Ashes to Crown

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Family Affairs

Things were clear now. Deng Yi asked no more questions and didn’t make things difficult, allowing them to leave.

"The ignorant are blameless," he said.

The three were overjoyed. They kowtowed in gratitude, and Li Niang even ventured, "Then, this money—"

Standing to one side, Young Master Chu was both shocked and furious. "That’s my family’s money! What, you think you can take it?"

Li Niang gave a sheepish laugh. She wasn’t afraid of this young master; he was far less intimidating than his younger sister.

"Though you acted without malice, you were greedy and allowed yourselves to be used for deceit," Deng Yi said. "You certainly cannot take this money."

Li Niang quickly said, "Of course, of course. I was just about to say that we would never take this money."

That courtesan still had the gall to talk back. Qi Du You barked, "Get lost! If you don’t want to leave, you can go rot in the county government’s jail."

Li Niang, the driver, and the doctor dared not linger and scrambled out of the room.

The Posthouse Minister remained kneeling. He held an official post; if he "got lost" with the others, he could forget about ever coming back.

Qi Du You glanced at him, then said to Deng Yi, "Lord Deng, none of them are innocent. We shouldn’t let them off so lightly."

"Let it go. It’s not a major affair," Deng Yi said. As he spoke, he rested his chin on his hand and couldn’t help but laugh. He looked at Chu Ke. "Young Master Chu, your sister is truly impressive. At such a young age, she orchestrated such an elaborate show just to cover her tracks. Truly, like father, like daughter."

Chu Ke’s eyes filled with vexation. He ordered his attendants to gather the money and valuables piled on the floor.

"She’s insane," he said bitterly. "If she wanted to find her father, she should have just said so! Who just steals the family’s money and runs off, pulling all these stunts?!"

Resting his chin on his hand, Deng Yi watched the indignant young master and asked, "If Miss Chu had said she wanted to find General Chu, would you have sent her?"

"Of course not!" Chu Ke replied without a second thought. Seeing Deng Yi’s amused smile, he quickly explained, "Lord Deng, aside from the fact that she assaulted someone—a matter that isn’t even resolved yet—when my uncle sent her back, he explicitly forbade her from returning."

Deng Yi asked curiously, "Why would General Chu forbid Miss Chu from returning? I heard she had always been with the General in Yunzhong County. When Miss Chu was born, her mother passed away, and Old Madam Chu wanted to bring her back to raise her, but General Chu refused. He raised her himself for all those years. Why send her back now?"

’How does he know so much about our family’s affairs?’ Chu Ke grew nervous. ’He even knows that Grandmother wanted to raise my cousin? Does that mean he also knows the scandal from all those years ago? That my uncle had an affair with a country girl without a matchmaker, getting her pregnant and having a child out of wedlock?’

’Then again,’ Chu Ke thought, ’it’s not surprising. My cousin nearly killed Miss Liang, and Liang Siqing has already filed an official report. The Ministry of Justice would certainly investigate, and Deng Yi, who was tasked with finding her, would have to investigate as well. With such scrutiny, what secrets could our family possibly keep hidden?’

’Besides, my uncle’s well-known follies have always been the laughingstock of the Capital City.’

’What a complete disgrace!’ The young man was thin-skinned; his face flushed red with both shame and anger.

"It’s... because my cousin is grown now. My uncle wanted her to come back to learn proper etiquette so she can be married off," he said with a sigh. "It’s obvious my uncle knows how unruly she is. That’s why he told the family to discipline her strictly and forbade her from returning to Yunzhong County until she learns to behave properly."

Deng Yi hummed in acknowledgment, lost in thought.

’Is he still trying to recall our family’s embarrassing history?’ Chu Ke worried. ’My uncle has done so many disgraceful things. He finally spent years laying low, and everyone had almost forgotten. Now my cousin is following in her father’s footsteps, continuing to bring disaster upon the Chu Family.’ Young Chu Ke was truly miserable. ’Poor me, the eldest son, forced to endure all of this.’

"Lord Deng, now that you’ve figured it out, please don’t delay," he urged. "We must catch her quickly, bring my cousin back, have her apologize sincerely to Lord Liang and accept her punishment. We need to put this matter to rest before it reaches my uncle. If he finds out, he’ll do something rash and offend Your Majesty, and then not even a thousand deaths could atone for our crime."

