Chapter 111: Lu Zhan Discovers a Clue

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Lu Zhan Discovers a Clue

Chen Jiu repeated what Shuang’er had said.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan paused but said nothing.

Chen Jiu handed over the snacks from Shuang’er. "Shuang’er said these were the Miss’s favorite snacks when she was a child. Please, have a taste."

Lu Zhan took them and unwrapped the oil paper. Inside were several chestnut cakes.

He frowned slightly.

He didn’t care for sweets, but he picked one up and took a bite anyway.

The cloying sweetness was a bit unpleasant for him.

After finishing it, he immediately drank two cups of tea.

When they arrived at the inn, the carriage stopped, and Chen Jiu disembarked first.

After arranging for their stay, Chen Jiu returned. "Princely Heir, this inn is quite clean and tidy. I’ve secured three of the finest guest rooms."

Hearing this, Lu Zhan stepped out of the carriage.

Just then, Zhi Wan also alighted from her carriage.

"Cousin." Zhi Wan curtsied.

Lu Zhan’s gaze paused on her slightly red eyes. In a gentle voice, he said, "It’s gotten rather late today. We’ll go to pay respects at the tomb tomorrow morning."

"Alright." Zhi Wan agreed obediently, then added, "My nanny lives in a small town nearby, not far from here. It’s still early, so I’d like to go see her."

Lu Zhan thought for a moment, then said, "Wait a moment. I’ll go with you."

Zhi Wan was a little surprised, then quickly shook her head. "The town is quite remote. Cousin, you should stay here and rest. Zhenzhu will accompany me."

"I can’t go to a remote place?" Lu Zhan furrowed his brow.

Zhi Wan was taken aback. "That’s not what I meant, it’s just..."

"I’ve been to places far more remote than that. You wait here." Lu Zhan said with an air of finality, then entered the inn.

Zhi Wan frowned.

She felt that her cousin was so busy and had already personally escorted her back to Jurong; she was embarrassed to have him accompany her to a small town just to see her nanny.

Besides, she hadn’t seen her nanny in a long time. When they met, they would surely have a lot to catch up on, and she was afraid her cousin would grow impatient.

Seeing her cousin enter the inn, she truly wanted to take the opportunity to slip away, but it was a fleeting thought she didn’t dare act on.

Ouyang Zhenzhu saw she was lingering and not getting back into the carriage, so she came down.

"Why aren’t we leaving yet?"

"Cousin said he’s coming with us," Zhi Wan said.

Ouyang Zhenzhu was also a bit surprised but didn’t say anything. Instead, she asked Jiang Shi, who was standing nearby, "Why haven’t I seen Duan Ling these past two days?"

"Junior Minister Duan remained on the large ship," Jiang Shi replied succinctly.

Ouyang Zhenzhu asked curiously, "Why did he stay on the large ship?"

"He’s in charge of guarding the Water Bandit Leaders and the stolen goods," Jiang Shi said casually.

"He has to guard them personally? Why? Are those Water Bandit Leaders and the stolen goods that important?" Ouyang Zhenzhu asked again.

This time, Jiang Shi didn’t answer, merely glancing at her coolly as if she had asked an incredibly stupid question.

Ouyang Zhenzhu was speechless.

She cleared her throat and changed the subject. "What did Mr. Lu go inside for? Why is he taking so long to come out?"

"Relieving himself," Jiang Shi said flatly.

Ouyang Zhenzhu coughed, saying in wonder, "So Mr. Lu has to relieve himself too!"

Now it was Zhi Wan’s turn to cough. She gave her a look that was hard to put into words. "My cousin is also human."

Ouyang Zhenzhu said sheepishly, "In my mind, Mr. Lu is like a god. I thought he was above such mortal troubles."

Zhi Wan was at a loss for words.

Nearby, the corner of Jiang Shi’s mouth twitched.

A short while later, Lu Zhan came out. He had no idea that the others had been discussing whether or not he needed to relieve himself. Seeing the two of them standing there like posts, he said coolly, "Let’s go."

