Chapter 177 – Emptying the Treasury Before Exile

The Imperial Guards knew that Ye Chutang had an unusual relationship with the emperor, so they didn’t mind the small tip of silver as they accepted the portraits and poetry.

“Madam Qi, don’t worry. I’ll make sure these get to the manager of Yinshi Pavilion.”

After the guard left, Ye Chutang stretched her wrist out in front of Qi Yanzhou.

“It’s sore. Help me massage it.”

Aunt Su, her face bruised and swollen, sneered sarcastically.

“Didn’t the young madam grow up in the countryside? Why are you so delicate? Drawing and writing poems are such elegant things—how did you turn them into backbreaking labor?”

Ye Chutang looked wordlessly at Aunt Su, who clearly forgot how badly she’d been beaten last time.

“My backbreaking labor is worth real money. How much are your elegant hobbies worth?”

As she finished speaking, a brush dipped in ink flew like a sword straight at Aunt Su.

It was so fast, she didn’t even have time to react.

Her delicate face was cut by the brush tip, and the ink stained the tiny wound black.

“No wonder you were once the most popular courtesan in Yangzhou—you’re just so delicate.”

Ever since entering the Prince of Chen’s residence and gaining favor, no one had dared mention Aunt Su’s past.

Now that Ye Chutang had publicly torn off her mask, the humiliation was unbearable.

Seeing Aunt Su’s flushed face and overwhelming shame, Ye Chutang added another blow.

“The road to exile is long. Without silver, you might not even leave a corpse behind.”

This scared Aunt Su so badly she turned pale.

She realized that all the jewelry she and her daughter owned together wasn’t even worth a single painting by Ye Chutang, and immediately dropped to her knees.

“Young madam, I’m not very bright. Please don’t hold it against me.”

At the moment, no one in the Qi family was richer than Ye Chutang.

If you wanted to eat well and live well on the road to exile, you had to win her favor.

Ye Chutang leisurely enjoyed Qi Yanzhou’s massage while speaking casually, “I’m a vengeful person. If you want forgiveness, show me something real.”

She had no intention of dealing with scheming every day, so Aunt Su made the perfect example.

Aunt Su swallowed her humiliation and crawled to Ye Chutang’s feet.

“Young madam, I’m quite good at massages. Would you like to try?”

Qi Jingyao couldn’t stand seeing her mother so servile and flattering. Unable to bear it, she fled to the side hall.

Ye Chutang nodded. “Alright, let’s try it.”

Though Aunt Su had a poisonous tongue, her massage skills were top-notch.

Before long, Ye Chutang was drifting off to sleep.

Qi Yanzhou looked at her slender wrist and felt a twinge of heartache.

The reason he didn’t stop Ye Chutang from making money was so she could control the family finances and have the power to hold the Qi family in check.

Exile was harsh—whoever had silver would rule.

Not long after, the Imperial Guard who had gone to Yinshi Pavilion returned with great excitement.

He handed Ye Chutang a thick stack of silver notes.

“Madam Qi, your calligraphy sold out instantly. The manager of Yinshi Pavilion didn’t even take a cut. Here’s twenty-five thousand taels in banknotes. Please count them.”

Not just the guard—everyone in the Qi family stared wide-eyed in shock.

Earning twenty-five thousand taels in just one hour? There wasn’t a second person in all of Beichen who could do that!

Ye Chutang had expected this and calmly accepted the money.

“Any portrait requests?”

“Yes, mostly people wanting portraits of their elders. But Madam Qi isn’t allowed to leave the Prince of Chen’s residence.”

The guard handed her a list of portrait requests.

There were over thirty names on it already.

And that was just from people who got the first wave of news at Yinshi Pavilion.

Once word spread, the number of requests would be overwhelming.

Ye Chutang looked at the list and smiled. “I can’t go out, but they can come in.”

Qi Yanzhou didn’t want Ye Chutang to overwork herself. “We already have enough money. Don’t bother with portraits.”

He had already arranged everything for the journey into exile. They wouldn’t lack silver.

Ye Chutang understood he didn’t want her to suffer.

She smiled and said, “No one ever complains about having too much silver. It’s just moving my hand a bit—if I don’t earn it, someone else will.”

With that, she handed the guard a fifty-tael note.

“Could I trouble you to make another trip to Yinshi Pavilion? Tell the ones who want portraits to come to the Prince of Chen’s gate.”

Since a guard’s monthly salary was only ten taels, he immediately left to get it done.

After he left, Qi He’an curiously asked, “Writing poems is faster and earns more. Why bother painting?”

