The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Offended Her?

Shen Yanchuan looked away, his expression calm and indifferent. He clearly had no intention of making a deal with Xie Anbai.

’He was already investigating Ye Chutang. He would find out whatever he wanted to know on his own. Why waste time and energy sparring with Xie Anbai?’

Seeing this reaction, Xie Anbai wasn’t having it.

”Hey, come on. Are you really not the least bit curious?” ’He had been hoping to trade this information for a bit of money from Shen Yanchuan! Who would’ve thought Shen Yanchuan had no such plan!’

Unwilling to give up, Xie Anbai leaned forward. ”For real! This is exclusive! I guarantee it’ll be worth your while! For the sake of our long friendship, I’ll give you a cheap price: one thousand taels!”

Shen Yanchuan raised his teacup for a light sip, not even sparing him a glance.

Xie Anbai gritted his teeth. ”Then... eight hundred taels?”

Shen Yanchuan gave no reaction.

Xie Anbai took a deep breath. ”Five hundred taels! I can’t go any lower!”

Shen Yanchuan remained completely unmoved.

Xie Anbai finally cracked. ”Three hundred taels! Deal or no deal, just say something!”

Shen Yanchuan finally turned to look at him. ”One hundred taels. Either tell me now, or get out.”

”...” It pained Xie Anbai to his very core. ’It’s all my fault for leaving in such a hurry and forgetting to bring any money. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to grovel and haggle with this man!’

He held out his hand.

Shen Yanchuan signaled Lian Zhou with his eyes. Lian Zhou immediately stepped forward and handed over a silver note.

Xie Anbai checked the silver note twice before carefully tucking it into his robes. Only then did he let out a smug laugh. ”I told you you were interested in her, but you wouldn’t admit it. If this were any other woman, you wouldn’t even spare her a second glance, let alone spend money to get news about her.”

Shen Yanchuan couldn’t be bothered to explain. ”Out with it.”

Xie Anbai cut to the chase, snapping his fan shut with a THWAP. He began, his voice laced with mystery, ”I’ve made some inquiries. This Doctor Ye came here three years ago, fleeing a famine in the north with her younger siblings. You’ve probably figured that much out already. But—do you know where she was originally from?”

Something shifted in Shen Yanchuan’s eyes.

”You know?”

Ye Chutang and her siblings had been in Jiangling for three years, and no one knew where they were really from. Yet, Xie Anbai’s tone was one of absolute certainty.

A triumphant glint appeared in Xie Anbai’s eyes.

He gave a sly chuckle and lowered his voice. ”You’ll never guess... They’re from the Capital City!”

The fingers Shen Yanchuan had wrapped around his teacup tightened instantly, but his expression remained impassive.

”Oh?”

...

Mrs. Cao’s appearance completely upended Cao Deping’s plans.

After her cry, a brief, deathly silence fell over the crowd before it erupted into an uproar.

”What did she say? The three men who died in Cao Chengwen’s courtyard were connected to the Cao Family?”

”*Gasp*... So it sounds like Cao Deping intentionally had Cao Chengwen hire those men to do something! But it must have gone wrong, and they ended up dead at the Cao residence...”

”I always suspected something was off about that case, and I was right! Why on earth would those men go to the Cao residence in the middle of the night? Plus, it was three against one, and somehow Cao Chengwen was the only one who survived! Anyone can see that’s not normal!”

”But what were they trying to do, exactly? Didn’t Liu Si already confess and take the fall for it in the beginning?”

Cao Deping broke out in a cold sweat as he listened, gripped by a panic like nothing he had ever felt before.

He gripped Mrs. Cao tightly, about to drag her away by force, but he was stopped by a government officer after taking just one step.

Yang Zhen’s voice was grim as he demanded, ”Cao Deping! Is what she just said true!?”

Cao Deping looked back, his heart a whirlwind of anger, anxiety, and panic. But in front of this huge crowd, there was so much he couldn’t say.

Yang Zhen saw the look on his face, assumed he was still trying to weasel his way out, and slammed a hand on the table.

”Speak! Did you or did you not hire those three men from the gambling den! What was your objective!”

Cao Deping’s lips turned white, and he trembled, unable to speak a word.

At that moment, a cold laugh suddenly came from the side—it was Cao Chengwen.

”That’s right, we hired them. The gambling den is closely connected to our Cao Family, so finding a few men to handle something is a piece of cake, no?”

Cao Deping whipped his head around to face him, the veins on his forehead bulging. ”You animal! What are you saying!?”

A look of gleeful revenge appeared on Cao Chengwen’s face, his features contorting.

’When he threw me to the wolves with his own hands, he should have seen this coming!’

Cao Chengwen suddenly turned back to look at Yang Zhen, a strange smile touching his lips.

Yang Zhen’s heart hammered in his chest, and a feeling of unease washed over him for reasons he couldn’t explain.

A moment later, he discovered the source of that unease.

Cao Chengwen’s tone was strangely eerie. ”If not for our cousin-aunt, the men from the gambling den might not have been so willing to do us the favor. Speaking of which, we have the Lord County Magistrate to thank for that.”

The entire square fell silent.

The color drained from Yang Zhen’s face in an instant.

...

The corners of Ye Chutang’s lips curved. She was very satisfied with the day’s drama.

’From Cao Chengwen to Cao Deping, and then to Liu Yiyi—they all had to pay the price for what they had done.’

’With all eyes on him, Yang Zhen had only two choices. First: abandon his career, openly shelter them, and let this matter be swept under the rug once more. Second: uphold justice over personal ties and cast aside this stone blocking his path.’

’In his heart, which was more important? The woman he loved, or—’

”Guards!”

Yang Zhen’s face was ashen as he roared, each word seemingly forced out from between his clenched teeth.

”Bring Liu Yiyi here!”

Ye Chutang gave a slight nod.

’Oh, so he’s made his choice.’

She had no more interest in watching the rest of the show and turned to leave.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, and she glanced over to see Mrs. Zhou.

She had originally thought she would be too late to see Liu Si one last time, but upon arriving at the execution grounds, Mrs. Zhou realized the execution hadn’t been carried out yet!

She stood rooted to the spot, stunned, listening to the murmurs rippling through the crowd, hardly daring to believe it.

Then, she finally found Ye Chutang in the crowd. The moment their eyes met, she saw the young woman offer her a faint, gentle smile.

Tears instantly welled up in Mrs. Zhou’s eyes.

The next moment, the woman turned and left, a light breeze catching the hem of her dress.

Her expression was serene and her dark eyes gentle. She exuded an aura of peace and tranquility that was utterly at odds with the loud, grim atmosphere of the execution grounds.

Like a spring haitang blossom, swaying gently in the wind.

Ye Chutang walked a little ways, and as she passed the teahouse, she glanced up as if by chance.

A man in a moon-white brocade robe sat by the window, looking down from his vantage point.

’Had your fill of the show?’

Shen Yanchuan’s lips curved, and he gave a slight nod.

’It was quite a spectacle.’

Ye Chutang was in no mood to banter with him. She withdrew her gaze and kept walking.

’It’s late. A Feng should have dinner ready by now. I’d better hurry back, or the others will wait for me and the food will get cold.’

At this thought, she subtly quickened her pace.

Shen Yanchuan watched her retreating figure, his phoenix eyes narrowing.

’She’s actually... from the Capital City?’

’Then she and Xu Fengchi—’

”Hey, I was wondering—” Xie Anbai asked, gloating, ”Why does the young lady run off the second she sees you? This must be the first time you’ve gotten such a cold shoulder, huh? What did you do to offend her?”