Ashes to Crown

Chapter 121: Chapter 77: Onlooker

Was this a coincidence?

Could such a coincidence exist in this world?

Perhaps, but Xiao Xun didn’t believe it.

”The Xie family has always been so quiet. I never thought they’d even set their sights on the obscure Chu Ling.” He sighed, then smiled at Ning Kun, who sat across from him. ”The Xie family should have a chat with my father. They seem to have the same idea—both want to secure a marriage alliance with Chu Ling.”

Ning Kun said helplessly, ”Your Highness, please don’t joke about the Prince.”

He didn’t find the matter amusing either.

”For the Xie family to even target someone like Chu Ling shows how much they’re doing behind the scenes. The Xie family hides behind the Crown Prince and lurks in the shadow of the Yang Family’s power, silently forging alliances and winning people over. What a brilliant scheme.”

Xiao Xun chuckled. ”It’s only normal for the Xie family to scheme like this. Do you really think they’d be content living under the Yang Family’s thumb for the rest of their lives?”

His fingers gently traced the surface of the table as he recalled the scene where he had seen Chu Zhao and that posthouse soldier.

A posthouse soldier hadn’t warranted his attention before. But thinking back now, the once-blurry figure sharpened into focus: a tall, thin youth in a worn soldier’s robe, his bright features visible beneath a thick hat and scarf.

He asked with great interest, ”When did Miss Chu find out that this posthouse soldier was a Xie Family’s son?”

Ning Kun had not witnessed the scene between Miss Chu and Young Master Xie. He had only just found out about the Xie Family’s son posing as a posthouse soldier.

”Xie Yanlai is the son of a mistress, only acknowledged by the Xie family when he was ten. Setting that aside for a moment, after he grew up, he was assigned to the Forbidden Guard Camp. But because he was unruly and a troublemaker, he was punished with a transfer to the Posthouse Soldier Camp. As it happened, there was a mission to the Border County, so he just so happened to run into Miss Chu on the road.” Ning Kun recounted the events, stressing the words ”happened” and ”so happened.” ”From the looks of it, the Xie family planned this long ago, but Miss Chu definitely knew nothing about it.”

Tie Ying, who was standing by, nodded. ”When I was making inquiries at the Posthouse Soldier Camp, I saw a very agitated posthouse soldier say, ’Miss Chu finally found Ah Jiu!’ That Xie Family’s son was using the alias Ah Jiu. This shows that Miss Chu only just learned of this posthouse soldier’s true identity.”

Ning Kun sneered, ”The Xie family is shameless. If this Xie Family’s son had revealed his identity from the start, Miss Chu would have certainly been on her guard. By pretending to be a posthouse soldier to get close to her, waiting until she’s deeply in love, and then revealing his identity... by then Miss Chu will be in too deep, and even Chu Ling will be helpless.”

Tie Ying scoffed, ”Your Highness, you didn’t see the two of them on the street. Miss Chu was yelling and screaming, blocking the Xie Family from beating this Xie Yanlai, and she called Xie San a man who’s just fishing for fame—”

Xiao Xun roared with laughter. ”Good for her! Xie San is a man who’s just fishing for fame.”

Tie Ying added, ”Miss Chu’s attitude toward the Xie Family at that moment was even more disrespectful than her attitude toward Your Highness.”

That wasn’t quite so amusing. Xiao Xun cleared his throat and said, ”Well then, we’ll just have to see if Miss Chu’s attitude toward the Xie family is genuine or not.”

’As things stand, Miss Chu’s animosity toward me is definitely real.’

At this, Tie Ying understood the Princely Heir’s meaning. He said thoughtfully, ”There are rumors on the street that Miss Chu deliberately provoked Third Young Master Xie, intending to get acquainted with him. And it worked—Third Young Master Xie did invite her to the Xie family estate and personally saw her out. Many people saw it.”

”Third Young Master Xie invited her in and then saw her out, all calm and amiable. It’s won him a good reputation again,” Ning Kun said. ”Everyone is saying he knows how to treat worthy people with respect, even taking the time to sincerely explain things in person in response to a young woman’s slander.”

