Ashes to Crown

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Avoidance

Chu Zhao’s life suddenly returned to normal.

There were no more pitch-black, rock-hard floors at night, no more waking up freezing in the middle of the night, and no more endless, frantic horseback riding during the day.

Even in a small town, the room she slept in was as warm as spring. The bedding was thick and as soft as clouds, hot water was available for washing in the morning and evening, and her hair was scented with incense.

The tattered cotton robe was gone, replaced by an inner dress of brocade and silk, draped with a light yet warm fur cloak.

Morning light fell on the corridor as Chu Zhao walked slowly. Xiao Xun and Tie Ying, standing in the courtyard, saw her and were momentarily stunned.

Tie Ying simply couldn’t reconcile the beautiful girl before him with the person she had been before.

But he also understood why she had disguised herself that way. She was far too beautiful and eye-catching to blend in with the posthouse soldiers and evade pursuit.

"Are the carriage and horses ready?" Chu Zhao had also seen them and stopped to ask.

For a moment, Tie Ying had the illusion that this girl possessed a majestic aura, issuing commands from on high. Then, he grew displeased. ’Doesn’t this girl even know to address him as Young Master?’

’How utterly rude!’

"You—" he began to scold, his face cold.

Xiao Xun stopped him, smiling as he said, "We can depart anytime. It’s up to Miss Chu’s convenience."

Chu Zhao said, "I’m ready anytime. Let’s depart now."

She lowered her gaze, no longer looking at Xiao Xun and his servant.

Xiao Xun didn’t say another word and immediately ordered his men to prepare the carriage for departure. He hadn’t been lying; after a single command, Chu Zhao didn’t even need to wait in her room. Moments later, she was able to board the carriage.

"Thank you, Young Master." Only after settling into the carriage did Chu Zhao offer her thanks. She added, "There’s no need for you to escort me personally. Since we know my cousin’s itinerary, I can just go meet them myself."

’This girl really doesn’t want to see me for even a second,’ Xiao Xun thought with a smile. He said apologetically, "Actually, it’s not that I must escort you, Miss Chu. It’s just that Young Master Chu’s party said they would be going to the Prince Zhongshan Mansion, so—"

At this point, he seemed to think of a solution and pointed ahead.

"How about this? You take this road, Miss Chu, and I’ll find another one?"

’Is he mocking me?’ Chu Zhao glanced at him. This was also the first time she had truly looked at the face of her husband from her past life. It was familiar yet strange. However, the Heir Xiao of today hadn’t changed much from the man he would be ten years later. He had always been so elegant and graceful.

Of course, that was her old perception. Now, she just saw it as fake.

’Was it necessary to use so many words just to say no?’

’That Ah Jiu was much more straightforward.’

The thought of Ah Jiu worsened Chu Zhao’s mood. ’That Ah Jiu is no good person either. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have run into Xiao Xun and would have already crossed the Little Cave River by now.’

"You have quite the sense of humor, Young Master," she said, letting the carriage curtain fall.

’Looks like I’ve made her even angrier.’ Xiao Xun smiled to himself, waved his hand, and his guards acknowledged the order. The carriage began to roll forward.

As expected, Xiao Xun didn’t follow. He stood in place, holding his horse’s reins.

"Young Master, this Miss Chu is far too rude," Tie Ying said, annoyed.

He had followed the Princely Heir and met many women—gentle, dignified, lively, and adorable ones, as well as the timid, shy, and affected. But this was the first time he had encountered someone as crass and rude as Miss Chu. And what’s more, Miss Chu was also incredibly cunning.

Her cunning was unbelievable.

The message by carrier pigeon had been brief, but the guards who arrived later recounted Miss Chu’s affairs in detail. She had beaten someone up and fled the Capital City. And as if running away wasn’t enough, this Miss Chu had conned a string of people along the way, involving prostitutes, traveling doctors, and all sorts of characters, just to cover her tracks.

’This Miss Chu isn’t just mischievous, is she? She’s completely crooked.’

What was even more despicable was her ambiguous entanglement with a posthouse soldier—’was that a trick to win him over?’

