Chapter 127 Leaving the Capital (Part 11) Just pretend the Yu family never raised him...
After Xiuzhi revealed that her family was from the capital, she glanced at the slightly surprised expressions on everyone's faces, smiled, and said, "What, you find it strange that I'm from the capital?"
Du Zhong smiled and moved a stool to sit next to her, tilting his head to look at her. "Why haven't you mentioned this before?"
"No one has asked me. Besides, being from the capital is nothing special. Even though it's under the emperor's nose, there are poor people everywhere. My family is in the capital, but we are poor. Since I married into Nanjing, I have never had the chance to go back. Now, only my brother and his wife are left in the family. I wonder how they are doing. It would be good to take this opportunity to go back and see them."
Jiuli sat across from her, looking at her. "If you go back to your parents' home, what will happen to Gou'er and the old lady? Can you really leave them alone?"
Xiuzhi put tea leaves into the jar, her tone indifferent, "I can't help it even if I'm worried. It's almost New Year's, and I'm thinking of going back to ask my brother for some money. I want to start a small business next year. It's not a long-term solution to always be doing odd jobs for others. Gou'er can't be left unattended all the time."
Upon hearing this, Du Zhong leaned closer, his face full of eagerness, "Why didn't you tell me you needed money? There's no need to borrow from your brothers. What if they don't have the money? Wouldn't that just make you come all this way for nothing?"
Xiuzhi gave him a reproachful look, "Don't we have something to do in the capital?"
Du Zhong immediately burst into laughter. Jiu Li couldn't help but curse him in his heart for being so spineless. Unable to bear it any longer, he drank half a bowl of tea and then strolled out of the cabin, walking leisurely to the stern of the ship to admire the scenery on both banks.
On one side were stone walls and green forests, and on the other side were fertile fields and farmhouses. Women were washing clothes on the bank, and their laughter could be faintly heard. Before they reached the fork in the river, several cargo ships and passenger boats of different sizes were passing by. Jiu Li looked at them one by one, and suddenly spotted a man on the bow of a passenger boat not far behind. He seemed vaguely familiar, but the distance was too great to see his face clearly. Just as he was about to look closer, the man turned and disappeared into the cabin.
Suddenly, a large fur coat was draped over his shoulders. He turned around and saw Xu Bai, who was smiling and asking, "Aren't you cold standing here in the wind?"
The sun was just rising, casting a golden glow on the deck. Jiu Li gripped the railing with both hands, leaning her body against it, and tilted her head to look at him with a smile. "The sun is so bright today, and I just had some hot tea, so it's not cold at all."
"It's chilly in the morning, especially here in these mountains and rivers, so be careful not to catch a cold."
Xu Bai reached out to tie the sash of her cloak, but she turned to face him, her eyelashes fluttering as she looked at him frankly and openly. He thought of the summer evening breeze blowing through the gauze curtains, the light in her eyes as captivating as the coolness within. However, he knew very well that this attraction was far less powerful than the allure of achievement for a man; he was merely making a small guess along the way.
"Do you still have any recollection of the capital?" He lowered his hands, facing the river.
Jiuli pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't remember. I just remember that the whole mansion was very, very big. It's probably a ruin now."
“I heard that a few years ago someone wrote a memorial asking what should be done with the Quan family’s residence. The Emperor, remembering General Quan’s past merits, ordered the entire residence to be renovated.”
"Does anyone in the family still live in that mansion?"
"Aunt Quan and all the servants in the mansion died in that fire. Now they are being guarded by a few eunuchs from the palace."
Speaking of lodging, Jiuli suddenly asked, "Hey, where will we stay this time when we go to the capital?"
Xu Bai smiled and said, "Naturally, I will stay at my old house. Don't worry, there are still a few servants in the house to look after it. They will take care of your daily life. I am going there this time to sell the house and get rid of them. Given the current situation of the Qi family, there is not much use in keeping the house and servants."
Jiu Li felt a pang of sympathy. She wanted to offer him some words of comfort, but she didn't see much sadness or dejection on the other side of his face. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the wide river, a hint of ambition in his eyes. She didn't know what to say, so she could only grab the railing and look into the distance.
The man on the passenger ship came out again and was heading towards the stern. She gestured with her chin toward the ship, saying, "Look at that man on that ship. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."
