Chapter 24: The Unstoppable Kong Ru

Ye Chutang poked her head out, looking at Shuang’er, who was caught squatting beneath the window. A smile curled on her lips.

“Shuang’er, what are you hiding here for?”

Shuang’er’s face changed slightly as she quickly explained.

“Servant wasn’t hiding; I saw a rat over here and was worried it might disturb the young lady, so I wanted to quietly catch it.”

Ye Chutang leaned on the window sill, her smile innocent and harmless.

“Indeed, it’s quite a big rat!”

“Shuang’er, I gave you a chance, but since you don’t want it, then forget it.”

Shuang’er immediately realized that this meant Ye Chutang intended to sell her to the lowest brothel.

She quickly knelt down and knocked her head repeatedly on the floor.

“Please, young lady, spare my life! I will never dare again!”

Her voice trembled with intense fear.

Ye Chutang maintained her smile, quietly watching as Shuang’er’s forehead turned from pale to green, then from green to purple, until blood flowed freely.

“Had I known it would end like this, why did I bother from the start?”

Seeing that Ye Chutang was unmoved by her plea, the fear in Shuang’er’s heart spread through her body, making her tremble uncontrollably.

“Young lady, please, give me another chance. I swear I won’t disappoint you!”

“Opportunities are earned by oneself.”

Shuang’er understood Ye Chutang’s meaning.

Her heart was full of struggle.

She was afraid that if she betrayed Madam Ye, the final victor would be Madam Ye herself.

She was even more afraid that if she held her ground and refused to speak, the young lady would sell her to the brothel.

Ye Chutang, observing Shuang’er’s internal conflict, shook her head and closed the window.

Shuang’er’s heart dropped with a thud, and she collapsed to the floor.

Inside the boudoir.

Shaner looked at the closed window and asked, “Young lady, should we just leave Shuang’er kneeling there?”

Could she still speak of what she needed to?

Ye Chutang, noticing Shaner’s drooping eyelids, knew the effects of the softening medicine had taken hold.

“Let her kneel there.”

Shaner suddenly felt weak, her body sinking downward uncontrollably.

Thinking it was simply drowsiness, she shook her head forcefully, but she fainted and collapsed to the floor.

Something wasn’t right.

Her body felt completely off!

“Young lady…”

She managed only three words before she could make no sound at all.

Her eyelids became as heavy as a thousand pounds, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t open them.

Her consciousness gradually faded as she fainted.

Ye Chutang shouted, “Shaner, what’s wrong with you?”

After shouting, she “fainted,” pushing the window open a little with her head.

Shuang’er, standing below, stared blankly at Ye Chutang, who had her eyes closed.

Tentatively, she called out, “Young lady?”

She called several times, but there was no response.

She placed her finger beneath Ye Chutang’s nose, feeling a faint breath, then gently nudged her.

“Young lady?”

Still no response.

Shuang’er gathered her courage and stood up, pushing the window open slightly.

She then noticed Shaner had also collapsed on the floor.

Realizing something was wrong, she quickly left Ningchuyuan to find Madam Ye.

As soon as Shuang’er’s footsteps faded from earshot, Ye Chutang immediately opened her eyes.

She stored the items she had bought in the afternoon and the meeting gifts she had received tonight into her space.

Then, she jumped out of the boudoir window.

She went to the woodshed where the dowry chests were kept, broke the lock, and took the eight chests of dowry.

Ye Chutang thought for a moment, then also stored all the valuable items in Ningchuyuan into her space.

Her space, which had already been quite full, was now packed to the brim.

After collecting everything, she picked up the unconscious Shaner and went to the bamboo nest, using her earth-burrowing technique to head toward Madam Ye’s courtyard.

She couldn’t wait to see the “big gift” she had prepared for Kong Ru!

Meanwhile,

Shuang’er, covered in blood, had already arrived at Kong Ru’s residence, the Liuli Courtyard.

She pressed her hand to her forehead and said to the maid at the gate, “I am Shuang’er from Ningchuyuan, I have urgent business to report to Madam.”

Kong Ru had previously instructed the maids to let Shuang’er in if she came.

“Please come in, Shuang’er. Madam is waiting for you.”

Shuang’er wasn’t surprised. She immediately entered the courtyard. Kong Ru sat in the main hall, talking to Ye Jingchuan about poisoning Ye Chutang.

