Ashes to Crown

Chapter 195: Chapter 25: The Letter Arrives

Chu Zhao stood before the great hall, unmoving, until Deng Yi’s figure disappeared from sight.

The sound of Xiao Yu reading aloud drifted from the hall. Outside, the eunuchs and Imperial Guards on duty stood in utter silence.

Xiao Man stood a short distance away, without rushing her.

The entire Imperial City was quiet and peaceful. The earth-shattering slaughter of that night had left no trace. That was the way of the Imperial City; all traces of death were instantly erased, and everything belonged to the new master.

’By my calculations, at this point in my past life, the new Empress from the Liang Family would have already been installed. She was probably enjoying herself in the inner palace right this very moment.’

The echo of women’s laughter seemed to ring in Chu Zhao’s ears. The hand hanging at her side clenched into a fist, and her gaze dimmed. Suddenly, a figure appeared in her line of sight.

He seemed to be walking slowly, yet he made his way over, one step at a time.

The shadow in Chu Zhao’s eyes vanished, replaced by a radiant smile.

”Ah Jiu,” she said, waving.

Xie Yanlai frowned. ”Your Highness. My name is Xie Yanlai.”

’Still calling me by my nickname... Doesn’t she know her own status now? Isn’t she afraid of being reprimanded for her lack of decorum?’

Out of the corner of his eye, Xie Yanlai scanned his surroundings. The eunuchs, Imperial Guards, and palace maids stood in silent deference, their gazes lowered—

’Hmph.’ Xie Yanlai scoffed inwardly.

”Xie Yanlai,” Chu Zhao obliged, taking a step forward to greet him. ”Is there a reply from my father?”

Her eyes sparkled, brimming with a joy so palpable that Xie Yanlai knew she would remain happy even if he told her there was no letter.

’It’s because there’s hope now, isn’t it?’

’The letter was sent. Father has seen it. He’ll definitely respond.’

Xie Yanlai looked away. ”There is.”

He began to reach for the letter, but Chu Zhao was already beckoning to him. ”Come inside to talk.” She turned and headed into the hall.

Xie Yanlai glanced around. The eunuchs and Imperial Guards outside the hall acted as if they saw and heard nothing. That one palace maid, however, was staring at him, looking as if she’d drag him inside herself if he dared to disobey—

Xie Yanlai glanced at the adjacent room, from which he could faintly hear a tutor’s lecture and Xiao Yu’s replies. He then followed her.

Next to Xiao Yu’s study was one for Chu Zhao. While he studied, so did she.

”Sit over here,” Chu Zhao said, gesturing toward the window before seating herself.

Xie Yanlai walked over, and without waiting for her to say more, handed her the letter. ”It just arrived.”

Chu Zhao took it happily. Ignoring Xie Yanlai completely, she broke the seal and began to read.

”I—” Xie Yanlai began.

She grunted in acknowledgment. ”Let me read the letter first.”

Xie Yanlai opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn’t leave. ’It had been inconvenient to bring Zhang Gu inside, but Zhang Gu had relayed all the details to him. What if she has a lot of questions after reading the letter? Unnecessary questions, most likely. Besides, there’s another letter—’

He glanced over at Chu Zhao. She sat by the window, holding the letter, her expression reverent and intent. ’Oh, well,’ he thought. ’I’ll just wait.’

Xie Yanlai averted his gaze. If he couldn’t look at her, he might as well look at the room. It was clearly newly furnished. The bookshelves were brimming with scrolls, and the desk was laden with the four treasures of the study—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—amidst scattered documents. In addition to those, there was a Go board and a qin, and even a bow and sword hung on the wall. The room was a mess, but it had a comfortable, lived-in feel—

’What does she do in here? Does she practice archery and swordsmanship when she gets tired of reading, writing, and playing the qin and Go?’

Xie Yanlai couldn’t help but purse his lips in disdain.

”Young Master Ah Jiu,” Ah Le said, approaching with a tray of tea and a wide smile. ”Please, sit and have some tea.”

”I’m fine,” Xie Yanlai said. Then he frowned. The aroma of the tea—

”It’s medicinal tea,” Ah Le said, beaming. ”Your old wounds hadn’t fully healed, and you just fought in another bloody battle. My lady said you need to recover slowly and take care of yourself.”

Xie Yanlai scoffed.

”What are you laughing at?” Ah Le demanded, annoyed. ”I made this medicinal tea, and my remedies are the best! If you hadn’t taken my pills earlier, do you think you would’ve recovered this fast? Forget fighting—you’d be lucky to even be walking right now!”

’Wasn’t this girl practically a mute when we were on the road?’ Xie Yanlai’s eyebrows shot up. ”And how do you know it was your medicine? Maybe I just have an extraordinary constitution.”

Ah Le thrust the cup at him. ”Just drink it! Drink it, and then see how you feel. See if that pain in your body is gone. Then you’ll know whether it’s your ’extraordinary constitution’ or the miraculous healing touch of Ah Le!”

As they bickered, Chu Zhao lowered the letter, her expression distant. Xie Yanlai noticed immediately and turned to her. ”It wasn’t convenient for Zhang Gu to enter, so he told me everything. Do you have any questions?”

