Ashes to Crown

Chapter 197: Chapter 27: Trust

The young man held his chin high, his phoenix eyes arched in an arrogant, sneering expression. But his brow was unconsciously furrowed, tempering his disdain.

Chu Zhao watched him, her chin resting on her hand. He seemed unchanged from when she’d seen him on the road, but a closer look revealed a difference. Perhaps it was the official robe of an Imperial Guard General he wore, which made his aura sharper than before.

”You’re incredible, Ah Jiu,” she said with a laugh. ”Even now that I’m the Empress, you can still see right through me.”

Seeing her cheeky grin, Xie Yanlai gave a dry laugh. ”So you think that just because you’re the Empress, you’re all-powerful and nothing is off-limits?”

Chu Zhao grinned. ”Even when I wasn’t the Empress, there was nothing I didn’t dare to do.”

That was true enough. Xie Yanlai sneered, his phoenix eyes darkening. ”I can let it slide when you try to provoke me, but now you’re stirring up trouble between him and Deng Yi? Do you really think those two are people you can afford to mess with?”

Chu Zhao sat up straight. ”When did I ever provoke you? And as for your relationship with the Xie family, does it really need me to stir things up?”

For a moment, Xie Yanlai had no rebuttal.

”I treat you well, and in return, you think I have ulterior motives. Would you have been happier if I’d joined the Xie family—like that Seventh Master, for instance—in whipping and bullying you?” Chu Zhao said indignantly.

’What is all this nonsense?’ Xie Yanlai slammed his hand on the table. ”Enough of this useless talk! What are you trying to achieve by telling each of them that you don’t trust the other?”

Chu Zhao said, ”So that I can attend court and oversee state affairs.”

Xie Yanlai said, ”Then why not just say so? Tell Xie Yanfang you don’t trust Deng Yi and ask for his help. Tell Deng Yi you don’t trust Xie Yanfang and ask for his help. Do you really think they’ll believe you? They’re not three-year-olds.”

Chu Zhao said, ”I never wanted them to believe me. I know they don’t.”

Xie Yanlai looked at her, drawing out a long ”Ohhh.” ”It seems I was being foolish. The Empress is wise and already has a plan in mind.”

Chu Zhao laughed. ”Stop being so sarcastic.”

Before Xie Yanlai could speak again, she continued in a calm voice.

”This is all very simple. As I just said, your poor relationship with the Xie family isn’t my doing. Likewise, Grand Tutor Deng and Third Young Master Xie already distrust one another.”

”And my actions weren’t meant to make either of them believe that I trust him.”

Xie Yanlai understood now. He gave a self-deprecating smile. ’He should have known this girl was incredibly audacious.’

”So Your Highness’s goal was to make them distrust you,” he said.

Chu Zhao, unconcerned by his shifting titles for her, nodded.

”Yes. I just want them to know that I don’t trust them, either. That way—” she said, then smiled, ”—they will want to earn my trust.”

Xie Yanlai was momentarily stunned. He looked at the girl’s smiling face, but her eyes were filled with a profound stillness.

’She had once given her trust away so easily, dedicating her whole heart and soul to that person. But in the end, her trust—and she herself—had been treated as worthless.’

”Ah Jiu, I am the Empress now. I saved the Emperor’s life, I am the person he trusts most, and I hold military power.”

She looked at Xie Yanlai.

”Why should I be the one to trust them? Shouldn’t it be them who have to win and earn my trust?”

....

....

Xie Yanlai looked at the girl seated upright before him. Her eyes were clear and bright, her makeup and clothes simple, neither imposing nor magnificent, but—

’Even when she was the wretched Ah Fu begging for help at the post station, a light had flashed in her eyes. It was the glint of someone who refused to be subservient, who could not be underestimated—it put one on edge, on guard.’

Then, her fame had skyrocketed in the Capital City.

Now, she was the Empress.

’And he’d actually been presumptuous enough to want to advise her, to teach her what to do.’

’With just a flick of her finger, she could ruin him.’

Xie Yanlai smiled faintly. He stood up and bowed to Chu Zhao. ”I—”

But at that very moment, footsteps sounded from outside, along with the soft calls of the eunuchs. ”Your Majesty—”

Xie Yanlai stopped speaking and turned to look. He saw Xiao Yu standing outside the door, peeking in slightly without entering.

”Yu,” Chu Zhao said with a smile, beckoning him over.

Only then did Xiao Yu step inside. He hurried to Chu Zhao’s side, then looked at Xie Yanlai and called out, ”Uncle.”

