In Chu Ke’s eyes, Chu Zhao had gone mad.

She’d been mad from the start. Otherwise, how could she have hit Young Lady Liang, the daughter of Magistrate Liang? That these young ladies were willing to play with her was already her good fortune, yet she actually hit someone.

Along the escape route she had good luck and encountered the Heir of Prince Zhongshan, but not only did she not take the opportunity to curry favor, she even offended the Heir of Prince Zhongshan.

Chu Ke no longer argued with Chu Zhao, nor did he try to seek out Xiao Xun again. With Chu Zhao around, the heir wouldn’t show him a friendly face and would only find him more disagreeable.

He could only wait until they returned, then have his father step forward. He and his father would visit Xiao Xun together, apologize, and then establish a connection.

Thinking of this, Chu Ke was eager to return home, wishing he could close his eyes and open them to find himself in the capital.

……

……

The spring nights in the border commandery were still biting cold. A’Jiu, turning to mount his horse, couldn’t help but sneeze.

“After enjoying yourself in the commandery city for several days,” Zhang Gu laughed from the side, “can you not walk anymore?”

A’Jiu wrapped his scarf around himself, leaving only a pair of bright phoenix eyes exposed: “I’ve been enjoying myself for over ten years, Brother Zhang. It’s no different from traveling the roads with you all.”

This kid never forgot to show off. Zhang Gu laughed and cursed a few times, cracking his whip: “Let’s go, let’s go. After we get back, you can enjoy yourself properly again.”

The postal soldiers laughed and shouted, spurring their horses one after another.

A’Jiu surveyed the city shrouded in night. This trip’s business was finally concluded. After returning, his career as a postal soldier would also be over.

He looked at Zhang Gu and the others. He wouldn’t have much contact with these people in the future. And—his gaze turned toward the more distant wilderness, those people, that Guard General Chu or whatever, and that A’Fu or whatever, Miss Chu—he’d never see any of them again.

“Let’s go!” he shouted loudly.

“Going home!” another postal soldier also shouted loudly.

Going home. These two words immediately made all the postal soldiers boil over, venting their anticipation and excitement.

“Going home!” “Going home!”

They held torches and galloped forward. This time A’Jiu didn’t run at the very front. The torches illuminated his eyes, which showed no excitement or anticipation.

After losing his mother, he had no home.

Home wasn’t home—it was a cage.

But the melancholy only flashed by. The next moment his eyes were full of defiance again.

He raised his whip with a long shout and galloped like the wind, passing through the postal soldiers, taking the lead.

……

……

Although it was impossible to close one’s eyes and arrive in the capital, the capital was gradually approaching.

More than ten days later, accompanied by pattering spring rain, a towering city appeared in view—the capital of Great Xia.

Chu Zhao sat in the carriage, gazing at the capital with very complicated feelings.

For the thirteen-year-old Chu Zhao, the capital was still an unfamiliar place, but for the current Chu Zhao, the capital was the place she knew best.

Here she had met the man of her heart and transformed from an utterly ordinary person into the most noble woman in the world.

But that had nothing to do with her. She had done nothing. It was that man who bestowed glory upon her, and it was also he who trampled her into the mud.

Her fate had been controlled by others.

This time, she would control it herself.

Chu Zhao’s hands resting on her knees clenched tight.

“Father!”

Chu Ke, riding outside the carriage, suddenly shouted loudly and spurred his horse forward.

Chu Zhao came to her senses and looked into the distance. She saw a group of people waiting on the main road ahead. The man at the front wore plain robes. The distance was still far, and she couldn’t see his features clearly, but his build stirred her memory—that was her uncle, Chu Lan.

Uncle’s build was very similar to Father’s.

Actually, she hadn’t seen her uncle in a long time either. When she awoke from rebirth, she had been panicked and anxious, not paying any attention to the relatives before her, single-mindedly only wanting to rush back to the border commandery.

The carriage drew near. Chu Lan came forward to greet them. Chu Ke had already jumped from his horse and would have thrown himself into his father’s arms to pour out his hardships and grievances if not for propriety in public.

Chu Lan paid him no mind, first saluting Deng Yi: “Thank you for your hard work, Lord Deng.”

Deng Yi dismounted and said: “I have fulfilled my mission.”

Chu Lan then looked toward Xiao Xun’s carriage. Given Xiao Xun’s noble status, naturally he didn’t need to dismount. At this moment he hadn’t even lifted the curtain.

“Father, that’s the Heir of Prince Zhongshan,” Chu Ke introduced eagerly, both excited and aggrieved. The heir was a very gracious person. If not for Chu Zhao being too excessive, he definitely would have already taken the initiative to greet them. “The road was very dangerous. If not for him, we might not have made it back.”

This was somewhat improper to say, as if Lord Deng was utterly useless, but Chu Lan didn’t correct him. Compared to the heir, this minor magistrate from the Commandant’s office was indeed not very important.

Finding his niece had been a thankless, laborious task that could have been done or not. The Court of Judicial Review refused, using the excuse that she was Chu Ling’s niece, and pushed it to the Commandant’s office. The Commandant’s office also dragged its feet, finally pushing it onto this newly transferred minor magistrate.