Xu Bai stared intently, naturally unable to make out the man's face, but the hunched posture did seem somewhat familiar. The man was rather short and thin, and his weight always leaned to the left when he walked, causing his left shoulder to be slightly lower than his right. In a fleeting moment, he suddenly remembered a servant who had served tea to Chen Jia at the inn where she had stayed earlier. That servant's physique and gait were remarkably similar to the man on the boat.
If even Jiu Li looks familiar, then it's probably the same person! However, on the night Chen Jia was assassinated by Hui Xin, Jiu Li was in a hurry at the residence. It was dark and the situation was very chaotic, so it's not surprising that he didn't recognize her.
But why is Chen Jia's servant in Nanjing? It looks like he's also heading back to the capital. What a coincidence! He gradually recalled what Zhou Yu had said before, glanced back at the cabin, and heard Aunt Guo and Du Zhong laughing and talking.
No wonder Guo Sao was able to work in the kitchen of the yamen before; it turns out she had some connection with the Chen family. Wang Shanfeng probably only gave her the job because of the Chen family's influence. If Guo Sao really had some relationship with the Chen family, then seeing Chen family members here now would be justifiable. It's likely that Zhou Yu was right; the Chen family wanted to use Guo Sao to eliminate Du Zhong, this potential threat.
"Hey, have you seen him?" Jiu Li nudged him with her elbow.
Xu Bai snapped out of his reverie, shook his head and smiled, "No, you probably bumped into him by chance in the city, so you thought he looked familiar."
She'd seen him in the city before? With her love of crowds, she'd seen countless people, so why did that person seem so familiar? Where could she have seen him before?
Seeing her pouting in thought, Xu Bai smiled and changed the subject, "Go inside and warm yourself by the fire. The boat is about to reach a wider area, and the wind will get stronger."
Jiuli leaned against the railing, tilting her face slightly upward to meet the mountain breeze. "Oh, I'm not cold at all. This is only the second time I've ever been on a boat. I must take a good look at the scenery along the shore."
"Was the first time when you went to Nanjing with Mr. Yu?"
She nodded, her mind preoccupied with Yu Qi, and lowered her head to murmur, "If my uncle finds out that Du Zhong and I have run away from home, he'll be furious."
Xu Bai chuckled silently. "Did you leave a letter?"
“I left it, tucked inside a book on my desk. I was afraid they would see it too soon if I left it out in plain sight. My uncle will probably find it when he gets back from his consultations. If he wants to chase us, he’ll have to wait until tomorrow. In a day and a night, we’ll be far ahead.” He laughed smugly again. “He can only chase us to the capital.”
Xu Bai lowered his eyelids slightly, secretly calculating in his heart that as long as Yu Qi arrived in the capital, he could find someone to recommend him to the emperor to investigate Zhou Yu's murder case. When the truth came out, everyone in the world would know that the emperor was incompetent and treacherous officials were in power. Zhou Yu's rebellion and coercion were truly out of desperation, so his actions would naturally be justified and righteous.
Sure enough, they only realized something was wrong after noon. The new housekeeper, Yuan Sao, brought water into the room in the morning and found that Jiu Li and Du Zhong were not in the room. She asked Yu Qing, but Yu Qing just laughed and said that the two of them must have gone out for a stroll. She didn't take it seriously and instead asked Yuan Sao to help cook lunch.
After lunch, Aunt Yuan remembered to tidy up the house, only to find that some clothes were missing from the two rooms, and even the boxes under the two beds where they kept their secret stash of money and Jiu Li's jewelry box had been emptied. So she hurriedly called Yu Qing, and the two of them searched the house thoroughly, finally finding a letter on the desk. They called Feng Qiao to read it to them, and the group almost fainted from fright.
It wasn't until late afternoon at Fengqiao that he arrived at the house where Yu Qi was seeing patients. He saw Yu Qi and A Xiang coming out of the house. He rushed over in a hurry, and without saying a word, he handed him the letter that Jiu Li had left.
Before Yu Qi could finish reading, his face had turned ashen, his eyes bloodshot. He clenched the letter into a ball in his hand and glared menacingly at Feng Qiao. "So they left before dawn?!"
