Proud Feather

Chapter 132 Waiting for the Rabbit
The next day, the second prince, Chuhe, tearfully submitted a memorial in court, which as expected provoked the emperor's fury.

"Both the Crown Prince and Prince Xin are my beloved sons. For over twenty years, they have been brothers, loving and respectful, without a single disagreement. It is all because of your idle troublemaking that the Crown Princess has been troubled by rumors, and Prince Xin has suffered from criticism. I have already lost one son; do you want to cause me to lose another? This farce ends here!"

Under the emperor's strict prohibition, the proposal to move the palace finally came to an end.

Chu Ling sat by the window and said in a low voice, "Father originally wanted to take this opportunity to vacate the Eastern Palace to prepare for the establishment of a crown prince after the New Year, but now the plan can only be postponed."

Jiang Shijun nodded in agreement: "Princess, your plan is brilliant. In this way, no one will dare to ask the Crown Princess to move to another palace in the short term. It's a pity that the Second Prince handled the situation well, and this fire ultimately did not reach him."

While fiddling with the charcoal stove, Chu Ling said casually, "Anyway, I didn't expect to defeat Second Brother with this. I'm just buying some time."

After saying that, she asked, "Is Zhu Shan still cooperating? Has he done anything inappropriate? Don't hide anything from me, tell me everything so I can know whether or not I can use him."

Jiang Shijun replied, "Brother Zhu was very cooperative. He personally oversaw the spread of rumors this time, selecting people and restaurants, doing everything himself."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, I do have some reservations about this. After all, Brother Zhu was the Crown Prince's most trusted confidant, while I am far inferior."

Chu Ling nodded: "You are skilled in criminal cases and meticulous in your work, but when it comes to managing the overall situation, you are indeed not as experienced as him. Now that your sister-in-law is in charge, Zhu Shan does not dare to act rashly, so you can learn more from him."

"Yes." Jiang Shijun was moved to tears; the princess clearly regarded him as one of her own.

Chu Ling sighed inwardly. Jiang Shijun was capable, but lacked the qualities of a strategist. She truly missed Yan Xi; was that kid still suffering under his superiors' torment in a remote county? Once things in the capital were settled, she would go and bring him back.

"Is there any progress at the pharmacy?" she brought up another matter.

Jiang Shijun replied, "The person who bought the medicine has not yet shown up. I have ordered people to guard the pharmacy day and night. As long as he comes, he will not be able to escape."

Chu Ling nodded: "Whether we can continue the clues depends on this."

Jiang Shijun solemnly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your subject will certainly do his utmost!"

After finishing her business, Chu Ling stood up: "Alright, go and do your work! If you have any problems, contact Lady Miao, and she will find a way to send a message to the palace."

"Yes."

Lady Miao was given to Chu Ling by the old lady of the Duke of Anguo. Now that the emperor has taken back his power, she can no longer summon foreign officials at will, so she can only do it in this roundabout way.

so annoying.

Chu Ling thought dejectedly, why was her second brother allowed to establish his own residence outside the palace, while she was stuck in the palace? If she wanted to open a princess's residence, she would have to wait until after her marriage. But there was no need for that now; this matter would be resolved soon, before she could even get engaged.

A palace maid draped a cloak over her shoulders and asked, "Princess, shall we return to the palace?"

Chu Ling said, "I have other things to do, I'll go back tomorrow—by the way, you don't need to come along, just have some green tea."

"Yes."

A moment later, an inconspicuous carriage left the Duke of Anguo's villa and disappeared at the street corner.
-
A pharmacy in the north of the city.

The owner saw off a regular customer and then saw someone lift the curtain and come in.

It must have been too cold, because the person was wrapped up tightly. He only took off his scarf and revealed his face after entering the house.

The boss's gaze sharpened.

The man was very alert and asked, "Boss, do you recognize me?"

The shopkeeper forced a smile: "How could I not recognize you? Thanks to you, sir, we made a big deal last time."

The man calmed down slightly, his gaze sweeping across the room until he saw a young man arranging medicinal herbs in the corner. The young man wore a strange hat, seemingly belonging to a minority group. "And this is…"

"This is my nephew, he just came from the southern border." The shopkeeper seemed to remember something. "Oh, by the way, would you like the medicinal herbs from last time? My nephew brought some too, but not much..."

The man nodded: "I heard that you have acquired new medicinal herbs, so I came to take a look. Where are they? Let me see what they look like."

"It's in the back room!" the innkeeper said solicitously. "Please wait a moment, sir, I'll go get it right away."

The man responded, but then, still feeling uneasy, he called out, "Wait! I'll go with you!"

"This..." the boss hesitated.

The man raised an eyebrow: "What, is there something inside that you don't want anyone to see?"

The shopkeeper quickly waved his hand: "No, no, it's just that it's quite messy inside, and I was afraid you wouldn't like it. Since you don't mind, please come in!"

The curtain was lifted, and the owner went inside first. The man cautiously followed, only to find the place empty and the floor cluttered, making it impossible to find a place to step. Relieved, he followed.

As the shopkeeper walked, he said, "These medicines you requested aren't very useful, and we didn't bring many. The quality is alright, though..."

As they were talking, the man suddenly felt a gust of wind behind him. He immediately turned around and saw a figure rushing towards him. He raised his leg and kicked out, exchanging a blow with the opponent, but staggered, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

What amazing skills! But there was no time to think, a person popped out of the medicine bag behind him and pounced on him.

The boss hurriedly hid in a corner, shouting, "It's not my fault! It's not my fault!"

This man was obviously aware that he had fallen into a trap. Enraged, he shouted, "Where did this little thief come from, daring to lay a hand on me!"

The two men surrounding him remained silent. The young man, disguised as the boss's nephew, poked his head in and said, "Hurry up! Don't alert the Imperial Guards!"

This disrespectful attitude angered the customer who was buying medicine. He raised his hand and threw a hidden weapon.

The two people at the door had to move aside, so his eyes lit up and he rushed out the door.

Just as he rushed out of the curtain, a thick cloud of smoke hit him, choking him.

“Despicable—” He stared blankly, squeezed out two words, and then collapsed to the ground.

The three men lying in ambush at the pharmacy breathed a sigh of relief and went forward to tie the man up tightly.

"Be careful! Don't give him a chance to commit suicide."

"Don't worry! This is muscle relaxant powder; it'll make sure he can't move at all."

The boss cautiously emerged and asked, "Gentlemen, is there nothing more for me to do?"

The young man tossed over a gold ingot and said, "That's all for you. This is your reward. This shop will close immediately. Come with us—don't try anything clever. If he disappears in your shop, the people behind it won't let you off the hook."

The boss took the gold ingot and nodded repeatedly: "I'll go with you!"

With this reward money, what does this shabby pharmacy matter?
As darkness fell, the three men quietly left the pharmacy with the owner, pushing their delivery cart around most of the city before finally entering a shop in the south of the city.

Upon receiving the news, Jiang Shijun, who had just returned home, didn't even eat before heading to the merchant guild to meet the princess while simultaneously informing her.

The person who bought the medicinal herbs has been caught.