Ashes to Crown

Chapter 257: Chapter 64: Two Sides

”You ran away from the Capital City before. And even though you had the misfortune of running into me and getting stopped, you went back, endured so much, and ultimately set out on this journey once more.”

”And this time, I’m the one escorting you.”

”All of this just goes to show that you, Chu Zhao, are favored by the heavens.”

”And think about it—back in the Capital City, you were despised by everyone, yet no one could do a thing to you. You even became the Empress.”

Hearing this, Chu Zhao couldn’t help but glare. ”Nonsense! What do you mean, ’despised by everyone’?!”

She looked up at him, but the young general kept his eyes fixed ahead, so all she could see was his chin.

”You’re the one who’s despised by everyone,” Chu Zhao retorted.

Xie Yanlai scoffed. ”I’m the son of a concubine, so of course I’m despised by everyone. You’re the Empress—” He lowered his head to look at the girl before him and raised an eyebrow. ”And you are too. Despised by everyone.”

Chu Zhao smiled. She understood what he meant. By becoming the Empress, she had earned the hatred of many. The courtiers despised her presence in the imperial court, and even Deng Yi had been forced to choose her. As for Xie Yanfang, he probably would have preferred to pick an Empress of his own choosing.

’In my past life, my becoming Empress made many people happy, but I was the only one who suffered.’

’In this life, my becoming Empress has displeased many. So maybe this time, I won’t be the one to suffer, right?’

The diversion eased her tension a little. Chu Zhao raised an eyebrow and smiled. ”Being despised by everyone isn’t so bad, actually.”

Xie Yanlai let out a dry laugh. ”See? That’s the attitude I’m talking about. Who wouldn’t be annoyed by that?”

”My father doesn’t mind,” Chu Zhao said. ”And if my mother were alive, she wouldn’t either.” She looked back at Xie Yanlai. ”And you—”

Xie Yanlai freed a hand and pulled her hood over her head, cutting off the rest of her sentence. The girl’s voice turned into a muffled sound as she waved her hands about, just like a kitten.

Xie Yanlai smirked, his gaze fixed on the path ahead. Then, he suddenly yanked her hood back down. ”See? I told you. Even people despised by everyone can have good luck. Chu Zhao, look ahead.”

Chu Zhao looked forward. Her vision was still a little blurry, and she hurriedly rubbed her eyes. At the same time, the shout from the Xin Bing leading the way reached her ears.

”General Chu— It’s General Chu! He’s here—”

But Chu Zhao didn’t need the Xin Bing to shout. She had already seen the figures ahead through the gaps between her fingers. A party of riders stood motionless on the vast, snow-covered plains. They had clearly been waiting for a long time; their heavy cloaks were completely white with snow.

The man leading them sat tall on his horse, as imposing as a mountain and radiant as white jade.

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The moment she saw him through her fingers, Chu Zhao wished she could be by her father’s side in the blink of an eye.

But as their horses drew near and she could clearly see the man’s face—his brows, his nose, his eyes—Chu Zhao froze.

”Ah Zhao!” Zhong Changrong called out, his voice tinged with worry and unconcealable sorrow.

”She’s fine,” Xie Yanlai said. He swept the girl into his arms and swung them both down from the horse.

The world suddenly spun around Chu Zhao. She let out a cry of surprise, and the motion snapped her back to her senses.

”You’ve scared our Ah Zhao,” Chu Ling said with a smile, still seated calmly on his horse.

Xie Yanlai looked at him, sensed something was wrong, and frowned. But Chu Zhao had already rushed forward.

Chu Ling swung himself off his horse. Zhong Changrong quickly reached out to support him, saying, ”Careful— General, you’re not well.”

Chu Zhao, who had been about to throw herself into her father’s arms, stopped short. She slowly reached out and laid a hand on Chu Ling’s arm—

”Are you checking to see if I’m real?” Chu Ling chuckled, opening his arms. ”Come here. Even though my Ah Zhao is all grown up, this old father of yours can still lift you onto his shoulders.”

Chu Zhao let out a laugh, and tears flew from her eyes. Without any more hesitation, she threw herself into her father’s embrace.

”Father,” she said, her voice choked with sobs. ”It’s been so long—”

”So long since you’ve last seen me, right?” Chu Ling finished for her, a gentle smile on his face as he softly patted his daughter’s head. ”I know. I know everything.”

’Yes, it has been a very, very long time. I had to die once just to see my father again.’ Chu Zhao felt his embrace, which wasn’t warm at all. ’Who knew how long he’d been waiting here? His robes are freezing, and even his hands are like ice.’

’I’ve finally seen my father again.’

The sight of the father-daughter reunion was enough to bring tears to one’s eyes. Even Zhong Changrong felt his own eyes welling up, but his attention was drawn to someone pacing restlessly before him—

’That little rascal.’ Zhong Changrong glared at Xie Yanlai. ’Why is it always him!’

Xie Yanlai looked back at him, then jerked his chin in Chu Ling’s direction before pointing to his own eyes.

’That damn rascal, nothing gets past him. The Young Miss hasn’t even noticed yet.’ Zhong Changrong shot Xie Yanlai a glare, a silent warning to keep his mouth shut.

Xie Yanlai just scoffed and turned away.

The open wilderness was brutally cold. As emotional as the reunion was, Chu Zhao hadn’t forgotten about her father’s health. ’Even though Father came to meet me himself, Uncle Zhong was uncharacteristically urgent when he summoned me. It must be something very serious.’