Ashes to Crown

Chapter 173: Chapter 6: Whispers

Xie Yanlai stood before a hall in the rear palace. Just as he was about to ask an Imperial Guard to announce him, several eunuchs spotted him and hurried over with cheerful greetings.

”Young Master Jiu is here,” they said. ”Quickly, come in, please.”

Xie Yanlai was ushered inside. The hall was brightly lit, and he saw at a glance Chu Zhao and Xiao Yu sitting at a table, eating a late-night meal.

Seeing Xie Yanlai, Chu Zhao said with a smile, ”Ah Jiu, you’re here.”

Xiao Yu looked over as well and called out, ”Uncle.”

Xie Yanlai bowed. ”Your Highness.”

”Have you eaten?” Chu Zhao asked, gesturing to the side. ”Sit down and have a late meal with us.”

Xiao Yu nodded along. ”Yes, Uncle, eat with us.”

Xie Yanlai looked at Chu Zhao and said, ”I am outside ensuring the stability of the Capital City. My three meals have been on time. His Highness has no need to worry.”

Xiao Yu was still just a child. He understood that Xie Yanlai had refused, but not quite why, so he also looked to Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao understood. Xie Yanlai was rebuking her. ’Did you call me in just for a trivial matter like eating and drinking?’

”Mr. Xie,” she said. ”I called you here because Yu and I have something to tell you.”

Xie Yanlai let out a noncommittal ”Oh.” ”Your Highness, please give your command.”

Chu Zhao glanced around. ”You are all dismissed.”

The eunuchs and Palace Maids assented and flowed out of the room like water, leaving only the three of them behind.

Chu Zhao said, ”This matter is to be kept secret for now. Very few people know about it.”

After she said this, she saw the young man across from her raise a phoenix-like eyebrow and take a step back, a look on his face that clearly said ’this can’t be anything good’.

She couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Xie Yanlai stared at her without a word. Ever since entering, he had been addressing ”His Highness” over and over. He sounded respectful, but his expression and posture were the same as they had always been in front of her—not the least bit deferential.

Chu Zhao suppressed her smile, glanced at Xiao Yu, then looked back at Xie Yanlai. Her expression turned serious. ”The Emperor is going to decree a marriage between me and His Highness—”

Xie Yanlai had thought that seeing Chu Zhao at the city gate was the biggest surprise of his life, but he never expected that after just one night and one day, he would hear something even more unbelievable.

”Chu Zhao, you!” he couldn’t help but shout.

’What kind of nonsense is this!’

He looked at Xiao Yu. The boy was only six years old!

Xiao Yu stood up, his expression earnest. ”Uncle, it’s true. Grandfather is having Sister Chu marry me.”

”What does a child like you know,” Xie Yanlai said irritably. He pointed at Chu Zhao. ”You, come here.”

He turned and walked a few steps to the side.

Chu Zhao leaned down and placated Xiao Yu in a low voice. ”Your uncle was just startled. I’ll go explain it to him slowly.” She placed a bowl of rice in front of him. ”You eat first.”

Xiao Yu nodded. Although he didn’t fully understand marriage or imperial decrees, he knew this meant Sister Chu would always be with him, so he had nothing to be afraid of.

Xiao Yu lowered his head and began to eat with big mouthfuls.

...

...

Xie Yanlai stopped behind a pillar and watched the girl follow him.

”Chu Zhao,” he said through gritted teeth. ”Do you have any idea how absurd this is? He’s only six!”

Chu Zhao actually held up her hand and counted. ”I’m seven years older than His Highness,” she said. She touched her face. ”In another ten years, when Yu is a young man in the prime of his youth, I’ll be old and my looks will have faded—”

She looked at Xie Yanlai, her eyes twinkling.

”So, Ah Jiu, are you worried about me?”

Xie Yanlai suddenly regretted not sitting down for a cup of tea earlier. If he had, he could have spat it right in this damn girl’s face.

Now, all he could do was point a finger at Chu Zhao.

”Don’t you get clever with me,” he hissed through gritted teeth. Taking a deep breath, he refused to be drawn into her nonsense. ”Is it because of those troops? Is that why the Emperor wants to decree this marriage?”

The young man’s gaze was profound.

He had spent the entire night leading these troops—guarding the Imperial City Gate, purging the traitors within the city, and finally stationing them at the four main gates of the Capital City. He already knew very well that these soldiers belonged neither to the imperial guard nor the Capital Camp.

Who could have imagined that such a force was hidden within the Capital City, taking orders from Chu Ling, who was far away in the Border County and had all but vanished from the capital’s scene.

If the Crown Prince and the Third Prince had known about this sooner, they certainly wouldn’t have dared to act so rashly. Or rather, they would have tried to win over this army first.

So now, the Emperor’s sudden decision to marry His Highness to Chu Zhao must also be for the sake of this army.

