After Chu Yunyi passed the examination of the Imperial College, he was taken to the military camp. Gu Jue agreed to let him stay in the military camp for a month, and now it has been a month.

Yesterday, Yunzhan came to report that Chu Yunyi had returned to the Marquis' Mansion.

"Let him in." Chu Qianchen said.

Among the maids, only Amber and Jiang Yuan knew Chu Qianchen's true background.

No matter who Chu Qianchen’s biological mother is, Chu Yunyi is her younger brother.

Amber looked at Chu Qianchen with complicated eyes and went out to meet Chu Yunyi in person.

Chu Yunyi wore an indigo gown, a black brocade belt embroidered with cloud patterns around her waist, and had a simple ponytail.

The twelve-year-old boy was tall and slender, almost as tall as an average adult man, but he also had the youthfulness and arrogance that were unique to teenagers.

After just one month of not seeing each other, Chu Yunyi was a little different from what he was a month ago.

He became darker and thinner, and stood as straight as a flagpole, like a young boy whose edges had been smoothed out, or like an unsharpened sword that gradually gained an edge through repeated grinding.

Just a glance at each other, Chu Qianchen saw it from his eyes, he knew.

really--

"Is that thing... true?"

Chu Yunyi's first question was straight to the point.

His voice was so dry that it seemed to have been worn through by gravel.

Chu Qianchen looked at the young man who was less than ten feet away from her. Since he had returned to the Marquis' Mansion, the first thing he had to do was to pay his respects to the elders, so he at least knew about Aunt Jiang's punishment.

Chu Qianchen nodded and replied: "Yes."

Chu Yunyi's body trembled slightly, visibly, and his pupils shrank sharply.

After Chu Yunyi returned to the Marquis' Mansion last night, he first went to pay his respects to the Dowager Madame. He was originally going to visit Aunt Jiang again, but the Dowager Madame told him not to go.

After his repeated questioning, the lady finally stammered and told him that Chu Qianchen and Chu Qianhuang were switched fourteen years ago. The Shen family and Duke Mu's Mansion wanted to investigate the matter, so they sent Concubine Jiang to work as a laundrywoman in order to torture her.

Chu Yunyi was stunned at the time and couldn't believe his ears at all, as if the world was turned upside down.

Last night, he tossed and turned, hardly closing his eyes the entire night. This morning, he could not help but run to Prince Chen's Mansion to find Chu Qianchen to verify the matter.

Now that Chu Qianchen has agreed, there is no doubt about this matter.

Chu Yunyi's mind was in a mess, and he couldn't think calmly at all. The lady's sighing voice echoed in his ears again: "Hey, your second sister is the same... your aunt raised her for more than ten years. It is said that the grace of giving birth is not as good as the grace of raising. But she didn't appreciate the mother-daughter relationship for more than ten years, and she didn't say a good word to your aunt."

Chu Yunyi felt it was difficult to breathe and his limbs were cold. Thinking back to the past ten years, it was as if tens of thousands of needles were piercing his heart.

He felt like a lone boat on the stormy sea, in the center of a storm and could be destroyed at any time.

“……” His mouth moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.

Chu Yunyi stared at Chu Qianchen without blinking, his dark pupils filled with extremely strong and complex emotions.

There is shock, grief, disappointment, despair, and shame...

Suddenly, he turned around and ran outside without saying a word.

"Brother Yi." Chu Qianchen subconsciously wanted to get up and chase Chu Yunyi, but his knees felt heavy. Then he remembered that there was a kitten lying on his knees.

In the end, she didn't get up, and just watched Chu Yunyi lift the curtain and run out of the east room.

The door curtain embroidered with hibiscus flowers swayed slightly in the air and was reflected in Chu Qianchen's pupils.

"..." Amber looked at Chu Qianchen with a questioning look, with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Jiang Yuan, find someone to follow him secretly. If it's nothing serious, just ignore him." Chu Qianchen instructed Jiang Yuan.

What she meant was that as long as Chu Yunyi didn't impulsively cause trouble, there was no need to bother with him.

"Yes, Princess." Jiang Yuan accepted the order and withdrew.

Chu Qianchen touched the little black cat on his lap again, withdrew his gaze from the door curtain, and looked at a half-open window.

Outside the window, the autumn chrysanthemums are beginning to bloom, and the colorful chrysanthemums are swaying in the wind.

Chu Qianchen whispered, "Some things you have to figure out yourself."

