Chapter 386 Where's Your Wine?

Zhu Qingyan did not return to the government office until late at night.

Ding Wangyuan ordered people to clear out the largest room in the inner courtyard for her and Zhu Lan to live in. The bed in the room was large enough to accommodate two people.

The candlelight in the room was still on, and it was obvious that Zhu Lan had not yet fallen asleep.

"You're back?" Zhu Lan was writing something at his desk, and without even raising his head, he asked again, "Where's the little princess?"

"Ajing has gone back."

Zhu Qingyan suddenly seemed to remember something and asked her, "Did you expect Ah Jing to come tonight?"

Zhu Lan thought for a moment and said, "I think it's 80% certain. But whether the little princess comes or not, Gongsun Yushu has no chance of winning tonight."

Zhu Qingyan snorted, "I see, you were just gambling. You just got lucky and won the bet."

"Bet? What should I bet on?" Zhu Lan stopped writing and looked at Zhu Qingyan with some amusement.

"I bet that Gongsun Yushu asked for help from the Northern Frontier Camp, and it was Ah Jing who came!"

Zhu Qingyan raised his eyebrows, and said with a little pride, "The King of Zhenbei doesn't get along with us. If it's not Ah Jing who comes, but someone else sent by the King of Zhenbei, and stands on Gongsun Yushu's side, wouldn't that be bad?"

"I don't like gambling." Zhu Lan picked up the pen and continued writing, saying jokingly, "A gambler will end up with nothing."

Zhu Qingyan looked at her like this, and he started to wonder again -

Could it be that Zhu Lan was able to predict the future and figured out that the person coming today would definitely be A Jing?

She doesn't believe it!

Zhu Lan didn't even raise his head, as if he had guessed Zhu Qingyan's thoughts, and said calmly:

"Our plan could have been implemented yesterday. Guess why I waited until today?"

Zhu Qingyan shook his head.

Zhu Lan asked her again: "What month and day is today?"

Zhu Qingyan replied: "October 3rd."

Zhu Lan said, "On the third day of every month, the King of Zhenbei is not in the Northern Frontier Camp."

"What?" Zhu Qingyan was skeptical. "If he's not in the Northern Frontier Camp, then where is he going?"

"I don't know." Zhu Lan said truthfully, "But going out so regularly shouldn't be that simple. Anyway, he must not be in the camp today. If Gongsun Yushu needs help, he can only ask the little princess."

"But how did you know about the King of Zhenbei? Did Ajing tell you? But I have never heard her mention it." Zhu Qingyan asked with a frown.

"Have you forgotten the last time in the Northern Frontier Camp, King Zhenbei gave us a celebration banquet because we defeated the Great Purification?

I was able to find out a lot of things during the celebration banquet."

Hearing Zhu Lan say this, Zhu Qingyan suddenly remembered that many generals in the camp drank at the celebration banquet.

Zhu Lan was also drunk, but he staggered over to toast the generals. They chatted happily and had a great time toasting each other.

Zhu Qingyan almost cried out, "Were you trying to trick me at that time? But weren't you drunk?!"

"My wine cup is filled with water, how can I get drunk?"

Zhu Qingyan was stunned for a moment, "Then where is your wine?"

Zhu Lan raised his eyes and said, "Don't you find that the more you drink, the more wine there is in your cup?"

“…”

“…………”

“………………”

Zhu Lan ignored Zhu Qingyan's murderous expression and his eyes suddenly fell on her hands.

"Hey, why are you wearing a thimble? Oh, by the way, where were you when I went to ask Gongsun Yushu a question?"

When asked this, Zhu Qingyan immediately looked away feeling guilty.

"No, nothing."

She stood up and said, "It's time to go to bed. I'll go get some water."

Zhu Lan looked at Zhu Qingyan's back as he pushed the door open with some surprise.

This little girl is different now that she has grown up. She is mysterious and starts hiding things in her heart.

She didn't want to talk, and Zhu Lan didn't ask any more questions. He just smiled and shook his head, then continued to write attentively.

Zhu Qingyan came to the well and breathed a sigh of relief.

She had just been talking to Murong Jing, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, and only then did she learn that her battle robe was accidentally damaged.

So he immediately took Murong Jing out to buy needle and thread, and found a pavilion with bright lanterns nearby, and helped her mend the wound stitch by stitch.

