Xie Yanlai stood before the palace hall of the inner court, about to request the imperial guards to announce him, when several eunuchs spotted him and eagerly hurried over to greet him.
"Ninth Young Master is here," they said. "Please come in, please come in."
Surrounded by them, Xie Yanlai entered the brightly lit hall and immediately saw Chu Zhao sitting at a table sharing a late-night meal with Xiao Yu.
Noticing Xie Yanlai, Chu Zhao smiled and said, "A Jiu is here."
Xiao Yu also looked over and called out, "Uncle."
Xie Yanlai bowed in salute. "Your Highness."
"Have you eaten?" Chu Zhao asked, gesturing to the side. "Sit down and join us for supper."
Xiao Yu nodded along. "Uncle, eat with us."
Xie Yanlai looked at Chu Zhao and said, "This general has been ensuring the capital's security outside and has had timely meals. Little Highness need not worry."
Xiao Yu, still a child, understood that Xie Yanlai had declined but didn't quite grasp why, so he also looked at Chu Zhao.
Chu Zhao understood—Xie Yanlai was subtly rebuking her. Did she summon him just for trivial matters like eating and drinking?
"Young Master Xie," she said, "I called you here because A Yu and I have something to tell you."
Xie Yanlai responded with an "Oh." "Little Highness, please give your orders."
Chu Zhao glanced around. "All of you, withdraw."
The eunuchs and palace maids acknowledged in unison and flowed out like water, leaving only the three of them in the hall.
Chu Zhao said, "This matter must remain confidential for now. Very few know about it."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the young man opposite her raise his phoenix-like eyes and take a step back, his expression clearly indicating he thought this couldn't be anything good—
She couldn't hold back a soft laugh.
Xie Yanlai watched her without speaking. Since entering, he had repeatedly addressed her as "Little Highness," sounding respectful, but his demeanor and posture remained exactly as before in her presence—not the slightest bit deferential.
Chu Zhao suppressed her smile, glanced at Xiao Yu, then looked back at Xie Yanlai, her expression turning serious. "His Majesty is going to bestow a marriage between me and Little Highness—"
Xie Yanlai had thought that encountering Chu Zhao at the city gate was the greatest surprise of his life, but he hadn't expected that just a day and night later, he would hear something even more unbelievable.
"Chu Zhao, you—!" he blurted out without thinking.
What kind of nonsense is this!
He looked at Xiao Yu—this child was only six years old!
Xiao Yu stood up, his expression earnest. "Uncle, it's true. Grandfather wants Sister Chu to marry me."
"What does a child like you understand?" Xie Yanlai said irritably, pointing at Chu Zhao. "You, come here."
He turned and walked a few steps to the side.
Chu Zhao whispered reassuringly to Xiao Yu, "Your uncle is shocked. Let me talk to him slowly." She then placed a bowl of rice in front of Xiao Yu. "You eat first."
Xiao Yu nodded. Although he didn't fully understand marriage or imperial decrees, he knew that this way, Sister Chu would stay with him forever. He had nothing to fear.
Xiao Yu lowered his head and began eating heartily.
...
...
Xie Yanlai stopped behind a pillar, watching the girl as she followed him.
"Chu Zhao," he said through gritted teeth, "do you have any idea how absurd this is? He's only six!"
Chu Zhao even stretched out her hand, counting on her fingers. "I'm seven years older than Little Highness." She touched her face. "In ten years, when A Yu has grown up, in the prime of his youth, I'll be older and my looks faded—"
She looked at Xie Yanlai, her eyes sparkling.
"So, A Jiu, are you worried about me?"
Xie Yanlai somewhat regretted not sitting down to have a sip of tea earlier—otherwise, he could have spat it right in this wretched girl's face.
Now, he could only point a finger at Chu Zhao and jab it in her direction."Stop your glib talk with me." He gritted his teeth and spoke in a low voice, taking a deep breath to avoid being drawn into the girl's nonsense. "Is it because of those troops? So His Majesty wants to arrange a marriage?"
The young man's gaze deepened.
Having led these troops to guard the Imperial City gates all night, clearing out rebels within the city, and finally stationing them at the four main gates of the capital, he already knew very well that these soldiers didn't belong to the Imperial Guard or the Capital Garrison.
Who would have thought there was such a force hidden within the capital, taking orders from Chu Ling who had long disappeared from the capital while stationed in the Border Commandery.
If they had known earlier, neither the Crown Prince nor the Third Prince would have dared to act rashly, or rather, both would have competed to control this force first.