Zhi Wan nodded, and she and Ouyang Zhenzhu got back into the carriage.

The carriage made its way out of the city, heading toward Jingning Town.

Jingning Town was indeed not far from Jurong. They arrived in about three quarters of an hour.

However, when Zhi Wan and Shuang’er followed their memories to find Nanny Chen’s home, they found strangers living there instead.

The two of them thought they had remembered incorrectly and started to grow anxious.

"Ma’am, did the family of a Chen Yumei live here before?" Chen Jiu stepped forward to ask.

The woman looked them over and said with a frown, "I don’t know any Chen Yumei. But before we moved in, a large family did live here. The mistress of that house was indeed named Chen."

Hearing this, Zhi Wan quickly pressed, "Then do you know where their family moved?"

"I heard that Eldest Sister-in-law Chen’s son lost money after opening a shop, so they had no choice but to sell this house to us. Two years ago, the whole family went back to the countryside to farm," the woman replied.

"Do you know which part of the countryside they went to?"

The woman thought for a moment before saying, "I think it was a village under Jingning Town’s jurisdiction. It’s called... called Red Leaf Village."

"Thank you," Zhi Wan said gratefully. She turned to see Lu Zhan had also gotten out of the carriage and said to him, "Cousin, my nanny moved to the countryside. I need to make a trip to Red Leaf Village. You, Chen Jiu, and the others should head back first."

"We’ll go together," Lu Zhan said, leaving no room for argument, and got back into the carriage.

Zhi Wan was worried about Nanny Chen and couldn’t be bothered with anything else, so she quickly boarded the carriage with Ouyang Zhenzhu.

The carriage headed toward Red Leaf Village.

The road to the village was rough. Combined with the long carriage ride that day, Zhi Wan’s back began to ache. By the time she got out of the carriage, her face was pale.

The moment Lu Zhan stepped out of the carriage, he saw her pale little face. He frowned and asked Shuang’er, "What’s wrong with her?"

Shuang’er immediately replied, "The Miss was struck in the back with the hilt of a knife by that Miss Liu. It hadn’t fully healed yet. After sitting in the carriage for so long today, the jostling must have aggravated her back injury."

Lu Zhan froze. The next moment, he suddenly lifted his gaze to Zhi Wan, the emotions in his dark eyes too complex to decipher.

His stare made Zhi Wan’s skin crawl, but her mind was preoccupied with her nanny, so she paid it no mind. She hurriedly instructed Shuang’er, "It’s getting late. Quickly go and ask where Nanny lives."

So Shuang’er went off with Chen Jiu.

"Wanwan, come sit for a bit." Ouyang Zhenzhu was sitting on a large rock by the side of the road and gestured for Zhi Wan to join her.

Zhi Wan walked over and sat down beside her. She saw her cousin standing in place with his eyes downcast, lost in thought, but the aura around him was somewhat intimidating.

Ouyang Zhenzhu rubbed her arms, huddled closer to Zhi Wan, and whispered in her ear, "What’s wrong with Mr. Lu? Did you offend him?"

Zhi Wan shook her head, bewildered. "No..."

Before long, Shuang’er and Chen Jiu came running back, their faces lit with excitement. "Miss, we found out! Nanny Chen lives at the end of the village."

Zhi Wan immediately stood up.

The group boarded the carriage and headed for the end of the village.

Inside the carriage, Chen Jiu saw his Princely Heir sitting with his eyes lowered, his expression as if frozen over. He instinctively shrank back, a little scared.

’What’s wrong with the Princely Heir?’

’Could it be this godforsaken place that’s making him impatient?’

’But wasn’t he the one who insisted on coming?’

With that in mind, he gathered his courage and offered a comforting word, "Princely Heir, we can head back as soon as the Miss sees her nanny."

Lu Zhan didn’t react.

Chen Jiu cleared his throat. "Princely Heir..."

Lu Zhan’s gaze swept coldly over him.

Chen Jiu immediately fell silent, but he grumbled inwardly: ’The Princely Heir’s moods are more fickle than June weather!’