Qiao Chu

The carriage raced through the dark night, the road indiscernible and growing increasingly bumpy.

Chu Tang sat inside, her mother’s sobs echoing in her ears.

“A-Tang, where are they taking us? To the academy where your brothers are?” Jiang Shi asked. “Isn’t it worse to go out now? I heard fighting has broken out outside. Wouldn’t it be safer to keep hiding at the Zhou residence?”

Chu Tang thought to herself that it wasn’t just worse—they were heading to an even more perilous place.

She pressed a hand to her chest, as if to keep her heart from leaping out with the jolts, and recalled the message Xiao Tu had delivered. She had been awakened in the middle of the night, and after hearing Xiao Tu’s words, she had slapped herself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

“Is she insane?” she had asked. “This is a suicide mission. How could I possibly do it? I’m just a weak woman!”

Xiao Tu had giggled. “Sister A-Zhao says you can do it, so you can.” She tugged at her, urging, “Hurry, hurry!”

What choice did she have? Whether to leave or stay, and where to go—none of it was up to her. It was the loyal servants, old and weak, women and children, who decided.

Chu Tang had always been one to yield to circumstances. Though her mind screamed in shock, she obediently packed at once and even used soothing words to calm her parents.

But once in the carriage, thinking of what lay ahead, Chu Tang no longer hid the truth from her parents.

“The court and Prince Zhongshan are at war. The court has issued a bounty for our capture.”

“It’s not because of what happened to Chu Zhao and Uncle, but because of what Father did back then—it’s been exposed.”

Jiang Shi stared blankly, while Chu Lan, who had been feigning ignorance, could no longer keep up the act. He let out a wail. “I was forced! And I didn’t even do anything—”

It was an injustice!

Jiang Shi, frantic and confused, pressed for details. Only then did she learn what had truly happened and nearly fainted. “Heavens, we are doomed!”

Finally, she understood why Chu Zhao, as Empress, had never mentioned them or even received them. For over half a year, they had been imprisoned in their own home, not lying low as they had thought.

At this, bitterness surged within her.

“She fled alone to the Border Army. Why didn’t she take us with her? Leaving us in the capital to die!”

Chu Tang covered her mother’s mouth, stopping her from saying more. The servants outside were all formidable.

“We can’t rely on her,” she said firmly. “My sisters are helping me. I’ll take you to a safe place.”

Jiang Shi embraced her daughter. “A-Tang, you’ve suffered, having to bear this fear and hardship.”

Chu Tang held her mother and looked at Chu Lan. “What I’ve done isn’t hard. From now on, we’ll rely on Father.”

Rely on Father?

Both Jiang Shi and Chu Lan were taken aback.

“A-Tang, your father has survived only by pretending to be mad, foolish, and ignorant.” Chu Lan covered his face and sobbed. “What is there to rely on? Your uncle and the Crown Prince of Zhongshan have ruined me!”

Chu Ling’s actions were unknown to the family, and since he wasn’t in the capital, Chu Lan, as the eldest brother, had become the target of the Crown Prince of Zhongshan. Threatened and coerced, he had done nothing—truly an unwarranted disaster.

“No, Father. Precisely because you’ve been wronged, you should seek justice,” Chu Tang said.

Chu Lan looked at her. “From whom should I seek justice?”

Chu Tang moved closer and gripped his arm, her eyes gleaming in the dim carriage. “Of course, from the Crown Prince of Zhongshan, Xiao Xun.”

Chu Lan was horrified. “A-Tang, this isn’t seeking justice—you’re sending your father to his death!”

…

…The morning light spilled from the horizon, yet no verdant grass was visible on the early spring earth—the turf had been trampled into mud by countless footsteps. Everywhere, people were running—old and young, men and women—with adults shouting and children crying, while carriages and horses collided chaotically.

Behind them, rows of iron cavalry advanced like dark clouds, gradually devouring the dawn.

Ahead of the fleeing crowd, another troop of soldiers appeared, standing motionless and dense as a forest.

Seeing these soldiers, the people rushed toward them as if spotting salvation—

"None shall advance without orders! Retreat at once—" came the unified roar from the black wall of troops ahead, "or face execution—"

Retreat? To where? The shouts came in waves, each more urgent than the last. The people turned to look back.

From behind, another unified cry echoed: "Prince Zhongshan guards the court, advancing to the capital for an audience! Those blocking the path, clear the way—clear the way at once—"

Clear the way? To where? The horses' hooves churned like rolling waves, their gaping maws ready to swallow people whole.

Amid the surging tide, Xiao Xun stood clad in the Heir Apparent's ceremonial robes, white as jade. He raised his hand and gently waved it, commanding, "Kill."

With this order, soldiers raised their shields and armor, leveling their spears forward, their cold gleam flashing.

Meanwhile, the black wall ahead responded to a horn blast—shields and armor erected in unison, crossbowmen knelt halfway, and ten thousand arrows were loosed at once.

In an instant, blades and arrows devoured heaven and earth, staining everything crimson.

...

...

The February spring wind blew against the face like a knife.

Even the air carried a blade-like sharpness.

The scent of iron.

The stench of blood.

Chu Zhao did not wrap a scarf to block the cold wind or the smell of blood. Instead, she reined in her horse, gazing at the corpses lying by the roadside—two elderly individuals, their belongings scattered around them, the blood beneath their bodies already dried.

