Ashes to Crown

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Asking for Help

When the young man spoke, the other posthouse soldiers fell silent. The one who had been about to rise and help her up sat down firmly, as if he had only been shifting into a more comfortable position.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

The Posthouse Minister recognized the voice. It belonged to the one who had first shouted from outside the posthouse to stop the commotion.

’So young,’ the Posthouse Minister thought. ’But I wasn’t mistaken. This young man is the one in charge of their group. What’s his background? His family? Or maybe he’s just rich. The wealthy and powerful are the true masters, no matter their age.’

And this particular master did not look easy to persuade.

The Posthouse Minister, ever the smooth operator who lived by the motto ”less trouble is better than more,” did not immediately send the young girl away.

”What this girl is asking for is, in truth, a simple favor for you gentlemen of the army,” he said. ”Her father is also a soldier.”

Hearing this, the expressions of a few of the posthouse soldiers shifted. One of them seemed about to ask something, but then he glanced at the young man. The young man was still slowly sipping wine from his bowl, as if he hadn’t heard a thing. The soldier who had been about to speak swallowed his words.

The Posthouse Minister wasn’t discouraged. ’Getting things done in this world is never so easy. You think you can just cry a little, call someone a hero, and have your way?’

”Her father is serving in the Border County and hasn’t been back in three years. Her mother is in poor health and was trying to take their two children to join him, but by the time they got here, she became too ill to even get out of bed. The doctor said if she tries to take one more step on the road, it will be the death of her,” the Posthouse Minister explained patiently. ”That’s why she wants to send the two children to find their father. If she were to pass on, those two kids would be left all alone with nowhere to go.”

Hearing this, the young girl kneeling at the side kowtowed again. This time she said nothing, only weeping quietly.

”So, you want us to escort two children to the Border County?” one of the posthouse soldiers couldn’t help but ask.

The Posthouse Minister nodded. ”Two young girls could never make it to the Border County on their own, and they don’t have the money to hire an Escort Master or the like. So she asked me to keep an eye out for them at the posthouse, in case any soldiers on duty were headed to the Border County and could take them along.”

”But... we’re on an urgent assignment. We can’t travel with children,” that soldier said helplessly. ”We can’t afford to slow down. Missing our deadline is an offense punishable by death.”

”Kind sirs, my sister and I aren’t afraid of the hardship!” the girl said through her tears. ”We can both ride horses. Our father taught us when he was still at home.”

’What could a child her age, and a girl at that, possibly have learned? That hardly counts as knowing how to ride.’

”If these two children can find their father, they’ll have a chance to live. They might even be able to rush back and get help for their mother,” the Posthouse Minister said. ”With such a rare opportunity presenting itself, I had to plead their case.”

”Wouldn’t it be better to just carry a letter?” one of the posthouse soldiers suggested.

This was Zhang Yibing, the posthouse soldier they called their leader.

The Posthouse Minister took a step forward and shook his head, lowering his voice. ”The truth is, their mother can’t be saved. She’s holding on, but she only has about half a month left. Once she dies and their travel money runs out, those two children will truly be done for.”

’So that’s how it is.’ The posthouse soldiers exchanged a look, then turned their eyes back to the young man still holding his wine bowl.

”Ah Jiu, what do you think—” Zhang Yibing asked.

’So the young man’s name is Ah Jiu,’ the Posthouse Minister thought. He watched the young man take a sip of wine, his expression showing no trace of emotion. At last, he spoke. ”There are many garrisons in the Border County. What’s this man’s name, how old is he, and which commander does he serve under?”

The Posthouse Minister rushed to speak, but the young man shot him a look. ”Let her say it herself.”

’He doesn’t trust me?’ The Posthouse Minister quickly closed his mouth. ’Fine.’ He gestured to the girl kneeling behind him.

”My name is Ah Fu,” the girl said, suppressing her sobs and struggling to speak clearly. ”My father is Yang Dachun. He’s thirty-four years old. He’s in Yunzhong County, a soldier at Sai Shangtun in the Daqing Mountain Camp. The general he serves is named Chu... General Chu Wei.”

Upon hearing the name ”General Chu Wei,” the posthouse soldiers couldn’t help but start whispering to one another. ”He’s one of General Chu’s men.” ”To think, it’s General Chu.”

Hearing them, Ah Fu looked up hopefully. ”Sirs, you know of General Chu, then?”

