Legend of the Female General

Chapter 149: Chu Zhao's Past

When He Yan returned to her room, the lamp was still lit. Two maids were lying on the side couch in the outer room playing cat's cradle. Seeing He Yan, they hurriedly got up and said, "Madam."

He Yan whispered, "It's fine, go back to sleep. I'm going to rest inside. Is the young master asleep?"

Cui Jiao shook her head. "The young master has been reading all this time."

He Yan nodded. "I see. You should rest early too."

She pushed the door open and entered the inner room, where Xiao Jue was sitting at the table, flipping through a long scroll. He was only wearing an inner robe, the snow-white fabric draped loosely over his shoulders, revealing jade-like skin and slender, moon-bright collarbones.

He Yan closed the door and walked toward him. "Commander?"

Xiao Jue merely glanced up at her briefly, saying nothing.

"I thought you'd be asleep," He Yan said as she untied the whip from her waist and casually hung it on the wall. The colorful tassel attached to the whip's handle swayed like a sunset glow with her movement, and the single red pomegranate flower carved from jade was particularly exquisite and eye-catching. Xiao Jue's gaze fell on that tassel.

Seeing him looking, He Yan took the whip down and handed it to Xiao Jue. "What do you think, Commander? Isn't it pretty? This was a gift from Chu Fourth Young Master."

"Chu Zilan is truly generous," Xiao Jue lowered his eyes, his tone calm. "Such a valuable item, and he doesn't mind wasting it on you."

"Valuable?" He Yan asked in surprise. "Chu Fourth Young Master said this pomegranate flower is fake jade and isn't worth much. That's why I accepted it."

"Oh," he scoffed, a mocking tone in his voice. "How considerate of him."

"Is it really that valuable?" He Yan grew uneasy. "Then I should return it to him tomorrow." Accepting gifts could lead to complications; it was better to keep financial matters clear to avoid future entanglements.

Xiao Jue said, "Keep it. Don't you like him very much?"

He Yan was shocked. "Do I like him?" How did she not know this herself!

"I didn't want to interfere in your affairs, but I must remind you," the young man's features looked impossibly handsome under the lamplight, his dark, deep eyes carrying an inexplicable chill. "Chu Zilan is Xu Jingfu's favored son-in-law. If you don't want to die, stay away from him."

Xu Pingting was Xu Jingfu's beloved daughter and seemed to like Chu Zilan. Lin Shuanghe had mentioned this to her before, but what did it have to do with her? Not to mention whether she liked Chu Zhao or not—someone as refined and courteous as him would hardly be interested in a woman who sat cross-legged on the bed practicing martial arts.

Xiao Jue was worrying over nothing.

"Commander, I think you're too tense about Chu Fourth Young Master, and it's even affecting your opinion of me," she squeezed next to Xiao Jue and bent down to look at the long scroll in his hands. "It's so late—what are you reading?"

Xiao Jue ignored her, so He Yan stood behind him, craning her neck to see. After a moment, she said, "It's a military defense map! So, have you found any issues?"

"Your tone of voice," Xiao Jue said calmly, "makes it sound as though you're the commander."He Yan immediately withdrew her hand from his shoulder, fetched a stool, and sat beside him. "I'm just too concerned," she said. "Princess Meng Ji's recent efforts to evacuate the citizens of Jiyang City will likely soon be discovered by the Wutuo People. Once they receive the news, they will quickly mobilize their troops." He Yan rubbed her temples in frustration. "But the garrison in Jiyang City is far too small. Since the Wutuo People dare to attack the city, they will bring no fewer than a hundred thousand soldiers."

Twenty thousand against a hundred thousand—and these twenty thousand were city guards who hadn't fought a battle in years. No matter how one looked at it, the situation was far from reassuring.

"Weren't you a female general in your past life?" Xiao Jue leaned back in his chair, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Tell me what to do."

He Yan was taken aback. What was this? She was telling the truth, yet it was being treated as a lie.

"According to the military defense map, they are approaching from the water," He Yan said. "In that case, the only option is... a water attack."

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced at Xiao Jue's expression. The young man's face remained as calm as ever, while the Drinking Sword hanging on the wall gleamed like snow, cold and sharp as ice.

