The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 508: Chapter 508: Meeting the Princess

Chu Qiyuan froze, only understanding after a long moment. ”You... did that on purpose?”

Ye Chutang folded the prescription and nodded. ”No one would take a false accusation lying down, especially not Jiang Qingmei, who was once the most favored woman in the palace. She would rather die than have her name tarnished like this.”

Chu Qiyuan’s eyes slowly widened, his voice trembling from the sheer shock. ”Y-You mean, it... it wasn’t—her?”

Because he was so stunned, his voice trembled.

Ye Chutang smiled at him.

”Of course not. Her life was perfectly fine. Why would she do something so foolish that hurts others but brings her no benefit?”

Chu Qiyuan could hardly believe his ears.

’But she just accused Jiang Qingmei so vehemently!’

”Are you sure it wasn’t her!?” The more Chu Qiyuan thought about it, the less sense it made. ”But only she and the Eldest Princess knew anything about Your Majesty’s heart condition. How could it not be her?”

”There’s no such thing as a truly airtight secret. Are you certain that no one else in this world knew about it?”

”I—”

Chu Qiyuan was left speechless.

’He really couldn’t be entirely sure!’

Gazing at the young woman’s calm and composed eyes, he felt utterly bewildered.

”So, when you said all those things in public today, it was actually... to draw out the real culprit?”

’But the culprit is so meticulous and their methods so decisive. Why would they expose themselves so easily?’

’As long as they remain hidden, who would ever find out?’

”The person who did it certainly won’t jump out on their own at a time like this.”

Ye Chutang glanced toward the dragon bed. Emperor Muwu’s face was ashen, his forehead tinged with blue. He was clearly just barely hanging on by a thread.

’To be in such a supreme position was to be destined for countless attacks, both seen and unseen.’

The corners of Ye Chutang’s lips curled.

”But then again—would Jiang Qingmei be willing to take the blame for someone else?”

...

CRASH—!

Another piece of porcelain was viciously smashed against the door by Jiang Qingmei, sending shards flying everywhere.

Yet the shadows of the two guards on the door and windows didn’t move an inch.

A cold voice drifted in. ”Jiang Cairen, if you smash your bowls and chopsticks too, no new ones will be brought.”

Despair flooded Jiang Qingmei’s heart. She finally collapsed into a chair, burying her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling nonstop.

In truth, she had no more tears to cry.

”Why... Just why!?”

’She didn’t understand!’

’Why had the Jiang family, she herself, and Cheng Xuan all been defeated one after another!’

’And now, they were flinging all sorts of filth at her!’

An unknown amount of time passed. Outside, the sky gradually darkened. A cold wind howled, carrying a bone-deep chill.

Jiang Qingmei sat there, ramrod straight. She didn’t move an inch, even as a chill spread through her body, as if she had lost all feeling.

Countless images, some blurry, some sharp, flashed through her mind.

CLATTER—!

A window was suddenly blown open by the wind!

She jumped in alarm, instinctively looking outside, only to see the endless, inky night.

The next moment, a guard shut the window.

She thought she could even hear the sound of an iron nail being driven into the window frame.

That sound finally made her afraid. ’I can’t be locked in here! I can’t die in silence!’

”Open the door!”

Jiang Qingmei lunged forward, pounding on the door with all her might, screaming herself hoarse.

”I want to see Your Majesty!”

The guards didn’t seem surprised by her outburst. One of them rapped sharply on the window and warned sternly, ”Behave yourself! Or don’t blame us for getting rough!”

The other guard sneered in derision. ”See Your Majesty? You think you’re still the precious Imperial Concubine?”

Jiang Qingmei bit her lip until it bled.

”Th-Then let me see Lanxi! I want to see her!”