The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 555: Chapter 555: The Power of Life and Death

Lian Zhou gave a sheepish smile. ”Master, if you were willing to leave this opportunity to us, we couldn’t ask for more. But didn’t you say before that you wanted to interrogate him personally? Don’t worry, we’ve handed the man over to Xi Su. He won’t die.”

Yun Cheng nodded meaningfully in agreement. ”It’s still better if you handle it personally, Master.”

The study fell silent. A moment later, a voice spoke again.

”There’s no rush.”

’The mastermind probably won’t be sleeping well tonight either. As long as I have the man, I’ll get the answers out of him sooner or later. There’s no need to rush it.’

Shen Yanchuan’s tone was languid as he let out a soft chuckle.

”Speaking of which, when I see their master, I’ll have to thank them properly.”

What was meant to be a meticulously laid death trap had, by a strange twist of fate, given him the very answer he’d been looking for.

The other party had done him such a huge favor. Of course, he had to express his deepest gratitude.

Lian Zhou and Yun Cheng exchanged a look, feeling a rare sliver of pity for the mastermind.

’Would their target even live long enough to receive the Master’s ”gratitude”?’

...

The next day, Ye Chutang rose bright and early as usual and went to the palace to attend to Emperor Muwu.

However, when she arrived outside Qiyuan Hall, she found that a crowd of ministers had already gathered and were waiting by the entrance.

At the very front, Fan Chengzhuo was kneeling ramrod straight, the very picture of a man admitting his guilt.

The atmosphere was tense and heavy.

Ye Chutang hesitated for a moment, but Eunuch Li, with his sharp eyes, spotted her at once and hurried over with a beaming smile.

”Second Miss Ye, you’re here at last! His Majesty is waiting for you!”

Ye Chutang was a little surprised. Her gaze lingered on Fan Chengzhuo for a moment. ”It’s probably not appropriate for me to go in right now, is it? Perhaps I should wait in a side hall until the ministers have concluded their business, and then—”

”Oh, what are you saying? His Majesty has given an order: if you arrive, you are to be the first one to enter, and no one is to stop you!”

As Eunuch Li led her inside, he expressed his earnest concern.

”His Majesty knows you had a tiring night. He wanted to let you rest at home today, but then he worried that sending word too late would disturb you, so he decided against it.”

A thought struck Ye Chutang.

’By the sound of it, Emperor Muwu already knew what had happened at the Ministry of Justice last night.’

’But on second thought, it made sense. This was the imperial capital, right under the Emperor’s nose. For such a major incident to occur, it would be stranger if Emperor Muwu *didn’t* know about it.’

’He might be ill, but his mind was still sharp.’

Ye Chutang smiled. ”It was a trivial matter. I wouldn’t dare trouble Your Majesty over it.”

”How could it be a trivial matter?” Eunuch Li praised with a smile. ”You saved the Princely Heir and uncovered the truth behind the deaths of those Southern Hu Blade Men. That’s a tremendous contribution!”

Ye Chutang thought back on it.

’Honestly, she felt that even without her there, Shen Yanchuan would have been just fine.’

’But now, the rumors were painting her as Shen Yanchuan’s savior.’

But after thinking it over, Ye Chutang figured there was no point in trying to explain further, so she simply listened quietly.

As she passed by Fan Chengzhuo, Ye Chutang lowered her gaze slightly, casting a sidelong glance at him. She saw that his clothes were dirty, and his hands bore several dark, scorched stains.

’He must have rushed here directly from the Ministry of Justice and knelt all night until dawn.’

Ye Chutang didn’t break her stride, following Eunuch Li inside.

Inside the hall, she was surprised to see not only Emperor Muwu, but also Xiao Chengqi and the Eldest Princess.

Ye Chutang averted her eyes, stepped forward to offer her salutations, and immediately felt an exceptionally ardent gaze fall upon her.

’Was it... the Eldest Princess?’

Ye Chutang, of course, had no idea how thrilled and delighted the Eldest Princess had been upon hearing about the events of the previous night.

