The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 667: Chapter 667: Such a Good Daughter-in-Law

Seeing Ye Chutang, his eyes narrowed slightly. He seemed to study her for a few seconds before finally recognizing her, and a smile broke across his previously expressionless face.

”You’re here.”

There was no question, no surprise. It was as if he had long expected Ye Chutang’s arrival.

Ye Chutang took a few steps forward and stopped before him, her gaze sweeping over his empty pant leg.

”I’ve been busy and only just found the time to come see you. I hope you won’t hold it against me, Sir.”

The man had an unfettered air about him. He laughed. ”You saved me. I haven’t even had a chance to thank you, so how could I possibly blame you? Besides, even though you didn’t come yourself, I’ve been living quite well here. I’m sure that’s also thanks to you. Really, I’m the one who should be thanking you properly.”

Before, he had been locked away on death row and tortured daily. Now, someone brought him his meals and a doctor treated his wounds. The two situations couldn’t even be compared.

He had never imagined he would see the light of day again in this lifetime.

Ye Chutang’s gaze swept across his face, taking in the details.

Back in the prison cell, the light had been too dim for her to get a clear look at his face.

Now that she saw him in the light, she realized his features were quite handsome. It was likely because he had been tortured into emaciation in prison, and covered in filth, that he had looked so frighteningly severe.

After recuperating in the Dingbei Marquis Mansion for some time, much of the color had returned to his face. He looked far better than when she had first seen him.

But the two scars on his face remained just as ghastly and brutal.

They looked as if they had been brutally carved into his face with a knife. One had come dangerously close to his right eye. She couldn’t imagine who would resort to such cruel methods.

Ye Chutang placed the Mother-of-Pearl Box on a nearby table and opened it with a soft click of the latch.

”I came today, in part, to see how your injuries are healing. I promised you that once everything was settled, I would thank you properly. I never go back on my word.”

The man saw the contents of the Mother-of-Pearl Box at a glance; it wasn’t hard to guess what she intended to do.

He burst out laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke.

Ye Chutang looked back. ”What are you laughing at, Sir?”

When the man smiled, the two scars on his face stretched, making him look even more frightening.

But Ye Chutang, standing only a step away from him, remained composed. Her gaze was placid, tinged with a hint of curiosity, but held no trace of fear or dread.

Then again, she had dared to break into death row all by herself. With guts like that, what was there for her to be afraid of?

The man chuckled. ”I’m laughing because you don’t even know who I am. My name, my status, the reason I was thrown onto death row... you know none of it. Yet you just brought me out of there and now you want to treat me? Little girl, do you have any idea that my life isn’t something just anyone can afford to save?”

Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. ”And what does that have to do with me?”

The man froze, clearly not expecting such a reaction from Ye Chutang.

He hesitated. ”Aren’t you... afraid of getting into trouble? Of being implicated because of me?”

Ye Chutang turned her head to look at Shen Yanchuan. ”Princely Heir, could you please have someone bring me some hot water and a jar of wine?”

Before Shen Yanchuan could speak, the man’s gaze shifted to him. He looked Shen Yanchuan up and down before speaking with conviction.

”You’re Shen Youyan’s son?”

He had guessed Shen Yanchuan’s identity in an instant.

Shen Yanchuan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he met the man’s gaze. ”Are you acquainted with my father, Sir?”

There was more than one Princely Heir in the capital, yet this man had recognized Shen Yanchuan immediately. It was clear he was very familiar with the affairs of the capital.

But Shen Yanchuan was certain he had never seen this man before.

Nor had he ever heard anyone mention such a figure being held on the Ministry of Justice’s death row.

”I wouldn’t say we’re acquainted. We only met once.” The man pondered for a moment, seemingly lost in a memory, before continuing after a while, ”Come to think of it, that must have been... seven years ago...”

Seven years ago!?

Both Ye Chutang’s and Shen Yanchuan’s hearts skipped a beat. They exchanged a look, and each saw the shock and questions reflected in the other’s eyes.

If this man had met Shen Youyan seven years ago, it proved he was no common person!

Of course, anyone who warranted such a great expenditure of effort—just to keep him trapped on death row and subject him to endless torture—was bound to be extraordinary.

Ye Chutang thought for a moment before asking directly, ”Does that mean you’ve been imprisoned for a very long time, Sir?”

’Even though Shen Youyan didn’t often return to the capital, it was unlikely he’d only been seen once in all that time.’

’The only explanation was that this man had been trapped on death row all these years!’

”Yes.”

The man nodded.

”As of today, it has been five years, three months, and seventeen days.”

His tone was calm and composed, as if he were discussing something utterly mundane.

But upon hearing this, Ye Chutang’s heart shook.

’That long!’

For an ordinary person, being locked in that sunless cage for five years was already an unimaginable torment, let alone for this man—

’The countless wounds on his body, both new and old, were likely all inflicted during those years!’

’What kind of crime had he committed, and what kind of person had he offended, to suffer such a long and agonizing punishment?’

Yet he spoke of it with such nonchalance, and even...

”You remember the exact date, Sir.”

The man snapped out of his reverie and smiled nonchalantly. ”The cells may be sunless, but the patrolling prison guards change shifts every day. I would carve a mark on the wall to keep a record, so naturally, I remember.”

’So that’s how he did it!’

Ye Chutang realized.

’It was certainly a good method, but... it was easier said than done. How difficult must it have been to actually do it?’

’A small, cramped, filthy cell. Countless brutal tortures. A darkness that never seemed to end...’

’What terrifying willpower must it have taken to survive that!?’

The man seemed unaware of how astonishing his words were. He glanced around the room, his gaze finally settling on Shen Yanchuan again, a self-deprecating yet strange smile on his face.

”I never thought that one day I’d set foot in Shen Youyan’s residence, much less be saved by his son...”

Ye Chutang’s heart stirred.

’His words... they sounded a bit strange.’

’He had clearly said he’d only met Shen Youyan once, but his emotional tone now suggested he was far from a stranger to him.’

’And though his tone remained calm, combined with that smile, it exuded an inexplicable sense of tragic absurdity.’

As if noticing the look on Ye Chutang’s face, the man turned to look at her properly and added,

”Of course, the credit for this is mainly yours. I may be a cripple, but my mind isn’t muddled yet. The next time I have the chance to see Shen Youyan, I’ll be sure to thank him properly—thank him for having such a fine son and daughter-in-law who saved my life! He’s a lucky man...”

Ye Chutang: ”???”

”Sir, I think you’ve misunderstood. I’m—”

Before Ye Chutang could finish her explanation, Shen Yanchuan’s voice, tinged with amusement, drifted over.

”Since you’re an old acquaintance of my father’s, this is the least we can do. There’s no need to be so formal, Sir.”