Chapter 99: Not Letting Go
"Prince Duan," Ju Nanyi greeted respectfully as he stepped forward. He had arrived early, and not many officials from the Hanlin Academy were present yet. A few, upon spotting Prince Duan, looked surprised and then proceeded to offer their respects.
Prince Duan, seemingly indifferent to the others, thought to himself that even though Ju Nanyi was handling matters for the Crown Prince, what did a mere inn have to do with the Crown Prince?
"Let’s speak over here," Prince Duan stabilized his emotions. The anger he had felt while coming here had also abated somewhat. Ju Nanyi was a very cautious person. If he suddenly engaged in such actions, there must be a compelling reason for it.
Hurriedly, Ju Nanyi led Prince Duan toward a study room nearby. Yong Ning, a new attendant chosen from the Hanlin Academy, followed Ju Nanyi closely, skillfully serving tea and water.
Prince Duan sat down immediately, deliberately maintaining a stern expression.
Ju Nanyi stood by his side, also remaining silent, as Prince Duan’s stern expression gradually turned into a genuine coldness. Prince Duan glanced at Ju Nanyi with his handsome but frosty eyes, thinking, what now? Have you learned to play hardball? Are you waiting for me to speak first?
"May I know what orders Prince Duan has?" Ju Nanyi immediately asked respectfully, "Is it about the assassins I captured yesterday?"
"Assassins? How could there be assassins in my territory?" Prince Duan snorted coldly, then furrowed his brow. The people captured last night were assassins? Impossible. He had thoroughly investigated everyone in the inn, and there hadn’t been any issues.
Ju Nanyi glanced at Prince Duan. The Crown Prince had tasked him with investigating the affairs of the residents of Pinghu Village, without specifying the reasons. However, the matter was not difficult to uncover. Although tightly sealed, anyone with a bit of sense could connect the dots and come very close to guessing the truth.
Furthermore, Ju Nanyi was aware of the disappearance of young men and women from Pinghu Village, which had caused quite a stir in Zejun County. It was only that Governor Pei handled matters in a rather simplistic way, driving the people out and then assuming all was well. He hadn’t expected this group, masquerading as refugees, had fled all the way to Zheng Capital. Thus, the subsequent events could easily be linked to the days when the Crown Prince was missing.
At that moment, Prince Duan’s anger also paused momentarily. Were there really assassins?