Wait a moment?
Chu Zhao looked up at Xie Yanlai.
Zhong Changrong was the person her father trusted most. Given her father's current condition, even Zhong Changrong was shouting for help—
Anyone would be desperately rushing to where Chu Ling was.
Yet Xie Yanlai actually stopped her!
Stopped her—
Chu Zhao grabbed Xie Yanlai's arm: "What are you hiding from me? You're lying to me!"
All that talk about asking for the little rabbit, about wanting her to make soup!
Chu Zhao shook him frantically, tears blurring her vision: "You're lying to me! Why are you lying to me too! Why are you lying to me too!"
Xie Yanlai watched the girl's unprecedented hysteria and heard her words—what did she mean by "you too"? What was so strange about him lying to her? Why couldn't he lie to her—
Xie Yanlai gritted his teeth and held the girl tightly.
"Chu Zhao, listen to me," he shouted.
The rabbit took the chance to escape. A Le had also been about to run toward Chu Ling's location but hesitated, unsure whether to leave her mistress—
"Is my father dead? You're lying to me, lying to me!" Chu Zhao cried, struggling violently to break free.
Hearing this, A Le no longer hesitated and sprinted away. She was her mistress's eyes—she would see the general one more time for her mistress!
"No!" Xie Yanlai said, restraining the struggling Chu Zhao and forcing her to meet his gaze. "No, your father wants to see someone. He didn't want you to know. He's fine."
Chu Zhao stared at him. In the dim, half-lit shadows, the young man's eyes were cold and stern.
Her father wanted to see someone and didn't want her to know? So he had Xie Yanlai trick her away—
"Who?" Chu Zhao asked. "Who is it that my father won't let me see?"
Xie Yanlai looked at her without speaking.
"Xie Yanlai!" Chu Zhao gripped him. "You never lie to me. Only you don't lie to me. I know it, and you know it too. My father means well, but I've been confused my whole life—I can't stay confused anymore. I died and came back to life just to understand what's really going on—"
The girl's eyes were filled with tears, her words seemingly chaotic. Xie Yanlai couldn't bear to look.
But Chu Zhao wouldn't let him avoid her; she simply reached out and cupped his face.
"Xie Yanlai, I know, and you know too—which is better: to remain a confused fool, or to live clearly and understand, even if it's painful?"
"If you were me, you'd want to know. If I were you, I wouldn't hide it either."
Actually, he didn't need to say anything. Her state made it clear she had already guessed—guessed but didn't dare say it, needing someone else to confirm and tell her. It showed how important the word "mother" was to her—
In this life, it's impossible not to get hurt.
Xie Yanlai pressed the girl's hands and pulled them down. "Your mother is here," he said.
Chu Zhao gave him a deep look, then turned and ran outside.
"Wait," Xie Yanlai called again, reaching out to grab her. But this time, he didn't restrain her—instead, he led her forward. "Come with me."
Chu Zhao didn't struggle anymore, letting him take her hand as they hurried along.
...
...
Xie Yanlai brought Chu Zhao over the wall on the other side into Chu Ling's courtyard. As they climbed over, Chu Zhao saw A Le being stopped outside the gate.
"—I need to see the master!" A Le stamped her foot.
The guard remained unmoved. "Vice General Zhong's orders: no one is allowed in."
She felt herself lifted as Xie Yanlai wrapped an arm around her and jumped down. Even with an extra person, Xie Yanlai landed lightly and silently.
Outside, security was tight. The area had been cleared, and the courtyard was empty. Xie Yanlai led Chu Zhao silently toward the window.Zhong Changrong was no longer roaring, but even through the window, the agitation in his voice was palpable.
"—Mu Mianhong, how dare you show your face! What do you want here?"
"To see the wretched state of the General in his final moments!"
"Oh, no, that can’t be right. You, Mu Mianhong, are as cunning as a fox, skilled at deceiving others. How could you do something so foolish?"
"Once the General dies, you’ll shed a few tears, reminisce about the past, twist the truth, and trick A Zhao into recognizing you as her mother."
As Zhong Changrong spoke these words, a woman’s voice rang out from inside the room.
"Brother Changrong, that’s not what I meant."
……
……
The girl leaning against the window trembled, her body tensing as if to spring up. Fortunately, the person beside her quickly held her down, keeping her firmly in place.
Xie Yanlai watched as the girl’s face flushed crimson in an instant, her expression one of utter disbelief, her breath almost halting. He knew she had recognized whose voice it was.
After all, they had traveled together for some time. Although that Ding Dashen seldom appeared before Chu Zhao, there were only three women in their group, and such a distinct voice—how could Chu Zhao not recognize it?
She must have guessed that Ding Dashen’s identity was unusual, that she had ulterior motives—perhaps seeking wealth or power.
He, on the other hand, had guessed even further: that Ding Dashen was also targeting Chu Ling—a spy hired by some faction, perhaps Prince Zhongshan, or even the people of Western Liang.
But no matter how much they speculated, neither of them had ever imagined that this woman was Chu Zhao’s mother, Chu Ling’s long-deceased wife.
……
……
"Ha!"
Zhong Changrong seemed to have heard something utterly ridiculous.
"You didn’t mean that? Then what else could you possibly mean? Mu Mianhong—"
"Don’t think I don’t know—all these years, you’ve been watching A Zhao every single day. Was there ever a gathering you missed?"
"Except for not daring to come to Luocheng, is there anywhere you haven’t gone?"
"Day after day, you’ve been watching her, just waiting for the General to die so you can happily claim your daughter and enjoy a mother’s happiness."
"Tell me honestly—don’t you want that?"
Mu Mianhong looked at Zhong Changrong. She remained kneeling by the bedside, facing his frenzied outburst. Whether he cursed, scolded, or questioned her, her expression remained calm—no tears, no anger, no shouting, no cries—only occasionally offering a word in her own defense.
She pressed a hand to her chest and said frankly, "Speaking from the heart, what mother in this world wouldn’t want to recognize her own daughter?"
Zhong Changrong sneered, "But no mother in this world would hang her newborn daughter on the tip of a blade, threatening to drop her to her death!"
"Changrong!"
Chu Ling, who had been silent until now, raised his voice sharply.
But it did nothing to stop the furious Zhong Changrong.
"General, I truly cannot forget that scene," he said, pounding his chest. "I never thought I would witness such a thing in my lifetime."
"She held that tiny infant, screaming that if you, Chu Ling, didn’t obey her, she would drop the baby to its death right then and there—"
"That tiny infant, coldly held against the tip of her blade—"
"This woman—first, she disguised herself as a victim, bewitching you, General. When you fell deeply in love, disregarding her dubious origins, you told your family, even reported to the Emperor, intending to marry her. And then what? She vanished without a trace."
"After disappearing for so long, she reappeared as the bandit leader Mu Mianhong."
"Not only did she refuse to surrender and confess her crimes, but she also used her absurd affair with you to threaten you."
"When she saw you were unafraid of her threats, she produced an infant.""How ridiculous! How could she be the general's daughter? You two weren't even married—who knows where this child came from—"
Chu Ling sat up abruptly from the bed: "Zhong Changrong! Shut your mouth!—A Zhao!"
A Zhao?
Zhong Changrong froze, while Mu Mianhong, kneeling on the floor, turned pale, her soft yet resilient willow-like waist seeming to snap—
Outside the window, Xie Yanlai held Chu Zhao tightly, yet he couldn't stop the girl from trembling.
She was shaking so violently she could barely stand—
How could this infant be the general's daughter? They weren't even married—who knows where this child came from—
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