Chapter 205: A Difficult Night
Through the window, she could vaguely make out the flickering of torches and the sound of footsteps growing ever closer.
This was certainly no ordinary commotion!
Mrs. Gao shot to her feet. "What in the world is going on?!"
The maidservant said through her tears, "I-I heard... I heard it’s the Heir of Duke Dingbei! He brought men here himself! H-He said... he said they’re here to seize—"
"How is that possible?! What nonsense are you spouting? Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. Why would the Young Master bring his men here?"
Mrs. Gao refused to believe a word of it.
As she headed outside, she shouted furiously, "I’d like to see just who dares to cause trouble for the Ye Family!"
It was true that Ye Heng was in trouble, but his guilt had yet to be determined. He was still a fourth-rank official of the imperial court!
Besides, he still had *that person* backing him! Who would dare come here without carefully considering the consequences?
After just a few steps, a cold wind blew against her skin, and Mrs. Gao suddenly remembered she had rushed out without her veil.
The red, festering sores on her face had persisted for over a month. She had tried every remedy imaginable, but nothing helped. She usually did her best to stay indoors and avoid outsiders, but now—
Mrs. Gao wanted to turn back for her veil, but she could already hear the sound of sharp, orderly footsteps outside.
They were here!
With no time to worry about anything else, Mrs. Gao could only brace herself and keep walking. "Where is Xian’er?" she asked urgently. "Is she not back yet?"
The maidservant had no idea, shaking her head timidly.
"I... I don’t know..."
"Useless fools! Not a single one of you is any help when it counts!" Mrs. Gao was losing her patience. "What are you standing there gaping for? Send more people to guard the young master’s chambers! If he is disturbed in the slightest, I’ll have all your hides!"
Of course, in Mrs. Gao’s heart, her son was her most precious treasure.
His health was already fragile. If this commotion were to cause another incident, there was no telling how long it would take for him to recover.
As she was speaking, Mrs. Gao reached the front courtyard.
She saw at a glance that the main gates to the Ye Family residence had been thrown wide open. In the deep darkness of the night, she could just make out that the entire perimeter had been surrounded.
The household servants were all cowering together in a corner, not a single one daring to step forward and intervene.
Mrs. Gao’s temper flared. She took a step forward and bellowed, "Insolence! What do you take this place for? How dare you try to seize it as you please?!"
’The Ye Family has not fallen so low as to be humiliated on our own doorstep!’
However, just as Mrs. Gao was about to press her questions, a man in black martial attire appeared beyond the gates.
Seeing his somewhat familiar face, Mrs. Gao was struck dumb.
"M-Master Lian Zhou?"
’Isn’t he the Heir of Duke Dingbei’s trusted aide? Why is he here?!’
Lian Zhou looked up at the plaque above the gate.
"Fengling Lane. The Ye Family of Ye Heng. You’re the ones we’re investigating. Madam Ye, if you would please step aside."
She heard every single word, but strung together, they suddenly made no sense at all.
Mrs. Gao’s mouth fell open. "Wh-What?"
Just then, she spotted another familiar figure.
"Xian’er?"
Seeing her, Mrs. Gao felt a surge of hope. "Xian’er," she said urgently, "there must be some misunderstanding, right? Hurry and explain things to Master Lian Zhou!"
Ye Shixian’s lips were pale and her eyes were vacant. At Mrs. Gao’s words, she only shifted her gaze listlessly.
It was only then that Mrs. Gao noticed the girl’s eyes were bloodshot, as if she had been crying.
Her heart sank.
"Xian’er, you—"
"Second Aunt."
A gentle, clear voice called out. Mrs. Gao looked up, only to find that the one person she most detested seeing was also there.
"Ye Chutang? What are you doing here?!"
As if oblivious to Mrs. Gao’s disgust and suspicion, Ye Chutang’s lips curved into a faint smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Second Aunt, but you really ought to worry about yourself first. And don’t be too alarmed. They’re just here to search for something. As long as Second Uncle is innocent, he’ll be perfectly fine. You should tell your servants to cooperate. The sooner this is over, the sooner you can get back to celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival, right?"