Ashes to Crown

Chapter 188: Chapter 18: The Journey

The turmoil in the Capital City was contained within its walls. Outside the city, everything was calm and peaceful. Many county governments didn’t even know that trouble had broken out in the capital.

Not until the government posted public notices did the common people learn that something major had happened.

”The Crown Prince was killed by the Third Prince.”

”I knew it! Something was bound to happen. The Zhao Family was too favored.”

”At least the Crown Prince’s son is still alive.”

”The Imperial Grandson has always been raised by His Majesty the Emperor. Thank goodness, thank goodness. His Majesty still has an heir.”

”Not only is there the Imperial Grandson, but he also has a wife now. Things will be even more stable.”

”But this Chu Zhao, which noble family is she from? To think she was able to save the Imperial Grandson.”

”Didn’t you read the whole thing? The notice said she’s the daughter of General Wei, Chu Ling.”

”General Wei, Chu Ling? Who’s that? I’ve never heard of him.”

”General Wei, Chu Ling, was a huge figure back in the day—”

But the written word didn’t carry much of an impact. Compared to the people in the Capital City, the populace elsewhere was shocked but not thrown into a panic. Instead, they were more curious about the wife the Emperor had chosen for the Imperial Grandson.

For a time, discussions were everywhere, and the past of General Wei, Chu Ling, was dredged up once again.

Consequently, when news of the Emperor’s death and the Imperial Grandson’s ascension arrived shortly after, the people weren’t too shaken. ’Alas, an emperor is still a man,’ they thought. ’How could a father bear such an end for his two sons? His health was already poor; the overwhelming grief must have taken him too.’

But there was no fear. Although the Imperial Grandson was young, he had the Grand Tutor as Regent, his maternal uncle to assist him, and the renowned Chu Ling holding down the fort. The country was secure.

After a few rumbles of distant thunder, more people flooded into the main hall of the North Cao Town posthouse.

”Boss, we’re definitely going to be full tonight.” One of the Servants sidled up cheerfully and whispered to the portly Posthouse Minister standing in the entryway, ”Should we bring out our treasured wine to sell?”

The portly Posthouse Minister, who seemed to have been lost in thought while staring at the sky, was interrupted. He withdrew his gaze and shot a look at the Servant. ”Are you trying to get yourself killed? The late Emperor is still in a period of mourning.”

The Servant shrank back. ’The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, after all—’

”The new emperor has ascended the throne and is getting married. Isn’t that worth celebrating?” he said sheepishly.

The Posthouse Minister waved his hand dismissively. ”Get lost, get lost. Stop trying to get me in trouble.”

The Servant turned and scurried away.

The Posthouse Minister glanced at the hall with a complicated expression. It was packed with people, but they were all talking about the same two names, over and over: Chu Ling and the Empress.

It was all about what Chu Ling had done, and what the Empress was like.

”It’s like we’ve gone back more than a decade,” a posthouse soldier said as he came out, sighing to the Posthouse Minister. ”Back then, Chu Ling was all anyone in the posthouse talked about. What new thing has Chu Ling done now? What did His Majesty the Emperor bestow upon Chu Ling this time? I never thought, after more than a decade of silence, that Chu Ling would be back.”

At this, he lowered his voice. ”Everyone’s also talking about Chu Ling’s daughter, but they all say she’s unimportant, completely unremarkable. The only reason she could become Empress is because of Chu Ling.”

The Posthouse Minister let out a short laugh and looked into the hall. ’Unremarkable? Unimportant?’ he thought. ’Setting aside everything else, this ”unremarkable” Empress caused quite a commotion right here in our posthouse, and she nearly got me killed—’

The Posthouse Minister rubbed his neck.

The posthouse soldier also rubbed his neck and said, ”And that Clerk, Deng Yi, who was sent here on a hardship assignment, actually became the Grand Tutor.”

’That’s right,’ the Posthouse Minister thought, pressing a hand to his neck as he glanced around. ’Of the people who’ve passed through our little posthouse, one became the Empress and another became the Grand Tutor. I never would have dreamed it.’ He wondered, ’Does that make this shabby little place auspicious ground?’

”Keep your mouth shut,” the Posthouse Minister said in a low voice. ”Don’t you dare say a single word about Ah Fu.”

The posthouse soldier nodded quickly. ”Don’t worry, Boss.”

’That Miss Chu, who used the alias Ah Fu... she was so devilishly clever,’ he thought. ’She tricked all those people, and now she’s the Empress. I wonder if she got that by trickery, too.’

Whether she got there because of her father or through her own schemes, that girl was the Empress now!

The Empress!

The two men stood in the hall, each lost in his own thoughts. Amid the rolling thunder, a carriage sped toward them and stopped outside the entrance.

”Sir,” an old woman said, climbing down from the carriage. She led a small child by the hand and hurried toward the Posthouse Minister, bowing respectfully. ”Could you allow us to stay for the night?”

The old woman was trembling, and her clothes were simple. The child was timid and fearful. They were a pitiful sight.

The Posthouse Minister rested a hand on his belt and asked amiably, ”Do you have travel permits or official documents?”

The old woman shook her head. ”Sir, we have no official status. It’s just that it’s about to rain, and my old man’s health is poor. I beg you, sir, to let us stay for one night.”

As she spoke, she stepped forward, pulled a money pouch from her sleeve, and tried to stuff it into the Posthouse Minister’s hand.

