The area outside the Zhongshan Prince's Mansion returned to silence.
Inside the hall, it was even quieter.
Prince Zhongshan remained seated in his chair, scanning the room with a cold smile in his eyes. "Now that the Empress has left, it feels strange, as if something is missing," he said. "Next time, it won't be so easy for her to walk out of here."
The officers in the hall stepped forward and bowed. "Your Highness, please calm your anger."
Though they urged him to restrain his fury, each of them struggled to conceal their grief and indignation.
It was all because of this Empress that their efforts had come to nothing.
Prince Zhongshan laughed heartily. "I am not angry." He looked at the group and asked, "How is A Xun?"
An officer quickly replied, "Since the Heir Apparent arrived in the capital, he has been staying at the courier station. With Your Highness here, the court would not dare mistreat him." He added, "Rest assured, we will soon reassign personnel to look after the Heir Apparent."
Prince Zhongshan nodded and sighed softly. "He must be furious this time."
The officers responded, "For the sake of the Heir Apparent, you had no choice but to act this way. He will surely understand your苦心."
Leaning on his cane, Prince Zhongshan nodded. "A Xun is an obedient child."
A son exists because of his father, and a son must live for his father.
……
……
Outside Zhongshan Commandery, troops stood in dense formation. At the sight of Chu Zhao, the soldiers erupted into unified shouts.
"Empress!"
"Empress!"
Their voices pierced the clouds, shaking the heavens and earth.
Chu Zhao gazed at the tightly packed soldiers—how wonderful, they were all still alive, none had perished. She laughed heartily, released the reins, and urged her horse into a gallop.
Upon entering the camp, she met the commanding generals of the two armies. They recounted the various developments since their separation and informed her of the situation in the capital.
"Prince Zhongshan's troops are utterly despicable, using civilians as human shields. Half the city suffered casualties."
Hearing this, Chu Zhao remained silent but nodded.
"Your Majesty, do not grieve," one general hurriedly said. "Fortunately, we halted in time to prevent greater losses. You have already done more than enough."
Chu Zhao shook her head. "I am fine, truly. I understand everything. We have done as well as could be expected."
In her previous life, confined deep within the palace, she often heard of battles between the court and the Xie family—cities lost, commanderies fallen. Back then, it held no real meaning for her. Now, having personally experienced the chaos in the capital, the fighting in the Border Commandery, and the siege of Zhongshan Commandery, she understood that those so-called cities and commanderies represented countless human lives.
After instructing them to await orders from Minister Huang, Chu Zhao stepped out.
"Xiao Man, Xiao Man," she called.
A Le approached from the side. "Miss, have you forgotten? Xiao Man went with Captain Bai to Xiao Xun's side."
Chu Zhao smiled. "I had forgotten."
Unconsciously, she had grown accustomed to having Xiao Man by her side.
"Miss, what did you need her for?" A Le asked. "Before leaving, Xiao Man arranged for everything. There is someone to—"
She broke off mid-sentence, her gaze shifting to a woman standing not far away, watching them.
A Le quickly said, "Oh, it's Ding Dashen."
A Le was still unaware of Mu Mianhong's true identity. Though she could tell the woman didn't seem like Ding Dachui's wife, she didn't probe further—after all, they were all bandits.
Mu Mianhong walked over and said, "I heard you calling for Xiao Man. Before she left, she asked me to keep an eye out, so I came to see if you—" Her eyes fixed on Chu Zhao. "—needed anything?"Chu Zhao let out a soft "oh" and shook her head. "No instructions." Then she quickly added, "I just wanted to ask about recent events. I only know the general situation from inside, not the specifics. Is everyone alright? After all, what we're doing is quite dangerous."
Mu Mianhong smiled warmly. "Everyone is fine, and things have been going smoothly. Although Mr. Chu Lan was frightened, he's not seriously harmed. Miss Chu Tang has been very sharp-witted too. Xiao Man will personally escort them back to the capital."
Chu Zhao nodded.
Mu Mianhong continued, "The battle situation in the Border Commandery is also manageable. The fighting has been intense, but we haven't lost any ground."
Chu Zhao nodded again. "That's good. I knew everything would be fine."
