Chapter 13 – Even More Alluring Than Princess Anping

Ye Anling noticed that Ye Chutang kept asking about Prince Chen, and her delicate brows knitted slightly.

“Elder Sister seems very interested in Prince Chen?”

“Mhm, a little.”

Ye Anling rolled her eyes internally.

“Prince Chen holds great power and status—even His Majesty must treat him with deference. He’s not someone Elder Sister can afford to provoke.”

Prince Chen didn’t even take a liking to Princess Anping. Why would he fancy some country bumpkin like you?

Ye Chutang asked again, “Which family is Princess Anping from?”

“Princess Anping is the eldest legitimate daughter of Prince An, the Emperor’s own younger brother. Prince An is the only noble with a fief who hasn’t been made to leave the capital. Princess Anping is well-loved by the Empress Dowager and as respected as any princess of the realm.”

After hearing this, Ye Chutang—drawing on her extensive experience watching palace dramas—felt this imperial marriage decree was anything but simple.

“How could one sleep soundly when another snores beside their bed?”

Even if Prince An behaved with utmost decorum, the Emperor would remain wary of him and would never allow him to form an alliance through marriage with a powerful, militarized vassal prince like Prince Chen.

This marriage decree was a test.

If Prince Chen agreed, the Emperor would suspect treasonous intent and could easily find an excuse to bring down the Prince Chen Manor.

If he refused, he’d need to use his military power to do so—undoing all his years of effort, and worse, gaining a reputation for defying an imperial edict.

Either way, the Emperor won.

Once Ye Chutang figured that out, she sighed at how tough ancient military commanders really had it.

She repeated her earlier question.

“Will Prince Chen attend the welcome banquet for my return at the Minister’s manor?”

Ye Anling’s tone turned sharp, annoyed that Ye Chutang still didn’t seem to understand.

“Elder Sister, if you try to attract Prince Chen’s attention, you’re setting yourself against Princess Anping!”

Ye Chutang glanced at the flustered Ye Anling as if she were watching a farcical clown act.

“When you said I was prettier than Princess Anping, weren’t you already putting me on the opposite side?”

That one sentence made Ye Anling’s heart skip a beat.

She figured it out?!

This peasant woman from the countryside really is the daughter of a merchant—naturally born with a scheming mind!

She quickly tried to explain, “Elder Sister, you misunderstood. I was just being honest. I never meant to harm you.”

Then the conversation circled back to Prince Chen.

“His Majesty harbors deep suspicion toward Prince Chen. He’s not a suitable match.”

Ye Anling could accept Prince Chen marrying anyone—anyone except Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang smiled faintly. “If I do get the chance to meet Prince Chen, I’ll be sure to pass along your kind warning.”

“……”

“Will Eunuch De be attending the banquet at the Minister’s manor?”

Ye Anling hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of Ye Chutang’s previous comment when the words “Eunuch De” rang in her ears, nearly causing her to knock over a small shelf next to the short table.

“Why are you suddenly asking about Eunuch De?”

Ye Chutang answered the question with another question, “What, I’m not allowed to ask?”

Afraid of giving something away, Ye Anling rushed to explain.

“Eunuch De is deeply favored—second only to the Emperor himself. He’s not someone you can speak of lightly. Elder Sister, please don’t bring him up again.”

After speaking, she pulled open the curtain and looked outside.

“Stop the carriage!”

With a shout, the carriage came to a halt.

Ye Anling said to Ye Chutang, “Elder Sister, let’s stroll through Mingxiang Zhai for a bit.”

She dared not keep talking—worried too many secrets would come spilling out.

Ye Chutang caught the wafting aroma of sweets and tea from Mingxiang Zhai and nodded.

“Alright.”

Just as she was about to get off, she saw Ye Anling pull out a handkerchief embroidered with orchids from her sleeve and cover her face.

Seeing Ye Chutang’s puzzled look, Ye Anling’s mouth curved into a hidden smile beneath the cloth.

“Elder Sister, aren’t you going to wear a face veil?”

In the North Chen Kingdom, social customs were relatively liberal.

Although men and women still sat separately in formal settings, unmarried women typically wore veils when out in public.

Naturally, this sort of custom didn’t exist in the countryside, so Ye Chutang had no idea.

