Proud Feather

Chapter 117 Case closed
Chu Ling remained silent for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"Princess!" Jiang Shijun said in a low voice, trembling with fear, "Although I do not know the whole story, things have come to this point, so it would be best for you to avoid confrontation for the time being."

His request for an audience was refused, so he inquired with the Crown Princess about the situation. No one knew what had happened in the Funing Palace, but given the interconnectedness of the events, some things were not difficult to guess.

The princess was firmly against closing the case, but without informing him, His Majesty ordered it closed, and the news spread quickly, so the announcement should be posted in the next day or two.

Given the princess's temperament, she's likely clashed with His Majesty. He knows the princess is favored, but the emperor's heart is unpredictable...

Chu Ling felt utterly disheartened. Even under such difficult circumstances, she hadn't revealed Wei Qi's identity, intending to keep a trump card for overturning the case. She never expected her father to have him taken away so suddenly—was it a warning?

Jiang Shijun noticed her emotional fluctuations and whispered to comfort her, "Princess, although the case is closed, it doesn't mean we can't continue the investigation; it's just a matter of going underground. As long as you don't give up, things will always take a turn for the better. I refuse to believe that the other party can leave no trace!"

Chu Ling took a deep breath. She had witnessed Jiang Shijun's resilience in her past life, and she would never give up on him.

"I see."

Seeing that her expression had softened, Jiang Shijun was somewhat relieved and continued, "Lord Gao is probably not able to see you recently, so he specifically asked me to convey his message."

Chu Ling nodded: "Let him focus on his own work. He is the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of Da Xiang, and a subject of the Emperor. We cannot give him any reason to criticize us."

"Yes." After finishing his business, Jiang Shijun asked, "Does the princess have any further instructions?"

Chu Ling said, "Do two things for me."

She glanced around to make sure it was safe, then said softly, "First, carefully protect the other people involved, but don't let anyone find out. Second, once the case is closed, the Crown Prince's people will likely scatter, so keep as many as you can for me. Qingcha—"

"Yes." Qingcha handed over a brocade box.

Chu Ling said, "Whenever you need money, take this seal to Wanfu Money Shop. You don't need to ask for permission for amounts under five thousand taels."

Jiang Shijun was taken aback: "Princess!"

"Take it!" Chu Ling said calmly. "I'm not available right now, so I can only leave the outside to you. Please take good care of those people for me."

"Yes..." Jiang Shijun's hands trembled as he took the seal. Firstly, because of the princess's trust, and secondly, because he hadn't expected the princess to have such substantial resources.

This money certainly didn't come from the Crown Prince; he left in such a hurry that he didn't have time to make these arrangements. So, could it be from the Duke of Anguo's mansion? Indeed, a powerful and influential family…

He left with unsteady steps, having anticipated all sorts of difficulties when he came, and leaving with a huge sum of money in his pocket...

After the person left, Qingcha asked softly, "Princess, this is the old lady's life's work. Are you just going to hand it over to Lord Jiang like this?"

"Don't worry!" Chu Ling smiled slightly, "He can handle things well."
-
The day after Chu Ling arrived at the Duke of Anguo's mansion, a notice was posted, confirming all the rumors.

People in Beijing love to watch a good show, especially since this particular spectacle involved the top elites. As a result, restaurants and teahouses everywhere were packed with people discussing the matter.

"So the murderer was a close aide to the Crown Prince. No wonder he was nowhere to be found."

"No, those attendants were just the ones who did the work. The real culprits should be the officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau."

"What a bunch of corrupt officials! They can't even fix a river properly, all they know is to embezzle money, and now that things have come to light, they even dare to harm the Crown Prince! These people should all be executed by slow slicing, they're too lenient!"

"Minister Lin is truly unexpected. What a good man the late Grand Tutor Lin was! Back when Emperor Xiaozong wanted to build a garden, he knelt for an entire day, pleading for the people despite his advanced age. Who would have thought his grandson would..."

"Disobedient descendants! Disobedient descendants! The Lin family's reputation is ruined. Even Grand Tutor Lin will die with regrets!" Someone else noticed: "Hey, isn't there no such thing as that musician?"

"Yes!" someone in the teahouse and restaurant read the newspapers. "It says in the article that the musician is the daughter of the former director of the Water Conservancy Bureau, and she went to the Crown Prince to plead her case!"

"So that's how it is! No wonder the Crown Prince, such a good person, would get entangled with a courtesan. Minister Lin is truly despicable, harming so many people and yet still slandering the Crown Prince!"

"That lady's family has been exonerated, so stop calling her a musician..."

"Alas, the Crown Prince has done so much, from cleaning up corruption to exonerating people. It's a pity that good people don't live long..."

……

Yang Yu closed the door to the private room upstairs.

"What are you doing! Let me listen again!" Chu Xiaojiu complained. "You've talked for so long, and you haven't even mentioned us yet!"

Yang Yu rolled her eyes at him: "It's better that they didn't mention it. Do you think mentioning us is a good thing?"

Chu Xiaojiu scratched his head, puzzled: "Why do you say that? We put in a lot of effort in this case! You don't know, this morning the palace's rewards were delivered to the Prince's residence, along with His Majesty's praise. My parents were beaming from ear to ear! And my brothers are so jealous they're practically drooling. They always looked down on me, huh!"

Recalling his pleasant mood that morning, Chu Xiaojiu's face was full of smugness. The Kang Prince's Mansion had a large population, and his father was inconspicuous in the middle, and he was even less so among the grandchildren. Fortunately, he had a sweet tongue and pleased his grandmother, which made his brothers dislike him.

Seeing that Yang Yu's face showed no sign of a smile, Chu Xiaojiu composed herself and asked, "Look at you, you didn't give me a reward, did you?"

"Of course there are," Yang Yu paused, "but it would be better if there weren't any."

Chu Xiaojiu was confused by him: "Why? Old Yang, you're smarter, tell me!"

From Young Master Yang to Brother Yang and then to Old Yang, Yang Yu had given up resisting. He sighed and asked, "Do you think this outcome is good?"

"Isn't that good?" Chu Xiaojiu was even more confused. "The murderer has been caught!"

Yang Yu did not speak.

Chu Xiaojiu wasn't stupid; she gradually understood something from his gaze and exclaimed, "Then... how did the case get closed?"

Yang Yu then asked, "Is this the result the princess wanted?"

If there's more to the case, the princess certainly wouldn't want it! Wait, the princess didn't want it, but the case is closed, which means...

"The princess has a conflict with His Majesty. Do you think that's a good thing?" Yang Yu bluntly stated.

"..." Chu Xiaojiu humbly inquired, "What can we do?"

Yang Yu shook her head: "Don't do anything. When the palace's rewards are sent to our home, everyone will know that we have a special relationship with the princess. Don't cause her any trouble at this time."

"Oh..." Chu Xiaojiu paused for a moment, then realized what she meant. "No wonder you had time to come out with me today. Did your cronies ignore you?"

Yang Yu retorted irritably, "You're the one with the bad influences! My friends are just friends of gentlemen!"

Chu Xiaojiu chuckled: "Alright, alright, you're my cronies, okay?"