Chapter 176 – Overhearing Song Jingning’s Background

Qi Yanzhou gave the troublemaking Concubine Su a cold stare and questioned, “I ordered this food for Atang. If there’s anyone being unfilial, it’s me. If you have a problem, take it up with me.”

Concubine Su didn’t dare confront Qi Yanzhou directly and looked pitifully toward the old master of the Qi family.

“Master, I didn’t mean anything else. I just think we should respect seniority and hierarchy.”

The old master slapped her swollen face again without hesitation.

“In the Qi family, you are of low status!”

Then, he turned to Ye Chutang with a kind expression.

“Chutang, you don’t look well. Eat more, and don’t bother with people who don’t matter.”

Just the fact that Ye Chutang saved Yanzhou, was willing to suffer exile alongside him, and helped preserve the family’s dignity was more than enough to warrant treating her like a treasured guest!

Even the usually gentle old madam flared up for the first time.

“Remember this well—if it weren’t for Chutang, none of you would still have the clothes and jewelry on your backs!

Chutang is the Qi family’s lucky star. If anyone dares to go against her again, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Clutching her burning, stinging face, Concubine Su fled to the east wing.

The old master said, “It’s already getting late. Everyone, wash up and go to bed.”

Ye Chutang hadn’t finished the two dishes and offered, “If anyone’s still hungry, you can help yourselves.”

Qi He’an wanted to eat, but his mother, Concubine Xu, quickly held him back.

Soon, only the old master and madam, Qi Yanzhou, and Ye Chutang remained in the main hall.

“Father, mother, Yanzhou—this food is pretty good. Let’s share it.”

Faced with Ye Chutang’s warm invitation, the three didn’t refuse.

After the meal, Ye Chutang said, “Those concubines each have their own agendas. Right now, the Qi family is like a pile of loose sand. Don’t we need to find a way to bring everyone together?”

Qi Yanzhou, aware that the Imperial Guards might be eavesdropping, said, “I don’t have the time or energy to worry about them. We’ve only got three days—clearing our name is more important than anything.”

What he really thought was: it’s easier to tell who’s loyal and who’s not when the family is disorganized.

Ye Chutang followed up, “Do we have any leads?”

“None. If this really was done by the ‘Ghost Thieves,’ then it’ll be extremely hard to find evidence. The Qi family’s going to be stuck carrying the blame for rebellion.”

The old master sighed, “Do all you can, and let the heavens decide the rest.”

With that, he got up and returned to the west wing.

The outer room of the wing was covered with bedding, giving the feel of a communal sleeping area. The inner room had been turned into a bathing and changing area.

Qi He’an was bathing, and the sound of water could be clearly heard. The bathwater had been fetched by the few remaining servants who hadn’t left.

Qi Yun’an sat on the concubine’s couch that had been moved out, head lowered, lost in thought.

When he saw the old master enter, he quickly stood up and gave up the couch.

“Father, the night air is cold and the floor is damp. You should sleep on the concubine’s couch.”

Then he carefully probed, “Father, is our exile basically set in stone?”

The old master knew his youngest son was selfish and calculating.

“Yun’er, you’ve always been clever. You should know better than anyone what the emperor’s attitude toward the Qi family is.”

Qi Yun’an fiddled with the wick on the short table. The flickering flame cast shifting shadows on his face.

“If we’re exiled… will we even survive the journey to Tianshan Prefecture?”

“Yun’er, don’t overthink it. The emperor is merciful—we’ll survive the journey.”

“…I understand.”

The old master quietly kept mental note of his youngest son’s unusual behavior.

Before long, Qi Yanzhou also entered the wing.

He would’ve liked to stay longer with Ye Chutang, but the Imperial Guards were watching too closely—there wasn’t much they could say.

“Father, it’s been a long day. You should rest early.”

The old master glanced toward his younger son, giving Qi Yanzhou a subtle signal to keep watch.

Qi Yanzhou, knowing exactly what kind of people his family consisted of, nodded slightly.

Meanwhile, Ye Chutang and the old madam returned to the east wing.

There were six women, and the outer room was almost entirely covered with bedding.

The concubine’s couch where Ye Chutang had taken a nap earlier had been moved to the outer room and placed near the window.

“Mother, you sleep on the concubine’s couch.”

The old madam took Ye Chutang’s hand and said, “Chutang, I prefer sleeping on the floor. The couch is yours.”

“I’m not used to crowds. Once everyone’s done bathing, I’ll sleep in the inner room.”

“No, no. The floor will be too damp after everyone finishes.”

