The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 553: Chapter 553: I’m Taking the Men

Fan Chengzhuo stared at the blood-red Gu Worm on her dagger, his heart still pounding with fear.

”Th-this—who on earth would use such an Evil Technique!? It’s despicable!”

His gaze swept over the remaining corpses as if he had finally snapped back to his senses, a mixture of shock and fury in his voice. ”If Second Miss Ye hadn’t uncovered the truth of their deaths, it would have been buried forever!”

Ye Chutang’s lips curved slightly.

”Mr. Fan, there’s no need to be so angry. In any case, everything is clear now. These Southern Hu Blade Men all died from the Seven Corpses Gu. This also serves to clear your name, Mr. Fan.”

Shen Yanchuan said thoughtfully, ”Speaking of poisonous insects... it seems to be a secret art of the Nanhu.”

Ye Chutang nodded. ”Correct. I’ve heard before that Southern Hu Blade Men are raised from childhood, bred solely for slaughter. To better control them, poisonous insects are implanted in their bodies. If they betray their master, the Gu Worms can be controlled from a thousand li away to kill them.”

This explained why they had all suddenly dropped dead without anyone going near them.

However, this raised an even more difficult question.

—Who was the one pulling the strings?

Shen Yanchuan suddenly let out a soft chuckle. ”They could have died at any time, but they just had to die now. What a coincidence.”

Everyone exchanged glances.

It was true!

If the person behind this was truly worried about these Swordsmen betraying them, they should have acted when they were first captured!

Why wait until now?

Ye Chutang wiped her dagger clean, glanced at the men again, and said teasingly, ”Perhaps one of them was about to spill the truth, and their master sensed it, prompting this decisive action?”

Shen Yanchuan raised an eyebrow.

”Their master must be quite capable, then, to know exactly what they said and what they didn’t.”

He said it casually, as if it were an offhand remark, yet it sent a cold sweat down the backs of all the Ministry of Justice officials present.

—Wasn’t that as good as saying one of them was a spy, colluding with the enemy!

”The Princely Heir jests. How could anyone in this world be so well-connected?” An official wiped the sweat from his brow and offered a cautious, placating smile. ”Perhaps their masters saw that these Swordsmen hadn’t returned after so long and had no hope of getting out, so they chose to kill them to eliminate future trouble? After all, after all... raising a Swordsman requires a great deal of money and resources, doesn’t it?”

Shen Yanchuan’s thin lips curved.

”Put that way, it’s not impossible.”

Hearing him say that, many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But on second thought, they began to worry again.

The men had died in the Ministry of Justice, after all. The case had become a dead end, impossible to investigate further.

The entire Ministry of Justice would inevitably be implicated.

And with this fire on top of it all...

Who knew what the situation in the imperial court would be like tomorrow!

Ye Chutang said, ”There’s no point in keeping these bodies any longer. I’ll leave them for Mr. Fan to handle. They have Gu Worms inside them, so it’s best to cremate them and then bury the ashes. Remember to dig the pit deep to eliminate any future trouble.”

An official at the side nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. ”Yes, yes! We will do exactly as Second Miss Ye says!”

When had they ever witnessed such a scene? A moment ago, when that Gu Worm shot out of the corpse’s heart, they had all been scared out of their wits!

Now that Ye Chutang was telling them the proper way to handle it, they couldn’t thank her enough.

Ye Chutang gave a light smile and a nod, then glanced at the pitch-black night sky.

”It’s getting late. I should be heading back.”

’What an ordeal this evening has been.’

With that, she waved to Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu came pattering over.

Ye Chutang held up a hand. ”I’m dirty.”

Xiao Wu quickly stopped in her tracks. She didn’t mind, but her big sister was always very particular about this. After seeing a patient or performing an autopsy, she would always clean herself thoroughly from head to toe.

So she obediently listened, lifting her small face into a big smile.

—’In any case, Big Sis kept her promise and came back safely! That’s more important than anything!’

Ye Chutang had just taken a step when she heard Shen Yanchuan’s voice from behind.

”Wait. I’ll go with you.”

Ye Chutang turned to see Shen Yanchuan already walking over.

There was an unconcealed smile in his eyes.

”Aren’t you here to return something to me?”

’Oh, right.’

Ye Chutang nodded slightly. ”The item is still in the carriage. This way, Princely Heir.”

With that, the two of them started walking out.

They left Fan Chengzhuo and the others standing there, silent in the wind.

’Th-they’re just leaving!?’

”Princely Heir, wait!”

He hurried forward, his expression troubled.

Shen Yanchuan turned back, raising an eyebrow. ”Is there something else, Mr. Fan?”

’Of course there is!’

Fan Chengzhuo raised a hand and pointed to the side. ”You may leave, but... but these men, you have to leave them behind, don’t you?”

Ye Chutang followed his finger with her gaze.

’Whoa.’

The Black Cavalry Guard were in the middle of carrying people out.

They obviously had no interest in the bodies of the Southern Hu Blade Men. The ones they were taking now were the assassins they had carried out of the prison cells earlier—the ones who had tried to murder Shen Yanchuan.

A quick count revealed that they had already managed to move several of them out while most people were distracted by Ye Chutang’s autopsy.

A flicker of a smile passed through Ye Chutang’s eyes.

’They work fast.’

Fan Chengzhuo had only just noticed this himself. By the time he recovered from the shock of the Seven Corpses Gu, he saw the Black Cavalry Guard carrying the men away, and it felt as if the sky was falling.

Fan Chengzhuo was truly frantic now, no longer caring about the difference in their statuses. ”These men attempted an assassination within the Ministry of Justice! They should be handed over to us for investigation! For the Princely Heir to just take them away, what is the meaning of this?”

”Exactly.” Shen Yanchuan acted as if nothing was wrong. ”I was the one they were trying to assassinate. It’s more convenient for me to take them back and interrogate them one by one. Is that not allowed?”

Fan Chengzhuo was so angry he nearly choked.

’Allowed? What do you mean, allowed!?’

Shen Yanchuan was acting as if the Ministry of Justice was nothing!

Fan Chengzhuo suppressed his anger and said stiffly, ”It is precisely because these men have committed a capital crime that they must be thoroughly investigated! The Princely Heir has also suffered a shock today and should return to rest and recuperate. How could we trouble you further—”

”It’s just investigating a few assassins. Not a big deal.”

Shen Yanchuan cut him off, his tone flat yet permitting no defiance.

”This isn’t the first time I’ve been targeted. The Black Cavalry Guard is used to this sort of thing. Besides, given the current situation at the Ministry of Justice, I imagine Mr. Fan will have his hands full. I won’t add to your troubles.”

Fan Chengzhuo’s face stiffened.

Never before had anyone so brazenly taken people from the Ministry of Justice, but—

With so many eyes watching, everyone knew those assassins were after Shen Yanchuan. The esteemed Heir of Duke Dingbei had been endangered within the Ministry of Justice Prison. They should be grateful he wasn’t holding them accountable, how could they dare ask for more?

Even if he was taking the men away, who among the rest had the authority to stop him?

Shen Yanchuan tilted his head slightly, his tone languid and cold. ”Take them back. Watch over them carefully. Before I interrogate them myself, not a single one is to die.”