It was strange, really. She and Xiao Jue—one had died in water in her past life, leaving a lingering shadow in her heart, while the other had fought his first battle on water, making water attacks no pleasant memory for him either. Yet here in Jiyang City, they couldn't avoid such a confrontation.

He Yan couldn't help but wonder if she and Xiao Jue had been some kind of fire spirits in their past lives, destined for such a fraught relationship with water.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm going to the training ground to drill the troops," Xiao Jue said. "You're coming with me."

"Me?" He Yan hesitated. "I'd love to, but won't Princess Meng Ji be displeased?"

In name, Xiao Jue was the Right Army Commander of Great Wei, and no one was better suited than him to train and prepare the troops. But He Yan was merely his subordinate.

"Don't worry about her," Xiao Jue replied. "You're coming with me."

...

Night had deepened.

A man sat before a long table in the room, quietly gazing at the flower basket on its surface.

Under the warm glow of the oil lamp, the sugar painting appeared bright red and translucent. The flowers in the basket bloomed lush and abundant, and at the front of the basket, two characters were inscribed: Zi Lan. Neat and beautiful.

A voice, tinged with laughter, seemed to echo in his ears.

"Zhao means 'brightness,' and Zi Lan means 'fragrant grass.' The person who gave you this name must have loved you deeply, hoping you would embody noble character and a bright future. Such an elegant name."

The person who gave him this name must have loved him deeply?

Chu Zhao had never thought so.

His mother was Ye Runmei, the daughter of a minor official in Qin County, renowned for her breathtaking beauty, comparable to a celestial being. In his memory, she was indeed a woman with flawless features—beautiful, charming, pitiable, and carrying an air of innocent, unworldly pride in her delicate demeanor.

Such a beauty was unforgettable at a single glance. Many men in Qin County hoped to marry Ye Runmei, but she had set her heart on the equally handsome and distinguished Shi Jinbo, Chu Linfeng, who had come to Qin County on business.

Even in Shuojing, Chu Linfeng was considered a rare beauty among men. Generous and experienced in the company of women, he knew exactly how to win someone's affection. Before long, Ye Runmei had secretly given her heart to this charming, attentive, and passionate young master Chu.

Not only did she give him her heart, but she also spent a passionate night with him.But Chu Linfeng only had three months left before he had to leave Qin County and return to Shuojing. Before his departure, he told Ye Runmei that he would come back to marry her. At that time, Ye Runmei was completely immersed in the sweet dream of waiting for her beloved to marry her, utterly unaware that apart from knowing Chu Linfeng’s name and that his family lived in Shuojing, she knew nothing else about him.

Once Chu Linfeng left, there was no further news from him.

Not long after his departure, Ye Runmei discovered she was pregnant.

Anxious and terrified, she dared not tell anyone. But as her belly grew day by day, it eventually became impossible to hide. Master Ye was furious and pressed Ye Runmei to reveal who the child’s father was. Ye Runmei herself did not even know the man’s true identity, so how could she explain clearly? She could only weep incessantly.

In the end, Master Ye had no choice but to summon a physician, intending to abort the child in Ye Runmei’s womb. After a year or so, he planned to marry Ye Runmei off, and this matter would be buried forever, never spoken of again.

When Ye Runmei learned of her father’s plan, she fled overnight.

She refused to abort the child—whether out of lingering attachment to Chu Linfeng or for some other reason. In any case, she ran away.

Ye Runmei decided to go to Shuojing to find Chu Linfeng.

How could a woman with a large belly travel such a long distance? But because she was beautiful, she encountered a merchant along the way who offered to help and agreed to take her to Shuojing.

Before reaching Shuojing, Ye Runmei went into labor, and Chu Zhao was born at this time. After Chu Zhao’s birth, Ye Runmei’s miserable days had only just begun.

The merchant was not a kind-hearted man. He was captivated by Ye Runmei’s beauty and wanted her to become his concubine. Ye Runmei resisted to the death, scratching the merchant in the struggle. Enraged, the merchant sold Ye Runmei into a brothel for ten taels of silver.

