Chapter 25: Emptying Ye Jingchuan’s Secret Room

The courtyard where the study is located is unlit, and the pavilion inside is so dark that nothing can be seen.

But this isn’t a challenge for Ye Chutang, who has night vision goggles.

The first-floor hall is used for receiving guests. To the left is the study, and to the right is the lounge.

The layout of the study is similar to what is often portrayed on television.

The mechanisms in the secret room are the same.

At a glance, on the antique shelf, the copper “Flying Horse” sculpture, which has been polished to a shine, stands out.

Ye Chutang twists the flying horse, and the sound of clicking mechanisms follows.

The bookshelf moves aside, revealing a stone door.

On the door is a combination lock related to the 28 constellations.

The lock appears to have been opened frequently, and some spots are noticeably smoother and cleaner.

“Such trouble; there must be something inside the secret room,” Ye Chutang muses.

As a descendant of an ancient martial arts family and an expert in medicine and poison, Ye Chutang has studied anything related to the “ancient.”

With the “hint” in mind, unlocking the code isn’t too difficult for her.

After trying more than ten times, the stone door opens.

Behind the stone door is not a secret room, but a narrow staircase that leads down.

The staircase is paved with blue stone slabs, and the other three sides are smooth stone panels.

The light is too dim, but one can vaguely see holes in the stone slabs.

These are likely mechanisms.

“Tsk tsk, why does it feel like a tomb?” Ye Chutang mutters as she crouches down.

She pulls out a military crowbar from her space and pries up one of the blue stone slabs.

Her hand touches the dirt beneath the slab.

Using her earth-based supernatural ability, she senses the structure below the stairs and easily avoids the traps.

At the bottom of the stairs is another secret stone door.

After opening this stone door, she enters a massive space.

At the top of the room is a large luminous pearl, glowing a faint green, illuminating the entire secret room.

Ye Chutang removes her night vision goggles, which had become a bit too bright.

The room not only contains gold, silver, and jade, but also antiques, rare books, and weapons and food!

She knows that Ye Jingchuan is a member of the Prince’s faction.

But if these items were prepared for the Prince, the Empress would not have allowed Ye Anling to marry Duke De.

Therefore, Ye Jingchuan has secretly chosen to support another prince.

“Not very capable, but quite scheming,” Ye Chutang comments.

She is well aware that the weapons could not have entered the Minister’s residence through proper channels.

There must be a hidden passage leading out of the secret room.

She finds the secret passage.

After teleporting to the end, she discovers it leads to a wine cellar.

Above the wine cellar, there’s a lot of noise, either from a brothel or a tavern.

Ye Chutang doesn’t go to investigate but thinks that since the wine cellar is part of the Ye family’s property, she helps herself to a few jars of wine and stores them in her space.

She then retraces her steps back to the secret room.

She searches around and finds a hidden compartment inside a golden Buddha statue.

Inside the compartment are letters exchanged between Ye Jingchuan, the Prince, and the Second Prince.

There aren’t many letters, but each one contains profound insights.

Ye Chutang quickly pieces together a picture of a corrupt imperial power.

The Emperor is obsessed with cultivating immortality, either refining pills or meditating.

Not only does this waste the people’s wealth, but in order to fill the holes in the treasury, he imposes extra taxes on the common people.

The court is controlled by the eunuch Duke De.

This eunuch has a twisted mind, obsessed with beauty, and has made the imperial court a mess.

The Crown Prince is involved in corruption, embezzling disaster relief funds and withholding rations and salaries from soldiers at the borders.

The Second Prince manipulates the imperial examination, engages in factionalism, and uses the blood of young boys to refine pills for the Emperor.

Ye Chutang has been somewhat cold-blooded and indifferent since childhood.

After experiencing the brutal selfishness of the last days, there’s almost nothing or no one that can affect her emotions.

But now, she is enraged by the filth and absurdity of the letters, struggling to catch her breath.

“This Zhao family royal family, they should just be wiped out already!” she curses.

After venting, Ye Chutang enters the lounge of her space, placing the letters in a drawer.

She sips on a cooling cola while gazing at the packed space.

“I need to find a way to earn more virtue points to upgrade the space.”

In this ancient world, there are no zombies or mutated creatures that threaten human safety, so the only way to gain virtue is to kill the bad guys and save the good ones.

She knows that the bad guys are the royal family and Duke De.

But these people are connected to the fate of the country, so it’s not wise to act hastily.