Ye Chutang smiled, “It’s fine. I’ll ask the Imperial Guards for a few more blankets.”

Sleeping separately would make it easier for her to sneak out later.

The old madam figured that with the ice keeping the place cool, adding more blankets wouldn’t be too hot, so she didn’t object further.

After a long and tiring day, once everyone had bathed, they lay down and fell asleep.

Ye Chutang had napped all afternoon and wasn’t sleepy at all.

She lay on the soft bedding, waiting for the other women to fall asleep.

Before the hour of the pig (around 9–11 PM), everyone was out cold.

Ye Chutang quietly got up and pressed a sleep acupoint on each woman. They wouldn’t wake for at least two hours.

She returned to the inner room and took out three pillows and a T-shirt printed with her face from her spatial storage.

She put the T-shirt over one pillow and tucked the other two under the blanket.

Then she used some foundation to cover her open eyes.

The roof was about six meters (20 feet) high, and with the dim lighting, no one would notice the figure under the covers wasn’t her.

After setting everything up, Ye Chutang pried open the wooden floorboards and tunneled out of Prince Chen’s manor.

Her first stop: the Minister’s Manor.

The red wedding decorations still hadn’t been taken down. On the surface, it looked festive—but in truth, the place was eerily quiet.

Here’s the English translation of the passage:

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Because the Imperial Guards had surrounded the Minister’s Manor.

Although the Emperor hadn’t issued a decree to search the place, the Ye family’s downfall was only a matter of time.

Ye Chutang returned to Ningchu Courtyard and gathered all the valuables she could find—
Including the dried meat she had laid out earlier to air-dry.

There wasn’t much left in the Minister’s Manor that was worth taking, so she headed to the palace.

She stashed a few weapons in the underground chamber beneath the Xishou Palace.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Ye Anling’s shrill screams, followed by the sharp crack of a whip hitting flesh.

“You worthless wretch! Useless trash!”

The shrill voice of Virtuous Consort De sounded like music to Ye Chutang’s ears.

Ye Anling begged over and over for mercy, but it only earned her more cruelty.

Ye Chutang made another round through the palace, taking anything that was easy to carry.

Then she headed to the Song residence.

It was near midnight, and the house was very quiet.

She didn’t know which courtyard Song Jingning lived in, so she had to search slowly.

When she reached the main courtyard, she overheard a conversation between Song Mingyu and his wife, Cui Xiangyun.

“Husband, the northwest is a harsh, impoverished place. Even a place like Tianshan Commandery isn’t much better. Are you really willing to let Jingning go suffer there?”

“Jingning spent five years studying abroad and endured plenty of hardship. Sending him to Tianshan will benefit the path he wants to take in the future.”

“Well, that’s true. He’s not a child of the Song family, so he doesn’t have to follow the Song family’s rules. He can retire if he wants.”

Just as Cui Xiangyun finished speaking, Ye Chutang jumped through the window into the bedroom.

She didn’t make much noise, but in the stillness of the night, Song Mingyu noticed immediately.

He was about to call for the guards when Ye Chutang spoke.

“Master Song, it’s me—Ye Chutang.”

Startled, Song Mingyu sat up and pulled back the bed curtains.

There were no lamps lit in the room, only a faint glow from the lanterns outside drifting in through the corridor, casting dim, blurry light.

He fumbled to light the oil lamp and finally saw Ye Chutang standing beside the bed.

“Miss Ye… Why are you here?”

Cui Xiangyun also sat up and looked at Ye Chutang.

When she saw those familiar features—so much like Song Jingning’s—her heart filled with emotion. She asked, “Did you hear what we were just saying?”

Ye Chutang nodded calmly. “I did. Song Jingning isn’t a child of the Song family—whose child is he?”

At those words, Song Mingyu threw off the covers, got out of bed, and put on his robe.

“Miss Ye, it’s a long story. Please, come sit.”

The two of them sat at the round table.

Cui Xiangyun also got up and joined them, pouring Ye Chutang a cup of cold water.

Song Mingyu adjusted his robe and asked, “Weren’t you under house arrest at Prince Chen’s Manor? What are you doing sneaking into the Song residence?”

Ye Chutang replied bluntly, “I came to see if Song Jingning has a sycee-shaped birthmark on his back shoulder.”

“He does. When he was a child, it was very visible. It’s faded as he’s grown, but you can still see it.”

Hearing this confirmed for Ye Chutang that Song Jingning was indeed the original host’s twin brother.

She rose and bowed deeply to the Song couple.

“Thank you both for saving my brother’s life.”

