Ashes to Crown

Chapter 263 -66: Meeting

Chu Zhao’s head lolled to the side, hitting the bedframe and jolting her awake.

The Little Rabbit she had been holding had long since scurried away. It was huddled under the bed, and her sudden movement startled it, sending it leaping into a gap behind the bed.

Chu Zhao came to her senses and quickly knelt up to look at the bed. Chu Ling was sleeping, utterly still and silent—

She grabbed her father’s hand, feeling for his pulse. Then, with a sigh of relief, she slid from the bed to kneel on the floor. ‘He’s still here—’

The room was dim, the candlelight in the outer chamber flickered.

“Father,” Chu Zhao called softly, shaking Chu Ling’s arm.

The doctor had said he needed plenty of rest, but Chu Ling had only laughed. He’d said he would be resting forever soon enough, so he might as well spend what time he had left with everyone.

“So, Ah Zhao, if I fall asleep, you have to wake me up,” he had instructed.

Until she could no longer wake him.

As Chu Zhao shook him, Chu Ling opened his eyes. Although he couldn’t see anything, he answered immediately, “Ah Zhao, did I fall asleep again?”

Chu Zhao nodded, forcing a smile as she said, “Yes, Father. The stories about my childhood are so dull, you’ve talked both of us to sleep.”

Chu Ling mused, “So that’s why I always fell asleep so easily when you were a child. It wasn’t that my stories were good, but that I was a boring storyteller.”

Chu Zhao laughed out loud.

Hearing the father and daughter laughing in the inner chamber, Ah Le came in from outside. “General, Miss, you’re awake. Would you like something to eat?”

As she spoke, she gestured to Chu Zhao.

“Miss, as you ordered, there’s chicken soup simmering in the kitchen.”

Chu Zhao said, “Oh,” and first asked Chu Ling if he wanted to eat.

“Yes,” Chu Ling said. “As long as I’m still alive, I’ll eat.”

Chu Zhao smiled and said, “Alright. Father, I’ll go get it myself.”

With that, she pulled Ah Le into the outer room.

“What is it?” she asked.

Ah Le said, “Ah Jiu came looking for you. He said you stole his rabbit and wants you to give it back.”

Chu Zhao scoffed. “That’s ridiculous! It’s obviously mine—I’m going to find him!”

Her footsteps thumped away into the distance.

Lying in bed, Chu Ling couldn’t help but smile. His eyes were blind and his body was weak, but his hearing was exceptionally sharp. He could even hear the patrol passing outside the courtyard and the insects crawling on the wall in the corner of the room.

A person slipped in through the door like a swallow, their steps so light one could imagine their agile movements.

‘I remember our last meeting,’ Chu Ling thought. ‘After the chaos in the Capital City, the boy must have been through a trial by fire. His aura should be different now.’

A presence, sharp and cold as a sword, seemed to scan over him.

“Ah Jiu, what are you looking at?” Chu Ling said.

The person standing by the bed was startled and took a step back.

“I look different than before. Did I scare you?” Chu Ling asked.

Xie Yanlai looked at the General on the bed. He was indeed thinking of the first time he’d seen him. Compared to his imposing presence then, and even compared to how he looked just a few days ago, the General was now almost unrecognizable.

Chu Ling looked completely withered.

“No,” he said.

It was unclear if he meant he didn’t look different or that he wasn’t scared. Chu Ling chuckled. “After all, you’re a young general who has fought against rebels and killed Western Liang bandits. There’s not much that can scare you.”

Xie Yanlai lowered his eyes. “That’s not it. I’ve seen my mother die.”

Chu Ling’s smile faded, leaving only a gentle expression. He looked in Xie Yanlai’s direction and said, “We all must say goodbye to our parents eventually.”

Xie Yanlai didn’t respond.

“Ah Jiu, thank you. It’s thanks to you that Ah Zhao could be here to see me off,” Chu Ling said.

Xie Yanlai quickly interrupted, “General, please don’t say that. It has nothing to do with me. She wanted to come on her own. I was under the Emperor’s orders to capture her and bring her back. It’s just… one is the Emperor, the other is the Empress. I’m just a subordinate caught in the middle. I can’t afford to offend either side, so I listen to both.”

Chu Ling laughed heartily. “Exactly. We subordinates have it rough. In the future—”

Xie Yanlai interrupted again, glancing outside. ‘I’m not here to chat with General Chu,’ he thought. ‘His time is limited. He should be talking to the people who matter most to him.’

“General,” he said, “Mu Mianhong asked me to see if she could meet with you.”

