Chapter 175: Arrested
Ye Chutang took a roll of silver needles from her sleeve and deftly laid them out.
The slender silver needles glinted with a cold light.
She took one and moved to pierce the index finger of Han Yao’s right hand.
"Hey!" The guard at the door immediately shouted, "What are you doing!?"
Ye Chutang paused, tilting her head slightly.
"Saving him, of course."
The man rushed in. "He only has a few flesh wounds! What are you doing with those silver needles!?"
The corner of Ye Chutang’s lip curled up. "Oh? It seems your medical skills far surpass mine. In that case—why don’t you do it?"
Though she was smiling, her eyes were icy, making the man subconsciously take a step back.
He had almost forgotten that the Ye Chutang of today was no longer the helpless orphan who had just returned to the Capital City. Now, she had the backing of two powerful patrons: the Long Princess Mansion and the Dingbei Marquis Mansion!
The man gave an awkward laugh. "Of course, I’m not qualified to compare myself to Second Miss Ye. It’s just... it’s just..."
"Just what?"
Su Wei, who had followed them over at some point, had just heard the argument in the room and interjected.
His eyes fell on the unconscious Han Yao on the bed, and he said coldly,
"If you delay his treatment, can you bear the responsibility!?"
Following close behind, Ye Heng’s heart leaped when he heard this.
’I had no choice but to let Ye Chutang come, hoping to bluff my way through this. But now, it looks like it won’t be so easy...’
"Lord Su, please calm down. It’s not their fault. Han Yao is really fine. He just fainted from agitation. He’ll wake up after a short rest, there’s no need to go to all this trouble—"
Su Wei raised a hand, not wanting to hear any more from him.
Frustrated, Ye Heng had no choice but to shut his mouth.
Su Wei assessed the situation in the room and asked, "Second Miss Ye, what exactly is Han Yao’s condition?"
Ye Chutang’s gaze swept over Ye Heng’s face behind him, and she seemed to hesitate.
Sensing something was wrong, Su Wei pressed, "I am here. You may speak freely."
That was as good as a guarantee.
Ye Chutang’s eyelashes fluttered, and she finally said, "He’s been poisoned."
"What!?" Su Wei’s expression turned grim instantly. "What kind of poison? Is it serious?"
"From my initial examination, it seems he was poisoned recently. However, the poison is extremely potent. He must be treated immediately, or else..."
Even without her finishing the sentence, everyone understood what she meant.
Su Wei turned back and stared intently at Ye Heng. "Ye Heng! Do you have nothing to say!?"
Ye Heng looked completely bewildered. "I... I’m innocent! How could he be poisoned? This—"
"That’s a question for you!" Su Wei sneered. "He hasn’t even left the Han Family’s gates today, has he? Ye Heng, don’t tell me this has nothing to do with you!"
All the clues pointed to one answer, making it glaringly obvious.
Shocked and panicked, Ye Heng vehemently argued, "It wasn’t me! Lord Su, it really wasn’t me! No matter what, I wouldn’t be stupid enough to come to his house and poison him! Isn’t that just asking for trouble!? Besides, we have no grudge against each other. What reason would I have to harm him!"
Just then, a calm, clear voice came from behind them.
"If you truly have no connection to this, Second Uncle, then why did you bring so many men to the Han Family today?"
Ye Jingyan was standing outside the door, but he had heard their argument clearly.
Ye Yunfeng stood to the side, holding Xiao Wu’s hand, and let out a soft scoff.
"I recall Han Yao causing a scene at the Ye Family residence not long ago. These days, even a cornered rabbit will bite back, let alone a person, right?"
The insinuation couldn’t have been more obvious.
Ye Heng was burning with anxiety, but for a moment, he didn’t know how to refute them.
"So many people were there at the time! I never touched him! Ye Chutang! I know you hold a deep grudge against me, blaming me for trying to marry you off to Han Yao, but that’s all in the past! And you didn’t suffer any loss from it, did you? Don’t think you can use this opportunity to sling mud at me!"
Ye Heng was clearly flustered.
Ye Chutang didn’t respond to him. She pierced Han Yao’s fingertip with a needle.
A bead of blackish-red blood instantly welled up!
Anyone who saw that color knew something was terribly wrong!
The rest of Ye Heng’s words caught in his throat, and his whole body went rigid.
Su Wei asked coldly, "Ye Heng, what else do you have to say?"
Ye Heng broke out in a cold sweat, his mind a complete blank.
"How... how could this be..."
’I do have a problem with Han Yao, and I brought men here today because I was afraid he’d run his mouth and say something he shouldn’t. But I never thought of killing him!’
’Even if I were to kill him, it definitely wouldn’t be today! Isn’t this just pushing myself into a dead end?’
"No! There’s definitely something wrong here! Where’s the doctor? Get another doctor!"
Ye Chutang kept her head slightly lowered, applying more needles in succession. Her expression was focused, and she paid no mind to the arguments.
In contrast, Ye Heng appeared overly agitated and panicked.
"Second Miss Ye has successfully treated both the Heir of Duke Dingbei and the Eldest Princess. Lord Ye, do you mean to say you don’t even trust her medical skills?" Su Wei’s question left Ye Heng half-choked. He turned back and said, "I’ll have to trouble Second Miss Ye, then. Please do your best to save Han Yao. You can leave the rest to me."
Then, he half-turned.
Their eyes met, and a sudden chill pierced Ye Heng’s heart.
"Men! Detain Ye Heng immediately!"
...
「Lark Street.」
Ye Shixian was in a shop, engrossed in picking out jewelry.
She hadn’t been here in a while. Today, she carried a silver note from her father, which gave her a sense of confidence, and her haughty demeanor returned.
Shaoyao accompanied her, already holding several boxes in her arms.
The Shopkeeper naturally greeted Ye Shixian with a welcoming smile and an eager attitude.
"Miss Ye, you are already as beautiful as a flower. With this hairpin, your beauty will be truly unparalleled!"
Ye Shixian felt a surge of pride, feeling as though the resentment that had been festering in her chest for some time had finally begun to dissipate.
"I’ll take this one, too."
The Shopkeeper agreed with a series of smiles, though he mused to himself, ’They say the Ye Family’s situation isn’t looking good recently, but seeing Ye Shixian’s behavior, their family fortune must still be quite substantial!’
There was no reason to turn away a customer who came to his door.
"Right away! If you’ll just wait a moment, we’ll just—"
"Eldest Miss! This is bad!"
A servant came running over in a panic, his face full of alarm.
Ye Shixian turned and recognized him as one of her family’s servants. Her delicate eyebrows knitted together. "What is it? What’s the rush?"
’Father went to the Han Family today. Could something have happened there?’
Just as Ye Shixian was thinking this, she heard the servant, out of breath and with a pained expression, say, "The master! The master... he’s been arrested!"
The hairpin in Ye Shixian’s hand fell to the floor with a CLATTER.
"What did you say!?"
’How is that possible?’
Ye Shixian refused to believe it. She rushed forward and demanded of the servant, "Father is an official of the court! Who would dare arrest him!? Do they have a death wish!?"
The servant trembled, on the verge of tears.
"Eldest Miss, it... it was... Lord Su, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who gave the order himself! They... they said the master is suspected of attempted murder by poisoning! He’s already been taken away and locked up!"
The color instantly drained from Ye Shixian’s face. Her legs went weak, and she staggered back a step, nearly falling.