Portraits took half an hour for one thousand taels, but poetry brought in twenty-five thousand in the same amount of time.

Qi Yanzhou answered for Ye Chutang. “Rarity is value.”

Two quarters later, the guard returned with a crowd of people wanting portraits.

Ye Chutang stood just inside the gate of the residence and said, “I can draw one portrait every half hour, six per day, with a total of fifteen slots. First come, first served. Once you pay, I’ll assign you a time to return.”

There were more than fifteen people there, but few had a full thousand taels on hand.

“Madam Qi, please wait! I’ve sent someone back to get the silver. Please save me a spot!”

“I only look at money, not people.”

By midday, Guangjuxuan had delivered two dishes.

And Ye Chutang’s fifteen portrait slots were just filled.

She arranged the portrait sessions in order of payment.

“Everyone, don’t be late when your time comes.”

After that, she took the silver notes and returned to the main hall for lunch.

After seeing her display of money-making skills, those who had been hostile toward Ye Chutang began to hide their thoughts.

No one complained anymore about her getting the best dishes either.

Not that Ye Chutang hogged everything—she just didn’t share with everyone.

Of the dishes delivered from Guangjuxuan, she only served them to the two Qi elders and Qi Yanzhou.

Chapter 177: Emptying the Warehouse and Going into Exile

After lunch, she took a walk in the corridor to aid digestion.

She later went to the eastern side hall to rest.

When Ye Chutang woke up, she began to paint portraits.

In two hours, she painted three portraits.

Those who received the portraits couldn’t stop praising her work and left satisfied.

Qi Yanzhou looked at her blackened hands and handed her a clean cloth soaked in water.

“Are you tired?”

Ye Chutang shook her wrist and smiled. “I take breaks after finishing each painting, so I’m not tired.”

While she wiped her hands, Qi Yanzhou tidied up the painting tools and placed them in the corridor of the main hall.

For dinner today, there were braised fish chunks.

As soon as the dish was placed on the table, Ye Chutang felt a bit nauseous from the faint fishy smell.

Qi Yanzhou saw her pale face and quickly helped her stand up.

“Are you feeling a bit tired? I’ll take you to the side hall to rest for a while.”

Ye Chutang fought back the rising sourness in her stomach and nodded.

“Yes, I’m a little dizzy.”

Qi Yanzhou immediately picked her up and said to the two elders of the Qi family, “Father, Mother, you continue eating. Don’t worry about me and Chutang. Just leave the food from Guangju Xuan.”

With that, he carried Ye Chutang to the eastern side hall.

Concubine Su, with her usual sharp tongue, muttered again.

“To eat alone, she even pretends to be sick.”

“Slap!”

Old Master Qi slammed his chopsticks onto the table.

“If you can’t stop your mouth even when eating, then don’t eat at all!”

If it weren’t for the information she knew about the emperor, he would have divorced this troublesome woman long ago.

Concubine Su, who had been spoiled by Old Master Qi in the past, now felt his growing displeasure. She was deeply aggrieved, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Master…”

She was about to act coquettish, but the old man immediately scolded her.

“Get out!”

Concubine Su, who came from the renowned “thin horse” of Yangzhou, had the sense to recognize when things were serious. Seeing that Old Master Qi was genuinely angry, she didn’t dare say another word and quickly left the main hall.

Old Master Qi, fearing that she would disturb Ye Chutang’s rest, added, “Stand outside and reflect on your behavior!”

With that, he turned to Madam Qi.

“Chutang’s complexion doesn’t look good. Go see if she needs a doctor.”

“Yes, Master.”

Madam Qi hurriedly went to the eastern side hall.

Ye Chutang heard the footsteps and pressed a few acupoints to force down the rising sourness in her stomach.

“Chutang, where do you feel unwell? Do you want to see a doctor?”

Qi Yanzhou saw her pale face and reminded, “Mother, Chutang’s medical skills are better than most.”

Madam Qi slapped Qi Yanzhou’s back.

“How could you not understand? Chutang is unwell, and you want her to treat herself.”

Ye Chutang forced a faint smile and quickly came up with a reason to dismiss their concerns.

“Mother, I’m fine. I think it’s just because I didn’t rest properly after choosing the bed last night.”

“The Imperial Guards are quite eloquent, so why not have them bring the wedding bed to the side hall?”

“No need to bother. I’ll just sleep for another two nights…”

Madam Qi interrupted Ye Chutang.

“Chutang, the journey to exile is bound to be exhausting. If you can enjoy comfort, there’s no need to suffer.”

