Chu Zhao’s heart also felt lost. Then he would be hard to find. Having completed his mission and concealed his identity, in a capital this large, how could she possibly find him?
Uncle certainly wouldn’t help her send messages to her father anymore.
If she gave a letter to Zhang Gu and these courier soldiers, Uncle would surely obstruct it. These ordinary courier soldiers didn’t have the authority to make such decisions.
Only A’Jiu.
That wicked, heartless, cunning, merciless scoundrel.
She should be wary of this A’Jiu, yet she felt that in the entire capital, the only person she could trust and who could truly help her was him.
Chu Zhao’s eyes momentarily grew vacant.
“Miss, Miss Chu.” Seeing the girl’s expression, Zhang Gu felt heartbroken. Alas, what a sin. “Don’t be sad.”
He blurted out a promise.
“I’ll try to find him. If I can find him, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”
Chu Zhao thanked him sincerely. “Officer Zhang, you truly are a good person.”
This lowly courier soldier she had encountered by chance on the road was better than all the people she had met in her previous life.
“It seems Heaven has taken pity on me, letting me meet good people like Officer Zhang and the others.”
With that, she curtsied to Zhang Gu.
A’Le hurriedly followed with a solemn bow.
Zhang Gu was flustered. “What are you saying? You’re too polite, too polite. It’s only proper, only proper.”
“Then I’ll trouble Officer Zhang to keep this in mind for me,” Chu Zhao said. She told Zhang Gu where they lived, then pointed to A’Le. “Just find her when the time comes. She’s often out and about.”
Zhang Gu nodded. A’Le bowed to Zhang Gu again, and the master and servant took their leave.
Watching the girl walk away looking dejected, Zhang Gu muttered “what a sin” again.
His companion coughed lightly beside him. “Brother Zhang, aren’t you helping people conduct a secret romance?”
Uh, Zhang Gu stammered, “No such thing, no, don’t talk nonsense, there’s no secret romance—”
His companion looked at him teasingly without speaking.
Zhang Gu said helplessly, “I just feel sorry for this child. I’m just helping pass along a message. Whether they meet or not, I don’t care.”
His companion clapped him on the shoulder. “All right, I understand. Brother Zhang is a good person.”
Zhang Gu spat twice, and the two continued on their way.
“But I was really happy to run into Miss Chu today.”
“Miss Chu didn’t avoid us when she saw us. She didn’t disdain us at all.”
“That’s right. Though at first glance, Miss Chu looked quite fierce, as if she’d just been in a fight with someone.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. How could Miss Chu be fighting all the time?”
…
…
The Elegant Interest Pavilion had become somewhat empty. The afternoon session had ended and the evening session hadn’t yet begun, but those young men in the first-floor hall still hadn’t left, even though the food and wine were long gone.
Xie Yanlai was no longer covering his head with a tablecloth, but reclined lazily, calling to the server. “Come, come, bring more food and wine.”
Before the server could respond, the young men stood up helplessly. “When exactly are you planning to leave?”
Xie Yanlai thought for a moment. “After dark. It’s so bright outside—not safe.”
What nonsense. If there really was any danger, it would be you making others unsafe. The young men finally couldn’t hold back. “You just stay here then. We’re leaving.”
Though Xie Yanlai was addressed as Young Master Xie, his birth mother was lowborn, and he had been acknowledged by the Xie family only midway through his life. For the rest of his days, he would at most rely on the family, have enough to eat and wear, and idle away his time. He would never have any prospects.
They were different. They were proper young masters who would seek their fortunes in the future and make names for themselves.
Playing around with Xie Yanlai was to establish connections with the Xie family. They couldn’t really just fool around with him recklessly.
The young men left in a flurry, leaving only Xie Yanlai behind.
The server asked tentatively, “Young master, do you still want food and wine?”
Xie Yanlai glanced at him and tossed a bag of money on the table. “Why not? Can’t this young master afford it?”
This young master really had a temper. The server quickly nodded and bowed obsequiously, loudly calling for the best food and wine. As he was about to leave, he was called back.
“The people who were fighting on the second floor earlier—her surname is Chu, right?”
The server quickly confirmed it was, casually asking, “Do you know her, young master? Miss Chu—”
His words were cut off by Xie Yanlai’s impatient interruption. “How would I know her!”
Young Master Chu Ke hadn’t quite reached the level of being famous throughout the capital yet, but if you didn’t know her, you didn’t know her—why be so fierce about it? Everyone said Third Young Master Xie was kind and good-natured, but this Young Master Xie was certainly not kind. The server was about to leave with mumbled acknowledgments when he was called back again.
Xie Yanlai waved his hand and tossed over another bag of money.
“Find someone to come and tell me in detail how the fight on the second floor happened.”
Oh my, the server happily caught the money. There was such a good deal? These rich young masters were truly unfathomable. Earlier during the fight, he didn’t go watch, but now he was spending money to hear about it. Was this having money with nowhere to spend it?
“Right away—young master, please wait—wine, food, a storyteller, and entertainment, coming right up—”