Xie Yanlai looked down at the figure rushing through the flames and chaos, drawing closer and closer—
She was petite, her robes fluttering as she lifted her head amidst the interplay of light and shadow.
The city gate towered high, the torches already extinguished, but Chu Zhao recognized the young figure standing atop the battlement at a single glance.
"A Jiu!" she cried out joyfully. "It really is you!"
Without hesitation, she lowered the shield in her hand, spurred her horse, and galloped toward him.
Xie Yanlai stood motionless, his crossbow in hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced sideways and noticed the imperial guards on either side watching him with peculiar expressions.
"Yan Lai," one guard whispered, "do we... still show no mercy?"
She was already within range—why wasn’t he taking action?
Hadn’t it been declared earlier that no one would be spared, not even Young Master Xie the Third?
What a mess! Xie Yanlai gritted his teeth in frustration, watching the girl arrive beneath the city gate.
"Chu—" he began to shout, then lowered his voice. "What are you doing here?!"
But lowering his voice felt wrong—the gate was high, and Chu Zhao wouldn’t hear him, while others nearby might.
He glanced around again and, sure enough, saw the imperial guards staring at him. His tone had clearly betrayed familiarity—
"Yan Lai," one guard asked, "is she family?"
Xie Yanlai raised his crossbow and barked sharply, "Halt! Take another step forward, and you will be shown no mercy!"
Chu Zhao seemed not to understand his words. Reining in her horse beneath the gate, she looked up at the youth on the battlement and waved. "A Jiu, A Jiu, it’s me, Chu Zhao! Open the gate quickly—"
This foolish girl, announcing herself like that—as if he didn’t recognize her! Was he blind?
Though many of the guards didn’t recognize her face, most knew the name "Chu Zhao"—the girl who had thrown herself in front of Xie Yanlai in the streets to shield him from a whip, the one rumored throughout the capital to be his devoted, inseparable love.
"Chu Zhao?"
"Yan Lai, it’s Miss Chu."
"Your fiancée—"
The guards murmured among themselves.
So what if they knew her? What was that last part? Xie Yanlai snapped at the guard, "What nonsense are you spouting?!"
The guard shrank back. Fine, perhaps they weren’t formally engaged yet.
But if she was his intended, her arrival here made some sense.
"Yan Lai, Miss Chu must be here for you."
The outside was too dangerous. A girl rushing straight to her beloved, worried for his safety, seeking solace only by his side—ah, the guards’ thoughts drifted to their own families and loved ones.
Xie Yanlai’s voice cut through their reverie: "This is the Imperial City, a restricted area. Leave at once!"
His shout jolted the dazed guards back to reality. They stared at him—was he serious? Even if it was family or a loved one...
Wake up! She wasn’t here for him. Xie Yanlai gripped his crossbow, his body tense, the bowstring drawn taut, the arrow gleaming coldly.
Chu Zhao gazed at the icy glint of the arrow in the youth’s hand and smiled. "A Jiu, I need to enter the Imperial City."
She wanted to enter the Imperial City!
So that was her purpose.
Xie Yanlai looked down at the girl beneath the gate. He had known many would come to this Imperial City, but he never expected her to be the first.
His gaze shifted to the surroundings behind her.The battle at the arrow tower continued, the breach torn open growing wider as more people surged in. They fanned out behind the girl like the iron wings of a mighty eagle.
Chu Zhao, daughter of Chu Ling.
He scoffed, then chuckled softly.
None of them—neither ruler nor subject, father nor son, brother nor brother—had ever imagined Chu Zhao would emerge from the shadows.
This was truly going to be a spectacle.
Except, he too was part of this drama—
"Chu Zhao." Xie Yanlai lowered his crossbow, aiming it squarely at the girl on horseback, right between her brows. "No entry into the palace without summons. No entry into the city bearing arms. Withdraw."
He spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.
"Or face execution without mercy."
He really would kill her. The imperial guards stared at the youth atop the battlement.