With that, she left the side hall and looked at the Imperial Guard who had previously taken Ye Chutang’s golden hairpin.

“Please, General, have the wedding bed from Chutang’s courtyard brought to the side hall. Chutang has been sleeping on the ground, and her health is deteriorating.”

Ye Chutang tried to stop her, but Qi Yanzhou said, “A bed is indeed more comfortable.”

“Alright, there’s no need to stubbornly endure discomfort.”

The Imperial Guard, already concerned about Ye Chutang’s health, immediately agreed to the request.

Soon, the wedding bed, draped in bright red curtains, was brought into the side hall.

The bed didn’t take up much space, as it was placed in the corner.

Qi Yanzhou made the bed and then picked Ye Chutang up, placing her on the soft bed.

“You stay here. I’ll go serve the food.”

He brought the dishes from Guangju Xuan to Ye Chutang.

“Chutang, from now on, you can eat the food from Guangju Xuan.”

After that, he cut a small piece of braised lion’s head meat and fed it to her.

After eating, Ye Chutang asked, “You’re so kind to me. Aren’t you worried the Imperial Guard will report this to the emperor and raise suspicion?”

Qi Yanzhou fed her another spoonful of lion’s head.

He smiled. “Now that you hold forty thousand taels in silver bills, my indulgence is for you to have money to spend, allowing the Qi family to live well and even reach Tian Mountain County.”

To the emperor, Qi Yanzhou’s ability to bend and stretch, to coax a woman for the good of the Qi family, was something he could easily do.

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow.

“So, you didn’t stop me from making money with poetry because of this intention?”

“You make money, and I can openly spoil you, while also allowing you to take charge of the Qi family. It’s a win-win.”

Ye Chutang took another bite of the braised lion’s head. “Let’s eat together. I can’t finish it on my own.”

The two of them chatted while eating the food from Guangju Xuan.

After eating, Ye Chutang strolled in the yard to help with digestion.

Qi Yanzhou asked the Imperial Guard about the progress of checking the weapons.

Hearing there was no progress, he felt both anxious and helpless.

After finishing his acting, he practiced martial arts in the corridor, and Ye Chutang, feeling bored, also joined him, sitting in meditation and cultivating her internal strength.

Since she was pregnant, she couldn’t practice martial arts with great intensity, but practicing her internal strength was still beneficial.

Here is the translation of the passage you provided:

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The next two days.

Ye Chutang spent the days painting portraits for people, practicing internal energy in the evening, and late at night clearing out the enemies’ warehouses.

Busy, fulfilling.

Everyone thought the “Ghost Thief” would target the Prince of Chen’s residence.

But when the imperial edict for exile was almost issued, none of the valuables from the front courtyard were missing.

Then some people discovered that those whose homes were emptied of their wealth all had some kind of grudge against the Qi family.

So, during the morning court session on the third day, they brought up Qi Yanzhou.

“Your Majesty, though I have no evidence, all the people who were robbed today have had conflicts with Qi Yanzhou.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, there’s no such thing as this much coincidence. The ‘Ghost Thief’ must be someone from Qi Yanzhou’s camp.”

“The ‘Ghost Thief’ framing the Prince of Chen’s residence is pure slander. Qi Yanzhou must have rebellious intentions!”

“Your Majesty, Qi Yanzhou is taking advantage of the lack of evidence to exploit the loopholes. We cannot trust him!”

Although the emperor was displeased with the accusations, he knew that judgments required evidence.

Even fabricated evidence could be useful.

But these ministers were merely speculating, and their words only annoyed him further.

Qin Zheng, noticing the emperor’s displeasure, interrupted the chattering officials.

“My lords, if you’re just speculating, it’s better not to say anything. Otherwise, I could also accuse you of being connected to the ‘Ghost Thief,’ and you might have intentionally let the ‘Ghost Thief’ rob your homes to clear your suspicions.”

“Lord Qin, just because you have a good relationship with Qi Yanzhou doesn’t mean you can slander us without any basis!”

“So, Lord Wang, you’ve learned the term ‘slander’ now? I thought you didn’t know it!”

“You…you…”

The emperor, with a headache from the argument, scolded, “Enough! This is the Golden Luan Hall, not a marketplace!”

The Golden Luan Hall, which had been filled with noise, suddenly quieted down.

The emperor asked every day, “Has the source of the Prince of Chen’s weapons been investigated?”

The Chief Judge of the Supreme Court and the Chief of the Capital City Administration stepped forward.

“I have failed!”

