"I suppose so! My parents said that Sister Ling finally agreed to get married, so Second Senior Brother is in such a hurry to pick her up."
Her second senior brother was also no longer young. He and Mu Ling were from families with a long-standing connection and had been engaged early on. However, because Mu Ling did not want to get married so soon, it had been delayed until now.
"That makes sense. If Sister Ling agrees, Second Senior Brother must be eager," Zhao Yu Shu understood that his senior brother had always wanted to marry Mu Ling quickly.
"I wonder if Third Senior Brother can bring back good news this time as well," Lin Yan said with some worry.
"Little Junior Sister, you are the youngest, not an elder. Why are you so worried about your senior brothers' marital affairs?"
"I'm also concerned about you, Little Junior Brother! When will you bring me back a little sister-in-law?"
"Women are too much trouble!"
"What did you say!" Lin Yan glared at him.
"I didn't say you. I didn't say you! How about it, Yan Yan, will you marry me?" Zhao Yu Shu seemed to think this was a good idea.
"Terrible idea! I don't want to be with you!" Lin Yan turned and left.
Zhao Yu Shu said nothing more, merely remaining in place and watching Lin Yan's retreating back, his eyes filled with seriousness.
He truly wanted to marry Lin Yan. Especially after learning that his master wanted to marry Lin Yan to Luo Yu Xuan, he was very displeased!
That was why he had been so antagonistic towards Luo Yu Xuan. But he knew that Lin Yan felt differently about Luo Yu Xuan.
Now, his master had abandoned that idea, but Lin Yan still seemed to have never considered him.
Lin Yan was becoming more and more outstanding, which made him even more hesitant to express his feelings. Therefore, he had tried to probe Lin Yan through a joke, only to discover that she had truly never considered him.
She regarded him as a brother, and so he could only be a good brother.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan entered her room. She understood that her little junior brother might have been serious. However, she only considered them as brothers.
So, she could only make him give up this way. Since she could not reciprocate, it was better to clarify things as soon as possible.
She hoped that her little junior brother could quickly let go of this feeling and go find a love of his own!
After Zhao Yu Shu had investigated the habits of the Prince of Chu, Lin Yan changed into the most fashionable attire in the capital and had the old woman style her hair. She then put on a recently purchased set of hair ornaments.
In the mirror, she looked like a lady from a prominent family. As Lin Yan left, she donned her veiled hat and was helped onto a carriage by one of her senior brothers.
The carriage swayed as it traveled on the stone-paved roads of the capital. They were going to a restaurant that the Prince of Chu had recently favored.
It was said that this restaurant had a new chef whose dishes were highly to the Prince of Chu's liking, which was why he frequented it lately.
Zhao Yu Shu had found out early in the morning that the Prince was planning to go out and would be dining at this restaurant at noon. Thus, they had hurried there.
However, Lin Yan felt that things seemed a bit too smooth. But since the Prince of Chu had still come out, it should mean an opportunity for her to meet him.
Although the Prince of Chu was frail, he was granted the entire Chu region as his fief and was deeply trusted by the emperor, residing in the capital. From this, it was evident that the Prince of Chu was no ordinary person.
This was not solely because the Prince of Chu was the emperor's uterine brother. It was rumored that the Prince of Chu had taken a disaster for the current emperor, which caused his poor health.
Therefore, His Majesty was reluctant to let him suffer in his fief and kept him in the capital, by his side. But Lin Yan understood that the reasons were far from this simple.
This Prince of Chu had contributed significantly to the emperor's ascension to the throne. Moreover, after her junior brother had interacted with him, she realized he was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.
However, the more complicated he was, the better. As long as he did not harbor ambitions of usurpation, the greater his power, the greater his help to her would be.
Lin Yan arrived at the entrance of the restaurant just before the Prince of Chu. Wearing a white veiled hat to conceal her face, she entered the restaurant accompanied by her senior brother.
As Lin Yan entered the restaurant, she sensed many hidden presences.
Giving her senior brother a gesture, Lin Yan walked step by step towards a private room upstairs.
"Please, miss," a waiter stepped forward to guide her.
Since the private room had been booked the previous day, after stating the name of the booked room, they were directly led upstairs.
Once Lin Yan was seated in the private room, the waiter served her clear tea.
"I heard Zhen Xiu Lou has some new dishes. Please bring some," she said.
"Yes, miss. Do you have any other requests?" the waiter asked, bowing.
"Please ask the guests next door if they would be willing to meet," Lin Yan indicated for her senior brother to give the prepared purse to the waiter.
"This... the guest next door is a distinguished one. I'm afraid I cannot fulfill your request," the waiter knew who was in the adjacent private room.
He hadn't expected that the lady before him would set her sights on that person. This... this was truly audacious!
"It's alright. Please just go and ask, Brother Xiao Er. The outcome is not important," Lin Yan chuckled softly. "However, please take the reward. After all, this matter is truly difficult for you."
"Then I shall go and ask for you," the waiter took the purse and retreated backward.
He pinched the purse with his fingers. It was firm and not small. Weighing it in his hand, he estimated it to be worth about five taels.
Five taels of silver just to ask a question, this lady was quite generous!
However, the waiter did not go to ask the guards at the door. Instead, he bypassed them and directly pushed open the door to the private room.
The waiter bowed, "Your subordinate pays respects to Your Highness!"
The well-dressed man who had just sat down waved his hand, telling the waiter to rise.
"How?" His voice was pleasant, the kind that made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze. Yet, there was a hint of weakness in it.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the person in charge is a young lady. However, she did not remove her veiled hat, so I could not see her appearance.
She asked me to inquire if Your Highness would be willing to meet her. However, based on my observation, the people accompanying her do not seem like ordinary guards.
They have long-lasting breaths, light footsteps, and all carry weapons. They should be from the martial arts world. I just don't know why they wish to see Your Highness."
The waiter truthfully reported his observations to the Prince, and also mentioned the purse they had given him, presenting it with both hands.
The Prince of Chu glanced at the purse of ordinary workmanship, not paying much attention.
"You can keep it!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The waiter put the purse away again.
No one knew that this bustling Zhen Xiu Lou was the Prince of Chu's property, and everyone inside was a hidden agent under the Prince of Chu.
Upon learning that he was being observed, he had led the person here. After all, this was his territory, where he could ensure his safety.
However, he was curious as to why a woman accompanied by martial artists wanted to see him.
"Let her come over!" The Prince of Chu decided to meet her. After all, he had already led her here, so he might as well meet her and see what schemes this woman had in mind.
"But Your Highness, the people around that lady are not weak. What if they intend to harm you?" the waiter quickly said.
His Highness's health was not good to begin with, what if he were to get injured again...
"It's fine. Go and tell them that I will only meet the person in charge. I will not see anyone else."
Seeing that the Prince had made up his mind, the waiter could only bow in agreement.