When Chu Qianchen said this, she was not only talking about Chu Yunyi, but also about herself.

As long as you think it through, you will naturally not be hurt by those things anymore.

“Meow!”

The little black cat cried in a baby voice, as if agreeing with Chu Qianchen.

Chu Yunyi naturally could not hear Chu Qianchen's voice.

The storm within him grew more and more intense, as if it was tearing him apart from the inside out.

He rushed forward with such determination that he even forgot to ride his horse, and rushed out of Prince Chen's Palace in one breath.

He kept running forward aimlessly, just wanting to vent his energy.

He stopped only when he was exhausted from running. He was breathing heavily, with sweat on his forehead, looking a little embarrassed.

However, Chu Yunyi didn't care at all.

Until now, his mind was still in a mess. Sometimes he thought of Chu Qianchen, sometimes he thought of Chu Qianhuang, sometimes he thought of Chu Lingxiao, and sometimes he thought of Aunt Jiang.

He had an urge to go find Aunt Jiang, but he didn't know what to say to her...

He didn't want to go back home, and he didn't know where else he could go.

At this time, a waiter came out of the restaurant next door, waving a rag, and greeted Chu Yunyi with a smile, "Sir, would you like to have a drink in our shop?"

Chu Yunyi seldom drank alcohol on weekdays. He wanted to leave, but when he smelled the aroma of wine coming from the restaurant, he changed his mind and thought of a saying: A little drunkenness can relieve a thousand worries.

Chu Yunyi followed the waiter in and ordered a pot of wine and some side dishes.

When the spicy wine entered his throat, Chu Yunyi almost choked and his facial features twisted slightly, but he finally forced himself to swallow all the wine in his mouth.

He had drunk alcohol before, but it was never strong liquor and he only had a few glasses at most. This was his first time to drink this kind of strong liquor called Shaodaozi.

The wine really lives up to its name, it's so spicy that it feels like a knife waving in your stomach.

Chu Yunyi put down the wine glass in his hand. The spicy taste of the burning knife made him start to calm down.

He realized he had done something wrong.

He is a man, no matter what happens, he should face it head on. Why did he panic when facing Chu Qianchen just now and just "flee" like that? !

Thinking back to the scenes that just happened in Prince Chen's Mansion, Chu Yunyi's expression became more and more complicated, and he wanted to hit himself hard.

He was wrong, he shouldn't have run away.

Would Chu Qianchen have any misunderstandings about him after he ran away? Would she have wild thoughts and think that he blamed her like his grandmother did... or would she think that he would ignore her because she was not his sister? Chu Yunyi began to panic again and subconsciously reached for the wine glass, but when he thought of the spicy taste just now, he put the glass down again.

He picked up his chopsticks and picked up a salt and pepper peanut to eat.

The lady said a lot last night, but Chu Yunyi didn’t believe it all.

He is twelve years old, not a three-year-old child anymore. He can make his own judgments on right and wrong.

No matter how his grandmother said in front of him that his father and aunt were pitiful, scolded his stepmother for being excessive, and complained that Chu Qianchen was an ungrateful person, Chu Yunyi himself knew that Chu Qianchen was the most innocent victim in the whole incident.

Chu Qianchen did nothing wrong.

Chu Yunyi closed his eyes, extremely disappointed with his grandmother, father and Aunt Jiang.

He knew that his biological father was really capable of doing such a despicable thing. What could a father who was willing to let his daughter die suddenly in order to avoid the emperor's arranged marriage not do?

In his father's eyes, there was no blood relationship at all, so he treated Chu Qianchen like this...

But what did he do?! Thinking of this, Chu Yunyi became even more annoyed, and once again regretted that he had just run away like this.

In the eyes of the servants of Prince Chen's Mansion, would they think that he would not support Chu Qianchen in the future? ! Will they bully her? Chu Yunyi wanted to go back to Prince Chen's Mansion to find Chu Qianchen and tell her that no matter what his father and aunt did, he was still her brother.

But he didn't know how to face her when he returned.

What else could he say to her? Should he apologize on behalf of his father or Aunt Jiang?

What Chu Qianchen has experienced over the years cannot be resolved with a simple apology.

Chu Yunyi sat there in a daze, his mind blank.

Guests were coming in and out of the restaurant, but he was completely unaware.

Until a brisk and familiar male voice called out, "Brother Chu, what a coincidence."

