Ashes to Crown

Chapter 129: Chapter 85: Feeding Medicine

Xie Yanlai looked at the girl standing by his bed.

The girl’s attire wasn’t extravagant, but it was exquisite. She had a cloud of dark hair, a face as fair as jade, and large, bright eyes. A faint smile played on her lips.

’She looked a little unfamiliar.’

In truth, he could no longer remember what Chu Zhao looked like.

They were strangers, after all. They had only spent a short time together on the road, and Chu Zhao had deliberately concealed her features.

And yet, she was also very familiar.

The moment he saw the girl’s smile, an image of Ah Fu popped into his head—the girl in tattered clothes with messy hair, covered in a layer of dirt, exuding a strange cunning from the inside out.

”What’s there for me to gloat about?” he said. ”With my third brother around, who in this world can make a mockery of the Xie family?”

Chu Zhao sat down on a round stool. ”It’s not really a mockery, and besides, I don’t care.” She surveyed her surroundings. ”You have a nice place here.” Her eyes then shifted to the maids cowering by the door.

Since the maids couldn’t wait on her, they began to entertain Ah Le, serving her tea and snacks. They even invited her to sit by the window to admire a gourd carving hanging there.

”You have more maids than a pampered young miss.”

She truly didn’t seem to care, looking this way and that. Xie Yanlai frowned and said suddenly, ”Do you think it’s easy to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight? Miss Ah Fu, your nerve and your ambition are growing by the day. Do you really think Xie Yanfang can’t see your little schemes?”

Chu Zhao looked at him and asked, ”What little schemes might those be?”

Because he disliked bright light, his bedchamber was quite dim. The girl sat upright on the stool, also shrouded in the gloom, but her eyes held an inexplicable light.

’She’s laughing!’

Xie Yanlai sneered.

Laughter entered Chu Zhao’s voice. ”Xie Yanfang isn’t talking, so why don’t you?”

’She knows everything!’

’She’s willing to take the risk, so why should I meddle? Why am I meddling!?’

Xie Yanlai broke eye contact and turned to face the inner part of the bed. His voice was cold. ”I have nothing to say. It has nothing to do with me. Miss Chu is omnipotent, a dazzling prodigy, completely invincible.”

The girl’s voice didn’t sound again. Instead, the rustle of footsteps drew near, and Xie Yanlai whipped his head around.

”What are you doing!” he barked.

The girl’s hand had already grabbed the blanket, about to flip it up.

”To check your wounds,” Chu Zhao said. ”Did you use the medicine I gave you? I’ve mixed a new batch this time. I need to see how your injuries are doing and whether we need to switch medicines.”

Xie Yanlai found this rather amusing. He held the blanket down, looking at her.

”Chu Zhao,” he said, lowering his voice. ”Just focus on pleasing Xie Yanfang. You don’t need to come here and play the good Samaritan for me.”

”Of course I do,” Chu Zhao said, also looking at him and lowering her voice. ”You need to get better quickly and help me deliver a letter to my father.”

Xie Yanlai had imagined her saying all sorts of things, but he never expected her to come out with that.

The young man’s phoenix eyes widened.

Surprise, confusion, exasperation, and amusement.

”Chu Zhao!” he snarled, biting back a curse. ”What are you talking about?”

Chu Zhao gestured for him to be quiet. ”I’m not asking you to help for free. I’m treating your injuries, aren’t I?”

Xie Yanlai let out an exasperated laugh. ”And I suppose I would have died without you treating my injuries?”

’That’s true, I guess,’ Chu Zhao murmured. ”I’m helping you recover faster so you suffer less. Of course, this is still you helping me... but if it weren’t for you, how would I have been caught and brought back here?”

Xie Yanlai almost leaped out of bed, only stopping when a sharp pain flared from his wounds as he tried to push himself up.

”Chu Zhao, are you... are you out of your mind?” he said. ’Then again, I must be out of my mind, too, arguing about who’s helping whom.’ He suppressed his anger, his expression growing calm as he spoke, enunciating each word. ”You and Xie Yanfang are already so close you tell each other everything. Why would you need me to deliver a letter to your father? Are you messing with me?”

”Why would I mess with you? I’m serious.” Chu Zhao’s expression also grew calm as she looked at the young man. ”Xie Yanfang is different from you.”

’Not... different?’ Xie Yanlai was silent for a moment, looking at her.

”He’s not cut out for a menial task like delivering a letter,” Chu Zhao said.

Xie Yanlai took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and in the next instant, threw off the blanket and leaped from the bed—

The young man’s torso was bare, wrapped in layers of bandages, a savage and terrifying sight.

He looked as if he wanted to grab her and tear her to pieces.