Although Tie Ying wasn’t married and had no children of his own, he thought that if he had a daughter like her, he would probably die of anger.

’How could General Chu Ling raise such a daughter? Does General Chu Ling even know what kind of person his daughter is?’

"Don’t be so dramatic," Xiao Xun said with a laugh. "In a parent’s eyes, their own child is always the best. When you have a daughter of your own someday, we’ll see if you can bear to scold her even once. As for what Miss Chu is like, let’s not gossip behind her back. It has nothing to do with us. We shouldn’t speak of others’ rights and wrongs."

He was right. What Chu Ling’s daughter was like really had nothing to do with them. "But—" Tie Ying said, "she’s too disrespectful to you, Young Master."

"That’s not surprising," Xiao Xun said. "Miss Chu went to so much trouble to get to the Border County, only to be stopped by me. She must hate my guts. How could she possibly be pleasant to me?"

He laughed heartily as he spoke.

"If I were in her shoes, I’d probably die of anger just thinking about it."

Tie Ying was a bit exasperated. "You truly are good-natured, Young Master."

’This has nothing to do with being good-natured or not.’ Xiao Xun twirled his riding crop and smiled faintly. ’Whether others are happy or unhappy because of me, that’s their own business. I don’t care.’

’Why would I let my own happiness or unhappiness be dictated by others?’

"Let’s go," he said. "We’ll travel by water, so we won’t cross paths with Miss Chu."

...

...

Ah Le lifted the carriage curtain and looked back several times. Only when she was certain did she say to Chu Zhao, "That Princely Heir didn’t follow us."

’Whether he follows or not is irrelevant.’ Chu Zhao was impassive. ’The issues between me and Xiao Xun are far greater than the trivial matter of not traveling together.’

"How can you kill someone without leaving a trace?" she asked in a low voice.

Ah Le jumped in fright. She had heard of stealing without a trace, and she figured her mistress was also quite skilled at deceiving without a trace, but killing?!

She and her mistress had grown up among the army in the Border County. They had seen injuries and death, and had even witnessed small-scale skirmishes and raids with the Western Liang Soldiers. But they had never killed someone with their own hands, nor had they ever thought about it.

’When the mistress kicked Miss Liang into the water, I’m sure she didn’t mean to kill her.’

’Ever since she was intercepted, especially after Uncle Zhong forbade her from going back to see the General, the mistress has been frighteningly silent.’

’The mistress must be furious. Yes, this is all that Ah Jiu’s fault.’

"Miss," she asked in a hushed voice, "who do you want to kill? Is it Ah Jiu?"

Chu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh again, her wooden expression melting away.

"No," she said. "Why would I kill him? He has nothing to do with me."

’Nothing to do with him? So much of what happened on this journey had to do with Ah Jiu.’ Aside from Ah Jiu, Ah Le couldn’t think of anyone else who deserved to die.

After laughing, Chu Zhao’s mood stabilized. She couldn’t kill Xiao Xun. First, she didn’t have the ability. Second, if she killed him, the King of Zhongshan could take her and her father’s lives right now, without having to wait.

’All I can do now is avoid any further entanglement with Xiao Xun. I’ll have to figure out the rest later.’

After arriving at the County where the Prince Zhongshan Mansion was located, Chu Zhao made it clear she would not be going to the Prince Mansion.

"I’ll stay at the posthouse and wait for my cousin to arrive and meet me here," she told Xiao Xun’s guards, adding, "Please understand. My father is a court-appointed official and one of the Military Generals. His position is sensitive, so he must avoid associating with a Prince."

Having said this, the guards could not object. They could only settle her in at the posthouse and rush to report to Xiao Xun.

Xiao Xun was not at all surprised. He smiled and said, "The host should accommodate the guest. Let Miss Chu decide her own affairs."

He disembarked and went straight home.

But when Chu Ke found out, he was furious. He had been looking forward to a few comfortable days at the Prince Zhongshan Mansion, not expecting to end up staying at a posthouse again.

"Chu Zhao!" he roared the moment he entered the posthouse. "You’ve got some nerve!"

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