Feng Qiao's forehead creased with three vertical lines. "Who knew those two brats would suddenly pull such a stunt? Nobody was on guard! Luckily, they didn't go alone; they had Second Master Qi with them, so at least they had someone to look after them. Judging by the time, their boats should have already left Nanjing by now, and they probably can't find a boat to go on. Don't worry, Master, I'll go to the dock first thing tomorrow morning to find a boat and bring them back!"
Unexpectedly, Yu Qi angrily retorted, "What are you chasing?! Let them go! I don't care whether they live or die from now on. Just pretend the Yu family never raised them!"
He said he wouldn't care, but as soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left, hurrying back home. He didn't even bother to drink water; he went to check the two men's rooms to see what luggage they had brought to the capital.
After searching for a while, seeing the worry on Yu Qingfeng and the other man's faces, he turned around and sneered, "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid they'll starve to death outside? Look, they even know to bring money. They have several hundred taels of silver on them. That's enough to cover their expenses even if they go to the underworld. There's no need to worry about them here!"
The couple dared not utter a sound, only watching him sit on the nine-carp bed, his head bowed and silent.
Yuqing waited for half a day but didn't hear anything more from him, so she had no choice but to step forward and ask, "Xiaoyuer said in her letter that she was going to find her biological father, sir, who exactly is her biological father?"
Yu Qi looked up at her, his eyes filled with resentment. "Anyway, she's more powerful and influential than me. She probably thinks I'm not providing her with a good life, and she's thinking about finding her biological father so she can rise to a higher social status!"
Yuqing turned her head and glanced at Fengqiao, then quickly laughed, "No way, Yu'er isn't that kind of heartless girl. She wouldn't dislike Master. She always said she wouldn't get married and would stay at home to take care of Master for the rest of her life. Over the years, in her heart, Master is the first, then Madam is the second, and Du Zhong is the third."
He sneered, "Don't believe her sweet talk. If you wanted to be filial to me, you wouldn't have gone to the capital with someone so easily!"
Yu Qing and Feng Qiao dared not speak. He sat silently for a long time, then turned to look at Jiu Li's pillow for a while, and sighed heavily. "No need to wait until tomorrow. Go find a ship right now. It doesn't matter what kind of ship it is, as long as it can take me to the capital first thing tomorrow morning. Don't worry about the money. Agree to whatever price they offer." He stood up and said, "Feng Qiao, I'm leaving the shop to you. Take good care of it and wait for me to come back."
Fengqiao hurriedly agreed and went out, asking around until he finally found out that a shipman named Ding Dacheng was going to escort goods to the capital the next day. After getting Ding's address, he was about to head there when, unexpectedly, in the dark, he brushed past Zhang Da on the street.
He was so anxious that he didn't even see it, but Zhang Da came back and pulled him, "Old Feng! It's so late, where are you going if you're not going home?"
Feng Qiao explained the situation in a few words, but to his surprise, Zhang Da clapped his hands and burst into laughter. "What a coincidence! I'm also going to the capital and was just asking about boats. Why don't I share a boat with your master? Your master will have someone to serve him, and I'll save on travel expenses. Hehe, it's a win-win situation! Hey, old Feng, have you found a boat yet?"
"I've just found him! I asked around and found someone who works on cargo ships, I'm going to go find him right now!"
Zhang Da laughed and said, "Then you go ask him, I'll go and discuss it with your master."
The two parted hastily, and Zhang Da braved the night to visit the Yu family, where he found Yu Qi to discuss their journey to the capital.
Yu Qi did not answer immediately. He walked gracefully behind his desk, sat down, and asked, "What are you going to the capital for?"
“Let’s just say it’s official business.” Zhang Da smiled and stepped forward, leaning back slightly as he rested his head on the edge of the table. “Well, it’s because of the Qinglian Temple case last time, Lord Yan has already offended the Chen family. He wanted to rely on Prince Zhao, but then he heard from his friends in the capital that something happened to Prince Zhao. So Lord Yan sent me to the capital to investigate.”
Yu Qi glanced at him coldly, "Something happened to Prince Zhao? What happened?"
"I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard that Prince Zhao, after getting drunk, raped and murdered a young palace maid in Consort Chen's palace!"
Yu Qi paused slightly, his gaze slowly falling on the desk. After a moment of contemplation, he understood. No wonder Qi Xubai wanted to persuade Jiu Li to come to the capital; it was probably because of this case!
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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