Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Your Highness, Why Are You Here?

Gu Yuan Jia had once met the high and mighty Prince Chang’an in the Capital. The prince was born noble, carried himself like a dragon and a phoenix, and had such presence that people did not dare look straight at him. Who would have thought the exalted Prince Chang’an would appear in a common alley, wearing plain cloth like an ordinary man?

Meeting that gaze, Huo Zheng knew the other man recognized him. He handed the candied fruit he had just bought to Chun Zhi and said in his usual calm tone: “Go inside first.”

Chun Zhi lowered her voice to Huo Qi and said: “He is the Gu Family’s eldest young master. He came to find Yu Zhu. Can you think of a way not to let him take Yu Zhu away?”

Huo Zheng nodded and said: “Stay inside and don’t worry.”

Facing Young Master Gu and those Gu Family waiters had made Chun Zhi very nervous, but when Huo Qi came back, she suddenly felt grounded. Though still uneasy, she relaxed a lot. Carrying the candied fruit he had handed her, she walked back inside, looking over her shoulder again and again.

Huo Zheng walked to the Eight Immortals Table and spoke first: “Young Master Gu, come sit.”

Gu Yuan Jia could not hide his surprise and whispered: “Your Highness, why are you here?”

Huo Zheng kept a straight face and asked: “And what are you here to do?”

Gu Yuan Jia smiled and said: “A favorite person ran away from my house. I searched for several days and finally found this place, and I happened to meet Your Highness.” He added at once: “I did not mean to track Your Highness’s movements.”

The Gu Family was a famous house in Nanzhou, and Gu Yuan Jia had heard that Prince Chang’an was in Nanzhou on imperial orders. But the officials in Nanzhou City had been busy hosting someone in the city these days, so who exactly were they entertaining? This could not be thought about. If he thought too much, he might be seen as prying into a noble’s secrets.

Huo Zheng said evenly: “This is Linshui Town. There is no ‘Your Highness’ here. My name is Huo Qi.”

Realizing the prince did not want his identity exposed, Gu Yuan Jia changed his words at once and said: “Brother Huo.”

Huo Zheng said: “You are a man of Nanzhou. You must be well acquainted with the local officials.”

Gu Yuan Jia understood and said: “Brother Huo, tell me what you need.”

Huo Zheng said: “I need evidence of Prince Ning’s crimes. Do you dare wade into this muddy water?”

Gu Yuan Jia said: “As long as Brother Huo gives the word, I will go through fire and water without hesitation.”

That one meeting in the Capital had only been possible because a friend introduced him to Prince Chang’an. If he could serve the prince, then when Prince Chang’an rose like a dragon, men like him would have the merit of following the dragon and would rise quickly. Gu Yuan Jia had not expected that searching for Yu Zhu would let him run into such a chance, so he pledged himself at once.

Huo Zheng said in a low voice: “Good. There is one thing I want you to do right now.”

Gu Yuan Jia leaned in and said: “Please say it, Brother Huo.”

Since walls have ears, Huo Zheng bent close and whispered a few words into Gu Yuan Jia’s ear. After listening, Gu Yuan Jia said solemnly: “I have noted it.”

Huo Zheng’s expression stayed calm, and he said no more. Gu Yuan Jia stood up and said: “I will do it at once. Only, about Yu Zhu…”

Huo Zheng said: “Having one less person to serve you is no big deal.”

Gu Yuan Jia said: “I still want to see Yu Zhu. We were master and servant. She is rare and suits me well. I worked hard to find this place. It does not make sense for me to leave without seeing her.”

Huo Zheng glanced inside. Chun Zhi sat beside Yu Zhu, the two of them speaking in low voices, very close. Since Gu Yuan Jia had used so much effort to find Linshui Town, and Huo Zheng wanted to make use of him, there was no reason to stop him from meeting her. But Chun Zhi treated Yu Zhu like a sister and could not stand to see her bullied. After a moment’s thought, he said: “You may see Yu Zhu, but you cannot take her away by force.”

Gu Yuan Jia smiled and said: “Do not worry, Brother Huo. I would not bear to make things hard for Yu Zhu.”

Huo Zheng walked to the window and tapped twice with his knuckles. Chun Zhi stood and came to the window and asked: “What did he say?”

Huo Zheng said: “Young Master Gu wants to see Yu Zhu. Step out for a bit.”

Hearing this, Yu Zhu lifted her eyes toward the window. The man who made her so uneasy sat not far away, his brows and eyes as she remembered, a faint smile on his lips.

Chun Zhi asked nervously: “Will Young Master Gu only see Yu Zhu, or will he take her away?”

Huo Zheng said: “He will only see her.”

Chun Zhi said, not quite convinced: “Really?”

Huo Zheng said: “Why would I lie to you? Come here.”

Chun Zhi gave Yu Zhu a calming look and said softly: “Young Master Gu only wants to see you. Don’t be afraid. Say what you want to say. Huo Qi and I will be right outside.”

Yu Zhu nodded and tried her best to stay calm.

Chun Zhi lifted the curtain and stepped out, raising her eyes to Gu Yuan Jia. He nodded slightly to her, walked past, and at the door lifted the curtain with his folding fan as he went in. His steps were smooth and his manner elegant. Anyone who saw him would praise him as a charming gentleman in troubled times. Yet how could this man get drunk, lose control, and take Yu Zhu’s innocence?

Thinking of that, Chun Zhi suddenly remembered that she herself had pounced on Huo Qi while drunk. [Don’t think about it.] If she did, her cheeks burned.

Huo Zheng said: “Don’t stand there. Relax. Gu Yuan Jia will not swallow Yu Zhu whole,” and he sat back lightly at the Eight Immortals Table.

Chun Zhi really could not relax. Yu Zhu was pregnant. If Gu Yuan Jia discovered it, what then? She sat with Huo Qi, kept looking back toward the room, and asked: “How do you know he will not swallow Yu Zhu whole? Yu Zhu has been here only a few days, and this Gu already found her. How scary is that?”

Huo Zheng asked lightly: “What is scary?” When people hold power, they have the ability. Finding a runaway maid in a few days is nothing. If a noble orders an arrest at midnight, no one dares delay until dawn.

Chun Zhi said: “Yu Zhu already redeemed herself and is free now. Why does Young Master Gu still look for her? She was born free and only sold herself because her father died and her mother was ill. She worked so hard to save enough silver to buy herself out, yet Young Master Gu will not let her go. She fled so far, and he still chased her here. Isn’t that scary?”

Huo Zheng said evenly: “Once a slave, always a slave. Even if you redeem your status, if your old master gives an order, you are expected to obey.”

Chun Zhi said, a bit speechless: “The way you talk sounds like someone used to being a master.”

Huo Zheng fell silent: “…” He was, in fact, used to being a master.

Chun Zhi stopped talking to him and muttered to herself: “These noble young masters look proper, but they eat people without spitting out the bones. They are very cruel.”

Sensing something, Huo Zheng asked her: “Do you know what happened between Yu Zhu and Young Master Gu?”