Ke Yizhang had phrased it delicately, but Shen Yanchuan knew exactly what he meant.

The room was silent, save for the faint rustle of autumn wind blowing dead leaves outside the window.

Shen Yanchuan was silent for a long time.

’He had long known that Ye Chutang’s past few years had been difficult. To have survived until today... I can’t imagine how much she must have suffered.’

He had invited Ke Yizhang this time because he remembered what Chu Qiyuan had said and hoped the physician could help restore her health.

’But I never imagined it would be so much worse than I expected...’

"Is there truly nothing even you can do?"

Ke Yizhang shook his head helplessly.

"The Princely Heir’s life was saved by Second Miss Ye. You of all people know what she is capable of. If it weren’t for her own excellent medical skills, I’m afraid she would have long since—"

Shen Yanchuan was silent for a long moment, then finally nodded. "I understand. Thank you for making the trip."

...

Yun Cheng personally saw Ke Yizhang out.

When he returned, he saw his master sitting quietly at the table, seemingly lost in thought.

’I wonder what Ke Yizhang told the Master. He is rarely like this. Could it be... something has happened with Second Miss Ye?’

"Master," Yun Cheng said, standing with his hands at his sides. "A servant reported that Ye Mingze came down with a persistent high fever last night. Ye Shixian knelt and begged for Second Miss Ye to come and treat him, but after being refused, she has remained in Ye Mingze’s room and hasn’t come out."

Shen Yanchuan snapped out of his reverie and looked up, his eyes betraying no emotion.

Yun Cheng paused, then asked, "Should we... send someone to take a look?"

Shen Yanchuan said coolly,

"It’s just a high fever. He won’t die from it. Have our men keep an eye on them. It’s not yet time for them to meet their end."

A chill ran down Yun Cheng’s spine.

"Yes."

Shen Yanchuan glanced at the sky outside.

"What is the situation with the Han Family’s father and son?"

Yun Cheng replied respectfully, "As you instructed, the two have been imprisoned separately. We haven’t received any other news for the time being."

"They’re quite composed." Shen Yanchuan stood up, his expression cold.

Yun Cheng was surprised. "You intend to go personally?"

’Everything has already been arranged. We’re just waiting for them to walk into the trap. The Master just needs to wait... why would he—’

"No."

Outside, the sky had grown completely dark, and flickering candlelight illuminated the room.

His godlike face, cold and noble, seemed to be dusted with a light frost, exuding a bone-chilling cold.

"I’m going to see Ye Heng,"

he said.

...

Dark.

So dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Complete and utter blackness.

Quiet.

A silence so profound the only sound was his own breathing.

Han Tong once again slammed his fists against his surroundings, producing a dull thud.

"Let me out!"

No one answered.

Han Tong didn’t know how long he had been locked in here, nor did he know where this place was.

After he was taken away, he had inexplicably lost consciousness. When he came to, he found himself locked in this strange, dark space.

It seemed to be a square iron cage, so small he couldn’t even stand. He could only huddle, forced into a humiliatingly cramped position.

More importantly, there were no windows, no light. It seemed to be completely cut off from the outside world.

Every second became an agony. His fear and anxiety were magnified endlessly until they consumed him whole.

Han Tong gradually lost his strength and sat down, dejected.

In the darkness, he could even hear his own breath and heartbeat, each one like a funeral bell tolling his doom.

He had no idea where Han Yao had been taken, either. He was worried, but there was nothing he could do.

In a situation like this, even if he wanted to beg for mercy, he wouldn’t know where to turn.

Han Tong took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Yet, the day’s events replayed in his mind again and again, robbing him of any peace.

He had thought he was a dead man today for sure, but who would have known that Shen Yanchuan would appear out of nowhere!

Although his life had been spared for now, Han Tong didn’t feel the slightest bit of relief. Instead, he was even more terrified.

’If I had died, at least Han Yao would have been safe, and the Han Family wouldn’t have been completely annihilated. But I didn’t die! And now, almost everything from back then has been dragged into the light!’

’If they keep investigating...’

THUD!

Han Tong slammed his fist down hard, but the pain that shot through his hand did nothing to lessen his unease.

Just then, a sound suddenly came from outside.

Han Tong immediately froze, straining to identify the direction of the sound.

He was trapped here, unable to distinguish day from night, suffering immensely. At this point, he was desperate to investigate any noise at all!

After listening for a moment, Han Tong guessed that the sound was footsteps.

And they were getting closer.

Han Tong started hammering on the walls again. ’Just let me out! I’ll do anything they ask!’

Finally, the footsteps stopped. The person had arrived.

In the darkness, Han Tong also stopped moving, countless speculations flashing through his mind.

’Who is it?’

’Shen Yanchuan?’

’Or is it...’

At this moment, Han Tong couldn’t even tell who he hoped it was. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Although he had long been prepared to die, he was, in the end, an ordinary person. The will to survive was instinct.

If he had died on the execution ground, that would have been one thing. But he hadn’t. Once a person misses that moment, mustering the courage to die again is a thousand times harder.

CLICK.

The person opened the door, and a thin sliver of light streamed in through the gap.

Han Tong instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, trying to peer at the person through the gaps between his fingers.

In the next moment, however, he saw with horror a face identical to his own!

"You—"

CLANG!

The heavy sound of the door closing rang out, and then everything returned to dead silence.

A faint ripple on still water, as if nothing had happened at all.