Proud Feather

Chapter 55 Don't Listen
Compared to the death of the abbot of Dahuai Temple, Wei Qi's disappearance was completely understandable. The mobilization of so many people could not have gone unnoticed.

"Could he have been silenced as well?" Jiang Shijun worried. "If so, wouldn't that mean our clues are gone again?"

"No." Chu Ling said decisively, "He's not a monk without any roots. How could a child of an aristocratic family be silenced for such a small matter?"

"You're right, Princess." Gao Mian continued, "Even if he's really exposed, there are ways to exonerate him. Why would a child from an aristocratic family pay with his life? Besides, the Princess is looking for Wei Qi. His background is more important than his life, right?"

This statement made Chu Ling laugh: "Master Gao, what are your insights?"

Gao Mian said: "He comes to study and will definitely stay to confess. As long as we find out who his family is, the princess's goal will be achieved."

As expected of the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, he hit the nail on the head.

"Then what are you waiting for, sir?" Chu Ling asked with a smile.

Gao Mian understood and bowed, "I will go right away. Princess, please wait a moment."

Gao Mian returned within an hour. His face was grim as he apologized directly, "I am incompetent. Wei Qi's confession was lost, and the teachers at the academy only have a rough idea of his background."

This is normal. Unless you are a favorite student, who would specifically remember the origin of a student who came from far away to study?
"Where are his classmates?"

"We've already interrogated him. This Wei Qi loves to play. It seems he got into trouble at home and was sent away to study. He doesn't get along with the others. His roommates only know that his ancestral home is in the Jiangdong area, but nothing else."

Jiang Shijun said, "Zhiyuan Academy is not an unknown academy. He was able to enroll, so there must be someone who recommended him, right?"

"That's what we guessed too," Gao Mian sighed, "but the gentlemen kept silent. We can't just drag them over and beat them up."

Behind every academy are great scholars, and offending a school of thought is more serious than offending a high-ranking official. Gao Mian himself is also a member of the literati, so of course he would not do such a stupid thing.

There was a long silence at the scene. Gao Mian was terrified, afraid that the princess would act recklessly like last time. The academy was not the Tian family. If they really fought, it would cause trouble.

"Heh..." Chu Ling suddenly laughed, and the laughter made Gao Mian and Jiang Shijun's scalps numb.

"Do you believe it or not, this Wei Qi is still in the capital?"

Gao Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the princess did not want to fight or kill.

Jiang Shijun immediately asked, "Princess, why do you say that?"

Chu Ling said, "A few days ago, when Wa Si just opened, Wei Qi went there and even met Xiao Lianxiang. Do you think he'll be honest if he loves to play so much?"

Jiang Shijun thought for a moment and said, "But the elders behind him won't allow him to be so willful, right?"

"Yes, but dude won't listen. I have experience with this."

"..." Yes, the princess could be considered a dandy in the past...

Gao Mian asked tentatively, "Princess, is there a way to find him?"

Chu Ling smiled slightly: "Try it and you'll know."
-
Suburbs of Beijing.

Since Taizu established the capital, the capital has become more prosperous year by year. After eighty or ninety years, the early urban area has long been unable to accommodate residents, and the outer city has gradually been built with houses, shops, roads and bridges... The suburbs of Beijing are even more lively than ordinary cities.

In the afternoon, a peddler was selling things along the street with a load on his shoulder. When he passed by the notice board, he saw officers pasting portraits.

He asked curiously: "Brother, is this a wanted criminal? Did he kill someone or..."

The officer replied, "We don't know either. The person the authorities are looking for may have committed a serious crime. If you see him, remember to report to the government office." "Okay!" The peddler took a careful look and saw that the man in the portrait had a gentle appearance, a turban on his head, and looked like a scholar.

"As the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. It's absolutely true!" The peddler muttered as he carried his load and left.

He hawked for two streets and soon entered an empty alley. He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so he knocked on the door next to him.

Soon the door opened.

The peddler walked in, put down his load, and went into the main room. Sure enough, he saw someone lying on a bamboo chair, flipping through a picture album boredly.

This person is still young, with a gentle appearance and a scarf on his head, and he looks very similar to the portrait.

"Seventh Young Master!" the vendor wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "There's a wanted poster for you outside. Just be obedient and go back home!"

The young man on the bamboo chair was surprised: "What? A wanted poster? Did you see it right?"

"How could I be mistaken?" the vendor said, "There's a name on it, and it's you, Mr. Seventh Young Master!"

The young man was puzzled. "What did I do? I didn't kill anyone or set any fire. A wanted warrant? Is that necessary?"

The vendor said helplessly, "Seventh Young Master, I told you before that you weren't the one who committed the crime. You just happened to run into this. Who told you to be so talkative? You kept telling others about Wenxianju. Now they've followed the clues and found your way here. Don't take it lightly. Do you know who's looking for you? Princess Jiahe! If she really finds you, not only will you suffer, but your family will be implicated as well."

Wei Qi was annoyed: "Princess, you can't do whatever you want, right?"

"Haven't you heard of Princess Jiahe's reputation? She loves to mess around. The Tian family was even driven back to their hometown!" The vendor was a little anxious. "This is what my aunt wants. Seventh Young Master, just obey! Didn't you keep saying you wouldn't come before? Now it's not good enough for me to ask you to go back home?"

Wei Qi said: "You let me come and I come, you let me go, how can it be like this!"

He thought to himself, "Only after coming here do I realize how wonderful the capital is. The girls are prettier than at home, and I've never seen those fancy things in the theaters before. As long as you're willing, you can always find a chance to go out and have fun."

The peddler had said so much, and he was already tired of it. He said, "Seventh Young Master, don't you listen to what my aunt says?"

"..." Wei Qi thought of his aunt and felt a little scared. He struggled for a moment, "Is there no other way?"

The vendor shook his head firmly: "Don't worry, my aunt said that as long as you return home with peace of mind, she will write letters to the old lady and the master to speak well of you. No one will force you to do anything you don't want to do in the future."

He tried to persuade Wei Qi again and again, and Wei Qi finally gave in: "Okay, since it's what my aunt said, what else can I do? When do I leave? How do I leave?"

The peddler was delighted and said, "Tonight, follow the truck. After you've gone a hundred miles, I'll hire you a cart and you can return home comfortably."

"Okay, go and make the arrangements." Wei Qi thought for a moment, "Before I leave, I want to try Tianxiang Pavilion's Eight Treasure Duck once more."

"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you right away." The vendor agreed immediately.

In the evening, the vendor came back with the Eight Treasure Duck, and as soon as he pushed the door open, he felt something was wrong.

"Seventh Young Master?" There was no one in there, how could there be even one person?

His face turned green, and he threw the duck in anger, calling out to his servants, "Hurry up and find him! If we can't find the Seventh Young Master, we're all doomed!"

As the night grew darker, Wei Qi tore off his beard and walked down the street, muttering, "Who wants to eat Eight Treasure Duck? We're about to leave, so of course we have to try the Oiran!"

A personal confession can be understood as personal information, including things like place of origin and appearance.