Qiao Chu

The matter was now clear. Deng Yi ceased his inquiries and did not make things difficult for them, allowing them to leave.

"Ignorance is no crime," he said.

The three of them kowtowed gratefully, overjoyed. Li Niang even mustered the courage to ask, "What about this money—"

The Young Master Chu standing nearby was both shocked and furious. "This is my family's money! What, you still want to take it?"

Li Niang gave an awkward laugh, unafraid of this young master. He was far less intimidating than his younger sister.

"Though you acted without malice, your greed led you to be manipulated into deception," Deng Yi said. "Of course, this money cannot be taken."

Li Niang hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course. This humble servant only meant to say we would never take this money."

The courtesan dared to quibble, prompting Qi Duyou to scold, "Get out now! If you don’t want to leave, you can stay in the county jail."

Li Niang, the carriage driver, and the physician dared not linger and hastily retreated.

The Station Chief remained kneeling where he was, unmoving. As an official, if he were to scramble out like the others, he would truly have no hope of returning.

Qi Duyou glanced at him and said to Deng Yi, "Lord Deng, none of them are innocent. They shouldn’t be let off so lightly."

Deng Yi replied, "Let it be. It’s not a major issue." As he spoke, he rested his chin on his hand and couldn’t help but laugh, turning to Chu Ke. "Young Master Chu, your sister is truly remarkable. At such a young age, to conceal her tracks, she orchestrated this entire charade with military precision. Truly, a tiger father does not beget a dog of a son."

Chu Ke’s eyes were filled with anger as he ordered his servants to gather the money and goods piled on the floor.

"She’s gone mad," he said bitterly. "If she wanted to find her father, she should have just said so. Why steal the family’s money and run off, causing all this trouble?"

Deng Yi, still resting his chin on his hand, looked at the furious young master and asked, "If Miss Chu had said she wanted to go to General Chu, would you have taken her?"

"Of course not!" Chu Ke replied without hesitation. Seeing Deng Yi’s amused smile, he quickly explained, "Lord Deng, never mind that she assaulted someone and the matter isn’t resolved. When my uncle sent her back, he made it clear she wasn’t allowed to return."

Deng Yi asked curiously, "Why would General Chu forbid Miss Chu from returning? I heard she had always been with him in Yunzhong Commandery. When she was born, her mother passed away, and Lady Chu wanted to bring her back to raise, but General Chu refused. He raised her himself all these years. Why send her back now?"

How did he know so much about their family affairs? Chu Ke grew tense. He even knew about Grandmother wanting to raise his cousin? Did that mean he also knew about the scandal of his uncle’s illicit affair with a country girl, resulting in a child out of wedlock?

Then again, it wasn’t surprising. His cousin had nearly caused the death of Miss Liang, and Minister Liang had filed a complaint with the authorities. The court investigation would have uncovered everything, and Deng Yi, entrusted with finding her, would have investigated as well. Under such scrutiny, what secrets could their family possibly keep?

Moreover, his uncle’s foolish actions were widely known and had long been the subject of ridicule in the capital.

What a disgrace! The young man, thin-skinned, flushed with a mix of shame and anger.

"It’s because... my cousin has grown up," he sighed. "My uncle wanted her to return to learn proper etiquette, so she could be married off. It’s clear he knew how unruly she was, which is why he instructed the family to discipline her strictly. She’s not to return to Yunzhong Commandery until she’s presentable."

Deng Yi gave a thoughtful "Oh," lost in contemplation.Could he still be thinking about what shameful things his family has done? His uncle has done far too many shameful things. After finally keeping a low profile for so many years, everyone had gradually forgotten. Now his cousin is following in her father's footsteps, continuing to bring disaster upon the Chu family. Young Chu Ke was truly distressed, pitifully bearing all this as the eldest son who had no choice but to endure it.

"Lord Deng, since you've found out, please don't delay any further," he urged. "Quickly go after her and bring my sister back. Have her properly apologize to Lord Liang and accept punishment to settle this matter. We must prevent it from reaching my uncle, or he might commit another improper act and offend Your Majesty. Then we would truly be beyond redemption."

