The carriage entered the city, the streets were wide and flat, lined with shops on both sides, bustling with activity.
Inside the carriage, Chu Chen quietly closed his eyes to rest.
"Young master, we've arrived," a moment later, the coachman's voice came.
Chu Chen opened his eyes, lifted the curtain, and jumped down. He looked around and found that although Yunshui City was prosperous, it was shrouded in a somber atmosphere.
He sighed inwardly, then strode into the mansion in the center of Yunshui City.
"Welcome, sir. What can I get for you?" As soon as he entered the lobby, a waiter hurried over, asking with a smile.
"Is the proprietor here?" Chu Chen asked.
The waiter looked puzzled. "The proprietor? May I ask what business you have with our proprietor?"
"I'm looking for Tang Dafu," Chu Chen said faintly. "Please inform him that I have urgent matters to discuss."
"So you're here to see our proprietor," the waiter suddenly understood and then shouted towards the lobby, "Proprietor, someone outside is looking for you."
Hearing this, Chu Chen looked in the direction the waiter pointed and saw a middle-aged胖子.
The waiter pointed at Chu Chen and said, "Proprietor, a young man says he wants to see you."
"A young man?" Tang Dafu frowned, then looked at Chu Chen, who was standing behind the waiter. His eyes suddenly froze: "Chu Chen?"
"Yes, it's me," Chu Chen nodded. "I have something to discuss with you. Can we talk in private?"
Tang Dafu's expression was strange. In his memory, Chu Chen should have looked dejected, but the current Chu Chen was completely different.
He was thin, with sharp facial features, and his dark pupils were exactly like that of the young man he remembered, making him recall the past.
"Follow me," Tang Dafu nodded, then walked out of the lobby towards the backyard.
Chu Chen followed closely behind Tang Dafu, but they didn't go far, stopping under a phoenix tree.
"You've changed a lot after so many years," Tang Dafu said with a smile, his tone filled with emotion.
Chu Chen smiled slightly and said, "I never expected that the cowardly and useless good-for-nothing from back then.
Today, I can actually step into Xiling County City alone. It's truly sigh-inducing."
Tang Dafu was silent for a moment, then said bitterly, "Chu Chen, I wronged you back then. I failed to protect your mother. For so many years, I've lived in guilt and regret every day."
Chu Chen waved his hand. "So many years have passed, I've long since let it go. I'm here to see you, not to reminisce. You know why I've come."
"You want to investigate what happened back then?" Tang Dafu asked.
Chu Chen nodded, his gaze fixed on Tang Dafu, and slowly said, "My mother died of poisoning, and you were the victim. I hope you can tell me the truth."
Tang Dafu lowered his head, falling into a brief silence.
"Alas... I was indeed framed back then, but the evidence was conclusive, and I couldn't defend myself. Moreover, I wasn't from a prominent family.
I had no power or influence to clear my name. For so many years, I've lived in obscurity, barely surviving, hoping for a chance to atone."
Tang Dafu sighed, a tragic smile appearing on his pale face.
Chu Chen patted Tang Dafu's shoulder and said, "I believe you were framed back then.
Because I never saw you kill anyone. Before my mother died, she warned me that if anyone ever wrongly accused you, I must help you clear your name."
"Chu Chen, your mother is right. I'm not a good person, but I never killed anyone. I, Tang Dafu, swear it," Tang Dafu quickly explained, his eyes turning red.
Looking at the agitated Tang Dafu, Chu Chen chuckled, "Alright, I believe you didn't kill anyone.
I'm just here to understand what happened back then. I want to know who the murderer is."
"You really believe me?" Tang Dafu asked in surprise.
"You are a good person. For so many years, you've lived in obscurity and haven't done a single bad deed. I don't believe you would kill someone,"
Chu Chen said earnestly. He had experienced too many hardships over the years, so he easily believed people, especially kind ones.
He would rather believe that ghosts exist than believe that a person could commit a massacre, which was why he persisted.
"A good person?" Hearing Chu Chen's evaluation of him, Tang Dafu shook his head and chuckled, "Perhaps this is the most gratifying thing for me."
"Don't worry, as long as I, Chu Chen, am here, I won't allow anyone to bully you," Chu Chen said solemnly.
Tang Dafu was stunned. He stared at Chu Chen, as if trying to see through the young man before him. "Who are you? Why are you so persistent about this?"
Chu Chen smiled faintly. "We'll talk about this later. The priority is to deal with the matter of Marquis Wu'an's mansion."
Tang Dafu took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions in his heart. He had decided that after dealing with Marquis Wu'an's mansion, he would resign and completely withdraw from officialdom.
"Tang Dafu, how about we make a deal?" Chu Chen said.
"A deal?" Tang Dafu asked suspiciously.
"I'll help you deal with Marquis Wu'an's mansion, and you tell me what happened back then," Chu Chen said.
"How will you help me?" Tang Dafu asked in surprise.
"Do you think I have no way to deal with Marquis Wu'an's mansion?" Chu Chen's lips curved slightly.
Hearing this, Tang Dafu's face lit up with joy. "Are you someone sent by the royal family?"
"You could say that," Chu Chen nodded in agreement and then asked, "Are you willing to tell me what happened back then?"
"Good! As long as you help me get revenge, I'll owe you a lifetime of gratitude!" Tang Dafu gritted his teeth.
Tang Dafu briefly recounted what happened back then and told Chu Chen the location of Marquis Wu'an's mansion.
"Don't worry, since I promised to help you, I will keep my word," Chu Chen said, then turned to leave.
However, at that moment, footsteps sounded from afar, and several powerful auras approached.
Chu Chen turned his head and his gaze fell on the three men and two women walking towards them.
"This is Yunmeng Tower. Get out, you riffraff, and don't get in our way!"
A young man in brocade clothes said arrogantly. The group of youths beside him all wore arrogant expressions.
Chu Chen ignored them and walked straight away, intending to bypass this group of overbearing scions.
However, as soon as Chu Chen walked out of Yunmeng Tower, the young man in brocade clothes spoke again.
"Stop!" the young man in brocade clothes shouted. "You deaf brat, did you not hear me?"
Hearing the reprimand, Chu Chen frowned and said coldly, "Who are you calling?"
"I'm calling you!" the young man in brocade clothes pointed at Chu Chen's nose and cursed, "I told you to get lost, didn't you hear me?"