Chapter 486: Who Is Setting the Trap?
Ye Chutang shook her head. "For now, let’s just stick with Chief Doctor Chu’s prescription."
Zhao Xuanping couldn’t hide the disappointment in his heart, but he could only accept this outcome.
"Very well. We will proceed as Chief Doctor Chu sees fit!"
...
In the evening, Ye Chutang left Prince Lie’s Mansion.
Chu Qiyuan and Zhao Xuanping were staying behind tonight to take turns watching over Xiao Chengqi.
As soon as she returned to the Ye Mansion, Ye Chutang saw that Ye Jingyan was back.
Seeing the familiar figure of the young man, Ye Chutang remembered it was the ten-day holiday.
She had been so busy all day that she’d completely forgotten.
"Big Sister."
Ye Jingyan took a few steps forward, first looking over Ye Chutang and Xiao Wu. Only after seeing that they were both fine did he subtly let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Chutang noticed his tension and asked with a smile,
"What’s wrong? Did something unpleasant happen at the Imperial College?"
Ye Jingyan shook his head. "No, everything’s fine. It’s just..."
He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Big Sister, why are you back so late today?"
’So that’s what this is about.’
Ye Chutang didn’t hide it from him. "I went to Prince Lie’s Mansion," she said, leading Xiao Wu into the room.
Ye Jingyan’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Ye Chutang took in his entire change in expression, already having a good guess what was on his mind.
She sat down at the table. The meal was already laid out, along with a plate of red date cakes he had clearly brought back specially for Xiao Wu.
She picked up a piece and fed it to Xiao Wu. "Here, your third brother brought this back just for you. But don’t eat too many."
Xiao Wu’s cheeks were stuffed full, but she didn’t forget to grin at her third brother.
But Ye Jingyan was in no mood for that.
He hesitated for a moment, then closed the door. After making sure no one else was around, he began carefully, "Big Sister, I heard some rumors at the Imperial College today."
Ye Chutang tried a bite herself and found it a bit too sweet. She poured a cup of light tea to clear her throat.
The crisp, fragrant aroma of the tea instantly washed away the sweetness.
"About me?"
Ye Jingyan froze.
"Big Sister... you know?"
Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. "If it had nothing to do with me, why would you make a point of bringing it up?"
Ye Jingyan hadn’t known how to broach the subject, but hearing Ye Chutang mention it so casually, half the weight on his heart lifted for some reason.
He paused. "It is indeed about you, Big Sister. And also about Prince Lie."
Ye Chutang nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
Ye Jingyan pressed his lips together.
"Big Sister, did you go to Prince Lie’s Mansion today because he was suddenly struck by a serious illness?"
Ye Chutang waved her hand dismissively. "I wouldn’t say ’struck by a serious illness.’ He just vomited blood and fell unconscious. Besides me, Chief Doctor Chu also went to see him today. He’s still at Prince Lie’s Mansion right now."
Ye Jingyan: "..."
’Suddenly, he felt like maybe things weren’t as serious as he’d thought...’
Ye Chutang asked in return, "Has this news already reached the Imperial College?"
"What?" Ye Jingyan didn’t immediately understand.
"That Prince Lie is in trouble," Ye Chutang said. "I heard about it at the palace this morning and went straight to Prince Lie’s Mansion afterward. Logically, not many people should know about this. How did you manage to catch wind of it?"
Ye Jingyan sighed. "There’s no such thing as a wall that doesn’t leak. Besides, we’re talking about the Imperial College."
It’s filled with the powerful and well-connected. Even though they’re trying their best to block the news, Prince Lie’s Mansion sent people into the palace. How could that escape their notice?
Moreover, when Chu Qiyuan and Ye Chutang entered the mansion, they did so openly. Anyone who gave it a moment’s thought would know something must have happened to Prince Lie.
Ye Chutang wasn’t actually surprised.
"That’s more or less what happened. I expect I’ll have to make several more trips there in the near future."
A frown creased Ye Jingyan’s handsome features.
The hand Ye Chutang was using to hold her teacup paused. "What is it?"
Ye Jingyan was silent for a moment before finally revealing everything:
"Big Sister, what I really wanted to talk about when I came back today wasn’t that, but... a rumor that’s spreading from who knows where. It claims that Prince Lie’s sudden relapse was because of you."
Ye Chutang raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"
Ye Jingyan nodded. "The gist of it is that the antidote the Imperial Guard brought back from Guanling was actually useless. They’re saying you misled everyone, causing Prince Lie to take the wrong medicine, which is why he never recovered and his condition dragged on until it became so severe that he’s now vomiting blood and unconscious."
When he first heard these things, he was both furious and worried. But he knew it was useless to argue with those people, so he rushed back as fast as he could.
"None of this has anything to do with you, Big Sister, yet they’re trying to pin the blame on you. Their intentions are truly sinister!"
Ye Chutang listened quietly, then let out a soft laugh.
Ye Jingyan was confused. "Big Sister, what are you laughing at? Do you have any idea what those rumors have already—"
"I’m laughing because you can already see things so clearly. What is there to be so worried about?"
Ye Jingyan froze for a second.
Looking at her elegant face, wreathed in a faint smile, he suddenly realized something. "Big Sister... you guessed this would happen?"
Ye Chutang tilted her head in thought for a moment. "Fifty-fifty, I’d say."
When Xiao Chengqi first discovered the problem with the antidote and came to her after several twists and turns, she knew the person behind it all had malicious intentions.
After all, she was the one who had proposed the medicinal catalyst.
With a bit of twisting and turning, it wouldn’t be impossible to pin the blame for all this on her.
She just hadn’t expected them to make their move now.
Xiao Chengqi was a Prince, after all. His status was exalted. Making a ruthless move against him would definitely trigger an investigation.
If even one step went wrong, they could lose everything.
So the best option was to take it slow—gradually ruin Xiao Chengqi’s health, and slowly make him lose everything.
But clearly, her opponent had run out of patience.
And... they were very eager to drag her down with them.
"Sigh."
Ye Chutang rested her chin on her hand, looking a little melancholic.
"I’ve made too many enemies since returning to the Capital City. Even the process of elimination is useless now."
Ye Jingyan: "..."
Seeing his sister act this way, he knew she must already have a countermeasure in mind. The tension in his heart finally, completely eased.
But even so, he couldn’t just set the matter aside and ignore it.
"Who on earth is it that wants to get rid of Prince Lie and implicate you at the same time, Big Sister?"
Such a "thoughtful" plan to kill two birds with one stone.
Ye Chutang shook her head. "I don’t know yet."
She truly didn’t know. After all, she had several suspects, and at this moment, she couldn’t be entirely certain.
"So you’re just going to let them slander you, Big Sister?"
The rumors are running rampant. It probably won’t be long before they spread throughout the entire Capital City.
By then, it won’t be so easy to clear your name!
Ye Chutang squeezed her slightly sore shoulder. Xiao Wu quickly came forward and diligently pounded it a few times with her small, chubby hands.
Ye Chutang smiled and pinched her plump little cheeks before finally looking at Ye Jingyan.
"Are they the only ones allowed to plot against me? Am I not allowed to plot against them?"
Ye Jingyan froze. "Big Sister, you mean..."
Ye Chutang blinked and said with a smile,
"You have to lure the enemy in deep before you can find the best place to strike."