Chu Zhao was sold along with her because the brothel’s madam believed that since Ye Runmei was so exceptionally beautiful, her son would likely not be unattractive either. If he grew up handsome, he might earn another sum of money in the future. If he turned out plain, he could still serve as a servant without loss.

Thus, Ye Runmei and Chu Zhao began living in the brothel.

The once pampered and sheltered young lady, who for over a decade had known nothing of the world’s cruelty, now encountered all sorts of ugly and malicious people in the brothel. It seemed as if all the smooth sailing of her past was being reclaimed, and Ye Runmei lived a life worse than death. Prolonged torment drastically changed her temperament—she became irritable and volatile. Though she dared not act out in front of patrons, she vented all her resentment on Chu Zhao without restraint, often beating him viciously. If not for the protection of other women in the brothel, Chu Zhao felt he might not have survived long enough to see Chu Linfeng.

Chu Zhao could not understand Ye Runmei’s feelings toward him. If it was not love, why had she left home alone to protect her unborn child, endured hardships in a foreign land, and never given up on him? But if it was love, why did she repeatedly say such hurtful things to him, her eyes and brows filled with hatred?

She would often beat him with a bamboo rod, shouting as she struck, "I hate you! If it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for you, my life wouldn’t be like this! Why did you have to appear? Why don’t you just die!"

After these venomous curses, she would look at the bruises on Chu Zhao’s body, hold him, and weep, "I’m sorry, Mother is sorry, A’Zhao, Zi Lan, don’t blame Mother, Mother cares for you..."The young boy was bewildered; he did not understand love or its absence. He only watched the woman weeping sorrowfully, a faint trace of disgust flickering lightly in his heart.

He wished for such days to end sooner, hoping he could grow up quickly and escape this filthy, despairing place.

He was not the only one who thought this way; Ye Runmei was also seeking an opportunity.

She had never given up on finding Chu Linfeng. While cursing his heartlessness, she still clung to hope for him. She often looked at Chu Zhao as if gazing upon all her hopes. Perhaps the reason she had kept Chu Zhao all those years was so that one day, when she saw Chu Linfeng again, she could stand before him openly and say: This is your son. Then she would recount all the hardships and suffering she had endured over the years. Chu Linfeng would feel sorry for her, just as he had promised her back then, and marry her, making up for all the years he had neglected her and their son.

This was what Ye Runmei believed, which was why she always took the initiative to entertain every guest from Shuojing. With her stunning beauty, she easily became the top courtesan in the brothel. Although she was not in Shuojing, merchants and travelers often came from there. One day, she actually managed to encounter someone who knew Chu Linfeng.

That person was a friend of Chu Linfeng’s. At first, when he heard Ye Runmei recount her bitter past, he merely listened for amusement, occasionally offering a few words of comfort to satisfy his own savior complex. But when he heard that the man’s name was Chu Linfeng, that he was handsome and charming, and also from Shuojing, his expression gradually changed.

Those who knew Chu Linfeng were aware of his fondness for wandering among flowers, especially his weakness for beautiful women. It was not impossible for him to have dallied with a woman from a humble family while traveling. However, what he had done was rather unseemly; he should have at least told her the truth to let her move on, rather than leaving her stranded, waiting bitterly for years, turning it into a twisted fate.

"My poor child... I wonder if he will ever have the chance to meet his father in this lifetime," Ye Runmei sobbed, covering her face.

"There’s a child?" the friend exclaimed in surprise. "May I see him?"

Ye Runmei brought Chu Zhao out.

Chu Zhao’s nose and mouth resembled Ye Runmei’s, but his eyes and brows were an exact copy of Chu Linfeng’s—gentle and affectionate, with a soft, smiling gaze when he looked at people. No one would doubt that this face belonged to Chu Linfeng’s son.

The friend stood up, offered a few perfunctory words, and hurriedly left.

Ye Runmei was utterly disappointed.

Upon returning to Shuojing, the friend’s first act was to visit Chu Linfeng at the residence of Shi Jinbo and ask if he had had a fleeting romance with a beauty in Qin County many years ago. Chu Linfeng thought for a long time before vaguely recalling a faint impression, remembering a particularly delicate and charming woman, though unfortunately, she had been rather foolish, believing everything he said without question.

