The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Turning the Tables

Ye Yunfeng’s expression instantly iced over. ”Xiao Wu isn’t mute!”

Mortified to be contradicted so sharply by a twelve-year-old boy in front of the servants, Mrs. Gao couldn’t hide her displeasure.

”I was just making an observation. She’s only a child; she wouldn’t understand. Besides, she certainly looks like she can’t talk!”

What four-year-old doesn’t even know how to address anyone?

There’s clearly something wrong with this Ye Lingzhi. So why is nobody allowed to say it?

Ye Chutang’s expression grew distant, her eyes unreadable. ”Second Aunt, though Xiao Wu is young, she understands what you’re saying. Even with Father and Mother gone, she is still our family’s most cherished youngest child. Within this Ye Mansion, there is no reason for anyone to point fingers at her and bully her. You are our elder. We don’t ask that you treat Xiao Wu as your own daughter, but we do ask that you be more charitable with your words.”

Mrs. Gao’s face alternated between flushed and pale.

’What is wrong with these people? Every last one of them is so sharp-tongued!’

She was about to erupt, but a sidelong glance at Ye Heng’s disapproving expression made her swallow her anger. She forced a smile. ”Chutang, you’ve truly misunderstood your second aunt. I’m only doing this for Xiao Wu’s sake, you know? If there’s really something wrong with her, we need to get a doctor to see her immediately!”

Xiao Wu squeezed Ye Chutang’s hand, unhappy with what she was hearing.

’A doctor? My sister is the best doctor in the whole world. Why would we need to call for anyone else?’

Ye Chutang gave her little hand a reassuring squeeze before saying calmly to Mrs. Gao, ”Thank you for your kind intentions, Second Aunt, but we are well aware of Xiao Wu’s condition. We don’t need to call a doctor.”

”How can that be acceptable? If we delay and her condition worsens, people will say your second uncle didn’t do everything in his power to help.” Mrs. Gao’s expression turned haughty. ”Besides, the doctors in the Capital City are hardly comparable to those roadside quacks. We’ll have your second uncle invite an Imperial Physician from the Imperial Hospital. He might just have a solution!”

Ye Heng nodded in agreement. ”That’s right. Doctor Zhang is visiting the mansion tomorrow. We can have him take a look at her then.”

Ye Chutang was getting impatient.

’If they were going to invite Chu Qiyuan, that would be acceptable. At least he’s the Hospital Director and has some actual skill.’

’But inviting some good-for-nothing who got into the Imperial Hospital through family connections? That would be a complete waste of time.’

But she couldn’t be bothered to argue. If Ye Heng was so eager to play the part of the benevolent uncle, she would let him.

”Very well. Thank you in advance, Second Uncle.”

Ye Chutang gave a polite curtsy and led her siblings to their seats.

Ye Shixian glanced at Xiao Wu a few times, then offered, ”Shall I have Nanny Li come and help Xiao Wu eat?”

Ye Chutang placed some food on Xiao Wu’s plate and said with a faint smile, ”That won’t be necessary. She’s perfectly capable of managing on her own.”

Ye Shixian watched for a moment and saw that while Xiao Wu didn’t speak, she truly didn’t need any help with things like eating and drinking.

’It made sense,’ she mused. ’Having been a vagrant since she was little, she was probably lucky just to have enough to eat. How could she possibly compare to the pampered, precious children raised in the noble houses of the Capital City?’

At this thought, a fresh wave of disdain and contempt washed over her.

The meal, fraught with unspoken tensions, finally came to an end.

After mulling things over for much of the meal, Ye Heng finally chose his words and spoke.

”Chutang, your return yesterday was so sudden, and I figured you were all exhausted from your journey, so I didn’t press for details. But now, can you tell me... how exactly did you survive these past three years?”

He sighed. ”After my elder brother and his wife passed, I sent people to search for you for a long time, but to no avail. You children must have suffered a great deal these past few years, haven’t you?”

He simply couldn’t fathom how Ye Chutang, a mere girl of fourteen, had managed to survive while taking care of her three younger siblings.

Ye Shixian also looked over at Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang’s tone was placid.

”By a stroke of luck, while we were on the run, we came across an old doctor. He didn’t have much time left and was worried he’d have no one to carry on his legacy, so he taught me some basic medical principles.” Ye Chutang’s expression was unreadable. ”After he passed away, I took Yan and the others, found a place to settle, and opened a small medical clinic. We made ends meet by gathering medicinal herbs and treating the sick.”

”Wh-what?” Ye Heng was stunned. ”You mean you... you opened a medical clinic?!”

Ye Chutang knew why he was so shocked. Although the current dynasty was relatively progressive, it was still rare for a woman to establish her own business.

Ye Shixian’s eyes also widened in surprise, and the way she looked at Ye Chutang changed.

’She was, after all, a young lady from a prestigious official’s family. How could she lower herself like that?’

She dabbed the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and lowered her gaze, concealing the mocking smile in her eyes.

When she had first met Ye Chutang the day before, she’d felt a faint sense of being threatened. But hearing this now, she realized her worries had been completely unfounded.

A woman who had once shown her face in public, scrambling to make a living, was no longer worthy of being compared to her.

Ye Chutang paid their attitudes no mind, only saying softly, ”It’s shameful to admit, but as their older sister, I failed to provide better opportunities for Yan and A Feng. I could only afford to send them to the cheapest school. I’ve truly let them down these past few years.”

Ye Jingyan’s brow twitched. ”Sister—”

Ye Yunfeng scratched his head, feeling a pang of guilt. ”Why are you blaming yourself, Sister? If anything, I’m the one who caused you the most trouble!”

Ye Chutang turned her head slightly to look at them, her voice soft and measured. ”With our parents and older brother gone, I am the eldest sister. It’s my responsibility to bear this burden. It also serves to let others know that the children of the Ye Family are not without protection.”

Hearing this, Ye Heng could no longer remain seated.

”Chutang, speaking of which, I was just about to discuss this with you. Yan and A Feng are at the perfect age for schooling. I could overlook it when you were wandering and I didn’t know your situation, but now that you’re back in the Capital City, it is my undeniable duty as your second uncle to see to it!”

He continued, ”I’ve already started looking into suitable academies for Yan and A Feng. Once things at home have settled down in a few days, we can send them off to their studies!”

A faint smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips as she lifted her gaze.

”Whatever Second Uncle arranges will naturally be for the best. I was worried that with Mingze at the Imperial College, if Yan and A Feng went there too, conflicts might arise between them. Your arrangement is much more thoughtful, Second Uncle. This way, all three of them can continue their studies in peace.”

Ye Heng’s expression stiffened.

He only just realized his mistake. He had sent his own son to the Imperial College. Now that his two nephews had returned, if he sent them to a different academy, he couldn’t imagine the awful things people would say when they found out!

He quickly backpedaled, ”I was being thoughtless. On second thought, it would be much better for the three of them to go together! The Imperial College is where the brightest talents gather—they must go! I’ll take care of their room and board as well. You needn’t worry about a thing!”

Mrs. Gao was instantly displeased. In a sarcastic tone, she said, ”Husband, we must be cautious about this! After all, the Imperial College... it’s not a place one can enter just by wanting to.”

’How much would it cost for those two to go? And it isn’t just about the money, either.’

She looked the two brothers, Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng, up and down.

”You must have neglected your studies completely these last three years, haven’t you? Even if your second uncle can get you in, you’ll be outmatched in every way. That would just be another kind of trouble. You’d be better off in an ordinary academy where you can at least keep up.”