Qiao Chu

Zhang Gu felt a ringing in his ears, unsure whether it was from the earlier shouting of the crowd or the suffocating tension of being surrounded.

Miss Chu?

Since when did they have a young lady here?

He looked at the girl on horseback. Perhaps because of the address "Miss," the rustic girl A Fu seemed to carry herself differently now.

The girl held the reins, clad in a tattered cotton robe. Her previously unruly hair, washed clean after her earlier dip in the water, now hung dark and smooth. Though her face was still somewhat dusty, she held her head high, revealing a pair of eyes so black and bright they seemed to sparkle. Surrounded by the guards and soldiers, she stood out like a lotus emerging from water, graceful and elegant.

"You've mistaken me for someone else," she said.

A Jiu, standing nearby with an uncertain expression, couldn't help but purse his lips at her words, as if suppressing a laugh.

She really dares to spin any tale, he thought. She's testing her luck with fools—if one falls for it, good; if not, no harm done.

Xiao Xun, dressed in a white robe tied with a blue sash, urged his horse forward and said with a smile, "The Station Chief of Beicao Town and the courtesan Li Niang have both identified you. Moreover, your portrait has already been sent to the prince's residence. If you wait a little longer, you'll see it for yourself."

They've uncovered everything so quickly? Uncle is selfish and cold-hearted, but he's also foolish—he couldn't have managed this. It must be the Liang family!

Chu Zhao silently cursed the name "Liang" in her heart before lowering her gaze.

A Jiu curled his lips. So the girl has realized that playing dumb won't work and is now switching to acting pitiful.

"There are bad people in the capital who bullied me," Chu Zhao said, her voice trembling. "I want to go home. I'm going to find my father. I've already told him, and he knows I'm coming back. If you have anything to say, wait until you see my father."

Hearing this—bad people bullied her?—Xiao Xun's gaze suddenly shifted to A Jiu.

A Jiu noticed immediately and met his look coldly. Foolish boy, what are you thinking? Did you really believe she ran off with him?

Such a fierce young man. Xiao Xun wasn't angered, though, and turned his attention back to the girl on the horse.

"Miss Chu," he said, "your father's men have arrived as well."

Chu Zhao froze, her grip on the reins tightening. So Father already knew—

...

...

In the nearest town by the river, the only inn had been cleared out and surrounded by guards.

Chu Zhao and the couriers entered.

The innkeeper bowed with a mix of fear and excitement—not for them, of course, but for Xiao Xun behind them.

"Heir Apparent," he said, "I have personally cleaned the guest rooms."

Xiao Xun nodded. "Thank you."

The innkeeper was so flustered he didn't know what to do with himself. "It is an honor to serve the Heir Apparent, a glory to my ancestors."

Xiao Xun said nothing more, clearly accustomed to such reactions.

"Rest for a while," he said to Chu Zhao and the others. "Meals have been prepared in the main hall."

Zhang Gu and the others were still in shock. So much had happened in just half a day that they felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to react immediately.

Xiao Xun paid no mind to their lack of decorum. With Tie Ying, he entered a room, showing no intention of engaging them further.

Only after he left did Zhang Gu and the others begin to relax slightly.

"So that's the Crown Prince of Zhongshan," one courier murmured. "I've long heard of his reputation. Truly, his bearing is extraordinary."Prince Zhongshan, as the Emperor's youngest brother, had been diligent in his studies and humble in his conduct since childhood, earning widespread praise. He shared the closest bond with the Emperor. After being enfeoffed as Prince Zhongshan, his territory enjoyed favorable weather and peaceful livelihoods, making him deeply beloved by the people.

His legitimate eldest son was also intelligent and studious. As a child, he was raised in the palace by the Empress Dowager and treated like a son in the Emperor's presence.

However, Prince Zhongshan adhered strictly to protocol. After the Empress Dowager passed away, he recalled his son, and both father and son remained dutifully in their fief, seldom venturing out.

Unexpectedly, they encountered the Heir Apparent.

Besides the Heir Apparent, there was also the matter of A Fu's identity—

The couriers' gazes shifted to A Fu—no, Miss Chu.

"Are you really General Chu Ling's daughter?" one courier couldn't resist asking.

