up to be skilled in both literature and martial arts—able to protect yourself, help others, and see the big picture clearly.”

Jun’er clutched the dagger tightly and promised, “Big Sister, I’ll do my best.”

“Just don’t forget—your health comes first. Everything else is secondary.”

“No—Big Sister comes first. Everything else is secondary.”

With that, Jun’er hugged the dagger and headed into the main room, asking Le’er to help him with his studies.

Ye Chutang looked at the westward-setting sun and smiled.

“The skies of Beichen will clear eventually.”

Just then, Dan’er, who had gone to the kitchen to get ingredients, happened to hear this and looked at the sunset in confusion.

Isn’t the sky already pretty clear today?

Though puzzled, she didn’t ask and returned to the kitchen to cook.

Ye Chutang turned her gaze away and prepared to get up and practice her martial arts.

At that moment, Housekeeper Chen returned.

“Miss, Master requests your presence in the main hall. The heir of Prince An wishes to see you.”

“I don’t want to see him.”

“Miss, the heir’s status is noble. You can’t refuse.”

Ye Chutang scoffed, “Well, I’m refusing anyway. What’s he gonna do about it? If he wants to see me, sure—five thousand taels per meeting. If he can’t cough it up, tell him to scram!”

Housekeeper Chen was long used to Ye Chutang’s brazen remarks.

“Miss, you mustn’t speak so recklessly. Disrespecting royal authority could be a crime.”

“Royal authority? Are you saying Zhao Qingshu is the emperor’s son? Last I heard, Prince An prefers men. Isn’t it only natural for a big brother to take care of his brother-in-law?”

Housekeeper Chen nearly fainted from fright.

“That’s not what I meant!”

He didn’t even finish the sentence before scuttling out of the room in a panic.

Before long, Housekeeper Chen returned once again.

“Miss, here’s the five thousand taels you requested. Please accept it.”

The silver notes were from Ye Jingchuan.

Ye Chutang took the money and headed to the main hall.

When Zhao Qingshu saw her enter, he immediately bowed in apology.

“My apologies for the poor hospitality, Miss Ye. I’m sorry you were frightened.”

Ye Chutang clicked her tongue. “Poor hospitality? Prince An’s residence didn’t just mistreat me—it tried to kill me!”

“Please forgive me, Miss Ye. It was a misunderstanding. Those assassins weren’t from Prince An’s residence.”

“Oh? And yet they set up a giant cage in the private quarters to capture me? There weren’t just one or two killers hiding in the guest courtyard—there were over a dozen!”

Zhao Qingshu was clearly annoyed by Ye Chutang’s overbearing attitude.

But he needed something from her, so he suppressed his anger and explained.

“Miss Ye, we had many guests that day. Most of the guards were stationed in the front courtyard and the garden. That’s why the guest courtyard was left exposed and the villains found a chance to strike. On behalf of Prince An, I sincerely apologize.”

He bowed deeply once more.

Ye Chutang waited for him to rise, then held out her hand.

“Well, since you’re here to apologize—where’s the gift?”

Zhao Qingshu: “……”

“Please forgive me, Miss Ye. I left in such a hurry today, I didn’t prepare one. I’ll send it to you another day.”

Ye Chutang pulled back her hand and made an exaggerated, meaningful “Oh~” sound.

“How insincere. Forget the gift. I’ve decided—I am filing that complaint!”

Seeing that she was completely unyielding, Zhao Qingshu’s face darkened.

“Miss Ye, must you really push things this far?”

“Oh, dropping the act already? Can’t even pretend anymore, huh?”

That line pushed Zhao Qingshu to the brink, and Ye Jingchuan rubbed his temples in frustration.

“Chuer, don’t be rude to the heir!”

He hurried to pull her down into a seat and poured her a cup of tea.

“The heir is here to resolve things. Let’s talk it out.”

Ye Chutang’s gaze fell on the steaming tea cup.

She didn’t need to guess—something was definitely off about it.

She pushed the cup in Ye Jingchuan’s direction.

“Father, if you drink this cup of tea, I’ll talk with the heir.”