Shuang’er knew, but deliberately kept quiet. After all, Ye Anling’s whole purpose in taking Ye Chutang out shopping was to let people see how stunning she looked.

Within just a few hours, Eunuch De would hear of her beauty—and how she far outshone Princess Anping.

And knowing his lecherous tendencies, he would definitely attend the banquet in three days to see for himself.

Ye Chutang yanked down Ye Anling’s veil.

“Don’t you realize this flimsy cloth does nothing to hide your malicious intentions?”

With that, she jumped down from the carriage.

Ye Anling panicked after being exposed and tried to follow Ye Chutang to explain.

But she missed her step on the carriage stool, screamed, and tumbled to the ground.

The coachman immediately leapt down to help her.

No one noticed that the once-flat flagstone beneath them had been subtly raised by some soil underneath.

As the coachman landed, he lost his footing and twisted his ankle.

His outstretched hand failed to catch Ye Anling in time.

Smack!

Ye Anling hit the ground hard, her face scraping against the stone and getting covered in dirt.

Ye Chutang looked on with satisfaction and discreetly pushed the stone slab back into place.

Qiulu, who had been waiting on the other side of the carriage, hurried over to help Ye Anling up.

“Second Miss, are you alright?”

As she spoke, she anxiously dabbed at the dirt on Ye Anling’s face with a cloth.

Ye Anling had never been so humiliated. She angrily slapped Qiulu’s hand away.

“Useless wretch!”

She then dove back into the carriage to fix her appearance.

Qiulu immediately dropped to her knees. “Second Miss, please calm your anger!”

Meanwhile, the coachman kept staring at the recently disturbed flagstone, seemingly deep in thought.

Mingxiang Zhai was one of the most famous pastry shops in the capital, known for its tea-infused confections.

The prices were steep—the cheapest item cost a tael of silver.

So the only customers were either nobility or the servants of nobility.

Most of them recognized Ye Anling.

When they heard a maid call her “Second Miss,” many looked confused and began whispering.

“Wasn’t that the eldest daughter of the Minister’s family who just fell?”

“Then who was that breathtaking beauty who got off the carriage first?”

“Looked like Miss Ye was chasing after her and tripped in the process.”

“She’s too gorgeous! Even more stunning than Princess Anping!”

“Shh! Do you want to die…”

Though the gossip was whispered, it still drifted up into a private room on the second floor of Mingxiang Zhai.

Inside sat two young men.

The one in a blue robe was pouring newly harvested yuqian Longjing tea into fine bone china cups, steeping it with freshly boiled spring water.

The aroma curled gently through the air.

He heard the chatter from below and curiously pushed open the window to look.

Ye Chutang stood slightly sideways, her exquisitely beautiful profile catching his eye.

“Hiss… She really is more beautiful than Princess Anping. Ziqian, look—this is a once-in-a-century celestial beauty.”

Prince Chen’s surname was Qi, given name Yanzhou, courtesy name Ziqian.

Qi Yanzhou glanced at the awestruck Qin Muyun beside him and said, “If your grandfather heard that, I bet he’d rise from his sickbed in shock.”

Qin Muyun: “……”

You know my grandfather’s gravely ill and my family’s been pressuring me to marry quickly for a luck boost, and yet you still go for the gut punch—some friend you are!

“Did you eat too many southern Gu worms? That tongue of yours is venomous.”

Qi Yanzhou said evenly, “You can’t dodge this marriage. Better to pick someone you like than let your family choose for you.”

Qin Muyun knew very well—if his grandfather’s health didn’t improve, he’d have to go through with a rushed wedding for the sake of good fortune.

“You’re right about that. But who is this girl? What’s her character like? Is she engaged? Would she be willing to marry the most notorious playboy in the capital?”

He rattled off a string of questions before handing the brewed Longjing to Qi Yanzhou.

“Ziqian, help me look into her.”

Qi Yanzhou nodded. “Sure.”

“Don’t just say ‘sure’—you better actually look. How else are you going to find her if you don’t know what she looks like?”

Saying that, he pushed the window open even wider.

As Qi Yanzhou looked down, Ye Chutang heard the creak of a window opening above and looked up.