Qiao Chu

Is he dead?

Xie Yanlai looked at her, let out an "oh," and raised his hand intending to rest it behind his neck, but after a moment, he only placed it beside his shoulder. "If I were dead, there'd be nothing left," he said. "This is the great feat of killing Xiao Xun."

Chu Zhao pulled his hands down. "Your bones are practically shattered right now. Stop making strange movements."

Xie Yanlai was annoyed. How was resting his hand behind his head a strange movement? It was clearly a carefree and unrestrained gesture.

"The credit for killing Xiao Xun belongs to Xie Yanlai, and no one can take it away," Chu Zhao continued. "But aside from Xie Yanlai, I think A Jiu deserves a reward too. A Jiu's reward is freedom."

Freedom? Xie Yanlai snorted. "What nonsense are you thinking again? Who isn't free? As for freedom, you should worry about yourself first."

Chu Zhao nodded. "I have thought about it." She shifted closer to him, sitting cross-legged casually, and began counting on her fingers. "At first, I became Empress to ensure a better life for my father and me, to serve the country without being slandered. Later, since I was Empress, I had to take responsibility and do it well. Now that the King of Xiliang has been defeated and fled far away, Prince Zhongshan and his son are dead, and A Yu will be able to rule independently in a couple of years—plus, with Xie Yanfang around, the throne is secure for him. That means I can leave."

As she spoke, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Leaving the capital and returning to the Border Commandery—this thought has never left me. Even though my father is gone, his spirit remains there."

"When the time comes, I'll return to the Border Commandery and freely patrol the lands my father guarded his entire life."

She finished and looked at Xie Yanlai, raising an eyebrow.

"Don’t you want to come with me?"

Xie Yanlai had been listening intently, his mind wandering into reverie... When he suddenly heard this question, he instinctively propped himself up and shifted inward. "Me? Why should I go with you? I... I’m not familiar with that place."

"How are you not familiar? General Xie, you know the Border Commandery far better than I do now," Chu Zhao said with a laugh, then turned serious. "A Jiu, being a member of the Xie family is too exhausting. The things you do aren’t what you want to do, and what you gain isn’t what you truly desire. Let’s... let it all go."

Let’s... let it all go.

For a moment, Xie Yanlai’s eyes stung, and he felt dazed.

He had said those words before.

Long ago, holding his mother’s lifeless body, he had wept and said, "Mother, let’s not want any of this anymore. Let’s go home."

But his mother could no longer answer him.

Xie Yanlai turned his head away, coughing to suppress the surge of emotion.

Chu Zhao seemed unaware of his turmoil and continued speaking.

"When I heard the news about you, I kept thinking that once I found you, I would definitely take you away."

"Whether you were a corpse or alive."

"You’re not suited to be a Xie family member. It’s too exhausting for you. We’ve had enough of it. Let’s not do it anymore."

"From the moment we entered the city, I arranged everything. Only my trusted Dragon Guard Army handled matters involving Deng Yi and you. No one else knows."

"This way, your whereabouts are concealed. The world will only know that Xie Yanlai and Xiao Xun perished together. From now on, there will be no more Xie Yanlai."

"However, even if you’re no longer Xie Yanlai, you can still do what you love in the Border Commandery..."

Hearing this, Xie Yanlai turned his head and said with a faint, mocking smile, "I love fighting and causing trouble. How would I do that? Become a bandit?"

Chu Zhao’s eyes sparkled. "Exactly! You could become a bandit."Xie Yanlai looked at her and asked, "What about you? Will you be a female general guarding the Border Army?"

Chu Zhao nodded, "Yes, just like my father." Then she suddenly chuckled and pointed at Xie Yanlai, "Then you'll be like my mother."

After saying this, she froze for a moment. A married couple like her father and mother?

A faint blush crossed the girl's face as she scratched her cheek with her finger.

"You speak without thinking, saying whatever comes to mind," Xie Yanlai muttered, turning his head away to hide his burning ears.

The room fell into silence—a quietness tinged with awkwardness, as if both wanted to say something but didn't know what.

"Miss!" A Le peeked in from outside, "Someone from Xiao Man's family in the Border Commandery has arrived."

Someone from Xiao Man's family meant people sent by Mu Mianhong. Chu Zhao hurriedly got off the bed and said to Xie Yanlai, "Then it's settled." With that, she quickly ran out.

