Ashes to Crown

Chapter 127: Chapter 83: Sitting Opposite

Xie Yanfang sat down and poured tea for Chu Zhao.

"When I heard the news, I had someone look into it," he said. "The source was the Posthouse Soldier Camp. A few of them were once with Yanlai—"

Before he could finish, Chu Zhao shook her head with a smile. "It wasn’t them. They were there at the time, but they wouldn’t have been the ones to say it."

Xie Yanfang was curious. "I wonder what the scene was like then? I asked Yanlai, but he wouldn’t say a word. He only said that you, Miss Chu, deserved it."

He relayed the exact words, but he didn’t see any dissatisfaction on the girl’s face. Instead, she burst out laughing.

"I knew he would say that," Chu Zhao said with a laugh.

Xie Yanfang smiled and took a shallow sip of his tea. "Then it seems what he said is true."

Chu Zhao didn’t hide it from Xie Yanfang; there was no need to keep such a thing secret. Still, she was a little surprised that even now, Ah Jiu hadn’t told anyone in the Xie family.

"It all started when I left the Capital City and tried to find a way to the Border County."

Chu Zhao told Xie Yanfang all about how she had disguised herself, the plans she had made, and everything that had happened along the way.

Xie Yanfang listened with great interest, sometimes laughing, sometimes asking questions as her story unfolded.

"At the time, I didn’t know Ah Jiu was a member of your family, or that he was on a secret mission," Chu Zhao said, smiling at Xie Yanfang. "He didn’t reveal a single thing about his identity until I saw him being punished by his family on the street. That’s when I found out who he was."

Xie Yanfang looked at her and smiled. "I was the one who wrote a letter to your father and had Yanlai deliver it. Although your father has been in the Border County for so many years, I’ve always believed General Chu is a man worth befriending."

A look of realization dawned on Chu Zhao’s face, but then she shook her head. "In that case, he should have told me. Wouldn’t it have been better for me to take him to see my father?"

Xie Yanfang laughed heartily. "There was nothing to be done. Miss Chu, with your disguises and schemes along the way, who would dare get tangled up with a troublemaker like you?"

Chu Zhao held her teacup and asked, "What if it had been you back then, Third Master?"

Xie Yanfang’s smile vanished. He said seriously, "I, of course, would have immediately taken you, Miss Chu, and galloped straight to General Chu in the Border County. I was born unafraid of trouble."

Chu Zhao laughed loudly and downed her tea in one gulp.

"You don’t believe me, Miss Chu?" Xie Yanfang asked with a smile.

Chu Zhao nodded. "I do, of course I do. I believe there’s nothing in this world the Third Master wouldn’t dare to do."

The girl spoke with great sincerity, her gaze open and clear as crystal.

Xie Yanfang smiled and didn’t pursue the topic.

"So, back then, because of my strange behavior—and, of course, Ah Jiu’s own issues—we were both wary and on guard against each other the entire way, until it finally reached the point of trying to kill one another," Chu Zhao continued her story. "During a confrontation, I fell into the water, but then something else unexpected happened."

She looked at Xie Yanfang.

"I ran into the Heir of Zhongshan King, Xiao Xun."

Xie Yanfang understood immediately but said nothing, listening for Chu Zhao to continue.

But here, Chu Zhao couldn’t speak of the entanglement she had with Xiao Xun in her past life.

"The Heir of Zhongshan King was tasked by Deng Yi to intercept me. To avoid being recognized, I improvised and pretended to be having a lovers’ quarrel with Ah Jiu in front of him," Chu Zhao said with a smile. "And that’s why I said those words that are now spreading around."

Xie Yanfang laughed and clapped his hands. "A fine improvisation, Miss Chu."

Chu Zhao gave a self-deprecating smile. "Fine? In the end, I was still brought back. My improvisation was useless, and instead, I gave them something to use against me."

Xie Yanfang adjusted his sleeve and brewed tea on the small clay stove. "The Heir of Zhongshan King was targeting our Xie family. Miss Chu was unfortunately caught in the crossfire."

The posthouse soldiers didn’t say it, and Xie Yanlai didn’t say it. That only left the other person present at the time: the Heir of Zhongshan King, Xiao Xun.

Xie Yanfang was slightly surprised.

’The King of Zhongshan has always kept a low profile, and his Princely Heir has always been gentle and refined. Why would he suddenly do something like this? Is he trying to make an enemy of the Crown Prince? It doesn’t make sense.’