Considering the state Song Jingning was in at the time, it must’ve been no easy task to keep him alive and raise him.

Cui Xiangyun immediately helped her up, eyes misty. “It was your brother who saved me.”

“What do you mean by that, Madam Song?”

The couple then told Ye Chutang in detail about how they found and took in Song Jingning.

“Miss Ye, I truly never imagined that Jingning was the son of Tang Wanning.”

Back then, no one knew that Tang Wanning had given birth to twins—one of whom had died young.

He had never expected that the ugly character “Ning” stitched onto the blanket Jingning was wrapped in was actually from Tang Wanning’s name, “Wanning.”

“My mother had an accident once. She hurt her hand and nearly lost the child. Despite the pain, she personally embroidered the character ‘Ning’ for ‘well-being and peace’ onto that blanket.”

“I see.”

Song Mingyu then asked curiously, “What made you suspect that Jingning was your twin brother?”

Ye Chutang smiled. “His eyes and brows were so similar to mine—it made me suspicious. To confirm it, I shamelessly followed him to Meishan for the hunt. But after talking to him about his birthday and place of origin, I thought I’d gotten it wrong and let it go.”

She paused here, picking up the cup of cold water and drinking it in one go.

Then she continued, “When I met you, Master Song, you kept steering the conversation back to my brother. That made me suspicious again, which is why I’ve come to visit the Song residence tonight.”

Song Mingyu chuckled. “Miss Ye, you’re very sharp. I thought I was being subtle—I didn’t think you noticed.”

“You must have found out that I had a twin brother and confirmed my birthday, which led you to realize that Song Jingning was him, right?”

“Exactly. That day at Huating Academy, after you left, I learned your birthday from Jingning—and that he was Ye Jingchuan’s son.”

Ye Chutang asked confidently, “My brother still doesn’t know the truth about his birth, does he?”

That question made Song Mingyu a little ashamed. He nodded.

“Yes. To be honest, I didn’t want him to recognize his birth family.”

Not because he had raised Song Jingning and didn’t want to give up the famed prodigy of the Song household—
But because Ye Jingchuan was utterly unworthy of being Jingning’s father.

Thinking of that, he looked at Ye Chutang seriously.

“Miss Ye, I never intended to keep it from him forever. I originally planned to tell him after your wedding and let him choose for himself. But then both Prince Chen’s Manor and the Minister’s Manor ran into trouble.”

“So now, Master Song sent my brother to Tianshan Commandery to find me?”

Song Mingyu refilled her tea.

“That’s one reason. The Song family also intends to support Qi Yanzhou as the new emperor—that’s another. And third, we hope you’ll help establish the women’s academy.”

Ye Chutang, thinking of how the Song family had saved her brother’s life, agreed to the third condition.

“I’m willing to support the founding of the women’s academy. And thank you, Master Song, for sending my brother to congratulate me and escort me for the wedding.”

“Of course. Now that Miss Ye knows about Jingning’s background, what are your thoughts?”

Just as Song Mingyu finished speaking, Cui Xiangyun anxiously added, “Miss Ye, Minister Ye colluded with a prince and secretly hoarded weapons. He will definitely be punished. If we let Jingning acknowledge his lineage now, he’ll be dragged into it for no reason.”

If Song Jingning had grown up in the Ye family, getting implicated would’ve been expected.

But he never ate a single grain of their rice, drank a single drop of their water—he even ‘died’ there. To be dragged down just because of blood ties would be too cruel.

Looking at the worried and anxious expression on Cui Xiangyun’s face, Ye Chutang was moved.

“Madam Song, Song Jingning is a member of the Song family. He always has been, and always will be.”

With that, she stood up and gave them a formal bow.

“Master Song, Madam Song, please keep this a secret for now. Don’t tell my brother about his true identity.”

This shocked Song Mingyu.

“Why not? Even if you don’t want him to return to the Ye family, you should still acknowledge each other, shouldn’t you? Didn’t you test him before because you were looking for your brother?”

If she didn’t want to recognize him, she wouldn’t have come to the Song family tonight.

Ye Chutang straightened up, a faint smile appearing on her stunningly beautiful face.

“The time isn’t right. The more my brother knows now, the more it’ll limit what he can do. When peace returns to the world, I’ll recognize him then.”

Song Mingyu nodded in admiration. “That’s a wise decision. Even without revealing the truth, you can still get along well in Tianshan Commandery.”

Then he turned to proper business.

“Miss Ye, on the day of the exile, Jingning will take Jun’er to the Ten-Mile Pavilion to see you off. Is there anything you need him to bring?”

