The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: No Need to Thank Me

Spectacular. Truly spectacular.

Even those who had come specifically for the spectacle today never expected such a ”surprise” turn of events.

Ye Shixian was pregnant!

Now, there was absolutely no escape for Murong Ye.

After a brief, dead silence, a jeering voice cut through the crowd:

”Hey! Everyone, make way! Don’t hold up Mr. Murong from going inside!”

If dying right now could make all of this stop, Murong Ye thought, he would gladly do it.

This immense sense of shame, like being stripped naked in public, quickly consumed him.

His life had been too smooth until now, so when this series of blows struck, he was completely stunned.

But he knew that whether he left or stayed, he was now a permanent joke.

The others, of course, didn’t care what he was thinking. On the contrary, they were all very ’considerate.’ At a single call, they responded in unison and quickly cleared a path for him to pass.

Finally, Murong Ye stiffly turned his body.

Now, he could finally see the scene inside clearly.

Ye Shixian was crumpled on the ground, her eyes shut tight. The dress beneath her was soaked with a large amount of blood.

Murong Ye didn’t know how he managed to walk over. It wasn’t until he was about three steps away from Ye Shixian that the strong stench of blood hit him.

It made him suddenly recall that Mrs. Gao had been hanged by Ye Shixian’s own hands. This smelled like death.

Murong Ye couldn’t stop himself from bending over and vomiting.

The scene was utterly chaotic. A look of disgust and contempt flashed in Zhao Chengyin’s eyes.

’He and Murong Yang were fellow officials at court, and he had seen Murong Ye more than once. In the past, everyone would say a tiger father has no dog for a son, lavishing praise on Murong Ye. But his performance today revealed that he was, at his core, nothing but a weak and incompetent coward.’

’Ye Shixian’s murder was an unforgivable crime, but Murong Ye’s relationship with her was different. After arriving here, his first reaction was to run?’

’If it weren’t for this incident with Ye Shixian, he probably wouldn’t have taken a single step closer!’

Zhao Chengyin waved his hand. ”Take her away for medical treatment immediately.”

For the crimes Ye Shixian committed, death was an inevitable outcome, but she couldn’t die here and now.

The old doctor quickly agreed, then shook his head and sighed heavily. ”Your Excellency, I can only do my best to treat her. If she’s lucky, she might pull through, but the child... is definitely lost.”

Zhao Chengyin said, ”Just do your best.”

A group of people scrambled to carry Ye Shixian away, leaving only a chaotic mess behind.

Murong Ye didn’t watch. With one hand on his knee, he vomited until the world went dark.

The noisy chatter from the crowd gradually faded—after such a scene, the case certainly wouldn’t be concluded today.

The crowd slowly dispersed, occasionally looking back as they left, their faces filled with astonishment and emotion.

This was truly the biggest piece of gossip in the Capital City in recent times!

”If you ask me, they shouldn’t have saved that Ye Shixian. It would’ve been better if she just died!”

”Exactly! If I were her, I’d be too ashamed to live!”

”Tsk, who would’ve thought? She seemed so quiet and gentle on the surface, but she did such a shameful thing in private!”

”She even killed her own mother. Is there anything she wouldn’t do?”

Those murmurs of discussion, some near, some far, stabbed into Murong Ye’s ears.

Finally, he regained his senses and shakily straightened up.

Looking at the splattered bloodstains not far away, his heart still palpitated with fear.

Just then, he finally noticed that one person hadn’t left.

—Ye Chutang.

He pulled at the corner of his mouth.

”Are you satisfied now?”

Ye Chutang dusted off her clothes and gently shook her head.

”Mr. Murong, it seems you hold a deep prejudice against me. Things reaching this point today was not something I could control either.”

This was also the truth. She truly hadn’t expected that Ye Shixian was already pregnant. Given her emotional turmoil today, the child was absolutely unsavable.

Murong Ye’s face was full of scorn. ”Didn’t you come today just to watch her—and me—become a laughingstock?!”

Ye Chutang gave him a look, her eyes cool.

”No.”

”I came to collect Mrs. Gao’s body.”

Murong Ye froze, momentarily at a loss for words.

”Her body has been at the Yizhuang for seven days. By my count, today is the seventh day since her death.”

It’s a pity her only daughter won’t be seeing her off.

Ye Shixian’s own life hung in the balance; how could she possibly spare a thought for Mrs. Gao?

It wasn’t just her; everyone seemed to have forgotten about this.

Mrs. Gao herself probably never would have guessed in life that the one to arrange her funeral would be the very person she once looked down upon and despised the most—Ye Chutang!

”We were relatives, after all,” Ye Chutang said.

Murong Ye couldn’t utter another word.

At that moment, a piercing scream suddenly came from inside the building. It seemed Ye Shixian had woken up and was in extreme agony.

Murong Ye shuddered, the hairs on his skin standing on end.

Ye Chutang looked at him, one eyebrow twitching almost imperceptibly.

She said with sincerity:

”It seems this is the time to say: my condolences.”

...

The events of that day spread at lightning speed, becoming the talk of the entire Capital City.

Everyone was shocked that Ye Shixian could be so vicious as to murder her own mother. They also deeply scorned her for getting pregnant without being properly married, utterly losing all face and dignity.

The Murong Mansion was also dragged through the mud and shamed.

Murong Ye knelt in the ancestral hall for an entire night.

Ye Chutang’s name was finally cleared. Later, rumors spread that she had waited a long time at the government office and sought out the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture to plead for permission to handle Mrs. Gao’s final funeral rites.

Those who had previously cursed her felt even more guilty.

But Ye Chutang paid no mind to any of this.

「Two days later, she went to the government office again, this time to see Ye Shixian.」

Ye Shixian was locked in a jail cell. Due to her recent miscarriage, she was extremely weak.

When Ye Chutang saw her, she almost didn’t recognize the disheveled female prisoner leaning in the corner as the once glorious and celebrated eldest young miss of the Ye Family.

Ye Shixian’s eyes were originally closed. Hearing a noise, she slowly opened them.

Her eyes were vacant. It took a long moment for them to focus and recognize the person standing at the cell door.

A deep, resentful hatred surged through her, overwhelming her heart and twisting her features.

”You! You still dare to come here!”

Ye Shixian’s voice was hoarse. Combined with her currently crazed appearance, she looked no different from a vengeful spirit.

But now, she couldn’t even manage to get up. All she could do was frantically pound on the cold, hard, broken bed planks.

Ye Chutang watched her quietly.

”I’ve already handled Second Aunt’s funeral.”

Ye Shixian’s eyes flew open. ”What did you say?!”

Before this, she had been in a daze, and no one had told her any of this.

Ye Chutang smiled faintly.

”Rest assured. Although she was often cruel to me in the past, the dead, after all, deserve respect.”

”Oh, right. I didn’t bury her with Mingze. I had her buried in the eastern outskirts instead. This saves Mingze from meeting her in the underworld, learning that you killed her, and being unable to rest in peace.”

A biting frost seemed to form in the depths of Ye Chutang’s eyes.

She said coolly:

”It was just a small effort. No need to thank me.”