Xie Yanlai bowed to him. ”Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yu nodded. ”Uncle, there’s no need for such formalities. Please, sit down.”

”Thank you, Your Majesty,” Xie Yanlai replied.

But he did not sit.

Chu Zhao took Xiao Yu’s hand and asked, ”Are your lessons over?”

Eunuch Qi, who had followed him in, said with a smile, ”One class just finished. The tutor will be here shortly to instruct His Majesty in calligraphy.”

Xiao Yu held up one hand. ”I just have to write five more pages of characters in a bit.”

Chu Zhao laughed. ”In that case, I’ll write five pages too, and we can have the tutor judge who’s better. How about it?”

Xiao Yu nodded. ”Okay.”

Eunuch Qi chimed in playfully from the side. ”This old servant has read the Chu Garden literary collection. My Lady, you’d best not compete with His Majesty.”

Chu Zhao laughed heartily and looked at Eunuch Qi. ”Eunuch Qi, is it because you’ve seen me admit defeat so many times that you’re afraid I can’t win against Yu?”

She made a show of rolling up her sleeves as she spoke.

”I’ve improved a great deal since the literary conference. I’m not afraid of losing to Yu!”

Xiao Yu smiled, clenching his little fists. ”I’m not afraid of losing to you either, Sister.”

After speaking, he turned to look at Xie Yanlai.

”Uncle, you should compete with Yu, too.”

”I can’t write,” Xie Yanlai said bluntly.

A look of surprise crossed Xiao Yu’s small face. In his world, no one was illiterate, especially not a member of the Xie family, and certainly not his uncle—

’His other uncle, the Young Master Xie his mother was always mentioning, was world-renowned, erudite, multi-talented, and seemingly capable of anything.’

”He can’t beat us,” Chu Zhao said with a smile, patting Xiao Yu’s arm. ”Once Yu learns archery and horsemanship, then we’ll challenge your uncle.”

She finished speaking and raised an eyebrow at Xie Yanlai.

’Let’s see what he says now. Is he going to claim he can’t ride or shoot a bow, too?’

Xiao Yu could also tell that Chu Zhao was teasing his uncle.

’In fact, the uncle his mother was always talking about was also an expert at riding and archery. His mother had said he was even better than his father.’

’But so what?’

The child laughed along with Chu Zhao.

Xie Yanlai watched the adult and child laughing at him and rolled his eyes internally. He gave a slight wave of his hand. ”Your Majesty, I must get back to my duties.”

Without waiting for another word from Xiao Yu or Chu Zhao, he turned and strode out.

Faint laughter drifted out from behind him. ’So childish!’ he sneered inwardly. He glanced back and saw the two of them, one big and one small, squeezed together on a seat. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their heads were close together as they laughed.

’This girl was truly... naive yet worldly, ruthless yet full of feeling.’

’Whatever she was, it had nothing to do with him.’ Xie Yanlai tore his gaze away and strode off. But he hadn’t gone far before he stopped again, seeming to deliberate, hesitating, and remaining motionless for a long moment.

The surrounding Imperial Guards pretended not to notice, letting him stand there like a wooden post.

...

...

Chu Zhao chatted and laughed with Xiao Yu for a while longer before Eunuch Qi came to announce it was time for his lesson. True to her word, Chu Zhao went along, wrote five pages of characters, and had them critiqued by Mr. Qi.

She didn’t intentionally lose to Xiao Yu. Instead, she used all her skill and earned high praise from the tutor.

After the next lesson began, Chu Zhao left Xiao Yu’s study. The moment she stepped out, she saw Xie Yanlai.

Chu Zhao froze for a moment, then hurried toward him. ”You didn’t leave? Have you been waiting here for me all this time? Is something wrong?” Then, looking at the nearby eunuchs, she asked, ”Why didn’t you inform me?”

The eunuchs bowed their heads, about to proclaim their guilt, but Xie Yanlai impatiently cut them off.

”I was the one who told them not to,” he said. ”It’s nothing important.”

’Nothing important, he says?’ Chu Zhao looked at him and let out a soft ”Oh.” She waved her hand at the eunuchs, who immediately retreated like a receding tide, leaving the two of them alone outside the hall.

Chu Zhao said softly, ”You can speak now.”

Xie Yanlai frowned. ’Why did she have to dismiss everyone? As if I was about to say something illicit.’

He took a step forward. ”Chu Zhao, you should go see your father.”

Chu Zhao stared, slightly taken aback, at the young man before her.

’So, besides her, there was still someone who thought about her father.’