Chu Zhao quickly backed away and said loudly, ”Xie Yanlai, I am a guest of honor to Third Young Master Xie! You’d better be more polite to me!”

The maids by the door were startled by the commotion.

Ah Le shot up from her stool and rushed over, not even taking the time to put down the cricket cage made from a gourd in her hand.

Xie Yanlai’s maids also surged forward, positioning themselves between the two of them.

”What’s going on?” ”Why are you fighting all of a sudden?” ”Young Master, you can’t move with your injuries!” ”Miss Chu is a guest.” ”Miss Chu, please don’t be angry. Our young master is just a bit quick-tempered.”

The room filled with the melodious chatter of the women trying to placate them.

Standing behind Ah Le, Chu Zhao hid the smile on her lips and took a small pouch that was hanging from Ah Le’s waist.

”These are medicinal pills for his injuries. Same as before, take one at a time,” she said, reaching out to press them into the hand of the nearest maid.

The maid took them happily and curtsied. ”Many thanks, Miss Chu.”

Xie Yanlai barked, ”Who told you to accept that?”

The maid lowered her head and shrank away, but she didn’t drop the medicine in her hand.

Chu Zhao looked at Xie Yanlai. ”I was serious. Only you can help me with this.”

Xie Yanlai stood by the bed, his expression cold.

The maids standing between them did not back away this time, nor did they interrupt their conversation. They all fell silent.

”Someone else could do it for me,” Chu Zhao said. ”But this is different. This is just a matter between my father and me.”

With that, she said no more, gave a curtsy, and turned to leave. Though reluctant, Ah Le followed her lady’s example with a curtsy of her own before hurrying after her.

The mistress and maid quickly disappeared into the dimness of the room.

The room fell silent.

”Now that she’s gone, am I still invisible to you all?” Xie Yanlai said.

The young man stood by the bed, his body trembling slightly. He clearly couldn’t hold himself up any longer.

The maids rushed forward, calling out ”Young Master,” and helped him lie facedown on the bed. One poured water, another brought tea, another adjusted his bandages, and yet another tried to put a pill in his mouth—

”TCH—” Xie Yanlai caught the pill between his teeth, holding it at the side of his tongue.

A maid coaxed him, ”It’s the medicine from Miss Chu. We just ran out, and she brought more. Young Master, open your mouth, ah—”

Biting down on the pill, Xie Yanlai sneered. ”Aren’t you afraid she’ll poison me? Don’t you know she’s in trouble, that she’s been framed? There are rumors everywhere that we’re having an illicit affair. If she poisoned me, all her problems would be solved in one fell swoop—”

”Young Master,” a maid said with a smile, ”but Third Young Master is here. Miss Chu said it herself, she is Third Young Master’s guest of honor. How could she possibly harm you?”

Xie Yanlai’s phoenix eyes darkened as he looked at the maid. ”So you have to consider the master before you beat the dog, is that it?”

The maid’s expression turned sorrowful. ”Young Master, this servant didn’t mean—”

Xie Yanlai turned his head toward the inside of the bed, his voice flat. ”All of you, leave.”

Young Master Yanlai was very good to them, even indulgent, but that was only because he didn’t deign to argue with them. If one of them truly angered him, he would simply stop using that person’s services forever.

In this household, the comfortable lives they led in Young Master Yanlai’s service were because they couldn’t afford to be without him, not the other way around.

Young Master Yanlai was perfectly content on his own.

The maids wiped the smiles from their faces and retreated in silence, holding their breath.

But one of the younger maids couldn’t resist whispering, ”Young Master, Miss Chu is a good person. She’s truly worried about you.”

The other maids quickly pulled her out.

Facing inward, a sneer touched the corner of Xie Yanlai’s mouth.

’A good person? Oh, Miss Chu is good, all right. Frighteningly good.’

’She knows full well that Xie Yanfang can see through her schemes, yet she still dares to leverage his power.’

’She leverages Xie Yanfang’s power, yet she’s still wary of him and won’t let him get near her father.’

’Of course Xie Yanfang could deliver the letter. But if he were the one to do it, it would no longer be a matter between the father and daughter, Chu Zhao and Chu Ling. It would become a matter between Xie Yanfang and Chu Ling.’

’And that’s why she came to me.’

’What a woman, this Miss Chu. Not only does she perceive the rift between us brothers, she dares to exploit it.’

’Where does she get the confidence that I’ll do her bidding?’

’A few medicinal pills?’

Xie Yanlai rolled the pill onto his tongue. Compared to last time, this pill was perfectly round and just the right size to be swallowed in one gulp.

He didn’t swallow it whole. Instead, he bit down hard, and a bitter taste filled his mouth.