The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Boating on the Lake

Han Yao’s smile froze on his face.

After the trouble that erupted yesterday, Zhao Hanguang and several other officials under him were temporarily suspended from their posts. Han Tong was one of them.

”Well, uh...” Han Yao forced a smile, trying to cover for himself. ”Hasn’t Lord Su Wei’s investigation yet to yield any results? Once the truth comes out and my father and the others are exonerated, all these problems will naturally resolve themselves.”

Ye Shixian, who had just arrived, heard this and covered her mouth with her hand as she smiled. ”That’s right. We all know what kind of person Uncle Han is. This matter surely has nothing to do with him, and he’ll be restored to his post in a few days. As for you, Mr. Han, it’s only been a day since we last saw you, and you’re already here to see my cousin. You’re even more diligent than when you used to come see Mingze.”

Her words sounded like a joke, but they were quite unsettling to hear.

Ye Chutang smiled faintly and said, ”Since returning to the Capital City, I’ve barely seen Mr. Han more than a few times. In fact, Shixian, you’ve interacted with him more than I have.”

Ye Shixian teased, ”That’s not how you should put it. Mr. Han fell in love with you at first sight, cousin. That one meeting is worth a hundred of ours. If that weren’t the case, Mr. Han wouldn’t have come today, would he?”

With her backing him up, Han Yao relaxed considerably and chimed in, ”Yes! My feelings for Second Miss Ye, I already—”

”Mr. Han, why have you come looking for me today? Please just tell me directly.” Ye Chutang couldn’t be bothered to waste time on him.

Han Yao cleared his throat with a cough.

”Actually... actually, I just wanted to invite Second Miss Ye to go on a boat trip on the lake.”

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow slightly. ”A boat trip?”

”Yes. It’s a boat trip, but it’s also a poetry gathering. At this time every year, friends in the capital get together in small groups at Feiyue Lake to compose poetry, drink tea, and enjoy the moon. It’s quite delightful.” Han Yao clasped his hands and looked at Ye Chutang with great expectation. ”I just don’t know if Second Miss Ye would be willing to grace us with her presence?”

Ye Chutang, of course, had no interest in this whatsoever. However, before she could voice her refusal, Ye Shixian had already spoken up.

”Cousin, the boat trip sounds so fun! I was actually thinking about it myself but never got around to it. Since Mr. Han has invited you, you should just say yes! I’ll go too, and I’ll invite some friends. It will be so lively!”

It seemed she was even more eager to go than Ye Chutang.

Seeing Ye Chutang remain silent, she added, ”Cousin, when you all first returned, I said I would take you around to see the sights, but too many things came up and it’s been delayed until now.”

A look of hurt and unease appeared on her face. ”Could it be that you’re upset with us for not taking good enough care of you, cousin, and that’s why you don’t want to go out with us?”

Her words were truly clever, leaving no room for retreat.

If Ye Chutang refused, it would make her seem petty and unappreciative of the kind gesture.

After a moment, a very faint smile touched the corners of Ye Chutang’s lips.

”It does sound interesting. If I were to refuse, I’d only be spoiling everyone’s fun. In that case—alright.”

...

The boat trip was scheduled for youshi, in the late afternoon. The weather wouldn’t be as hot, and they could watch the sunset over the lake—a very pleasant and comfortable time.

Everyone would gather to recite and compose poetry. After some hearty drinking, they could then enjoy the boundless moonlight.

No wonder so many people were enthusiastic about it.

Ye Chutang first went to the Long Princess Mansion. After taking the Eldest Princess’s pulse, she changed her prescription.

”Your Highness, your recovery is going very well. From now on, you’ll just need some gentle, restorative medicinal meals.”

The Eldest Princess smiled and patted her hand. ”Ultimately, it’s because your medical skills are excellent.”

’Otherwise, this old bag of bones might have given up the ghost long ago.’

