Proud Feather

Chapter 142 Pirate Ship
Duke Ning's Mansion.

Yang Yu walked through the front courtyard and was stopped by the Duke of Ningguo in the main hall.

"Ayu, where are you going?"

Yang Yu stopped in her tracks: "Ah, Father! I've made an appointment with some friends to go out and meet them."

The Duke of Ningguo looked him up and down: "You're not the Ninth Young Master of the Kang Prince's Mansion, are you?"

"No," Yang Yu laughed. "He wouldn't have time for that. He's probably bragging everywhere! Like Qian San and his group."

The Qian family was a scholarly family, with great Confucian scholars and academicians in the family. Qian San was also Yang Yu's childhood playmate and classmate at the Imperial Academy.

Duke Ningguo nodded: "You don't know much about that kid from the Kang Prince's mansion. Don't be fooled by his current success; who knows what the future holds?"

"Father……"

The Duke of Ningguo gestured for the people beside him to step back before speaking in a low voice: "If I am not mistaken, His Majesty will set the date for the Crown Prince's funeral after the New Year, and then there will be a new Crown Prince."

"So soon?" Yang Yu was a little surprised. "His Majesty was furious about the proposed palace relocation earlier, I thought..."

"You thought we'd talk about it in a few years?" The Duke of Ningguo scoffed and shook his head. "The longer we wait, the more things might go wrong!"

This sounded strange, so Yang Yu probed, "Who's having more trouble? Your Majesty?"

The Duke of Ningguo glared at him: "Be careful what you say."

Yang Yu then understood.

Knowing how clever his son was, the Duke of Ningguo stopped there, saying, "Alright, go ahead and meet your friends if you want! Just keep it in mind."

"Yes." Yang Yu turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." A thought flashed through the Duke of Ning's mind, and he called out to him again, hesitatingly asking, "You...you don't want to be the prince consort, do you?"

Yang Yu was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled: "Why would Father think that?"

"Do you have one or not?" Duke Ningguo couldn't laugh at all.

Yang Yu shook his head: "If the princess were a boy, she might suit my taste even better."

Seeing his father's expression turn strange, he quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. I meant that the princess is suitable to be the ruler..."

The Duke of Ningguo could not hide his astonishment. No one knows a son better than his father; he knew all too well how arrogant his son was. He had never said anything like this, not even to His Majesty, yet now…

Yang Yu remained calm and continued, "So Father, please rest assured, I will not tell these things to anyone else."

The Duke of Ningguo's expression gradually calmed down, and he finally said, "It's good that you know. Go."

Yang Yu bowed in farewell and then turned to leave.

The Duke of Ningguo remained seated in the hall for a long time, pondering his son's words repeatedly.
-
People can't stand being nagged. Yang Yu had just promised her father that she wouldn't associate with Chu Xiaojiu when the party was halfway over, and then Chu Xiaojiu showed up.

"Brother Qian, Brother Yang, you're here too?" A pleasure boat approached, and Chu Xiaojiu called out enthusiastically, "It's better to meet by chance than by invitation. I've had the good fortune to buy some Pear Blossom White wine today. Would you do me the honor of having a drink?"

Yang Yu and his buddies had already become familiar with Chu Xiaojiu, and when they heard that he had some good wine, they readily agreed.

Qian San laughed and said, "No wonder Li Ting said the wine was sold out today. It turns out you bought it!"

Chu Xiaojiu chuckled and said, "What a coincidence!"

Liting is a winery in the capital. Its Pear Blossom White wine is extremely popular, with limited daily sales on a first-come, first-served basis.

So Yang Yu was forced to board Chu Xiao Jiu's boat before he could say a word.

Ironically, he couldn't bring himself to object, since he had brought the person into the circle himself, and Qian San and the others were only doing so because of him.

Finally, after a round of drinks and idle chatter, Qian San and the others were about to head back. Just as Yang Yu was about to leave, Chu Xiaojiu grabbed him. "Brother Yang, I have something to tell you!"

