A young lady from the capital has gone missing?

The station manager was somewhat surprised.

Every year, many people went missing—from mischievous children to the elderly, from young unmarried women to new brides—none of which was unusual. A missing young lady by itself was truly a minor matter.

It could only be considered significant if the young lady came from an important family.

“Which powerful family in the capital does this young lady belong to?” he asked curiously.

Inspector Qi waved his hand: “Not exactly powerful, but her family background isn’t simple either.”

Now this was interesting—the station manager grew more curious.

“This young lady is surnamed Chu,” Inspector Qi said. “Her grandfather holds no official position and teaches at the Qiaoshan Academy. Her father, however, is quite the figure. You certainly know him.”

He looked at the station manager with a smile.

“The Commandery Defense General of Yunzhong, Chu Yan.”

The station manager blinked, but wasn’t particularly surprised or enlightened by the missing young lady’s background. His first thought was how coincidental it was—this was the second time he’d heard General Chu Wei’s name recently.

“What are you muttering about?” Inspector Qi asked, puzzled by his reaction. “What about General Chu Wei? Don’t tell me you can’t remember who he is.”

The station manager hurriedly smiled: “How could I forget? I was just thinking that General Chu Wei’s name has rarely been mentioned these past years, yet in recent days I keep hearing it—almost as frequently as during his most glorious time.”

“Who else mentioned him?” Inspector Qi asked.

“Some messenger soldiers heading to the border commandery a few days ago,” the station manager said simply. These matters weren’t supposed to be disclosed, or it could be considered leaking confidential information.

Of course, nobody truly regarded messenger soldiers going to the border commandery as a confidential matter.

It wasn’t strange for soldiers headed to the border commandery to mention General Chu Yan, so Inspector Qi dropped the subject: “General Chu Wei has faded from prominence, but his daughter has recently risen to fame in the capital.”

The station manager asked with a smile: “Could it be that this young lady has also been discussing matters of state with His Majesty?”

“If that were the case, she would truly be following in her father’s footsteps,” Inspector Qi laughed. “Unfortunately, this Miss Chu is uneducated, arrogant, and tyrannical. Some days ago, she kicked the daughter of Director Liang from the Court of State Ceremonial into a lake, nearly causing a fatality.”

It was unexpected that noble young ladies in the capital would fight like village shrews.

The station manager shook his head with a sigh: “How could General Chu Wei raise his daughter this way? Could it be that he’s truly given up and no longer cares about advancement?”

“I think it requires no teaching—it’s innate. The father was defiant, so the daughter is also arrogant,” Inspector Qi sneered.

So he’s lost his ambition, doesn’t even mind his children, and just drifts through life, thought the station manager. He asked: “If this Miss Chu is so formidable, how could she go missing?”

At this moment, the runners returned with the wine. Cao the Fourth brought a jar of wine to the table, and hearing this, let out a laugh.

“This Miss Chu didn’t just go missing—she ran away after assaulting someone,” he said. “Miss Liang nearly lost her life. Her parents were distraught and refused to let the matter rest. They wanted to report it to the Emperor and punish this Miss Chu, so she fled.”

The station manager chuckled: “So the young lady lacks responsibility.”

Cao the Fourth poured the wine while animatedly explaining: “This young lady is quite something. After attacking someone, she didn’t make a sound, didn’t cry, didn’t make a fuss. The next day, she climbed over the wall and ran away, stealing a lot of money from her family. Her grandfather is a scholar who had to face public embarrassment and apologize. His wife and daughter went to the Liang family to personally care for Miss Liang. Meanwhile, the troublemaker escaped, leaving everyone stunned and the household in chaos.”

The station manager laughed: “Raising this daughter seems even more troublesome than raising a son.”

Previously, he had only heard of prodigal sons causing trouble for their families. This was the first time he’d heard of a daughter behaving in such a manner.

Inspector Qi picked up his wine bowl and took a sip. One gulp was more effective than hot water at driving away the cold from head to toe.

“I knew Old Xu would have the good stuff,” he said with a smile.

The station manager took a small sip from his wine bowl and continued asking: “So this Miss Chu is going to find her father, I presume? This child is truly brave. The distance from the capital to Yunzhong Commandery is vast. Even though the realm is peaceful now, for a girl—how old is this Miss Chu?”

Inspector Qi couldn’t quite remember and looked at Cao the Fourth. He was just making an appearance; his subordinates did the actual work.

Cao the Fourth quickly said: “I believe she’s nearly thirteen years old.”

He gestured with his hand to indicate her height.

She’s about this tall.

A portrait was provided.

A thin, small girl who looked quiet and gentle—nothing at all like someone who could cause such trouble.

Thirteen years old? The station manager held his wine bowl, momentarily lost in thought. Madam Yang’s daughter was also around twelve or thirteen. How strange—why did he keep thinking about that mother and daughters?

“Regardless of her age, how could a girl travel such a long distance? Besides safety concerns, does this young lady even know the way?” he asked, bringing his thoughts back to the present.