"That woman is now in a brothel," his friend said. "And she gave birth to a son for you. I’ve seen the child—he looks very much like you, extremely handsome!"

This took Chu Linfeng by surprise.

Madam Chu was plain and unattractive and never concerned herself with his romantic affairs outside, so he enjoyed his freedom, bringing nineteen concubines into the household, each one a stunning beauty. Unfortunately, Madam Chu had only one condition: he could take concubines, but children could only come from her womb.Madam Chu had given birth to three children, and Chu Linfeng, having little interest in the notion that more children bring more blessings, felt that was enough. The only regret was that none of his three sons had inherited his looks; they were all rather plain. He knew his colleagues and friends laughed behind his back—he, who had spent his life obsessed with beauty, yet his offspring were ordinary and dull, lacking charm.

But now someone had come to tell him that he actually had a son left out in the world, and that this son was exceptionally handsome, with features strikingly similar to his own? To him, this was like a pie falling from the sky. Instantly, he was eager to have this child recognized into the family. That way, when others mocked him again for not being able to father good-looking sons, he could shut them up.

However, Chu Linfeng had maintained a respectful and harmonious relationship with his wife for many years. Although Madam Chu appeared dignified and magnanimous, she was not someone to be trifled with. Otherwise, the concubines in the Chu household would not have failed to bear a single son. Helpless, Chu Linfeng had no choice but to seek help from the old madam—his mother.

Although the old madam did not place much importance on illegitimate sons, after all, it was still Chu family blood, and leaving him out in the world was not proper, especially in a place like a brothel. So she personally went to speak with Madam Chu. The old madam and Madam Chu talked in the room for an hour, and when she left the estate, Madam Chu personally ordered someone to go to the brothel in Dazhou to bring back that illegitimate son.

Only, that illegitimate son did not mention Ye Runmei.

In the capital, Shi Jinbo may not have been all-powerful, but he was still a high-ranking official and noble, someone utterly unattainable to the people of Dazhou. When the letter flew from Shuojing to Dazhou, Ye Runmei could hardly believe her eyes.

She knew that Chu Linfeng was no ordinary man—he was so generous, and his demeanor was so different from the men in Qin County—so she had guessed his family background must be decent. But she never imagined he was actually the current Shi Jinbo. Someone she would never have dared to dream of in her lifetime.

It felt as though years of endurance and planning had finally borne sweet fruit at this moment. She hugged Chu Zhao, weeping tears of joy. "Zi Lan, your father has come for us. We can go home now..."

Chu Zhao quietly allowed the woman's excited tears to fall on his neck, his young face showing a detachment beyond his years.

Go home? Who could be sure this wasn't just jumping from one pit of fire into another?

After all, over the years in the brothel, he had seen men who were all greedy and malicious, and women who were all foolish and weak. There was no difference.

But Ye Runmei did not think this way. She spent all her savings on beautiful clothes and jewelry, dressing Chu Zhao like a young master from a wealthy family and adorning herself to look as charming as a flower. She gazed at the woman in the mirror—still beautiful, but her skin was no longer as smooth and delicate as in her youth. The innocence in her eyes had long vanished, and there was no trace of the youthful, radiant charm of the past.

Tears fell from her eyes. The spring scenery remained the same, but the beauty had aged.

And the man who had promised to marry her had yet to arrive.

Ye Runmei thought to herself, since Chu Linfeng was Shi Jinbo, he certainly would not marry her, but taking her as a concubine would be fine too. Her son was also Shi Jinbo's son. She had spent years in the brothel, living at the mercy of others, enduring too much hardship. Being a concubine in an official's household was still nobler than being a prostitute here.She wanted to make herself exceptionally captivating. When she met Chu Linfeng, she would pitifully recount all the hardships she had endured for him over the years and tell him how steadfast her love had been. Ye Runmei thought to herself, rather smugly, that any man in the world would feel a sense of pride upon hearing that a beautiful woman had been infatuated with him. And this pride would make him cherish and dote on her even more, as a testament to his own heroic sentiment.