Improper acts—Deng Yi smiled faintly. "I arrived in the capital rather late, but I was fortunate enough to hear about General Chu's past deeds."

There it was, just as expected. After everyone had finally forgotten about their family, these old matters were being dragged up again. Chu Ke flushed red and said urgently, "Lord Deng, let's not bring up the past for now. It's better to hurry and go after my sister."

Deng Yi didn't further shame the young man and dropped the subject.

"However, your sister won't be easy to catch up with," he said, turning to the Station Chief. "Xu Cheng, how fast are the Couriers?"

While they were speaking, the Station Chief had been quietly kneeling on the ground. He immediately replied, "Very fast. And the team of Couriers escorting Miss Chu is even faster. I observed their speed from the capital to here—they were two days quicker than other Couriers."

Deng Yi said to Chu Ke, "I'm not being modest, but compared to the Couriers, I truly can't match their pace. By the time we catch up to her, she'll likely have already reached Yunzhong Commandery and met General Chu." He shook his head at this point. "This was also my oversight. I should have realized from the start that your sister, being General Chu's daughter, would certainly know that using the Courier routes is the fastest way. She wouldn't bother looking for any escort agencies."

"Who knows what's going through her mind," Chu Ke said angrily, feeling completely helpless.

He was just an eighteen-year-old youth who had always studied with his father at the academy. This was his first time traveling so far, and he was exhausted and worn down, almost to the point of falling ill.

What should he do? His parents had instructed him that no matter what, his uncle must not be involved in this matter. They had to resolve it themselves because his uncle's every move affected their entire family, especially his own future—

He recalled his father and mother's earnest words: "We know your uncle's temperament all too well. He has only a sliver of favor left with His Majesty. I've already made an agreement with him that for the sake of the Chu family's future, we must secure you a position and have you enter official service. If we use that last bit of favor on your sister, there will be nothing left for you."

Although he didn't quite understand why his father would say his uncle still had some favor with His Majesty—after all, his uncle had committed crimes, and His Majesty had long since abandoned him—he did know that if his uncle caused a scene, it would certainly implicate their entire family and jeopardize his own future.

He was still young, with a bright future ahead of him and great prospects!

Deng Yi observed the young man's changing expression and suddenly straightened up. "We may not be able to catch up, but we can have people ahead intercept her."

Intercept?

Chu Ke looked at Deng Yi.

Deng Yi turned to the Station Chief and asked, "On the route to Yunzhong Commandery, is there any station near Zhongshan Commandery?"

Though greedy for money, the Station Chief was still highly proficient in his duties. He immediately nodded and replied clearly, "Yes, there is one called the Great Locust Station."Deng Yi smiled slightly. "Then there's a way." He stood up and looked at the Station Chief again, as if just noticing he was still kneeling. "Xu Cheng, get up quickly. You've gained some experience this time—being completely fooled by a young girl."

The Station Chief responded with a bitter smile, "This old man has truly lost all face."

Qi Duyou scolded him, "It's because of your greed. Remember this lesson from now on."

"No shame, no shame," Deng Yi laughed. "Just consider it as being deceived by General Chu."

Chu Ke had no interest in their banter. Hearing his uncle mentioned again only made him more anxious, and he urged, "Lord Deng, please tell us what to do quickly."

Deng Yi said, "It's quite a coincidence. The Commandant of Justice happens to have a case requiring communication with Prince Zhongshan. Since Prince Zhongshan cannot easily come to the capital, we're using carrier pigeons. I can now borrow this method to send a message to Prince Zhongshan and have him assist in intercepting them."

Prince Zhongshan—that's right. Zhongshan Commandery is Prince Zhongshan's fiefdom. Carrier pigeons are faster than people, making this the best solution.

The only downside was that the Chu family's messy affairs would now be gossiped about by one more person. Chu Ke felt his headache worsening, but what else could he do?

"Then I'll trouble Lord Deng with this," he said, adding a reminder, "As this concerns my sister's reputation, please be discreet in your message."