The reason why I don't want to tell Zhu Lan...

It’s a bit embarrassing actually, I can’t say it out loud.

Today is the crucial day to deal with Gongsun Yushu, and everyone is on high alert.

It is somewhat inappropriate to deal with personal matters at this critical juncture.

She understood the logic, but it was a rare trip to Yunzhou, and she had to return to Beijing soon.

This was just a quick chance for me to meet Ajing.

I don’t know when we will see each other next time.

Fortunately, Zhu Lan had a careful plan, and the situation had been decided, and only the finishing touches were left. It would not have any impact if he left temporarily, so he dared to do this.

Zhu Qingyan fetched some water and returned to the room to ask about the business.

"By the way, regarding the prince's background...did you find out anything from Gongsun Yushu?"

Zhu Lan sighed softly.

Zhu Qingyan's curiosity was aroused. "Aren't you always good at planning? Why are you sighing?"

"Did he say nothing?"

Zhu Lan put down his pen, shook his head, and said, "He said it. He said everything."

"What did you say?" Zhu Qingyan came over and asked.

Zhu Lan only said four words——

“Everything has turned upside down.”

Zhu Qingyan was so angry that he slammed the table and told her to stop keeping her in suspense.

Zhu Lan sighed, not really feeling any regret. He just felt a little melancholy as he had gone through so much trouble to no avail.

"Now it seems that many of our previous inferences were all wrong."

“It was wrong from the beginning.”

After that, she recounted what Gongsun Yushu had told her.

Zhu Qingyan's eyes widened when he heard this, as if he had heard something out of the ordinary.

"You mean... the Crown Prince is the real Crown Prince, and the Third Prince is the fake one!?"

Zhu Qingyan touched his hair and felt that his brain was almost not enough.

No...isn't this too absurd?

Zhu Lan nodded slowly and pushed what he had just written and drawn in front of Zhu Qingyan.

"Things are really too confusing. Look, these are the clues I have sorted out for now."

Zhu Qingyan's eyes fell on the papers and he frowned.

It was all lines and boxes, with forks everywhere. She had never seen anything like it.

"What's this?"

Zhu Lan: “Mind mapping, which classifies all possibilities for discussion, is the most intuitive form.”

Zhu Qingyan: "..."

You never know what kind of strange books Zhu Lan has read, as he always comes up with some new words.

After complaining in his heart, Zhu Qingyan still read it carefully. After calming down, he gradually understood Zhu Lan's rules and regulations.

All the key nodes of the entire incident are listed on the paper, and other possibilities that exist at each node are drawn and analyzed.

The meticulous thinking and clear logic are indeed easy to understand and worth learning.

Zhu Qingyan silently took note of this new thing in his heart.

Zhu Qingyan pointed his finger to the first node.

"So, the root of all the problems lies with Chu Xiuning, right?"

Zhu Lan nodded, "Yes. But now that she's dead, many things have become unsolved mysteries. I previously thought that the murderer killed Chu Xiuning in order to find and destroy some physical evidence related to the prince's identity, but now it seems that it's not that simple, and it's even possible that he was coerced and then silenced.

I want to know whether Chu Xiuning lied to me, and if so, what was her motive for lying to me, whether she was coerced by someone... We have to wait until the murderer is found to know."

After listening to Zhu Lan's analysis, Zhu Qingyan held his chin and said:

"But according to what you said, the current situation seems to be in our favor—"

"If Chu Xiuning is telling the truth, and she keeps emphasizing that the prince is real, then it is very credible."

"If she didn't tell the truth, then according to Gongsun Yushu, the Third Prince is fake, and the Crown Prince is real."

"No matter which possibility it is, it at least proves that there is no problem on the prince's side. Has our mission been accomplished?"

Zhu Lan had no comment on his face, and said slowly:

"There are still many doubts, so it's hard to jump to conclusions."

She decided to take Gongsun Yushu back to the capital first, and then see how Old Chang was progressing with the Chu Xiuning case.

After extinguishing the candle, Zhu Qingyan tossed and turned, but couldn't help but stood up and asked:

"Are you sure Gongsun Yushu will come tomorrow?"

“Go to sleep first, and you’ll know when you wake up.” Zhu Lan muttered, turned over, and fell into a sound sleep.

"…Just go to sleep."

"Hate it, don't grab my quilt!"