Proud Feather

Chapter 74 Dandy
Chu Ling listened to him for a long time and asked doubtfully, "Isn't this right? My eldest brother is the crown prince, not some petty official. If he's found guilty of corruption, he'll be imprisoned or exiled at best. But wouldn't plotting to murder the crown prince be a serious crime?"

Fang Wu patiently explained, "Princess, many great things have been ruined by the hands of small people. The reasons may be absurd, or even just impulsive. This is a common occurrence in history books. For example, the brave general Zhang Fei died at the hands of a small soldier. Who would believe it before it happened?"

"Oh..." Everyone knew Princess Jiahe didn't like reading. She might not understand the historical allusions, but she had definitely heard about Zhang Fei's death. Chu Ling suddenly realized, "You're right. Then check it out. Check it carefully according to the list!"

Fang Wu was completely relieved. He picked up the booklet again and said carefully, "Princess, my information seems to be similar to Zhu Shanda's, but there are actually a few differences..."

……

Fang Wu left. Jiang Shijun saw him off and returned to the small building. He bowed and reported, "Princess, he's gone."

Chu Ling picked at the cherry flesh and asked, "How is he feeling?"

"I'm very happy. I keep thanking you and saying that I'll be treated to a drink someday."

Chu Ling smiled and said, "You really have to drink this wine. You've helped him a lot."

Jiang Shijun laughed and asked, "Princess, do you believe what he said?"

"Why not?" Chu Ling said as a matter of course, "Isn't he here to gain my trust?"

"..." Jiang Shijun suddenly realized, "No matter who he is, what he said must be true news."

Chu Ling reminded: "Especially the information he added on purpose."

Jiang Shijun thought about it and agreed. If you want to fish, you have to use real bait. The bigger the goal, the more delicious the real bait. "Then I will check this list tomorrow."

Chu Ling nodded and continued to eat her cherry meat: "By the way, bring Zhu Shan with you. We can supervise each other and he will tell more truths."

"Yes."
-
Chu Xiaojiu has been in high spirits recently.

First, he helped the princess, which greatly changed the views of the people in Prince Kang's palace. Then he made friends with Yang Yu, and occasionally showed up at poetry gatherings, entering the top circle of young men in the capital.

You know, even though they are all young masters, they are at different levels.

For example, in the playboy circle he used to hang out in, everyone would call him a prodigal son, and whenever he went out, people would suspect he was going to get into trouble.

It’s not like now, when he talks about meeting friends, his mother will take the initiative to give him money, for fear that he will lose face.

But my old friends couldn't help but say some sour words - we are all good-for-nothings, how can you make progress secretly?
"Hey, isn't this Young Master Jiu? How come you're free today? I thought only Yang Yu could call you."

Chu Xiaojiu pretended not to understand the other party's sarcasm and said with a smile: "The Imperial College will have a monthly exam soon, and Yang Yu is busy reviewing! It is estimated that he will not be able to come out until next month."

"Really? You really know his situation. Why don't you ask your family to get you into the Imperial College as well? You can be with him day and night."

The other person was just saying something sarcastic, but Chu Xiaojiu replied, "My father thinks so too. But my foundation is too poor, how can I get in? Yang Yu asked me to go to the academy next door, at least to read more books, so as not to embarrass myself in the poetry gathering."

He was talking about the last poetry gathering, when others were passing flowers around while beating drums and writing poems. It was his turn when he came up with the line "The autumn wind brings the yellow wine, and my stomach is rumbling, so I have to go to the toilet urgently." He made everyone laugh so hard that they fell under the table, and he became famous from then on.

The dandy who was speaking to him was trying to tease him, but Chu Xiaojiu didn't take it as an offense. Instead, he felt bored and could only sigh, "You really are... not afraid of losing face!" Chu Xiaojiu grinned. "Little brat, even with this level of skill, you're trying to embarrass him?" He'd learned this trick from the princess. When the princess couldn't recite the "Washing Injustices Record" at the crown prince's funeral, she justifiably overturned the table.

What's the saying? As long as you're not embarrassed, others will be embarrassed.

"Come on, come on, order whatever you want to eat, it's my treat today!" With this sentence, the scene immediately became lively.

Another dandy chuckled and said, "Xiaojiu, you're so rich today? Did you just swindle money from your mother?"

Chu Xiaojiu said proudly: "You are wrong. My mother now gives money on her own initiative!"

"Wow, you've made it!" The playboys were shocked.

"Now you know the benefits of me going to a poetry reading to make yourself known to others, right?" Chu Xiaojiu's eyebrows danced with joy.

A dude was tempted and said, "Ninth brother, can you please share your experience? My mother is very stingy now. Asking for money is like asking for debts."

"What's so difficult about that?" Chu Xiaojiu was very generous and answered whatever was asked. "With our family background, no one expects us to achieve much. As long as they think we want to learn well, that's enough. My father especially wants me to play with Yang Yu and learn anything from him."

"Why did Yang Yu take me out to play? In one word, clinging! A strong woman is afraid of a clinging man, and the same goes for a talented man. People are all made of flesh and blood, and he can feel it when you are nice to him! He wants to study? Oh, no matter how hard you study, you still have to have fun. When he is studying, he has no time to care about you, but when he is having fun, he will remember you..."

"You think I made a fool of myself at the last poetry gathering and got scolded when I got home? Wrong! My dad praised me and even gave me a gold-sprinkled fan! Why? Because I wrote poetry! It's better than going out drinking and fighting!"

The playboys suddenly realized: "So it's so easy to cheat people out of their family's money?"

"If that's the case, I have to get close to my eldest brother when I get back... My dad always uses my eldest brother to scold me. I used to hate it and always went against him, and I always got scolded."

"Are you stupid? We are playboys, and we don't expect to inherit the family business, so why should we argue with the eldest brother? We can't rely on our parents for a lifetime, but the eldest brother can! It's okay if you are not good enough, but you can't cause trouble for the head of the family..."

After Chu Xiaojiu's "earnest teachings", the playboys were enlightened and patted their chests and said, "Brother Jiu, you are so generous. I will not let you spend money today!"

Chu Xiaojiu waved his hands nonchalantly: "Oh, I said I'd treat you, so I'll treat you! Don't fight with me, or I'll get angry!"

The playboy thought for a moment and said, "Since Brother Nine insisted on treating us to a drink, how about I treat Brother Nine to music? There's a girl in Xianle Tower who plays the zither exceptionally well. I finally managed to get her an appointment. I originally thought I'd go there quietly by myself..."

"You want to eat alone!" The others laughed, "If it weren't for Xiaojiu, you wouldn't want us to know."

Chu Xiaojiu wasn't actually interested in listening to music. He was now a VIP of the Hesheng troupe, and whenever he went, Xiao Lianxiang and Xiao Xiyu would always be there to accompany him. However, the most important thing here was the social aspect. Even if he tried his best, he wouldn't be able to truly break into Yang Yu's circle. He still had to play with these same buddies, so he had to give them some respect.

Just as he was about to speak, the dandy added, "Don't underestimate this girl. The prince once heard her play the piano and even gave her a reward!"

Chu Xiaojiu shuddered: "Prince? When?"

The playboy thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be around the middle of the year, not even a few months ago..."

I wanted to catch up on some sleep after dinner, but ended up sleeping in late and waking up past 12:00. Just to reiterate, if there's no update by 12:00, just consider it as no update today.