Ashes to Crown

Chapter 111: Chapter 69: Narrow Road

’What a small world. Why did it have to be her again?’

Xie Yanlai glanced at his surroundings. He was at Yaqug Pavilion again.

The girl was standing by a window on the third floor, a crowd of other girls squeezed in around her. Her stature and presence were clearly different from the last time they’d met.

Last time, he’d heard from a waiter that she had struck her own brother in public. The entire restaurant had looked on her with contempt, and the other girls had all cursed her. She was clearly not well-liked.

Now, she was the center of attention. The girls beside her leaned on her shoulders or held her arm. Even those further away kept glancing in her direction as they spoke, clearly eager to hear her opinion.

’Impressive. She made a name for herself in a single stroke, and now everyone’s flocking to congratulate her.’

He watched the utter shock on her face and felt a sudden urge to laugh.

’Shocked, aren’t you?’

’Never imagined that posthouse soldier, Ah Jiu, was this kind of person, did you?’

’A debauched son of the Xie family. A murderer and an arsonist. A monster who commits heinous crimes, worse than any beast.’

’Good. Meeting under these circumstances is perfect. It saves me a lot of hassle. I won’t have to worry about her pouncing on me to cause trouble.’

He tilted his head back, his phoenix eyes flickered upward, and a faint smile touched his lips.

”He still dares to be defiant.”

His gaze upwards jolted the onlookers. The crowd stirred again with anger, disdain, and mockery.

More people hurled their teacups down into the street.

”Scum of the Xie family,” they cursed.

...

...

One of the girls was clutching Chu Zhao’s arm, seeking her agreement. ”Even though that man is Third Young Master Xie’s brother and looks a little like him, he’s nothing compared to Third Young Master Xie.”

The girls around them nodded in agreement, averting their eyes after a single, fleeting glance. His features weren’t ugly, but his bare, bloodied torso was too horrifying. Who would want to stare? They were thoroughly repulsed.

Qi Leyun was even more incensed. ”Just having that face is an insult to Third Young Master Xie,” she said.

Chu Zhao said nothing, her mind still reeling from the shock.

Perhaps it was his appearance. The Ah Jiu before her now was completely different from the posthouse soldier she had gotten to know on their journey—though in truth, she didn’t know him well at all. Back then, Ah Jiu had always used a hat and scarf to hide his face.

But she had recognized him at a single glance.

Or perhaps it was his identity. She had speculated that he might be connected to the Zhao Family or the Yang Family, or perhaps an agent of the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, or even the Emperor himself. She never imagined he would be from the Xie family—and not just any member, but the younger brother of Third Young Master Xie.

’The Xie family had dealings with Father in the past. Is that why they came to hate him so much?’

She gazed at the young man in the street. ’Can I still ask him to deliver Father’s letter?’

She had known during their journey that he was wild and defiant, but she never thought he could be responsible for so many deaths.

He...

”Qi Leyun, what’s the story?” she asked, turning her head. ”What crime did he commit?”

Qi Leyun faltered, her displeasure growing. ”Chu Zhao, are you so mesmerized by his handsome face that your head is all fuzzy? Haven’t we already been over this?”

”I wasn’t listening,” Chu Zhao said without a hint of shame, urging her on. ”Quick, tell me again.”

As Qi Leyun recounted the tale, the other girls chimed in, talking over one another. When they finished, they saw Chu Zhao staring blankly. ”It was because this Xie Yanlai humiliated Miss Liang.” ”He refused the marriage, refused it!” ”Then his family punished him and made him leave the Capital City.” ”I think his family originally meant well, letting him go hide for a while.” ”But what happened? He was escorting family cargo through Han County and wasn’t paying attention. He got drunk and passed out while partying at night, and the bonfire set the cargo on fire. The entire village burned down, and the casualties were horrific.”

As Qi Leyun spoke, the other girls chimed in, chattering nonstop. When they finally finished, they found Chu Zhao staring blankly into the distance.

”What is it?” Qi Leyun demanded, her eyes wide. ”Did you not understand, or is your head in the clouds again?”

Chu Zhao’s grip on the railing tightened. ’Ah Jiu was escorting a shipment. How could he possibly get so drunk that he’d let a fire start, burning the cargo and an entire village?’

’She knew better than anyone how sharp and meticulous this Ah Jiu was. She’d nearly lost her own life at his hands.’

A sharp CRACK echoed up from the street.

