Chapter 185 Inquiry

After accepting the gifts, Lord Zhou and Lord Zhao exchanged a glance, then looked at Lin Changning and asked, "We've heard that Lord Lin and Prince Qi have a very close relationship?"

Lin Changning frowned slightly: "We can't say we're bosom buddies, we're just friends who fought our way out of Daxing together, and the Crown Prince is my superior, so our relationship is indeed a bit better."

Upon hearing Lin Changning say that the two had a good relationship, Lord Zhou's smile became even more enthusiastic for some reason.

Lord Zhou gave his wife a wink, and she smiled and said, "I've heard that the two heirs of the Prince's Mansion are still unmarried. Have you heard anything about this, sir?"

Lin Changning raised an eyebrow. No wonder they sent him brocade and inkstones; they were here to gather information.

Lin Changning feigned distress: "I'm sorry, sir, I'm a rough man and don't know much about these things. As for the marriages of the young masters, I know even less about them. How could a military officer like me inquire about the inner affairs of the royal palace?"

After saying that, he took a sip of tea and gently shook his head.

Lord Zhou sighed. A few days ago, he said that he wanted to choose a suitable consort for the Crown Prince of Chu. Families in Taiyuan had all submitted their daughters' name cards.

Their family was lucky; the name card of the second brother's daughter was kept, and the two children made it to Taiyuan after a long and arduous journey.

Unexpectedly, there has been no news from the Prince's residence recently.

They dared not rashly present their calling cards, for a daughter's reputation is precious. Although the two children had endured a bumpy journey and nothing serious had happened, they had still had contact with a man outside their family.

So recently they have been feeling uneasy. After learning that Lin Changning and Prince Qi are on good terms, they thought of coming here to sound them out.

Unexpectedly, this person, despite his young age, was extremely discreet in his words and actions, releasing not a single piece of information.

Lord Zhou sighed repeatedly. Indeed, how could the King of Chu have taken notice of someone without real talent?

We'll have to find another way to handle this.

Lord Zhou stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "I'm sorry to have bothered you today and have been sitting for so long. I'll be taking my leave now. Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Lin."

Lin Changning stood up and returned the greeting: "Then I will see you two off."

Just as the two were about to get up, the gatekeeper led Qi Rong in.

"My lord, Prince Qi has arrived."

Because he was familiar with Qi Erge, Lin Changning told the gatekeepers that if Qi Shizi came, there was no need to announce their arrival; they could simply lead their men to find him.

Lin Changning thought to himself, "Speak of the devil and he appears."

Qi Rong walked into the lobby: "Oh, Xiao Liu, you have guests here?"

Lin Changning cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing Lin Changning's words, Qi Rong knew that something might be wrong. His smile faded slightly, and he raised his hand, saying, "No need for formalities."

Lord Zhou glanced at Qi Rong, then at Lin Changning, whose face was stern. As a seasoned veteran of the officialdom, he could tell at a glance that the two had a close relationship.

After bowing to Qi Rong and waiting for him to dispense with the formalities, he silently sat back down in his chair.

He even picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip of tea.

Lin Changning: ...

He really is a seasoned veteran; he was just saying he was leaving, but now he's sitting down and drinking tea.

Lin Changning gave Qi Rong a wink, hoping to use Qi Rong to send the people away first, otherwise he would inevitably have to ask Qi Rong for information.

Just as Qi Rong was about to speak, saying that he had important military matters to discuss with Lin Changning, Lord Zhou spoke first with a smile.

"Your Highness, it's been many days. You still look as dashing as ever. How are your injuries now?"

One doesn't hit a smiling face, so Qi Rong nodded gently: "All done."

Lord Zhou rambled on for a while, until Qi Rong was getting a little impatient, before finally asking what he really wanted to ask.

"Your Highness, I've heard that the Princess Consort of Chu is going to choose a suitable wife for you and Your Highness. Now all the daughters from various families have submitted their calling cards, but there's been no news. Should we still choose a wife?"

Lin Changning propped his head up and clicked his tongue inwardly. This Zhou guy has no shame at all now, actually asking the question right in front of people.

Qi Rong raised an eyebrow and stared directly at him with sharp eyes: "I wonder where you heard this rumor, sir? My father and mother are still in the capital and have no intention of choosing a consort for the crown prince. As for my aunt wanting to choose a consort for my elder brother, that is true, but they are currently preoccupied with military affairs and probably do not have the time to choose a consort."

Lord Zhou and Lord Zhao both breathed a sigh of relief, as long as they didn't find out about the hardships their daughters had encountered on their journey and then look down on them.

However, this also shows that Lord Lin was indeed good at keeping quiet; the fact that the two children encountered villains on the road did not spread.

He couldn't help but look at Lin Changning again, giving him a grateful look before getting up once more.

"Since the young master and Lord Lin have important matters to discuss, we will not linger any longer and will take our leave."

Lin Changning exchanged a few polite words with the person, then followed his mother to see them out the door. After a sigh of relief, he returned to the hall.

Qi Rong was still waiting there. Seeing this, Lin's mother immediately told the women and her second son to leave the hall, leaving enough space for Xiao Liu and the heir.

If the two were to discuss important military matters, it would be inconvenient for their relatives to be present.

Lin Changning entered the door and greeted Qi Rong with a grin, while Qi Rong remained indifferent.

"Second Brother."

"Didn't you call me Prince Qi? Why aren't you calling me that anymore?"

Lin Changning rubbed his nose, somewhat embarrassed: "Wasn't there someone there just now? That Lord Zhou asked me about the Prince's Mansion, and also said that my second brother and I have a good relationship. He was probing me both openly and subtly. I just didn't want to cause trouble for my second brother."

Qi Rong shook his head: "You do know how to keep your distance from me, but a prefect and a sub-prefect are worth your trouble."

Lin Changning shrugged and fawned over Qi Rong, offering him a cup of tea: "That's because I didn't want them to trouble Second Brother. If I call him more formally and respectfully, they won't be able to come up with a good excuse and will be using it to climb the social ladder."

Qi Rong took the tea and took a sip: "It would make you seem clever, but it's really unnecessary. They can find out your background with a simple investigation. There are quite a few people who know that you saved me. The more you do this, the more obvious it will be."

"Tsk, I thought I could get away with it."

Qi Rong remained silent, simply holding his teacup and continuing to drink.

Lin Changning has lived in Taiyuan for so long that the officials there know him inside and out. Even if they said the two of them didn't get along, no one would believe it.

After all, the two were sworn brothers, and now Changning was even on the same side as him. If he wanted to occasionally ask Changning for some information, it wouldn't be a problem.

Today's Lord Zhou is quite clever; although Changning's address was somewhat distant, he was still able to see through it.

That's why I praised them a few times during our casual conversation, and then took the opportunity to ask them what they wanted to know.

At Changning's home, he couldn't refuse the host's request, so he took the opportunity to tell them the information they wanted to know. This also proved that the two were indeed very close friends.