Chapter 64: Suspecting Ye Chutang’s Connection with the “Ghost Thief”

Ye Chutang thought that now that her disguise was exposed, she could no longer use this face again, so she decided to make full use of it.

After leaving Yingchun Courtyard, she didn’t immediately return to the Minister’s Residence but instead walked around, buying food along the way.

Pastries, candied fruits, dried snacks, braised beef, flower chicken, roasted duck…

At every shop she passed, she bought as much as she could, then, when no one was paying attention, she stored it in her space.

Then she moved on to the next shop, buying all day until dusk.

The space had expanded considerably, enough for Ye Chutang to stockpile supplies.

But with so many scattered items, it looked very messy.

She decided to go to a carpenter’s shop to order some large, square cabinets that were easy to stack.

She also ordered several shelves of various sizes—smaller ones to store the restaurant’s ingredients and larger ones for the marketplace stock.

Finally, she had some boxes made for storing eggs and meats.

After making her plans, Ye Chutang went to the nearest carpenter’s shop to the Minister’s Residence and explained what she wanted.

“Shopkeeper, I need two hundred half-zhang tall cabinets, two hundred one-foot-high boxes, one hundred two-foot-high boxes, one hundred large shelves, and two hundred small shelves.”

The shopkeeper hadn’t expected such a large order and was both surprised and delighted.

Although the customer’s demands were high, the items didn’t require intricate carving and didn’t need to be finely made, so they could be completed quickly.

As long as they could buy enough wood and hire a few workers, it would be done soon.

The shopkeeper agreed immediately, “Young lady, these items will be ready in ten days. But this is a small business, so I’ll need a deposit.”

Ye Chutang roughly calculated the total cost, which was around 150 taels.

She handed over 100 taels as a deposit.

“The rest will be paid once the goods are collected.”

The shopkeeper, seeing how straightforward she was, accepted the deposit without hesitation.

“Alright, as you wish.”

“Young lady, since you’ve ordered so many items, I don’t think they’ll fit in the warehouse. Should I deliver them to you every three days?”

Ye Chutang replied, “No need, I’ll pick them up every three days after curfew.”

The shopkeeper was confused. “After curfew? The shop will be closed by then.”

“Shopkeeper, these items are for a noble official, and they have a special use. It’s inconvenient for others to know. Please leave a back door open, and someone will come to pick them up after curfew.”

“Oh, I understand now.”

Ye Chutang noticed that the shopkeeper treated her like a noble official, so she didn’t offer further explanation.

She patted the shopkeeper’s shoulder. “Let’s make a quiet fortune, don’t say anything, or else…”

The shopkeeper was startled by her gesture of slitting her throat, his body shrinking in fear.

He thought he’d made a windfall, but hadn’t expected to lose his head over it!

He quickly promised, “Rest assured, my lady, I’ll tell all the workers to focus on their tasks and not speak a word.”

“Do more and talk less, don’t ask questions, and there won’t be any trouble.”

“I understand.”

When Ye Chutang left the carpenter’s shop, it was already completely dark.

She found a secluded spot and changed back into the female attire she wore during the day.

On her way back to the Minister’s Residence, she bought a few roasted sweet potatoes and some candied hawthorns.

At the alley’s entrance, while nibbling on the hawthorns, Ye Chutang ran into Qi Yanzhou, who was walking briskly toward her.

Qi Yanzhou noticed her as well.

The young girl was holding a paper bag in one hand and several strings of candied hawthorns in the other, with red syrup clinging to her cherry lips, glistening brightly.

The alley was dim, but it couldn’t conceal her beauty.

He quickly approached her and asked, “Miss Ye, why are you out alone?”

Ye Chutang gave a shallow bow. “Greetings, Lord Chen. My maid is at home recovering, so I came out by myself.”

“There’s no need for such formalities, Miss Ye.”

Ye Chutang stood up. “Outside Yinshi Tower, I thank the prince for his assistance.”

Qi Yanzhou hadn’t expected Ye Chutang to respond like that.

“Seeing it in passing, Miss Ye is elegant and open-minded. I admire you.”

He glanced at the couplet hanging outside Yinshi Tower.

Only someone with a heart for the people could write something like that.

Ye Chutang smiled calmly. “You flatter me, Lord. I’m just an ordinary person, seeking fame.”

Qi Yanzhou looked at Ye Chutang, who was completely different from other women, and appreciated her even more.