”Who doesn’t know of General Chu,” one of the posthouse soldiers mumbled, but then quickly coughed and dropped the subject.

The young man turned the wine bowl in his hands and asked, ”Your father’s letters? You must have them with you, right?”

Ah Fu quickly pulled a small cloth pouch from within her tattered, padded jacket. She opened it carefully, revealing several letters inside. ”Here they are.”

It was clear how precious these letters were, kept hidden close to her heart.

The young man held out his hand. ”Let us see them.”

A nearby posthouse soldier, looking a little embarrassed, whispered to him, ”Ah Jiu, reading someone else’s personal letters... isn’t that a bit much?”

”What’s so much about it?” the young man retorted, unconcerned. His eyes fixed on Ah Fu. ”Do a common soldier’s family letters contain state secrets?”

Ah Fu had already risen to her feet. Cupping the small pouch with both hands, she placed the letters onto the young man’s hand. His hands were long and slender, his skin fair, but a vicious scar cut clear across his palm.

Ah Fu quickly lowered her gaze, not daring to look for long.

The young man passed the letters to the others and opened one himself. He scanned the script and chuckled. ”This is the handwriting of those rough scribes from the Border County, all right. They write every character the size of an egg, as if making them bigger will help the recipient read them.”

The posthouse soldiers all laughed as they looked down at the letters in their hands. One joined in the banter, ”It actually works, though. I don’t know many characters, but seeing them written this big makes me feel like I can read them.”

With the letter in one hand and his wine bowl in the other, the young man drank as he read. He read incredibly fast, his eyes scanning ten lines at a glance, and quickly finished the family letter.

”The contents are all correct,” Zhang Yibing said in a low voice, leaning over. He understood the young man’s reason for reading the letters. Pointing at the paper, he added, ”You can taste the flavor of the Border County between the lines.”

The young man had also finished. He nodded, then glanced at Ah Fu. ”Put them away.”

The posthouse soldiers handed back the letters, watching as the girl carefully wrapped them up and tucked them back inside her jacket.

Only then did the Posthouse Minister step forward again. ”Ah Fu has shown me those letters before. I also considered sending a letter, but the time it would take for a message to go there and back... it’s much better to just take the two sisters directly.”

Zhang Yibing tapped the table. ”The Border County is too far.”

”Just take them as far as you can,” the Posthouse Minister said. ”If they can’t keep up, they can stay at a posthouse along the way. Even that would make it faster for Yang Dachun to come find them.”

As he spoke, he shot a meaningful look at Ah Fu, who was standing frozen nearby. ’It’s a done deal,’ he thought. ’Quick, kneel, kowtow, and cry a little!’

But before Ah Fu could kneel, the young man stood up.

”Let’s go see this Lady Yang,” he said, his narrow eyes sweeping over Ah Fu and the Posthouse Minister with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. ”Let’s hear what she has to say. After all, this isn’t the Posthouse Minister’s family business, nor is it a decision a child can make.”

The Posthouse Minister silently cursed. ’This kid is so damn difficult. He doesn’t look like he came from poverty, yet here he is working as a common posthouse soldier. He was probably demoted to this post because of that rotten personality, wasn’t he?’

’You’re a bunch of able-bodied soldiers, armed and trained. What are a couple of twelve or thirteen-year-old girls going to do under your watch? Murder someone? Commit arson?’

’This interrogation is endless.’

The Posthouse Minister really didn’t want to talk anymore. He waved a hand at Ah Fu. ”Go, go. While your mother is still lucid, let her ask the soldiers herself.”

Ah Fu, however, didn’t feel she was being put through the wringer. Her face filled with joy, and she took off running outside. ”Mother! Mother! The soldiers are here—”

Her voice was a mix of sorrow and joy, and hearing it, several of the posthouse soldiers—especially the older ones with wives and children of their own—felt a pang of sympathy.

’Sigh, we’re all military men with families,’ they thought. ’Imagine if it were our own—’

”This Yang Dachun is a real piece of work, letting his wife and daughter end up in this state,” Ah Jiu’s scornful voice cut in. ”Utterly pathetic.”

He drained the remaining wine in his bowl and strode out the door.

’Fine, whatever.’ They didn’t want to be called pathetic, and they certainly didn’t want to be shamed. Shaking off their soft-hearted sympathy, the other posthouse soldiers hurried to follow him.