"..." Thank you, but I don't want to say.

Yang Yu declined, saying, "Maybe next time! I have a gathering here, and I don't want to leave them out."

To everyone's surprise, Qian San overheard this and was very understanding: "It's alright, you guys have fun! We're all acquaintances, no need for formalities."

Chu Xiaojiu beamed with joy: "Brother Qian, thank you so much!"

Qian San waved his hand and returned to his own pleasure boat, even having the boatman remove the planks.

Yang Yu, who wanted to go back but couldn't: "..."

Chu Xiaojiu released him and said with a grin, "Brother Yang, I've been looking for you lately and you're never around. Are you avoiding me?"

As long as you know.

Yang Yu made up an excuse: "Isn't it almost Chinese New Year? I've got so many invitations, I can't keep up."

"I knew you didn't do it on purpose." Chu Xiaojiu said with a relieved look, pulling him into the cabin and whispering, "I need to talk to you about something."

Yang Yu didn't really want to hear it; this guy never came to him with anything good.

Unfortunately, Chu Xiaojiu didn't give him a chance, blurting everything out as soon as she opened her mouth: "The princess gave me a task, and I'm thinking I'll need your help with it. Do you know that sometimes a painted boat appears near the Golden Water Pool..."

"Stop!" Yang Yu hurriedly called out, "I've been busy lately, I don't have time!"

Chu Xiaojiu didn't care at all: "What could be more important than the princess's affairs? I've inquired about it. That pleasure boat doesn't appear very often, usually only during literary gatherings. Its owner is very mysterious. If he encounters a talented scholar he admires, he will invite him onto the pleasure boat, and then the invited person will disappear... You really haven't heard of it?"

Yang Yu initially didn't want to pay attention, but when she heard that he was missing, her curiosity was piqued: "Is that so? I often attend literary gatherings here, and I've never heard of it!"

"Really! I've been asking around for days," Chu Xiaojiu said confidently.

Yang Yu was skeptical, pondering, "What does this have to do with the princess? Shouldn't the authorities be notified when someone goes missing?"

Chu Xiaojiu said, "Because no one reported it!"

Yang Yu found it increasingly absurd: "Don't try to fool me!"

"If you don't believe me, come with me and ask around!" Chu Xiaojiu shouted. "If it's not true, I'll never set foot in your Ningguo Duke's Mansion again!"

"..." Yang Yu pointed at him with her finger, "Remember what you said!"

Chu Xiaojiu chuckled and immediately called to the boatman, "Let's go back to the dock!"

……

Half an hour later, Yang Yu finally realized that he had been tricked.

Mysterious pleasure boat? Yes, such a thing exists. Distinguished people often travel to Jinshui Pond, and it is common for them to be invited by talented men they find pleasing. Some of these distinguished people do not want to reveal their identities, so they do not leave their names.

The talented scholar has disappeared? That's completely misleading! It's obvious that this talented scholar from out of town has climbed the social ladder, either by marrying into a powerful family or receiving financial assistance from someone else!
Yang Yu said angrily, "Chu Xiaojiu! What exactly are you trying to do? Isn't this a common occurrence?"

"Brother Yang, don't be angry!" Chu Xiaojiu held him tightly. "What if I told you that the Crown Prince was harmed by the owner of the pleasure boat?"

Yang Yu paused: "What did you say?"

Chu Xiaojiu leaned closer: "Princess has found a new clue. The poison wasn't given to Fang Wu by the manager of Xianju, but was given to the owner of the pleasure boat through another line! Brother Yang, think about all the hard work we've done before. We've been completely fooled all along. Are you willing to accept that?"

Yang Yu's expression darkened.

Chu Xiaojiu pressed on: "Anyway, I'm not reconciled! We put in so much effort, only to be used by others. We have to get our revenge!"

(End of this chapter)