“Master, there’s no need to worry anymore. Chutang has already been given the aphrodisiac and the softening medicine, so she should be unconscious by now.”

Ye Jingchuan asked suspiciously, “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I saw with my own eyes when she touched the dowry box that had been poisoned.”

“Everything’s going so smoothly. Could there be a trick?”

Kong Ru confidently replied, “No! Dr. Gao said the softening medicine is very potent. Even someone with strong martial arts skills would be affected.”

Dr. Gao was the family doctor, and his medical skills were quite good.

Ye Jingchuan, looking at his swollen and purple right hand, fell into thought.

Although he didn’t know Ye Chutang well, from the things she had done, she didn’t seem like someone who would easily fall into such traps.

“Let’s wait for news,” he said.

He hoped it would succeed. If not, with that troublesome daughter’s temperament, she would surely cause chaos in the Ministry of Rites.

Kong Ru nodded and anxiously looked toward the gate.

According to the timeline, Shuang’er should have arrived with news by now.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, the courtyard door opened, and a disheveled Shuang’er hurried in.

Kong Ru, ignoring the blood covering Shuang’er’s face, urgently asked, “Ye Chutang and Shaner, are they both unconscious?”

Shaner had also touched the poisoned dowry box.

Shuang’er, out of breath, nodded. “Yes.”

Upon hearing this, Kong Ru’s anxious heart finally settled.

Only then did she notice the injury on Shuang’er’s forehead and ask, “What happened to your forehead?”

“I overheard the young lady’s conversation and was caught when I was eavesdropping for Madam. I was punished, but don’t worry, even if the young lady threatens me with selling me, I haven’t betrayed Madam.”

“You should go find the doctor and get your injury treated, so it doesn’t leave a scar.”

Shuang’er knelt down. “Madam, my contract…”

Kong Ru helped Shuang’er up. “Don’t worry, I’ll get your contract back for you later.”

As she spoke, she turned to Ye Jingchuan. “Master…”

Before she could continue, her stomach let out a loud growl.

The pain hit her suddenly.

Kong Ru groaned, tightening up as something began to surge.

“Master… pfft…”

A terrible smell filled the room.

“Pfft pfft… pfft pfft pfft…”

Hiding behind a pear tree, Ye Chutang, listening to the machine-gun-like sounds, nearly burst into laughter.

The laxative she had planted with spiritual springwater was truly effective!

Kong Ru’s pants were soaked, and yellow liquid dripped down, making the room reek unbearably.

She was stunned.

“Master… Master… pfft…”

Ye Jingchuan and Shuang’er, both stunned, were shaken by her “explosive diarrhea.”

The former quickly ran out of the main hall.

The latter, holding her breath, said, “Madam, you may have eaten something bad. I’ll call the doctor… pfft…”

Her retching sounds made Kong Ru’s eyes blaze with fury.

The filthy creature dared to mock her!

Just as Kong Ru was about to yell at her, another wave of “pfft pfft” hit.

Unable to bear it any longer, Shuang’er ran out of the main hall to find the family doctor.

Ye Jingchuan, disgusted, gave Kong Ru a final look and quickly left the Liuli Courtyard.

He would never come near this place again, nor would he get close to her!

Ugh! Just thinking about it made him nauseous!

Ye Jingchuan immediately called Chen Zhong, saying, “Take ten guards and follow me to Ningchuyuan.”

That troublesome daughter was finally in his hands!

He would teach her a lesson!

Chen Zhong, noticing the foul smell drifting from the Liuli Courtyard, said nothing, his expression unchanged as he replied, “Yes, Master.”

Behind the pear tree, Ye Chutang, having witnessed the “great gift,” picked up Shaner and left, heading to Ye Jingchuan’s study.

Though it was called a study, it was actually a small courtyard.

The courtyard had a huge three-story building.

The first floor was Ye Jingchuan’s office and lounge, while the second and third floors housed countless books.

Ye Chutang, carrying Shaner, emerged from the earth beneath the corner of the courtyard, and using the faint moonlight, she pushed open the building’s door.

She placed Shaner in the lounge and then went to the study.

The study was, as expected, a study with a vault.

She was going to find Ye Jingchuan’s secret vault!