The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 368: Chapter 368: Interrogation

Meanwhile, Murong Ye rushed back to his family’s estate as quickly as he could.

His heart pounded with anxiety. On the way, he imagined countless scenarios, certain he was about to face his father’s thunderous wrath.

However, when he returned to the estate and entered the study, trembling with fear, he found that things were not as he had expected.

Murong Yang was dressed in simple, casual attire, reading a book behind his desk.

Murong Ye knelt the moment he entered, but Murong Yang didn’t even lift his head, acting as if he hadn’t seen him at all.

Time ticked by. The room grew quieter, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of a turning page, which made Murong Ye’s heart pound in terror.

As he knelt on the floor, the back of his robes was already soaked through with a cold sweat.

Finally, Murong Yang finished the book. After turning the last page, he lifted his gaze to glance at Murong Ye, his face devoid of expression.

”Did you take leave to come back?”

Murong Ye lowered his head even further. ”I know I was wrong!”

Murong Yang picked up the book. ”Do you know what this is?”

Murong Ye took a quick glance. He could only make out a character that looked like ”Tale” on the cover. The paper was coarse—not something one would expect to find in his father’s study.

”I do not.”

Murong Yang said, ”This book tells the story of an ill-fated couple. A young lady from a fallen noble family and the scion of a great house, a tale of poignant, passionate love. You should take a good look at it too!”

Halfway through his father’s words, Murong Ye already had a bad feeling. When Murong Yang tossed the book in front of him, he picked it up with trembling hands. After flipping through a few pages, his entire body began to shake.

Although it used pseudonyms, he recognized it at a glance. This was the story of him and Ye Shixian!

The writing was bold and the language explicit. It was the kind of romance novel that young men and women would secretly adore, but if brought out into the open, it was utterly disgraceful!

Murong Ye’s face turned shades of pale and green. ”Th-this! I’ve never read this book! I have no idea who wrote it!”

”Of course you don’t. You neglect your studies all day. What else is in that head of yours besides that Ye Shixian?”

Murong Yang scoffed.

”This book has already been secretly read by many and is selling extremely well! You, Mr. Murong, are now a famously passionate lover in the Capital City!”

Murong Ye’s heart sank into an abyss.

He knew exactly what this meant. A young master’s romantic escapades weren’t necessarily a fault; they could even be spun into charming tales. But to be written into a book like this... it would become a stain that could never be washed away!

It was one thing for him to be shamed, but more importantly, this was enough to disgrace his entire family!

Murong Ye finally realized the situation was far more terrifying than he had imagined. His face went white. ”Father! Father! Someone is trying to ruin me! Someone is trying to ruin me! Who wrote this? I need to see who—”

As he spoke, he frantically flipped through the book, but there wasn’t even a pen name credited anywhere.

It was untraceable!

”If you hadn’t done those things in the first place, how could you have given someone this kind of leverage, leaving you so vulnerable today!”

Murong Yang was utterly disappointed.

He looked at the son in whom he had once placed such high hopes. ’When,’ he wondered, ’did it all go so wrong?’

With a scandal like this, even if Murong Ye were to become a court official in the future, people would mock him for it for years to come!

”You probably don’t know yet, but this book isn’t finished. They’ll likely add a new installment once Ye Shixian’s case is closed.”

Murong Ye’s heart leaped in alarm. He finally remembered why he had returned today.

’So Father already knows!’

’But... but—’

”Father, there must be something wrong here! Xian—Ye Shixian isn’t that kind of person. Who would be cruel enough to kill their own mother!?”

Murong Yang couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on him.

His only regret now was not having impeached Ye Heng more harshly, ensuring his family was also driven out of the Capital City!

Whether they were exiled or demoted to commoner status, anything would have been better than this!

Murong Yang said coldly, ”The trial is today. If you don’t believe it, go and listen to the proceedings yourself!”

...

Shuntian Prefecture had opted for a public trial in Ye Shixian’s case.

This was mainly because the matter had already caused a huge stir, becoming the talk of the town in every street and alley, and its influence was truly pernicious.

Early in the morning, the government office was already surrounded by a thick crowd, with countless people craning their necks to get a peek inside.

A daughter killing her own mother, only to be turned in by her personal maid—a case like that was enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

Not to mention, the accused was Ye Shixian!

Zhao Chengyin slammed his gavel. ”Bring in the accused!”

The first to be escorted into the hall was Ye Shixian.

When the crowd saw Ye Shixian appear, her hands in shackles, her hair a mess, and her face haggard, the entire place erupted in an uproar.

Ye Shixian kept her head bowed low, trying desperately to ignore the clamor.

But some words inevitably reached her ears.

Her face grew even paler, and with it came a deeper sense of resentment and fury.

This suppressed emotion instantly erupted the moment she saw Shaoyao being brought in.

”You wretched slave!”

Ye Shixian was filled with an extreme hatred, wishing she could kill her on the spot!

”I treated you with such sincerity all these years, and this is how you repay me in the end!”

Shaoyao flinched, her gaze toward Ye Shixian a mixture of fear and sorrow.

Zhao Chengyin’s expression turned stern. ”This is Shuntian Prefecture, not a marketplace! If anyone causes another disturbance, I will punish them according to the law!”

Ye Shixian bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. She stopped lunging forward, but her eyes remained locked on Shaoyao.

”Who put you up to framing me? Was it Ye Chutang?! What did she give you to make you betray me like this!”

”Ye Shixian!” Zhao Chengyin barked, cutting her off.

Shaoyao knelt before the court. Her voice trembled slightly, but her tone was firm.

”Your Honor, everything I said before is true! I beg you to see the truth!”

Zhao Chengyin had already learned the details of the case from Zhang Qian, but for the official trial today, all procedures had to be followed.

He asked in a grave voice, ”You reported yesterday that in the middle of the night seven days ago, Ye Shixian drugged Mrs. Gao unconscious, then used a length of white silk to hang her from a beam, faking her suicide. Is that correct?”

Shaoyao’s voice trembled. ”Yes. I didn’t know about it at first. I only went into the room and found the Eldest Miss—I mean, I found Ye Shixian wasn’t there. It was already late, and I thought it was strange. I was about to go look for her when I ran right into her coming back. It turns out she had already drugged Mrs. Gao but couldn’t lift her onto the beam alone, so she came to get me.”

The crowd immediately burst into an uproar!

Murong Ye, who had just arrived, stood at the edge of the crowd. He heard her words, his heart filled with both shock and anger.

He still didn’t want to believe it, but his legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground, unable to take another step forward.

For some reason, he felt a sense of fear, though he didn’t know what he was afraid of.

A clear, pleasant voice suddenly came from behind him—

”Mr. Murong?”