The vendor sat in the cart, holding a pinwheel that spun noisily in the wind.
Xiao Man swung her horsewhip, occasionally tilting her head to listen for sounds from inside the carriage. Hearing nothing, the worry on her face grew heavier.
"Auntie," she couldn't help saying, "should we go to Luocheng and take a look—"
Before she could finish, a woman's voice from behind the carriage curtain interrupted her: "Don't talk nonsense. We are not going there."
Xiao Man opened her mouth, then bit her lower lip. "We don't have to go in. We could just look around outside Luocheng."
A soft laugh came from behind the curtain.
"Enough," the woman's voice said. "Let's go back. She probably isn't in the Border Commandery anymore. She's gone to the capital."
Xiao Man gasped and exchanged a glance with the vendor, who pursed his lips.
"I knew she'd leave sooner or later," he snorted. "She's vain and has long looked down on the commandery city. Last year, she fought with a young lady over fabric in the city, angrily scolding her, saying she was from the capital and would return soon, and that she didn't care for such old, shoddy cloth."
Xiao Man glared at him, warning him to shut up.
"Auntie, she must have gone to visit relatives," she said to the person behind the curtain. "She'll be back after a while."
The woman behind the curtain was silent for a moment before replying softly, "It's just as well she left. She should have gone long ago. This Border Commandery isn't such a great place anyway."
The vendor couldn't resist adding, "Yeah, every time I saw her, she was complaining about how awful the Border Commandery is. Now that she's in the capital, she'll be happy and satisfied."
Xiao Man poked him with her whip to silence him, then nodded toward the curtain. "Yes, she's definitely better off there than here. The capital is the finest place in the world."
The woman behind the curtain agreed, repeating, "Yes, the finest place in the world."
Her voice carried a smile, but for some reason, neither Xiao Man nor the vendor could bring themselves to laugh or chime in with cheerful remarks.
"It's already March, yet this damned wind is still so cold," the vendor complained, pulling his robe tighter and urging the girl beside him, "Hurry, hurry, drive faster so we can get home quickly."
This time, Xiao Man didn't glare at him. Instead, she cracked her whip sharply, and the lean horse quickened its pace, pulling the cart with a clatter.
On the road, beggars hobbled past, peddlers pushed their carts, and merchants rode on horseback escorting goods. Seemingly unrelated, they gradually converged behind the carriage, as if following or escorting it, fading into the distance amid the cold winds of the Border Commandery.
……
……
The winds of the Central Plains were no longer biting against the face.
A gust of wind swept by, scattering apricot blossoms like rain along the roadside, drifting onto Chu Zhao's head and shoulders.
A Le reached out to gently brush them off, snapping Chu Zhao out of her daze.
"Shall we set off now?" she asked.
Before A Le could reply, Deng Yi, standing nearby, overheard and said, "Miss Chu seems eager to return home."
Was he mocking her for regretting her past choices? Chu Zhao replied, "Since things have come to this, the sooner we return, the sooner it will be over."
Deng Yi smiled and was about to say more when he saw Chu Zhao turn and walk away. He glanced back and, as expected, saw Xiao Xun and Chu Ke approaching while conversing.
Xiao Xun noticed it too. Ever since that night when he had offered to escort them, Chu Zhao had treated him this way—avoiding conversation and contact, staying inside the carriage most of the time. But since they were traveling together, encounters were unavoidable, and whenever they happened, the girl would lower her gaze and turn away.
He smiled, unperturbed, and stopped walking.
Chu Ke also witnessed the scene, feeling both angry and uneasy."That damned girl." He gritted his teeth and cursed, then bowed apologetically to Xiao Xun. "Heir Apparent, my cousin has been spoiled by my uncle. She lost her mother young and grew up in military camps, completely ignorant of proper etiquette. Please don't take offense at her behavior."
Xiao Xun replied, "Young Master Chu, don't trouble yourself over it."
He only comforted Chu Ke, but didn't say he forgave Chu Zhao. While he didn't mind others' rudeness, that didn't mean he had to forgive it.
