Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Tangle of the Rockery

The faint sound of heavy breathing stood out starkly in the stillness of the night.

Ye Yuntang mustered her courage and took a few steps toward the source of the sound, but recalling the first rule for survival—mind your own business!—she immediately suppressed her curiosity and prepared to leave at once.

Yet, in the next moment, her entire body stiffened.

It felt as if something pressed against the small of her back!

A dagger? Or some other deadly weapon?

She turned her head and was suddenly confronted by a terrifying ghostly mask.

Her body froze.

It was as if all the blood in her veins had instantly congealed.

“Turn around.”

Ye Yuntang stiffly obeyed, and before her stood a man dressed in white inner garments, splattered with spots of blood, as if he had just slain someone.

His slender frame appeared frail, lazily leaning against the artificial rock, his right hand idly playing with the dagger. The pale moonlight made him look eerily charming.

Had it not been for her own bloodstained clothing, she might have thought she was facing a ghost...

Beneath the mask, his eyes were cold and menacing. Slowly, they slid down from her face to her fair neck, then glanced faintly over her body, a gleam of bloodlust flickering in his gaze.

He straightened and stepped closer, but Ye Yuntang pushed him back against the rock.

“Shh! Don’t speak yet!”

She leaned in solemnly. “I just happened to pass by and unintentionally discovered your secret. So, if you don’t harm me, I won’t harm you. How about that?”

Xie Chenyen raised an eyebrow, casting a glance at the small figure daring to pin him down.

Ye Yuntang received no reply, and a flicker of unease stirred in her heart.

“If you don’t speak, I’ll take that as your agreement.”

Saying that, she attempted to rise and leave, but before she could move, someone yanked her back, pressing her against the stone wall again.

Their bodies twisted around.

“What do you want?!”

Ye Yuntang did not expect that this seemingly fragile man was actually quite capable.

Xie Chenyen narrowed his eyes and looked at her trembling rosy lips. “You’re shaking so badly—what did you just see?”

“Nothing. I saw nothing,” Ye Yuntang replied immediately.

“Really?”

Xie Chenyen sized her up and down. “Who are you? How did you end up here?”

Ye Yuntang thought for a moment. “I’m nobody—just a lost nobody. Please have mercy and let me go. If not, I’m doomed.”

“What is your purpose here?”

His voice was icy. Ye Yuntang felt it pointless to waste words.

After all, this was the Imperial inner court.

She guessed he wouldn’t dare act rashly, so she boldly said, “What I’m doing is none of your business.”

Hearing this, a trace of amusement flickered in Xie Chenyen’s eyes. It was the first time he’d met someone unafraid of him.

He lifted his eyelids and looked at her coolly.

“You don’t speak, then you die.”

Ye Yuntang glanced at the sky and gave up all pretenses. “Either way, I’m going to die. Just kill me and be done with it. Thank you!”

“Heh, straightforward in asking for death.”

He raised his other hand, reaching toward her neck. His knuckles were long and slender, but before he could touch her, she gripped his wrist.

“Damn it, you really want to kill me!”

Did this man have no mercy at all?

Her eyes darted rapidly, then she bluffed, “I’ll have you know, I’m His Majesty’s favored concubine. If you dare harm me, His Majesty will exterminate your entire clan!”

“A favored concubine?”

He wondered when he had acquired a concubine.

“Miss? Miss! Where are you?”

Ye Yuntang heard a call and quickly responded, “Sang Zhi, I’m here...”

As soon as she spoke, the restraint on her vanished.

The man’s figure melted into the shadows and disappeared without a trace.

Sang Zhi hurried over, anxious. “Miss, why are you here?”

“I got lost.”

“Ah! I knew it. Let’s hurry; we still have time. I’ve already prepared everything you need.”

Ye Yuntang no longer hesitated and rose to leave.

By the time they reached the arena, only half an incense stick’s worth of time remained.

“Miss, what shall we do?” Sang Zhi paced anxiously.

Ye Yuntang remained calm and composed. “Don’t worry. I have another method—I will definitely win this competition.”