The withered General on the bed fell silent.

It seemed like a long time passed, and yet it also felt like only a moment.

“Did she follow you the whole way?” Chu Ling asked.

Xie Yanlai said, “Not the whole way. She was the one who saved Miss Chu when she was attacked. After that, she traveled with us, but left when we reached the County.”

Chu Ling was silent for a moment, then said, “I’ll see her.”

Xie Yanlai didn’t ask any more questions. He agreed and turned to leave.

Chu Ling said from behind him, “Don’t let Ah Zhao know.”

Without turning his head, Xie Yanlai replied, “I understand.”

Then he gritted his teeth. ‘What am I even saying?’ he thought. ‘One is her father, the other is her mother. Who am I to say I understand? What does this have to do with me!’

He strode out, then strode right back in. Without a word, he snatched the Little Rabbit from the gap behind the bed and strode out again.

Chu Ling didn’t ask about his departure and return, merely smiling.

The room returned to silence, but Chu Ling’s ears did not. He listened to the footsteps fade away, then heard another set of footsteps approaching softly—

The soft footsteps stopped at the door, as if not daring to take another step forward.

“Come in,” Chu Ling said. “At a time like this, there’s no need to get lost in sentimental memories, apprehension, or hesitation.”

At his words, the hesitant footsteps became a sudden downpour, rushing from the doorway straight into the inner chamber—

Mu Mianhong stood by the bed, her slender figure wavering in the dim light. She looked at the man lying on the bed, and more than a decade of memories instantly flooded her mind—

She covered her face with her hands and sank to her knees.

“When did it start? I don’t know,” she murmured, choking back sobs.

Chu Ling’s expression was calm, showing neither joy nor anger. “And what if you did know? Can you bring the dead back to life?”

Mu Mianhong said through her tears, “General, you’re still as harsh as ever.”

Chu Ling fell silent.

In the quiet room, the past resurfaced.

It seemed like an eternity, and yet also an instant. Chu Ling broke the silence, suppressing the past.

“The reason I agreed to see you.”

“Is because you saved Ah Zhao’s life.”

“Anyone who saves my Ah Zhao is my benefactor.”

“And since my benefactor has a request—which is merely to see me—I naturally must grant it.”

Just a benefactor. Just because she saved his daughter. Nothing more.

Mu Mianhong knelt by the bed, looking at the man before her—so strange yet so familiar—as tears streamed down her face like rain.

…

…

“He said he was waiting for you over by the kitchen.”

Ah Le looked around inside and outside the kitchen, asking the servants and guards, but they all shook their heads, saying they hadn’t seen Xie Yanlai.

“Forget him,” Chu Zhao said. She tasted the chicken soup and was about to ladle it out when Xie Yanlai returned.

“Where did you go?” Chu Zhao asked.

Xie Yanlai didn’t answer, simply patting his chest—

Chu Zhao immediately saw the Little Rabbit peeking out from the bulge in his tunic and lunged at him. “That’s mine! You despicable man, you used a diversion!”

Xie Yanlai turned to dodge her, raising an eyebrow. “It’s mine. I found it first.”

Chu Zhao didn’t care and tried to snatch the Little Rabbit from his arms.

Xie Yanlai reached out and pressed a hand to her forehead. “I can give it to you, but on one condition. I already spoke with your father, and he agreed there should be a condition.”

‘Father? Did he just go talk to Father?’ Chu Zhao burst out laughing. “What sweet nothings did you whisper to my father this time?”

Xie Yanlai said, “General Chu is fair and just. He agreed I could take the rabbit. However, if you make me a bowl of soup, I’ll give the rabbit to you.”

Chu Zhao scoffed. “Fine. I dare you to eat what I make.” With that, she actually went to wash her hands and start making the soup.

Ah Le pouted and, ignoring their bickering, went to stand guard outside the door. Xie Yanlai leaned against the doorframe, waiting for his soup and listening to Chu Zhao’s chatter.

“Is my father still awake?” “What did you say to him?” “You’ve been on patrol all night, why aren’t you sleeping?” “When you have time, you should come talk with my father more.”

He answered her intermittently. As they were talking, a clamor suddenly erupted outside, the sound like a clap of thunder.

“—What are you doing here! Guards—”

It was Zhong Changrong’s voice.

Xie Yanlai’s expression changed. Chu Zhao dropped her bowl with a CRASH and immediately tried to rush outside.

“Chu Zhao.” Xie Yanlai reached out and stopped the girl as she reached the door. “Wait.”