In Chu Ke's eyes, Chu Zhao had gone mad.
She had been mad from the very beginning—otherwise, how could she have struck the daughter of Minister Liang? It was already a blessing for her that these young ladies were willing to play with her, yet she had the audacity to hit someone.
On the run, she was fortunate enough to encounter the Crown Prince of Zhongshan, but instead of seizing the chance to befriend him, she managed to offend him as well.
Chu Ke stopped arguing with Chu Zhao and did not seek out Xiao Xun again. With Chu Zhao around, the Heir Apparent would never look favorably upon him; on the contrary, it would only make him more detestable.
The only option was to wait until they returned and have his father intervene. Together, they would visit Xiao Xun to apologize and then establish a connection.
With this thought, Chu Ke’s heart yearned for home, wishing he could open his eyes and already be in the capital.
……
……
The spring night in the Border Commandery remained bitingly cold. As A Jiu swung onto his horse, he couldn’t hold back a sneeze.
“Enjoyed a few days of leisure in the commandery city,” Zhang Gu teased with a laugh. “Has it made your legs too weak to move?”
A Jiu wrapped his scarf tightly, leaving only a pair of bright phoenix eyes visible. “I’ve enjoyed leisure for over a decade, yet I keep up with you on the road just fine, Brother Zhang.”
This kid never missed a chance to show off. Zhang Gu chuckled and cursed lightly, then cracked his whip. “Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll enjoy ourselves properly once we’re back.”
The couriers laughed and shouted, urging their horses forward.
A Jiu scanned the city shrouded in night. This mission was finally over, and upon returning, his life as a courier would come to an end.
He looked at Zhang Gu and the others—from now on, there would be little intersection with these people. And then—his gaze drifted toward the wilderness beyond—those people, like that Garrison General Chu, and that A Fu, Miss Chu… he would never see them again.
“Let’s go!” he shouted loudly.
“Homeward bound!” one of the couriers echoed with a yell.
The word “home” instantly ignited all the couriers, unleashing a wave of anticipation and excitement.
“Home!” “We’re going home!”
They raised their torches and galloped ahead. This time, A Jiu did not lead the pack. The torchlight illuminated his eyes, but they held no excitement or expectation.
After losing his mother, he no longer had a home.
Home wasn’t home—it was a cage.
But the melancholy was fleeting. In the next moment, his eyes were filled with their usual defiance.
He raised his long whip with a sharp cry, charging like the wind, overtaking the couriers and taking the lead.
……
……
Though it was impossible to arrive in the capital in the blink of an eye, the capital drew steadily closer.
Over ten days later, accompanied by a drizzling spring rain, a majestic city came into view—the capital of the Great Xia.
Chu Zhao sat in the carriage, her feelings toward the capital complex.
To the thirteen-year-old Chu Zhao, the capital was still an unfamiliar place. But to the present Chu Zhao, it was the place she knew best.
Here, she had met the love of her life, transforming from an ordinary nobody into the most revered woman in the land.
Yet, it had nothing to do with her. She had done nothing—it was that man who had bestowed glory upon her, and it was he who had trampled her into the mud.
Her fate had been controlled by others.
This time, she would take control herself.
Chu Zhao’s hands, resting on her knees, clenched tightly.
“Father!”
Chu Ke, riding alongside the carriage, suddenly shouted and spurred his horse forward.
Chu Zhao snapped out of her thoughts and looked into the distance. Ahead on the main road, a group of people waited, led by a man in plain cloth robes. Though he was still too far to make out his face, his silhouette stirred her memory—it was her uncle, Chu Lan.My uncle’s figure closely resembled my father’s.
In truth, it had been a long time since I last saw my uncle. When I awoke after my rebirth, I was so flustered and unsettled that I hardly paid attention to the relatives before me, my only thought being to rush back to the Border Commandery.
As the carriage and horses drew near, Chu Lan stepped forward to greet them. Chu Ke had already dismounted and, if not for the presence of others, would have thrown himself into his father’s arms to pour out his grievances and sorrows.
Chu Lan paid him no mind, first saluting Deng Yi: “Thank you for your hard work, Lord Deng.”
Deng Yi dismounted and replied, “I am fortunate not to have failed in my duty.”
Chu Lan then turned his gaze to Xiao Xun’s carriage. Given Xiao Xun’s noble status, it was natural that he did not need to step down. At this moment, he did not even lift the carriage curtain.
“Father, that is the Crown Prince of Zhongshan,” Chu Ke eagerly introduced, his voice trembling with excitement and grievance. The Crown Prince was a man of great grace; if not for Chu Zhao’s excessive behavior, he would surely have greeted them first. “The journey was perilous. If not for him, we might not have made it back.”
This statement was somewhat inappropriate, as if Lord Deng had been utterly useless. But Chu Lan did not correct him. Compared to the Crown Prince, this minor official from the Ministry of the Guards was indeed of little importance.
The task of searching for his niece had always been an optional, thankless, and arduous duty. The Ministry of Justice had refused to take it on, using the excuse that she was Chu Ling’s niece and shifting the responsibility to the Ministry of the Guards. The Ministry of the Guards, in turn, had passed it around until it landed on this newly transferred minor official.