Sang Zhi suddenly recalled something. “Miss, you mean to use the long-lost Ghost Wine Ritual?”

“Exactly.”

Ye Yuntang nodded, arranging the materials on the table and lighting the fire to brew the wine.

“But Miss, you have tried this technique before and repeatedly failed...” Sang Zhi’s voice was full of worry and doubt.

Ye Yuntang paused briefly, a flicker of hesitation crossing her eyes before being replaced by resolve.

“Though I failed many times before, there is no turning back now. I have pondered deeply and discovered the crucial secret. This time, I will succeed.”

Seeing her so determined, Sang Zhi could only assist with cautious faith.

The red flames licked the bottom of the pot as the wine began to bubble. Ye Yuntang focused intensely, adding rare ingredients one by one according to the newly understood method.

Her gaze was sharp and passionate, as if she had merged with the brew.

Time passed slowly amid the tense atmosphere. As half an incense stick’s time was nearly up, a strange and alluring aroma wafted from the pot, drawing the attention of all around.

Sang Zhi clenched her fists tightly, silently praying her mistress could turn the tide.

“Time’s up!”

The eunuch shouted sharply, and all the competitors ceased their work.

One by one, the serving maids brought their brews to the platform for the chief judge’s evaluation.

“Miss, we can win this,” Sang Zhi grasped Ye Yuntang’s hand firmly.

“We must win!”

This was her only chance to rewrite her fate.

Soon, the chief judge on stage stood and announced, “The first place in this year’s wine brewing contest goes to Ye Yuntang—for the Fuyao Wine!”

Ye Yuntang and Sang Zhi were stunned at first, then their faces blossomed with ecstatic joy.

Sang Zhi almost leapt up, hugging Ye Yuntang tightly. “Miss, you did it! You really did it!”

The crowd erupted—some amazed, others skeptical, and a few admiring.

Ye Yuntang’s gaze fell upon the suddenly darkened face of Prime Minister Ye.

Nearby, Wang’s family and Ye Feiyao were nearly shaking the silk cloth in anger, while Xue Zimu’s face was filled with disbelief.

“Ye Yuntang, whose daughter is she?” Xie Chenyen suddenly spoke from the Dragon Throne.

Prime Minister Ye stood and bowed. “Your Majesty, Ye Yuntang is this humble servant’s eldest daughter.”

“Oh?” Xie Chenyen’s eyes gleamed with a meaningful smile. “I did not know that Prime Minister Ye’s household had raised such a capable daughter.”

“I humbly accept Your Majesty’s praise,” Prime Minister Ye knelt. “The young lady is somewhat unruly...”

“Ye Yuntang, step forward and answer.”

Xie Chenyen cut off Prime Minister Ye, his gaze sweeping over the crowd to the woman seated among the lower ranks.

Ye Yuntang stepped forward and kowtowed, not daring to raise her eyes.

“What method did you use to brew this wine?”

Xie Chenyen toyed with the cup in his hand. He had just tasted a sip, and the flavor instantly quelled the raging bloodlust in his chest, calming his mind considerably.

“Your Majesty, the method I used is the Ghost Wine Ritual.”

At this declaration, the crowd erupted in commotion!

“Isn’t that the long-lost supreme technique?”

“Indeed, the Ghost Wine Ritual was the famed signature skill of the old master winemaker a century ago. Unfortunately, it was lost because the next generations were incapable. Never expected it to reappear today!”

“The Ye family’s daughter is truly remarkable!”

In the audience, Xue Zimu’s expression darkened. Once upon a time, his own hands had brewed a top-grade wine for him. Unfortunately, he never got to taste it...

Ye Feiyao’s gaze followed the crowd and landed on Xue Zimu’s face. Was that regret?

Then, he looked back at Ye Yuntang on stage, his hatred deepening.

“What reward do you seek?”

Xie Chenyen fixed his predatory gaze on Ye Yuntang, seeing her like prey.

Just as Ye Yuntang was about to speak, Prime Minister Ye suddenly stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, this young lady is inexperienced and unworthy of your reward.”