Qin Zheng took a step to the side and stood in the center of the hall, bowing to the emperor.

“I have indeed found some clues.”

These clues had been provided to him by Qi Yanzhou’s people.

They had told him to find a low-ranking official’s student to pass the clues to the emperor, but in the end, Qin Zheng presented them himself.

The emperor’s face visibly darkened.

“Your Excellency, the prime minister, it’s really quite the matter. The Supreme Court and the Capital Administration have found nothing, but you have clues?”

Qin Zheng handed the clues forward.

“I’m just lucky.”

An eunuch, under the emperor’s instructions, took the clues from Qin Zheng and handed them to the Grand Eunuch.

The Grand Eunuch reviewed them and then passed them to the emperor.

“Your Majesty, these are not real clues; they are merely guesses.”

The clue provided by Qi Yanzhou was about Ye Jinchuan’s dowry—one of the eighteen large bridal trunks.

When the dowry trunks were carried into the Prince of Chen’s residence, they seemed very heavy, and the servants struggled to carry them.

But in fact, the trunks were very light, containing only one or two items.

Moreover, one of the trunks was full of dust, which could match the dust on the weapons.

This suggested that most of the weapons had likely been transported into the storage room through the dowry trunks by Ye Jinchuan, framing Qi Yanzhou.

Of course, these clues and guesses were not enough to serve as evidence.

After reading the clues, the emperor’s tension eased, but he coldly looked at Qin Zheng.

“Prime Minister Qin is indeed meticulous, but these clues cannot prove that the weapons didn’t come from the Prince of Chen’s residence.”

Qin Zheng said, “Your Majesty is correct. I believe that further investigation will yield results.”

“The three-day deadline is almost up. Does the prime minister intend to make me break my word?”

The emperor’s anger was palpable. Qin Zheng immediately knelt.

“I dare not, Your Majesty, I was just…”

The emperor cut him off impatiently.

“Prime Minister Qin, I’ve made my decision. If you can find concrete evidence that the Prince of Chen was wronged before noon, I will immediately restore the Qi family’s title!”

Qi Yanzhou had achieved his goal by giving the clues to Qin Zheng.

He aimed to use the emperor’s sense of urgency to settle the exile issue as quickly as possible.

Qin Zheng bowed his head, “I obey.”

Then, he stood up and ordered Ye Jinchuan, who was under house arrest at the Minister of Rites’ residence, to be brought forward.

“Your Majesty, the case of Minister Ye and the two princes has been put aside for three days.”

This statement completely angered the emperor.

He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, “Prime Minister, are you teaching me how to do things?!”

“I dare not.”

“Prime Minister Qin, for your insolence, you are to go back to the Grand Tutor’s residence for ten days of reflection and have your salary suspended for one month.”

This result was exactly what Qin Zheng had anticipated.

He knew that after the emperor removed the Qi family, he would turn against those who were closely associated with them.

Qin Muyu, who was Qi Yanzhou’s close brother, would be the first target.

So, he deliberately provoked the emperor, taking the punishment to avoid the emperor’s wrath while it was still strong.

After Qin Zheng left the Golden Luan Hall, no one dared to provoke the emperor.

The emperor inquired about the flooding in Jiangnan.

The officials from the Ministry of Works replied quickly, “Your Majesty, the rain in Jiangnan has stopped. Although there was a plague, the grain and medicinal supplies were delivered in time, and the epidemic has been brought under control.”

“Do not let your guard down. All incoming personnel to the capital must undergo strict inspections.”

After the emperor finished speaking, he prepared to leave the court.

“Boom boom boom!”

The sound of drums echoed.

Someone was knocking on the palace gates with the drum of petitions!

The civil and military officials were curious as to who was knocking on the drum.

After a while, the officer guarding the drum came to the Golden Luan Hall.

During this period, the drum had not stopped.

Before the eunuch outside could report, the emperor spoke: “Come in and speak. Why has the drum not stopped?”

The officer immediately entered the hall, kneeling on one knee. “Your Majesty, there are more than ten people knocking on the drum, and each of them has someone they are accusing.”

This caused all the officials to be shocked.

The emperor asked, “Who are these people? Do they know the consequences of knocking on the drum?”

“They are the family members of court officials, accusing other ministers.”

“Explain clearly.”

“Wang Daren’s servant is accusing Minister Chen of stealing from his residence; Minister Chen’s servant is accusing Minister Fang of stealing from his residence; Minister Fang’s servant…”

The emperor’s head ached from the confusion and scolded, “Speak plainly!”

