The hall entrance fell silent. Everyone stared somewhat dazedly at the young crown prince inside.

At this moment, Chu Lan reacted fastest.

“Crown Prince,” he asked, “what did you say?”

He looked at his daughter. Chu Tang’s clothes and appearance were disheveled, but the young maiden was pitifully delicate and charmingly captivating.

Had he just… taken a fancy to her?

Xiao Xun said: “Just as before, I asked Master Chu Lan to help and promised him he’d climb the ladder to heaven. Now I’m asking Miss A’Tang to help, so naturally I must also give a reward. The younger sister saved that little child and could become empress. As the elder sister, naturally she should receive the same treatment. So, Miss A’Tang, are you willing to marry me?”

Would any girl in the world be unwilling?

Prince Zhongshan’s crown prince was born into wealth and nobility, young and handsome. Now his great undertaking was about to succeed—from crown prince he’d become crown prince, and in the future he’d be Da Xia’s emperor.

For women, becoming empress in this lifetime was the supreme glory and wealth.

Look—even though the young emperor was only six years old, Chu Zhao had immediately married him.

Now, Chu Tang also had the chance to become empress—

Just moments ago, Jiang Shi had only fleetingly entertained this thought, never imagining it would actually come true.

Jiang Shi and Chu Lan’s bodies trembled—not frightened as before, but excited. If Chu Tang became empress, their family would also climb the ladder to heaven. Unlike Chu Zhao—after becoming empress, they got no benefits at all, only mortal danger—

“The Crown Prince’s great favor, I, we—” Jiang Shi was so excited she couldn’t form words. She lifted her foot to step inside.

Chu Tang reached out to support her, stepping into the hall together.

But that was as far as they got. Tie Ying, standing beside Xiao Xun, shouted: “Stop there.”

Jiang Shi’s legs went weak. Chu Tang quickly steadied her.

The two didn’t advance further, while Chu Lan and the servants at the door didn’t take another step either.

“Mother.” Chu Tang softly reassured Jiang Shi. “Don’t be afraid.”

Before Jiang Shi could speak, she raised her head to look at Xiao Xun and asked: “What does the Crown Prince need us to do? We can’t reach His Majesty now, can’t kill him anymore.”

Xiao Xun smiled slightly: “Miss A’Tang needn’t worry. I’m asking you to do something within your capabilities. The Empress has now taken two forces to besiege my father.”

Chu Zhao? Chu Lan thought bitterly. Knowing Prince Zhongshan’s troops were attacking the capital, she still wasn’t rushing back to save people, but thinking of seizing merit instead.

“The Empress may think this will make me withdraw, but it won’t work. Things have come to this—I can’t turn back.”

“However, my father gave me all his troops. I’m also worried about him, so—”

Xiao Xun looked toward Chu Tang.

“Miss A’Tang, help me capture Chu Zhao.”

Capture Chu Zhao!

Chu Lan and Jiang Shi’s hearts jumped. Chu Tang smiled bitterly.

“Crown Prince, how could I possibly do that?” she said. “How formidable Chu Zhao is, you’re surely clear about in your heart.”

How formidable Chu Zhao was—he indeed knew. Xiao Xun said: “Precisely because she’s formidable, Miss A’Tang, you’re the most suitable.” He smiled slightly, his gaze gentle. “Miss A’Tang, you’re her relative. For formidable people in this world, their greatest enemies are actually their relatives.”

Chu Tang said helplessly: “But actually, she doesn’t trust us.”

Jiang Shi spoke up for her daughter: “That’s right, Crown Prince. Chu Zhao is fierce toward us, treats us like enemies.”

But she couldn’t bear to let her daughter lose such a good opportunity—crown prince’s consort, future empress—

“How about I go try? I’m at least her elder.”

When the time came, she’d sacrifice this life of hers to secure her daughter’s future—even dying would be worth it.

Chu Lan no longer covered his face with his sleeve. Unable to restrain himself, he stepped forward, walked inside, and said: “Let me go instead. With Second Brother gone, I’m her only elder. If I go see her, she couldn’t very well shut me out.”

Chu Tang bit her lower lip, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her parents’ words. Her eyes flickered, hesitating indecisively—

Crown prince’s consort.

Empress.

She could also become empress.

The expressions of this family of three all fell under Xiao Xun’s gaze. Xiao Xun’s heart was clear as a mirror. The Chu Lan family was like this—from beginning to end they hadn’t changed. Now, with nowhere to turn, they’d be even more frenzied, and even more useful.

“Actually, I’ve always admired Miss A’Tang,” Xiao Xun said.

Admired? Chu Tang looked at him.

This young crown prince had been pursuing Chu Zhao from the start—had he also noticed her?