Chu Yunyi was stunned for a moment before he reacted and looked in the direction of the voice.

Two young men in fancy clothes came down the stairs from the second floor of the restaurant one after the other. One was wearing a green robe, and the other a red robe. Both of them had warm smiles on their faces.

"Brother Shi, Brother Yi." Chu Yunyi bowed to the newcomers as a greeting.

Mr. Shi, who was dressed in green, was not shy and sat down next to Chu Yunyi with a smile, "Brother Chu, why are you drinking alone here?"

His eyes swept over the wine jug in Chu Yunyi's hand, and he poured himself a glass.

"I'll toast to you." He drank the wine in the glass in one breath.

Chu Yunyi certainly wouldn't tell them about the bad things happening at home, he just said, "I'm in a bad mood."

Seeing that the other party had drunk, Chu Yunyi filled his own glass and drank the wine in the glass.

Master Shi and Master Yi exchanged glances. Master Yi, who was wearing a scarlet robe, patted Chu Yunyi on the shoulder and said, "What's the point of drinking here alone? Come on, we'll take you to a 'good' place."

"Yes, I guarantee you'll like it." Mr. Shi advised him in unison.

Chu Yunyi was in a bad mood and didn't want to go anywhere. He waved his hands and said, "You guys go ahead."

Master Yi also sat down and said, "You are in a bad mood, so let us have a few drinks with you."

Master Yi personally poured wine for Chu Yunyi and Master Shi.

At this point, Chu Yunyi could only drink two more cups of Shaodaozi with them. As he drank, he felt hot all over, and even his ears were burning.

Mr. Shi smiled and praised: "Brother Chu, you really have a good alcohol tolerance!"

"The wine here is still a little bad. Why don't you just come with us? A little drunkenness will make your sorrow go away. We'll take you to drink some good wine."

Chu Yunyi's head was dizzy, and he also felt that the taste of Shaodaozi was really not very good, so he casually agreed: "This wine is not very good."

After he said this, Master Shi and Master Yi stood up, each of them grabbed one of Chu Yunyi's arms, and half-dragged and half-pulled him out of the restaurant.

"Let's go, it's getting late. Maybe there won't be any seats left."

"Brother Chu, if you don't like the wine there, just leave."

“…”

There was a plaque hanging above the gate, with the three big characters "Fourteenth Floor" written in a flamboyant style.

Chu Yunyi's first impression was that these three words were well written, with the strokes moving like a dragon and strong power, as if they were written by a famous calligrapher.

Is this also a restaurant?

He was so focused on what he was watching that he didn't notice another gorgeous black lacquered flat-top carriage behind him, with a man in a blue robe getting out.

"Brother Chu."

Master Yi's voice came from behind. Chu Yunyi turned around subconsciously and bumped into the blue-robed man behind him.

Chu Yunyi had drunk several cups of liquor, and the alcohol was evaporating from his body. He was already a little tipsy, and after being bumped into, he staggered back two steps.

"Brother Chu, be careful." Master Shi quickly stepped forward and helped Chu Yunyi.

Chu Yunyi was about to apologize to the man in blue robe when he heard a disdainful male voice scolding: "Don't you have eyes when you walk?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

A young man of about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a dark red robe with cloud patterns, got out of the black lacquered flat-top carriage. He had a handsome appearance, but an air of arrogance emanated from his whole body, and he glared at Chu Yunyi with hostility.

"Forget it, Asi, it's just a small matter." said the man in blue robe.

He looked to be in his thirties, with a hooked nose, thin lips, and a handsome face. He wore a royal blue silk robe with a crane pattern, his hair was tied up with a white jade hairpin, and in one hand he held a folding fan with a feng shui painting on it. He looked comfortable, and just standing there, he exuded a graceful and noble demeanor, and it was obvious that he was a person in a superior position.

The young man named Asi walked quickly to the side of the man in blue robe. He glanced at the man in blue robe, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.

Chu Yunyi bowed to the man in blue robe and said, "I am sorry for being rude."

He glanced at Asi indifferently and said, "If you want to pickle the radish well, remember to add more salt."

There was a gleam of brilliance in his narrow eyes, and his tanned skin made him exude a wolf-like wildness.

Then, he called out to Master Shi and Master Yi, and the three of them walked towards the small red building and went in without looking back.

Asi was stunned for a moment before he realized what Chu Yunyi meant. He was so angry that his face turned blue and he stamped his feet and said, "He...he said I don't care about other people's business?!"

