Ju Nanyi looked at the bustling inn before him, with the several connecting shops all belonging to her. He had originally thought that even after purchasing the shops, it was rely a way for that commandery princess to increase her private wealth considering her current horizon.
However, the timing of the shop purchases coincided almost exactly with the Crown Prince’s assassination attempt. With the coincidental timing and the villagers from Pinghu Village hiding in this inn, it was impossible for Princess Chao Ren to escape any connection to the Crown Prince’s assassination attempt, no matter how one looked at it.
Still, Ju Nanyi knew sothing about the commandery princess and believed the likelihood of her involvent with the assassins from Pinghu Village to be almost negligible; the commandery princess couldn’t possibly be related to the group of killers.
Ju Nanyi couldn’t make sense of many things until he saw that youth, whom he had t once, alighting from a carriage and approaching the inn, causing Ju Nanyi’s brow to furrow.
Did that youth know Princess Chao Ren because of this inn?
Following his own conjectures regarding how Princess Chao Ren had t the youth because of the inn, Ju Nanyi surmised that with Princess Chao Ren’s status within the palace, it wasn’t easy for her to handle matters outside, hence the need for soone outside to take charge. Therefore, Prince Duan had taken an interest in such a youth.
What Prince Duan seed to be thinking was not difficult to understand; a youth with no background and handso appearance was the safest choice for Princess Chao Ren given her current status, but perhaps it was too safe a choice...
If he were Prince Duan, he at least would have chosen soone from a family of clear repute, a gentleman of the court, rather than such a rchant...
In Ju Nanyi’s mind, the image of scattered begonia blossoms floated up again. Was she, because of her birth, to match with such a rchant?
Moreover, from his perspective, the matter of Pinghu Village seed highly likely to be related to such a rchant.
Nevertheless, as a man of Prince Duan, Ju Nanyi knew that his most urgent task at hand was to report the findings to the Crown Prince and let His Highness make the final decision.
Yet, although the facts had been before him for a whole day, he had inexplicably co to this inn again.
The newly opened tavern next to the inn, while lacking the fa and grandeur of long-established venues, had gained considerable praise for its refreshing style and thoughtful service since its opening.
Feeling indignant on behalf of such a commandery princess? Yet it seed as if the other party was delighting in it.
"Honored guest, what would you like to eat?" Ju Nanyi, as if possessed, took a seat by a window on the second floor, where an enthusiastic young servant approached to serve him.
Ju Nanyi glanced at the young server in front of him, who was still quite young but stood a good half-head taller than his peers. Aside from the white cloth tied around his head, which pressed down to his eyebrows, this youth wore the sa outfit as the other servants without any differences.
Seeing that the guest wasn’t speaking, Le Cheng imdiately started to introduce with enthusiasm.
"Honored guest, is this your first ti dining in our restaurant? Why don’t I recomnd a few of our tavern’s signature dishes to you?" Le Cheng said earnestly, diligently wiping the already spotless table.
"What are the signature dishes? Let hear them." This youth was from Pinghu Village; according to the detailed information provided by Governor Pei, the brown hues of the birthmark under the youth’s cloth hid an entire patch on his forehead, a distinctive feature. He also had a brother inside the adjacent inn.
Yet the youth’s face was brimming with enthusiasm, as if he stood there in all honesty.
So, perhaps it was just a coincidence?
A coincidence that she had encountered a family who didn’t want to take part in the assassination, and then this family, out of sympathy, hid their fellow villagers here?
Ju Nanyi suddenly had an impulse, like a spark flickering through her mind, but she remained seated, ordering two dishes that seed quite good and slowly finished her al.
The taste was good, and the ambience too, it suited her style.
At night, the barking of two dogs in the inn woke the sleeping patrons. People got moving quickly, and within half an hour, they had already arrived at Nann Yu’s place.
"They’ve all been captured?" Nann Yu couldn’t believe it. Who would want to capture that whole family? Nann Yu had investigated the family and found nothing that would draw attention. A snow disaster three months ago had collapsed their house, burying the crops beneath the snow as well, leaving them no choice but to flee.
They had traveled from Zejun County to Zheng Capital, and there was nothing suspicious about their story. Second Uncle Jing and others had been refugees and knew better about the truth of their words.
Nann Yu had already picked up his outer robe. This family was entrusted to him by Nian Ru, and now that sothing had happened, he should inform her. But just as he was about to step out the door, Nann Yu stopped again. He had promised Prince Duan he would no longer see Nian Ru.
Prince Duan received the news even quicker. Among those who participated in the capture were people from the Inspectorate Court. Lord Liu from the Inspectorate Court knew Prince Duan well, and just two days ago, Prince Duan had even inquired about the inn.
Lord Liu was startled. Were these people from Prince Duan’s inn? Then it was definitely necessary to notify Prince Duan. Moreover, the matter was of great importance. He did not know what Lord Ju was investigating on the Crown Prince’s orders, but he had an ominous feeling about it.
Lord Liu sent a reliable person from his own team to Prince Duan’s Mansion in the middle of the night. Prince Duan, confused at first, struggled to comprehend why soone would be brought to his mansion from an inn at such an hour, but Liu Cen was a ticulous person.
It was Ju Nanyi who had captured the people, carrying the Crown Prince’s token. But was it now advisable to approach the Crown Prince over the capture of two inn dwellers, might it not backfire? Besides, the Crown Prince had been involved with the Nanzheng examinations these days and was away from Zheng Capital.
Prince Duan took a deep breath, his first thought being that this incident absolutely had no connection to Nian Ru.
Yet now that the inn belonged to Nian Ru, that established a link to her.
After much thought, Prince Duan realized that if Ju Nanyi were to capture Nann Yu, it would inevitably bring to light the murky relationship between Nann Yu and Zheng Nianru. No matter how innocent, rumors would twist the truth.
Before dawn, Prince Duan decided to et with Ju Nanyi first and gather so information. Perhaps it was a minor issue, and maybe Ju Nanyi was completely unaware of the inn’s background.
Ju Nanyi hadn’t expected Prince Duan to arrive early in the morning, but she wasn’t surprised either. It confird her initial suspicion: Prince Duan had been aware of the whole affair from beginning to end. The youth she had encountered on the dyke with Princess Chao Ren might also be known to Prince Duan, or even placed by him.
Had she misjudged the situation? How could Prince Duan let the Commandery Princess take such a visible role? Ju Nanyi chuckled self-deprecatingly. Did she think she would co in person? For such a trivial matter?
In the end, Nann Yu still went. The situation could be trivial or serious, but at the very least she needed to be inford.
When Zheng Nianru heard the news, she was sowhat stunned. At this ti, who would bother with a kid not yet fully grown?
Wait a mont, Zheng Nianru suddenly turned to Nann Yu.
"Who did you say it was?"
"It was Scholar Ju." Nann Yu had done so investigation and had a rough idea of the people’s whereabouts and the situation.
Zheng Nianru looked at Nann Yu as if she had seen a ghost. Ju Nanyi, it truly was haunting.
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