Chu Zhao looked at him, her gaze drifting. She let out a small ”Ah,” seeming to have heard him and yet not heard him at all.

Xie Yanlai’s gaze fell to the letter in her hands. He pursed his lips. ”What about your mother?”

’The only thing that could leave her so lost in thought would be news about her mother, right?’

’Is she alive, or dead?’

Chu Zhao’s gaze sharpened, focusing on him. She nodded. ”My father said that my mother is truly gone.”

’So, some of her hopes were dashed after all.’

Xie Yanlai said, ”Since your father already told you, you shouldn’t have put so much faith in rumors.”

’What good comes from believing those rumors? It only brings more heartache. If you don’t believe, you don’t hope. And if you don’t hope, you can’t be disappointed.’

’When he first arrived at the Xie family, the other young masters and servants would taunt him. ”Your mother’s not dead,” they’d say. ”She took a lot of money and left. Go on, crawl through the dog hole and find her!”’

’He’d never believed them.’

The two of them stood in silence. Ah Le quietly set the tray on the table and retreated.

”But,” Chu Zhao said, her smile suddenly returning, ”even though my mother is gone, the people she left behind are still protecting me.”

With that, she looked toward Xiao Man, who was standing just inside the hall.

Xie Yanlai followed her gaze.

Xiao Man, who had turned her head away at the doorway, sensed their gazes. Her eyes flew wide. ”What?” she asked warily.

”Xiao Man, my father told me,” Chu Zhao said with a gentle smile. ”You don’t work for my father. You work for my mother.”

Xiao Man’s eyes went wider still. She tensed up like a cat and took a step back. ”Wh-what?”

”Don’t be afraid. My father told me everything. He won’t blame you for acting without his orders,” Chu Zhao said, her smile reassuring.

An even stranger expression crossed Xiao Man’s face. ”What... what are you talking about!”

”My mother wasn’t some uneducated village woman like the rumors say. Though she came from the countryside gentry, she was well-read, cultured, and exceptionally knowledgeable. She was also charitable and kind. My father wrote that with the constant wars in the Border County, many people were displaced, and she took in countless homeless—elderly who had lost their children, and children who had lost their parents.” Chu Zhao’s eyes shone as she gazed at the letter. ”After she died, those people wanted to repay her kindness by following the General into battle. My father didn’t approve, but they all began training as soldiers on their own initiative—”

She looked at Xiao Man.

”You came to the capital in secret, without my father’s knowledge. He says he doesn’t blame you. In fact, he wants to thank you. He said my mother would be grateful to you in the afterlife, too.”

Xiao Man’s face turned pale, then flushed. She looked like she was caught between wanting to fly into a rage and wanting to laugh.

”Pah!” she spat. ”Who needs your father’s gratitude!”

Her expression was one of undisguised fury.

Chu Zhao nodded. ”I know. You all hate my father. You hate him for bringing war to the Border County, which cost you your homes and loved ones. And you hate him... for my mother’s death.”

She lowered her gaze back to the letter.

”My mother wore herself out worrying about and helping my father, draining her of all her strength. That’s why... she didn’t survive childbirth when I was born.”

Xiao Man sneered. ”That’s right. If it weren’t for your father, your mother never would have ended up in that state! If your father hadn’t driven us to desperation, you—”

She flung her sleeve in frustration, apparently unable to go on, and whipped her head away.

Before Chu Zhao could say anything, Xie Yanlai, who had been silent until now, spoke up.

”Here.” He produced another letter. ”Zhang Gu said this is from your father, for her.”

He jutted his chin toward the girl who had turned her back on them.

Xiao Man turned back around, her expression a mixture of surprise and suspicion.

Chu Zhao, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised. ’It’s only right for Father to write a letter to comfort her himself.’ Seeing Xiao Man’s guarded refusal to accept it, Chu Zhao signaled to Ah Le. Understanding at once, Ah Le took the letter from Xie Yanlai and thrust it into Xiao Man’s hand.

”Go on, read it,” she said. ”See what our General has to say.”

Xiao Man looked as if she were about to throw the letter away, but she stopped when she saw the seal on the envelope. Clutching it tightly, she snorted and strode out of the room.

’Ah Le wasn’t bothered by her attitude in the slightest. So what if she was ill-tempered? She was willing to risk life and limb to protect their lady. Not like Miss Chu Tang, who might have a sweet temper, but when disaster struck, would not only fail to protect her lady but would probably push her forward to save herself.’

”She’s gone to read the letter in private,” Ah Le reported. ”I’ll go keep an eye on her, just in case she tries to tear it up.”

She went out and stood by the hall entrance, watching Xiao Man, who was huddled in a corner reading the letter.

Only Chu Zhao and Xie Yanlai remained in the study.

”Yanlai,” Chu Zhao said. ”Sit down. Let’s talk.”

Xie Yanlai frowned, but this time he didn’t protest. He sat down across from her.

Chu Zhao gestured to the table. ”Have some tea.”

Xie Yanlai picked up the cup and drained it in one go, only to nearly spit it right back out. He covered his mouth with his sleeve. ”Are you doing this on purpose? First, you nearly choked me to death with those pills, and now you’re trying to kill me with this bitter tea!”

Chu Zhao laughed and pushed a dish of fruit across the desk. ”There are candied fruits. Here, have one.”