Proud Feather

Chapter 81 Old acquaintance
"What little uncle?"

"Oh, there was a young man sitting here just now."

"It's been a while since I left."

The guests were whispering to each other when a middle-aged man strode over and asked with a bow, "Sir, what's going on with your uncle?"

Chu Xiaojiu felt like he had found a lifeline and hurriedly said, "Are you the owner of Xianle Tower? Hurry and find him! My uncle is no ordinary man. If something really goes wrong, not only Xianle Tower, but the entire capital will be turned upside down!"

Anyone who came to Xianle Tower was either wealthy or noble, and Chu Xiaojiu was clearly the son of a powerful family. The middle-aged man didn't doubt his words and asked, "Which family is your uncle from? Why did he leave his seat just now? Who else was with him?"

Chu Xiaojiu just said that he was going to change clothes and refused to reveal his identity.

At this time, someone came over and whispered something to the middle-aged man. His expression changed slightly and he said respectfully, "So it's the ninth son of Prince Kang's Mansion. My apologies."

Seeing that he recognized him, Chu Xiaojiu quickly shushed him and lowered his voice, "Don't tell anyone. This is the first time my uncle has come out with me to see the world. If I really lose him, I'll be beaten to a pulp when I go back!"

The middle-aged man's heart tightened. Chu Xiaojiu himself was a descendant of a royal family, so his uncle must also be a descendant of the royal family. If his status was higher, he might even be a prince. If such a person disappeared here, the entire Xianle Tower would have to close down if the matter was not handled properly.

"We'll search now and find the person first."

"Hurry up, hurry up!" Chu Xiaojiu paused, "No, I'm going too! I won't feel at ease if I don't watch over it myself!"

……

Chu Ling followed Yang Yu through the alley.

She was dizzy from all the wandering. Why were there so many narrow roads in the capital? Fortunately, there were official lights at the intersections, so she could see clearly.

After circling around for a while, Yang Yu stopped at an intersection and hesitated: "Both of these roads are possible, which way should I go..."

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Princess, there's a forest on the left, and a deserted house on the right. Where do you think they'll take Zhu Xingshou?"

Chu Ling didn't think much about it: "I guess it's on the right. This person entered the room and didn't hear Zhu Xingshou's cry for help. I guess they might know each other. The weather is cold now, and Zhu Xingshou is a weak woman, wearing thin clothes. She can't withstand being taken to the forest."

Yang Yu praised: "Princess, you are very considerate. Let's go to the right."

Not long after, they arrived at the abandoned house that Yang Yu mentioned. Chu Ling looked through the hole in the wall and indeed saw a dim light.

Yang Yu found the damaged area and the two of them squeezed in carefully.

This house must have been the former residence of a wealthy family, covering a vast area. The two followed the light and walked all the way to the old house.

Yang Yu took a closer look and quickly retreated, pulling Chu Ling into a corner.

"Right here," he whispered.

Chu Ling approached cautiously and saw the situation in the room through the window pane.

Under the dim candlelight, Zhu Fan sat on the ground, his hands bound and his mouth gagged. His hair was a little messy, but everything else was fine.

She breathed a sigh of relief; at least the other person wasn't vicious. Who was he? Zhu Xingshou's ardent admirer? Or his father's enemy?
Soon there was a noise in the corner of the house, and the kidnapper came over. It was the mute who passed by them.

"Mmm..." Zhu Fan struggled and signaled the other party to remove the cloth from her mouth.

The mute did as he wished and squatted down to untie the cloth.

Zhu Fan took a breath and finally spoke: "What are you doing? Can't you see me?"

Chu Ling and Yang Yu exchanged a glance, surprise flashing in their eyes. Zhu Fan's words carried a hint of resentment. Not only were they old acquaintances, but they were also very familiar with each other!

This person said calmly, "The Dali Temple has come to me, and I have escaped. I want to ask you if you are willing to come with me."

Dali Temple! This person is... Chu Ling pricked up his ears.

Zhu Fan's face was filled with anger. He shouted, "Why are you asking me this now? How did I beg you back then? You refused to take me with you even at death. Now I'm living a comfortable life in Xianle Tower, well-dressed and well-fed, with countless people holding gifts and begging me to look at them. And you're asking me this?"

The man remained calm, showing neither shame nor regret. He replied, "Times have changed. Back then, I hoped to bring you out with honor, so of course I had to endure it. But now that's impossible."

In just a few sentences, a lot of information is revealed.

Dali Temple...fugitive...thinking of Zhu Fan’s identity again, a name flashed through Chu Ling’s mind.

"Zhang Qianyi!" Zhu Fan was furious. "You made all the decisions yourself, why are you still asking me? We've already broken up, why are you pretending to be so close now?"

Sure enough it was him!

Chu Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder she hadn't noticed anything unusual about him before. Although Zhang Qianyi came from an official family, he had always worked on the riverbank, so it didn't seem out of place for him to be dressed as a servant.

The Zhang and Zhu families were both elders of the Dushuijian, presumably knowing each other since childhood? The Zhu family was imprisoned and exiled, and the Zhang family was also wiped out... Did the eldest brother seek out Zhu Xingshou to understand the case? But why did Zhang Qianyi flee? Was he feeling guilty?
Zhang Qianyi's disguised face could not reveal any more emotions, but his tone was finally not so calm.

"Ah Fan, you have every reason to blame me. When your family was in trouble, I begged my father for help, but he persuaded me not to. If I had intervened for you then, our Zhang family would have been in trouble, and our hope of redressing your father's injustice would have been completely cut off."

"So, you really are enduring humiliation!" Zhu Fan sneered, "You watched me go to the Jiaofang Bureau and watch my family die or be exiled. Anyway, it wasn't your Zhang family's blood that was shed, so what's wrong with enduring it? What's the result? Didn't you suffer the same fate?"

Zhang Qianyi was silent for a moment: "Yes, we overestimated ourselves and underestimated the prince. We didn't expect to be discovered so quickly."

Prince! Chu Ling's heart tightened. Was it really about his elder brother?
Zhu Fan couldn't help but said viciously, "To tell you the truth, I was the one who informed the Crown Prince. Don't blame me. If the Crown Prince found out about me, how could a weak woman like me withstand it? Of course I'll tell you everything I have to say."

"You?" Zhang Qianyi finally showed surprise. "You said that?"

"Yes, it was me!" Zhu Fan said coldly, "I betrayed your family, made your father lose his official position, and forced you, a good young man, to do hard labor on the riverbank! So, do you hate me?"

Zhang Qianyi's eyes shifted, his emotions becoming extremely complicated. In the end, he just gave a bitter smile: "That's all. We were the ones who stood aside first. You've suffered much more than I have, and you didn't make a false accusation."

He paused, then asked, "In short, there's no way I can exonerate myself, and there's no way I can rescue you. If you're willing to come with me, we can escape and live out the rest of our lives in hiding. If you're not willing, I'll leave you here, and when someone comes looking for you, you can claim I kidnapped you and use the opportunity to plead your innocence..."

He sighed, "Your father's guilt is probably impossible to clear, but if one or two high-ranking officials are sympathetic and willing to help, you'll have a chance to escape from this suffering."