So now, the Emperor's sudden arrangement of marriage between Little Highness and Chu Zhao must also be because of these troops.
A Jiu was always so perceptive. Chu Zhao looked at him and smiled: "Those are His Majesty's troops."
Xie Yanlai snorted disdainfully, raising an eyebrow: "But these troops are under your father's control."
Chu Zhao nodded: "That's true. Actually, I didn't even know about this." At this point, her eyes sparkled as she took another step closer to Xie Yanlai. "It was only when Qi Gonggong and Uncle Zhong met last night that I learned my father commands a special force that only he and His Majesty control. These troops are stationed in the Border Commandery, the capital, hidden everywhere, obeying my father's commands."
Although they had briefly met earlier, this was the first time since last night they had a chance to talk properly. Chu Zhao poured out everything to Xie Yanlai in one breath.
"Because of my father's special position, Qi Gonggong brought Little Highness to our home. Although the Crown Prince of Zhongshan didn't know my father controlled troops, he suspected my father had an unusual status and was watching our household. After discovering Little Highness's whereabouts, he even tried to persuade my uncle to kill Little Highness."
Hearing this, Xie Yanlai instinctively glanced around. Chu Zhao definitely hadn't told anyone else about this. Chu Lan was her uncle, yet he had conspired with Prince Zhongshan and even contemplated murder. Even though Chu Zhao had saved Little Highness, the Chu family couldn't avoid criticism.
This was a very troublesome matter that must never be known to outsiders.
But then he frowned again - if she wasn't telling others, she shouldn't tell him either! He didn't want to know! What did it have to do with him!
"Enough, stop talking." He raised his hand to stop her, looking at Chu Zhao. "Since you know these are His Majesty's troops, you should also understand that His Majesty is acting out of necessity. Matters of necessity are never good things. You'd better not bring trouble upon yourself."
He slightly turned, looking past the corridor pillar at the child eating voraciously at the table.
"Becoming the Crown Princess to a six-year-old Crown Prince - what will the world think?"
The common people would consider it absurd, while court officials would see it as power manipulation.
"Do you think this is some glorious matter?"
Of course it wasn't glorious. Never mind a child - even in these times of princes killing each other and national turmoil, becoming an adult Crown Princess wouldn't earn her favorable opinions from the world. Back then she had been foolish, unaware, and no one had warned her like this - She looked at Xie Yanlai and smiled: "Thank you for worrying about me."
Was this damn girl hard of hearing? Who was worrying about her? Xie Yanlai frowned: "I'm worrying about myself."
Chu Zhao chuckled: "So you won't have me calling you uncle?"
Xie Yanlai stared coldly at her.Chu Zhao wasn't afraid of his cold expression—what was there to fear? She had already witnessed him raising a blade to kill her. She cleared her throat lightly and said, "Xie Yanlai, it wasn't His Majesty who insisted on bestowing this marriage upon me."
She lifted her gaze to the young man before her.
"It was I who coerced His Majesty into granting me this marriage."
Xie Yanlai froze in astonishment—truly unexpected? Yet not entirely surprising.
He looked at the girl before him as if seeing A Fu, the pitiful young girl he had encountered at the relay station, who turned out to be the mastermind behind the scenes.
"Because of those troops?" he asked.
It was the same question as before, but now, spoken again, its meaning had shifted.
Chu Zhao replied softly, "Yes, and no. As I've said, these are His Majesty's troops. If His Majesty were gone, they would cease to exist. To control them, His Majesty must remain. Therefore, the Little Highness must succeed to the throne."
For the imperial grandson to inherit the throne was neither strange nor unexpected—it should be a matter of course.
Xie Yanlai looked at Chu Zhao without speaking; he understood her meaning.
Chu Zhao met his gaze. "For the Little Highness to secure this position firmly, and for my father and me to retreat unscathed, I must become the Crown Princess."
Xie Yanlai chuckled, took a step back, and saluted her with a raised hand. "Miss Chu, your foresight is thorough, your courage and strategy admirable. I apologize for my undue concern."
This was yet another display of his vexation, cloaked in such politeness. Chu Zhao pursed her lips into a smile and watched him. "His Majesty will soon announce this matter, but I wanted to tell you first, so as not to startle you."
Xie Yanlai scoffed. "What does this have to do with me? Why should I be startled? Miss Chu, you overthink."
Chu Zhao said, "I'm not overthinking. I simply wanted to tell you."
The girl looked at him, her eyes large and bright, her expression earnest.
Xie Yanlai took another step back.
That word "wanted" was strangely unsettling.
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