The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: The Child is Innocent

The cry of alarm instantly drew everyone’s attention. Han Yao’s hand trembled, and the tea in his cup overflowed, spilling onto the table.

Ye Chutang looked over in that direction, her brow furrowed slightly.

A maid was supporting Su Pei’er, her face a mask of panic. ”Miss! Miss, are you alright?”

Su Pei’er clutched her pipa, her face growing paler by the second. At some point, the hem of her simple white skirt had become stained with crimson blossoms.

Seemingly too weak to hold on, she lost her grip, and the pipa fell straight into the water.

SPLASH—!

She swayed and began to fall backward.

The young maid, who was no more than thirteen or fourteen, burst into tears of panic at the sight.

”Someone! Quick, come and save our miss!”

Chaos erupted.

”What’s happening?”

”I don’t know... I think... I think they said Su Pei’er is bleeding?”

”How could that be? She—”

Many people, recovering from the shock, turned to look at Han Yao.

He was the one who had been most intimate with Su Pei’er recently, which meant...

Han Yao was stunned as well and immediately shouted his denial.

”This—This has nothing to do with me! I have no idea what’s happening to her!”

But the more he protested, the guiltier he looked.

Ye Chutang stood up. ”I’ll go take a look.”

Han Yao immediately moved to block her. ”You—what are you doing!? If she’s not well, she can find a doctor herself. It’s none of our business!”

Ye Shixian frowned as well, whispering, ”She’s right, Cousin. Why insist on getting involved? It’s just asking for trouble, and terribly unlucky.”

’That Su Pei’er comes from a brothel, and now she’s bleeding... How could Chutang possibly go over there?’

’Even looking at her feels dirty.’

Ye Chutang looked calmly at Han Yao. ”This is a matter of life and death—potentially two lives. Are you, Mr. Han, really going to stand by and do nothing?”

A flash of guilt crossed Han Yao’s face, and he instinctively took a step back.

Ye Chutang then tilted her head slightly toward Ye Shixian. ”If you don’t want to go, you can stay here.”

”I—” Ye Shixian wanted to argue, but the words died on her lips.

In her moment of hesitation, Ye Chutang was already walking away.

Both boats were in the middle of the lake. Getting to shore and then finding a doctor would take far too long.

By then, not only would Su Pei’er’s unborn child be lost, but her own life would be in danger.

”Take me to that boat,” Ye Chutang said.

Hearing her command, the boatman instinctively glanced at Han Yao. Seeing him standing there, stiff and panicked, the boatman knew he’d get no instructions from him. He simply obeyed Ye Chutang and began rowing toward the other boat.

The two boats drew closer. When they were just a step apart, Ye Chutang strode from the bow of her boat to the other.

The lake rippled and the boats swayed, but her step was perfectly steady. She moved with a light and easy grace, as if walking on solid ground.

Besides the boatman, only Su Pei’er and her maid were on the boat.

Su Pei’er was lying on the deck, pale-faced and beaded with sweat, her voice a choked sob. ”It hurts... My stomach hurts so much...”

The maid was kneeling beside her, doing nothing but crying.

When she saw Ye Chutang approach, she looked up, tears still on her face, her expression a mask of confusion and helplessness.

”You... you...”

”Take her inside.” Ye Chutang went to Su Pei’er’s side and took her by the wrist, her voice firm. ”If you want to live, do exactly as I say.”

Su Pei’er looked up, her vision blurred by tears.

She didn’t know Ye Chutang personally, but she immediately recognized the Second Miss Ye whose fame had recently skyrocketed.

A bright, beautiful face, gentle and graceful.

She’d heard the rumors that the recently returned lady of the Ye Family was a rare beauty, even more so than the renowned Ye Shixian, but Su Pei’er hadn’t paid them much mind.

After all, she herself was considered quite beautiful.

But seeing her in person, she knew it was no exaggeration.

Just by sitting there quietly, Ye Chutang could effortlessly command everyone’s attention.

And now, this very person had come to her side...

Her survival instinct made Su Pei’er swallow her words, and she could only nod through her tears.

Ye Chutang glanced at the maid beside her.

Somehow, the sight of Ye Chutang’s calm and composed demeanor inexplicably soothed the panicked maid.

She quickly wiped away her tears, helped Su Pei’er to her feet, and led her into the cabin.

Ye Chutang lifted the curtain and followed her in.

...

Everyone was stunned.

”Han, this...” The men with him exchanged dismayed glances, unsure what to do.

They had thought it was just a trip to boat on the lake and admire the moon. Who could have expected this?

One of them lowered his voice. ”Han, that child of Su Pei’er’s... it’s not really yours, is it...”

”Impossible!” Han Yao blustered, a conditioned reflex. ”I didn’t even know she was pregnant! How could it possibly be mine!?”

Hearing this, the man dropped the subject and exchanged a look with the others.

’Everyone knew he’d spent a fortune to have Su Pei’er all to himself, visiting Chunfeng Lou every day for his pleasure. Everyone knew she was his woman. And now that Su Pei’er was pregnant, he was trying to wash his hands of the whole affair...’

Han Yao’s jaw tightened. He said nothing, but his mind was in turmoil.

’He really hadn’t known!’

’If she had told him privately, he could have just given her an abortifacient and some money to make her go away.’

’But she had to go and make a scene in front of all these people!’

’It was one thing for the son of a noble family to be a bit of a libertine—often, it was even a source of bragging rights. But getting a brothel girl pregnant was an utter disgrace!’

’If his father found out, he would absolutely ream him out! He might even be subjected to family punishment!’

Han Yao’s mind was a tangled mess and his throat went dry. He couldn’t help but tremble at the thought of that scene.

He looked at the boat opposite.

’If... if Su Pei’er lost the child now, it would save him a lot of trouble. And if she died along with it, even better!’

...

Su Pei’er lay there, still bleeding, her lips deathly pale.

Ye Chutang was taking her pulse.

The maid was beside herself with anxiety, tears streaming down her face.

”We’re done for, Miss! What are we going to do!”

She had grown up in a brothel and had seen it happen more than once: one of the girls would get pregnant, only to be force-fed an abortifacient brew by the madam.

Some were lucky enough to survive. Others met a tragic end, dying along with their unborn child.

Seeing Su Pei’er bleeding now, looking no different from the girls who had drunk the brew, the maid was certain she wouldn’t make it.

”Stop crying and come help me.” A cool, calm voice cut through her despair. The tone was level, yet it carried an authority that was impossible to disobey.

The maid’s sobs stopped instantly. She looked at Ye Chutang, her eyes red and swollen.

”You... you can save my miss?”

’But every time this happened before, the girl couldn’t be saved. This... this Ye Chutang looked to be only seventeen or eighteen. Could she really do anything?’

Ye Chutang lit a nearby candle and took out her silver needles, her dark eyes as calm as a deep, still pool.

”The child is innocent. Of course they must be saved.”