The young crown prince smiled gently: “Though Chu Ling was dismissed and had a poor reputation, he still governed a region. Miss Chu Zhao spent over ten years under her father’s protection, living freely and happily. But Miss A’Tang was different. Your family was implicated by Chu Ling, without office or position. From childhood you moved among the capital’s young ladies. To avoid being bullied, to avoid being mocked—who knows how much thought you spent, how much bitterness you swallowed—”

Chu Tang sighed softly. Crown Prince Xiao truly understood her heart.

Jiang Shi tearfully embraced her: “My child, you’ve suffered so.”

Chu Lan sighed: “It’s my incompetence.”

The family was miserably sorrowful. Ning Kun couldn’t bear to watch anymore and simply turned away his gaze.

Xiao Xun’s eyes grew even more gentle.

“Miss A’Tang, you soaked in bitter days, yet managed with perfect ease,” he said. “Even if Chu Zhao doesn’t trust you, is wary of you, I believe you surely have a way to gain her trust. Everyone praises Chu Zhao’s courage and martial prowess, her ability to fight on battlefields. But in fighting within human hearts, you too are a heroine among women, Chu Tang.”

He looked at Chu Tang.

“Are you willing to also be a heroine among women, standing above all people in the world, respected by everyone?”

Who wouldn’t want that—Chu Tang raised her head, meeting Xiao Xun’s eyes directly for the first time.

“You, will you truly marry me?” Chu Tang asked.

……

……

“I won’t speak of others—I’m very clear what kind of person my cousin is.”

After a moment of silence, Chu Zhao raised her head and spoke.

Slanting sunlight shone into Prince Zhongshan’s spacious great hall. The atmosphere was oppressive. Beyond the generals from earlier, because of the recent fighting, guards from outside the door had also entered, standing dense as a forest.

Chu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged. She smiled at Prince Zhongshan.

“Chu Tang is a person with self-awareness. Or to put it another way, she’s someone who doesn’t trust anyone.”

People with self-awareness were indeed like that—they only believed in themselves. Prince Zhongshan nodded: “Yes, but she must believe in power and authority.” Saying this, he looked at Chu Zhao with a smile. “Miss Chu, when you persuaded Chu Tang to do this, did you rely on sisterly affection?”

Even A’Le didn’t dare answer yes to this, and couldn’t help but look at Chu Zhao with concern.

Chu Zhao didn’t speak.

“Miss Chu.” Prince Zhongshan stood up. “What you can give, my son can also give.”

He looked down at Chu Zhao from his superior position.

“My son can give even more—more enticing, more sincere.”

“A person with self-awareness will surely be able to discern what they should truly do.”

……

……

Chu Tang was a person with self-awareness.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have lived so well in the capital with perfect ease.

“Chu Zhao could become empress because Uncle had troops,” Chu Tang said. “Whoever married her could gain the assistance of those troops. Though I also have the surname Chu, I have nothing. Your Highness has a bright future ahead, will be the Son of Heaven in the future. How could Chu Tang be worthy?”

Jiang Shi and Chu Lan listened with bitter sorrow, hating their own incompetence, unable to help their daughter.

“My second brother is no longer here,” Chu Lan stepped forward several more steps. “The border troops—I’ll go seize them and bring them under Your Highness’s command.”

Tie Ying couldn’t help laughing. He didn’t stop Chu Lan from approaching either—this was quite funny.

“What’s so funny?” Xiao Xun rebuked Tie Ying. “Though Master Chu is a scholar, he can also sit in command of the army. Having him in command doesn’t mean having him kill enemies—just him sitting there, the border army will obey orders.”

Tie Ying said “Oh”: “This subordinate was shallow in understanding.”

“Stand aside,” Xiao Xun said.

Tie Ying complied and withdrew. After withdrawing, he still couldn’t help laughing. Ning Kun, who had also withdrawn, glared at him.

Tie Ying wasn’t afraid of him at all and glared back.

The two made faces at each other in the corner while Xiao Xun had already continued speaking with Chu Tang.

“That Miss A’Tang has this concern isn’t strange,” he said. “In terms of family background, you truly aren’t worthy of me.”

Chu Tang pressed her lips slightly. Speaking the truth was also rather unpleasant to hear.

“But if I become crown prince, become Son of Heaven, I’ll be the highest person under heaven. No family background would be worthy of me.” Xiao Xun smiled. “Originally I had intentions toward Chu Zhao because I needed Chu Ling. Being related to Chu Ling could gain the late emperor’s trust and have him name me crown prince. But now I don’t need others to give me this world—I’m seizing it myself. So family background is inconsequential to me.”

Chu Tang nodded. This reasoning was indeed correct.

“But there’s one thing that’s extremely important to me,” Xiao Xun said. “My father.”

