The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 598: Chapter 598: I Never Said It

Princess Qingyang calmed down and immediately nodded. ”Okay! Then—”

Suddenly, as if realizing something, she asked dazedly, ”...Wait a minute. Long City is so far away. H-How are you going to find someone to investigate?”

Ye Chutang answered nonchalantly, ”I happen to have a friend near Long City. They should be able to get there within half a day.”

Princess Qingyang finally relaxed, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

’Isn’t Ye Chutang from Qingzhou?’

’Even after the Ye Family’s fall, she had fled south with her younger siblings, passing through many places, but Long City... seemed to have no connection to her whatsoever, right?’

”I never would have thought you’d know people over there... I spent several years on the Southwest Border with my father, and besides his subordinates, I’m not really familiar with anyone else...”

Princess Qingyang was deeply impressed, a sliver of admiration blooming within her.

On a normal day, Ye Chutang always seemed gentle and elegant, calm and composed. She was polite to everyone, never overly familiar, yet never too distant.

Yet it was precisely this kind of person who, when it mattered most, proved to be the most dependable! And her network was astonishingly vast!

Ye Chutang smiled. ”I used to run a clinic, so I met all sorts of people every day. It’s nothing unusual.”

But Princess Qingyang didn’t see it that way.

”That’s not true! I’ve met plenty of doctors, but none of them are like you... you...”

After wracking her brain, Princess Qingyang still couldn’t find the right word to describe her and could only say, ”Anyway, you’re just very different from everyone else! You’re... incredible!”

She looked at Ye Chutang earnestly and declared with utter conviction.

”As incredible as my brother!”

This was the highest praise Princess Qingyang could offer.

Seeing that she had calmed down considerably, Ye Chutang felt a bit more at ease herself and smiled. ”I wouldn’t dare compare myself to the Princely Heir.”

’After all, Shen Yanchuan had far more enemies and had survived far more assassination attempts than she had.’

’In comparison, she was practically a model citizen.’

Of course, Princess Qingyang had no idea what she was thinking. She only felt that being with Ye Chutang gave her a pillar of support.

When she saw Ye Chutang turn to get a brush and ink, she couldn’t help but ask, ”A-Are you starting the letter already?”

”There’s no time to lose. The sooner, the better.”

Ye Chutang quickly wrote a letter.

Princess Qingyang thought she was absolutely right, but...

”Long City is so far away, a round trip will take a long time, won’t it? And besides, the entire city has fallen. For your friend to go investigate alone is to walk right into danger—it’s not safe at all! Why don’t... why don’t we wait for my brother to return to the estate? I’ll ask him to lend me a few men, and they can go to Long City to investigate properly.”

”That would be even more dangerous.”

Ye Chutang shook her head as she sealed the letter.

”The Black Cavalry Guard is world-renowned and certainly formidable. But for that very reason, their every move has major repercussions. If anyone notices them suddenly heading for Long City, it will undoubtedly draw a great deal of attention.”

Ye Chutang paused. ”Especially now.”

Shen Yanchuan had just recently sent men to Qingzhou in secret. The moment the Wazhen Mission departed, he placed his findings on Emperor Muwu’s imperial desk, catching everyone completely off guard.

Right now, countless eyes are watching him and his Black Cavalry Guard.

To try and move without a trace again would be exponentially more difficult.

Princess Qingyang was taken aback but quickly understood. Ye Chutang’s concerns were entirely valid. She nodded. ”You’re right... But can we really rely on just that one friend of yours?”

Long City is a deathtrap right now!

If Ye Chutang’s friend were to face danger because of this, she would never be able to forgive herself.

Ye Chutang understood her anxiety and offered a comforting smile. ”Don’t worry. My friend is very careful with their life. They’ll pull back the moment they sense trouble. Besides... this letter won’t take long to get there. It should arrive in time.”

Hearing this, Princess Qingyang was finally able to set her mind completely at ease.

”That’s good, that’s good...”

Ye Chutang suddenly thought of something and paused.

”However, even if those people have blocked all news out of Long City, it seems unlikely there would be absolutely no word... King Yan Nan has been missing for so long. Haven’t any of the generals under his command grown suspicious?”

The question left Princess Qingyang stumped.

She stood frozen, belatedly realizing that something was indeed very wrong with the situation.

”...That’s right! How could I not have thought of that!?”

Princess Qingyang shot to her feet.

She had received the news at dawn, and her mind had been in a complete fog. Only now, with Ye Chutang’s prompt, did she realize the oddity of it all!

She frowned, her hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles were white, and began to pace anxiously.

”Maybe it all happened too suddenly, and not enough time has passed... The Southwest hasn’t been peaceful these past few years, with sporadic rebellions. My father and his men are used to it. Sometimes they run into a stubborn group and a skirmish can last for ten days, half a month, or even longer. Perhaps... perhaps they just didn’t think much of it, assuming my father is still tied up in Long City fighting those Southern Hu people?”

The Southwest is a labyrinth of diverging paths, crisscrossed by mountains and rivers, making travel extremely difficult.

As a result, large-scale battles are rare. It’s a region better suited for smaller units operating independently.

Sometimes, in the middle of a skirmish, the enemy will simply melt into the mountains and vanish.

So even if King Yan Nan were out of contact with his subordinates for several days, they probably wouldn’t assume the worst.

Everything was an unknown. All they could do for now was investigate the situation before deciding on a course of action.

Ye Chutang walked to the window.

Princess Qingyang looked on, confused. A moment later, she saw Ye Chutang let out a whistle.

The whistle was clear and melodious, and in the crisp, frosty air of the early morning, it sounded exceptionally sharp and pleasant.

Princess Qingyang’s lips parted, but before she could ask her question, she saw a hawk appear from nowhere, swooping down from the sky. It folded its wings and landed neatly on Ye Chutang’s arm.

Ye Chutang casually picked up a handful of Xiao Wu’s leftover jerky from the table, tossed it to the bird, and then tied the letter to its leg.

”Be quick,” she said, gently patting the hawk’s head.

The next moment, the hawk beat its wings and soared away, vanishing from sight.

Ye Chutang turned, blowing on her slightly chilled hands. ”There. The message is on its way. Now we just wait for my friend’s reply.”

Princess Qingyang was dumbfounded.

She stiffly raised a hand, pointing first to where the hawk had vanished, then back at Ye Chutang.

”Y-You... It... You raised it!?”

Ye Chutang tilted her head, pondering for a moment.

”I suppose you could say that.”

Princess Qingyang was in utter disbelief.

”You’ve been back in the capital for so long, and you never once said you kept a hawk!”

Ye Chutang gave her a puzzled look.

”I never said I did. But I never said I didn’t, either.”

Princess Qingyang: ”...???”