Ashes to Crown

Chapter 114: Chapter 72: Entering the Door

Xie Yanlai looked like he was choking, unable to speak, but he hadn’t spat the pill out.

Chu Zhao relaxed and whispered to Ah Le, "Why is the pill so big?"

"The doctor at the apothecary was in a rush because of me, so he did a sloppy job," Ah Le said apologetically. She then quickly took out three porcelain vials. "But I prepared these powders myself. They’re more than potent enough."

Chu Zhao took them with a smile. "Ah Le’s skills are second to none."

Ah Le chuckled.

Holding the vials, Chu Zhao turned back around to find Xie Yanlai staring at her, his expression cold.

He said, "I’m not going to ask your motive, and you don’t need to waste your breath with sweet talk. Just get out of here. Now."

Ah Le retorted, displeased, "Young Master Ah Jiu, how can you be like that? My lady is trying to save you! She specifically told me to prepare these medicines. Don’t think you’re fine—you’re seriously injured—"

At this, she giggled.

"But now that you’ve taken my pill, your vital energy has already been restored."

"Sprinkle on these powders, and the bleeding will stop instantly. Then use my ointment, and I guarantee you won’t even be left with a scar."

Xie Yanlai sneered. ’So much for the act. The maid who was playing deaf and mute is suddenly quite the smooth talker.’

"Can’t your lady tell right from wrong? Does she not know a good person from a bad one?" he said with a smirk, looking at Chu Zhao. "Miss Chu, by being so kind to someone like me, are you suggesting those villagers deserved to die?"

Ah Le’s expression froze. She had followed Chu Zhao down from the upper floor, and when Chu Zhao told her to use all her life-saving skills to make some wound medicine, she had bolted off to do it.

She’d forgotten that the Ah Jiu of today was named Xie Yanlai.

She had heard about the things Xie Yanlai had done.

’A man like that really isn’t worth saving!’

Ah Le looked toward Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao looked at Xie Yanlai and asked curiously, "What happened with the fire?"

’What is there to ask? The whole city is talking about it, so why ask me!’ Xie Yanlai said coldly, "Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?"

"I heard," Chu Zhao said. "That’s why I’m asking you."

’She heard, yet she’s still asking me. Is she saying she doesn’t believe the rumors, that she’ll only believe what I tell her?’

Xie Yanlai let out a short, humorless laugh. He propped himself up on an arm, bending a knee as he sized up Chu Zhao. "Miss Chu, what is it you want from me? I told you, I won’t fall for these kinds of tricks."

Chu Zhao looked at him. "Exactly. You’re too smart, too vigilant. Would you really get drunk, fall asleep, and let the cargo burn? I know you. If you were escorting something, it couldn’t escape even if it sprouted legs and ran."

Xie Yanlai couldn’t help but laugh out loud, but he quickly stifled it.

"What nonsense are you spouting now?" He raised an eyebrow and pointed outside. "You’ve got your wish. I’m being sent to the government. Now get out of the carriage and get lost."

He raised his voice.

"If you don’t get her off this carriage, I’ll kick her off myself!"

He lifted his foot.

Ah Le clearly knew that this Ah Jiu fellow was a man of his word. She immediately straightened up on her knees, shielding Chu Zhao. "You dare!"

She even reached for the thorn switch behind Xie Yanlai.

"If you dare kick my lady, I’ll whip you!"

The commotion inside grew so loud that the carriage jolted to a stop.

The curtain was lifted. An old servant outside looked at the three people in a standoff and said with a smile, "We’ve arrived."

’Arrived?’

Chu Zhao lifted the curtain to look out, her brow furrowed. "This isn’t the government office."

The carriage had already driven into a courtyard. It was exquisitely designed, and servants stood around it with their hands respectfully at their sides.

A rush of air came from behind her. Chu Zhao, ever agile, used the momentum to leap down from the carriage, avoiding the kick.

"Of course this isn’t the government office," Xie Yanlai said as he jumped down after her, ignoring the blood dripping from his reopened wound. "This is my home."

Chu Zhao ignored him and looked at the man standing before her.

The ill-tempered, middle-aged man who had been whipping Xie Yanlai was gone. Now, only the old servant stood before them.

