Xie Yanfang sat down and poured tea for Chu Zhao.

“When I heard the news, I had people investigate,” he said. “The source was the courier camp. There were several people who had been with Yanlai—”

Before he could finish, Chu Zhao was already smiling and shaking her head: “It wasn’t them. Although they were present at the time, they wouldn’t have said it.”

Xie Yanfang was curious: “I wonder what the scene was like at the time? I asked Yanlai, but he wouldn’t say a word. He only said about you, Miss Chu—serves you right.”

He quoted verbatim, and rather than seeing the girl’s expression turn dissatisfied, she laughed heartily instead.

“I knew he would say that,” Chu Zhao said with a laugh.

Xie Yanfang smiled and lifted his tea for a light sip: “Then it seems these words are true.”

Chu Zhao didn’t hide anything from Xie Yanfang. There was no need to conceal such matters, though she was somewhat surprised that even at a time like this, A’Jiu still hadn’t told the Xie family.

“This starts from when I left the capital and tried to find a way to reach the border commandery.”

Chu Zhao told Xie Yanfang how she had disguised herself, how she had planned, and the events that occurred along the way.

Xie Yanfang listened with great interest, sometimes smiling, sometimes asking questions as she narrated.

“At that time, I didn’t know A’Jiu was one of your family’s people, and that he had a secret mission,” Chu Zhao said, looking at Xie Yanfang with a smile. “He didn’t reveal his identity even once. It wasn’t until I saw him being punished by the family on the street that I learned who he was.”

Xie Yanfang looked at her and said with a smile: “I was the one who wrote the letter to your father and had Yanlai deliver it along the way. Although your father has been in the border commandery for so many years, I’ve always believed that General Chu is a person worth befriending.”

Chu Zhao showed an expression of sudden understanding, then shook her head: “Then he should have told me even more at the time. Then I could have taken him to see my father—wouldn’t that have been better?”

Xie Yanfang laughed heartily, but didn’t say “yes, what a pity.” Instead he said: “There was no way around it. Miss Chu, with all your disguises and schemes along the way, who would dare provoke such trouble?”

Chu Zhao held her teacup and asked: “What if it had been you, Third Master, at that time?”

Xie Yanfang put away his smile and said seriously: “I would of course immediately take Miss Chu and ride at full speed directly to General Chu’s location in the border commandery. I’m naturally unafraid of trouble.”

Chu Zhao laughed heartily and drained her tea in one gulp.

“Does Miss Chu not believe me?” Xie Yanfang asked with a smile.

Chu Zhao nodded: “I believe you, of course I believe you. I believe there’s nothing in this world Third Master wouldn’t dare to do.”

The girl spoke very seriously, her eyes frank and clear.

Xie Yanfang smiled and didn’t continue this topic.

“So, because of my strange behavior at the time, and of course A’Jiu’s own issues too, the two of us were wary and on guard against each other the whole way, finally reaching the point of trying to kill each other,” Chu Zhao continued narrating. “During our confrontation, I fell into the water, but then another accident occurred.”

She looked at Xie Yanfang.

“I encountered Prince Zhongshan’s heir, Xiao Xun.”

Xie Yanfang immediately understood, but didn’t speak, listening as Chu Zhao continued.

However, here Chu Zhao couldn’t speak of her entanglement with Xiao Xun from that past life.

“Prince Zhongshan’s heir was entrusted by Deng Yi to intercept me. To avoid being recognized, I improvised on the spot and pretended in front of Prince Zhongshan’s heir that A’Jiu and I were lovers having a quarrel,” Chu Zhao said with a laugh. “So I said the words that are now circulating outside.”

Xie Yanfang laughed heartily and clapped his hands: “Miss Chu improvised brilliantly.”

Chu Zhao laughed self-deprecatingly: “What’s so brilliant about it? In the end I was still brought back. My improvisation was useless and only left a handle for others to use against me.”

Xie Yanfang arranged his sleeves over the small clay stove to brew tea, saying: “Prince Zhongshan’s heir came for our Xie family. Miss Chu has been implicated because of us.”

It wasn’t said by the courier soldiers, and Xie Yanlai hadn’t said it either, so it could only be the other person present at the time—Prince Zhongshan’s heir, Xiao Xun.

Xie Yanfang was somewhat surprised.

Prince Zhongshan had always kept a low profile, and the prince’s heir had always been cultured and refined. Why would he suddenly do such a thing? Was he going to oppose the Crown Prince? This didn’t make sense.

