Proud Feather

Chapter 47: Watt
Without waiting for Chu Ling to complain, Xue Wang came to apologize himself.

"I have ordered a thorough investigation into the leak of information and discovered that one of the jailers passed it on. Unfortunately, we were too late and the matter was already sealed."

Chu Ling sneered, "Another suicide. Lord Xue, do you feel the burning on your face? You were beaten so badly? They say the Imperial City Bureau is the most powerful spy in the world, but this is the result? You've embarrassed yourself, but you've been fooled like this. Where does your father's face stand? Where are the laws of the court? Where is the dignity of the royal family?"

"Your Highness is right." Xue Wang lowered his head and accepted the scolding obediently, "I have failed your Majesty's grace."

"If you want to apologize, go and apologize in front of the emperor!" Chu Ling didn't want to waste too much time on him. "If something goes wrong again, I will conclude that you, Xue Wang, are deliberately covering up for the murderer. Maybe the biggest traitor is you!"

Xue Wang fell to the ground and said, "I dare not. From today on, I will personally supervise them to do their work."

Chu Ling didn't think Xue Wang was truly afraid of her. As an absolute confidant from the Imperial Residence, Xue Wang was only afraid of the Emperor. As long as he worked diligently, it would be fine. After all, the Imperial City had a traitor lurking inside, and they always silenced him first, which was really outrageous and embarrassing.

After Xue Wang left, Jiang Shijun asked for a meeting.

It was his first time entering the palace, and he passed through the various government offices, the Censorate, the Council of State, and finally arrived at the Museum of Literature. Standing there, with the outside being a confidential area and the inside the inner court, his hands began to tremble.

He never thought that he, who only had the title of scholar, would have the opportunity to stand here in this life. In the past, he had only thought about the opportunity to seek an official position after the crown prince ascended the throne.

Chu Ling sat down and said, "Sir, have you received your official notice? I've discussed this with my sister-in-law. If you were assigned to an important government office, it would be too conspicuous and could easily lead to trouble. So, for now, we'll assign you to the Zongzheng Temple. Firstly, it's an idle position and won't attract attention. Secondly, it will make it easier for you to get involved in the clan affairs and contact me."

The princess not only arranged a place for him but also explained so much. Jiang Shijun was filled with gratitude. "Student... oh no, I deeply appreciate the love and care of the princess and the crown princess. I am satisfied and deeply grateful."

Chu Ling smiled slightly: "You didn't come here today just to express your gratitude, did you?"

"Of course not," Jiang Shijun replied, "There has been some progress in the investigation, and I'm here to report."

"Not bad." Chu Ling was very satisfied with the progress. "You've put in a lot of effort in such a short time."

Jiang Shijun calmed himself down and told the results of the investigation one by one.

"There are many large families with the surname Wei in the south. I have checked them one by one according to the characteristics described by the Ninth Young Master, and there are probably a few of them..."

Jiang Shijun was quite capable, and Chu Ling quickly got the list of the Wei family, and he also listed the important in-laws. What he handed over was essentially a network of relationships.

Chu Ling fell into deep thought looking at the net.
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At night, people come and go in the theaters, and the brothels are filled with singing, dancing, and rehearsals, attracting the people of the capital to linger.

"There are so many people!" Chu Xiaojiu sighed as he followed the crowd in.

Yang Yu, standing beside him, said expressionlessly, "Of course there are more. Previously, due to the Crown Prince's funeral, dancing and music were banned, but the ban has only just been lifted in the past two days."

Chu Xiaojiu was busy watching the show on the left and the dance on the right. She caught a glimpse of his expression and said dissatisfiedly, "What are you doing? You're not happy about having me here to have fun, right? Don't worry, I'll put it on my account today!"

Yang Yu squinted at him and said, "Don't be so generous. You're using me as an excuse just to get yourself out!"

He regretted very much why he had meddled in asking Xianju, which led to Chu Xiaojiu blaming him now.

Forget about sending him back to Prince Kang's mansion that day. With the princess's eunuch there, he only needed to go to that station and serve as a witness. Who knew that Chu Xiaojiu couldn't get rid of him, unilaterally claiming that the two of them were good friends who had shared hardships.

In order to go out today, he used him as an excuse again. Everyone came to the Ningguo Mansion, and because of courtesy, Ningguo Duke had no choice but to agree, so Yang Yu was dragged out unwillingly.

Chu Xiaojiu chuckled, not feeling guilty at all, but rather quite pleased with himself: "Ayu, your name is really useful. I told my dad I had an appointment with you, and he let me go without saying a word, and even let me have some fun with you. Look, I even offered to pay!" "Don't call me Ayu!" Yang Yu was in a bad mood, "We're not that familiar."

"Why are you so aloof?" Chu Xiaojiu said earnestly, "We are all young people, you should be more lively. You are also born with a noble title, so you should live happily, right? Being too ambitious is not only useless, but may also bring disaster."

The last sentence made Yang Yu look at him again: "You are quite reasonable."

The two chatted until they reached the end. Yang Yu stopped and asked, "What on earth did you bring me here for? You're not really going to a brothel to listen to music, are you?"

Chu Xiaojiu chuckled, with an expression that he couldn't hide anything from him, and whispered: "I met Wei Qi here, and came to see if there are any clues."

"Oh?" Yang Yu raised an eyebrow, "You really are here for serious business."

"Of course not!" Chu Xiaojiu started to make his own plans. "Last time the princess sent someone to take me back home, you saw my father's expression. If I do something good again and ask the princess to reward me with something, will I be able to go out whenever I want in the future?"

Yang Yu ruthlessly exposed him: "And it's fun, right? Investigating a case, how exciting."

"Yes, yes!" Chu Xiaojiu was not ashamed at all, "No wonder the princess had to come in person."

"Stop!" Yang Yu said seriously, "The princess is different from you. She is trying to seek justice for her brother. You can't joke around."

"Okay, okay." Chu Xiaojiu immediately shut up, "I was wrong."

He stopped in front of a brothel and recalled, "That's where I met Wei Qi. I came to listen to Xiao Lianxiang sing that day and asked her to come over for a drink. But while we were drinking, Wei Qi came over. He said that he had clearly ordered first, so why did his mother send him away? Did she look down on him?"

"The guys I was traveling with had bad tempers and almost got into a fight. I thought it wasn't worth it, so I asked him to come over for a drink, and asked Xiao Lianxiang to keep him company. I hosted the banquet. Wei Qi was a man of honor, and we quickly made peace."

Yang Yu nodded as he listened: "You are quite generous."

"Of course." Chu Xiaojiu laughed, "This little Lianxiang is not a peerless beauty. If she really makes a scene, I'll get beaten when I get home. Why bother?"

Yang Yu rolled his eyes, thinking that he really shouldn't have overestimated him.

"So, we're here to look for Xiao Lianxiang?"

"Yes! Little Lianxiang sings very well. She has a special song called Nian Nu Jiao..."

Chu Xiaojiu was drooling when he was suddenly bumped by Yang Yu's elbow: "What are you doing?"

Yang Yu raised his chin: "Look who that is?"

Chu Xiaojiu looked carefully and saw a girl wearing a veil in front of her. She looked a little familiar.

The other party seemed to sense their attention and turned around.

The veil was thin, and the face behind it was vaguely visible.

Chu Xiaojiu was so shocked that his mouth opened wide enough to drop his fist: "Princess?!"