Chu Zhao strolled slowly along the street. A Le watched her cautiously and said, "Miss, don't be angry."
"Angry?" Chu Zhao laughed. "I'm not angry. Why would I be angry with them?"
In the end, it was nothing more than petty squabbles and disdain among girls—utterly insignificant compared to the life-and-death conspiracies she had experienced.
She wouldn't waste her anger on such trivial matters.
"I was thinking that I must return to the Border Commandery as soon as possible," Chu Zhao said.
The appearance of Young Master Xie the Third in the capital reminded her of what would happen in the future and made her even more eager to see her father.
Aside from asking about her mother, there was another matter.
In that lifetime, the Xie family's reason for rebellion was that Xiao Xun had usurped the throne unjustly, colluding with treacherous individuals to seize the imperial seat.
That treacherous individual was her father, Chu Ling.
The Xie family claimed that the Third Prince had slaughtered the entire Eastern Palace, but in reality, the Crown Prince's son had been rescued and entrusted to Chu Ling. However, Chu Ling and Prince Zhongshan conspired to have the child killed.
Otherwise, the Crown Prince of Zhongshan would never have been next in line to inherit the throne.
This was the deal between Chu Ling and Prince Zhongshan, and the evidence was her becoming Empress.
It was utterly ridiculous. She regarded such absurd claims as a joke. The Xie family, having no legitimate reason for rebellion, had resorted to fabricating lies.
What kind of person was her father, Chu Ling? A disgraced official. Even if the Little Highness had been rescued, who would ever entrust him to her father?
His Majesty and the Crown Prince probably didn't even remember who her father was.
But now, she felt she might need to reconsider—
In any case, there were too many unresolved matters. She had to see her father and could no longer stay in the capital.
A Le had no idea how many thoughts had flashed through her mistress's mind in that moment. She tightened her grip on Chu Zhao's hand and said, "Miss, don't rush. We'll find a way."
Chu Zhao snapped out of her thoughts. A way? After a moment's consideration, she said, "The best way is still to find A Jiu."
A Jiu? For a moment, A Le couldn't quite recall who that was. Why was her mistress suddenly bringing up A Jiu?
How could her mistress still remember this person?
Just as she was about to say something, a hesitant voice came from nearby.
"Chu... Miss Chu?"
Miss Chu? Who was calling? A Le looked over and saw that Chu Zhao had already joyfully exclaimed, "Officer Zhang!"
Standing at the entrance of a general store by the street were two men carrying large and small packages. They had spoken first, but when the girls turned to look and called out, their expressions became somewhat evasive.
"It really is Miss Chu," Zhang Gu said. "We just... called out casually. If it's inappropriate, we'll leave now."
"Inappropriate" referred to the circumstances under which they had met Miss Chu—circumstances that were hardly honorable. For a young lady, it was better not to mention such matters.
They had just stepped out of the general store and spotted the two girls. Though their attire was completely different from that of A Fu and A Le back then, the memory was so vivid that they recognized them at a glance.
Zhang Gu couldn't resist calling out, but immediately regretted it. Would the girl want to be recognized by them?
To his surprise, Chu Zhao's expression showed no anger or aloofness—only delight.
This made him somewhat happy. The girl didn't look down on him.
"Officer Zhang," Chu Zhao said, stepping in front of them. "I was just thinking of you—where is A Jiu?"
Uh-oh. Zhang Gu was both amused and exasperated as he watched the girl glance around behind them, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
She wasn't thinking of them—she was thinking of A Jiu.
This pair of lovers had been forcibly separated during their journey. Their marriage was likely off the table, wasn't it?
...
...Zhang Gu looked at the girl's excited and joyful expression, feeling somewhat sympathetic. Life was like this—not everything would go as one wished. Young people would eventually have to accept this fact.
"Miss Chu," he said softly, "A Jiu is no longer with us."
Chu Zhao was taken aback. What did he mean by "no longer here"?
"Did he not come out with you?" she asked, then added cheerfully, "It's alright. I can go with you to find him."
Zhang Gu's gaze grew even more sympathetic. "Miss Chu, he... he's no longer a courier."
No longer a courier? Chu Zhao was surprised. "Then what is he doing now?" But it didn't matter. Since he was familiar with the couriers, he could surely help. She urged Zhang Gu again, "I'll go ask him in person."
"Miss Chu," Zhang Gu said quietly, deciding to get it all out at once to prevent the girl from overthinking, "He's gone. He's not at the Courier Soldier Camp anymore. We don't know where he went. After returning, we haven't seen him again."
Chu Zhao understood now, recalling what Zhang Gu had said before—A Jiu had been serving a punishment. So, once his duty was completed, he had left.
No, her eyes darkened. A Jiu wasn't being punished; he was a messenger, concealing his identity to deliver a secret letter to her father. Once the task was done, it was over.
"Where is his hometown?" she asked.
Zhang Gu shook his head. "He joined the Courier Soldier Camp midway. We don't know where he's from, let alone where his home is." He sighed wistfully. "We don't even know if we'll ever see him again."