Prince Zhongshan was no fool. Never mind that all these years in the capital he’d been even quieter than Chu Ling, but back in the day, he had been worth the Empress Dowager personally acting to cripple him, showing what a threat he posed to the Emperor.

As for Prince Zhongshan’s heir, Xie Yanfang had naturally heard of his reputation. This reputation was extremely subtle and fitting for his status—neither conspicuous nor mediocre.

Was Prince Zhongshan preparing to stake everything on the Third Prince and risk it all?

Xie Yanfang didn’t refrain from deep thought just because Chu Zhao was a guest he should be entertaining. Chu Zhao also didn’t mind his sudden silence, pouring and drinking tea herself. She knew what Xie Yanfang’s contemplation was about—he must think Xiao Xun was targeting the Xie family, targeting the Crown Prince—

She didn’t plan to explain. This was why she had immediately run to find Xie Yanfang—she wanted this clever Third Master to set his sights on Xiao Xun.

This was the truth too. Xiao Xun wasn’t just targeting the Crown Prince—in the future he would even seize the Crown Prince’s throne and fight Xie Yanfang to the death.

Since Xiao Xun had jumped out now to scheme against her, then let Xiao Xun and Xie Yanfang fight to the death starting now.

……

……

When Xie Yanlai arrived, he saw this scene.

In the waterside pavilion, a man and woman sat opposite each other, like a painting. The young master in white robes concentrated on brewing tea, his movements flowing like clouds and water. The young lady leaned against the railing, one hand holding a teacup drinking by herself, the other hand tossing fish food playfully.

They were relaxed and at ease.

“A’Jiu?”

A’Le, who had been standing not far outside the waterside pavilion, happened to turn and see him. She hurriedly called out, then glared.

“You’ve come at just the right time—”

But her words had barely fallen when she saw Xie Yanlai turn and walk away.

“Hey!” A’Le shouted once. Xie Yanlai turned a deaf ear, turning past a cluster of flowering trees and disappearing.

The flowering tree that had been bumped and shaken was suddenly grabbed by a hand, unable to withstand more shaking. Petals fell like rain, landing on the ground, on Xie Yanlai’s body and head.

“Young Master,” two maids supported him with heartache. “What are you doing?”

His wounds still hadn’t healed. Hearing that Miss Chu had come, he insisted on coming over. The maids had repeatedly pleaded: “Young Master, you lie down. We’ll go invite her. Even if we have to kneel and beg, we’ll bring her here.”

But Xie Yanlai just wouldn’t listen.

“Kneel to her for what? I don’t want her to come see me. I want to see her, to watch her make a fool of herself,” he said with a cold laugh, insisting on climbing out of bed, putting on his clothes and walking step by step from his quarters—refusing no matter what to let anyone carry him.

The maids watched as Xie Yanlai’s back was stained red in patches.

Suffering such great pain to walk all this way, yet turning around and leaving?

Xie Yanlai leaned against the flowering tree, enduring a wave of pain from his wound, and said coldly: “Miss Chu is eloquent and will surely persuade Third Brother. With Third Brother there, there’s no spectacle to see. No need to waste time.”

Having said this, he strode forward.

The two maids hurriedly followed. Fortunately, other maids also came, eight people carrying a beauty couch.

“Young Master, those servants have heavy hands. Being carried by them makes you even more uncomfortable.”

“Let us do it. Our hands are gentle—you trust us, don’t you?”

“Young Master, you won’t distrust even us, will you?”

With sweet voices full of grievance, Xie Yanlai smiled. Tormenting and troubling maids was the most boring thing. He complied and lay on the beauty couch. The maids exerted their delicate strength to lift it, walking with coordinated efforts.

Xie Yanlai closed his eyes, pillowing his head on his arm.

A maid’s voice suddenly asked softly by his ear: “Young Master, did Miss Chu really say those words to you?”

Xie Yanlai said coldly: “You foolish girls wake up. Don’t assume that just because someone says affectionate words, they’re an affectionate person.”

The maids laughed. “We wouldn’t think that.” “We’re more accustomed to Young Master saying harsh things to us.” “If others say nice things to us, we’re not used to it.”

Xie Yanlai ignored their playful laughter, keeping his eyes closed without another word, gradually falling asleep on the swaying beauty couch.

……

……

Xie Yanfang poured freshly brewed tea for Chu Zhao.

“I was lost in thought,” he said. “Miss Chu, please forgive me.”

Chu Zhao smiled: “Third Master being lost in thought in front of me means you don’t treat me as an outsider. I’m very happy.”

The girl’s eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled.