Ashes to Crown

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Bitter Road

Posthouse soldiers traveled fast. Man and horse alike seemed to be running for their lives, barely stopping for the entire day.

The constant jostling of the horse made Ah Fu clench her jaw.

She couldn’t sleep well or eat well. The sores on her thighs and buttocks would scab over only to break open again. If it weren’t for Ah Le’s herbal medicine, they would have likely festered, leaving her unable to walk.

’I remember being a teenager,’ she thought. ’My horsemanship was excellent. I could gallop all day without the slightest discomfort. Maybe it’s because the person inside this body is now the me from my twenties, the one who lived a pampered life for years. My body just isn’t used to this anymore.’

Ah Le immediately noticed Ah Fu gradually falling behind, her expression one of pained endurance. She slowed her own horse to stay close by her side.

”Why don’t we rest for a little while?” Ah Le couldn’t help but whisper.

Ah Fu shook her head, her eyes on the posthouse soldiers galloping ahead. ’No, I can’t stop. If I give him an excuse, that Ah Jiu will definitely leave me behind.’

Besides, she didn’t want to stop.

”I want to get to the Border County as soon as possible,” she said, gazing forward. ”I want to see my father.”

She hadn’t seen her father in a very, very long time.

She never thought she would have the chance to see him again.

As she said this, tears streamed down her face. The cold wind blew against them, making her cheeks sting.

Ah Le’s tears began to fall as well. She understood. Her Miss had never suffered such grievances in her entire life, only to be tied up and handed over to the authorities by her own uncle—

In this whole world, the only person who truly doted on the Miss was the General.

Although Ah Fu and Ah Le said nothing, Zhang Gu quickly noticed something was amiss with the two girls.

”Ah Jiu,” he said, spurring his horse to catch up to the young man in the lead. ”Let’s not push on today. We can stop and rest at the next post house.”

”The horses can run for another day. It won’t be too late to switch them out tomorrow,” Ah Jiu said. He glanced back, understood immediately, and snorted in displeasure. ”Brother Zhang, you’re too soft-hearted. We have a duty to deliver this urgent report quickly. We can’t be babysitting on the way.”

”Urgent report my ass! We’re just delivering the latest military household approval roster. Being three, five, ten days, or even half a month late won’t matter,” Zhang Gu said, annoyed. ”Speaking of which, if the higher-ups weren’t trying to mess with you, we brothers wouldn’t even have to make this trip!”

Ah Jiu arched one of his phoenix-like eyes. ”So, by that logic, I’m the source of these two girls’ good luck. I must be a great philanthropist.”

Zhang Gu was both amused and exasperated, and he spat. ”Seriously, though. I’m surprised those two kids have kept up this far. They’re really impressive, admirable even.”

Ah Jiu scoffed. ”Fighting for your own life, what’s so impressive about that? Nothing to admire. As if anyone has it easy.”

Zhang Gu glared, annoyed again. ”You brat, are you hard-hearted, or just heartless?”

A hint of a smile seemed to touch Ah Jiu’s lips, but his eyes were cold. He whipped his horsewhip through the air, and with a sharp CRACK, his horse sped up.

Zhang Gu had no choice but to follow.

Seeing the posthouse soldiers accelerate from behind, Ah Le was so angry she couldn’t stop herself from cursing. ”That Ah Jiu must be doing it on purpose.”

Ah Fu, however, wasn’t angry.

”Why curse him? He doesn’t owe me anything. He shouldn’t have brought us along in the first place,” she said. ”It’s better that he’s a bad person. It actually makes things easier for us.”

’We don’t have to think about how to appeal to his better nature. As long as we fight to keep up and don’t fall behind, we won’t be abandoned.’

Although she said that, Ah Le felt both sad and lost as she watched the girl’s face twist in pain from the increased speed.

”The Miss never should have come to the Capital City,” she murmured.

When the Miss left the Border County, she was so happy. When she first arrived in the capital, she was so thrilled, so full of anticipation for life there.

Who would have thought the girls in the Capital City would be so cruel? They mocked, bullied, and ridiculed the Miss for being from the countryside, making fun of her speech, her manners, and her clothes.

And Miss Chu Tang! She was her cousin, but instead of helping the Miss, she laughed along with the outsiders.

Everyone said the Miss hit Miss Liang, but she was certain Miss Liang must have bullied her first. The Miss must have struck back only because she couldn’t bear it any longer.

Her uncle and his wife were such cowards. They were afraid of the Liang Family and were ready to tie up the Miss and hand her over to the authorities without a second thought.

She just hated that she wasn’t there at the time. If she had been by the Miss’s side, her lady wouldn’t have had to lift a finger. She would have sent that Miss Liang flying with a single kick. Then, whether they wanted to tie her up and hand her over or beat her to death, she would have let them.

Ah Fu could tell what Ah Le was thinking. In fact, most of it was wrong.

’If I were still my thirteen-year-old self, I wouldn’t have hit Miss Liang.’

