Chapter 178: Tomorrow
Murong Ye’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he couldn’t very well lash out.
Shen Yanchuan had taken the initiative to invite him to the Dingbei Marquis Mansion today, but after arriving, they had spent the entire time playing chess.
He was no match for Shen Yanchuan at chess, yet this one game had still dragged on for the entire afternoon.
Several times, Shen Yanchuan could have directly blocked all his moves, but he deliberately chose not to.
Murong Ye finally couldn’t hold back any longer. He set down the piece in his hand and said, "Princely Heir, if you have something to say, please just say it directly!"
Shen Yanchuan lifted his gaze.
Murong Ye said, "Did Princess Qingyang come to complain again?"
At the mention of this, Murong Ye’s tone became stiff and cold, tinged with a hint of impatience.
"The Princely Heir is wise. You should know that you can’t force a melon to be sweet. There is no possibility of anything between Princess Qingyang and me. Please, tell her to stop wasting her time on me."
That Princess Qingyang was interested in him was an open secret.
Anyone else might have felt incredibly honored, but Murong Ye only felt annoyance.
He didn’t like Princess Qingyang at all. And because she had repeatedly targeted and bullied Ye Shixian, he had grown to find her completely repulsive.
The corners of Shen Yanchuan’s lips lifted slightly.
"Mr. Murong, you’re overthinking it. These past two days, Qingyang has been completely devoted to Ta Xue. She hasn’t mentioned you at all."
"What?"
Murong Ye froze. When he realized what had been said, he was suddenly mortified.
’Does that mean I was the one being presumptuous!?’
Shen Yanchuan seemed to have lost interest as well. He said coolly, "It seems Mr. Murong is not in high spirits today. In that case, I won’t keep you. As for this game... let’s just leave it."
Murong Ye’s heart skipped a beat. Only then did he realize how offensive his attitude must have been.
"Princely Heir, that’s not what I meant. I was just..."
Shen Yanchuan casually tossed the chess piece back into its bowl.
"Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. Mr. Murong must have many preparations to make. Yun Cheng, see our guest out."
...
Murong Ye left, his heart full of frustration.
After he left, Lian Zhou glanced at the chessboard. "Master, Second Miss Ye has just left the Han Residence after her consultation."
Shen Yanchuan gave a slight nod.
Lian Zhou added, "From her complexion, Second Miss Ye seems to be doing better than before. However, she first went to a dozen or so shops to check the accounts, then rushed to the Han Residence to save someone. After such an ordeal, she’ll probably need a good long rest."
Shen Yanchuan pondered for a moment. "Have all those shopkeepers left?"
"Yes. They were all Ye Heng’s men. Even if Second Miss Ye hadn’t made a scene, they wouldn’t have stayed for long."
Lian Zhou sighed inwardly.
"But this means Second Miss Ye is going to be very busy from now on."
Although she got the shops back, they’re all just empty shells now. Ye Chutang can’t be in two places at once, and she was injured not long ago. It will be incredibly difficult for her to handle everything.
One could only imagine how difficult her situation must be right now.
Shen Yanchuan’s long, slender fingers tapped lightly on the table. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "What about that shop she took over before? How is it now?"
Lian Zhou was taken aback.
"It seems to have been completely renovated. The work is almost finished."
No one knew what Ye Chutang was actually planning to do.
Shen Yanchuan paused, then said, "She has her own ideas. Just let her be."
...
Ye Chutang returned home with Yan, A Feng, and Xiao Wu.
Su Pei’er was already out of danger. With a young maidservant looking after her, there were no issues.
As for Han Yao... although the dose of poison wasn’t large, his constitution was average. He was only hanging on by a thread thanks to Ye Chutang.
He couldn’t die yet.
Ye Chutang looked up at the gradually darkening sky and murmured softly.
"Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Ye Yunfeng recalled the scene of Ye Heng being taken away and felt invigorated.
"Things over there must be a complete mess now, right? They’re certainly going to have an unforgettable Mid-Autumn Festival! If you ask me, Ye Heng got exactly what he deserved! He and Han Tong were supposed to be friends, yet when Han Tong’s family fell on hard times, he didn’t just refuse to help—he tried to poison Han Tong’s only son! If he wasn’t asking for it, who was?"
Ye Chutang’s dark brows arched slightly.
"Who said he was the one who poisoned Han Yao?"
Ye Yunfeng was stunned. "Older Sister, what do you mean?"
Ye Jingyan patted his shoulder. "No matter how much he wanted to silence Han Yao, he wouldn’t have made such a lethal move today. Think about it. He went to the Han Residence so brazenly with all those people. If Han Yao had died, he would have been the first person everyone suspected."
"That’s true." Ye Yunfeng quickly caught on, but he still couldn’t figure it out. "Then what’s the deal with the poison in Han Yao? Didn’t you say it was quite potent, Older Sister?"
Ye Chutang sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and said unhurriedly, "It is quite poisonous. The intention was to get rid of both Han Yao and Ye Heng at the same time."
Ye Yunfeng was startled.
Ye Jingyan, however, seemed to have already considered this possibility. Showing no surprise, he pondered for a moment before asking, "In that case, Older Sister, have you already guessed who did it?"
Ye Chutang’s eyes curved into crescents, dark and clear.
"Whether I can guess or not is unimportant. What’s important is that Ye Heng can."