Ah Jiu was just that perceptive. Chu Zhao looked at him and said with a smile, ”Those are His Majesty’s troops.”

Xie Yanlai scoffed and raised an eyebrow. ”But those troops are controlled by your father.”

Chu Zhao nodded. ”That’s true. In fact, I didn’t even know about it myself.” As she spoke, her expression brightened, and she took another step closer to Xie Yanlai. ”It was only last night when Eunuch Qi and Uncle Zhong were talking that I learned my father commands a force controlled only by him and His Majesty. These troops are in the Border County, the Capital City, hidden in various places, all awaiting my father’s command.”

Although they had seen each other briefly last night, this was the first chance they’d had to talk in detail since then. Chu Zhao explained everything to Xie Yanlai in one breath.

”It’s because of my father’s position that Eunuch Qi brought His Highness to our home. And although the Heir of Zhongshan King didn’t know about my father’s army, he suspected my father’s status was unusual and had been keeping an eye on my family. After discovering His Highness’s whereabouts, he even tried to persuade my uncle to kill him.”

’Hearing this, Xie Yanlai instinctively glanced around. Chu Zhao definitely hasn’t told anyone else this,’ he thought. Chu Lan was her own uncle, yet he had colluded with the King of Zhongshan and even intended to commit murder. Even though Chu Zhao had saved the young prince, the Chu Family would not be able to avoid censure.

’This is a huge problem, something that absolutely cannot be known by outsiders.’

But then he frowned. ’Don’t tell other people, but don’t tell me either! I don’t want to know! What does this have to do with me?!’

”Alright, stop talking,” he said, raising a hand to stop her. He looked at Chu Zhao. ”Since you know these are His Majesty’s troops, you should also know that His Majesty is doing this out of desperation. Desperate measures are never a good thing. You’d best not go looking for trouble.”

He turned slightly, looking past the corridor pillar at the child at the table, who was still eating heartily.

”Becoming the Crown Princess Consort to a six-year-old Crown Prince... what will the world think?”

The common people will think it’s absurd, and the court officials will think it’s a power grab.

”Do you think this is some kind of glorious affair?”

’Of course it isn’t a glorious affair.’ ’Forget a child; in a time when Princes were killing each other and the country was in turmoil, becoming the Crown Princess Consort to an adult hadn’t earned her any goodwill from the world, either. Back then, she had been a fool. She hadn’t known, and no one had warned her like this.’ She looked at Xie Yanlai and smiled. ”Thank you for worrying about me.”

’Can’t this damn girl understand anything? Who’s worrying about her?’ Xie Yanlai frowned. ”I’m worrying about myself.”

Chu Zhao burst out laughing. ”Is it so I won’t have to call you ’Uncle’?”

Xie Yanlai glared at her coldly.

Chu Zhao wasn’t afraid of his cold expression. ’What was there to be afraid of? I’ve even seen him draw a blade to kill me.’ She gave a light cough. ”Xie Yanlai, it wasn’t His Majesty who insisted on this marriage.”

She lifted her eyes to look at the young man before her.

”I was the one who forced His Majesty to grant me this marriage.”

Xie Yanlai’s expression froze. ’She actually—’

’Was it surprising? And yet, it wasn’t.’

He looked at the girl before him and saw the same ”Ah Fu” he had met at the post station—a pitiful-looking little girl who was actually the one pulling all the strings from behind the scenes.

”Was it because of those troops?” he asked.

These were the same words as before, but spoken now, they carried a different meaning.

Chu Zhao said softly, ”Yes, and no. As I said, these are His Majesty’s troops. If His Majesty were no longer here, they would cease to exist. To control them, His Majesty’s authority must remain. Therefore, His Highness must ascend the throne.”

It was hardly strange for the Imperial Grandson to inherit the throne; it was what should happen.

Xie Yanlai looked at Chu Zhao without speaking. He knew what she meant.

Chu Zhao looked back at him. ”For His Highness to secure his position, and for my father and I to escape this unscathed, I must... become the Crown Princess Consort.”

Xie Yanlai gave a small smile and took a step back. He clasped his hands in a formal salute. ”Miss Chu, your thinking is thorough, and you are both brave and resourceful. I am impressed. It was I who was overthinking things.”

’He’s become angry from embarrassment again,’ Chu Zhao thought, seeing him put on such a polite facade. She pursed her lips into a smile and looked at him. ”His Majesty will announce this soon, but I wanted to tell you first, so you wouldn’t be too shocked.”

Xie Yanlai let out a short, dry laugh. ”What does this have to do with me? Why would I be shocked? Miss Chu, you are overthinking things.”

Chu Zhao said, ”I’m not overthinking it. I just wanted to tell you.”

The girl looked at him, her eyes large, bright, and full of sincerity.

Xie Yanlai took another step back.

’That word, ”wanted”... it’s strangely frightening.’