"Is that true?!"

The Eldest Princess was stunned.

Princess Qingyang furrowed her brow, her expression indignant.

"Han Yao accused him on the spot, saying that Ye Heng was the one who conspired to kill Ye Zheng all those years ago! Chutang doesn’t believe it, but if it were false, how could Han Yao be so bold? And my brother really did find a box in the Han Family’s courtyard, just as he said!"

It was most likely true, but—

"But no matter what, that was his own brother. Could he really be that depraved?"

The Eldest Princess sighed softly and shook her head.

"What does blood matter? What does being brothers matter? When interests are at stake, is it so rare to see them tear each other apart?"

Princess Qingyang had been raised by the Eldest Princess since she was a child. Although she was very well-protected, such things were indeed not unheard of in a place like the Capital City.

"That’s true. Back when Chutang and her siblings first returned to the Capital City, Ye Heng’s family was occupying their mansion and refused to move out no matter what. At the time, I just thought he was a bit greedy. I never imagined he could be so ruthless as to murder his own brother!"

The former, while warranting criticism, was not a crime punishable by death.

But the latter... that would mean it was a long-premeditated plot, born from a truly vicious heart!

The crucial thing was, now that this was out in the open, she didn’t know how Ye Chutang and her siblings would cope... Anyone who learned their parents might have been killed by their own uncle would find it impossible to accept!

All the so-called care he had shown them before would now become the greatest mockery and a complete joke!

The more Princess Qingyang thought about it, the angrier she became.

"Those siblings have had the worst luck imaginable!"

The Eldest Princess had long seen that Ye Heng’s family was hostile toward Ye Chutang and her siblings, but she never expected there was such a dark secret behind it all...

"Yanchuan has already sent an Imperial Physician to see to her. That girl is also a skilled physician herself, so she should be fine. Let’s let her rest and recover for now." The Eldest Princess turned her head and ordered, "Zhuxin, go prepare a gift. We will send it to the Ye Mansion tomorrow."

Zhuxin bowed her head in assent.

Hearing this, Princess Qingyang could only wrinkle her nose.

"Then I’ll listen to you and go another day!"

...

The sun shifted west as the autumn wind rustled, blowing a few more withered leaves into the courtyard.

Ye Chutang sat quietly by the window, flipping through an account book.

’Although we’ve taken back all the shops, how to run them from now on requires careful planning.’

"Sister?"

As Ye Yunfeng entered, he saw several more books stacked beside her and couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern.

"Sister, haven’t you already gone through these? Why are they out again? You haven’t had a proper rest since we came back!"

Ye Chutang turned a page and shook her head. "I’m just double-checking them. It’s not tiring."

Ye Yunfeng leaned over curiously, glanced at the book for three seconds, and then pulled back.

Just looking at this stuff made him dizzy and gave him a headache; he simply couldn’t get into it.

"Isn’t this all pretty normal? Few of those shopkeepers are honest. They cook the books to line their own pockets. The shops may be losing money, but they certainly aren’t. These accounts are a mix of real and fake entries. It’s going to take you a lot of work to check them one by one, Sister."

Ye Chutang tilted her head slightly, propping her chin on one hand. She tapped her slender, pale fingers lightly against her cheek and tutted softly.

"These are all our family’s businesses. If I check them thoroughly, at least I’ll know where all the money was lost."

’Think about how hard we worked to open that clinic in Jiangling a few years ago. How much money did we even make?’

"Not to mention that you and Yan are studying at the Imperial College, and there will be many expenses in the future. Even Xiao Wu eats quite a bit every day. We can’t come back to the Capital City just to let her go hungry, can we?"

Xiao Wu, who was nestled beside Ye Chutang, slowly sat up straight, her eyes wide and blank.

’Sister, do I really eat a lot?’

Ye Chutang coughed lightly and ruffled the little girl’s hair, saying gently,

"My apologies, I was focused for so long I forgot you were here."

As she spoke, she picked up a snowflake crisp and handed it over.

Xiao Wu’s eyes lit up. The moment the snowflake crisp entered her mouth, she forgot all about what her sister had just said.

Ye Yunfeng, who had been watching all this silently: "..."

’Mhm... Sister is so farsighted!’

"Oh, right. Sun Lian’an mentioned Shiluan City last time, but I haven’t had a chance to look into it."

Too much had happened recently, so Ye Chutang hadn’t been able to give it any thought.

Ye Yunfeng didn’t know why his sister was so concerned about what that Sun Lian’an had said, but he felt she must have her reasons. He immediately asked, "How about I go over there first and scout for information?"

Ye Chutang shook her head.

"That’s not a good idea."

’I had originally planned to go myself, but it’s not convenient right now.’

’Yan and A Feng have taken leave, but they can’t be away from the Imperial College for too long.’

’It wasn’t that Ye Chutang was worried about them falling behind in their studies; she was afraid they would be targeted by people with ulterior motives.’

’It was obvious that countless eyes were watching them from the outside. They had to be cautious with every move.’

’It would be far too strange for the two brothers to leave the Ye Family at a time like this.’

"Then..." Ye Yunfeng quickly understood her concerns and frowned as well.

’After returning to the Capital, everything was out in the open. Their hands were indeed tied.’

Ye Chutang thought for a moment. "It’s fine. Let’s put this matter aside for now. You—"

Before she could finish, Ye Chutang suddenly paused, tilted her head slightly, and looked outside.

Ye Yunfeng also realized something was amiss and followed her gaze, a little puzzled.

"Is someone here?"

’But who could it be at this hour?’

Ye Chutang closed the account book and said in a calm voice, "A Feng, we have a visitor. Go and see who it is."

Ye Yunfeng understood immediately and stood up. "Alright. You get some rest, Sister. Third Brother and I can handle these things."

Ye Chutang nodded, put her things away, and then led Xiao Wu around the screen into the inner room.

Ye Jingyan, who was in the courtyard drying medicinal herbs, had already heard the knock. He exchanged a glance with the emerging Ye Yunfeng, wiped his hands, and walked over to open the door first.

"Coming."

Ye Jingyan opened the door and saw several unfamiliar faces.

The man in the lead smiled and cupped his fists in a salute.

"Greetings, Third Young Master Ye."

Ye Jingyan hesitated. "And you are...?"

"His Highness Prince Qi and the Noble Consort heard that Second Miss Ye was injured and were both extremely concerned. They have specially sent this servant to deliver this century-old Ganoderma, in the hope that Second Miss Ye will recover soon."

A slight furrow appeared between Ye Jingyan’s brows.

’Prince Qi?’

’We’ve never had any dealings with him. This gift is completely out of the blue.’

Though he thought this, Ye Jingyan’s face showed nothing but surprise and astonishment.

"This gift is far too valuable, we really can’t..."

"Third Young Master Ye, there’s no need to be so polite. This is a token of the Noble Consort’s and Prince Qi’s goodwill. Please, you must accept it." The man seemed to have anticipated Ye Jingyan’s reaction, his tone a mixture of earnestness and pleading. "If I fail in this task, this servant will have no way to answer to them upon my return."

’Who could refuse a gift from the Noble Consort and Prince Qi?’

Ye Jingyan hesitated for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

"My sister’s injuries are too severe, and she is unable to leave her bed for the time being. On her behalf, I thank the Noble Consort and His Highness Prince Qi for their concern."

Hearing this, the words the man had intended to say about visiting Ye Chutang were caught in his throat.

"But—"