The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Do You Want to Return to the Capital City?

He picked up the book and casually flipped open a page.

He only took a glance, but the casual air in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a rare seriousness.

Just as he was about to turn the page, Ye Yunfeng came running over.

”Xiao Wu, are you alright?”

Shen Yanchuan let go, and Xiao Wu turned to Ye Yunfeng and shook her head.

Ye Yunfeng pulled her close and looked her over from head to toe. Only after confirming that she was unharmed did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He straightened up and bowed to Shen Yanchuan. ”My sincerest apologies. Xiao Wu was in a hurry to deliver a book to our third brother. She must have been running too fast and didn’t notice you.”

Shen Yanchuan, of course, wouldn’t hold it against a child. Noticing Ye Yunfeng’s eyes were glued to his hand, he smiled faintly and handed the book back.

”It’s no trouble.”

Taking the book back into his hands, Ye Yunfeng finally felt his anxious heart settle.

’Third Brother had told them that the books in their home were all treasures and shouldn’t be casually shown to outsiders.’

He thanked Shen Yanchuan again with Xiao Wu in tow before running off.

Shen Yanchuan returned to his own room as well.

Lounging on the soft couch, the scene from moments ago replayed in his mind.

He had read extensively since he was a child, but he had no memory of ever seeing this particular book.

And even though he had only glanced at a single page, he had the strong sense that the book was anything but ordinary. A book like that, he reasoned, couldn’t possibly be unknown.

Not to mention the book’s title.

”Taizong...” Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured softly.

’Taizong passed away decades ago. It’s not a name one mentions lightly, so how could that book...’

”Lian Zhou, you mentioned before that the two brothers of the Ye Family both attend the academy?”

Lian Zhou didn’t know why his master had suddenly brought this up, but he nodded. ”Yes. But I heard the instructors at the academy don’t treat them very well.”

The reason was obvious.

The Ye Family had been the subject of much trouble lately. The instructors at the academy had likely heard the rumors and were treating the Ye brothers harshly as a result.

Such things were inevitable in a small town. As soon as there was the slightest whisper of trouble, everyone knew about it in a flash.

Shen Yanchuan thought for a moment, then said, ”Go and tell them that I’m recuperating here with nothing to do, and I’d like to borrow a couple of books to read.”

Lian Zhou was astonished. ”You wish to borrow books from here?”

’But... His Lordship’s private library is as vast as an ocean. Why would he want to—’

But seeing that Shen Yanchuan’s mind was made up, Lian Zhou didn’t press the issue and simply complied.

”Yes!”

...

”He wants to borrow books?”

Ye Chutang sounded surprised.

Ye Jingyan nodded. ”Yes. His attendant said he is bored here and wants to borrow a couple of books to pass the time.”

He asked hesitantly, ”Sister, what’s your take? Should we lend him some?”

Ye Chutang smiled. ”It’s only a couple of books. Of course we can lend him some. Just pick out two travelogues and have them sent over.”

’He is a paying guest, after all. It’s a small courtesy we should extend.’

Ye Jingyan understood immediately. ”Alright, I’ll see to it.”

Seeing him turn to leave, Ye Chutang called out to him again, ”Yan, wait.”

Ye Jingyan looked back. ”Sister?”

Ye Chutang asked carefully, ”How have things been at the academy recently? Have the instructors been deliberately making things difficult for you?”

Ye Jingyan hadn’t expected her to ask about this so suddenly and froze for a moment.

He instinctively started to shake his head, but this was his sister he was talking to. He hesitated for a moment before admitting honestly, ”It’s not that he’s deliberately making things difficult... It’s probably just that my work isn’t good enough, and the instructor is known for being strict, so...”

”So he is making things difficult.”

Ye Chutang could easily read between the lines of his diplomatic response.

In truth, she had known for a long time that the instructor disliked Yan and A Feng. When they first arrived in Jiangling, the brothers knew it wouldn’t be easy to get a foothold, so even when the instructor treated them poorly, they endured it.

The instructor held a respectable position in Jiangling; offending him would only make their lives more difficult.

But their tolerance had clearly not been met with leniency. Instead, things had only gotten worse.

Ye Chutang handed him a jar of ointment. ”Don’t forget to put this on the cut on your hand.”

Ye Jingyan forced a relaxed smile. ”It’s almost healed. You don’t need to worry, Sister.”

Ye Chutang pressed the ointment into his hand anyway. Gazing at the still-visible scar on his palm, she said softly, ”Yan, you’re not like A Feng. He’s always been a tough, restless kid. If he gets a beating for not memorizing his texts, he probably has it coming. But you’ve always been so mature. Among kids your age, if you claimed to be second best in your studies, no one would dare claim to be first.”

”These hands of yours... they’re meant for writing.”

Ye Jingyan froze, his head bowed. He remained silent for a long time.

’He just... he didn’t want his sister to worry.’

Ye Chutang patted his shoulder. At thirteen, Yan was already in the midst of a growth spurt. The boy who had once only reached her chest, his eyes filled with panic and despair, was now as tall as she was. Before long, he would surely surpass her.

After a pause, Ye Chutang asked, ”Yan, do you want to go back to the Capital City to study?”

Ye Jingyan looked at her in shock.

”Sister?”

Ye Chutang said, ”Just answer yes or no.”

Ye Jingyan’s lips tightened, and he didn’t speak for a long time.

’To say he didn’t want to would be a lie. But... how could they possibly go back now?’

Ye Jingyan finally shook his head and said firmly, ”I just want to be with you, A Feng, and Xiao Wu. Nothing else matters.”

In his heart, family would always come first.

Ye Chutang was not surprised by this answer.

When the ”incident” happened, Yan had only been ten years old. But he had always been bright and precocious, and after everything he went through, he became far more introspective.

A Feng, who was about the same age, was still carefree and wore his heart on his sleeve, but Yan was completely different.

Yan had been a great help to Ye Chutang in getting them successfully settled in Jiangling.

But his education was something that couldn’t be delayed.

In this era, education was the best path forward. Besides, they couldn’t possibly stay in a small place like Jiangling forever.

’There were still so many things she had to do.’

Ye Chutang said, ”If you want to, then we’ll go back.”

Ye Jingyan’s heart gave a heavy thud. ”Sister—”

Ye Chutang’s lips curved. ”A letter came from the Capital City.”

Ye Jingyan’s eyes widened instantly, a rare look of eagerness on his face. ”Really!?”

Ye Chutang nodded. Her voice remained calm, but a faint, cold glint seemed to appear in her dark, gentle eyes.

”The incident all those years ago... it was no accident. And the people who killed our father, mother, and eldest brother were no ordinary bandits.”

It felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on Ye Jingyan’s chest, making it hard to breathe.

Three years ago, their father was demoted. On the way to Wuzhou, their family encountered a group of fierce bandits and suffered heavy casualties.

Afterward, it was his sister who had led them to blend in with refugees fleeing a famine, allowing them to barely survive.

’For the past three years, his sister had been secretly investigating the truth of what happened. Had she finally found something?’

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, asking, ”Then—who exactly are they!?”