He really would kill her. Chu Zhao looked at the youth, remembering how he had truly meant to kill back then by the river.
But back then, there was nothing to blame him for—he had to survive; he had no other choice.
Now, however, she was here.
"A Jiu." Chu Zhao met the glint of the arrowhead and called out to the youth on the city wall. "It's not that I wish to see His Majesty—it's the Little Highness."
She gently nudged the child leaning against her and drew back the enveloping cloak.
"I've brought the Little Highness."
The Little Highness?! The imperial guards were stunned. The Third Prince had yet to marry; only the Crown Prince had a son who could be called the Little Highness—the imperial grandson!
The imperial grandson was still alive!
The guards couldn't help but rise, straining to get a better look—
Xie Yanlai shouted at them, "Be wary of deception!"
Below the city gate, aside from the girl, there were indeed many fearsome individuals. They wore no military uniforms nor armor, but the blades, swords, and crossbows in their hands were terrifying.
"A Jiu." Chu Zhao called again. "I'm not lying. Come and see for yourself."
Xie Yanlai looked down at the girl, then abruptly sheathed his crossbow, turned, and leaped down from the battlement, striding purposefully toward the city gate.
"Hey, Yan Lai—"
The guards were startled and hurriedly called after him.
Xie Yanlai glanced back at them. "I'm going to see for myself."
He was going to see for himself? Just moments ago, he had warned them to be cautious, forbidding them from leaning over the wall, and now he intended to open the city gate and walk out to investigate? Wasn't that dangerous?
The guards wore complicated expressions.
"One must take risks to know whether there is danger or not," Xie Yanlai said. He took a few steps, then paused to look at them. "You guard the gate well. If these people harbor ill intent, fight—fight with all you have, and then... let it be."
He didn't say "fight to the death to hold the gate."
It couldn't be held anymore.
There was no point.
If he died, so be it. The others would have done their duty to the best of their ability. Whichever side ultimately prevailed, they could at least keep their lives.
Xie Yanlai strode away and vanished from the guards' sight.
They all understood the meaning behind his words.
"That kid!" one guard gritted his teeth and shouted. "We agreed to defend the city together."
He then looked around at the others.
"You stay on alert. I'm going to see as well."
With that, he hurried down toward the city gate.
Behind him, the guards erupted into commotion.
"Why should I stay on alert? I'm going too."
"No disorder! Everyone to your posts. You few, come with me. The rest, stay alert."
……
……
By the time Xie Yanlai reached the city gate, a crowd had noisily followed behind him.
He frowned and glanced back, about to say something, but ultimately remained silent. The others said nothing either.
The gate bolt was quickly removed, and the heavy city gate was pulled open just a crack. Xie Yanlai stepped out first, the others close on his heels, and the gate slammed shut behind them instantly."A Jiu." Chu Zhao urged his horse forward. On horseback, he didn't have to look up at him anymore, and said cheerfully, "So you're here tonight. I thought you were outside the city or at home."
Xie Yanlai frowned. What pointless chatter—this wasn't a social visit.
"I didn't expect you to come here either," he replied.
Chu Zhao said no more, as this wasn't the place for idle talk either. He showed him the child in front of him: "A Jiu, look, this is Little Highness."
Xie Yanlai looked over. In the torchlight, he could see a child turning toward him with Chu Zhao's movement.
The child's face was pale, with delicate, sharp features.
Little Highness had always been raised deep within the palace, rarely appearing outside. On the rare occasions he did venture out, he traveled by carriage. As an outer Imperial City guard, Xie Yanlai had never seen Little Highness's true appearance.
"You're his uncle," Chu Zhao said with a laugh, his gaze shifting between Xie Yanlai and the child's face.
Uncle. He was surnamed Xie, but within the Xie family, only one person could be addressed as "uncle" by Little Highness. He, bearing the Xie surname, had never been qualified to meet Little Highness.
Yet he recognized at a glance—this child also bore the distinctive features of the Xie family.
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