Xie Yanlai breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt inexplicably regretful. He pursed his lips, "What's settled? What exactly is settled?" Then he turned over facing inward, burying his head in the pillow. Whether it was due to the sudden movement causing pain or some other reason, he thumped the bedboard with his hand a couple of times.

...

...

Gu Xi

Chu Zhao didn't go far before she met the visitor from Xiao Man's family near Xie Yanlai's residence.

In the hall, a graceful figure stood by the window, curiously tugging at the blooming hibiscus flowers outside.

At first glance, Chu Zhao was surprised, "You—Chief Mu, why have you come?"

She had asked Xiao Man to send a message for Mu Mianhong to send some people, but she hadn't expected Mu Mianhong to come personally.

Mu Mianhong turned around, her gaze lingering on the girl, and smiled softly, "I missed you, so I came to see you."

This was the first time Mu Mianhong had spoken so directly. Chu Zhao was taken aback, feeling slightly reserved, but her heart warmed inexplicably.

So this is how it feels to be told directly that someone misses you.

So she too longed to be missed.

"I'm doing fine," she said, meeting Mu Mianhong's gaze and even raising her hands to twirl around for her to see, "I'm not injured."

Mu Mianhong's eyes shimmered like autumn water as she nodded, "It's good that you're not injured. But even if you were, it would be alright—don't be afraid."

Chu Zhao hummed in agreement and looked at her, "Thank you. Being able to make the King of Xiliang surrender and beg for mercy was largely thanks to you all attacking the royal court. Are you... alright?"

Although she had asked in her letter and Mu Mianhong had replied, speaking in person felt different from writing.

Mu Mianhong said, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the chance or ability to attack the Western Liang royal court." She too spread her arms and twirled around, "See, I'm not injured either."

Chu Zhao couldn't help but laugh.

Mu Mianhong covered her mouth with a light laugh and said, "I never thought I'd live to plunder the Western Liang palace in this lifetime." She slipped a beaded bracelet off her wrist, "Look, this was taken from the Western Liang palace. I think it's especially beautiful."

She held it out, her eyes slightly apprehensive.

"It's for you."

It was just a string of turquoise beads. Chu Zhao smiled, walked over to take it, and put it on her wrist. Mu Mianhong noticed another bracelet made of unknown material already on her wrist.

After putting it on, Chu Zhao raised her hand and shook it for Mu Mianhong to see, "Look, the two go quite well together."

Mu Mianhong's eyes filled with laughter as she nodded, "Our A Zhao looks good in anything."

This was also the first time she had referred to her as "our A Zhao."

Chu Zhao felt a little uncomfortable but didn't say anything, instead turning to look at the hibiscus flowers by the window.Mu Mianhong swiftly changed the subject, asking, "You sent word asking us to take someone away?"

Chu Zhao turned to look at her: "Yes, it's Deng Yi—the son of the blind old woman Xiao Man delivered last time."

"The Grand Tutor," Mu Mianhong chuckled. "So he wasn't killed after all." She nodded, "It's good he wasn't killed. Keeping him might prove useful someday, just like how we keep all sorts of junk in our village."

That's not quite the right analogy, Chu Zhao was amused, her fingers pinching a flower branch and swaying it gently. She hummed in agreement and said, "Also, take Xie Yanlai away too."

Mu Mianhong looked surprised: "Him?"

"Yes, he's alive too," Chu Zhao nodded, then let out a soft sigh as she gazed at the delicate, blooming hibiscus flowers. "He was lucky to escape death. I don't want him tangled in the chaos of war anymore. I want him to go somewhere to recover properly."

Mu Mianhong watched the girl swaying the flower in her hand and smiled understandingly, whispering, "Alright, you can rest assured leaving it to me."

Chu Zhao turned to her: "I—am assured."

She nearly blurted out, "I'll come find you later and stay with you," but swallowed the words back.

That conversation could wait for another time.

...

...

A Le and Xiao Man peeked over, seeing the two standing by the window. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they could see both of them swaying hibiscus flowers in their hands—

No idea what that meant.

Still, it was much better than last time when they had nothing to say and the atmosphere was awkward.

While they were lost in thought, they saw Chu Zhao turn and call out, "A Le, A Le, hurry and tell the kitchen to prepare a meal—special dishes, bring them all up."

A Le loudly acknowledged and turned away, skipping off happily.

Xiao Man withdrew her gaze, this time first pursing her lips into a smile before letting out a soft hum.