That fellow seemed quite annoying, yet somehow endearing.
If you were good to him, he would be good to you. But if you treated him poorly, he would make sure you suffered twice as much.
Chu Zhao felt a sense of bewilderment. It would be difficult to find him now. Having completed his mission and concealed his identity, how could she possibly locate him in such a vast capital city?
Her uncle would certainly not deliver the letter to her father on her behalf.
If she entrusted the letter to couriers like Zhang Gu, her uncle would surely interfere. These ordinary couriers lacked the authority to make decisions.
Only A Jiu could help.
That wicked, ruthless, cunning, and heartless fellow.
She ought to be wary of this A Jiu, yet she felt that in the entire capital, he was the only one she could trust and who could truly assist her.
For a moment, Chu Zhao's eyes clouded with confusion.
"Chu... Miss Chu," Zhang Gu said, his heart aching at the girl's expression. Ah, what a pity. "Don't be sad."
He made a promise impulsively.
"I'll try to find him. If I can locate him, I'll tell him you're looking for him."
Chu Zhao expressed her sincere gratitude. "Officer Zhang, you are truly a kind person."
This low-ranking courier, whom she had encountered by chance on the journey, was better than anyone she had met in her previous life.
"It seems Heaven took pity on me, allowing me to meet kind people like you, Officer Zhang."
She then curtsied respectfully to Zhang Gu.
A Le quickly followed suit with a solemn bow.
Zhang Gu flustered, unsure how to respond. "What are you saying? You're too polite. It's only right, only right."
"Then I'll trouble Officer Zhang to take this to heart," Chu Zhao said, telling Zhang Gu where she lived and pointing to A Le. "When the time comes, you can find her. She's often outside."
Zhang Gu nodded, and A Le bowed to him once more before the master and servant took their leave.
Watching the girl walk away dejectedly, Zhang Gu muttered again, "What a pity."
A companion nearby coughed lightly. "Brother Zhang, aren't you helping them engage in a private affair?"
"Uh," Zhang Gu stammered, "What? No, don't talk nonsense. How could it be a private affair—"His companion looked at him with a teasing expression, saying nothing.
Zhang Gu said helplessly, "I just felt sorry for the kid, so I helped pass along a message. Whether they meet or not, I'm not getting involved."
His companion slung an arm over his shoulder: "Alright, alright, I know. Brother Zhang is a good man, after all."
Zhang Gu made spitting noises twice, and the two continued walking.
"But it was still nice to run into Miss Chu today."
"Miss Chu didn't avoid us when she saw us, didn't look down on us at all."
"Yeah, but at first glance, Miss Chu looked really fierce, like she'd just gotten into a fight with someone."
"Don't talk nonsense. How could Miss Chu be fighting all the time?"
......
......
The Elegant Interest Pavilion had become empty. The daytime session had ended, and the evening session hadn't started yet, but those young men in the main hall on the first floor still hadn't left. Their wine and dishes were all finished.
Xie Yanlai was no longer covering his head with the tablecloth, lazily leaning back as he called to the waiter: "Come on, bring more food and wine."
Before the waiter could respond, several young men stood up helplessly: "When are you planning to leave?"
Xie Yanlai thought for a moment: "When it gets dark. It's too bright outside, not safe."
What nonsense. If there really was any danger, it would be you making others unsafe. The young men could no longer hold back: "You stay here then. We're leaving."
Although Xie Yanlai was called Young Master Xie, his birth mother was of low status, and he was only recognized by the Xie family later in life. He would just rely on his family to get by with food and clothing, with no real future prospects.
They couldn't be like that - they were proper young masters who still needed to strive for their futures and make something of themselves.
Playing around with Xie Yanlai was just to build connections with the Xie family. They couldn't truly follow him in reckless idleness.
The young men left in a noisy group, leaving only Xie Yanlai behind.
The waiter tentatively asked: "Young master, would you still like food and wine?"
Xie Yanlai glanced at him and threw a bag of coins on the table: "Why wouldn't I? Can't I afford it?"
This young master really had a bad temper. The waiter quickly bowed and flattered him, loudly calling for the best wine and dishes. As he was about to leave, he was called back.
"Those people fighting on the second floor earlier - were they named Chu, right?"
The waiter quickly confirmed: "Yes." Then casually asked: "Do you know them, young master? Chu—"
His words were cut off by Xie Yanlai's impatient interruption: "How would I know her!"
Young Master Chu Ke hadn't reached the point of being famous throughout the capital, but if you didn't know him, you didn't know him. Why be so fierce? Everyone said Young Master Xie the Third was kind-hearted, but this Xie young master was certainly not. The waiter mumbled agreement and was about to leave when he was called back again.
Xie Yanlai raised his hand and threw another bag of coins.
"Find someone to tell me how the fight on the second floor went."
Oh! The waiter happily accepted the money. Could such good fortune really exist? These rich young masters were truly hard to figure out - he didn't go watch when the fight was happening, but now he's paying to hear about it. Was this having too much money with nowhere to spend it?
"Right away—young master, please wait a moment—wine, food, people, excitement, coming right up—"
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