Chapter 197: Secret Passage
After everything that had happened, the young maid already saw Ye Chutang as her rock.
At only thirteen or fourteen, how could she not be afraid after what she’d just been through? She had been forcing herself to be brave, and her anxious heart only settled once she saw Ye Chutang.
Ye Chutang handed her a handkerchief. "Are you hurt?"
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Han Yao, making the target of her question obvious.
Su Pei’er fought back tears and shook her head. "Don’t worry, Doctor Ye. We’re fine. It’s just Mr. Han..."
"You carried him out?"
Su Pei’er finally noticed the large crowd that had gathered outside. Seeing the soldiers arrayed in formation behind Ye Chutang, she hesitated and bit her lip.
"Doctor Ye, what is all this...?"
Ye Chutang gave her a reassuring look. "Don’t worry. The Heir of Duke Dingbei is here. He will surely see that justice is done for you."
Behind her, Shen Yanchuan’s brow arched slightly upon hearing her words.
’It’s rare to hear a compliment from her, and in this situation, of all places...’
He took a long stride to stand beside Ye Chutang. He studied Su Pei’er and her two companions for a moment, noting their clothes were intact—they didn’t look as if they’d just escaped a fire.
"The entire Han Family estate has burned down. How did you all escape?"
Su Pei’er instinctively glanced at Ye Chutang and only spoke after seeing her nod. "Princely Heir, there’s a secret passage in the Han Family’s rear courtyard. We escaped through it."
Shen Yanchuan’s phoenix eyes narrowed. "A secret passage?"
"Yes. The fire spread so quickly that by the time we realized something was wrong, it was too late to escape. Besides, Mr. Han was unconscious, and we couldn’t wake him no matter what we did. Fortunately, Mr. Han once happened to mention a secret passage to me that leads from the study directly to a side gate. That’s how we managed to survive. Otherwise, today we would have..."
As Su Pei’er spoke in a low voice, Ye Shixian, standing not far off, felt her mind go completely blank.
She secretly dug her nails into her palm, and the sharp sting brought her back to her senses.
’It’s fine, it’s fine!’
’It’s true that Han Yao is still alive, but he’s as good as dead!’
’As long as he remains in a coma, there’s nothing to worry about!’
Ye Chutang had Su Pei’er and the young maid lay Han Yao down, then she took his pulse.
A hush fell over the crowd as countless pairs of eyes fixed upon them.
The gazes were filled with gossip, curiosity, scrutiny, and shock...
After all, no one had expected Han Yao to actually escape with his life.
"He’s not in critical danger," Ye Chutang announced. "He just needs to rest and recuperate until he wakes."
Su Pei’er seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief, murmuring, "That’s good... that’s..."
Suddenly, she clutched her lower abdomen, her face twisting in pain.
Beneath her, her dress was already soaked with bright red blood.
"Miss!"
The young maid cried out and rushed to her side.
Ye Chutang’s brow furrowed. She stepped forward to support Su Pei’er by the arm.
In just a few seconds, Su Pei’er was drenched in a pained sweat, her face deathly pale.
She instinctively gripped Ye Chutang’s hand, her eyes filled with terror and distress. "Doctor Ye, I... my stomach... it hurts so much..."
"Don’t speak. Save your strength," Ye Chutang said, then turned to Shen Yanchuan. "Princely Heir—"
A single glance was all it took for Shen Yanchuan to understand her intent.
He immediately turned to give an order. "Prepare a quiet, clean room for Doctor Ye at once."
Yun Cheng immediately bowed his head in acknowledgment. "Yes, sir!"
With no time for further pleasantries, Ye Chutang simply gave him a slight nod of thanks.