This Chu guy actually said he was meddling in other people's business! Asi took a step forward and tried to chase him, but was stopped by a folded fan.

"What's the hurry?" The man in blue robe said with a smile. When he narrowed his eyes, he had an aura of majesty without even being angry.

Asi didn't dare to say anything more. He clenched his hands into fists with a sinister look in his eyes.

The man in blue robe opened the folding fan in his hand again with a graceful and relaxed movement.

The square-faced servant behind him was good at observing people's expressions and immediately understood what he meant. He whispered in his ear, "Master, I will go and find out the identity of Mr. Chu."

The man in blue robe hooked his hand on Asi's shoulder, waved his folding fan, and strolled into the small red building leisurely.

As for Chu Yunyi, he had already been taken to the second floor by Master Yun and Master Yi.

The second floor was bustling with noise. In a corner sat a singing girl holding a pipa. The sound of the pipa was lingering and the singing was sweet, gentle and tender.

There were seven or eight young men in fancy clothes sitting around, some drinking, some talking, or laughing at the maids serving drinks...

When Chu Yunyi and the other two arrived, everyone's eyes turned to them. They had all drunk some wine and looked a little drunk.

Chu Yunyi frowned. He knew most of the people present. They were all playboys. Some of them he interacted with on a daily basis, while there were some people whom Chu Yunyi looked down upon. Not only did they fight and make trouble, they also often bullied men and women.

Chu Yunyi turned around and wanted to leave, but Master Shi and Master Yi were right behind him and stopped him.

"Brother Chu, you just arrived. Why are you leaving before you even have a drink of the wine here?"

"Try it. The daughter's red wine here is famous throughout the capital!"

The two men quickly signaled to the maid to prepare wine.

Others followed suit and said, "Yeah, Brother Chu, why are you leaving right after you got here?"

"You are really giving us no face!"

"Even if you want to leave, at least drink three cups as punishment before leaving!"

“…”

There were many people present who were familiar to Chu Yunyi, so Chu Yunyi couldn't just leave in disappointment, so he said, "Then I'll drink three cups."

The waitress serving drinks immediately poured three glasses of wine into the three empty glasses.

Chu Yunyi drank the first cup in one breath. It was mellow, sweet, fresh and fragrant, and obviously much better than the previous Shaodaozi.

He was already four or five drunk, and said whatever he thought, praising it: "Good wine."

Mr. Shi smiled and said, "Brother Chu, we didn't lie to you, did we?"

"Since it's good wine, Brother Chu, drink a few more glasses."

Chu Yunyi originally planned to leave after drinking three glasses of wine, but after he finished the three glasses of wine, he was already drunk and confused, and he no longer wanted to leave.

He lazily sat in the corner, talking to others, drinking one glass of wine after another. He felt light all over and thought to himself: This drunkenness really can relieve all my worries.

He was so focused on drinking that he didn't care that the song was over.

The next piece is piano music.

The piano music was melodious and beautiful. A group of women in pink gauze came slowly and gracefully to the sound of the piano. Their postures were charming...

At the same time, Chu Qianchen also received a report from Jiang Yuan, knowing that Chu Yunyi had gone to the fourteenth floor with someone.

"Where is the fourteenth floor?" Chu Qianchen asked with a raised eyebrow.

She really didn't know.

Jiang Yuan replied respectfully: "Princess, the fourteenth floor is under the name of the Jiaofang Bureau."

She had a blank expression on her face, and was so calm as if she was talking about an ordinary restaurant.

Jiaofangsi?! Amber almost bit her tongue.

Of course she knew what the Jiaofangsi was. To put it bluntly, it was a brothel run by the imperial court. The girls inside were official prostitutes, as well as some male prostitutes.

Compared to Amber, Chu Qianchen was surprisingly calm.

Although she had never been to the Jiaofangsi, she had been in a military camp in her previous life. Those veteran soldiers were not careful with their mouths, and occasionally some messy words would reach her ears.

Chu Qianchen frowned slightly and asked, "Was the young master of the Fan family, Fan Yanzhi, also on the fourteenth floor before?"

Fan Yanzhi is the grandson of the former Right Censor-in-Chief Fan Lingwei. He escaped from the Jiaofangsi last month and was wanted by the Jinyiwei. Fortunately, he was rescued by Gu Jue's men and is now housed in the house next door.

Jiang Yuan nodded frankly.