“No need. Azhou and I have prepared everything we need.”

Song Mingyu understood the double meaning in her words, and his worries eased.

“As long as you’re well prepared, that’s all that matters.”

“Master Song, Madam Song, thank you for your hospitality. Until we meet again.”

Cui Xiangyun quickly said, “Miss Ye, safe travels. Take care!”

Ye Chutang had come suddenly and left just as decisively.

When the window opened and closed again,

Cui Xiangyun grabbed Song Mingyu’s arm and asked, “Dear, should we tell Jingning the truth?”

She was torn.

On one hand, she didn’t want Song Jingning to be involved with the Ye family. On the other, she felt this was such a major part of his life that he should have the right to decide for himself.

Song Mingyu gently brushed aside the strands of hair covering her brow and eyes, smiling softly.

“Let’s do as Miss Ye says. With Jingning’s intelligence, we won’t be able to hide it from him for long anyway.”

When Jingning asked earlier why he had to take Jun’er to see Ye Chutang off, Song Mingyu already knew the boy was getting suspicious.

And once he gets suspicious, he’ll definitely look into it.

Cui Xiangyun nodded. “Alright.”

After leaving the Song family, Ye Chutang headed for the Crown Prince’s residence.

The entire place was brightly lit.

In the study, the Crown Prince was pacing back and forth, clearly restless.

The letters taken by the emperor felt like a sword hanging over his head, leaving him sleepless and uneasy.

And he was still fuming at how Ye Jingchuan had actually stockpiled provisions and weapons for the Second Prince.

If not for the fact that the Ministry of Personnel had already been surrounded by the Imperial Guards, Ye Jingchuan would’ve been torn to pieces by now.

He looked at the two advisors whose heads were spinning from all his pacing, his expression dark and stormy.

“You usually have so much to say—why are you both mute today?”

The advisors had long wanted to speak,

But with the Crown Prince in a towering rage, they had been too afraid of drawing his ire.

Now that he had given them the chance, they immediately started talking.

“Your Highness, don’t worry. The Emperor only moved against the Ministry of Personnel—that’s a good sign.”

“Though the Emperor holds evidence against both you and the Second Prince, I dare say he won’t act on it right away.”

“Right now, you and the Second Prince are evenly matched. If both of you fall, the court will fall into chaos—and that’s the last thing the Emperor wants.”

“Your Highness, don’t dwell on those letters. Focus on winning His Majesty’s favor—that’s what really matters.”

The Crown Prince still felt irritable after hearing this.

“Even if Father wants to downplay the whole thing, the court officials and common people won’t let it slide!”

Embezzling provisions and skimming military funds are capital offenses!

Sure, he was the Crown Prince and wouldn’t be executed—but his position as heir might not survive!

The advisors couldn’t refute that, so they quickly reminded him, “Your Highness, in case His Majesty sends someone to investigate the residence, you need to eliminate all potential threats now.”

No prince gets anywhere without colluding with officials. And to keep those officials loyal, they all keep some leverage on them.

That leverage is how they control their allies—but it’s also damning evidence of factionalism.

The Crown Prince nodded in agreement. “Yes, it all needs to be dealt with.”

With that, he opened the door to a hidden chamber.

Inside, everything was pitch black. The glowing night pearls that lit the room were no longer shining.

The Crown Prince’s face changed drastically and he shouted, “Bring a light!”

The two advisors knew something was wrong. Each grabbed a lantern and rushed to the entrance of the secret chamber.

Holding both lamps, the Crown Prince descended the stairs into the room.

It was empty, his footsteps echoing off the walls.

Even though he had suspected this might be the case, the sight still made his vision go dark.

“Ghost Thief!”

He forced out the words through clenched teeth and immediately checked the hidden compartments in the wall.

Empty.

The leverage he had on those officials—gone!

The Crown Prince could hardly breathe. The oil lamp in his hand slipped to the floor, plunging everything into darkness.

If those materials ended up in his father’s hands…

He didn’t dare think further—just the idea made his head throb violently.

Just then, the advisor’s voice rang out—

“Your Highness, come out of the secret chamber quickly—there’s a fire in the study!”

The study was filled with books and papers. After Ye Chutang set it ablaze, the fire spread rapidly.

Seeing the flames at the entrance of the chamber, the crown prince had no time to worry about the stolen blackmail materials and bolted out immediately.

His two advisors shielded him as they rushed out of the study.

Disguised as a man, Ye Chutang reappeared in the study, sweeping the unburned books and even the bookshelves into her spatial storage.