The Posthouse Minister quickly dodged backward, avoiding the old woman.

”I couldn’t possibly! It’s not allowed!” he said with a stern expression. ”Putting aside the fact that we’re already full tonight, the posthouse rules forbid commoners from lodging here. Old Granny, you should hurry on your way. You’ll reach a town just a short distance ahead.”

With a THUMP, the old woman fell to her knees. The child, startled, clung to her arm and cried.

”Sir, sir, have pity on us! My son and daughter-in-law died young, leaving only my grandson. My grandson and I have only my old man to rely on. He can’t get caught in the rain with his illness,” she cried. ”I’m not asking for a room, just let us shelter under the eaves for one night.”

Some of the guests from the main hall came out. Seeing how pitiful the old woman and child were, they also began to persuade the Posthouse Minister, saying it was just for one night and they could make room.

But no matter how much the old woman begged, how much the child cried, or how others pleaded on their behalf, the Posthouse Minister remained unmoved, his heart like iron. The posthouse soldier also wore a solemn expression.

”If you really want to save your husband, you’ll get in the carriage and leave now,” the Posthouse Minister said in a grave voice. ”The faster you go, the sooner you’ll reach town and find lodging.”

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and bowed in the direction of the Capital City.

”There is much to be done for the country right now. With the new emperor’s ascension, we who eat the sovereign’s grain must strictly adhere to our duties.”

Seeing that he was truly unswayable, the old woman tearfully picked up the child and stumbled away.

The guests in the hall shook their heads at the Posthouse Minister. ”You’re far too rigid.” ”Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-storied pagoda.” ”Helping the old and weak would also be an act of cherishing the people for the new emperor.”

No matter what anyone said, the Posthouse Minister just smiled and shook his head. He watched until the old woman’s carriage disappeared down the main road, as dark clouds gathered menacingly in the distance.

’Pitiful?’ he thought. ’I’ve seen someone far more pitiful. I even helped her. And what was the result?’

That ”pitiful” person was now sitting high on the Empress’s throne.

’From now on, if I, Xu Ling, am to be a good person, I’d better keep my eyes peeled. I can’t just pity everyone I see, especially not those who try to tempt me with money.’

Not only would he never get that money, but it would also bring him trouble.

With a CRACK of thunder, dusk turned instantly to night. A torrential downpour began, and water immediately started flowing across the posthouse grounds.

But through the heavy rain came the urgent sound of horse hooves, and a group of Soldiers in rain cloaks charged into the posthouse.

”By order, an inspection!”

A series of shouts threw the posthouse into even greater chaos.

Everyone, whether they were guests or the posthouse Servants, had their identities verified. Staring at the men’s faces, as dark as the night, and smelling the stench of blood on their armor, everyone in the posthouse held their breath, too afraid to speak.

The Posthouse Minister’s heart pounded in his chest. He asked the leader of the group, ”May I ask who you are pursuing?”

The leader gave him a casual glance, his expression impassive. ”Remnants of the Zhao Family. Have you seen any suspicious persons?”

’Remnants of the Zhao Family,’ the Posthouse Minister thought. He quickly waved his hands and composed his expression. ”The posthouse only allows those with official status to stay. This humble one has personally verified each and every one.”

The General grunted, his gaze sharp. ”Good. Otherwise, you’d be considered an accomplice.”

The Posthouse Minister repeatedly insisted he wouldn’t dare, and affirmed that he would report any suspicious individuals immediately.

A Soldier came in and whispered in the leader’s ear. The leader immediately stood up, raised his hand with a wave, and with a CLANG of iron armor, the men and horses galloped away into the heavy rain—

—leaving the people in the posthouse shaken and terrified.

’Hunting remnants of the Zhao Family? The entire Zhao Family was executed down to the ninth degree of kinship, yet there are still remnants? How terrifying.’

...

...

In the dead of night, the carriage traveled alone on a mountain road. Rainwater sluiced over it with a ROAR, and sitting inside felt like being at the bottom of a vast ocean.

But despite their circumstances, the old woman and young child were no longer crying. Instead, they sat quietly and respectfully in a corner of the carriage.

A person was half-reclining in the carriage, dimly lit by a wall lamp. It was not a frail old man, but a young man. He had an elegant posture, propping his head up with one hand while his other gently tapped out a rhythm on the carriage wall, as if playing an instrument along with the sound of the rain.

”Princely Heir, that Posthouse Minister Xu is a greedy man who pretends to be kind,” the old woman said softly. ”I don’t know what’s gotten into him, to actually refuse us—”

”The North Cao Town posthouse.” Xiao Xun murmured the words, and his fingers, which had been tapping on the carriage wall, paused. ”I remember now. So it was here.”

What about this place? The old woman was puzzled.

”It’s not surprising,” Xiao Xun said with a smile, offering no explanation. ”That Posthouse Minister is just once bitten, twice shy.”

Years ago, it was at this posthouse that Miss Chu got help from a posthouse soldier, and it was here that Deng Yi caught up to her. That Posthouse Minister got dragged into no small amount of trouble.

’I suppose the Posthouse Minister no longer dares to pity the pitiful.’

He had been forced out of the Capital City by her.

And now, even on the road, he was still being constrained because of her.

’Miss Chu Zhao... it seems she really is my nemesis.’