Proud Feather

Chapter 87 Apology
After Xiao Yu disappeared in her previous life, Chu Ling also felt lost.

At the age when one is just beginning to experience romantic feelings, it's hard not to develop feelings for such a young man.

However, this goodwill was too shallow and was easily pushed into a corner by the struggle for imperial power, dissipating in the wind.

Unexpectedly, before she could even think of him in this life, Xiao Yu appeared before her and told her about his background.

The Xiao family—it turns out he was from the Prince of Xining's mansion. So, it seems we never met in our past lives. If Shangyuan had held out, we might have been able to join forces with the Xining army and see Xiao Yu again.

However, by then they had been separated for seven years, and they didn't know what Xiao Yu had become. If he had become a rough soldier... well, let's just leave that gentle and bright young man in our memories!

Faced with Chu Ling's long string of questions, Xiao Yu's heartstrings relaxed, and Gongsun Hong's gaze also softened.

It seems it wasn't discovered by the Imperial City Guard, otherwise the young master's identity would never have been kept secret.

"Princess, please forgive me, but I cannot answer these questions at the moment." Now that his origins had been exposed, Xiao Yu frankly referred to himself as "your subject." "The Xiao family members are not allowed to leave their fiefdoms without imperial decree. If people find out that I have come to the capital without permission, the Prince's Mansion will be reprimanded."

Chu Ling scoffed, "I'm not human? Now that I know, what are you going to do about it?"

Xiao Yu looked helpless: "I can do nothing but beg the princess for mercy. Although we were disrespectful that night, our intention was to help the princess. I only ask that the princess, in view of our sincerity, stop the search."

At this point, he smiled wryly and said, "I came to the capital this time to seek medical treatment. If this continues, I'm afraid it will delay my recovery."

These words, delivered in an extremely humble manner, gave Chu Ling a strange sense of satisfaction.

Xiao Yu, in your past life you relied on Master Lingxu's power to lecture and admonish people all the time. Did you never expect that you would have to bow down and submit to him in this life?

Fine, seeing as you're so sensible, I'll let you off this time. Anyway, we already know where you come from; you can run away, but you can't hide!
She picked up her wine glass and touched her lips to it.

Gongsun Hong immediately replied cleverly, "Thank you, Princess, for your kindness in drinking this apology wine."

Wu Zhiyong kowtowed in response: "Your Highness is so magnanimous, I am deeply grateful for your grace."

"Get up!" Chu Ling glanced over. "You are the one who goes to the front lines to fight the enemy. There's no need for you to kneel down so easily."

Hearing her say that, Wu Zhiyong's reply became more sincere: "Thank you, Princess."

Xiao Yu raised his cup again: "Your Highness is kind and benevolent, and I am deeply grateful."

Chu Ling sneered: "Don't thank me too soon. Whenever I'm unhappy, I'll expose your whereabouts!"

“…” Xiao Yu replied, “Then I will try my best to make the princess happy.”

The waiter brought over a plate at just the right moment: "The food is here! Princess, this is the tavern's most famous fried sparrow, a top-notch snack to accompany your drinks, please try it!"

Chu Ling glanced at them and thought to herself, "The Xiao family really knows how to train people. The ones around Xiao Yu are all quite interesting."

She tried a bite of the fried sparrow and found it to be indeed fresh and delicious, so she decided to add it to her takeout list and ask someone to buy it for her next time she wanted to eat it.

"The scenery here is quite nice." Chu Ling turned to look out the window. There was a small bridge right in front of them, with a stream flowing by. There was an osmanthus tree planted next to it, and its fragrance was strong.

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "I hope the princess likes the place that Mr. Gongsun chose."

After admiring the scenery, Chu Ling asked, "Where are you staying now? Is it far from the capital?"

Gongsun Hong quickly gave a location and said with a forced smile, "It is a bit far, almost outside the capital region. Since the Imperial Guards are not searching, we will be back tomorrow."

Chu Ling nodded, her gaze falling on Xiao Yu's eyes.

"How did you go blind? Did you find someone to cure you?"

“I fell ill and gradually lost my sight,” Xiao Yu replied. “I’ve already had someone examine me; it’s a bit complicated, but it’s treatable.” Chu Ling wasn’t worried at all. He was Lingxu’s junior brother, and he was already in the capital; he must have already informed the Sanqing Temple.

However, Xiao Yu clearly went to the Sanqing Temple to recuperate in his previous life, but came to the capital in this life. There must be some factor that caused the change.

This guy still wasn't completely telling the truth.

"Princess, I have a question that I do not understand. Could you please enlighten me?"

Chu Ling swirled the wine glass in her hand: "Speak!"

"How did the princess know my surname was Xiao? Did we give ourselves away somewhere?"

Chu Ling couldn't tell the truth, so she casually said, "Didn't you guess it? I guessed it just because you looked like soldiers and your accents were from the north."

"..." Xiao Yu paused, "Where is Old Wu? How would the princess know him?"

There was no way to explain this, so Chu Ling smiled at him and replied somewhat shamelessly, "I'm not telling you!"

Xiao Yu was at a loss: "Alright... So, how's the matter the princess was investigating the other day? Have they found the person?"

Chu Ling stopped laughing and stared at him intently.

"Princess?" Xiao Yu's fingers twitched. Although he couldn't see, his senses were very sharp.

Chu Ling said slowly, "Since you entered the capital without permission, you should have been careful to conceal your identity. Why did you interfere in my affairs? Doesn't this increase the risk of being discovered?"

"..." Gongsun Hong's forehead was covered in sweat. This little princess was really not to be underestimated; she could seize on the slightest flaw.

They didn't speak, and Chu Ling didn't press them for details, instead pouring and drinking her own wine.

Qingcha whispered a reminder: "Princess, Aunt Zheng will find out when we get back."

"Oh." Chu Ling stopped. She had forgotten that she was still young and that Qiu Niang was very strict about her diet.

Xiao Yu finally spoke: "The Crown Prince's death is bad news for the border army. Now that I'm in the capital, I naturally need to find out the situation for the Xining Army."

This statement reveals important information!

Chu Ling stared at him: "Does your Xiao family support the Crown Prince?"

“Of course,” Xiao Yu replied. “The border troops have always hoped for reform, and our Xiao family has submitted many memorials, which the Crown Prince has expressed his approval of.”

Gao Mian's booklet mentioned the reform of the border army, but this matter is protracted and cannot be resolved overnight, and the conflicts have not yet erupted.

Xiao Yu continued, "To be honest, Your Highness, before we came here, we were very worried that the Crown Prince might be harmed because of this, which shows that there is great resistance in the court. Therefore, when we learned that Your Highness was investigating the cause of the Crown Prince's death, we tried our best to help."

This reasoning was plausible. After thinking for a moment, Chu Ling asked, "What if the Crown Prince's death has nothing to do with this? Would you just stand by and do nothing?"

After a while, Xiao Yu replied, "Border generals cannot participate in the struggle for the crown prince position."

This was a tactful refusal, which put Chu Ling at ease.

The Xiao family has their own position, and if Xiao Yu agrees readily, she will have to consider whether he is lying.

However, if she wants to stop the Northern Hu from moving south in the future, she will have to win over the Xiao family. Now that she has encountered them ahead of time, she naturally cannot miss the opportunity.

So she said, "How can seeking justice for the Crown Prince be called a struggle for the throne? This is serving the country loyally, and it is a subject's duty!"

I'm writing a bit slowly.