Proud Feather

Chapter 46 Clues
"You?" Chu Ling looked at him in surprise, "How did you know?"

Chu Xiaojiu chuckled and said, "I have a lot of friends! I'm always out and about, so it's inevitable that I'll hear some news..."

It's just idleness, he said it in a very clear way.

"Are you sure your information is correct?" Yang Yu was worried that he would not take the seriousness of the matter seriously and delay the important matter. "This is no joke. If you are wrong, it will ruin the princess's business."

Chu Xiaojiu was very single: "Anyway, there are no other clues. It's better to have something to investigate than nothing, right?"

This is true. Chu Ling smiled and said, "Okay, tell me about it!"

Chu Xiaojiu said, "I met a friend named Wei in the tea shop a while ago. I treated him to a meal and he said that if I go to Xianju in the future, I can mention his name and the meal will be free."

At this point, he scratched his head and said, "I wanted to give it a try today, but I didn't expect..."

Chu Ling and Jiang Shijun looked at each other, and their expressions became serious.

You can get a free meal if you sign up. Even if this young man surnamed Wei is not the owner of Wenxianju, he must have a very deep connection with him.

"What's his name? How old is he? Where is he from? What does he look like?" Jiang Shijun bowed, "Please help me recall something, Mr. Nine."

"Sure, sure!" Seeing that his information was indeed useful, Chu Xiaojiu waved his hands proudly, "I'll tell you everything I remember. But, Princess..."

Chu Ling agreed immediately: "You help me well. This time, I will take the blame for you and make sure you won't be scolded when you return."

"Thank you, Princess!" Chu Xiaojiu was overjoyed and patted his chest, saying, "From now on, I belong to you, Princess! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west. If you tell me to go up the mountain, I will never go down to the sea!"

Chu Ling was amused by him: "You don't listen to your father, how can you listen to me?"

"How can my father compare to you?" Chu Xiaojiu immediately criticized his father. "He is old and confused. He is not as sensible and smart as you!"

"That's enough!" Chu Ling was too lazy to continue talking to him. "Stop talking so smoothly and get down to business first."

"Yes." Chu Xiaojiu followed Jiang Shijun obediently to the side to provide clues.

"His last name is Wei. I heard people call him Wei Qi. They say he was in poor health as a child and was raised as a daughter. His nickname was Xiuniang, and when he grew up, he was called Xiulang. As for his age, he's two or three years older than me, around twenty. He's from the south, but they didn't say where exactly. He's very delicate, a little shorter than me, and very thin..."

Jiang Shijun wrote down these clues and asked them questions like which teahouse they met in. Finally, he said, "Ninth Young Master, when the painter comes later, please tell him what Wei Qi looks like."

"Okay!" Chu Xiaojiu cooperated very well. "I may not be good at other things, but I definitely have no problem recognizing people. I remember them clearly!"

Jiang Shijun smiled and bowed to him, then went back to report.

After finishing almost all the other matters, Chu Ling handed the matter over to the Imperial City Division for cleanup and prepared to return to the palace.

She called the eunuch and told him to send Chu Xiaojiu back. She then asked Yang Yu, "Young Master Yang, why don't you take the trouble to go to Prince Kang's Mansion as well?"

Since the princess said so, how could Yang Yu not respond?

"Okay, I promise to send the Ninth Young Master there and not let him get scolded."

Chu Xiaojiu hugged him and patted his chest, saying, "I knew you were loyal! From now on, you are my Chu Zhengrong's buddy!"

"..." Yang Yu thought to himself, thank you, but no, it feels a bit low-class.

On the way back, Jiang Shijun reported.

"This man's surname is Wei, and he's from the south. From what the Ninth Young Master said, he's from an aristocratic family. When I get back, I'll carefully investigate which large families have the surname Wei and eliminate them one by one."

"Over at the Wa Si, the Imperial City Bureau has sent people to inquire to see if anyone remembers this Young Master Wei Qi." "Investigate the Dahuai Temple, search for the shopkeeper, and look for Wei Qi. With this three-pronged approach, we will definitely find a clue!"

Chu Ling nodded and asked him, "Mr. Jiang, do you have any manpower available in the East Palace?"

Jiang Shijun was stunned: "Princess, what do you mean..."

"I know you only have an honorary title in the Eastern Palace. Do you have anyone I can use to gather information?"

Jiang Shijun said hurriedly, "Don't worry, Princess. I've conveyed your wishes to several colleagues, and they've all expressed their willingness to help. Although our positions are not high, we have people on hand, and together we can accomplish a lot."

Chu Ling nodded and said, "After all, the Imperial City Bureau is just borrowed, and the Dali Temple can't always use it. We need our own staff. I'll talk to my sister-in-law later and find a place for you to stay. You'll work hard and find some help."

Jiang Shijun understood what she meant and was stunned for a moment: "Princess..."

"Why, you don't want to?" Chu Ling looked over.

Jiang Shijun was filled with mixed feelings. His sadness was that this opportunity came only because something had happened to the Crown Prince. His joy was that the Princess clearly considered him one of her own, wanting to use him to build her own power.

If this succeeds, he will become the princess's external spokesperson, just like the current prince's guest Zhu Shan.

Although the princess cannot inherit the throne, she may be able to take power, and his ambitions may be realized one by one.

"I am willing!" Jiang Shijun's voice tightened. "Princess, I am willing to repay your kindness with my whole life."

Chu Ling smiled softly. In his previous life, Jiang Shijun had penetrated the enemy camp and found evidence that his sister-in-law and Jin'er had been murdered, but unfortunately, he couldn't escape. This in this life was a way of repaying his loyalty in his previous life.

"Thank yourself if you want to. If you hadn't been determined to avenge your brother, we wouldn't be together."

"Yes." Jiang Shijun solemnly swore, "I will definitely find the real culprit and clear the Crown Prince's name."
-
At the street corner, the scholar hurriedly turned around and jumped into the carriage.

"Sir, I've made inquiries. This restaurant is related to the Crown Prince's case."

The same soft voice still came from the carriage: "So, now Princess Jiahe is investigating the cause of the Crown Prince's death?"

"Yes," the scholar said quickly, glancing around. "I heard that Princess Jiahe also uncovered the unusual circumstances surrounding the Crown Prince's death. His Majesty was furious and ordered the three judicial departments to solve the case within a month. But more than half a month has already passed, and judging by the progress, there's little hope."

There was silence in the car for a long time.

The scholar asked again, "Sir, what should we do?"

"Princess Jiahe..." the voice in the car was low and slow, "It didn't seem like it was like this before, right?"

The scholar was also confused: "The princess has been favored since childhood and is innocent and naive... She has a deep relationship with the crown prince, so it's not surprising that she wants to investigate in person. But Your Majesty is also relieved..."

"It seems the situation in the capital is not what we imagined." The young master said, "Let's wait and see until we figure it out."

The scholar immediately said, "How about you go get your eyes treated first? Sanqing Temple isn't far away. If anything happens, we can go to the capital right away. We'll still have time!"

The answer he received was a cold refusal: "Didn't you say that the deadline given by His Majesty is almost up? Stay and see for yourself first. It's okay to treat your eyes later."

"Sir!" the scholar was furious. "Can you please take your health seriously? If you're truly blind, how can you command troops? How can you guard the border?"

"Keep your voice down!" The young master's voice was still as calm as ever, and he gestured for the carriage to move forward. "If anyone hears us, we'll be charged with deceiving the emperor when we get back."

Thank you all for your tips. It may seem shameless to ask for votes for just one update, but I am really powerless at the moment. I will come back at the beginning of the month to ask for votes.