Torches illuminated the path beneath their feet, while the imperial guards cast shadows like bronze walls around them.
Chu Zhao held Xiao Yu's hand as they followed Deng Yi through the inner palace.
"Lord Deng, you must have heard about the situation outside?" Chu Zhao asked softly.
Deng Yi replied, "I've surmised as much."
"Encountering Little Highness was entirely unexpected for me," Chu Zhao said. "I never imagined—"
Deng Yi raised a finger to his lips in a gentle shushing motion, cutting her off.
"Miss Chu, save your words for when we see His Majesty," he said.
It seemed attempting to build rapport with Deng Yi through further conversation was futile. Chu Zhao observed the man walking ahead—no longer the travel-worn minor official who had appeared at the relay station.
Grand Tutor, the very Grand Tutor who dared strike the Emperor's face. Chu Zhao pursed her lips, but as soon as she did, she noticed the Grand Tutor glancing back. She quickly curved her lips into a smile.
Deng Yi naturally noticed the girl's subtle expression shift. "Miss Chu, smiling might not be appropriate at this moment," he remarked.
Chu Zhao responded sheepishly, "You're right to admonish me, my lord."
Deng Yi didn't press the girl further, withdrawing his gaze to look ahead.
Admitting her into the palace was rather amusing in itself, he thought.
They proceeded in silence until reaching a palace building noticeably brighter than its surroundings.
Imperial guards stood like a forest at the entrance, with clusters of eunuchs forming an impenetrable ring around the structure.
Without slowing his pace or seeking permission, Deng Yi walked forward steadily. Guards and eunuchs respectfully cleared a path wherever he passed.
Chu Zhao followed closely behind him, still holding Xiao Yu's hand. Not a single guard questioned or stopped them. The eunuchs showed astonishment upon recognizing Xiao Yu—
Naturally, all eunuchs here would recognize the imperial grandson.
By protocol, the eunuchs should have been excited to see the imperial grandson, especially under current circumstances. Yet they only registered shock, with no one crying out or surging forward.
The Grand Tutor truly is formidable, Chu Zhao thought, tightening her grip. The small hand in hers twitched, prompting her to immediately loosen her hold. She looked down at Xiao Yu with reassuring eyes, meeting the child's upward gaze.
Deng Yi entered the hall first, then turned to look at the two children—one tall, one small. Without consulting the chamber's occupant, he made the decision himself: "Come in."
Chu Zhao suddenly felt nervous. Was the Emperor still in the hall? Alive or dead?
Without hesitation, she stepped inside with Xiao Yu's hand in hers.
The hall blazed with light, immediately revealing an elderly man reclining on the Dragon Body, reading from a scroll. Dressed in the Dragon Robe and jade crown, he carried himself with both leisurely elegance and imperial dignity.
Chu Zhao felt surprised.
In her previous life, she had certainly seen the Emperor—lying sickly in bed when she paid respects after entering the palace with Xiao Xun, his face ashen, his gaze terrifying when he heard her name. She had lowered her head, not daring to look further.
The next time she saw him was after his passing—a lifeless corpse on the Dragon Body. Even adorned in the magnificent Dragon Robe, it couldn't conceal his withering state.
This time, the Emperor appeared so vibrant.
Deng Yi also showed surprise upon seeing the Emperor, casting a questioning look toward the eunuchs nearby.
Your Majesty, why are you dressed so formally?
The eunuchs responded with helpless expressions—His Majesty insisted on it.
His Majesty insisted? Why would he prepare as if receiving guests—
Did His Majesty know guests were coming?
Deng Yi's gaze returned to the entrance. Guests? He looked at the two figures still standing in the doorway.
"Who's there?" the Emperor asked, as if just noticing someone's arrival, yet sounding unconcerned as he continued reading without looking up, his voice calm.Deng Yi withdrew his gaze and bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, it is Chu Ling's daughter who has escorted the Crown Prince's son back to the palace."
He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but from the corner of his eye he saw the Emperor's figure stiffen, as if about to sit up straight, but the next moment he slumped weakly back into his seat.
"Chu Ling's daughter..." the Emperor said slowly, putting down the book in his hand and lifting his head to look toward the doorway. He seemed unable to see clearly, yet appeared to be staring intently.
Deng Yi turned to look at the doorway. "Chu Zhao, come forward and pay respects to His Majesty."