”By the way, your brother has returned to the Imperial College, right? Why don’t you have dinner here today, and I’ll have someone send you and Xiao Wu back later?”

The Eldest Princess’s diet had been very light recently, and her meals were rather bland every day. But she loved watching Xiao Wu eat. The Little Milk Group ate with such gusto that it improved the princess’s own appetite.

Ye Chutang gave a small smile. ”Actually, I have a presumptuous request. I have to go out a little later, and it’s not convenient to take Xiao Wu with me. I was wondering if she could stay here for a while? I’ll come back to pick her up later.”

”Of course, that’s no problem at all. Zhuxin and the others can take good care of Xiao Wu. But what is it you’re going to do?” the Eldest Princess asked, a little curious.

Ye Chutang then told her the truth about Han Yao’s visit and invitation.

”...Shixian also strongly urged me to go, saying she wants me to make more friends. It was a kind gesture that was hard to refuse, so I agreed.”

After listening, the Eldest Princess let out an unreadable laugh. ”He certainly is in a hurry.”

Just yesterday, she had mentioned her intention to arrange a marriage for Ye Chutang, and this Han Yao had impatiently jumped out. Today, he even came to her door directly, practically wanting the entire Capital City to know of his interest in Ye Chutang.

Ye Chutang said nothing.

The Eldest Princess stroked Xiao Wu’s chubby cheek.

”Alright. You can come back for Xiao Wu later, then.”

Ye Chutang curtsied in thanks.

...

”Your Highness,” Lan Yi said, very confused, ”since you dislike that Han Yao, why did you let Doctor Ye go? If you had just said the word, she could have logically refused the boat trip, couldn’t she?”

Who would dare try to take someone away from the Eldest Princess?

Hearing this, the Eldest Princess simply smiled.

”You think she came here today so that I would fend off these people for her?”

”Isn’t that why?”

”Quite the opposite.” The Eldest Princess leaned back in her chair, calm and composed. ”She was determined to go from the very beginning.”

Lan Yi was bewildered. ”But... Doctor Ye clearly has no interest in Han Yao. Why would she do this?”

The Eldest Princess said leisurely, ”Don’t forget, Han Yao represents the entire Han Family. More importantly, he’s the match her Second Uncle personally picked for her. How could she refuse just by saying no? Even if she is to refuse him, she needs a justifiable reason.”

Lan Yi seemed to understand something. ”You mean, this boat trip is actually—”

A smile emerged in the Eldest Princess’s eyes.

”Who is setting a trap for whom... that remains to be seen.”

...

When Ye Chutang returned to the Ye Mansion, Ye Shixian had already finished getting ready.

When she learned that Ye Chutang had temporarily left Xiao Wu at the Long Princess Mansion, Ye Shixian didn’t pay it much mind. An occasion like this wasn’t suitable for bringing such a little girl anyway.

The two of them shared a carriage and headed toward Feiyue Lake in the southern part of the city.

Han Yao had arrived before them, accompanied by a few other young masters from prominent families.

Ye Shixian had also invited a few of her close friends, and with everyone gathered together, it was indeed quite a lively scene.

Han Yao had chartered a rather luxurious tour boat and was inviting people aboard one after another.

Ye Chutang followed Ye Shixian onto the boat and saw that quite a few people were already there.

More than half of these people had never actually met Ye Chutang before. Now, seeing her in person, they couldn’t hide their astonishment at her beauty.

After a few sentences of conversation, someone started to tease.

”No wonder Han has been so captivated! With looks like Miss Ye’s, even if you scour the entire Capital City, you’d be hard-pressed to find many who can compare!”

The smile on Ye Shixian’s face stiffened for a moment. She lowered her head and sipped her tea.

Han Yao couldn’t hide his smugness. ”Miss Ye is naturally beyond compare to those common, painted faces. I—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a woman’s genuinely choked cry suddenly came from not far away.

”Mr. Han!”