Yes, Yang’s two daughters knew how to find messenger soldiers to accompany them.

“That Miss Chu isn’t foolish,” Cao the Fourth said. “She left a letter saying she would hire the best escort service to accompany her to Yunzhong Commandery.”

So that’s why she stole money from home. The station manager nodded and then shook his head with a smile: “I wonder which escort agency would be bold enough to accept this job.”

“All agencies in the capital have been questioned, with no results,” Inspector Qi said. “She probably hired escorts outside the capital, concealing her identity. These days, there are always bold escort agencies willing to take any job as long as they’re paid well. That’s why the search continues along the road.”

He seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at the station manager.

“Old Xu, have you seen any escorts pass through here in the past few days?”

The station manager shook his head: “Inspector, as you know, those escort services don’t come to official relay stations like ours.”

Escorts carrying weapons tended to avoid officials and certainly wouldn’t stop at relay stations to rest.

Inspector Qi knew this and nodded: “I’m just asking. People from the capital are also inquiring in towns and cities.”

The station manager urged the guards to serve the food quickly. He couldn’t help thinking about Chu Yan and continued asking: “Is General Chu Wei’s family searching for her? Come to think of it, General Chu Wei hasn’t returned to the capital since that incident—it’s been over ten years—”

Inspector Qi shook his head: “One of Chu Yan’s sons came looking, but he was accompanied by people from the Office of the Palace Guard. The Minister of the Palace Guard sent Vice Minister Deng Yi.”

The station manager was very surprised: “The Minister of the Palace Guard sent someone? This must have reached His Majesty’s attention, right?”

Chu Yan was the second-born in his family. He had an older brother who was a scholar with no official position, who couldn’t possibly command the Office of the Palace Guard.

So it had to be due to Chu Yan’s influence—

“It seems His Majesty still treats General Chu with leniency,” the station manager probed.

He no longer used the title “Defense General” but simply called him “General.” Years ago, when Chu Yan was just a border commandery colonel, they would respectfully refer to him as “General” when mentioning him.

At that time, everyone believed Chu Yan would not only become a Defense General but certainly a Grand General as well. Who would have thought that at the height of his career, something would happen, causing his fortunes to plummet and his prospects to vanish?

More than ten years had passed, and he remained a Defense General, never to be promoted or ennobled for the rest of his life.

But His Majesty was getting old, and his health had not been good these past two years. As people age, they tend to grow nostalgic. Perhaps Chu Yan would be employed again?

“You’re overthinking it. His Majesty didn’t concern himself with this at all,” Inspector Qi said dismissively, explaining in a low voice. “It was the Liang family’s request. They wanted to file an official complaint and have the Court of Justice arrest her. Director Liang’s status is extraordinary, and his daughter had just become engaged. Do you know who the prospective in-laws are?”

Although the station manager was well-informed, he didn’t know everything happening in the capital, especially regarding marriages and funerals. He asked curiously: “I assume they’re not an ordinary family either.”

Inspector Qi’s face lit up with excitement: “It’s the Xie family of Dongyang, relatives of the current Crown Prince’s consort.”

In the current Great Xia Dynasty, there was the former Empress Yang’s family, and the Zhao family, which had risen to prominence through the favor of a beloved consort and was jokingly called the “new imperial in-laws.” But as the Second Prince was named Crown Prince and his wife, Lady Xie, gave birth to a son, securing her position, the Xie family gradually became a force to be reckoned with among imperial relatives.

After all, regardless of the Yang or Zhao families, neither could compare to the Xie family, which would produce the future Empress.

With the Liang family’s daughter betrothed to the Xie family, her being attacked was truly no small matter—it had provoked the Xie family, which meant provoking the Crown Prince as well.

That Chu family young lady had indeed stirred up major trouble.

“However,” Inspector Qi seemed somewhat disappointed at missing the excitement, “out of consideration for the Chu family’s dignity, the Court of Justice finally had the Office of the Palace Guard send people, ostensibly to find her, not to arrest her.”

This was merely a cover-up, thought the station manager, who said: “General Chu Wei must be quite troubled now.”

He couldn’t allow his daughter to be held accountable, or how would she ever be able to marry in the future? Her entire life would be ruined.

Poor Chu Yan. Already a disgraced official, he had lived with his tail between his legs, avoiding public attention for so many years. Just when people had finally begun to forget about him, allowing him to live comfortably while awaiting death, he raised such a daughter. With this commotion, his fate truly seemed sealed.

While discussing other people’s affairs, the three men drank and ate heartily. The hall was lively, dispelling the cold.

“Sir, sir,” a guard ran in, looking somewhat tense. “A gentleman claiming to be the Vice Minister of the Palace Guard has arrived.”

Inspector Qi dropped his half-drunk wine bowl so hastily that wine spilled onto his clothes.

“Quickly, quickly,” he said. “This Minister Deng has a frightening temper.”