If she does, it could cause unrest in the world, leading to innocent people suffering.

“Well, the only thing I can do is save Prince Chen.” Ye Chutang says to herself, heading to the medicine warehouse.

Prince Chen’s fire poison has already severely affected his heart and lungs, and he’s essentially half in the grave.

He’s not easy to save.

If it weren’t for her ancient martial arts family’s medicinal space, she might not be able to help.

The warehouse has several areas, and Ye Chutang heads to the breeding area.

Time stands still in the space, and only humans can enter—living creatures cannot.

However, she can place small living creatures that have medicinal value in the space.

Inside the space, they do not grow or move, like inanimate objects.

Once taken out of the space, they come to life instantly.

In the breeding area, there are many medicine cabinets, each labeled with a name.

There are common creatures like centipedes, ants, and earthworms.

There are also extinct creatures like the Illusion Spider, Ice Leech, and Frost Cicada.

Ye Chutang walks to the cabinet at the back and finds the drawers for the Ice Leech and Frost Cicada.

The Ice Leech is extremely cold, and when it removes the fire poison from Prince Chen’s body, it will also inflict cold poison on him.

At that time, the Frost Cicada, which is tolerant to cold, will be needed to detoxify him.

The Ice Leech is wrapped in ice and is ready for use, though it is a bit small and needs some time to grow.

The Frost Cicada has already been extinct in the last days, and the last egg is lying atop the ice.

Ye Chutang smiles faintly. “Prince Chen is lucky.”

Frost Cicadas are extremely rare, with one less every year.

She places the Ice Leech and the Frost Cicada egg in the lounge, then moves some other items to make space.

The area now has enough room for things from the secret room.

After looting the secret room, Ye Chutang puts on her night vision goggles and retraces her steps.

At this time…

Ye Jingchuan, accompanied by his guards, arrives at Ningchu Courtyard.

The group is stunned as they look at the empty courtyard.

Ye Jingchuan storms into Ye Chutang’s bedroom, looking at the “bare” room, his face darkening with fury.

From the maid going to the Liuli Courtyard to him coming from the Liuli Courtyard, only a few incense sticks’ worth of time has passed.

Where are the things in Ningchu Courtyard?

Even if it was a thief, how did they manage to steal such a large bed?

The night wind blows, rustling the bamboo.

A chill creeps up Ye Jingchuan’s spine, making him break into a cold sweat.

He immediately returns to the courtyard and tells the guards, “Go bring that maid over here!”

It’s not a big deal that things are missing, but Ye Chutang cannot be missing!

When Shuang’er just called for the physician to come to Liuli Courtyard, she was brought to Ningchu Courtyard by the guards.

Ye Jingchuan slaps Shuang’er across the face.

“Smack!”

This is the third time he’s slapped someone today, and finally, he feels satisfied.

His left hand trembles with excitement, and the corners of his mouth rise.

“Tell me! Where’s the young miss?”

Shuang’er’s face is knocked to the side, her mouth full of the taste of rust.

She swallows the blood in her mouth and points toward Ye Chutang’s bedroom.

“The young miss and Dan’er both fainted in the room.”

Ye Jingchuan snorts coldly, “You go find the young miss!”

Shuang’er, bewildered, gets up and hurries to the window, opening it.

She stares at the empty bedroom, her eyes wide as saucers.

Where is she?

Where are the things in the room?

She turns and kneels, her face as pale as paper, her bloodied face making her look like a ghost.

“Master, when I went to Liuli Courtyard to find the madam, everything was fine in Ningchu Courtyard, and the young miss and Dan’er had fainted in the room.”

Afraid Ye Jingchuan wouldn’t believe her, she immediately raises her hand and swears.

“If I lie, may heaven strike me down with lightning and I die a horrible death!”

“Boom!”

Thunder strikes at the perfect moment, scaring Shuang’er so much that she almost faints.

“Master, I’m telling the truth!”

A strong gust of wind blows, scattering her words.

Ye Jingchuan knows the storm is coming. He doesn’t have time to waste on whether Shuang’er’s words are true or not.

He rubs his throbbing temples and looks at the guards.

“Quick, gather everyone and search the entire mansion for the young miss. Don’t leave a single corner unchecked!”

The guards at the Minister’s residence are strict, and Ye Chutang couldn’t have escaped without making a sound.

“Yes, sir.”

“Wait, bring everyone who appeared near Ningchu Courtyard in the last two incense sticks!”