TGCFNM -Chapter 76 The Golden Plaque

The carriage galloped all the way and finally arrived at Qingyang around noon.

Before they reached the city gates, Zhang Dong helped Wan Sanjin onto the carriage. Wan Sanjin’s legs were so sore and weak that he didn’t even have the strength to stand. Aside from running faster and faster, his qinggong hadn’t improved in the slightest.

The group once again checked into Fulai Inn. After asking for hot water to wash up, they all collapsed into a deep sleep, only waking in the afternoon. They ate something simple, and then Chu Ling prepared to head out.

Su He called after her. “My lord, aren’t you taking someone with you?”

Chu Ling shook her head. “No need. I’ll just walk around by myself.”

“Wait, no!” Wan Sanjin dragged his two weak legs out. “I’m coming too.”

Chu Ling looked at him suspiciously. Wan Sanjin guiltily averted his gaze.

“Fine. You can come—but you’re paying,” Chu Ling said as she walked out of the inn. Wan Sanjin followed behind, supporting his aching waist.

After walking two streets, Chu Ling finally saw the Drunken Immortal Tower mentioned in the novel—Zuixian Tower. It was said that the Sanyang Wine here was the most authentic. More importantly, this was where the male and female leads first met.

In the original story, after the heroine Chu Yue killed the rapist Chen Huai, she went to Zuixian Tower to drink in a foul mood. There, she encountered someone causing trouble. Already irritated, she simply made a move.

The male lead, Xiao Lengjue—the son of the Prince of Qi—was mistakenly dragged into the fray. The two fought, and thus became acquainted.

Later, the ancestral secret treasure of the Marquis of Qingyang’s household went missing, and a hefty reward was offered. The two crossed paths again and investigated together, only to discover that the so-called theft was staged by the marquis’s own family. They had set up the scheme to avoid handing the treasure over to the current Emperor.

As the son of the Prince of Qi and a member of the imperial clan, Xiao Lengjue naturally had to take the treasure back to the capital. After receiving her reward, the heroine intended to leave.

At that time, Xiao Lengjue did not know Chu Yue’s identity, yet he had already developed an interest in her. So he entrusted the treasure to someone else to deliver to the capital, while he secretly followed Chu Yue north, encountering her “by chance” several times.

Chu Ling wasn’t sure whether, at this point in time, Chu Yue had already come and gone, or hadn’t arrived yet. She only needed to find out whether the incident had happened.

After entering Zuixian Tower, Chu Ling asked for a private room on the second floor and ordered a small jar of Sanyang Wine.

When the waiter brought the wine, Chu Ling handed him a few copper coins. “Brother, I’d like to ask about something.”

“Young master, please go ahead,” the waiter replied promptly.

Recalling the description in the original novel, Chu Ling asked, “Has there been a handsome man here recently—so beautiful he seemed like an immortal banished to the mortal world? It seemed he had some sort of dispute with someone in this wine house…”

“My lord!” Wan Sanjin’s eyes widened. “You—you, how could you…?”

Chu Ling looked at him oddly. “What?”

“How can you still harbor improper thoughts about Qingyu?” Wan Sanjin said in a tone of bitter disappointment.

“Ah?” Chu Ling looked utterly baffled.

The waiter scratched his head. “The wine house has indeed been lively lately, but there hasn’t been any dispute.”

Chu Ling asked again, “Then what about the Marquis of Qingyang’s residence? Has anything happened recently?”

The waiter smiled. “Young master must be from out of town. After arriving in Qingyang, you probably saw the Marquis family’s golden plaque and found it strange, right?”

“…Yes. Strange.”

“The Marquis family obtained a treasure and presented it as tribute to His Majesty. The Emperor was greatly pleased and bestowed a golden plaque upon them, naming the Marquis family the number one noble house in Qingyang.”

After the waiter left, Chu Ling fell into deep thought. She lifted her teacup several times only to put it down again, muttering, “This is far too strange…”

“My lord!” Wan Sanjin nudged her arm. “If you’re not here for Qingyu, then who exactly are you asking about?”