“Miss Ye, your thoughts are correct. Only by standing at the highest point can one avoid being manipulated.” Ye Chutang, tired of official talk, looked at Qi Yanzhou, who was dressed in official robes, and changed the subject.

“Lord, you’re here on official business, aren’t you? I won’t disturb you.”

“Miss Ye, actually, I came to find you.”

These words made Ye Chutang wary, but she wasn’t overly concerned.

Even if Qi Yanzhou suspected something, he wouldn’t think she was the “Ghost Thief.”

“Why does the prince want to find me?”

Qi Yanzhou thought for a moment, then said, “I wonder if Miss Ye has time. I’d like to invite you to dinner.”

Ye Chutang didn’t want to go, as she still had to give Jun’er acupuncture later.

“Lord, the emperor intended to arrange a marriage between us, but you refused, wanting to choose a princess from the capital. It wouldn’t be appropriate for us to dine together at this time, would it?”

When Qi Yanzhou heard about the arranged marriage, his ears turned slightly red.

“Miss Ye, when I refused the marriage, it was because I knew you had no interest in me, not because I thought you were unworthy.”

Ye Chutang looked at Qi Yanzhou, who was earnestly explaining, and nodded.

“I truly don’t wish to marry the prince. Marrying you would mean being dragged into power struggles, competing for favor among many women—it’s too exhausting.”

By making her stance clear, she was ensuring Qi Yanzhou would exclude her from his options.

At this moment, she didn’t know that a slap in the face was coming soon.

One day, she would storm into the Prince of Chen’s residence and force him into marriage!

Qi Yanzhou knew Ye Chutang was a free-spirited person who disliked being constrained, so his words didn’t surprise him.

“About the meal, it’s something I should have considered. I came to find you to tell you that the ‘Ghost Thief’ might be connected to you.”

Ye Chutang asked, “Why does the prince think that?”

“When the food was stolen from Ye’s family farm, you almost got burned; that night when Ningchuyuan was robbed, Lady Ye plotted against you; the day the Xishou Palace was robbed, Lord De offended you.”

“And today, the ‘Ghost Thief’ appeared at Yingchun Courtyard, causing Xu Kang to break his leg and earning infamy, and he just happened to offend you outside Yinshi Tower.”

Ye Chutang admired Qi Yanzhou’s sharpness.

“From this, it seems I can’t avoid being connected to it. But what about the theft at Li’s granary?”

This point hadn’t occurred to Qi Yanzhou.

“Perhaps the ‘Ghost Thief’ did that to confuse the situation.”

He then stared into Ye Chutang’s eyes and asked, “Do you know the ‘Ghost Thief’?”

“I do.”

Qi Yanzhou was taken aback by her admission.

“She’s someone you can’t catch, unless…”

“Unless what?”

Ye Chutang smiled mischievously. “Unless the prince also turns into a ghost.”

Qi Yanzhou: “…”

“The Prince of Chen doesn’t believe in ghosts.”

Ghosts don’t go to brothels to drink flower wine during the day!

“I used to not believe in ghosts either, until I saw someone empty an entire courtyard in the time it takes to burn two incense sticks, so I believe now.”

She was a ghost who had transmigrated into this world.

Qi Yanzhou knew clearly that no one could bypass the palace’s experts and silently steal everything from Xishou Palace.

If he had to believe something, he would rather believe in an immortal who cultivated supernatural powers than a ghost.

“Miss Ye, you just said you know the ‘Ghost Thief’?”

Ye Chutang took a bite of the candied hawthorn.

The crisp skin and the sweet-sour fruit—she really liked it.

Her phoenix-like eyes narrowed with a smile, her red lips parted, and she spoke nonsense.

“I don’t really know her. I made a wish for Lord De to lose everything, and it worked halfway.”

His belongings are gone, but he’s still alive, so it only counts as half.

Qi Yanzhou didn’t believe Ye Chutang’s words, but he knew there was nothing more to ask.

“Miss Ye, I’ll take my leave.”

“Take care, Lord.”

Ye Chutang knew that Qi Yanzhou would continue to keep an eye on her, but she didn’t mind. She turned and returned to the Minister’s Residence.

As soon as she entered, Steward Chen rushed over to her anxiously.

“Miss, the madam is in severe abdominal pain. The doctor is helpless, and the master asks you to go to the Liuli Courtyard to take a look.”