Proud Feather

Chapter 123 It’s you
Wu Zhi brushed the dust off his clothes and went to the carriage to report, "Young master, the scene has been cleaned up."

Xiao Yu nodded and instructed, "Have someone go to the government office tomorrow morning to report that someone has been robbed and killed by bandits."

"Yes."

Lin Wenyu's death was easy to cover up. With two officials as witnesses, they could simply pin the blame on the bandits. The Imperial City Guard was behind it, so everything must have been arranged beforehand; it wouldn't take much effort.

The real challenge is something else entirely.

"Has the princess decided when to return to the palace?" Xiao Yu asked softly.

Chu Ling leaned against the car wall, looking down at her hands. There were no more tears on her face, not even a trace of sadness, only indifference.

She knew what Xiao Yu meant by those words; asking her when she would return to the palace was a way of asking how she would face her father.

Instead of answering, she asked, "Why did you come to the capital?"

Xiao Yu paused.

Chu Ling continued, "I've thought about it, and you guys are really strange. As officials stationed on the border, the biggest fear for someone to enter the capital without an imperial edict is being found out, yet you've taken the initiative to approach me. Are you really so confident that I won't expose this matter?"

"..."

Chu Ling raised her head and looked into the carriage. There were no lights there, only a hazy shadow.

She said slowly, "You're my older brother's man, aren't you?"

!!!

A single, soft sentence was like a thunderclap. Xiao Yu remained silent, and the four people outside the carriage who were preparing to depart dared not utter a sound.

Chu Ling had a premonition. The difference between her past and present lives was that in her past life, her elder brother died unjustly, and no one knew he had been murdered. In this life, she revealed the truth about her brother's death and brought the matter to the imperial court.

This variable led to Xiao Yu, who went to the Sanqing Temple for treatment in his previous life, coming to the capital in this life. His repeated interventions were probably to investigate the cause of the Crown Prince's death.

Another person who aroused her suspicion was Master Lingxu. Zhu Fan's letter appeared at the perfect time. The place where Zhu and her son were exiled happened to be Xiao family territory. Entrusting it to Master Lingxu was not as good as entrusting it to the Xiao family, and she just happened to know about Xiao Yu's connection with the Sanqing Temple.

After a long silence, Xiao Yu let out a self-deprecating chuckle: "At this point, is there any point in saying this?"

Chu Ling ignored him and continued to ask, "Xiao Zhen inherited the title of Prince of Xining, but his uncle Xiao Huan is currently in charge of the army. There are undercurrents between the two sides. Which faction are you on?"

What does the princess think?

Chu Ling slowly said, "Now the military in the North is in Xiao Huan's hands. No matter who is in power, they all have to rely on him. He doesn't need to cause any trouble. You're on Xiao Zhen's side, right?"

“…Yes.” Xiao Yu readily admitted.

Chu Ling was filled with mixed emotions. So, in her previous life, after Xiao Yu left the Sanqing Temple and returned to the North, was he also fighting in the North while she was fighting against the Hu soldiers in the Shangyuan? When Xiao Zhen was besieged and killed, did he also die for his country?

Outside, Wu Zhiyong and the others had finished packing, and the carriage slowly started moving, heading towards the capital.

Chu Ling looked ahead, the moonlight shining white, as if a layer of white snow had been laid out.

Her memory was awakened, and something flashed by.

--etc!
She suddenly turned and reached behind her. The carriage jolted, and since she was sitting close to the door, she immediately lost her balance.

"Princess!" Qingcha exclaimed in surprise before even getting into the carriage.

In a moment of haste, Xiao Yu reached out to help, but Chu Ling grabbed her arm and pulled her forward abruptly.

"Don't move!" a voice rang in my ears.

Xiao Yu froze, feeling hands wrap around his neck and rest on his shoulders, then his back gently pressed against a soft body.

This……

Qingcha paused. Wu Zhi, who was leaning out of the car window, exclaimed "Ouch!" and first covered his mouth, then, realizing something was wrong, immediately covered his eyes.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" the servant driving the carriage shouted, but Gongsun Hong pulled him back. "Focus on driving!"

In the eerie silence, Chu Ling lowered her head and gently leaned against his back.

It was a feeling that was both unfamiliar and vaguely familiar.

“It’s you!” she said softly.

What? Xiao Yu was completely stunned, her mind a mess, wanting to move but not daring to.

Fortunately, Chu Ling left quickly and returned to her original seat.

Her feelings were equally complicated at that moment.

It turns out that in her past life, when Shangyuan City fell, he was the one who carried her out of the encirclement. Eight years later, he traveled thousands of miles to see her off on her final journey, finally fulfilling the fate that had bound them together.

……

Outside the carriage, Qingcha hesitated, unsure whether to get on, but Gongsun Hong pulled her up in time, and she sat down at the front of the carriage.

The servant remained silent, keeping his head down as he drove the carriage. Wu Zhiyong followed behind on horseback, not daring to peek into the carriage.

In a short time, Chu Ling thought about many things. From her past life to this one, from the storms of the capital to the flames of war in the Shangyuan. The blood and tears surged up, and the sadness and sorrow she had just felt faded.

Today's breakdown is just her own pain. What is it compared to those eight years? In any case, she never wants to go through those things again!

"Xiao Yu".

The sudden sound startled the people outside, who couldn't help but peek into the carriage.

Gongsun Hong couldn't stop his mind from wandering. What did the princess want to say? Could she be proposing to him? Would he accept or refuse? Becoming the prince consort would be wonderful, immediately solving his problems, but the princess didn't know his true identity; would she be angry...?

Xiao Yu responded softly, "Mm."

"Should I vote for you?"

"Huh?" Gongsun Hong blurted out, earning a glare from Qingcha.

Chu Ling continued, "Your eldest brother is gone, and you've lost a powerful ally in the capital, with no one to replace him. Rather than relying on my second brother, why not rely on me? What do you think?"

Xiao Yu seemed to be laughing: "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, the future emperor, while the princess has no real power. They are worlds apart. How can she replace him?"

"Because—what my elder brother can give, I can give too."

Xiao Yu's smile vanished, and she asked solemnly, "Does the princess know what she's saying?"

“Of course I know,” Chu Ling said calmly. “It will be difficult, the process will be long, and we may even face desperate situations at times, but why not give it a try?”

Silence fell over the carriage. Gongsun Hong and Wu Zhiyong outside dared not utter a sound, and only the clatter of horses' hooves could be heard all around.

"I……"

"You don't need to answer me now," Chu Ling said calmly. "Go back and tell Xiao Zhen that in the entire royal family, every single member with the surname Chu, only I will support his northern expedition!"

Gongsun Hong and his servant nearly fell over.

Wu Zhi pulled on the reins, and the horse let out a long neigh.

The breathing in the carriage suddenly became heavier.

After a long silence, Xiao Yu asked softly, "How did the princess know that he cares about this?"

The princess never explained: "I have my own way, just convey it to them."

“…Okay.” Xiao Yu replied solemnly, “I will tell him to think it over carefully.”