The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Quarrel

Ye Heng frowned deeply. ”Bows and arrows? When did I—”

Suddenly, he stopped short.

”You just said... two sets of bows and arrows?”

”That’s right!” The servant was also baffled.

’Hardly anyone in the Ye Mansion is interested in these things. Why would two sets suddenly be delivered?’

”My lord, they must have made a mistake! Should I send them away?”

A muscle in Ye Heng’s brow twitched. ”Wait!”

The servant wore a baffled expression.

Ye Heng, however, had already guessed the reason.

’Bows and arrows... two sets, no less. This was obviously Ye Chutang’s doing. She bought them for the brothers, Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng!’

’They’ve only just started at the Imperial College, so they must need them for the Imperial Archery assessments.’

’Things had been going so poorly at the Ministry of Justice lately that he hadn’t given those two any thought. Who knew that in a moment of carelessness, Ye Chutang would go and buy them herself! And the most expensive ones, at that!’

The expense was a bitter pill to swallow, but the two brothers were now at the Imperial College, where their every move was scrutinized. If he actually returned the sets, what would people think of him? How could he, their second uncle, maintain his reputation?

Taking a deep breath, Ye Heng waved his hand irritably. ”Go! Pay them!”

Though confused, the servant bowed and left to carry out the order.

Ye Shixian was just walking in. Having overheard most of the conversation from outside, she had already pieced together what happened and was quite displeased.

”Father, did our cousin really buy those? Why didn’t she discuss it with us first?”

Ye Heng was just as frustrated, but it was a bitter pill he had to swallow without complaint.

”Never mind. Some expenses are simply necessary.”

It wasn’t that Ye Shixian didn’t understand the logic, but—

”But she certainly knows how to pick the expensive ones. These cost even more than what Mingze bought.”

The mention of Ye Mingze’s name filled Ye Heng with rage.

”Don’t even mention him! Of all the students at the Imperial College, he was the only one to get kicked out! He’s completely humiliated me!”

Ye Shixian studied him for a moment. Seeing his clearly haggard expression, she frowned slightly. ”Father, have you not been sleeping well lately? Should I call for a doctor?”

Ye Heng immediately shot down the idea. ”No!”

’Too much had gone wrong at home recently. First Mrs. Gao, then Mingze, and even Xian’er, who had always been so sensible, had fallen into the lake at the Long Princess Mansion. If he were to cause trouble now, it would seem like the family was cursed.’

”I just need a few days of rest,” he said gravely. ”Don’t make a fuss.”

Ye Shixian’s lips parted. She glanced around, and once she was sure no outsiders were present, she lowered her voice. ”...Father, don’t you feel that ever since our cousin and her siblings returned, our family has had one problem after another? I mean... what in the world is going on?”

’One or two incidents might be a coincidence, but now each of them was facing some sort of problem. How could one not read into it?’

Ye Heng’s heart skipped a beat. He frowned and flicked his sleeve. ”Don’t speak nonsense! All that talk of supernatural forces is nothing but wicked heresy!”

Seeing the astonished look in Ye Shixian’s eyes, Ye Heng realized he had overreacted.

He lowered his voice and commanded, ”In any case, stop overthinking things! Nothing is wrong!”

Ye Shixian could only nod. ”Yes, Father.”

Ye Heng paced back and forth a few steps. Then, as if remembering something, his eyes narrowed. ”In any case, she won’t be here for much longer.”

Ye Shixian was stunned. ”Father, you mean...”

Ye Heng scoffed.

”She’s quite lucky. Han Yao, the only son of Ye Tong, the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Rites, has taken a liking to her! A marriage alliance like that is something others couldn’t even dream of. I’d say she’s struck gold!”

...

「Long Princess Mansion.」

The carriage slowly came to a stop outside the main gate.

Xiao Wu stopped fiddling with the object in her hands, her eyes wide as she stared at the pure gold interlocking lock.

’This thing is so hard to solve!’

Shen Yanchuan glanced over, the corner of his lip twitching into a slight smile. ”Impressive. You’re already halfway done.”

At the sound of his voice, Xiao Wu looked up, some of the light returning to her previously dejected face.

’Oh, is this considered impressive?’

Shen Yanchuan seemed to read her thoughts and chuckled. ”It’s true. The one who gave you the golden whistle as a first-meeting gift? It took him a whole month to get to where you are now.”

Xiao Wu’s eyes brightened, but then her gaze returned to the interlocking lock, full of reluctance.

’What a shame! I was so close!’

’I wonder what’s inside...’

Shen Yanchuan asked, intrigued, ”You really want to open it?”

Xiao Wu looked up at him, her eyes wide with anticipation.

’It’s not just about what’s inside anymore. This is really fun!’

Shen Yanchuan gently ruffled her hair.

”Then I’ll leave it just for you. You can play with it whenever you want.”

Xiao Wu’s eyes went wide.

Ye Chutang looked at Shen Yanchuan, one eyebrow raised. ”Thank you for your kindness, Princely Heir, but that would be too much trouble. We should decline.”

Shen Yanchuan met her gaze, his tone nonchalant. ”She wants to play, so let her play. What does it matter?”

The carriage fell silent for a moment, the atmosphere growing tense.

Xiao Wu looked from one to the other, then quietly wrapped her small arms around herself.

’It’s cold.’

’Is my sister angry?’

”Xiao Wu is the youngest in our family. We tend to spoil her, so she can be a bit too playful, but this is ultimately a family matter,” Ye Chutang said coolly. ”We won’t trouble the Princely Heir with our affairs.”

’Uh oh, it’s over! My sister is actually arguing with someone!’

’For as long as Xiao Wu could remember, her sister had always been gentle and composed, perhaps even a little lazy.’

’In the past, no matter how much trouble her brother got into, even when people came to their house to complain, she always remained perfectly calm.’

’This was the first time anyone had actually made her angry!’

After a silence that was both brief and felt like an eternity, Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow and let out a low chuckle.

”Alright.”

Ye Chutang shot him a strange look.

’Alright? What’s so alright about it?!’

She picked up Xiao Wu and stepped out of the carriage.

The staff at the Long Princess Mansion were momentarily surprised to see her alight from Shen Yanchuan’s carriage, but they didn’t ask any questions.

’After all, the Princely Heir had personally escorted Doctor Ye home before, hadn’t he?’

Ye Chutang led Xiao Wu by the hand and walked inside. Shen Yanchuan followed a few paces behind, his gait unhurried.

Lian Zhou glanced silently at his master, then at the elegant figure in front of them who hadn’t once looked back. He sighed internally.

’His master had canceled a prior engagement just to pick her up himself, only to end up making her angry.’

’Maybe... he should ask Mr. Xie for some advice later?’

...

The Eldest Princess was recovering well.

”A few more days and we can stop the acupuncture,” Ye Chutang instructed. ”After that, we’ll continue with medicinal broths and regular massage.”

The Eldest Princess beamed. ”Excellent! Just in time for the polo match!”

The Eldest Princess was in high spirits at the mention of it.

”Oh, by the way, I heard your two younger brothers are at the Imperial College now, is that right?”

Ye Chutang wasn’t surprised that the Eldest Princess knew.

She nodded. ”Yes. In fact, I have the Lord Sacrificial Officer to thank for their smooth admission into the Imperial College.”

The Eldest Princess smiled. ”If they’re interested, they should come and play in the polo match too!”

Ye Chutang’s interest was piqued.