KNOCK KNOCK—

A knock came from the door. Ye Yunfeng put down what he was doing to open it, only to be met with a delicate yet bold face.

"Princess Qingyang?"

Recognizing her, Ye Yunfeng immediately and politely invited her in.

Princess Qingyang strode inside and immediately noticed the gauze on Ye Chutang’s neck.

"How is your injury?"

Ye Chutang smiled and shook her head.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. It’s much better now. It should scab over in another two days."

Princess Qingyang saw that her face was pale, but her expression was calm and serene. She finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"I knew you’d be fine. If something had really happened, do you think my brother would be sitting around so calmly?"

She said this so naturally, but Ye Chutang froze for a moment, raising an eyebrow slightly.

’I should probably explain a few things,’ she thought.

"You flatter me, Your Highness. This matter has far-reaching implications. Even if it didn’t involve me, the Young Master would have investigated it thoroughly—"

"Him?" Princess Qingyang scoffed, looking as if she had seen through it all long ago. "Then there’s something you don’t know. Over the years, there have been very few people or things he’s actually cared about. If it weren’t for you, my brother wouldn’t have batted an eye even if Han Yao had dismembered himself on the street."

Princess Qingyang had known Shen Yanchuan since childhood. Some things didn’t need to be said; she had seen them with perfect clarity long ago.

"The Eldest Princess is also very worried about you," Princess Qingyang added. "Her Highness originally wanted to come see you herself, but you’re at the center of the storm right now. She didn’t want to cause you more trouble, so she decided against it for now."

That was certainly true.

Countless eyes were watching her, both openly and in secret. It was indeed better to keep a low profile. The less trouble, the better.

The corners of Ye Chutang’s lips curved.

"Please convey my gratitude to the Eldest Princess for me, Your Highness. I am truly overwhelmed by her kindness."

Princess Qingyang waved her hand dismissively.

"It’s nothing! After all, you’re her favorite—COUGH!"

Halfway through her sentence, Princess Qingyang realized some things were better left unsaid for now and forced herself to stop.

"Uh, you did the Eldest Princess a favor before, so it’s only normal for her to be a little more concerned about you!"

Ye Chutang’s smile was radiant as she lowered her head to sip her tea.

Looking at this picturesque scene, like something out of a delicate court lady painting, Princess Qingyang couldn’t help but fret internally.

’It would be a shame if a beauty like her were left with a scar.’

"Is the wound deep?" She leaned closer, her concern obvious. "My brother already had the Imperial Physician look at it, right? What did he say?"

Ye Chutang touched the spot where she was injured.

It wasn’t fatal, but to make it look convincing, she had indeed given Han Yao a bit of an opening.

So this wound... still hurt quite a bit.

"You don’t need to worry, Your Highness. I’ve developed my own ointment. It won’t leave a scar."

Hearing this, a smile immediately blossomed on Princess Qingyang’s face.

"That’s wonderful! That’s wonderful!"

There was nothing she hated more than seeing a beauty suffer!

"Oh, right." She remembered something else, sitting up a little straighter as her expression turned serious. "Did you know that Ye Heng tried to kill himself in his cell last night?"

Ye Chutang paused and looked up, her eyes betraying no joy, anger, or surprise. They were perfectly calm.

Princess Qingyang shrugged and added with great pity, "But he was saved. He didn’t manage to die."

’Of course he didn’t manage to die. After struggling so hard to get to this point, if he just died an obscure death like that, wouldn’t all his efforts be for nothing?’

Ye Chutang nodded lightly. "He had to put on a show."

Princess Qingyang never expected Ye Chutang to react this way and was stunned for a moment.

"You’re not surprised at all?"