The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 136 - Alliance

When Ye Jingchuan heard that the Changning Marquis Estate had sent a delivery, it was already nearing dusk. Lifting his robe, he hurried over to the Princess of Zhennan's chambers, slightly out of breath as he asked, "Did I hear correctly that someone from the Changning Estate came today?"

Princess of Zhennan having observed her son's feelings over the past two years, couldn't help but chuckle. "Speak of the devil. I just said you'd come running the moment you heard about it, and here you are. Truly, you can't even wait to be talked about."

Ye Jingchuan, understanding her teasing, merely glanced at the plate of vibrant cherries and asked, frowning, "Did Song Qi leave a message for me?"

The princess's jab about his eagerness was a bit unfair, as he had only come running because he'd heard that Song Qi himself had delivered the goods. Usually, deliveries from the Changning Estate were made by a trusted maid, not the second young master himself, so this felt like a signal from Song Chuyi.

Princess of Zhennani looked at him with some surprise. "And how did you know that the Second Young Master left a message for you? Could it be that the two of you planned this?"

By the time Ye Jingchuan left the main courtyard, stars were scattered across the sky. Instead of returning to his quarters, he headed straight for the front study, calling on the young servant that his mother had assigned to him and instructing him to head to Chongyin Fang on West Street. "Take this letter to the shopkeeper there and tell him I'll be stopping by in person tomorrow."

His servant, Chang'an, who had served him for quite a while, sensed the urgency and didn't hesitate. Bowing quickly, he stuffed the letter into his sleeve and set off.

Ye Jingchuan felt a surge of worry—if Song Chuyi needed a way to reach His Highness, there were plenty of straightforward options; why had she resorted to reaching out to him instead? Could she be facing trouble serious enough to keep her from even visiting the Cui family?

Recalling that his father had once mentioned that Cui Shaoting had requested his assistance with verifying the legal documents for a certain group before his departure—papers meant for Song Chuyi to eventually take possession of—Ye Jingchuan couldn't shake the feeling that this was somehow related to Song Chuyi's current predicament.

With this in mind, he could no longer sit still. He took Changsheng and ventured out into the night. When he passed by the Song Estate, he noticed several unfamiliar street vendors along the main street—unusual stalls selling everything from food to scarves and offering fortune-telling services. This stretch past the west corner gate of the Song Estate, usually sparsely populated, was suddenly bustling with vendors of all sorts...

Having spent two years in Fujian, even infiltrating pirate groups as an undercover agent, Ye Jingchuan immediately recognized that these "vendors" weren't here to sell—they were here to keep watch. His frown deepened.

While the Emperor's assignment for Old Master Song to preside over the Zhang case was indeed a high-profile matter, his reluctance to accept it had been evident to all, making such heavy surveillance unnecessary.

If Song Chuyi had felt the need to deliver a message through a fruit delivery with Song Qi as the messenger, could it be that these people were targeting her directly? But she was, after all, just a young lady—who would go to such lengths to keep tabs on her?

It was only after a restless night that he finally made his way to Chongyin Fang the next morning.

Upon seeing him, the shopkeeper looked surprised and hesitated a moment before stopping him. "Sir, we currently have guests. It might not be convenient to meet now. Would you mind waiting a moment?"

Ye Jingchuan held his impatience, watching a play from a private booth on the second floor, but couldn't take in a word. After nearly an hour, he finally noticed an attendant escorting a man dressed in a cap and short jacket from the opposite side of the establishment.

The man looked vaguely familiar, but Ye Jingchuan couldn't quite place him. Frustrated, he let it go and followed the shopkeeper into the private room.

Qingzhuo and Hanfeng were standing guard outside the layered pearl and crystal curtains. They greeted him with a respectful nod, and he waved them off before pulling aside the curtain and seating himself across from Zhou Weizhao.

"I received your message yesterday. Did you?"

Zhou Weizhao raised an eyebrow, speaking with his usual calm. "I did. That person you saw leaving just now is part of the matter that Sixth Miss Song asked me to handle."

Ye Jingchuan racked his memory of the man's appearance but still couldn't remember where he'd seen him before. Leaning forward, he asked, "Who was that man, exactly? For Sixth Miss Song to reach out to you like this, and without seeking help from the Princess, something serious must be going on. When I passed her estate yesterday, I saw an unusually high number of unfamiliar faces keeping watch..."

Spies? No wonder Song Chuyi hadn't sent Qingying out; she was likely under constant surveillance from Han Zhi's men, making it impossible to act.

Han Zhi, that cunning viper, was relentless once he set his sights on something, never letting his prey slip away. A suspicious mind like his wouldn't allow any loose ends.

Zhou Weizhao tapped his fingers on the table, then looked up and asked, "Do you really want to know who Sixth Miss Song has offended?"

Ye Jingchuan straightened, his interest piqued. "Of course. If there's anything I can do to help, I won't leave it all to you."

"Do you remember the murder case in the outskirts of the capital two years ago? The one where both the Jinyiwei and Shuntian Prefecture were sent to the Marquis of Jinxiang's residence?" Zhou Weizhao asked, watching as Ye Jingchuan's eyes lit up with realization. "Among the dead weren't just the maid's daughter and Han Zhi's attendant, as he claimed—another victim was Eighth Miss Song. Now do you understand why Han Zhi is so fixated on Song Chuyi?"

Ye Jingchuan froze, almost doubting his hearing. Back then, before he had gone to Fujian, he'd only heard that Eighth Miss Song had died of illness shortly after the New Year. He'd had no idea that Eighth Miss Song was even connected to Han Zhi, let alone that Han Zhi had secretly transported her out of the capital.

So, was it possible that Song Chuyi was behind the ambush on those people back then?

He blinked, finding it hard to believe. This seemed almost too far-fetched. He knew Song Chuyi was capable, but where would she have found people willing to kill for her?