For a while, everyone on the street was singing his praises.

A Xie family disciple caused such a huge disaster, yet in the end, it actually added to Third Young Master Xie’s glory. How absurd!

”The Xie family really knows how to play the game,” Ning Kun said coldly.

Xiao Xun, however, was quite impressed. He was naturally aware of Third Young Master Xie’s reputation. Previously, he had been in Zhongshan County while Third Young Master Xie was in Dongyang; the two had never met. Now that he was in the Capital City, although they still hadn’t met face-to-face, being able to observe Third Young Master Xie’s methods up close showed that he was truly extraordinary.

”Of course they know how to play the game,” he said. ”Otherwise, the Xie family wouldn’t be where they are today.”

Ning Kun was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, ”There’s one more thing. The Prince said that Your Highness no longer needs to trouble yourself with Miss Chu.”

Xiao Xun was a little surprised. ”Why did my father change his mind?” He then chuckled. ”Don’t tell me he’s afraid of the Xie family?” He shook his head, feigning sorrow. ”How could Father do this? For his son’s happiness—for *my* happiness—he can’t give up so easily!”

Ning Kun said reproachfully, ”Princely Heir, you’re teasing the Prince again.”

Xiao Xun laughed. ”Uncle Kun, you’re no fun. If Father were here right now, you have no idea how much fun we’d have teasing each other.”

He and his father had just that kind of happy and relaxed relationship. His father never put on airs in front of him.

”I never enjoyed a father’s love, so I don’t know how to be one,” the King of Zhongshan had said, patting his plump belly with a chuckle. ”So let’s just do whatever makes us happy.”

Thinking of his father, Xiao Xun watched the flickering candlelight, his smile deepening.

Ning Kun smiled too. ”Your Highness can act however you please in front of the Prince, but not in front of us.”

Xiao Xun’s feelings for the King of Zhongshan were love; theirs were respect.

”I know,” Xiao Xun said with a laugh, then asked, ”Why did Father change his mind? Although Miss Chu saw through my ’hero saving the damsel’ act and even stuffed a maidservant on me to shut me up—”

He couldn’t help but laugh again thinking about what the girl had done.

”But here in the Capital City, the Wangchun Garden literary salon is about to begin. Miss Chu and I will have plenty of opportunities to meet.”

”Father shouldn’t pity me for being disliked and rejected. He should be enjoying the spectacle of such a rare scene.”

’Being humiliated by a woman is no big deal. Getting angry over it like the Third Prince is just laughable and incompetent. For a man, being humiliated by a woman and then making her submit to you is the only true revenge.’

Ning Kun smiled. ”The Prince naturally knows that Your Highness wouldn’t mind, but the problem now is this young lady.”

He glanced at the deep darkness of the night outside the door.

”This young lady is no longer a nameless nobody that no one cares about. She’s become famous in the Capital City. Everyone is talking about her.”

He brought his gaze back to Xiao Xun.

”And when they talk about her, they naturally talk about her father. After more than a decade of silence, General Wei, Chu Ling, has once again become a topic of conversation in the Capital City.”

”We can no longer approach General Wei, Chu Ling, now that he is in the public eye. Otherwise, we will arouse His Majesty’s suspicion, and both the Princely Heir and the Prince will be in danger.”

Xiao Xun was well aware of how wary the Emperor was of him and his father.

”I never expected the girl to make a name for herself with this one battle.” He was silent for a moment, then looked at Tie Ying and asked, ”Are there really only two rumors on the street right now? One, that Miss Chu was trying to get close to Third Young Master Xie, and two, that Third Young Master Xie was humble and polite, ignoring Miss Chu’s insults?”

Tie Ying nodded.

Xiao Xun smiled. ”That won’t do. Miss Chu and the Young Master Xie meeting, getting to know one another, and falling in love; Young Master Xie spurning a Lady Liang for Miss Chu’s sake; Miss Chu shielding Young Master Xie from a whipping with her own body... a love story like that is a beautiful tale that everyone in the world should know.”

’I have to back off because of the political risks, but you, the Xie family, can forget about profiting quietly from this. It’s not so easy to do something like this and still expect to keep your good name.’