"Something rash," Deng Yi repeated with a small smile. "I arrived in the Capital City relatively recently, but I’ve had the pleasure of hearing about General Chu’s past deeds."

’See? Just as I thought. Everyone had finally forgotten about our family, and now he’s digging up all this old history.’ Face flushed, Chu Ke said urgently, "Lord Deng, please, let’s not talk about the past. We should hurry and go after my cousin."

Deng Yi didn’t embarrass the young man further and dropped the subject.

"However, your cousin won’t be easy to catch," he said, turning to the Posthouse Minister. "Xu Cheng, how fast are the posthouse soldiers?"

The Posthouse Minister, who had been kneeling silently on the floor while they spoke, answered immediately. "Very fast. And the squad of posthouse soldiers escorting Miss Chu is even faster. I noted their travel time from the Capital City to here—they were two days faster than any other posthouse soldier."

Deng Yi said to Chu Ke, "I’m not being falsely modest. Compared to posthouse soldiers, my travel speed is truly lacking. By the time we catch up to her, she’ll have already reached Yunzhong County and met with General Chu." He shook his head. "This was my oversight. I should have realized from the start that as General Chu’s daughter, your cousin would certainly know that traveling via the posthouse soldier network is the fastest way. She would never have bothered with an Escort Agency."

"Who knows what goes on in that head of hers," Chu Ke said, exasperated and feeling utterly helpless.

He was only an eighteen-year-old who had spent his life studying with his father at an academy. This was the first time he had traveled so far. He was so exhausted and miserable he felt he was on the verge of collapsing.

’What am I going to do? Mother and Father instructed me that no matter what, I cannot let my uncle get involved. We have to resolve this ourselves. Every move my uncle makes affects our entire family—especially my future prospects...’

He recalled his parents’ warning: "We all know your uncle’s temper. He has barely any favor left with Your Majesty. I’ve already spoken with him. For the future of the Chu Family, we must help you get a foothold and enter officialdom. If that last bit of favor is spent on your cousin, there will be nothing left for you."

’Although he didn’t quite understand why his father said his uncle still had some favor with Your Majesty. His uncle was a convicted man whom His Majesty had long since cast aside.’

’But he did know that if his uncle caused a scene, it would undoubtedly drag their family down with him, jeopardizing his own future.’

’He was still so young! He had a long life ahead of him, a future as bright as brocade!’

Deng Yi studied the youth’s shifting expression, then suddenly sat up straight. "We can’t catch up to her, but we can have her intercepted up ahead."

’Intercepted?’

Chu Ke looked at Deng Yi.

Deng Yi looked at the Posthouse Minister. "On the route to Yunzhong County, is there a post station near Zhongshan County?"

Though greedy, the Posthouse Minister was proficient in his duties. He nodded at once and replied clearly, "Yes. It’s called Da Hua Post Station."

Deng Yi smiled faintly. "Then we have a solution." He stood up and glanced at the Posthouse Minister, feigning surprise to see him still kneeling. "Xu Cheng, get up. You’ve had quite an education this time, being led around in circles by a little girl."

The Posthouse Minister gave a wry smile and agreed. "This old man has been utterly disgraced."

Qi Du You chided him, "It’s all because of your greed. Make sure you remember this lesson."

"It’s no disgrace, no disgrace at all," Deng Yi said with a laugh. "Just think of it as being tricked by General Chu himself."

Chu Ke had no interest in their banter. Hearing his uncle mentioned again only made him more anxious. He urged, "Lord Deng, please just tell us what to do."

"As luck would have it," Deng Yi said, "our Ministry of Justice is currently communicating with the King of Zhongshan about a case. It’s inconvenient for the King to travel to the Capital City, so we’ve been using carrier pigeons. I can use one to send a message to the King of Zhongshan, asking him to assist with the interception."

’The King of Zhongshan... right, Zhongshan County is the King of Zhongshan’s fiefdom. And a pigeon is much faster than a person. This really is the best way.’

’The only downside is that one more person will know about the Chu Family’s sordid little affair.’ Chu Ke’s headache intensified, but what else could he do?

"Then I must trouble you, Lord Deng," he said, adding a final plea. "This concerns my cousin’s reputation. I beg you, my lord, please be discreet."

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