If not for the fear of disturbing her, the Eldest Princess would have likely gone straight to her residence.

Xiao Chengqi’s gaze, however, was contemplative, a mixture of admiration, amazement, and a veiled curiosity.

’Ye Chutang even knew about the Southern Hu Gu Technique. Was there anything in the world she didn’t know?’

’To possess such a meticulous mind and extraordinary medical skills at her age... you’d be hard-pressed to find another like her in the entire world.’

’No wonder Shen Yanchuan was so devoted to her...’

Perhaps because his illness had yet to heal, Emperor Muwu looked somewhat tired and haggard.

Ye Chutang stepped forward to take his pulse as usual and found that his condition had indeed worsened.

’He had clearly gotten angry again.’

’She didn’t even have to ask; it was obviously because of the previous night’s events.’

Ye Chutang offered a tactful reminder.

”For this illness, Your Majesty, anger is the greatest taboo. You must recuperate with a calm and peaceful heart to recover more quickly.”

Emperor Muwu waved his hand, his voice noticeably weak.

”My body is already in this state. No matter how I try to recuperate, I’ll never be as I was before.”

Upon hearing this, the Eldest Princess looked as if she wanted to offer some words of comfort, but in the end, she merely sighed and turned her head away, a touch of sorrow clouding her features.

Emperor Muwu, however, seemed to have come to terms with it. He simply smiled and shook his head.

”Although there have been many troubles lately, they have, for the most part, been resolved. I need not worry too much.”

He looked at Ye Chutang.

”For example, the Southern Hu Blade Men refused to talk after being interrogated for so long. And yet, after they died, it was this young lady who found the reason why. Who could have predicted that?”

Ye Chutang had just taken out her needle pouch. Hearing his words, she smiled and said, ”Your Majesty, you praise me too highly. I had only ever heard a whisper about the Southern Hu Gu Technique in the past; I never thought I’d actually encounter it. If they hadn’t died so suddenly, and if I hadn’t been there to notice something strange about their bodies, I likely would never have made the connection.”

”You needn’t be so modest.” Emperor Muwu shook his head. ”How could there be so many coincidences in this world? You are truly knowledgeable! You have rendered a great service this time.”

Ye Chutang pressed her lips into a faint smile, seemingly unfazed by Emperor Muwu’s praise.

”Let me begin the acupuncture.”

Emperor Muwu nodded his assent.

Ye Chutang inserted a needle into the fleshy area of his left hand, between the thumb and forefinger.

Emperor Muwu closed his eyes.

His lips had a faint purplish tinge, a sign of increased strain on his heart.

Ye Chutang continued to place the needles one by one.

The grand hall was utterly silent, and not a sound could be heard from outside.

Suddenly, Emperor Muwu asked in a slow voice, ”How much time do I have left?”

Ye Chutang’s brow twitched.

Xiao Chengqi’s expression changed. ”Father—”

The Eldest Princess knitted her brows. ”Your Majesty, why would you suddenly ask such a question?”

Emperor Muwu opened his eyes, but he simply shook his head with a smile and looked at Ye Chutang.

”Chutang, you tell me. How much longer can I live?”

Ye Chutang froze.

Before she could answer, Emperor Muwu suddenly sighed.

”Never mind, never mind. They won’t let you speak freely, so how could you possibly answer?”

The air seemed to freeze, and breathing itself became difficult.

It was a question that would be incredibly difficult for anyone to answer.

And it was no different for Ye Chutang.

Fortunately, Emperor Muwu didn’t seem to intend to press the issue.

”You need only answer another question for me.”

He shook his head, his old and slightly hoarse voice remarkably calm.

”Those people outside... what do you think would be the best way to handle them?”

Ye Chutang’s eyelid twitched.

”COUGH, COUGH—” Emperor Muwu suddenly began to cough, his voice low. It took him a long moment to recover, and his once-pale cheeks were now tinged with an unnatural, feverish flush from the strain on his heart.

”Whatever you say, goes. How does that sound?”