Being assigned a hard task meant his background and backing were definitely inferior to others.

Chu Lan quickly followed Chu Ke to Xiao Xun’s carriage and respectfully saluted: “Chu Lan gives thanks to the heir.”

Only then did Xiao Xun lift the curtain, nodding with a smile: “Scholar Chu is too kind.”

Chu Lan sighed: “I am ashamed. I have an unruly daughter in my family, so disgraceful.”

Xiao Xun said: “Children are mischievous. Scholar Chu can teach her slowly.” Apparently not wanting to mention this child, he changed the subject. “I’ve long heard of Scholar Chu’s great name as an outstanding disciple of Master Zhu.”

Chu Lan studied under the Zhu clan of Jiujiang and now taught at Qiaoshan Academy, quite renowned among scholars. Hearing that even Xiao Xun, far away in Zhongshan Commandery, knew of him, he smiled with some pride and said modestly: “The heir is too kind. Not disgracing my teacher’s name is enough—I dare not claim to be an outstanding disciple.”

Xiao Xun said: “There’s one passage I’ve never quite understood. Since I happen to meet Scholar Chu today, may I ask for your guidance?”

Chu Lan quickly said: “Please speak, Your Highness.”

Seeing them conversing happily, Deng Yi’s expression remained calm without any dissatisfaction.

But this harmonious scholarly exchange was unceremoniously interrupted by Chu Zhao.

“Uncle,” she called loudly, lifting the carriage curtain. “The heir is entering the capital and must first pay respects to His Majesty. Should His Majesty be kept waiting for him?”

This was said quite impolitely. Xiao Xun was fine with it, having grown accustomed to the girl’s attitude, but Chu Lan was startled by these treasonous words—this attitude was just like her father’s, that rebellious son who dragged down the Chu family!

“Shut your mouth!” He turned and shouted, unable to continue talking with Xiao Xun. He strode over and pointed at her. “Get out of the carriage!”

Then he turned and called his people.

“Bind her for me.”

When the tall scholar Chu Lan lost his temper, he was quite frightening.

The servants indeed surged forward to pull Chu Zhao from the carriage. A’Le blocked the carriage door, swinging her hands and kicking her feet. Three or four male servants actually couldn’t get near.

Chu Zhao leaned against the window, neither anxious nor annoyed, neither panicked nor moving.

The scene became noisy and passersby looked over. Xiao Xun’s carriage was magnificent, and everyone’s gazes couldn’t help but fall on him.

Xiao Xun felt very embarrassed.

Deng Yi watched with suppressed laughter for a while before stepping forward to resolve the situation. He thanked Xiao Xun again, asked him to go to the hostel first to await His Majesty’s summons, and officials from the hostel ahead also took over.

Xiao Xun didn’t even have time to take leave of Chu Lan before lowering the curtain and driving away.

Chu Lan only managed to salute in farewell. Chu Ke’s teeth itched with hatred even more.

“Father, did you see? On the road Chu Zhao was even more rebellious, disrespectful to the heir,” he said angrily.

Chu Lan’s expression was grim as he looked at Chu Zhao sitting calmly in the carriage. He truly hadn’t seen it—this niece was actually so capable of causing trouble. Had he known, he never should have let her come back.

Actually, he should have known earlier. Growing up with Chu Ling—when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam goes askew!

“Are you all eating for nothing?” he shouted in a deep voice. “You can’t even handle a little girl?”

Then he looked at Chu Zhao.

“Unfilial rebel girl, bind her and bring her down!”

With the family head’s order, the servants weren’t polite. Of course it wasn’t that they really couldn’t handle the little girl—they had just been holding back. Now that the master told them to act, then—

“Why are you binding me?” Chu Zhao shouted, her voice shrill, startling the servants who had rolled up their sleeves to act.

“To bind you to go apologize to Young Lady Liang,” Chu Lan shouted.

Chu Zhao said: “I won’t go to the Liang family.”

Chu Lan sneered: “You won’t go? Your aunt and your older sister are both there being punished on your behalf. What, do you still want to go home to wash up, eat, and sleep peacefully?”

Chu Zhao said: “Even if I apologize, I don’t need to go to the Liang family. Since the Liang family filed charges against me, the authorities should handle it.” She looked at Deng Yi. “Lord Deng, I should go with you to the yamen.”

The yamen? Chu Lan’s eyelids twitched. What was this wretched girl saying? Did she know what going to the yamen meant? Once a woman entered the yamen jail, her reputation was ruined.

If she was willing to go to the yamen, why did she run in the first place! Wasn’t it because she was afraid and fled?

Deng Yi wasn’t surprised, nor did he think it was a threat to Chu Lan. For this girl, being bound and going to the Liang family to bow her head was truly worse than going to sit in the yamen jail.

Though actually, when he said earlier he’d treat her like a criminal, he was joking.

However, he looked at the hopeful eyes of the girl sitting in the carriage.

“Yes,” he said, looking at Chu Lan. “Scholar Chu, I must first take the criminal back to report.”

……

……

(End of Volume One)