Ashes to Crown

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Farewell

’Getting mixed up with this Miss Chu is such a pain.’

Ah Jiu was visibly annoyed. He met everyone’s gazes but refused to react, as if his name wasn’t Ah Jiu.

”Ah Jiu,” Chu Zhao called out again. ”I want to speak with Ah Jiu.”

The scar-faced General’s stare was practically a dagger. Zhang Gu couldn’t take it anymore. No matter what, he was the leader of this group of posthouse soldiers; if there was trouble, he wouldn’t be able to escape it.

”Go on,” he said, nudging Ah Jiu with his hand. ”Don’t let that—... don’t let Miss Chu keep shouting!”

Only then did Ah Jiu reluctantly walk over.

Chu Zhao grabbed him. ”Come with me.” Without another word, she pulled Ah Jiu into the main hall.

Having lost their focal point, the people in the courtyard felt it was improper to stare into the hall, so their gazes drifted aimlessly.

Vice General Zhong glanced at Xiao Xun and saw a smile playing on his lips, as if he wasn’t surprised by Miss Chu and Ah Jiu’s actions at all. ’It seems that besides hitting Miss Liang, Miss Ah Zhao has been involved in other things?’

”These must be the posthouse soldiers who escorted Miss Chu, correct?” he said, looking toward Zhang Gu and the others.

His journey had been rushed; all he needed was to confirm the young lady was safe. He hadn’t planned on questioning these posthouse soldiers. In his eyes, they were nobodies.

But now, it seemed they might actually be somebodies after all.

Zhang Gu quickly bowed. ”Yes, we are delivering the military household registers to Yunzhong County.” As he spoke, he started to take the registers from his pack.

General Zhong raised a hand to stop him. ”That is not for my eyes, nor would I dare to inquire about it.” He gave what he thought was an amiable smile. ”How did you all happen to meet our young lady?”

He had arrived in a hurry, and Young Master Chu’s letter had been rambling and unclear. The entire thing was filled with complaints, with barely any useful information to be found.

Zhang Gu looked at the scar-faced man’s fierce grin and felt a wave of misery.

These soldiers and generals who spent their years in the Border County lived on the edge of a blade. This was especially true for Chu Ling’s troops; if the generals were wild and unruly, their soldiers were naturally the same. Even the Great Generals of Yunzhong County kept their distance from Chu Ling. To think that he, a mere visiting posthouse soldier, had gotten mixed up with Chu Ling... and to make matters worse, even now, his head was still spinning from it all.

Chu Zhao and Ah Jiu, inside the main hall, paid no mind to how the people in the courtyard were trying to make sense of what had happened.

”I’m not someone who’s afraid of trouble,” Ah Jiu said, looking at Chu Zhao and getting straight to the point. ”Even if we’re dealing with General Chu, I couldn’t care less.”

Chu Zhao just looked at him, seemingly in a daze, and didn’t speak.

”So you’re trying to create the false impression of some ambiguous, romantic affair between us,” Ah Jiu said coolly. ”I won’t care about any of it. Don’t even think about using our relationship to threaten me.”

Chu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t even know why she was laughing; this was truly no time for it.

’In truth, she didn’t know why she had called for Ah Jiu, either. The name had just slipped out.’

”Don’t worry,” she said. ”I wasn’t trying to threaten you. My father has made his decision. He said I’m not to go back, so I can’t go back.”

Ah Jiu raised an eyebrow. ’Is this another new way of playing pitiful?’

He gave a faint, mocking smile. ”If you didn’t want to threaten me, then why did you call for me? There are so many people here. You could have called for Brother Zhang and thanked him. Your father’s men would see it and remember the favor. That would be a good deed rewarded.”

Chu Zhao said, ”Even if I don’t say anything, my father will still remember his kindness.” As for why she called Ah Jiu, perhaps it was because he had been the first to see through her.

She had played so many tricks and devised so many plans to get this far, but in the end, it was all for nothing.

’She couldn’t cause any more trouble. First, there was her father’s attitude. Second, as Uncle Zhong had just blurted out, if she insisted on going back, the pursuing soldiers who were already close behind would inevitably follow her to the Border County.’

’Her cousin didn’t matter—he was an idiot. But among his followers were men from the court, the Minister of the Imperial Court, the Weiwei Mansion... Who knew what ulterior motives they were hiding? If they discovered her father was ill, it would disrupt all his plans.’

’In her past life, she had already ruined her father’s plans and cut off his path to survival. She couldn’t be so reckless again in this life.’

’But... was she really going back just like this?’