Chu Zhao gave an affirmative hum.

"Then what happened at the Beicao Town relay station?" "What about Yang Dachun?" "Your mother—"

Chu Zhao's single hum opened the floodgates of questions from everyone, but she did not answer them.

"A Jiu." She pushed through the couriers and grabbed A Jiu.

The couriers' voices abruptly stilled, their eyes shifting complexly between the two, silently asking another question: "Are you two really—"

A Jiu looked coldly at Chu Zhao, shook off her hand, and took a step back. "Miss Chu, please maintain your dignity."

Ignoring this, Chu Zhao stepped forward and grabbed him again, lowering her voice to say, "Now you believe me, don't you? About my identity."

A Jiu looked down at the girl who only reached his chest and gave an indifferent "Oh."

"So, you don’t need to worry about me having any ulterior motives," Chu Zhao said, looking up at him with sparkling, hopeful eyes. "Take me with you to see my father."

A Jiu laughed faintly, leaning slightly closer to whisper to Chu Zhao, "Miss Chu, to see your father, you’ve stirred up such a commotion. Do you know what that means? It means there’s serious trouble! And you expect me to take you along? I’m not insane—why would I go looking for trouble?"

Chu Zhao froze, and the next moment, A Jiu pushed her away.

"Let’s eat," A Jiu said, calling to the others. "We’re just couriers. Other matters have nothing to do with us."

Zhang Gu and the others wore complicated expressions, hesitating briefly before following him inside.

Chu Zhao stamped her foot behind them. "A Jiu!" She chased after them.

Tie Ying, standing inside the room, watched the scene—the young man and woman speaking sometimes loudly, sometimes softly; he couldn’t make out their words, but their tugging and pulling—

"General Chu’s daughter, how could she be like this?" he couldn’t help muttering.

To mingle with a mere courier and act so desperately—although General Chu Ling was rumored to be unyielding, the one or two times Tie Ying had seen him, he had been a refined and courteous officer.

"Don’t pry into others’ private affairs," Xiao Xun said, then chuckled. "When it comes to matters of the heart, there’s no logic to it."

It wasn’t impossible for a general’s daughter to fall for a lowly soldier.

Tie Ying glanced at Xiao Xun and grumbled, "Then, Your Highness, your disinterest in so many women is also illogical."

Xiao Xun laughed heartily. "I came out here to enjoy my freedom—don’t bring this up with me."

As master and servant bantered, Tie Ying’s gaze remained fixed outside. Suddenly, he brightened. "General Chu’s men are here!"

…

…

Seeing a dust-covered middle-aged man in military attire, his complexion slightly darkened and a scar on his face, stride into the hall, Chu Zhao was overjoyed, her eyes instantly warming with emotion.

"Uncle Zhong!" she called, her voice thick with tears.Although Uncle Zhong appeared fierce due to his facial scar, he was a good man. As her father's deputy general who had accompanied her since childhood, he came to visit her in the palace after her father's death, telling her not to grieve.

"The General may be gone, but I remain. I will protect you, young miss."

He kept his word, continuing to lead troops in battles across the land after her father's death—though Xiao Xun had become Emperor, his reign remained unstable.

A struggle among princes had destabilized the Great Xia's borders, with rebellions erupting everywhere. Particularly, the Xie family of Dongyang, who refused to accept Xiao Xun as Emperor under the banner of punishing evil, had nearly seized half the kingdom.

It was while suppressing these rebellions that Uncle Zhong fell in battle.

Only long after his death did she learn the truth. When she asked Xiao Xun, he merely said dismissively, "He acted recklessly and fell into the rebels' ambush. Out of consideration for you, Empress, I shall not hold his family accountable.Yet in reality, Uncle Zhong's wife and daughter had fallen into the hands of the rebel Xie family, their fate is imaginable.

Chu Zhao clutched Deputy General Zhong's sleeve, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing the girl cry, a trace of pity surfaced on the deputy general's solemn face: "Miss Azhao."

Chu Zhao wept, "You've come for me. Let's go home quickly."

Deputy General Zhong's expression stiffened, returning to its solemn state: "The General said you must not act willfully. Return to the capital immediately—that is your home."