Chu Zhao looked down and saw a long leather whip strike the young man’s bare back. Blood flew, glistening in the sunlight. For some reason, her mind flashed to the scar on his palm.

’That must have been from a whip, too.’

”Mr. Xie, Xie Yanlai! Your conduct is improper, your character is lacking, and you have cost people their lives!”

”Serves him right!”

”Serves him right!”

The shouts swelled into a roaring tide in the street.

A random thought popped into Chu Zhao’s head. ’If his mother saw her child like this, what would she be feeling?’

’Does he even have a mother?’

’She seemed to recall the girls mentioning something about Xie Yanlai being the son of a concubine... or was it something else?’

She also suddenly remembered something Ah Jiu had once said: ”You’ve never seen what it’s like when a mother is dying and has no one to entrust her son to.”

Chu Zhao slammed her hand on the railing, spun around, and ran for the stairs.

The chatting girls all jumped in surprise.

”Chu Zhao?” ”Ah Zhao?” ”Where are you going?”

’Why did she suddenly run off?’

’Was she scared by the public flogging?’

”She’s not that timid. She’s hit people herself,” Qi Leyun said. ”She probably just wants to go downstairs to get a better look.”

Really? The girls rushed to the window, crowding together to look down.

Chu Tang was among them, her hand gripping the railing tightly. Her intuition screamed that whenever Chu Zhao made a move, it was bound to be for no good reason.

...

...

The young man had thorn branches bound to his back and was being whipped, yet he neither stumbled forward nor faltered. With his hands tied behind him, he looked as if he were merely clasping them leisurely. He strode forward with his head held high and his chest out.

Only the impact of the whip striking his body made him pause for a fraction of a second; otherwise, his steps remained firm and steady.

Step by step, he soon passed by, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

The new recruit watched, his heart pounding with fear. He was stunned by the sheer audacity of the Imperial Uncles and their disregard for human life, shocked by the harsh punishments meted out by the Aristocratic Families, and utterly floored by the ferocity of this young scion of a powerful family.

’This really is a sight you’d never see in a lifetime back in the countryside.’

”Mr. Zhang,” he said, but when he looked beside him, Mr. Zhang, who had been clutching his arm just moments ago, was gone.

Zhang Gu had already started following after the Young Master Xie who was walking away.

”Mr. Zhang!” The new recruit rushed to catch up, grabbing Zhang Gu’s arm this time. ”What are you doing?”

’We’ve seen enough of the spectacle. It’s time to go.’

”Mr. Zhang, in all your time in the Capital City, have you ever seen someone so vicious?” the new recruit asked, still craning his neck to watch, fascinated by the rare spectacle.

Zhang Gu didn’t look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the young man being whipped as he carried the thorn branches.

’A vicious person.’

’Anyone who could do something so heinous would have to be vicious.’

’But Ah Jiu...’

’If the Ah Jiu he knew were truly that vicious, wouldn’t he have burned them all to death for how they used to bully him?’

’He couldn’t shake the feeling... could there be some kind of misunderstanding?’

He wanted to go up and ask, but...

’Looking at the furious crowd and the endlessly swinging whips... he was as insignificant as a speck of dust. What could he possibly do?’

’Ah Jiu, what in the world is going on?’

He clenched his fists and shook off the new recruit’s grip, determined to follow the young man.

”Ah Jiu—”

Zhang Gu flinched, instinctively clamping a hand over his mouth. ’Did I shout that out loud?’

But a moment later, he realized it had been a pleasant female voice.

A female voice?

Amidst the sea of curses, the voice rang out with surprising clarity, causing the jeering mob to falter for a second. Then, a girl pushed her way out of the crowd, rushing toward the young man with the thorn branches.

The young man seemed to have been startled as well.

Just then, the man behind him raised his whip, preparing to deliver another lash.

The girl dashed forward like a bolt of lightning and threw herself behind the young man.

”Stop!” she cried.

It all happened so suddenly. The whip was about to strike the girl’s small frame when the young man spun around, shielding her with his own body.

At the last possible second, the middle-aged man twisted aside, sending the whip cracking harmlessly through the air with a loud SNAP.

...

...

”—Are you fucking crazy?”

The young man stared at the girl before him, his phoenix eyes blazing with fury as he cursed through gritted teeth.

He didn’t say her name.

In front of this massive crowd, he couldn’t afford to be as reckless as she was. He couldn’t let anyone know that he recognized her.