He introduced himself as Uncle Cai, the steward of the Third Young Master Xie.

"You’re not taking him to the government office after all?" Chu Zhao asked him with a frown. "So you really weren’t going to hand him over."

Uncle Cai smiled and admitted it freely. "Of course not. The sons of the Xie family can only be punished by the Xie family. This is a private family matter."

’A family matter for show,’ Chu Zhao thought, a smirk playing on her lips. "Aren’t you afraid the townspeople will find out?"

She had, after all, made the Xie family’s men declare on the street that they were taking him to the government office. By insisting on coming along to watch, she ensured that many of the townspeople would follow on foot to see what happened.

She glanced at the tightly shut residence gates. ’There must be a crowd gathered outside the Xie family’s doors right now.’

Uncle Cai’s expression was mild. "The Third Young Master says that the public doesn’t actually care whether he’s sent to the government or not."

Chu Zhao raised an eyebrow. "And the Third Young Master isn’t afraid of damaging his reputation?"

Uncle Cai replied, "The Third Young Master isn’t afraid. A damaged reputation can be repaired." He smiled at Chu Zhao. "Besides, Miss Chu doesn’t care either."

’She really didn’t care.’ Chu Zhao looked at Uncle Cai—or rather, at the man he represented: the Third Young Master Xie.

’He really is something.’

’On the street, he immediately countered her sudden provocation. Now, he was making it clear that he didn’t care about public opinion, and he was also pointing out that he knew *she* didn’t care either.’

Chu Zhao didn’t answer the question, saying only, "So that’s the kind of person the Third Young Master Xie is."

From behind her, Xie Yanlai said coldly, "Now that you know what kind of man the Third Young Master is, you should get lost."

Chu Zhao glanced at him and retorted just as coldly, "It’s hardly your place to be giving orders in this household, is it?"

Hah! Xie Yanlai’s expression darkened, and he took a step forward.

Another servant hurried over from behind and whispered something to Uncle Cai. As he listened, Uncle Cai’s expression shifted to one of surprise. He glanced at Xie Yanlai, then at Chu Zhao, and a look of dawning comprehension crossed his face. Then, he smiled.

"Young Master Yanlai, please calm yourself," he said with a smile. He then looked at Chu Zhao. "Since the two of you are acquainted, Miss Chu is a guest of the Xie family."

Xie Yanlai froze mid-step.

Chu Zhao didn’t look at Uncle Cai. Her gaze was fixed on Xie Yanlai, her surprise impossible to hide.

’That one sentence revealed everything. Ah Jiu had never mentioned her to his family. No one in the Xie family knew they had met on their journey.’

’He hadn’t said a single word about her.’

...

...

"I was careless before," Xie Yanfang said, holding a fishing rod as he sat by a stream. "I’d heard that Miss Chu had fled the Capital City after assaulting someone, and I knew she had returned. But I never paid attention to *how* she returned. If I had just asked one more question back then—"

—’I would have learned she was captured by Deng Yi, with the assistance of the King of Zhongshan.’

’I would have learned more details about the journey, such as the fact that Chu Ling’s daughter traveled by relying on posthouse soldiers.’

’And Xie Yanlai was serving as a posthouse soldier at that very time.’

"No wonder Miss Chu was so furious on the street," Xie Yanfang said, turning to look at the girl standing nearby. "Seeing one’s beloved being beaten so harshly would naturally make one’s heart ache with anger."

Chu Zhao blinked. She didn’t quite understand. ’Beloved?’

Xie Yanfang then turned his gaze to Xie Yanlai, who stood beside the girl.

"So your refusal to marry Miss Liang was indeed because you were already promised to another. I heard that you and Miss Chu, in the presence of the Heir of Zhongshan King, pledged to face life and death together and never part."

He said this with a smile, but as he looked at Xie Yanlai, the smile vanished from his face.

"Yanlai, you can declare your feelings in front of outsiders, yet you hide them from me, your own brother. That’s truly hurtful."

Chu Zhao finally understood, an odd expression crossing her face.

Xie Yanlai snorted with laughter, a look of pure schadenfreude on his face.

"You can’t blame me for this," he said, leaning in to whisper to Chu Zhao. "I told you to get lost. You didn’t listen. You brought this on yourself."

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