Chu Ke understood the implication and wanted to say more, but Xiao Xun had already turned to Deng Yi: "If we travel through the night, we can reach a town by tomorrow where we can replace the carriages and horses."
Deng Yi nodded. "I was thinking the same."
As the two began discussing travel arrangements, Chu Ke could only retreat awkwardly. Seeing Chu Zhao boarding the carriage, he stormed over angrily.
"Why must you always disrespect the Crown Prince of Zhongshan?" He grabbed Chu Zhao and hissed at her in a low voice.
Chu Zhao seized his hand in return, equally furious but keeping her voice down. "Why must you grovel before him?"
The term "grovel" was particularly insulting to a scholar. Chu Ke's face flushed red. "He is the Heir Apparent! He saved your life and is escorting us. Of course we should show him respect!"
Chu Zhao said coldly, "I never asked him to save me. I wasn't in any real danger - A Jiu would have rescued me. As for the escort, we don't need that either. He insisted on it. If anything, he should thank us for allowing him to enter the capital. Otherwise, how could a feudal prince's heir leave his territory so easily?"
Regarding Xiao Xun, Deng Yi had sent a carrier pigeon to request instructions from the court. The Crown Prince—who currently held power—had been informed and had permitted Xiao Xun to escort them all the way to the capital.
Thus, Xiao Xun was not only seeing them through Prince Zhongshan's territory but would accompany them to the capital itself.
Chu Ke was both shocked and furious, thinking Chu Zhao was utterly unreasonable. What kind of thinking was this!
"You've gone mad," he cursed under his breath. "He is the Heir Apparent, royalty!"
Chu Zhao understood his meaning. "That has nothing to do with us. If you befriend him, I'll—"
"Break my legs?" Chu Ke sneered, grabbing Chu Zhao's hand and pointing it at his own leg. "Go ahead then! Do it! Let everyone see you commit such unfilial, disloyal, and unnatural acts!"
When Chu Zhao first threatened to break his legs, he had been frightened—partly because he'd been insulting her father, an elder, making him feel guilty, and partly because Chu Zhao had been truly terrifying at that moment.
But after calming down, he no longer believed Chu Zhao could actually break his legs. Especially now with Xiao Xun and his entourage present—so many witnesses—how could a girl four or five years his junior possibly break his legs!
"Young Master Chu, Miss Chu." Deng Yi's voice came from nearby.
Both Chu Ke and Chu Zhao turned to look.
Deng Yi smiled and asked, "Have you two finished your sibling discussion? If so, we should depart."
Chu Ke shook off Chu Zhao's arm and smiled at Deng Yi, repeatedly saying, "Let's depart, let's depart." Without boarding the carriage, he went to ride a horse instead.
Since the Heir Apparent had joined them, Chu Ke had regained his youthful vigor and switched to horseback. This also allowed him to frequently stay near Xiao Xun, discussing poetry and philosophy.
Chu Zhao didn't call Chu Ke back. She bowed respectfully to Deng Yi, lowered her eyes, and boarded the carriage.
This girl only showed obedience toward him. Deng Yi certainly didn't think this was due to any particular respect for him—merely because they currently had no conflicts of interest.Of course, there was no conflict of interest between her and him either, so he treated her quite amiably.
Deng Yi smiled faintly and swung onto his horse.
"Miss Chu and Young Master Chu have always been bickering like this," he even explained to Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun chuckled, not particularly concerned.
Tie Ying frowned nearby. Lord Deng was being far too polite—Miss Chu wasn't just bickering; she was outright hostile toward Young Master Chu.
This Miss Chu's behavior was truly outrageous—repaying kindness with ingratitude by disrespecting the Heir Apparent, and either hitting or scolding her own cousin without cause.
But Miss Chu's subsequent misconduct still exceeded Tie Ying's expectations.
Miss Chu drugged Young Master Chu, leaving him nearly debilitated from diarrhea.
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