Chu Zhao acknowledged the command and, holding Xiao Yu's hand, stepped forward before kneeling down. "Chu Zhao, daughter of Garrison General Chu Ling of Yunzhong Commandery, pays respects to Your Majesty."
As she bowed with her forehead touching the floor, Chu Zhao could feel the Dragon Body's gaze upon her, but there was no immediate response. The Emperor seemed to have looked at her for a long time, thought for a long time, before finally remembering something—
"Garrison General, Chu Ling." He spoke slowly, his voice detached. "Rise."
Chu Zhao kowtowed in gratitude for the imperial grace before standing up.
That the Emperor still remembered her father could be inferred from Qi Gonggong's earlier words—after all, the Dragon Guard Army had never been disbanded and was still maintained as before.
Yet he also seemed genuinely displeased with her father, displaying such indifference.
Deng Yi kept his eyes lowered nearby. Had the Emperor truly forgotten Chu Ling? Did he dislike Chu Ling?
No. He slightly raised his gaze to look at the child standing beside Chu Zhao.
The Emperor remembered Chu Ling, and was so excited to see him again—even if only through his daughter—that he had washed, changed clothes, and dressed up for the occasion. So excited that he had overlooked the Crown Prince's son standing right before him.
The Crown Prince's son stood quietly beside Chu Zhao, not rushing forward with the excitement of having survived a disaster.
After experiencing the nightmares of this night, the child had probably lost his wits—after all, he was only six years old, a pampered son of heaven raised deep within the palace.
Deng Yi said, "Your Majesty, Miss Chu has escorted the Crown Prince's son, the Little Highness, here."
The Emperor made an acknowledging sound and finally looked at the child beside Chu Zhao, extending his hand. "A Yu—"
Xiao Yu remained standing still, staring blankly at the Emperor as if he hadn't heard.
Chu Zhao gently pushed him. "A Yu, it's His Majesty. You're safe now."
Hearing her words, the dazed child finally rushed toward the Emperor on the Dragon Body, burying himself in the Emperor's embrace and sobbing, "Grandfather—"
The Emperor stroked the child's head. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Your grandfather is here."
Deng Yi glanced at Chu Zhao, who noticed and understood that this likely meant she could now speak and recount events.
"Your Majesty, Qi Gonggong brought the Little Highness back to the capital in time and came to my home for refuge," Chu Zhao said. "Coincidentally, my father had sent his deputy general Zhong Changrong back to the capital. During the chaos, he mobilized the Dragon Guard Army to escort the Little Highness into the palace."
The Emperor gently patted the child in his arms while looking at the girl standing before him. He seemed both distracted and intensely focused. After hearing her words, he chuckled.
"The Dragon Guard Army," he said. "I had almost forgotten about it. Your father actually still remembers."
Chu Zhao replied, "My father never mentioned the Dragon Guard Army to me."
Never mentioning it didn't mean he had forgotten—in fact, it could mean he kept it constantly in mind.
"When Uncle Zhong spoke of it, I was quite startled. I had always thought my father was nobody special in the Border Commandery. I never expected he had received such an important commission from Your Majesty."
These were Chu Zhao's sincere words. She hadn't known in her previous life, and had only just learned in this current one.
The Emperor let out a hearty laugh, his hand still patting the child in his arms, though Xiao Yu had already stopped crying.The Emperor smiled, his voice icy cold: "General Chu is unparalleled in both literary and military arts. Now, thanks to him, I have been able to protect the imperial grandson."
By all reasoning, such words from an emperor carried grave implications, yet strangely, Chu Zhao felt no fear at all. She lifted her head.
"Your Majesty," she couldn't help saying, "please don't be angry."
The Emperor froze, as if seeing that military commander standing before him again—enduring his outburst and scolding in silence, neither defending himself nor showing fear, only lifting his head afterward to say, "Your Majesty, don't be angry."
Don't be angry, don't be angry—it infuriated him to death!
Before, it was the military commander who angered him; now his daughter had come to take his place!
The Emperor meant to stand and rebuke the girl, but as he moved, a surge of blood rushed upward, a sweet iron taste filled his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Your Majesty!"
Chu Zhao, startled, rushed over.
Xiao Yu, who had been nestled in the Emperor's embrace, also rose.
Only Deng Yi showed no surprise. This was more like it—how could His Majesty have been so spirited? He had already been poisoned and could hold on no longer.
OpenNovel