’The King of Zhongshan is no fool. Don’t be deceived by how he’s been even quieter than Chu Ling in the Capital City all these years. The fact that the Empress Dowager herself saw fit to cripple him back then shows what a threat he posed to the Emperor.’

’As for the Heir of Zhongshan King, Xie Yanfang had of course heard of his reputation—a reputation exquisitely tailored to his status, neither conspicuous nor mediocre.’

’Is the King of Zhongshan preparing to bet on the Third Prince and go all in?’

Instead of entertaining Chu Zhao, Xie Yanfang fell into deep thought. Chu Zhao didn’t mind his sudden silence. She poured her own tea and drank, knowing exactly what he was pondering. ’He must think Xiao Xun is targeting the Xie family, targeting the Crown Prince—’

She had no intention of explaining. This was precisely why she had rushed to find Xie Yanfang in the first place—she wanted this brilliant Third Master to set his sights on Xiao Xun.

’It’s the truth, after all. Not only does Xiao Xun target the Crown Prince, but in the future, he’ll even snatch the throne from him and fight Xie Yanfang to the death.’

’Since Xiao Xun has jumped out to plot against me, then let him and Xie Yanfang fight to the death right now.’

...

...

When Xie Yanlai arrived, this was the scene that greeted him.

In the waterside pavilion, a man and a woman sat opposite each other like a painting. The young master, dressed in white, focused on brewing tea, his movements fluid and smooth. The young lady leaned against the railing, sipping tea with one hand and playfully tossing fish food with the other.

They looked relaxed and at ease.

"Ah Jiu?"

Ah Le, who was standing guard not far from the pavilion, happened to turn and see him. She called out, her eyes widening.

"You’re just in time—"

But the moment the words left her mouth, she saw Xie Yanlai turn and walk away.

"Hey!" Ah Le cried out, but Xie Yanlai paid her no mind, disappearing behind a cluster of flowering trees.

The trembling tree he had bumped into was suddenly gripped fiercely by a hand. Unable to bear any more shaking, its petals showered down like rain, landing on the ground and all over Xie Yanlai’s body and head.

"Young Master," two maids said, supporting him with concern. "What are you doing?"

His wounds hadn’t even healed yet, but when he heard Miss Chu had arrived, he insisted on coming. The maids had pleaded with him repeatedly, "Young Master, please just lie down. We’ll go and ask her to come. We’ll even kneel and beg if we have to."

But Xie Yanlai refused to listen.

"Why kneel to her? It’s not that I want her to see me; I want to see her, to laugh at her misfortune," he had sneered, forcing himself out of bed. He had dressed and walked from his quarters step by step, absolutely refusing to be carried.

The maids saw a patch of red spreading across Xie Yanlai’s back.

After suffering so much just to get here, he was turning back?

Xie Yanlai leaned against the flowering tree, waiting for a wave of pain from his wounds to pass. He said coldly, "Miss Chu is eloquent. She’ll surely convince my third brother. With him here, there’s no misfortune to laugh at. There’s no need to waste my time."

With that, he strode away.

The two maids hurried after him. Fortunately, other maids had also arrived, eight of them carrying a chaise lounge.

"Young Master, those male servants are too rough. They’ll make you more uncomfortable if they carry you."

"Let us do it. We have a lighter touch. You can trust us, can’t you?"

"Young Master, don’t tell us you don’t even trust us anymore?"

Amidst their plaintive, chirping voices, Xie Yanlai smiled. Tormenting his maids was the most boring thing he could do. He did as they asked and lay face down on the chaise lounge. With delicate grunts of effort, the maids lifted it and began to walk.

Xie Yanlai closed his eyes, resting his head on his arm.

A maid’s soft voice suddenly whispered in his ear, "Young Master, did Miss Chu really say those things to you?"

Xie Yanlai said coldly, "You foolish girls need to get a grip. Don’t just assume someone is deeply in love because you hear them say a few passionate words."

The maids giggled. "We would never." "We’re more used to you saying harsh things to us, Young Master." "When other people say nice things, it just sounds strange."

Xie Yanlai ignored their playful laughter. He kept his eyes closed and said no more, gradually falling asleep on the swaying chaise lounge.

...

...

Xie Yanfang poured the freshly brewed tea for Chu Zhao.

"I was lost in thought," he said. "My apologies, Miss Chu."

Chu Zhao smiled. "For the Third Master to get lost in thought in front of me means you don’t see me as an outsider. That makes me very happy."

The girl’s smiling eyes curved into crescents.

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