Chu Zhao lifted her head and looked outside. Although it was still more than ten days’ journey, to her, who had been walking for what felt like a lifetime of ten years, it was practically within arm’s reach—

Tears slowly streamed down her face.

Ah Jiu frowned in disdain. ’Playing pitiful again.’ But this silent, pitiful display was unsettling. He averted his gaze.

”I’m a complete stranger to you,” he said. ”And don’t get any ideas just because you saw that letter. I have no connection to General Chu Ling. Your family’s affairs have nothing to do with me, and I won’t get involved.”

Chu Zhao asked, ”I want to write a letter to my father. Can you help me deliver it?”

Ah Jiu gave that same mocking smile. ”Miss Chu, what are you talking about? Do you need me to deliver it? Your father’s own men are here in person.”

’That’s true.’ Chu Zhao fell silent, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

”Go on and write your letter,” Ah Jiu said magnanimously. ”I’ll go get that General for you.”

He could at least help her with that.

He turned to leave, but the girl behind him called out ”Ah Jiu” again.

’Is there no end to this?’ A flash of hostility crossed Ah Jiu’s eyes. He was no good Samaritan. Just as he was about to say something, the girl’s voice reached him.

”Young Master Ah Jiu, I have never seen what it’s like for a dying mother to have no one to entrust her child to, but I do know what it’s like for a child to yearn for a parent they cannot see.”

The girl’s voice was no longer soft like before, but carried a hint of hoarseness that grated on the ear like a scraping knife. ’...a child to yearn for a parent they cannot see...’ He, of all people, knew what that was like. Ah Jiu lowered his long eyelashes.

He didn’t turn back, but stepped over the threshold and left.

...

...

Vice General Zhong didn’t manage to overhear anything too compromising. This posthouse soldier named Ah Jiu had been arguing with Miss Chu throughout the journey because he had initially opposed bringing her along.

What Zhang Gu said was the truth. As for the life-and-death words exchanged by the river, that was also part of their arguments. ’Whatever it is they’re arguing about, it’s better to let them explain it themselves.’

Xiao Xun, on the other hand, said nothing at all. He had even stepped away while they were talking, adopting a stance of not wanting to meddle in others’ affairs.

Soon, Ah Jiu came out, and Chu Zhao didn’t cause any more trouble. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the way Zhang Gu and the others looked at Ah Jiu was now completely different. ’This kid really has some skills. Who knows what he said to calm the little lady down. Tsk, tsk... A girl her age really only has eyes for her lover.’

Ah Jiu saw their expressions, rolled his eyes, and couldn’t be bothered to explain.

Although Vice General Zhong found the posthouse soldiers’ expressions strange, he didn’t press the matter and simply invited them to travel together.

Since they were all headed to Yunzhong County, Zhang Gu naturally couldn’t refuse.

Chu Zhao wrote a letter and had Vice General Zhong take it to her father.

”Ah Zhao, rest assured,” Vice General Zhong said as he took the letter. Looking at the girl’s heartbreakingly calm face, he thought it would have been better if she had continued to make a scene. ”The General will come to the Capital City to reunite with you soon.”

Chu Zhao hummed in acknowledgment and nodded. ”I will try my best this time. I will definitely wait for Father.”

’Those words sounded a bit strange.’ ’The girl must be in a terrible state of mind,’ Vice General Zhong sighed to himself. But what could he do? He had to obey the General’s orders.

”I’ll be entrusting Miss Chu to you, Princely Heir,” he said, bowing to Xiao Xun once more.

Just as Xiao Xun was about to speak, Chu Zhao cut in. ”Don’t worry, Uncle Zhong. My big cousin is here to pick me up.”

Xiao Xun just smiled and said nothing more.

General Zhong didn’t say anything else either. To prevent himself from lingering a moment longer and changing his mind out of sympathy, he cracked his whip and urged his horse into a gallop. Zhang Gu and the others followed behind, kicking up a cloud of dust on the main road outside of town.

Perhaps because Vice General Zhong was there, Ah Jiu didn’t ride at the very front this time. Instead, he rode listlessly at the rear of the group. For some reason, he couldn’t help but glance back. He could faintly make out the girl’s figure, standing still and gazing after them.

She was so far away that he could no longer see her face, but he could feel her sorrow.

’How ridiculous! What’s so special about being sad? I’m sad, too!’

Ah Jiu snapped his gaze forward and cracked his whip sharply in the air.

The horse neighed and shot forward like a bolt of lightning, overtaking the posthouse soldiers, then Vice General Zhong and his men, until he was far ahead of them all.