Knowing the fire was beyond saving, the crown prince simply ordered, “Don’t let the fire spread.”

With that, he hurried back to his own courtyard.

As he expected, anything of value was already gone.

Even the storage rooms had been completely emptied.

Furious, he kicked the base of a wall.
“That damned ‘Ghost Thief’! Why didn’t he go rob Prince Chen’s manor with all its gold and silver?!”

Just as she was about to leave the Crown Prince’s manor, Ye Chutang heard this and, out of the kindness of her heart, explained:

“I enjoy watching powerless mortals flail in despair.”

Her voice was male—cold and hollow, as if it came from the underworld itself.

The crown prince broke into a cold sweat and shouted, “Guards! An assassin!”

Ye Chutang ignored the crown prince who looked like a walking meme of fear, and slipped into the second prince’s manor underground.

Compared to the crown prince, who was a nervous wreck, the second prince was sleeping soundly.

But his courtyard was heavily guarded, layers deep.

Clearly, it was a precaution in case the emperor suddenly decided to act—so his men could protect him and help him escape.

Colluding with corrupt officials, hiding weapons and stockpiling provisions—those were capital crimes!

Even if the emperor showed mercy for their father-son bond, the best outcome would be lifelong imprisonment.

The second prince’s elaborate defenses made Ye Chutang’s job easier.

In less than fifteen minutes, she cleaned out the entire manor.

She even looted the heavily guarded courtyard.

The guards might be able to stop outsiders—but they couldn’t stop someone who could move through the ground.

Before leaving, Ye Chutang dispelled the drug that kept the second prince unconscious.

As he was just regaining his senses, she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Don’t blame me—it was the crown prince who wanted you dead.”

Then, she pulled out a dagger she had taken from the crown prince’s manor and slashed at his neck.

The second prince’s survival instinct kicked in, allowing him to dodge the fatal blow, but his neck was still cut.

“Guards! An assassin!”

Before the words even fully left his mouth, the courtyard guards kicked the door open and charged in.

Ye Chutang flung the dagger toward the second prince, vanished underground, and returned to Prince Chen’s manor.

She had too many enemies. No rush to move everything out of the storage—she’d take her time.

After nearly two hours of mayhem, she fell asleep quickly.

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The next morning—

Ye Chutang was woken up by a commotion.

She vaguely heard something about paying respects at morning and evening, and a new bride serving tea.

She sat up, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and instinctively called for Dan’er—then remembered she was in Prince Chen’s manor.

She changed into a bright red everyday robe, neatly folded the bedding, and placed it in a corner.

Then she stepped out from the inner chamber and bowed to the old Madam Qi.

“Mother, your daughter-in-law rose late.”

Old Madam Qi didn’t mind at all and said with a smile, “It’s fine. Late is late.”

Then she told Ye Chutang to go wash up.

The servants had already prepared water at the corner between the main and side halls.

The rest of the Qi family had already washed up—only she was left.

Ye Chutang wasn’t embarrassed. The only thing she couldn’t get used to was brushing her teeth with a willow twig.

Once they were in Tianshan Commandery, she was definitely going to make a toothbrush!

After washing up, the servants brought over breakfast.

Mushroom and chicken congee paired with veggie buns.

The congee was smooth, fragrant, and soft. Ye Chutang liked it and ate two bowls.

After breakfast, with no pressing matters to attend to, the Qi family sat around staring at each other.

Bored, Ye Chutang asked the Imperial Guards to bring her writing tools so she could write poetry.

She used a variety of calligraphy styles and composed five poems, writing ten copies of each.

When she was done, she sketched a realistic portrait of Qi Yanzhou using charcoal.

Qi He’an was shocked when he saw it, eyes going wide.

“It looks just like him! It’s uncanny! Second Sister-in-law, can you teach me?”

He had always been interested in poetry and drawing, but he wasn’t particularly talented and only did it for fun.

Before, he had scoffed at all the praise people heaped on Ye Chutang, thinking it was exaggerated.

But seeing it for himself today, he wanted to slap his past self.

Ye Chutang wasn’t close to Qi He’an, so she just tossed him two words:
“Nope.”

Then she gave the finished sketch and the fifty pages of poetry to the Imperial Guards, along with two silver pieces.

“Send these to the manager of the Reciting Poetry Tower. Have him sell them for me. Five hundred taels per poem page, and he keeps twenty percent. If anyone wants a portrait, it’s a thousand taels per piece.”

Might as well make some side cash while she had time.

Once they left the wealthy capital, it wouldn’t be so easy to earn money anymore.