Qiao Chu

Xie Yanlai disdained candied fruits; he wasn't a three-year-old child.

"Anyway, my mother was also remarkable," Chu Zhao continued speaking to Xie Yanlai, both sorrowful and joyful. "She was deeply beloved and came from a powerful family. Though it was the Border Commandery, the local gentry there were no less influential than aristocratic clans. Because of my mother's death, those people resented my father, so they kept their distance and never appeared before us. That's why I didn't know of their existence in that lifetime—it's perfectly normal."

Xie Yanlai asked, "That lifetime?"

Chu Zhao giggled. "I misspoke—that period."

"That period" didn't sound quite right either, but whatever. What truth could possibly come from her mouth? Xie Yanlai scoffed.

Yet they had transferred their love and respect for her mother onto her, only to be exploited by Xiao Xun in the end. Chu Zhao heaved a long sigh. They were nameless and faceless, known only as her mother's people, and she didn't even know what they looked like.

Chu Zhao glanced out the window and spotted Xiao Man hiding not far away. In that lifetime, Xiao Man must have been among them too. During the turmoil in the capital, she was likely there as well.

In that lifetime, she had married Xiao Xun, so there was no conflict with his followers. But Xiao Man and the others must have fought desperately for her safety elsewhere.

At this thought, Chu Zhao's eyes stung, and tears fell.

Xie Yanlai averted his gaze and snorted, "What's there to cry about? Count your blessings."

Even as he said this, he extended two fingers and pushed the fruit plate closer to her.

"I'm happy," Chu Zhao said, sniffing and wiping away her tears before lowering her head to read the letter.

She had written to her father about having lived once before. To make him believe her, she framed it as a dream but emphasized how vividly real it felt, how she had keenly experienced each passing day.

She told her father everything that had happened in that lifetime—the strife between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, Xiao Xun's ascension to the throne, and all she had endured, holding nothing back in meticulous detail.

Thus, this letter was of utmost importance. Not a single error could be allowed, nor could anyone catch even a glimpse of it. She didn't dare entrust it even to Uncle Zhong. Fortunately, there was A Jiu—

She glanced at Xie Yanlai.

Xie Yanlai noticed immediately. What? What kind of look was that? It was creeping him out!

Luckily, Chu Zhao withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to continue reading the letter.

Forget it. This girl was lost in her father's reply, drifting into wild fancies and strange thoughts—no surprise there. He wouldn't bother with her. Xie Yanlai turned away again.

She had told her father such an unbelievable tale, yet he hadn't questioned or scolded her. Instead, he had earnestly replied, explaining everything. Chu Zhao gently traced the characters her father had written.

His first sentence was: "A Zhao, you have suffered."

Chu Zhao's vision blurred with tears once more.

In this world, only her father would cherish her so dearly.

In that lifetime, after losing her father, no one in the world had cared for or concerned themselves with her again.

A soft sliding sound reached her ears. Chu Zhao lifted her gaze slightly and saw the fruit plate on the table had been pushed right beside her hand. As she looked over, the slender fingers on the other side of the plate swiftly retracted.

Chu Zhao couldn't help but smile faintly, reaching out to pick a piece of candied fruit from the plate and pop it into her mouth.

"Zhang Gu said your father personally received him," Xie Yanlai remarked, gazing into the hall. "He took the letter, asked him to rest, and the next day met with him again to hand over the reply, even thanking him—"

Well, he omitted one part here. Zhang Gu had said, "General Chu also said to thank you."He was immediately annoyed: "Why thank me? It wasn't me who delivered the letter."

Zhang Gu said: "General Chu is thanking you for taking care of Miss Azhao."

Zhang Gu's expression at that time was quite peculiar - a mix of moved, relieved, and sorrowful. He even said, "A Jiu, you've suffered."

What was all that about? Completely baffling. Was that Deputy General Zhong trying to frame him?

Xie Yanlai snorted.

"What's with the snort?" Chu Zhao asked with a smile. "Didn't my father thank you? Don't worry, Brother Zhang will definitely tell my father that you were the one who had him deliver the letter. My father will certainly thank you."

Xie Yanlai couldn't be bothered to argue with her about this.

"Zhang Gu said," he glanced at the girl, "your father appears to be in decent spirits."

Chu Zhao nodded with a soft "mm."

"However," Xie Yanlai continued. He wasn't one to only say comforting words - comforting people was the most boring thing, better to face reality. "Zhang Gu said there's a very strong smell of medicine where your father is. He said while your father appears spirited, the energy in his eyes isn't genuine vitality - it's stimulated by medicine."

Chu Zhao's expression darkened, but this time she didn't shed tears.

"I know," she said. "My father's body is already exhausted. He... doesn't have much time left."

Illness isn't fate.

She could free herself from Xiao Xun's deception and change that lifetime's destiny.

But she had no miraculous medicine to cure her father's illness.

Xie Yanlai remained silent for a moment before asking: "What do you plan to do?"

Chu Zhao looked down at the letter and pouted: "Father says I shouldn't fear separation. If I miss him, he'll always be with me."

If you miss someone, they're always there? Xie Yanlai scoffed. That's just something you tell children.

"I'm asking about your future plans," he said.

Future? Chu Zhao looked up at him: "Future? What future?"

Xie Yanlai frowned at her: "Your future. When that little brat grows up, what will you do?"

Her future... Chu Zhao looked at the young man before her and smiled: "How dare you address His Majesty like that? Good thing it's just me here, or I'd have to punish your disrespect."

Xie Yanlai snorted and ignored her.

Chu Zhao picked up another piece of preserved fruit and ate it, letting the sweetness spread in her mouth. She adjusted to a more comfortable position leaning against the table and said: "My father asked me the same thing."

Since she suddenly became Empress, everyone had been speculating about her motives and guarding against her intentions. Only those closest to her would ask about her future.

They didn't believe she truly wanted to be Empress.

That word "also"! The sensitive young man immediately wanted to say something, but Chu Zhao, anticipating his reaction, spoke first with a laugh.

"When the court is stable, when Zhongshan Prince's threat is eliminated," she said, with both longing and sorrow, "when my father can depart without worries, when A Yu grows up, I'll go to the Border Commandery, to the place where my mother and father lived."

By then, though she would still be alone in the world, she would certainly live more happily than she did as Empress in that previous life.

Besides, there would still be Xiao Man, Uncle Zhong—

Speaking of Uncle Zhong.

She quickly looked at Xie Yanlai.

"And also, I'll wait for you—"

She reached out her hand.

Xie Yanlai jumped back in surprise: "What? Wait for me to do what?"

"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you." Chu Zhao laughed, raising her hand before Xie Yanlai and clenching it into a fist. "I mean I'll wait until you hold military power, majestic and impressive, able to take care of and settle Uncle Zhong and the others."Xie Yanlai raised his hand to brush the girl's hand away: "Just keep dreaming. Dream about everything going your way and all your wishes coming true."

Chu Zhao withdrew her hand and rested her chin on it: "Of course I'll dream. Only by dreaming can there be hope, and only then will I strive to make it happen. I absolutely refuse to not even dare to dream—that would leave me with no hope at all."

Xie Yanlai glanced at her: "Then what do you want to do now?"

Chu Zhao propped her chin on her hand, gazing at him with blinking eyes as if she didn't understand what he was asking.

Xie Yanlai snorted coldly: "Do you think playing these tricks on them will allow you to control Xie Yanfang and Deng Yi in your hands?"