Qiao Chu

Chu Zhao's life suddenly returned to normal.

No more sleeping on cold, hard floors in the dark, waking up shivering in the middle of the night, nor endless galloping on horseback during the day.

Even in small towns, her room was warm as spring, with thick quilts soft as clouds. She had hot water for washing morning and night, and her hair was perfumed with incense.

The tattered cotton robe was gone, replaced by brocade dresses beneath lightweight, warm fur cloaks.

As morning light fell across the corridor, Chu Zhao walked slowly. Xiao Xun and Tie Ying, standing in the courtyard, saw her and were momentarily stunned.

Tie Ying simply couldn't reconcile the beautiful girl before him with the person from before.

But he understood why she had dressed that way previously—such striking beauty would have made it impossible to blend in with the couriers and evade pursuit.

"Are the carriages and horses ready?" Chu Zhao also noticed them and stopped to ask.

For a moment, Tie Ying again had the illusion that this girl carried an imposing, authoritative air, issuing commands from on high. But then he grew displeased—didn't this girl even know to address the Heir Apparent properly?

How utterly rude!

"You—" he started coldly, ready to rebuke her.

Xiao Xun stopped him, smiling gently. "We can depart whenever you're ready, Miss Chu."

"I'm ready anytime. Let's set off now," Chu Zhao said.

She lowered her gaze, no longer looking at Xiao Xun and his servant.

Without another word, Xiao Xun immediately ordered the carriages prepared for departure. True to his word, with a single command, Chu Zhao didn't need to wait in her room—within moments, she could board the carriage.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Chu Zhao said after seating herself in the carriage. Then she added, "There's no need for you to escort me personally. Since you know my cousin's itinerary, I can go meet them myself."

This girl really doesn't want to see me for even a moment longer, Xiao Xun thought with an inward laugh. Apologetically, he explained, "Actually, it's not that I must escort you, Miss Chu. It's just that your cousin mentioned they would be going to the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion, so—"

Here he seemed to have an idea and pointed ahead.

"How about this—you take this route, Miss Chu, and I'll find another path?"

Was he mocking her? Chu Zhao glanced at him—this was the first time she had truly looked at the face of her husband from her previous life. Familiar yet strange, though the current Heir Apparent Xiao wasn't much different from the man he would become ten years later. He had always carried that elegant grace.

Of course, that was her previous perspective—now it just seemed artificial.

A simple "no" would have sufficed. Did he really need so many words?

A Jiu was much more straightforward.

Thinking of A Jiu worsened Chu Zhao's mood. That A Jiu was no good man either—if not for him, she wouldn't have run into Xiao Xun and would have already crossed the Xiaoku River by now.

"Your Highness certainly knows how to jest," she said, letting the carriage curtain fall.

It seemed he had made the girl even angrier. Xiao Xun smiled slightly and waved his hand in signal. The guards acknowledged the command, and the carriage began moving forward with a rhythmic clatter.

True to his word, Xiao Xun didn't follow, remaining standing where he was, holding his horse's reins.

"Your Highness, this Miss Chu is truly too disrespectful," Tie Ying said indignantly.

Having accompanied the Heir Apparent, he had met many women—gentle, dignified, lively, cute, or timid, shy, and affected. But someone as crude and ill-mannered as Miss Chu was a first. Moreover, Miss Chu was cunning.

Cunning to an unbelievable degree.The carrier pigeon message was brief, but the guards who arrived later provided a detailed account of Miss Chu's actions. She had assaulted someone, fled the capital, and to make matters worse, she had engaged in deception all along the way, swindling a string of people and involving courtesans, itinerant doctors, and all sorts of individuals—all to conceal her tracks.

This Miss Chu was no longer merely mischievous; she was downright unscrupulous.

What was even more disgraceful was her ambiguous and improper relationship with a courier—was this a tactic to win him over?

Although Tie Ying had not yet married or had children, the thought of having a daughter like this would surely infuriate him to death.

General Chu Ling had actually raised such a daughter. Did General Chu Ling even know what his daughter was like?

"Don’t exaggerate," Xiao Xun said with a laugh. "In the eyes of parents, their own children are always the best. When you have a daughter someday, see if you’ll have the heart to scold her. As for this Miss Chu, let’s not gossip behind her back. It has nothing to do with us, and we shouldn’t speak ill of others."

Indeed, what Chu Ling’s daughter was like had nothing to do with them. But—Tie Ying said, "She was extremely disrespectful to the Heir Apparent."

"That’s not surprising," Xiao Xun replied. "Miss Chu went to great lengths to reach the Border Commandery, and I stopped her. She must despise me deeply—how could she possibly treat me kindly?"

He laughed heartily as he spoke.

"If it were me, thinking about it, I’d be furious too."

Tie Ying sighed helplessly. "Heir Apparent, you truly have a good temper."

It wasn’t about having a good temper or not. Xiao Xun swung his horsewhip lightly and smiled faintly. Whether others were happy or unhappy because of him was their own affair; he didn’t care in the slightest.

Whether he was happy or unhappy, how could he be swayed by others?

"Let’s go," he said. "We’ll take the water route and avoid crossing paths with Miss Chu."

……

……

A Le lifted the carriage curtain and looked back several times before finally confirming to Chu Zhao, "That Heir Apparent isn’t following us."

Whether he followed or not was irrelevant. Chu Zhao remained impassive. Between her and Xiao Xun, there were far greater concerns than merely traveling together or not.

"How can one kill without a trace?" she murmured softly.

A Le was startled. She knew how to steal without a trace, and her mistress was surely adept at deceiving without a trace, but killing?!

They had grown up in the Border Commandery army, witnessing casualties and even small-scale skirmishes with Xiliang soldiers. But killing someone with their own hands? They had never done it, nor even considered it.

When her mistress kicked Miss Liang into the water, A Le was certain she hadn’t intended to kill her.

Ever since they were intercepted, especially after Uncle Zhong forbade her mistress from returning to see the general, her mistress had become frighteningly silent.

Her mistress was undoubtedly furious. Well, all of this was that A Jiu’s fault.

"Miss," she whispered, "who do you want to kill? Is it A Jiu?"

Chu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh again, her impassive expression fading.

"No," she said. "Why kill him? He has nothing to do with me."

Nothing to do with her? Many incidents along the way had involved A Jiu. Aside from A Jiu, A Le couldn’t think of anyone else who deserved to die.

After laughing, Chu Zhao’s mood lifted. She couldn’t kill Xiao Xun—first, she lacked the ability, and second, if she did, Prince Zhongshan would immediately take her and her father’s lives, without waiting for the future.

All she could do now was avoid any further entanglement with Xiao Xun. As for the rest, she would have to find another way.

Upon arriving at the commandery city where the Zhongshan Prince’s Mansion was located, Chu Zhao made it clear she would not go to the mansion."I'll stay at the courier station and wait for my brother to arrive so we can meet here," she said to Xiao Xun's guard, adding, "Please understand—my father is a court-appointed official and a military commander. Given his position, it's inappropriate for us to associate with imperial princes."

Having stated this, the guard could offer no rebuttal and had no choice but to settle her at the courier station before rushing off to report to Xiao Xun.

Xiao Xun was not at all surprised and smiled faintly: "The host follows the guest's convenience. Miss Chu's affairs are hers to decide."

He then went straight ashore and returned home.

But when Chu Ke learned of this, he was furious. He had been looking forward to enjoying a few comfortable days at the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion, never expecting they would still end up staying at the courier station.

"Chu Zhao!" he roared as soon as he entered the station's gate, "How dare you act so recklessly!"