Chu Qianchen's eyes flickered, and he ordered, "Prepare the carriage, I need to go to the fourteenth floor."

Amber was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped. Jiang Yuan agreed without saying a word and left.

Jiang Yuan prepared the carriage as quickly as possible. Not only that, he also arranged for four guards from the palace to dress up as ordinary guards to accompany him.

After one incense stick, the carriage arrived at the door of the fourteenth floor.

Although the carriage that Chu Qianchen rode in was luxurious, the Fourteenth Floor often entertained dignitaries, so no one paid much attention to this carriage.

The secret guards of the palace who were waiting here suddenly appeared out of nowhere and said to Jiang Yuan, "Master Chu has been in there for half an hour and he is still inside."

Chu Qianchen in the carriage also heard it, lifted a corner of the curtain, and ordered: "Go and bring the person out."

She didn't mention anyone by name, but everyone knew that the person Chu Qianchen was talking about was Chu Yunyi.

"yes."

Jiang Yuan, dressed in men's clothes, broke into the small red building with four guards.

The madam immediately came forward and tried to stop her: "Young lady, stop!"

The madam was a sharp-eyed person. Jiang Yuan, who was dressed as a man, could fool ordinary people, but she could not fool her. She immediately revealed Jiang Yuan's female identity.

The madam said with a half-smile, "Please go back. We don't accept female guests on the 14th floor!"

This is the 14th floor, which is under the jurisdiction of the Jiaofang Division. If anyone can come to the 14th floor to catch an adulterer, then they will no longer be able to do business on the 14th floor! Jiang Yuan simply said, "I'm here to look for someone. I'll take the person and leave."

The madam wanted to stop him, but was knocked unconscious by a palm strike from the palace guards brought by Jiang Yuan.

The lobby on the first floor suddenly exploded.

The ambiguous noises downstairs were transmitted upstairs. On the second floor, there was still singing and dancing, and the sweet scent of incense, wine, and powder filled the air.

Chu Yunyi was already about 60% drunk, his cheeks were flushed, and his eyes seemed to be rippling with tears. Anyone could see that he was drunk.

"Mr. Chu, I will pour you some wine."

After a maid filled his glass again, she stood up and walked calmly to a square-faced servant in the corner and whispered everything she knew.

The square-faced servant glanced at the drunken Chu Yunyi and quickly went to a private room next door.

In the private room, the blue-robed man and the young man from Asi were drinking, and a musician was playing the pipa for them.

The square-faced servant reported respectfully, "Sir, that boy is the eldest son of the Yongding Marquis's mansion. His name is Chu Yunyi. He just turned twelve this year and has just passed the examination to become a martial arts student at the Imperial Academy."

"Oh?" The blue-robed man fanned himself with a folding fan and said with interest, "Go and bring the person to me."

Asi's expression changed instantly. He bit his lower lip slightly and his eyelids drooped. Although he was a man, he looked somewhat pitiful.

He tightly gripped the wine glass in his hand, his fingers were tense and slightly white.

Just now he had realized that Chu Yunyi was clearly throwing himself into his arms on purpose, otherwise how could it be such a coincidence that he would run into someone else's arms when he turned around!

No matter how unhappy he was, he didn't dare say it out loud. He could only raise his head and drink the wine in the glass.

The square-faced servant came out of the private room, looked in the direction of Chu Yunyi, straightened his clothes, and then walked towards Chu Yunyi.

When he walked near the stairs, he heard the sound of footsteps leading to the first floor.

Several people came up the stairs aggressively. The one leading them was Jiang Yuan in green. The palace guards behind her pushed the square-faced servant aside.

Jiang Yuan raised his hand and pointed at Chu Yunyi, and ordered calmly: "Take the person away."

All the dandies who were drinking put down their glasses and looked at Jiang Yuan, while the musicians and dancers continued their performances as usual.

Two palace guards stepped forward quickly and were about to capture Chu Yunyi.

Mr. Shi jumped up and tried to stop them. "How dare you! What do you want to do? Do you know who we are?"

"Who are you? Do you need me to tell you?" Jiang Yuan curled his lips with a smile, and his usually dull face became more lively because of this smile.

The guards of Prince Chen's Mansion are certainly not afraid of causing trouble. Besides, the princess said not to hold back.

One of the tall and strong guards kicked Master Shi directly in the stomach. Master Shi screamed and staggered and fell on his back.

(End of this chapter)