Chapter 16
Le Jiu returned to the study to see the Crown Prince and reported, "I have arranged for Young Master Yang to stay in the most secluded courtyard in the estate. Aside from the maid delivering his medicine, no one will go there."
In other words, Yang Xuanse wouldn't even be able to find a place to eat. He would soon realize that in the Crown Prince's estate, the only person he could rely on was the Crown Prince himself. Not even Le Jiu counted, as Le Jiu only took orders from the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince gave a slight nod. "Good. The case has been drained of all its value; all that remains is the factional struggle. It's best to keep him in the dark to prevent him from siding with anyone else."
"Your Highness is wise. Young Master Yang is a stranger in a strange land. Given his personality, as long as he is having a hard time, he will definitely come to stand completely on your side. It won't be too late to have him solve cases then," Le Jiu replied respectfully.
It had to be said that Yang Xuanse was easy to fool. He only knew how to solve cases from highly novel angles, never realizing that any crime occurring at the foot of the Imperial City involved underlying conflicts of interest. The so-called truth wasn't important at all; whoever won got to dictate what the truth was.
And right now, the Crown Prince wanted to monopolize Yang Xuanse's past, his knowledge, and his homeland. The best way to achieve that was to trample him into the mud first, and then become his one and only savior.
——
Yang Xuanse had no idea that even his living arrangements had become part of someone else's scheme. He wasn't the type to think three steps ahead; he usually just focused on what was right in front of him. And right now, the most important thing to him was eating.
Inside his room was the medicine he needed to drink at noon, but there was no prepared food. It seemed no one was going to deliver any meals to him.
After finishing his medicine, Yang Xuanse went to inspect the courtyard. Finding absolutely nothing useful and still no sign of a food delivery, it slowly dawned on him: he seemed to have become a marginalized adviser in the Crown Prince's estate—the kind of freeloader no one cared about.
Fortunately, there was a small kitchen in the courtyard, though it lacked firewood and anything to start a fire with. Yang Xuanse's family back home used this exact type of earthen stove; he knew how to build a fire and cook.
The problem was, without a fire starter, wood, or a single pot, bowl, or ladle, what was he supposed to cook with? His knees?
Dejectedly returning to the room, Yang Xuanse stared at his thirty shi of grain and a single silver ingot in dismay. These were indeed the rewards the Crown Prince had promised him, but none of it was of any immediate use.
Well, not completely useless, just useless tonight. He wasn't even familiar with the layout of the estate and worried that if he wandered out, he wouldn't be able to find his way back and would end up freezing to death in some corridor in the middle of the night.
The sky gradually darkened. Yang Xuanse’s stomach rumbled with hunger. Having missed two meals already, he couldn't help but gnaw on some raw millet, lying to himself that he was grinding it into flour in his mouth so it would turn into millet cakes in his stomach!
By the time it was fully dark, Yang Xuanse suddenly realized he had no oil lamp, no candles, and no bedding. All he had were two sets of ancient clothes he had previously worn, along with his jeans and T-shirt. They had been washed clean, but he couldn't exactly wear his modern clothes outside.
Yang Xuanse came to a profound realization. he shouldn't stay at the Crown Prince’s estate. They didn't treat him like a human being here at all.
Even though leaving didn't guarantee a better life, at least he would have a bit of freedom. Staying here was akin to being trapped in a miniature Imperial Palace—it was truly terrifying.
He slept fitfully that night. Even with all his clothes piled on top of him, he still felt a bit cold, but he managed to endure it until dawn.
Once it was light, Yang Xuanse used one of his outfits as a makeshift bundle. He packed the silver ingot, his personal belongings, and some grain—as much as he could carry—and slung the bundle over his shoulder, heading out.
The estate was swarming with the Crown Prince's people. Yang Xuanse knew he would be spotted no matter where he went. Rather than acting suspiciously, he decided to just walk out openly.
Sure enough, without asking for directions, he couldn't find the main gate at all. He had no choice but to ask the guards along the way how to leave, explaining that he wanted to thank the jailer who had saved his life previously.
The first few guards coldly walked away without a word. When Yang Xuanse persistently asked the sixth one, the man gave him a look of pity but still refused to speak to him.
At this point, Yang Xuanse finally understood. From yesterday until now, the silent treatment and cold-shoulder tactics were all under the Crown Prince's orders.
He no longer cared if the Crown Prince was just venting his anger on him or trying to gaslight him.
As a puzzle-solving enthusiast, he was going to let the Crown Prince know that in a maze escape game, as long as there wasn't a forced "plot kill," solving it was only a matter of time.
Yang Xuanse began wandering erratically around the estate, persistently questioning everyone he encountered. Having starved for a day, his energy waned the more he walked, but he didn't stop.
He even found his way to the garden and picked some berries from the bushes to eat. No one even knew if those berries were edible, but Yang Xuanse ate them anyway.
When the hidden guards reported this to the Crown Prince, his temper flared. "Let him be. I refuse to believe that after starving for eight or ten days, he still won't figure out that he should come and pledge his loyalty to me!"
Then, just past noon, Yang Xuanse actually found the main gate of the estate. Bypassing the spirit wall at the entrance, he deliberately stood behind it, waiting for the guards to come. To his surprise, the person who chased after him was Le Jiu.
Le Jiu hurried to the side door next to the main gate. He threw it open and rushed out, only to stop dead in his tracks. Looking back stiffly, he found Yang Xuanse leaning casually against the spirit wall, watching him with a half-smile.
"Y-Young Master Yang! What a coincidence!" Le Jiu forced his steps to turn back, greeting Yang Xuanse with an incredibly fake, hearty laugh.
Yang Xuanse slowly straightened up, stepped out of the side door, and said to Le Jiu, "I can roughly guess what the Crown Prince's intentions are. But you don't need to worry about any of that. I won't interfere with anything concerning this country. If you ever need me to solve a case in the future, you can find me. As for the Crown Prince's estate, I won't be staying. My ambitions lie elsewhere."
With that, Yang Xuanse hoisted his little bundle and walked away.
Le Jiu couldn't help but chase after him a couple of steps, calling out, "Where are you going?"
Yang Xuanse replied, "To find the jailer who saved me and thank him."
"Then you're going the wrong way! It's that way!" Le Jiu hastily reminded him.
Hearing this, Yang Xuanse stumbled and nearly fell over. He had just acted so cool, only to walk in the completely wrong direction. He had no choice but to turn around. As he passed by the estate's entrance again, he waved at Le Jiu. "Goodbye."
Le Jiu watched him with a conflicted expression but ultimately didn't stop him, choosing instead to go back and report to the Crown Prince.
Upon hearing the report, the Crown Prince laughed in sheer anger. "Fine. Arrange for someone to tail him. Just make sure he doesn't die. Also, if he makes contact with any official, drag him back immediately. He only gets my trust once; I hope he cherishes it."
Yang Xuanse finally made it to the main street. The air was thick with the hustle and bustle of everyday life; it was a cacophony of voices and a feast for the eyes. Vendors were selling everything imaginable.
The Great Yu dynasty had curfews, so he hadn't expected the daytime to be this lively. He was so overjoyed he felt dizzy with excitement, feeling as if he were touring some ancient, historical town.
Taking it all in made Yang Xuanse forget his hunger, until he passed by a crowded teahouse. Sounds of a zither drifted from inside. As for the discussions taking place, Yang Xuanse couldn't quite understand them, but from the cadence of their voices, he could tell scholars were composing poetry.
A waiter noticed someone at the door and came out to greet him. "Please come in, sir. Are you here for tea or just resting your feet?"
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