Chapter 1858: The Frail Young Master

The door opened, Ye Yuchi stood there for a moment before entering, but she had already been thoroughly seen by the servants following behind her; the door that no one had closed was left ajar, and the sounds from inside leaked out almost unobstructed.

Zhu Lu fell to the ground with her clothes not covering her body, she wrapped the soft blanket tightly around herself in embarrassment and fear, looking at the astonished Qiao Yan Pei, her expression miserable—tears fell before she could speak.

"Madam… Young Mistress."

"Cough… cough cough cough!"

Jin Chen's sudden fit of coughing startled Ye Yuchi.

"Husband!"

Ye Yuchi's mind went blank for an instant; she hurried forward to support Jin Chen, who looked as if his breath was uneven from anger, and she shot a fierce glance at the disheveled Zhu Lu on the floor.

He knows Zhu Lu's intentions are not pure; she was ordered by Madam Ye to seduce his husband, and he originally thought that saying a few nonsense words would be enough.

Who would have thought Zhu Lu could be so wanton; if there were no ulterior motive, who would believe it?

"Chen'er, what on earth is going on?" Qiao Yan Pei, who had spent half his life as a traveling merchant abroad and had hardly any experience in household intrigue, really couldn't make sense of this scene.

Jin Chen clung tremblingly to Ye Yuchi, then raised a hand to cover his chest; he was obviously greatly startled.

"This person took off her clothes in front of me, utterly shameless!"

And his husband saw it—what should we do if we can't explain it clearly?

"No, Young Master, I just wanted to feed you…"

But Zhu Lu, halfway through her explanation, truly didn't know how to continue; she could only lower her head deeply, not daring to look at anyone, filled with regret.

If only I had known to find a more suitable time.

He just didn't believe the Young Master would remain chaste in his embrace.

Once I become Jin Chen's personal attendant, I won't have to constantly watch people's faces, and I'll be able to free myself from the Ye family's control.

Jin Chen lifted his eyes to the inexplicably silent Ye Yuchi; seeing her strange expression, his brow twitched, and he glanced at Zhu Lu, who kept sobbing on the floor.

Feeling that something was off, what was going on?

No matter how Zhu Lu defends herself, this time no one will believe her.

But Zhu Lu doesn't understand that in the Ye family such things happen all the time; even the Madam cannot always stop those who volunteer to leave the Old Master's bed.

How come changing to this Jin Family Young Master makes everything so different?

Aren't wealthy families usually not averse to having many concubines and maidservants?

Ye Yuchi's fingertips tensed as she poured hot tea for Jin Chen to ease his breath; her regret gnawed at her like a poisonous snake, and she felt she should never have let that vixen near her husband.

"Mother, this is my fault," Ye Yuchi said, her eyelids trembling as she held a faint bitterness and disappointment; she easily diverted Qiao Yan Pei's attention from the incessantly weeping Zhu Lu.

"Mother's gone mad, this servant harbors ill intentions to seduce Chen'er—what does it have to do with you?" Qiao Yan Pei asked, and seeing that Jin Chen was only startled, not overcome by illness, she relaxed a little.

"This servant is named Zhu Lu; originally, on the day I returned to my parents' home, Madam Ye arranged for her to attend to me."

Ye Yuchi sighed again, "I just don't need attendants, so I sent her to the back kitchen… I suppose she bears a grudge."

"Indeed," Qiao Yan Pei slammed the table hard; the aura from his years as a traveling merchant instantly showed, pressing Zhu Lu so she dared not utter another word.

He trembled as he knelt and rose, kowtowing repeatedly, "No… no, Madam, please hear my explanation."

"How dare I bear a grudge against my master? It's… it's Madam Ye; she told me to find a chance to become the Young Master's concubine—it's all Madam Ye's order. I'm just a servant; I dare not disobey, Madam."

"What?"

Qiao Yan Pei's angry expression instantly turned to shock; unable to comprehend, he exclaimed, "Has she gone mad?"

No, the whole Ye family is simply not normal!

Ye Yuchi also seemed unable to believe it, sitting beside Jin Chen with her head slightly lowered, leaning on his shoulder, struggling to suppress her emotions.

"Indeed."

The ever‑silent Jin Chen lowered his gaze at him, his brow twitching slightly, then concealed the clear look in his eyes.

It seems tonight's affair was a deliberate performance by my dear husband.

Jin Chen's lost expression gradually faded; he glanced lightly at the sniffling Zhu Lu and suddenly called out, "Duo Yu!"

"Eh, eh, Young Master."

Duo Yu hurried over from outside the screen, his face showing an unprecedented seriousness.

This is no small matter.

"Have the manor physician examine the soup bowl; if there's a problem, strip this person naked and throw them out the Ye family's main gate."

Zhu Lu's face turned deathly pale, her pupils constricted with fear, and she stiffly turned her head to glance at the spilled soup on the floor.

"No…"

Whether the soup has a problem or not, how could he not know?

It's just a common aphrodisiac—could it possibly kill the Young Master?!

"Young Master, I was wrong, please… uh!"

Before he could finish his plea for mercy, Duo Yu clapped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away.

The maidservants outside thoroughly examined Zhu Lu's appearance.

"So it's him… wasn't he in the back kitchen? How did he end up attending the Young Master?"

"Who knows what tricks he used; and being from the Ye family, you say the Ye family is strange too—how dare they do anything."

"Who knows; I'll have to ask around tomorrow."

The servants of the wealthy households in the surrounding streets all know each other; any information they learn spreads to all the families within three days.

That was exactly Ye Yuchi's intention.

After seeing off the angry Qiao Yan Pei, the maids came back in, cleaned up the soup remnants, lit all the lamps, and only then did the room truly grow quiet.

It was just then that it grew dark.

Jin Chen, however, acted contrary to his usual self; he did not seize the opportunity to boldly ask his husband for affection, but went to the inner chamber to change his clothes.

"Husband."

Ye Yuchi's heart was in turmoil, he guessed that Jin Chen had seen it out, yet he didn't know where to start explaining; this plan was originally hasty and accompanied by occasional regrets, and in the end it still took shape.

He hadn't even thought of how to explain if discovered.

The cleverness from his previous life vanished completely at this moment; he blankly followed behind Jin Chen as they walked in.

Jin Chen sat down angrily, his long fingertips resting on the table tapping helplessly a few times, then he lifted his gaze to look at the husband standing beside him.

"Ah Ci, you deliberately let him come in to deliver the soup."

His tone was resentful, not like the former intimacy.

Ye Yuchi felt an inexplicable dull ache in his heart, lowered his head in response, and the black hair at the nape scattered and fell down.

"Yes."

Jin Chen continued to stare at him, speaking in a muffled voice: "Aren't you worried that I'll be frightened into illness?"

"Ah Ci only cares about ruining the Ye family's reputation, not caring about me at all."

Before Ye Yuchi could answer, Jin Chen furrowed his brow: "Don't bite your tongue."

Ye Yuchi looked back in surprise, only feeling that his muddled thoughts were unworthy of Jin Chen's concern, and suddenly felt uneasy.

"I'm worried…" He lowered his eyes, explaining helplessly: "I've had someone waiting in the courtyard, but…"

But it was indeed a concealment from his husband, and he had even made him part of the plan.

How despicable, how malicious.