Xie Yanlai looked down at the person rushing toward him from the firelight and carnage, drawing closer and closer—

She was petite in stature, her skirts fluttering. In the interplay of light and shadow, she raised her head.

The city gate was imposing, the torches had been extinguished, but the figure of the young man standing on the battlements—Chu Zhao recognized him at a glance.

“A’Jiu!” she shouted joyfully, “It really is you!”

Without any hesitation, she lowered the shield in her hand and spurred her horse into a gallop toward him.

Xie Yanlai gripped his crossbow without moving, his peripheral vision suddenly catching those around him. The imperial guards on either side were all looking at him, their expressions somewhat peculiar.

“Yanlai,” one imperial guard asked in a low voice, “should we still… kill without mercy?”

The person had already entered arrow range—were they not going to act?

Hadn’t they said earlier that no matter who came, even if it were Third Young Master Xie himself, they would kill without mercy?

How troublesome! Xie Yanlai gritted his teeth in frustration, watching the girl who had arrived below the city gate.

“Chu—” he shouted loudly, but the words caught at his lips and he lowered his voice, “What are you doing running here!”

Having lowered his voice, he felt something was wrong. The city gate was high—if he lowered his voice, Chu Zhao wouldn’t hear him, but others would instead.

He glanced around again and indeed saw the surrounding imperial guards all watching him. This was clearly the tone used with an acquaintance—

“Yanlai,” an imperial guard even asked, “is she family?”

Xie Yanlai raised his crossbow and shouted sternly, “Halt! Take one more step forward and you’ll be killed without mercy!”

Chu Zhao seemed not to understand what these words meant. She rode all the way to the city gate, reined in her horse, raised her head toward the young man on the battlements and waved her hand: “A’Jiu, A’Jiu, it’s me, Chu Zhao! Open the gate quickly—”

This dead girl was even announcing her own name—did he not recognize her? He wasn’t blind!

When the imperial guards heard Chu Zhao announce her name, although many didn’t recognize the girl’s face, most knew this name—she was the one who had thrown herself onto Xie Yanlai in the street to shield him from the whip, and she was the one whose tale of mutual devotion, never leaving each other’s side, and life-and-death companionship had spread throughout the capital.

“Chu Zhao?”

“Yanlai, it’s Miss Chu.”

“Your fiancée—”

The imperial guards immediately began chattering.

Fine if you recognize her, but what was that last sentence about! Xie Yanlai took the opportunity to curse at that guard: “What nonsense are you spouting!”

That guard shrank back. All right, perhaps they weren’t engaged yet.

However, since she was an almost-engaged fiancée, her appearance here now seemed somewhat understandable.

“Yanlai, Miss Chu must have come to find you.”

It was too dangerous outside, the girl had set her heart on rushing straight to her beloved, worried about him, and feeling safest only by her beloved’s side. Ah, who knew how their own family and loved ones were faring at this moment—the guards’ minds wandered in distraction.

Xie Yanlai shouted: “The imperial city is forbidden territory—retreat immediately!”

His shout awakened the distracted guards. Everyone looked at him—could it really be that even if family or loved ones came, they would still—

Wake up already, she didn’t come here to find him. Xie Yanlai gripped his crossbow, his body tensing, the bowstring already drawn taut, the arrow flashing with cold light.

Chu Zhao looked at the coldly gleaming crossbow in the young man’s hands and said with a smile, “A’Jiu, I need to enter the imperial city.”

She wanted to enter the imperial city!

Indeed, she had come to enter the imperial city.

Xie Yanlai looked down at the girl below the city gate. He knew that many people would come to this imperial city, but he hadn’t expected the first to arrive would be this girl.

His gaze shifted to the left and right behind the girl.

The fighting at the watchtower continued, the breach growing larger and larger, and more and more people were pouring through. They spread out to the girl’s left and right behind her, like the iron wings of an eagle.

Chu Zhao, daughter of Chu Ling.

He scoffed, then laughed again.

Inside and out, none of the rulers, ministers, fathers, sons, or brothers had expected a Chu Zhao to emerge.

This would truly be an excellent show to watch.

Except—he was also in this show—

“Chu Zhao.” Xie Yanlai lowered his crossbow, aiming at the space between the eyebrows of the girl on horseback. “Without summons, entry to the palace is forbidden. Carrying troops and weapons into the city is forbidden. Retreat.”

