The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 731: Chapter 732: Scion

The Chang Sui gasped in disbelief.

He instinctively turned to look in the direction of the Imperial Palace.

The night was at its deepest, and it was pitch-black outside. He couldn’t see a thing.

Yet, a profound chill washed over him, making him break out in a cold sweat. The hairs on his arms practically stood on end!

"Your Highness means to say..."

He mumbled, but he didn’t dare voice the rest of his thought, swallowing the words back down.

Still, his heart pounded in his chest, and he couldn’t calm down for a long time.

’Could it really have been him? Did he lay such a trap!?’

’To go to such lengths... but for what—’

The Chang Sui looked at Xiao Chenglin, a lingering fear in his heart. "If that’s truly the case, then Your Highness... what is your plan?"

Xiao Chenglin suddenly smiled, but the expression didn’t reach his eyes. His tea-brown, glass-like eyes were as cold as ice.

"He has always been this way. Why is this so surprising?"

Scheming, plotting, calculating—if he lacked any one of these, he never would have sat on that throne for so long.

Even now, in his old age, he still had a sharp, hidden edge.

Xiao Chenglin’s tone was utterly glacial.

"An aging Wolf King may seem weak and easy to fool, but he will often deliver a fatal blow when you least expect it."

The slightest bit of carelessness or contempt would be met with a terrible price!

The Chang Sui’s brow furrowed deeply as he voiced his greatest worry. "But... has he already sensed something? What if—"

"I hear Ye Chutang has been visiting the Imperial Palace less frequently lately?" Xiao Chenglin asked suddenly.

The Chang Sui was taken aback but quickly replied, "Yes. It seems her medicine and acupuncture were quite effective, so recently, several Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Hospital have been taking turns attending to him."

Xiao Chenglin nodded and murmured, "With her medical skills, that’s to be expected... A pity."

The Chang Sui didn’t ask why he said it was a pity, or what he was pitying.

Because Xiao Chenglin quickly provided the answer himself.

"Begin,"

he said, his face devoid of expression.

After everything that had happened, his patience had run out.

There was no need to wait any longer.

The Chang Sui’s expression firmed, and he immediately bowed his head.

"Yes!"

...

Someone else who spent a sleepless night was the imprisoned Tuoba Yu.

In fact, he hadn’t had a peaceful night’s sleep since his capture.

His wounds were slow to heal, and every movement sent tremors of pain through his body.

Whenever he finally managed to drift off, enduring the constant pain, he would inevitably be jolted awake by nightmares.

In his dreams, he was always running, but surrounded on all sides by walls of bronze and iron. No matter how frantically he pounded on them, they wouldn’t budge an inch.

And then, an arrow would always appear, flying at him from behind!

The despair of being unable to run, unable to hide, washed over him like a monstrous wave, swallowing Tuoba Yu whole, again and again.

He would always wake up drenched in sweat, his eyes darting around in a panic.

But aside from his own ragged breaths, there was never a sound.

Tonight was no different.

When Tuoba Yu was startled awake again, he had been flailing his arms wildly in a nightmare, causing the wound on his shoulder to bleed once more.

Tuoba Yu clutched his shoulder. Along with the scent of blood, there was a wretched stench.

After his capture, he hadn’t been allowed to change his clothes. He had been jostled about in a prison cart, forced to eat, drink, and relieve himself all in the same space. His body reeked.

The rhythmic sound of footsteps came from outside. It was probably the changing of the guard.

They had been watching him very closely.

But soon, Tuoba Yu realized something was wrong. The footsteps were getting closer, and they didn’t stop once they reached his door.

Then, he heard the muffled sounds of a conversation.

Tuoba Yu’s mind was still hazy, and he couldn’t make out what they were saying, only catching scattered words.

Something about "Nanhu," something about an "order"...

Just as he was filled with confusion, the door, which had been shut for so long, was finally thrown open!

CREAK—

Several armored figures walked in and quickly surrounded him.

The heavy, oppressive atmosphere made Tuoba Yu increasingly uneasy.

He slowly lifted his head and glanced out the door.

A corner of the sky was tinged with a grayish-blue hue. It was nearly dawn.

Trapped here, Tuoba Yu lived in a constant haze. The dual torment to his body and spirit had long since exhausted him. How could he possibly keep track of day and night?

But now, faced with such a display, his survival instinct instantly snapped him to his senses.

He stared warily at the members of the Imperial Army.

"Wh-what are you doing!?"

His voice was so hoarse and gravelly that his words were almost unintelligible.

They ignored him. The leader simply waved his hand.

"Take him away."

Immediately, men came forward from both sides and restrained Tuoba Yu.

Tuoba Yu panicked and began to struggle with all his might.

"Let go! Let go of me!"

But he was already injured and weakened from his long imprisonment. How could he possibly be a match for these able-bodied soldiers of the Imperial Army?

The leader looked down on him and scoffed.

"Stop struggling. We’ve been ordered to take you to get cleaned up, not to kill you. No need to act like this."

Tuoba Yu froze, almost doubting his own ears. "Wh-what?"

The leader lifted his chin and said to the men holding Tuoba Yu, "Hey, go easy on him! The people from Nanhu will be here soon. If they see him in this state, they’re sure to stir up trouble."

Hearing this, the men did indeed loosen their grip.

One of them couldn’t help but mutter a curse. "...He’s as weak as a kitten. We barely touched him and he’s a mess. How can they blame us?"

Tuoba Yu was past the point of anger or retort.

Only a single thought remained in his mind: ’The people from Nanhu are here!’

’They’ve come to save me!’

Tuoba Yu was thrilled at first, but as the reality sank in, a wave of boundless guilt and self-reproach washed over him.

’If I hadn’t been so useless, how could I have caused so much trouble?’

’To rescue me this time, I wonder what price they’ll have to pay...’

As if all the strength had been drained from his body, Tuoba Yu knelt there, dejected and weak.

The leader glanced at him once more, then turned and walked away.

"Get a move on!"

...

「Dawn was breaking.」

The noise from outside grew steadily louder.

Ye Chutang rolled over, but the sound kept growing louder, making it impossible to go back to sleep.

"So noisy..."

Ye Chutang murmured as she finally sat up, her silky black hair falling loosely around her.

Xiao Wu snuggled into her arms and pointed a small hand toward the window.

’Big sister! It’s so lively outside!’

Ye Chutang forced her eyes open and glanced toward the door.

"What’s happening?"

A maidservant pushed open the door, her face alight with gossip.

"Miss! People from Nanhu have arrived! Lots of people have gone out to see! I heard a very handsome young master is with them!"