Chu Ling rested her chin on her hand. “The Prince of Qi’s son, Xiao Lengjue. And my elder sister, Chu Yue.”

“The eldest young lady of the Chu family is confined within the General’s Residence. Although she has a marriage agreement with Heir Xiao, the two have no contact at all—they don’t even know each other,” Wan Sanjin said with a look as if she had gone mad. “And here you are, in Qingyang, asking about affairs of the capital?”

Chu Ling raised a brow. “Maybe Chu Yue escaped from the General’s Residence.”

“How is that poss—” Wan Sanjin had barely finished speaking when someone downstairs suddenly called out, “Miss Chu, you’ve come again?”

Chu Ling’s heart jolted. She immediately stood up and pressed herself against the door of their private room.

A gentle female voice answered from outside, “Yes. Bring me a pot of Sanyang wine and two dishes.”

“Right away! Your usual spot’s been kept for you.”

“Thank you.”

After speaking, the woman lifted her skirt slightly and walked upstairs. Passing Chu Ling’s private room, she pushed open the door to the one next door. Wan Sanjin reacted quickly, cracking their door open for a glance, then pretending to look for a waiter before slipping back inside.

Chu Ling’s heartbeat quickened. That woman must be Chu Yue.

If Chu Yue was here, then Xiao Lengjue should be nearby too. The two of them were finally about to reunite.

Wan Sanjin pulled Chu Ling back in surprise and sat her down at the table, whispering nervously, “How did the Second Miss of the Chu family get out? The General’s Residence is surrounded like an iron barrel. How did she escape?”

“Ah?” Chu Ling froze. The Second Miss of the Chu family?

“Chu Rou,” Wan Sanjin said. “I’ve seen her before.”

Chu Ling looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. Staring at Wan Sanjin, she confirmed again in disbelief, “That was Chu Rou? The Second Miss of the Chu family?”

“…My lord, aren’t you from the Chu family? You don’t even recognize your own relatives?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Still shaken, Chu Ling pinched the bridge of her nose and forced herself to calm down. “If Chu Rou is here in Qingyang, then where is Chu Yue… And wasn’t Chu Yue supposed to be the number one beauty?”

Wan Sanjin replied, “In the capital, it’s said there are two beauties—I told you before. Second Miss Chu, Chu Rou, is both talented and beautiful. Chu Yue only has her looks. But the one betrothed to Xiao Lengjue is Chu Yue. I heard the Heir Xiao has long wanted to break off the engagement.”

Chu Ling’s brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Her instincts told her something was wrong.

No, she had to test this.

“Master Wan, come with me.”

Taking a deep breath, Chu Ling pushed open their private room door with Wan Sanjin and knocked directly on the neighboring room. She called out loudly, “Heroine next door, how about sharing a drink with us?”

Wan Sanjin nearly dragged her away in fright.

Just then, the door was pulled open. Chu Rou stood inside, brows knitted, her expression cold. “I prefer quiet.”

“Heroine, I heard the waiter call you Chu. My surname is also Chu. Perhaps three hundred years ago we were one family,” Chu Ling said with a smile.

Chu Rou narrowed her eyes and sized Chu Ling up from head to toe. “Same surname, but not the same clan.” With that, she slammed the door shut.

Wan Sanjin quickly dragged Chu Ling back and firmly closed their door.

“My lord, you scared me to death! Fortunately she didn’t recognize you, otherwise we’d be in trouble,” Wan Sanjin panted.

Chu Ling turned to him and said in a low voice, “It really is Chu Rou. There’s a red mole on her right cheek.”

It was her. It truly was her. But… why was it her?

At that moment, someone downstairs called out again, “Apologies, sir, all the private rooms are occupied.”

“I value quiet. I can pay triple.”

The door to the neighboring private room opened once more.

Chu Ling grabbed Wan Sanjin and pushed their own door open as well to look outside.

Chu Rou looked downstairs, brushing aside the hair by her cheek, and smiled. “If you don’t mind, you may share a table with me.”

Xiao Lengjue!