The hall fell silent.

After a moment, Ye Chutang gave a slight nod. "Is that so."

Shen Yanchuan’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and his long, slender fingers tapped gently.

Ye Chutang’s reaction was truly unexpected.

Never mind that Han Yao had publicly declared that Ye Heng was the one who had harmed Ye Zheng. Even if he hadn’t, a woman of Ye Chutang’s intelligence would surely have been able to guess a thing or two.

If she truly had no suspicions about what had happened back then, she wouldn’t have chosen to stay away for three years before returning to the Capital City. And after her return, there certainly wouldn’t have been so many "accidents" occurring one after another.

But the way she was acting now...

"The evidence seized from the Han and Ye Families proves several charges against him, but it fails to prove his connection to Ye Zheng’s murder back then."

Shen Yanchuan had known this for several days, but he hadn’t gone to see Ye Chutang because he was still considering how to break the news.

—Never mind Ye Chutang, everyone in the Capital City probably thought that this time, Ye Heng’s guilt was a foregone conclusion.

But as it turned out, there wasn’t!

Ye Chutang looked at him and asked calmly, "Then may I ask, Princely Heir, how many charges does he face now?"

Their eyes met.

"Embezzlement, dereliction of duty, and selling official posts." Shen Yanchuan paused. "According to the law, lesser offenses are punished with flogging, confiscation of property, and exile. The most severe are punished with beheading."

But what was considered lesser, and what was severe?

It all came down to a word from a superior, leaving far too much room for interpretation.

Ye Chutang understood. "It seems his crimes don’t warrant the death penalty."

Her expression was perfectly calm, without the slightest hint of disappointment in her eyes, as if she were just hearing about some trivial matter.

’But how could this be trivial?’

’Her parents and older brother had all died under mysterious circumstances. This was perhaps the closest she had ever come to the truth!’

’No, the truth was likely already known. But without enough evidence, the case could never be officially closed.’

"He wasn’t connected to General Huo’s case?" Ye Chutang asked suddenly.

Coming from anyone else, that question would have been a breach of protocol. But with Shen Yanchuan, she presumably didn’t need to follow the rules.

Shen Yanchuan nodded. "Three years ago, Ye Heng was merely a Sixth-Grade Right Minister of the Ministry of Justice. The two of them had no dealings with each other."

"I see."

Ye Chutang gave a slight nod, then rose and curtsied.

"Thank you for informing me, Princely Heir. I have some matters to attend to at home, so I shall not impose on you any longer."

She seemed utterly unconcerned about what sentence Ye Heng would ultimately receive.

Shen Yanchuan’s lips parted slightly, as if he meant to ask her to stay a while longer, but just then, Yun Cheng came in from outside.

"Princely Heir, Su Wei is here to see you."

It was obvious why Su Wei had come, so Ye Chutang tactfully took her leave. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Shen Yanchuan was in no position to ask her to stay, so he finally nodded his assent.

"When there is a verdict, I will send someone to inform you immediately."

’She’s been injured repeatedly,’ he thought. ’She needs to rest properly. Running around like this... does she really think she’s made of iron?’

Ye Chutang couldn’t refuse this offer. The corners of her lips curved slightly as she nodded her thanks.

"Then I thank you in advance, Princely Heir."

On her way out, Ye Chutang crossed paths with Su Wei. She gave him a nod of acknowledgment but said nothing more before leading Xiao Wu away.

Watching her graceful figure lead the small child away, Su Wei felt a surge of indignation.

"...Who would have thought it would come to this? Ye Zheng’s death was so clearly connected to Ye Heng, but the man is so cunning! He didn’t leave a single trace behind!"

Now that the situation has become like this, what are Ye Chutang and her siblings supposed to do?

Su Wei was filled with anger just thinking about it.

"And for all his confidence, what did Han Yao deliver?! What was in that chest? Nothing but various treasures Ye Heng had managed to collect over the years! And those dozen-odd letters seized from the Ye Family were just ledgers of his bribery and corruption from the last year! What good is any of that?! I doubt it’s even enough for a death sentence!"

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze was lowered in thought, but when he heard this, his eyelid suddenly twitched.

An absurd speculation suddenly surfaced in his mind—

’Could it be... that this was the result she wanted all along?!’