The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Haitang’s Peerless Beauty

Shen Yanchuan, who hadn’t said a word the entire time: ”...”

He tilted his head slightly, one eyebrow raised.

Just as his gaze made Ye Chutang feel inexplicably guilty, he finally spoke with a wry smile. ”My apologies, then. Please forgive me, Second Miss Ye.”

Ye Chutang: ”...”

She averted her gaze and glanced at the hazy sky. ’I must be exhausted from the past few days,’ she thought. ’That’s the only reason I’d say something so nonsensical.’

’I really should go back and get some sleep.’

”I’m almost there.” She lifted her chin, indicating it was time for them to part ways.

Shen Yanchuan stopped walking. ”Alright.”

He didn’t ask where Ye Chutang was going. Having run into Su Pei’er on the street the previous day was answer enough.

Ye Chutang took a couple of steps, but when she noticed how quiet it was behind her, she glanced back.

”Is there something else, Princely Heir?”

Shen Yanchuan looked into her eyes and shook his head. ”No. It’s just... Shiluan City isn’t likely to be peaceful for a while. You—”

A small smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips. ”Thank you for the warning, Princely Heir. I’ll be leaving soon. Yan and A Feng have to get back to their classes at the Imperial College.”

Hearing this, Shen Yanchuan knew she already had a plan and wouldn’t linger. He felt a little more at ease.

”Good.”

...

When Ye Chutang returned to the small courtyard and entered the house, she found Su Pei’er perched on the edge of the bed, her expression tense as she repeatedly peered outside.

Chutang smiled at the sight and gently tapped a knuckle on the corner of the table. ”Why aren’t you asleep?”

Su Pei’er jumped, whipping her head around. Seeing that it was Chutang, she was both startled and overjoyed. ”Ye—”

She rose and hurried over, her voice hushed as she anxiously looked Chutang up and down.

”Second Miss Ye, you’re finally back! Did it go smoothly? Are you hurt?”

She simply couldn’t imagine how Ye Chutang had managed to infiltrate that heavily guarded mine all by herself, let alone return unscathed.

”Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

Ye Chutang casually grabbed a nearby cloth to wipe her face, her nonchalant air suggesting she had just returned from buying pastries, not from a perilous, trap-filled mine.

Seeing Chutang’s normal expression and that she indeed didn’t seem injured, Su Pei’er’s heart, which had been in her throat for so long, finally settled a little.

”That’s good, that’s good!”

But Chutang’s next words stunned her.

”There was just a little incident at the mine.” Chutang stretched her sore limbs, then lifted the covers and casually lay down on the daybed. ”The city will probably be in chaos tomorrow.”

”What?” Su Pei’er gasped, covering her mouth.

Chutang explained, ”The mineshaft collapsed.”

’Judging from the commotion at the time, at least a few lives were lost.’

’Mining has always been dangerous work. The slightest mistake can lead to an accident, to say nothing of the fact that this mine was also a—’

Chutang’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’She already had her suspicions about what was going on at the mine. Although she hadn’t been able to investigate its depths, based on everything she’d seen, she was almost certain.’

’Shen Yanchuan must have guessed it too.’

’The only question is, what does he plan to do about it...?’

”The mineshaft collapsed?!” Su Pei’er’s heart, which had just settled, began to pound with anxiety again.

’That’s right, it’s been raining in Shiluan City for days. A collapse wouldn’t be surprising.’

’But—doesn’t that mean Second Miss Ye was almost buried down there?!’

’If her luck had been the slightest bit worse, if anything at all had gone wrong, then...’

For a moment, Su Pei’er was speechless. She looked up at Chutang, only to find her expression serene and composed, as if she had no idea what kind of danger she had just been in!

Su Pei’er took several deep breaths to calm herself, but her gaze on Chutang only grew more complex.

’I have no idea what she’s been through in the past to be able to face a situation like this with such composure.’

A wave of exhaustion washed over Chutang, and she let out a small yawn.

Su Pei’er swallowed the rest of her questions and tiptoed back to her own bed.

’Never mind. Second Miss Ye has her own plans.’

...

Sure enough, not long after she had fallen asleep, the young maidservant came knocking at the door.

From beyond the courtyard walls, the faint sounds of hurried, orderly footsteps could be heard, mixed with occasional shouts, creating quite a din.

The noise woke Su Pei’er, and she instinctively glanced toward the daybed.

Chutang’s eyes were gently closed; she was still asleep.

Su Pei’er got up and opened the door a crack, using her body to block the young maidservant’s view of the room. ”What’s going on outside?” she asked softly. ”Why is it so noisy?”

”Miss, something happened at the mine outside the city!” The young maidservant’s eyes were wide, her youthful face still etched with shock. ”I heard them say the mineshaft collapsed! Buried several people down there!”

For a young, sheltered maidservant, such an accident was indeed a major event.

Su Pei’er had already heard about it from Chutang, so she wasn’t truly shocked, but she still feigned astonishment. ”Collapsed? How could that happen?”

”I don’t know. Everyone’s saying it was because of the rain... but for some reason, the men from the mine entered the city early this morning. They’ve split into several groups and are rushing all over the place. They claim they’re looking for the families of the dead miners, but the whole operation seems way too large for that. Nobody knows what’s really going on!”

The young maidservant added, her voice full of lingering fear,

”I just peeked through a crack in the gate, and they all look so ferocious!”

’If they were really just looking for the victims’ families, there would be no need for such a massive, ostentatious display.’

Su Pei’er resisted the urge to look over her shoulder, her mind racing.

’Could it be... they’re looking for Second Miss Ye?’

The thought made Su Pei’er’s heart lurch.

She did her best to keep her expression calm. ”If they want to investigate, let them. It has nothing to do with us. Just ignore them.”

The young maidservant nodded obediently, then remembered something. ”In that case... Miss, are we still going out today?”

Su Pei’er shook her head. ”No.”

...

After the young maidservant left, Su Pei’er closed the door. After a moment of deliberation, she walked over to the daybed.

”Second Miss Ye?” she called softly.

Chutang’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, which were still clouded with a languid, sleepy weariness.

”Hm?”

Meeting that pair of shimmering, liquid eyes and hearing that faintly hoarse voice, Su Pei’er’s heart couldn’t help but beat much faster.

She clutched her chest.

’The sight of a drowsy beauty is utterly captivating!’

’Even she, a woman, was nearly spellbound. If a man were to see this... who knows how his heart would be stirred!’

’I wonder who will be fortunate enough to one day earn her favor...’

Su Pei’er shook her head, trying her best to suppress those chaotic thoughts, and asked apprehensively,

”Second Miss Ye, the men from the mine are in the city investigating! D-do you think maybe you should hide?”

After listening, Chutang seemed to process her words for a few seconds before letting out a soft chuckle and asking,

”Hide?”