The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 473: Chapter 473: A Murder Plot

”I’m touched that you’re still thinking of me.”

Holding the warm cup, Ye Chutang felt a touch of warmth spread through her heart.

Chu Qiyuan waved his hand dismissively.

”You’re prone to getting cold, and the winters in the Capital City are brutal. You have to be extra careful.”

Chu Qiyuan recalled that when they first met, Ye Chutang had been quite frail.

Yet that same frail body, which looked as if a gust of wind could knock it over, had single-handedly put an end to the plague that had ravaged the entire city.

She was decisive and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.

Back then, Chu Qiyuan had thought that if she were a man, a vast world would be open for her to conquer.

However, after seeing everything she had done since returning to the Capital City, he realized how narrow-minded he had been.

’Some people don’t need a world carved out for them. Wherever they go, that is their world.’

”I’ll be fine. But about Xiao Wu... do you think there’s anything that can be done?”

Chu Qiyuan had Xiao Wu open her mouth again and examined her for a while. After a long period of contemplation, he said, ”She was once able to speak. But a childhood fright terrified her, scattering her spirit and courage. The shock became trapped, so to speak, rendering her mute.”

Ye Chutang wrapped an arm around Xiao Wu as the girl ran back to her side. She took a previously prepared purse from her sleeve, picked out a piece of candied fruit, and fed it to her before nodding. ”She doesn’t remember what happened.”

Chu Qiyuan sighed, his heart filled with pity as he looked at the small, delicate girl. ”She may not remember, but the trauma is still there. What’s more, she’s still so young; we can’t treat her with just any medicine. This... I’m afraid it will be very difficult.”

Xiao Wu climbed onto the stool and sat obediently beside Ye Chutang. As the sweet and sour taste of the fruit filled her mouth, her little face scrunched up.

Over the years, she had heard people discuss her condition before. She was used to it, so she naturally didn’t mind.

Chu Qiyuan looked away from the girl and back to Ye Chutang. ”You, of all people, should know this best.”

And Ye Chutang did.

Xiao Wu’s muteness was, at its core, psychological trauma. The incident all those years ago had left a deep and lasting scar.

Before, it didn’t really matter. Even if Xiao Wu never spoke, she could support her for the rest of her life.

But now, Xiao Wu herself wanted to speak.

But from the sound of it, Chu Qiyuan also advised against medication. They would just have to be patient.

’Just as I thought.’

Chu Qiyuan said consolingly, ”She’s still young. Perhaps one day she’ll start speaking on her own. This is the sort of thing that can’t be rushed.”

Ye Chutang nodded. ”You’re right.”

Her expression was calm, as she had clearly expected this answer from Chu Qiyuan.

Chu Qiyuan paused. ”You didn’t come here today just for this, did you?”

’Of course, the old are always the wisest.’

Ye Chutang glanced outside. A cold wind swept through the courtyard, and scattered snowflakes began to drift down.

The world seemed to fall silent, unnervingly calm.

But beneath that calm, who knew how many dark currents were surging?

In this vast Capital City, there was no peace to be found anywhere.

Ye Chutang withdrew her gaze, raising her eyes to meet Chu Qiyuan’s. She asked calmly, word by word:

”In the Imperial Hospital, who are your people?”

Chu Qiyuan was instantly stunned.

He knew Ye Chutang had made a special visit today for an important matter, but he never expected her to ask such a blunt question.

’She was clearly asking who in the Imperial Hospital could be trusted!’

Chu Qiyuan fell silent for a long moment before finally shaking his head with a wry smile. ”You figured that out, too.”

The sordid affairs of the Imperial Hospital had always been well-hidden. Everyone there was shrewd, each one better than the last at maintaining appearances. He never imagined that after only a few days of treating Emperor Muwu, Ye Chutang would have so keenly sensed the underlying problems.

The physicians in the Imperial Hospital all served different masters. The place had long since splintered into factions, and they had fought countless battles, both in the open and in the shadows.

As the Hospital Director, he found it deeply shameful. Now, being confronted so bluntly by Ye Chutang, he felt even more disgraced.

