Qiao Chu

"They came to me because of my father."

In the thick night on the street with blazing torches, after Qi Gonggong finished explaining the situation, Chu Zhao added a remark from the side.

Zhong Changrong was utterly stunned. Though he had been in the city and gathered fragments of information from the chaos, knowing that the Third Prince and the Crown Prince had clashed, the closed city gates had blocked further news. He never imagined the Crown Prince had actually died.

"Uncle Zhong, the Imperial City has also been surrounded. Qi Gonggong trusts Father, so they came here to take refuge," Chu Zhao continued. "But this place has also been targeted, which is why I brought them to escape."

As for the specifics—Chu Lan's murderous intent, Xiao Xun's visit, and other details—now was not the time to discuss them.

Zhong Changrong pushed aside his chaotic thoughts and refrained from asking further. For now, he needed to focus on nothing else but the child seated before Chu Zhao.

"I pledge my life to protect the Little Highness," he declared solemnly.

Qi Gonggong said, "Seeing Miss Chu and now you, I feel at ease."

Someone snorted nearby.

The three turned to look and saw it was the girl. Earlier, while they were speaking, she had been standing to the side, craning her neck, but neither Chu Zhao nor Zhong Changrong had asked her to leave, and Qi Gonggong certainly wouldn't—after all, this girl had appeared out of nowhere and saved them all.

She had listened intently to the entire conversation, twisting her neck and pricking up her ears.

Talk of the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, death, killing, or survival hadn't elicited any reaction from her—it was as if she were merely enjoying the drama. It wasn't until Zhong Changrong voiced his resolve that she spoke up.

"Protect what?" she sneered. "The city is swarming with soldiers and horses. Whoever they belong to, one thing is certain—most of them are against you. How do you plan to protect anyone? With just these few men of yours?"

She lifted her chin, glancing at the men behind Zhong Changrong. He had brought over a dozen men to the capital, but only four had followed him into the city.

Zhong Changrong's face darkened, the scar on his face twisting menacingly as he glared at the girl.

Xiao Man wasn't intimidated. "Don't count on us. We don't have many people either. Besides, we're only here for—"

At this point, she glanced at Chu Zhao and left the rest unsaid.

Chu Zhao looked at the girl with partial understanding, but Zhong Changrong grasped her meaning clearly. She didn't care about the life or death of the Crown Prince or the Little Highness; she was only here to protect Chu Zhao. Only Chu Zhao's safety would drive them to risk their lives. These rebels—

Zhong Changrong gritted his teeth, swallowing the words on the tip of his tongue.

Losing his temper with them now was pointless. Even with their help, they were still short-handed. The clash between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince had unleashed forces that had been building up for who knew how long, erupting with overwhelming ferocity and determination.

Their only option for now was to hide. The capital was vast, and with their current numbers, evading capture should be feasible.

But Chu Zhao had said the Little Highness was already targeted. Those people had surrounded the Chu residence, and now that they had been eliminated, the news would spread quickly. Their pursuers wouldn't give up—

Zhong Changrong gripped his sword, the scar on his face twitching, his mind in turmoil. If only the General were here—he wouldn't be as clueless as I am, unsure what to do—

"Deputy General Zhong," Qi Gonggong said softly beside him. "We have manpower."

Deputy General Zhong was taken aback. Chu Zhao and Xiao Man both turned to look at him.

Manpower? What manpower did they have left? If they had had manpower earlier, they wouldn't have been in such dire straits.Qi Gonggong glanced at Chu Zhao. "Miss Chu probably doesn't know why I brought Little Highness to the Chu residence." He then turned to Zhong Changrong. "Deputy General Zhong should know why."

Why? Chu Zhao was slightly taken aback. Wasn't it because of trust in her father? She also looked at Zhong Changrong.

Zhong Changrong's face changed, showing an expression of disbelief mixed with sorrow, his demeanor quite peculiar. His body even trembled slightly.

Qi Gonggong looked at him and said softly, "His Majesty has always kept it, never abandoned it."

Zhong Changrong grew even more agitated, unable to speak. He only pressed his hand against his waist, as if grasping something but hesitating to take it out.

"Deputy General Zhong." Qi Gonggong looked at him and nodded. "Please summon General Chu to protect His Majesty and defend Great Xia."

Summon General Chu?

Chu Zhao seemed to understand something, yet not fully.

Zhong Changrong remained silent, taking a flare from his waist. He lit it with a match and raised it high.

The flare wasn't heavy, but Zhong Changrong held it as if using all his strength.

With a sharp crack, the firework exploded in the night sky, bursting into brilliant colors that outlined a blazing flame.

At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to be burning, eerie yet dazzling.

"A long time ago, His Majesty and General Chu conceived an idea. They secretly formed a force that belonged only to the two of them."

"This force had a complete structure—scouts, spies, vanguards, messengers, and more. Members were selected from various places but remained in their original positions, merely adding another identity to their existing ones. This identity was the Dragon Guard Army."

Under the blazing light, Chu Zhao looked up at the night sky, listening to Qi Gonggong's gentle narration.

"In critical moments, they held the authority to act first and report later."

"They carried Dragon Guard tokens, allowing them free passage to the Imperial City to see the Emperor."Chu Ling, on the surface the Garrison General, was actually the leader of the Dragon Guard Army.""

So that's how it was—Chu Zhao clenched her hand. No wonder, no wonder Xiao Xun had made her the Empress in that previous life.

Zhong Changrong looked up at the night sky. He hadn't seen the Dragon Guard Flame Signal in many years.

His voice hoarse, he said, "After that incident, although His Majesty cut off contact with the General, the General continued to manage and train the Dragon Guard Army as before, only never using the Dragon Guard Signal again."

That incident—Chu Zhao did know about it. It was when her father and the Emperor had a dispute over bandit suppression, and her father's words angered the Emperor, leading to his dismissal afterward.

Qi Gonggong also gazed at the night sky. He was in the deep palace, while the Dragon Guard Army mainly fought in the Border Commandery. This was his first time seeing the Dragon Guard Flame Signal.

When the Flame Signal was first created, Chu Ling described it to His Majesty. The Emperor said it sounded beautiful but lamented that he, sitting deep in the palace, would never see it. Chu Ling replied, "Then I will come to the capital to show Your Majesty." The Emperor scolded him angrily, "If you use the Flame Signal in the capital, it means I'm in trouble and need your rescue." Chu Ling, unafraid of the Emperor's anger, laughed and said, "Then I wish Your Majesty never sees the Flame Signal in your lifetime."

Thinking of this, Qi Gonggong's eyes reddened, his nose tingling with emotion. A lifetime is so long—who would have thought His Majesty would indeed see the Flame Signal in the capital?

Aside from the times when Chu Ling used the Dragon Guard Army to gather evidence against those who plotted against him, he never again deployed the capital's Dragon Guard Army. The Dragon Guard Army, like Chu Ling himself, had been sealed away."But the troops of General Chu in the capital have always been maintained according to the regulations established by General Chu himself," he choked out. "The reason I brought Little Highness into the city and hid in the Chu residence was because they are the only trustworthy and reliable force left in this entire city."

But in that lifetime, Qi Gonggong and Little Highness never received that reliability—due to his own ignorance, Chu Lan's greed, and Xiao Xun's preemptive move. Chu Zhao lowered his gaze.

Zhong Changrong said nothing more, signaling to the four men behind him. The four each took out smoke flares and lit them.

Flames bloomed one after another in the sky, setting half the heavens ablaze.

Chu Zhao gazed into the dark night, where countless shadows converged from all directions beneath the blossoming flames.