’Besides, my thirteen-year-old self was so naive she didn’t even realize she was being bullied.’

’She definitely felt looked down upon, so she tried her best to please those young ladies, to become just like them, thinking that would stop them from despising her.’

’I was so foolish back then.’

’Not just then. I was a fool my entire life.’

’So foolish that my life was a joke and my death a tragedy.’

But Ah Le was right about one thing: she never should have come to the Capital City.

All of her ill-fated connections and misfortune began in the Capital City.

’Leave the Capital City. Go back to the Border County. Go back to Father’s side.’

Ah Fu tightened her grip on the reins. Strength flooded her body again, and even the pain seemed to lessen. She too cracked her whip, producing a crisp sound.

Seeing the two girls who had fallen behind gradually catch up, Zhang Gu felt a surge of emotion. ’Such good kids, so tragic yet so resilient.’

He made up his mind. He would insist on resting at the post house, even if Ah Jiu threw a fit. ’When that brat gets mad, he just storms off on his own anyway. Let him go.’

But infuriatingly, Ah Jiu just rode faster and faster, not slowing down until nightfall. Zhang Gu never even got a chance to announce his decision. Only when the torches were lit and the horses could barely move another inch did Ah Jiu finally stop.

Even a seasoned posthouse soldier like Zhang Gu was nearly out of breath.

”You little rascal, what’s gotten into you?” he cursed.

Ah Jiu waved his torch forward, the thick smoke swirling in the night.

”I’m not crazy. Didn’t you say you wanted to rest?” he said. ”There’s an official post house up ahead.”

Zhang Gu froze. ’A post house here? I don’t remember one.’ He looked up and, sure enough, saw a light flickering in a mountain hollow ahead. Red lanterns were hanging, and above them, the four words ”He Ling Official Post House” were particularly conspicuous.

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This was an even smaller post house than the one in North Cao Town. It had no front or back courtyards, just a single row of buildings. At a glance, it wasn’t much bigger than a Land God Temple.

The old post house manager was a veteran who, leaning on a cane, looked like an Earth Spirit himself as he came to greet them.

”This post house of ours wasn’t originally a post house,” the old post house manager said with a cheerful laugh. ”These mountains used to be rich in fine timber, so the government just built a simple house here to store the felled logs. There are big towns and proper official post houses a day’s ride in either direction from here, so people either speed up or slow down and never stop here. It’s quite a coincidence that you military sirs found this place. But we don’t have any post horses, nor do we have rations of fodder or food. Don’t you worry though, military sirs, this old-timer has stored away some food. It’ll be enough for everyone to fill their bellies.”

He chattered on, about to hobble unsteadily toward the kitchen to cook.

Zhang Gu quickly stopped him. ”No need to trouble yourself, sir. We have enough dry rations and can cook for ourselves. But since there are no post horses, we’ll need to rest an extra day to let our mounts recover.”

The old post house manager chuckled. ”No problem, no problem. Rest as long as you like. It’s so quiet in these mountains you hardly see a bird or a beast.”

Leaning on his cane, he bustled about anyway, showing the posthouse soldiers where to draw water and where to gather firewood.

The tiny post house grew lively.

Ah Jiu, naturally, paid no mind to chores like starting a fire and cooking. He sat slumped on the steps, dangling his legs and gazing at the stars in the night sky.

”I can’t believe you knew there was a post house here,” Zhang Gu said as he walked over.

”It’s marked on the map,” Ah Jiu said. ”Didn’t you see it, Brother Zhang?”

After so many years, he knew this road like the back of his hand. Who still looked at a map for post house locations? Especially one so small and inconspicuous. He really had never noticed it. Zhang Gu smiled. ”You’re quite meticulous. Are you planning on being a posthouse soldier for the rest of your life?”

Ah Jiu’s voice was nonchalant as he watched the stars. ”I could. Being a posthouse soldier isn’t so bad. Travel far and wide, enjoy the good life.”

’It’s not as good as he makes it sound,’ Zhang Gu thought. ’You could waste your whole life away here. Only someone who doesn’t know the hardships of the world would say something like that.’ Just as Zhang Gu was about to say more, Ah Jiu suddenly turned his head and snapped, ”Hey, you two, stop right there. There’s only one room, and I’m sleeping in it. Wait until the kitchen’s free and go sleep in there.”

Having dismounted and rested for a while, Ah Fu, who was just able to walk slowly with Ah Le’s support, stopped. She tugged on Ah Le’s arm, and Ah Le helped her turn away from the door and sit down on a stone block in the courtyard.

Zhang Gu shot Ah Jiu a glare. ”We’re grown men—”

”So what if you’re grown men? Men get tired from riding all day, too,” Ah Jiu said, swinging his long legs and turning his gaze back to the stars.

Sitting on the stone, Ah Le wasn’t angry this time. In fact, she was a little happy.

They would still have to sleep on the floor without a bed, but in the kitchen, she could boil water tonight to give the Miss a proper wash, ease her fatigue, and apply her medicine.