Mu Mianhong looked at her and said, "With someone as brave as you here, everyone has been giving their all."
"I'm not particularly brave," Chu Zhao quickly demurred, shaking her head. "We were able to avert danger and achieve our goals this time entirely thanks to all of you."
Mu Mianhong immediately responded, "Without you, no one would have dared to attempt this."
Though their conversation appeared normal on the surface, there was an underlying tension that made A Le, standing nearby, inexplicably nervous. She couldn't help interrupting, "Perhaps, miss, you should... sit down and talk things through in detail?"
Sit down and talk? Chu Zhao fell silent, and Mu Mianhong didn't speak either. A Le twisted her fingers nervously, seemingly making the atmosphere even more strained—
"Ahem!"
Just then, a loud cough came from the distance.
Hearing this, Chu Zhao immediately turned and saw a young officer standing in front of a tent at the rear, though she didn't know when he had arrived.
When Chu Zhao looked over, he bowed in salute: "Your subject pays respects—"
Before he could finish the formal greeting, Chu Zhao cut him off with an excited "Ha!" A Le also cried out excitedly, "A Jiu!"
Following A Le's exclamation, Chu Zhao started running toward him but stopped after a few steps, glancing back at Mu Mianhong.
"Aunt Mu," she said, "Commandant Xie is here. I'll go ask him about the details from the Border Commandery."
Mu Mianhong smiled and nodded. "Go ahead quickly."
Without another word, Chu Zhao turned and hurried toward Xie Yanlai. Stopping before him, she asked urgently, "Why are you here? When did you arrive?"
Xie Yanlai abandoned his half-completed salute and raised an eyebrow. "Seeing me—does it make you breathe a huge sigh of relief?"
Chu Zhao looked at him, smiled, and pressed a hand to her chest as she let out a long exhale.
"Yes, seeing you, A Jiu," she said, "my heart can finally settle."
Why did that sound so strange? Xie Yanlai frowned. "Don't say weird things."
Chu Zhao raised an eyebrow at him. "You started it. You were the one who implied how much trust I place in you—that seeing you means I don't have to worry about anything."
"Nonsense," Xie Yanlai retorted. "What I clearly meant was that you and Chief Mu were standing there so awkwardly, looking like you wanted to sink into the ground. My appearance saved you from having to stumble through more awkward conversation—hence the sigh of relief."
Chu Zhao laughed. "You're the one talking nonsense. You only said one sentence—it didn't have that many words."
Xie Yanlai snorted, not bothering to expose her further.
Chu Zhao glanced once more in Mu Mianhong's direction. Mu Mianhong had already turned and walked away. Chu Zhao let out another soft sigh and lowered her gaze slightly.
"I don't actually resent her," she said quietly. "I've never had a mother since I was young. I'm used to not having one. I don't know how to interact with a mother."Xie Yanlai gazed into the distance. "You're asking the wrong person. Although I had more time with my mother than you did, I've forgotten how to interact with a mother. We men aspire to greatness—we never pay attention to such sentimental matters—"
Chu Zhao was amused again and looked up at Xie Yanlai. Indeed, in this world, there were many who had no mothers and did not know how to interact with them.
"How did you get here?" she asked again. "When did you arrive?"
How sentimental, Xie Yanlai thought as he glanced at the sky. "The Empress has achieved a great victory, and the Border Commandery has also benefited greatly. The pressure has lessened considerably. Deputy General Zhong was worried about you—he nagged me three times a day, urging me to check on you. I arrived not long ago and didn’t announce my presence. I waited outside your tent and then saw you discussing matters with Chief Mu, so I didn’t dare disturb you."
He drew out the last two sentences.
Chu Zhao straightened her expression. "Commandant Xie, you are an important minister of the court. In the future, do not stand on ceremony—you must disturb me anytime, anywhere."
Xie Yanlai couldn’t help but throw his head back and laugh heartily.
The laughter came from behind. Mu Mianhong turned and saw the young man standing tall like a resilient bamboo, with the girl beside him. She smiled faintly.
Although her daughter felt extremely awkward around her, the fact that there was someone in this world who could make the girl laugh proved that her daughter was not alone.
Even without a father or mother, as long as one still had love in their heart and the courage to love, they could live happily and freely.
OpenNovel