Being assigned such a thankless task was a clear indication of his lack of influential backing.
Chu Lan hurriedly followed Chu Ke to Xiao Xun’s carriage and bowed respectfully. “Chu Lan pays his respects and offers thanks to the Crown Prince.”
Only then did Xiao Xun lift the carriage curtain, nodding with a smile. “You are too courteous, Master Chu.”
Chu Lan sighed. “I am ashamed. My family has produced such an unruly and disgraceful daughter.”
Xiao Xun replied, “Young children can be mischievous. With time and guidance, Master Chu will surely set her right.” Seemingly unwilling to dwell on the topic of the child, he changed the subject. “I have long heard of your reputation, Master Chu, as a distinguished disciple of the great Master Zhu.”
Chu Lan had studied under the Zhu family of Jiujiang and now taught at Qiao Mountain Academy, earning considerable renown among scholars. Hearing that even Xiao Xun, far away in Zhongshan Commandery, knew of him, he smiled with a touch of pride and modestly said, “You flatter me, Crown Prince. I am merely striving not to disgrace my teacher’s name and dare not claim to be a distinguished disciple.”
Xiao Xun said, “There is a line I have never fully understood. Today, since I have the fortune of meeting you, Master Chu, I would like to seek your guidance.”
Chu Lan quickly replied, “Please speak, Crown Prince.”
Seeing them engaged in such a pleasant conversation, Deng Yi remained calm and showed no sign of displeasure.
But this harmonious exchange of knowledge was abruptly interrupted by Chu Zhao’s impudence.
“Uncle!” she shouted loudly, lifting the carriage curtain. “The Crown Prince is entering the capital and must first pay his respects to Your Majesty. Should we keep His Majesty waiting for him?”
Her words were truly disrespectful. Xiao Xun remained unperturbed, accustomed to the girl’s attitude, but Chu Lan was startled by her audacity—her demeanor was just like her father’s, that rebellious son who had brought disgrace upon the Chu family!
“Silence!” he snapped, turning to glare at her and forgetting his conversation with Xiao Xun. Striding over, he pointed at her and commanded, “Get down from the carriage!”
He then turned and called for his servants.
“Tie her up!”
Chu Lan, though a scholar of imposing stature, was fearsome when angered.
The servants surged forward, attempting to drag Chu Zhao from the carriage. A Le blocked the carriage door, swinging her arms and kicking her feet, so fiercely that three or four male servants could not approach.
Chu Zhao leaned against the window, neither anxious nor angered, remaining perfectly still.
The commotion drew the attention of passersby, and with Xiao Xun’s magnificent carriage standing prominently, all eyes inevitably turned toward him.
Xiao Xun felt deeply embarrassed.Deng Yi suppressed a smile as he watched for a moment before stepping forward to defuse the situation. He thanked Xiao Xun again and invited him to proceed to the posthouse to await His Majesty's summons. The officials from the posthouse ahead had already come to receive him.
Xiao Xun didn't even bid farewell to Chu Lan, simply lowering the carriage curtain and driving away.
Chu Lan only had time to bow in farewell, while Chu Ke was grinding his teeth in frustration.
"Father, did you see how rebellious Chu Zhao was on the road? She showed disrespect to the Heir Apparent," he fumed.
Chu Lan's expression darkened as he looked at Chu Zhao sitting calmly in the carriage. He truly hadn't realized that this niece of his could cause so much trouble. Had he known earlier, he would never have allowed her to return.
Actually, he should have expected it - raised by Chu Ling, like master, like servant!
"Are you all useless?" he barked. "Can't even handle a little girl?"
Then he turned to Chu Zhao.
"Ungrateful daughter! Tie her up and drag her out!"
With the family head's order, the servants no longer held back. Of course they weren't really incapable of handling a young girl - they had just been restraining themselves. Now that the master had given permission to use force -
"Why are you tying me up?" Chu Zhao cried out, her sharp voice startling the servants who had rolled up their sleeves to act.
"To take you to apologize to Miss Liang," Chu Lan shouted.
Chu Zhao said, "I won't go to the Liang residence."
Chu Lan sneered, "You won't go? Your aunt and sister are there suffering punishment in your place. What, did you think you could return home to wash up, change clothes, eat, and sleep peacefully?"
Chu Zhao replied, "I don't need to go to the Liang residence to confess my crime. Since the Liang family has accused me, the authorities should handle it." She looked at Deng Yi. "Lord Deng, I should go with you to the government office."
Government office? Chu Lan's eyelid twitched. What was this wretched girl saying? Did she know what it meant for a woman to enter a government prison? Her reputation would be ruined.
If she was willing to go to the government office, why had she run away in the first place? Wasn't it because she was afraid and escaped?
Deng Yi wasn't surprised, nor did he think this was a threat against Chu Lan. For this girl, being tied up and taken to the Liang residence to bow her head was truly worse than going to sit in a government prison.
Though actually, his earlier comment about treating her as a criminal had been meant as a joke.
However, looking at the hopeful expression in the girl's eyes as she sat in the carriage...
"Yes," he said, turning to Chu Lan. "Mr. Chu, I need to take the criminal back to complete my duty."
...
...
(End of Volume One)
OpenNovel