My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 200 Setting Off Again

A light drizzle fell, stretching in continuous lines, enveloping the entire town in a misty haze.

Although it was early morning, the sky was very dark due to the continuous rainy days, and the whole street was very quiet with few pedestrians passing by.

Rainwater pattered on the blue brick and stone slabs, splashing up tiny droplets.

A young girl, with a basket of flowers tucked into her arm, carefully avoided puddles on the ground while lifting her skirt.

Just as she was turning a corner, she suddenly heard a faint sobbing sound mixed in with the rain.

She immediately stopped and stood at the corner, looking in the direction from which the sound came.

The girl squinted and peered over.

Then, in the depths of that rarely visited alley, a small mongrel was curled up, its wet eyes wide open, whimpering helplessly in the rain.

She was immediately filled with pity, and seeing that no one was around, she hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

The little dog had been in the rain for who knows how long; its barking gradually subsided, and it couldn't even lift its head.

The girl was filled with tenderness and only wanted to take the puppy away. Her eyes were fixed on it, and she subconsciously ignored her surroundings.

Naturally, no one noticed that deep in this alley, in a narrow crevice behind the rain curtain, a figure was silently lurking, quietly watching the girl's movements.

Just as the girl hugged the puppy to her chest, a hand suddenly reached for the back of her neck.

A faint bark suddenly rang out, echoing through the rain with a hint of mournfulness.

In the blink of an eye, all that remained in the alley was a broken oil-paper umbrella and a basket of flowers spilled on the ground.

It rained harder.

In the sixth year of the Meiwa era, the barbarian tribes returned with renewed force, colluding with internal traitors to invade the border once again.

Prince An was ordered to lead his army into battle.

After months of fierce fighting, they not only drove the barbarians on the border back to the grasslands, but also pursued them all the way to the barbarian royal court.

When the good news reached the capital, it was late autumn, and the Emperor's birthday was just a few days away.

With double happiness upon them, everyone from the court officials to ordinary citizens was overjoyed, and the entire capital was filled with a festive atmosphere.

His Majesty was overjoyed and immediately issued an edict to reward the three armies. He also ordered Prince An to quickly return to the capital and bestow additional titles upon him to commend his outstanding achievements.

Imperial City —

"Your Majesty, the army has arrived outside the city and is now setting up camp to rest in preparation for tomorrow's investiture ceremony."

The chief eunuch, Eunuch Xiao, ran into the hall with a joyful expression and respectfully reported to the person seated above him in a low voice.

"Okay, you're finally back."

Upon hearing this, the young emperor, who was sitting behind the bright yellow curtain, put down the memorial in his hand and a rare smile appeared on his lips.

"Quickly summon Prince An to the palace. My brother and I haven't seen each other for a long time. I want to catch up with him properly."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Xiao immediately bowed and took his leave to deliver the imperial decree.

But soon, he turned back.

He was alone, and for some reason, the expression on his face changed from joy to complexity.

Where is Prince An?

Chu Heng looked behind him in confusion, but did not see the familiar figure he expected.

Seeing this, Eunuch Xiao hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, "Well, Prince An did not return to the capital with the army, but sent someone back to deliver a message saying..."

"They said Prince An wished His Majesty a happy 40th birthday, but he's too busy to come back."

"Your Majesty, please don't look for him unless it's absolutely necessary, and even if there is something wrong, please don't look for him..."

Chu Heng: "..."

Is this really his biological brother?

Besides, I'm only thirty-two years old, okay?

Also, what's with this familiar feeling of being abandoned?

Runxi Town

The fine rain, like a veil, fell in a continuous, gentle drizzle.

The town is built along the river, with houses scattered throughout the town. Most of the residents make a living by fishing, hence its nickname "water town".

Xie Yan sat on the windowsill, looking up listlessly.

Through the low-rise buildings, one can vaguely see the ferry crossing through the sparse rain, where fishermen wearing straw hats are busy moving about in the rain.

Several large ships were also moored on the shore.

With no shelter, the light rain gently pattered on his face, and Xie Yan lazily yawned.

To be honest, weather like this is perfect for sleeping.

But unfortunately, they had other things to do.

His gaze drifted into the room, where Chu Ling was standing by the table, looking at the two maps spread out on it.

One is a half of the treasure map that has been repaired in Yongcheng, and the other is the other half that was redrawn by the current leader of the martial arts alliance and sent to them.

At this moment, not only have they been reunited in their hands, but most of the journey has already been traversed by Chu Ling's men.

"During the months that the Prince was away on his campaign, my subordinates followed the map and explored the area, visiting twelve locations along the way before finally stopping here."

The guard standing beside Chu Ling said, "If what we are looking for is correct, then we are only one step away from finding the right one."

As he spoke, Chu Ling's fingers also gently glided across the treasure map.

He frowned slightly, focusing his gaze on the last location at the edge, and replied softly, "So, the last location pointed to is directly east of Runxi Town now."

"That's right. Based on the information we've gathered here and the distance we've previously scouted, the only place that fits the criteria in that direction is a town called Jinlin."

"Jin Lin?"

Xie Yan keenly noticed that Chu Ling seemed to be stunned for a moment when he first heard the place name.

Seeing Xie Yan looking over inquisitively, Chu Ling smiled slightly at him and explained, "I once saw in a history book in the palace that Emperor Taizu was born in Jinlin."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan's brow twitched.

I never expected to hear that name again after we parted ways in Yongcheng.

I originally thought this treasure was only related to the previous dynasty's treasury, but I never expected it would also involve the founding emperor.

"That's quite a coincidence." Xie Yan smiled emotionlessly.

Just then, the sound of oars gliding across the water came from outside the window.

Xie Yan turned her head and saw a small boat slowly coming to a stop at the steps downstairs.

Before the boat had even come to a complete stop, a person hurriedly jumped off.

Xuanfeng didn't even use an umbrella; he jumped off the boat and headed straight for the building.

"Your Highness, the matter has been taken care of."

"We have already made an agreement with a merchant ship. The ship owner has agreed to give us a ride, and we will depart in fifteen minutes."

Chu Ling nodded: "In that case, we should set off."

The group immediately set off and left the inn without further delay.