Prince Zhongshan? Chu Tang looked at Xiao Xun.

“My father mobilized all his troops for me, not caring about his own safety. But I care. Hearing that Chu Zhao went to besiege my father, I was filled with hatred, but I can’t return to defend him, can’t let Father’s efforts be in vain.”

“Miss A’Tang, if you help me capture Chu Zhao and resolve my father’s danger, your kindness—I, Xiao Xun, will remember for a lifetime.”

Having finished speaking, the young crown prince even bowed to Chu Tang.

Chu Tang quickly stepped forward, curtsying: “This commoner woman doesn’t dare.”

Chu Lan and Jiang Shi listened with tears welling up. What a filial person Crown Prince Xiao was—what a good person.

Jiang Shi raised her hand and hit Chu Lan, saying bitterly: “It’s all your fault. How could you have been so stupid and clumsy back then, making His Highness miss the opportunity?”

If Chu Lan hadn’t hesitated then and had acted directly, Chu Tang would now be crown prince’s consort. She herself would also be enfeoffed with a noble title, sitting high in the capital, never suffering any fright, upheaval, or wandering.

Chu Lan sighed: “It’s all my fault.”

Xiao Xun smiled: “Back then I needed Master Chu’s help. Now I need Miss A’Tang’s help. This shows that I and your family have a fate ordained by heaven—”

“Crown Prince, please say no more.” Chu Tang interrupted him, biting her lower lip. Her hands clasped before her, her chest heaving violently, as if hearing any more her emotions would surge uncontrollably. She took a deep breath. “What should I do?”

……

……

“Miss Chu, you think carefully about what to do.”

Prince Zhongshan stood up, looking at Chu Zhao.

“You use holding my son hostage to threaten me. Didn’t you think that I could also hold you hostage to threaten the court?”

Hearing this, Chu Zhao, who had been silent, burst out laughing.

“Your Highness,” she laughed. “You’re overthinking. If you hold me hostage, you can’t threaten the court. Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang aren’t my parents.”

Prince Zhongshan was momentarily stunned by this, then found it somewhat amusing.

That girl was still laughing.

“—If Your Highness uses me to coerce them, they’ll surely send Your Highness a blade to assist you.”

Prince Zhongshan laughed, nodded, looked at Chu Zhao, and felt sympathy again.

“Pitiful. To the court, Miss Chu, you truly are dispensable.”

Chu Zhao also nodded, her eyes gentle: “So I’m very envious of the Crown Prince—having a father like you who cherishes him. Your Highness, for the sake of your son, please sit down and think carefully about what you should do.”

She smiled slightly.

“What if, by chance, the Crown Prince’s luck isn’t good this time, and my cousin gets confused and can’t discern what’s truly the right thing to do?”

……

……

“But I can’t ride horses or practice martial arts,” Chu Tang said. “What heroes know, I don’t know.”

Xiao Xun laughed heartily.

“Miss A’Tang, doing things doesn’t necessarily require being like a hero. As long as the result makes you a hero, that’s good enough.” He said, reaching out to produce a paper packet, shaking it. “Actually, what you need to do is very simple. This is a packet of medicine. After taking it, one loses consciousness—”

Poison—Chu Tang obviously breathed a sigh of relief. This was very simple for a weak woman. She stepped forward again, standing beside Xiao Xun, leaning in to look, curiously asking: “I just need to feed this to her, right—”

Xiao Xun nodded: “This medicine is odorless and tasteless. Just a tiny bit—”

His voice suddenly stopped, as if his throat had been seized.

Chu Tang standing beside him held a gleaming cold dagger pressed against his throat—

“Nobody move!”

The girl’s trembling, shrill voice.

“Or I’ll kill him!”

“My blade is poisoned!”

Almost simultaneously, Tie Ying, who had withdrawn, flew over. Hearing this last sentence, his movement halted. In that instant, among the servants who’d entered with the Chu Lan family, the young boy and old woman moved like ghosts, entangling Tie Ying. With a smack, the three fell to the ground twisted together like rope.

Ning Kun and the generals were also simultaneously struck down from left and right by the old manservant.

Chu Lan and Jiang Shi stood rooted in place, tears of excitement still in their eyes—

What just happened?

Outside the door, the clan families waiting in the courtyard stared wide-eyed. Just now it was only a blink—when they opened their eyes again, they saw the soldiers in the courtyard suddenly entangled by those servants from the capital.

Men, women, old and young—different ages and genders, but identical movements. They seized the soldiers’ weapons and with a swoosh, slit the soldiers’ throats.

Blood sprayed in the sunlight, splattering on the clan families’ faces and bodies like fire burning their skin. The clan families screamed in terror.

“Ahhh—”