Chapter 1019: A Visitor from the Wang Fu

"Miss's carriage is blocking my front door. Are you here to see me?"

Chen Chen Guanlou stood before the carriage and called out.

The carriage window opened, revealing a fresh, lovely face that struck one with a single glance. It was not the fragile, bonelike beauty, nor the tender charm of a Jiangnan water town—it was a healthy, vibrant, clever and lively beauty, yet one that carried a dignified composure!

Right after, the carriage door opened and the young lady stepped down.

"You must be Chen the Jiang Jiang Yucheng in person. This humble girl greets Chen-my lord. Coming uninvited, I hope Chen-my lord will forgive me. May we step inside to talk in detail?"

Chen Chen Guanlou studied her carefully.

The person was right before him, seen clearly in every detail. The bearing all over her, at a glance, marked her as someone from a great household. A small, humble home could never have raised such a dignified, refined air.

"I don't believe I know you, Miss."

"Chen-my lord, please forgive me. My identity is not something to be spoken aloud on the street." Seeing him unmoved, the young lady bit her lip and said softly, "I come from the Wang Fu!"

Oh!

Chen Chen Guanlou suddenly understood. He opened the courtyard gate. "Miss, please come in. This coachman of yours…"

"He will stay with the carriage."

Chen Chen Guanlou nodded and invited the young lady inside.

The weather was hot, but he himself was unaffected by heat or cold, so his home had no ice prepared.

"Does Miss want tea, or just cool boiled water? The house is humble, there's no ice to cool you—please forgive me."

"Chen-my lord is too kind! Tea will do!"

Chen Chen Guanlou set out a table and stools under the shade of a tree, handed her a cattail fan, and asked, "May I ask how Miss should be addressed?"

"Chen-my lord is too polite. It is this humble girl who is at fault. My surname is Yue!"

"So it is Miss Yue. As I know it, everyone from the Chu King's Wang Fu has been arrested—even the personal attendants were not spared. May I ask Miss Yue, you say you come from the Wang Fu, so how did you escape the prison disaster? What exactly is your relationship with the Wang Fu?"

Chen Chen Guanlou, while starting the fire to boil water and washing the tea set, asked his questions very casually, yet they struck straight at the heart.

Miss Yue, however, looked quite open and candid. "I won't hide it from Chen-my lord. I used to serve at the Wang Fei's side—I was one of her trusted attendants. A year and a half ago, the Wang Fei must have sensed something was coming and released a group of people from the Fu, and I was among them."

No wonder!

No wonder she carried such bearing all over her, no wonder her air was so distinctive, no wonder one could tell at a glance she came from a great household. A trusted attendant at the Wang Fei's side was more than a half-Young Lady—one could say she was half a Junzhu. The food, clothing, and education she received were likely beyond what even the daughters of ordinary official families could match.

No wonder the common saying: better to marry a maid from a great house than a wife from a small one.

Just this air, this speech, this clever mind, this education, and the experience she had gained—none of it could be matched by a girl from a small household. Even the daughters of great houses might not compare. In receiving guests and seeing them off, she was thoroughly at ease! Let alone being a trusted attendant at the Wang Fei's side—that was even more remarkable!

But, looking at Miss Yue's hair and dress, she was clearly still an unmarried maiden.

"Forgive the bold question—when the Wang Fei released you, did she not arrange a marriage for you?"

"The Wang Fei said marriage should be left to oneself. For over a year now, the south has been in turmoil, so I was in no rush to marry."

"I see! Then Miss Yue, what is your business in coming to find me today? You are no longer a person of the Wang Fu, and this round of arrests did not touch you. The smart thing to do would be to take this chance to cut ties with the Wang Fu and marry into a good family. As the saying goes, when times are hard, one should look after oneself alone! Why then did Miss come all the way to Jingcheng, walking straight into the net? If people learned you once served at the Wang Fei's side, some of those eager for merit might well seize you and throw you into the great prison."

Chen Chen Guanlou was by no means trying to frighten her.

In these times, for the sake of Yao Gong, some people would stop at nothing.

Miss Yue had served at the Wang Fei's side—look at her looks, her figure—if certain people saw her, they would inevitably harbor lewd thoughts.

Miss Yue gently bit her thin lip. She appeared mild, but her eyes were firm. "Everything Chen-my lord says, I know it all. I grew up in the Wang Fu and am deeply indebted to its kindness. The Wang Fei especially treated me as half a daughter. Now that the Wang Fu faces a great calamity, how could I stand by and do nothing?"

Chen Chen Guanlou frowned. "But you can do nothing. You are no official! Even if you were, this case is one everyone fears to touch—no one dares get involved."

Miss Yue hurriedly explained, "I only wish to do what little I can. I learned that the Wang Fei and some of the female relatives are being held in the Shaofu prison, supposedly over by Jiafeng Dao. Conditions there are harsh, and the guards and Su Su Pozi are very cruel.

I… I want to send bedding, clothes, and food in to the Wang Fei and the others, but I can't find a way in. Later I heard about Chen the Jiang Jiang Yucheng, and learned you are the most trustworthy person in Jingcheng when it comes to criminal matters. After much thought, I took the liberty of calling on you today—I hope you will forgive me!"

Chen Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly.

A famous reputation is not always a good thing!

Even from so far away, they could find their way to his door.

Still, he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Could Chen the Jiang Jiang Yucheng help me smooth the way, let me go in and see the Wang Fei once? And as for the Wang Ye's side, if there's any need to arrange things, I still have some money here. Also, the Wang Shizi and the several Young Masters—if they need anything arranged, I can go raise the money. Only, I don't know where they are being held. I asked many people, and none could tell me clearly."

"The Chu Wang Shizi has a broken leg and is currently held in the Dali Si prison, with a medical officer attending him. The other Young Masters of the Wang Fu—some are held in the Dali Si prison, some in the Shaofu, and a few in the Imperial Prison."

"How could they be held in the Imperial Prison?" Miss Yue's face was full of shock and disbelief. Clearly she too had heard of the Imperial Prison's terrible reputation. Judging by the panic on her face, she was obviously deeply worried.

Chen Chen Guanlou counted off on his fingers, one by one: "The Wang Fu's second Young Master was in charge of leading troops. The third Young Master handled logistics. The fifth Young Master served in the study and had year-round access to all kinds of confidential documents. As for the Wang Ye's several sons-in-law, three of them served in the army, one was in charge of gathering wealth, and another oversaw grain and fodder. Need I go on?"

Miss Yue's face went pale. She bit her lip, a look of unbearable pain in her eyes.

Trembling with fear, she asked, "Once they've entered the Imperial Prison, is there any way out?"

"Right now they certainly won't die. Whether they'll suffer, that I can't guarantee. You've heard the Imperial Prison's reputation—ordinary people's hands can't reach in. I can help you arrange things on the Shaofu side, and the Dali Si side as well. As for the Imperial Prison, I may not be able to manage it."

"Thank you, Chen-my lord!" Miss Yue was so moved her eyes welled with tears. She hadn't expected things to go so smoothly—he hadn't haggled at all, just directly agreed to help her arrange things.

She wiped away her tears and hurriedly asked, "How much will it cost? Chen-my lord, name your price quickly. I will do my best to raise the money."

"You want to see the Chu Wang Fei?"

Miss Yue nodded heavily. "The Wang Fei's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. If I don't see her once, my heart will know no peace."

"Seeing her is one price, not seeing her is another. As for the various prisons, you don't need to arrange anything at the Heavenly Prison—I won't take your money for that."

Huh?

Miss Yue looked visibly surprised. In these times, were there still good people who helped without taking money?