Imperial Kin

Through the open window, An Ziran saw a crowd gathered around someone who was telling entertaining stories—calling them gossip would not be wrong either. His saliva flew as he spoke, while the others listened with great relish. An Ziran listened for a while and found that it was all palace gossip, impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood, yet none of it was what he wanted.

After a while, the waiter brought up the several pastries he had ordered.

Taking the opportunity, An Ziran asked, "Brother Waiter, I'd like to ask you about someone." As he spoke, he placed a piece of silver on the table. "Whether you can answer or not, it's yours."

The waiter cheerfully pocketed the silver and said, "Please ask whatever you wish, sir. If I know, I will certainly tell you everything without holding back."

An Ziran nodded and asked without concealment, "I want to inquire about someone named Fu Fengzheng. Have you heard of this man in Gentlemen City?"

At the sound of that name, the waiter froze.

"What? Is there something wrong with that name?" An Ziran keenly caught the change in his expression.

Coming back to himself, the waiter said with an ingratiating smile, "You misunderstand, sir. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just that I haven't heard that name in a very long time, so I was slow to react."

An Ziran lowered his gaze. "Then can you tell me about this person?"

"Of course."

"You may not know this, sir, but Old Prince Fu was once a towering figure in Gentlemen City. All the older generation here have heard of him. But the old prince is advanced in years, and his body is no longer as nimble as before. In recent years, he has rarely appeared before the public, so news about him has grown scarcer and scarcer..." The waiter spoke at length.

Yet An Ziran's expression changed slightly upon hearing the four words "Old Prince Fu."

He had considered that Fu Fengzheng might be a powerful noble, or perhaps a merchant acquainted with powerful nobles, but he had never imagined that he would be a prince. Given his age, he was very likely the current emperor's imperial uncle.

Imperial kin were far beyond the An Family's reach. Fu was Da Ya's imperial surname; all members of the royal clan bore the surname Fu. Had An Ziran been a true native of Da Ya, he might have made that connection. Unfortunately, he was not.

None of what the waiter said was secret. Many people in Gentlemen City knew it, except for outsiders. When he began recounting how heroic and dashing Fu Fengzheng had been in his youth, and how he had captivated countless women, An Ziran finally stopped him.

"Brother Waiter, do you know about Old Prince Fu's family?" An Ziran asked. Fu Fengzheng's affairs could wait; the most important matter now was the marriage contract. Although the An Family could never reach so high as imperial kin, since they had already been given this opportunity, they had to try no matter what. Besides, Fu Fengzheng himself had been the one to propose the marriage all those years ago.

The waiter replied, "I do. Old Prince Fu has only one grandson. He is Prince Jun, personally invested by His Majesty himself. In Gentlemen City, everyone knows of him."

"May I ask his personal name?" An Ziran's expression stirred.

Unexpectedly, the waiter shook his head and said apologetically, "Forgive me, sir, but Prince Jun's personal name is not something common folk like us can casually speak. Please understand. If you have nothing else to ask, I'll take my leave."

"You may go." An Ziran did not make things difficult for him. He understood.

After the waiter left, the atmosphere in the private room immediately fell silent.

Qiulan watched her young master, who seemed lost in thought, and did not dare make a sound. Still, she had a feeling that their going to such great lengths to come to Gentlemen City was likely connected to the person her young master had just asked about. But that person was imperial kin. Questions remained questions; she did not dare ask them.

A quarter of an hour later, An Ziran left the restaurant with Qiulan.

Not long after he left, that waiter reported the matter to the shopkeeper word for word.

The shopkeeper patted his shoulder. "Well done. Don't mention this matter to anyone else for now. Also, keep watch these next few days and see whether that young master appears again. If he asks about Old Prince Fu again, notify me immediately. Understand?" He decided to observe a little longer. If that man had truly come for the old prince, it would not be too late to report it then.

"Yes, Shopkeeper." The waiter grinned.

On the other side, An Ziran did not yet know that merely asking a few questions had put him under someone's watch. At that moment, his mind was full of worries, and he had no heart to think about anything else.

Imperial kin were an exceptionally troublesome breed of creature.

If possible, An Ziran did not want the An Family involved in the imperial circle. It was far too complicated. A simple young girl like An Yuzhi would surely be devoured until not even her bones remained. But if they did not do this, the An Family would face trouble. After turning it over and over in his mind, he ultimately decided to place the choice in An Yuzhi's hands.

That afternoon, An Ziran had Qiulan summon An Yuzhi.

Ever since learning that she had a marriage contract, An Yuzhi had been anxious. Hearing that her brother wished to see her, she thought there had been news. When she entered, her cheeks were red, and even her steps were stiff with nervousness.

"Brother..."

An Ziran had her sit down and got straight to the point. "Regarding your betrothed, I need to ask your opinion..." Then he told her what he had learned at the restaurant.

An Yuzhi was completely stunned. She too had thought her betrothed was a merchant.

"Tomorrow, I'll send someone to investigate Prince Jun. There should be results before long. When the time comes, you should come listen as well. If you have no objections, your brother will choose a day and take you to find them, so that he can marry you," An Ziran continued.

An Yuzhi could no longer think. Her mind was a muddle of paste.

Seeing this, An Ziran did not force her. For now, he was merely giving her a shot of reassurance, letting her have a little mental preparation so she would not be unable to react when the time came.

This time, An Ziran did not personally go to ask around.

He still remembered the waiter's reaction. Although the man had recovered quickly, An Ziran could tell that it was not that he could not speak of it, but that he did not wish to. The Prince Jun in his mouth was certainly no ordinary person, so this time An Ziran kept his guard up.

The next day, before the people he had sent to gather information had returned, Steward Su finally arrived.