Chapter 167: Severing Ties with Ye Jingchuan

Once Ye Chutang had the thought, she decided to verify it before leaving the capital.

Tonight wasn’t the night.

She had already disabled Steward Chen’s hands.

“Get out!”

After Steward Chen left Ningchu Courtyard, Ye Chutang called Shan’er and Jin Zhi to her bedroom to discuss the arrangements for the next day.

She took out ten hundred-tael silver notes, giving five to each of them.

“The journey north is long. Buy anything you need; don’t be too hard on yourselves.”

To prevent them from worrying, she didn’t mention the matter of her exile and only said they would leave for the northwest the next day.

Shan’er and Jin Zhi had many questions but didn’t ask anything.

“Yes, Miss.”

The two of them handed the silver notes back to Ye Chutang at the same time.

“Miss, we don’t need them.”

They had saved some gold and silver, and even without extra money, it would be enough for their journey.

Ye Chutang forced the silver notes back into their hands. “Take it. This is an order.”

Shan’er and Jin Zhi couldn’t refuse and had no choice but to accept the silver.

“Miss, tomorrow is your wedding, you’ll have to get up early. It will be very tiring, so please rest early.”

“Mm, you two prepare the bathing water, I’ll talk to Jun’er for a bit.”

When Ye Chutang came out of the bedroom, Ye Jingchuan, who was in excruciating pain, charged into the courtyard.

“Unfilial daughter, give me the antidote!”

Before he could finish speaking, he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the clean stone tiles.

Ye Chutang walked in front of the barely standing Ye Jingchuan, looking at him expressionlessly.

“I’ve said it before, bring me the letter of severance to exchange for the antidote.”

Ye Jingchuan didn’t want to sever ties at all.

He believed that with Ye Chutang’s talent and beauty, she could conquer the harem and bring the Ye family to greater heights.

“Chutang, do you know the consequences of severing ties? Not only will the Minister’s residence lose its reputation, but you’ll also be pointed at by others.”

As he spoke, he spat another mouthful of blood, his face turning blue from the poison.

Ye Chutang showed no concern.

“You pampered concubines and mistreated my mother and brother, sending me away to the countryside without a care. I don’t have a father like you. Let people point fingers at me, I’ll accept it!”

Ye Jingchuan, unable to stand, fell to the ground.

The fear of death forced him to compromise.

“Fine, I’ll sever ties!”

Ye Chutang crouched down and pressed a few acupoints on Ye Jingchuan’s body.

“These acupoints will temporarily relieve your pain, enough for you to write the letter of severance.”

She then turned to Jin Zhi. “Aunt Jin, prepare the writing tools.”

Jin Zhi responded, then placed the writing tools on the stone table in the courtyard.

Ye Jingchuan clenched his teeth, glaring at Ye Chutang.

“Won’t regret it?”

Ye Chutang rolled her eyes. “Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and write.”

“Wait, I’ll be waiting for you to beg me to tear up the severance letter and restore the Ye family.”

Once he became a marquis, this dead girl would regret it, no doubt!

Ye Chutang didn’t even spare him a glance.

Once he finished writing the letter, she immediately signed and sealed it.

Seeing that Ye Chutang was so resolute, Ye Jingchuan was so angry that he immediately signed and pressed his fingerprint.

Ye Chutang looked at the severance letter, still wet with ink, and took out the antidote, handing it to Ye Jingchuan.

“After I get married tomorrow, I’ll have no further ties with the Ye family.”

Ye Jingchuan immediately took the antidote, then angrily left Ningchu Courtyard.

Ye Chutang had Jin Zhi close the courtyard door and went to the side room.

Jun’er was writing.

When he saw Ye Chutang enter, he immediately put down his brush and stood up.

“Congratulations, elder sister. You’re free now.”

Ye Chutang smiled and ruffled Jun’er’s hair. “You’ll be free soon too. Tomorrow, when I bid farewell to my elders, you take the opportunity to reveal your identity.”

“Big sister, won’t this delay your auspicious wedding hour?”

“The Prince of Chen will come a bit earlier to pick me up, so it won’t delay the auspicious time.”

Upon hearing this, Jun’er was relieved.

“Alright, Jun’er will listen to big sister. After revealing my identity, I’ll go study at Huating Academy.”