"Perhaps they were robbed, not killed by soldiers," Ding Dachui couldn't help but say.

The bundles had clearly been rummaged through, and the two elders had been searched as well. Their shoes were missing, but their socks were clean—unlike shoes lost in a frantic run, it seemed they had been removed afterward.

"That too is because of the soldiers," Chu Zhao said. If not for the chaos of war, why would these elders have left their homes carrying bundles, only to meet their end on the road?

Chu Zhao looked around. A village was faintly visible ahead, but no cooking smoke rose, no crowing of roosters or barking of dogs was heard, and no villagers toiled in the fields.

A scout galloped back from the front: "The villages—have no survivors."

Meaning there were only the dead. Chu Zhao tightened her grip on the reins. Though she had witnessed brutal scenes on the Border Commandery battlefield, the Border Commandery had prepared for war—upon orders, defenses were fortified, and the fields cleared, with civilians evacuated and relocated in time. Unless a city fell, mass civilian casualties were rare.

But now, with the sudden outbreak of war between an inland prince and the court, the people were caught off guard and had no means to prepare—both sides were soldiers of Great Xia.

When two armies clashed, they could destroy an entire village.

If soldiers within a city suddenly split into factions and fought, half the city could be ruined in an instant.

"Advance quickly," Chu Zhao ordered. She could not stop to bury these villagers; she had to prevent more slaughter.

She spurred her horse forward, with Ding Dachui leading the troops close behind, holding high the Empress's phoenix banner. Their force had grown substantial now, with scouts and vanguards shuttling back and forth ahead, and cavalry and infantry arrayed in formation behind.

After half a day's march, a troop of soldiers galloped toward them from ahead, led by a young girl.

"Xiao Man is here," A Le said happily, urging her horse forward to greet her.

But Xiao Man turned her head away, ignoring her, and rode straight to Chu Zhao, reporting, "We've already surrounded Zhongshan Commandery. Their forces are about the same size as ours."Lao Bai followed closely behind: "We have a fifty percent chance of capturing the commandery city."

Even if they couldn't take the city, it should at least force Prince Zhongshan to dispatch reinforcements, which would relieve the pressure on the capital.

Chu Zhao shook her head: "A fifty percent chance isn't enough to shake Prince Zhongshan."

What should they do then? As Lao Bai was about to suggest mobilizing more troops, Chu Zhao had already passed them and declared loudly: "I will go to the front lines."

Was the Empress personally leading the siege, thinking one person could match ten?

Xiao Man curled her lips and followed.

......

On the streets of Zhongshan Commandery city, soldiers and horses constantly rushed by, shouting that imperial troops had surrounded the city and ordering civilians to bar their doors.

The people hiding in their homes were anxious yet helpless. They no longer cared about who was fighting whom, or who was right and who was wrong. Once fighting broke out, they would be the ones to suffer.

The distant war had suddenly arrived at their doorstep.

Of course, some wise individuals sighed: "It's precisely because of the distant war that we have today. Prince Zhongshan has been waiting to return to the capital since the day he arrived here."

He had finally seized his opportunity - with the late Emperor's passing, the Western Liang invasion, and both internal and external troubles, who could stop him from marching back to the capital?

Prince Zhongshan might have a lame leg, but his mind remained sharp.

Yet others complained: "It was the late Emperor's fault. How could he let a child inherit the throne? Prince Zhongshan should have been emperor. As the late Emperor's brother, he was the most qualified and suitable by both right and age."

If that had happened, they wouldn't be facing this war now.

Some even claimed that the King of Xiliang wouldn't have invaded if someone like Prince Zhongshan were emperor. With the country stable under his rule, how would the King of Xiliang dare to attack?

But regardless of what anyone said now, war was inevitable. Whether attacking or defending, they couldn't escape becoming collateral damage.

Prince Zhongshan paid no attention to the city's atmosphere or the people's discussions.

Since war had begun, everything could be addressed after the fighting ended. When he became emperor, his word would be law, and whatever he did would be met with the people's gratitude.

As for the imperial troops surrounding the city and the Empress coming to the front lines, he didn't care either. He even joked with his officers: "Fighting against the Empress - A Xun in the capital must be so envious."

The officers were all trusted aides who knew about Xiao Xun's past with the Chu girl. Some laughed, while others sneered: "That Chu girl went to great lengths to become Empress. This time, I'll teach her a lesson."

Prince Zhongshan laughed heartily. Just as he was about to agree, someone hurried in to report: "Your Highness, Empress Chu says she wants to talk with you."

Talk?

Not a direct assault?

"This shows she knows her limits - she understands she can't gain anything from fighting."

"How ridiculous. At this point, what good will talking do?"

"Perhaps she's coming to surrender."

"Then there's no need for talk. She should just turn around and help the Heir Apparent capture the capital, then come talk."

"And even then there's nothing to discuss. Discuss what? Does she still want to be the Heir Apparent's wife? Too late!"

The hall filled with discussion and sarcastic remarks.

Prince Zhongshan listened with a smile, then waved his hand to silence them: "Since Empress Chu wants to talk, what do we have to fear?" He looked at the messenger: "Go tell the Empress that my legs make it difficult for me to go out. However, the gates of Zhongshan Prince's Mansion are wide open for Her Majesty the Empress to visit at any time."

With Prince Zhongshan's gates open for the Empress, would she dare come to deliver herself to her death?