She would not let this opportunity slip away. She would reclaim Chu Linfeng's favor. Even if she were only a concubine, she would be the one who captivated him the most among all his concubines.

But Ye Runmei never expected that Chu Linfeng would not come.

Instead, two matrons arrived, accompanied by a group of maidservants. They looked down at Ye Runmei with unconcealed contempt in their eyes, as if even glancing at her would taint them.

The leading matron asked, "Where is Master Chu?"

Ye Runmei felt humiliated and wanted to lash out, but in the end, she forced a humble smile. "He's... in the next room changing his clothes." She had instructed Chu Zhao in advance to wear the jade hairpin, hoping he would appear refined and endearing.

"Perfect," the matron said, lowering her eyes with a cold, insincere smile.

A flicker of unease passed through Ye Runmei's heart. She asked, "What do you intend to do?"

One matron grabbed her hands and pulled them behind her back, while another maidservant covered her mouth with a handkerchief. Ye Runmei's eyes widened as she realized what they were about to do to her. She struggled desperately, her voice filled with shock and fury. "How dare you... How dare you! Aren't you afraid Master Chu will find out? He will kill you!"

The matron looked at her coldly, her smile chilling to the bone. "Such a significant matter—how could we servants dare to decide without the master's permission? Miss Mei—" she called Ye Runmei by her name from the brothel—"do you think our Shi Jinbo's household would ever accept a prostitute who has been ridden by thousands and slept with tens of thousands? Do you want people to laugh at the master, or at your son?"

Ye Runmei struggled with all her might, but she was slender and delicate, no match for her captors. Gradually, her strength faded.

"Removing the mother and keeping the child is already a mercy granted to you."

Ye Runmei's legs gradually stopped kicking, and she fell stiffly to the ground, her eyes wide open.

She had waited for her husband her entire life, joyfully believing she had finally overcome her hardships, only to meet her death instead.

Chu Zhao adjusted the hairpin on his head and examined himself in the mirror for a long time before walking with measured steps to his mother's room. He intended to knock, but as he reached out his hand, he hesitated. Instead, he gently pushed the door open a crack, hoping to catch a glimpse of what his "father" looked like.

Then he saw two matrons dragging Ye Runmei as if she were a dead pig. They hung a white silk ribbon from the beam, looped it around Ye Runmei's neck, and tightened it. Ye Runmei's face was turned toward the door, her eyes meeting his.

Adorned with pearls and emeralds, dressed in snow-white silk and rouge, she descended to the Yellow Springs with bitter resentment, her eyes refusing to close even in death.

He staggered back, covering his mouth to stifle a scream.

The people in the room were still talking.

"Pretty as she was, how could she be so foolish as to think she could enter the household? Did she ever consider which noble family would accept a woman from a brothel as a concubine?"

"She came from a humble background, after all. She didn't understand what 'removing the mother and keeping the child' meant. If she had stayed quietly in Qin County back then, she might have at least kept her life."

"Tsk, it was all greed."Chu Zhao slowly backed away, step by step, until he was far enough from that door, then suddenly broke into a frantic run. He dashed into what seemed like someone’s house, slammed the door shut, clenched his teeth tightly, and silently let tears stream down his face.

A woman’s voice seemed to fall beside his ear, carrying a rare tenderness.

“Clad in splendid robes like blooming flowers, radiant and boundless. From now on, you shall be called Ah Zhao. One day, our Ah Zhao will also dress in magnificent garments, bright and dazzling, with endless brilliance.”

“As for your courtesy name, let it be Zi Lan. The orchid sways gracefully, its fragrance wafting far and wide. Your mother… always loved orchids the most in the past.”

He replied naively and eagerly, “In the future, Ah Zhao will buy Mother many, many orchids.”

The woman’s laughter gradually faded into the distance, and his gaze fell upon the flower basket before him.

The stove emitted a faint warmth. Chu Zhao paused for a moment before tossing the flower basket on the table into the fire. The flames licked at the basket, and in no time, syrup flowed everywhere, giving off a burnt, cloying sweetness.

He walked away expressionlessly.

(End of Chapter)