“Good boy, get some rest early.”

After leaving the side room, Ye Chutang returned to the courtyard, packed away the still-drying severance letter, and went to bathe in her bedroom.

After bathing, Jin Zhi helped her comb her hair.

“Miss, when can we see each other again?”

“Soon, in half a year at the earliest, or a year at the latest.”

“I’ll wait for you, Miss.”

Afterward, Jin Zhi lowered her voice and asked, “Miss, do you think there’s still a chance for the young master to be alive?”

Until the truth was confirmed, Ye Chutang didn’t plan to share her suspicions to avoid disappointing Jin Zhi.

“Aunt Jin, I hope my brother is alive, but…”

Jin Zhi understood the unspoken part of her sentence.

Yes, she had personally confirmed it—there was no pulse, no breath. He couldn’t possibly be alive!

Miss was deliberately saying this to get back at the master!

Thinking of this, Jin Zhi sighed regretfully. “The madam had made many clothes for you and the young master before, but unfortunately, after changing residences, everything was lost.”

Otherwise, there would have been some belongings left at the young master’s grave, and it wouldn’t have been a barren tomb.

Ye Chutang held Jin Zhi’s hand and said, “Aunt Jin, what matters is the intent, not the material things.”

She planned to wait until she confirmed with Song Jingning before deciding whether to establish a memorial tomb.

“Miss, your hair is dry. You should rest early.”

After Jin Zhi left, Ye Chutang slipped away to the Prince of Chen’s residence.

She wasn’t looking for Qi Yanzhou, nor was she going to empty out the Prince’s residence. Instead, she put the cicada into the ice cellar.

She would nurture it there for a while, and on the road to exile, she could take the opportunity to feed it some more, which would be enough to neutralize the fire poison.

Afterward, she went to the royal hot spring villa to use the hot spring water to nurture the leech.

Once she finished her tasks, Ye Chutang returned to the Minister’s residence, but not to Ningchu Courtyard. She went straight to Old Madam Ye’s bedroom.

“Knock knock knock!”

The sound of knocking woke Old Madam Ye.

“Who is it? Why are you knocking so late at night? Gui Xiang, go check.”

Gui Xiang was Old Madam Ye’s personal maid. She usually slept in the outer room, serving the old madam.

But Ye Chutang had already drugged all the maids in the courtyard, so when Old Madam Ye called, no one would answer.

“Bang!”

The door to the bedroom was suddenly broken open. A gust of wind swept in, lifting the bed curtains.

Old Madam Ye was startled, and fear surged in her heart.

“Who… who is it? Gui Xiang! Yun’er! Zhu’er!”

She clutched the blanket tightly, shrinking to the wall, her murky eyes filled with fear.

Ye Chutang, dressed in dark clothes and with disheveled hair, suddenly appeared in front of Old Madam Ye.

Weak light filtered in from outside, and the wind stirred her hair, making it look like a swarm of demons dancing.

“Mother, it’s me.”

Her voice was ethereal and resentful, as if it came from hell.

“Why did you throw Lin’er into the river? It was so cold and freezing, he was so cold, so pitiful.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Ye mistook the “ghost” in front of her for Tang Wanning and turned pale with fright.

“It wasn’t me, don’t come near me, go away!”

Ye Chutang handed the soaked fake baby to Old Madam Ye.

“Mother, hold Lin’er, he’s your long-awaited legitimate grandson!”

The light was dim, and Old Madam Ye could barely make out the child’s features, but she could faintly see the face.

She was on the verge of going insane.

“Your Lin’er was killed by Kong Ru, go find her!”

Before she could finish her sentence, icy water dripped from the fake baby onto her.

The biting cold rushed over, and her tensed nerves snapped, causing her to faint.

Ye Chutang: “…”

“How many wicked deeds has one done to be this scared?”

After saying this, she placed the cold fake baby in Old Madam Ye’s hand.

The old madam was frozen awake, but when she opened her eyes and saw the “baby thrown into the river,” she fainted again.

Ye Chutang knew that from now on, Old Madam Ye would never have peace of mind.

Once her goal was achieved, she took the fake baby, and with a large wind fan at the door, returned to Ningchu Courtyard for a good rest.

She needed to conserve her energy for tomorrow’s wedding!