Ye Chutang, however, was unconcerned. ”You can’t control the heavens and the earth, so how could you possibly control what so many people think and do?”

Chu Qiyuan was a little surprised by her perceptiveness, but on second thought, it made sense that she would see it that way.

She was not an ordinary woman to begin with.

During her time treating Emperor Muwu, she had likely uncovered quite a lot.

At that thought, Chu Qiyuan felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

He pondered for a moment and said two names.

Ye Chutang immediately understood. The rest of them couldn’t be fully trusted.

”...”

She knew the Imperial Hospital had problems, but she never expected it to be this outrageous. There were only two people—just two!—that Chu Qiyuan could trust completely.

After a moment of silence, Ye Chutang said, ”Then your years at the Imperial Hospital must have been quite difficult.”

Chu Qiyuan: ”...”

He cleared his throat, trying to save a little face. ”Well, it’s not that the others are completely untrustworthy. It’s just that I don’t know them well, so it’s not my place to comment on them.”

In other words, he had no idea what sort of shady business the others were involved in.

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. ”So you’re saying you don’t trust Zhou Kangxue or Lord Zhao Xuanping?”

’Zhou Kangxue is one thing, but the crucial point is that Zhao Xuanping has deep connections to the Long Princess Mansion.’

’And he’s also in charge of treating Prince Lie, Xiao Chengqi.’

Chu Qiyuan paused for a moment before admitting frankly, ”Everything I just told you is the truth.”

He and Zhao Xuanping were merely professional acquaintances. He couldn’t be certain where Zhao Xuanping’s loyalties lay.

Ye Chutang was lost in thought.

But Chu Qiyuan sensed something. ”You suspect there’s something wrong with him?”

Ye Chutang didn’t answer directly, instead asking another question:

”How many people know about Your Majesty’s heart condition?”

Chu Qiyuan was stunned at first, then he relaxed. ”Truly, nothing escapes your eyes. Indeed, not many people know about this. One is the Eldest Princess, and the other is me.”

And now, there was Ye Chutang.

”I left the Capital City this time specifically to find medicine for Your Majesty.”

Ye Chutang tapped her finger lightly, her tone firm. ”In other words, Your Majesty was already feeling unwell before this recent flare-up.”

Chu Qiyuan hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive as to deduce so much from a single sentence. But then he considered her medical expertise—once she took the Emperor’s pulse, what could possibly remain hidden from her?

Chu Qiyuan quickly admitted it. ”Yes. Ever since the autumn hunt, Your Majesty has been experiencing occasional sharp pains in his chest. But no one outside knew about it until the sudden, aggressive high fever. After this, I’m afraid his condition will only worsen.”

He sighed helplessly. ”I originally thought that coming back with the medicine could alleviate it a bit, but...”

But with the sudden decline in Emperor Muwu’s health, those medicines were essentially useless.

It was only because Ye Chutang was there to turn the tide and save his life. But ultimately, it wouldn’t be enough.

Emperor Muwu was now just hanging on by a thread.

Ye Chutang said, ”Are you sure no one else knows about Your Majesty’s heart condition?”

Chu Qiyuan found her repeated questioning a bit odd. ”I believe so. I have been the one personally attending to Your Majesty’s health all these years.”

Ye Chutang was noncommittal.

After a moment, she said:

”You just got back, so you probably don’t know yet. Prince Lie took the antidote brought back from Guanling by the Imperial Guard, and his condition actually worsened.”

Chu Qiyuan was shocked. ”How could this be? Wasn’t the Imperial Hospital responsible for that medicine—are you saying someone is secretly trying to harm Prince Lie?”

The ”someone” in charge of the matter was, in fact, Zhao Xuanping.

Ye Chutang gently set down the porcelain cup. It made a soft THUD, a sound neither loud nor quiet, yet it landed like a stone in Chu Qiyuan’s heart.

”Without evidence, no one can be certain. But...” She paused slightly. ”Perhaps someone already knew about Your Majesty’s illness and deliberately triggered it.”

Chu Qiyuan shot up in alarm. ”What did you say!?”