“The residence of Wang Daren, the evaluator of the Ministry of Justice, was completely looted. His servant saw that the Ru porcelain bowl, Wang Daren’s favorite, was being used to feed dogs at the door of Minister Chen’s residence.”

The official explained each servant’s accusations clearly.

In short, the stolen items from several officials’ homes appeared openly in other people’s residences.

Normally, such a matter should be reported to the Jingzhao Fu (the local government).

But instead, they came to knock on the drum in front of the emperor, which clearly indicated someone was behind this.

Several officials immediately knelt in front of the emperor.

“Your Majesty, the servants knocking on the drum were not directed by us; they must have been deceived by ‘Ghost Thief’!”

As soon as the words fell, another officer guarding the drum came to the Golden Luan Hall.

“Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report!”

The emperor could tell this was not good news and pinched his brow in irritation.

“Speak!”

The officer immediately handed over a confidential letter he had just received.

“Your Majesty, someone placed a confidential letter on the drum. As the drum shook, the letter fell, revealing that several ministers are plotting a rebellion. Please read it, Your Majesty.”

Upon hearing the word “rebellion,” the emperor’s headache worsened.

“Present it.”

After reading the contents of the letter, he threw it down on the Golden Luan Hall.

“‘Ghost Thief’ really never stops!”

The letter was “written by ‘Ghost Thief’,” claiming that while stealing from the homes of several ministers, he found weapons hidden there and even directly pointed out their locations.

The ministers, after reading the letter, all knelt and pledged their loyalty.

“Your Majesty, I swear on my family’s life that I have no rebellious intentions and have never hidden any weapons!”

“I am loyal to Your Majesty and have never harbored any improper thoughts. Please see for yourself, Your Majesty!”

“This is all ‘Ghost Thief’s’ framing…”

At this moment, the officials immediately associated this with Qi Yanzhou.

The emperor knew that “Ghost Thief” was framing the officials in an attempt to destroy the court and cause the downfall of the Northern Chen kingdom.

He had Eunuch De take the letter back and tear it up in front of everyone.

“Ministers, rise. ‘Ghost Thief’s’ heart is one that should be punished, and I will not fall into his trap. To prevent anyone from making a big deal out of this, I will send the Imperial Forest Army to visit your residences.”

If the story of the weapons turns out to be false, all will be fine.

But if the weapons truly exist, they must be quietly removed.

This is to prevent some people from taking the opportunity to clear the injustice of the Chen Wang residence!

Wang Daren and the others understood the emperor’s intentions and immediately bowed and thanked him.

“We obey your command!”

The emperor, not wanting any further incidents, quickly ended the morning court session.

When the officials left the palace, they saw the servants who had knocked on the drum being beaten severely, almost losing their lives.

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At noon, the emperor’s imperial edict was delivered to the Chen Wang residence.

“By the grace of heaven, the emperor decrees: The Chen Wang residence has secretly hidden 3,000 weapons. I am moved by…”

There was a lot of unnecessary detail, but the gist was that the Qi family intended to rebel. The emperor, being merciful, decided not to execute the entire family but to send them into exile in the northwest Tianshan Prefecture, to leave early tomorrow morning.

After reading the edict, Eunuch De said, “Qi Yanzhou, the emperor is merciful, and has allowed the Qi family to send one person to buy supplies for the exile journey.”

Qi Yanzhou received the edict.

“Long live the emperor!”

“Although the Qi family requested exile, this exile is not a vacation. They must be mindful of their behavior and should not try to escape!”

“Your humble servant obeys!”

Eunuch De looked at Ye Chutang and said, “The emperor wants Madam Qi to provide a piece of calligraphy.”

Ye Chutang bent down to bow. “Please wait a moment, Eunuch. I’ll be right back.”

She wrote a satirical poem and handed it to Eunuch De.

As Eunuch De took the poem, he secretly passed a silk pouch to Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang touched it and realized it contained a temporary antidote for broken bones.

After hiding the pouch in her sleeve pocket, she stepped back under the flower tree at the door and bowed.

“Farewell, Eunuch!”

Eunuch De waved at the Imperial Forest Army, saying, “Take all the confiscated property to the treasury.”

The moment he finished speaking, the entire courtyard collapsed into the ground.

All the confiscated property and the guards disappeared, leaving only a giant black hole in the center.

Ye Chutang pretended to be terrified, collapsing to the ground.

Her hand touched the soil under the tree, transmitting a pre-recorded message from the amplifier in the space underground.

The amplifier broadcast her pre-recorded words:

“The foolish emperor is in power, the Northern Chen kingdom is doomed!”