He spoke each word distinctly.

“Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy.”

He would really kill her—the guards looked at the young man on the battlements.

He really would kill her—Chu Zhao looked at the young man. Back then by the river, he had also truly been willing to kill.

However, there was nothing to reproach him for at that time, because he needed to survive and he had no other choice.

But now, she was here for him.

“A’Jiu,” Chu Zhao said, facing the arrow’s gleam, speaking to the young man on the city wall. “It’s not that I want to see His Majesty—it’s the Young Highness.”

She gently pushed the child leaning against her, revealing him from beneath the wrapped cloak.

“I’ve brought the Young Highness.”

Young Highness?! The guards’ expressions showed shock. The Third Prince was not yet married, and only the Crown Prince had one son who could be called Young Highness—the Imperial Eldest Grandson!

The Imperial Eldest Grandson was still alive!

The guards couldn’t help but stand up momentarily, leaning forward to look—

Xie Yanlai stopped them with a shout: “Be careful of deception!”

Below the city gate, besides that girl, there were indeed many fearsome people. They wore no military robes, nor did they have armor, but the swords, bows, and crossbows in their hands were terrifying.

“A’Jiu,” Chu Zhao called again. “I’m not deceiving you. Come and see.”

Xie Yanlai looked down at the girl, then suddenly put away his crossbow, turned and jumped down from the battlements, striding toward the city gate below.

“Hey, Yanlai—”

The guards were startled and called out hurriedly.

Xie Yanlai looked at them and said, “I’m going to take a look.”

He was going to look? He’d just said to be careful, and on the city wall he wouldn’t even let them lean forward to look, but now he was going to open the city gate and walk out to see—so it wasn’t dangerous then?

The guards’ expressions were complex.

“One must take risks to know whether something is dangerous or not,” Xie Yanlai said. He walked a few steps then stopped and looked at everyone. “You all guard the gate well. If this person has malicious intent, then you all fight—fight with everything you have, and then, let it be.”

He didn’t say “fight to the death to defend” again.

They couldn’t hold it.

There was no need anymore.

If he died, he died. These other people, having done their duty to the best of their ability, no matter which side ultimately prevailed, could keep their lives.

Xie Yanlai strode away and disappeared from the guards’ line of sight.

They all understood the meaning of his words.

“This boy!” one guard shouted through gritted teeth. “We agreed to defend the city together.”

Having said this, he looked at those around him.

“You all stay on alert. I’m also going to take a look.”

He then strode rapidly toward the gate below.

Behind him, the guards broke into commotion.

“Why should I stay on alert? I want to go too.”

“Don’t be chaotic! Everyone to their posts! You few come with me, the rest stay on alert.”

……

……

When Xie Yanlai reached the city gate, a whole group of people came rushing up behind him.

He frowned and looked back. About to say something, in the end he said nothing, and those people also said nothing.

The door bar was quickly removed, the heavy city gate was pulled open a crack, and Xie Yanlai was first to walk out. The others followed closely, and the city gate was immediately shut behind them.

“A’Jiu,” Chu Zhao spurred her horse to meet him. Sitting on horseback, she didn’t have to look up at him anymore, and said happily, “So you were here tonight. I thought you were outside the city, or at home.”

Xie Yanlai frowned. What nonsense was she talking about? They weren’t here to chat.

“I also didn’t expect you to come here,” he said.

Chu Zhao said no more—this wasn’t a place for small talk either. She showed him the child in front of her: “A’Jiu, look, this is the Young Highness.”

Xie Yanlai looked over. In the illumination of the torches, he could see a child who turned toward him following Chu Zhao’s movement.

The child’s complexion was pale, his small face pointed.

The Young Highness had always been raised in the deep palace, rarely venturing out, and even when he did, he rode in a carriage. As an outer imperial city guard, he had never seen the Young Highness’s true appearance.

“You’re his uncle, you know,” Chu Zhao said with a smile, her gaze moving between Xie Yanlai and the child’s faces.

Uncle—he was surnamed Xie, but in the Xie family, there was only one person who could be called uncle by the Young Highness. He, this person surnamed Xie, had never had the qualifications to meet the Young Highness.

But he recognized him at a glance—this child also had a Xie family face.