Ashes to Crown

Chapter 191: Chapter 21: Lingering Concern

Zhang Gu stood in the room, looking at the gentle expression on the face of the man opposite him. His tense heart relaxed for a moment.

’So this is General Wei, Chu Ling.’

He was in his forties, with a powerful build. Dressed in the attire of a military general, he carried an air of refined elegance that belied his martial appearance.

Zhong Changrong strode over and glared fiercely at Zhang Gu.

The tension returned to Zhang Gu’s heart in an instant. He lowered his gaze, not daring to meet their eyes.

”What did he send you here for?” Zhong Changrong demanded. ”Why you? So sneaky!”

Chu Ling smiled. ”Perhaps he has new information.”

”Impossible,” Zhong Changrong said, annoyed. ”I just got here, and he shows up right after. He must have left right around the time I did.”

He gritted his teeth.

”That little rascal... Ah Zhao told him to guard the city. What is he trying to pull behind her back now?”

’Did I let that kid get the wrong idea? Is he taking a mile after I gave him an inch? Is he reading too much into things? Is there something he can’t tell me? He has to go tell the General instead?’

Zhang Gu either didn’t understand or chose not to listen. He quickly produced a sealed letter. ”This is a letter for you from Ah Fu, Miss Chu, the Empress.”

In his panic, he had blurted out all three names.

Neither Zhong Changrong nor Chu Ling paid any mind to the names. Zhong Changrong’s eyes were fixed on the letter, and he snatched it away.

”Impossible,” he said in surprise. ”If Ah Zhao wanted to write a letter, why wouldn’t she just have me bring it back?”

’This has to be fake!’

’Poisoned?’

Seeing Zhong Changrong holding the letter with such suspicion, Chu Ling laughed. ”That’s Ah Zhao’s handwriting. Don’t worry. It’s possible you had just left when she remembered something she’d forgotten to tell you, so she sent a letter.”

He held out his hand.

”Give it to me. Since Ah Jiu sent it, it’s surely fine.”

’Who says it’s fine just because it’s from Ah Jiu? He’s one of the Xie family!’ Zhong Changrong was about to retort—

”Since Ah Zhao trusted him to take over your duties, she must trust him implicitly,” Chu Ling said. ”And I trust Ah Zhao.”

That was true. He trusted Ah Zhao, too. Zhong Changrong passed the letter over. It was just that Ah Jiu... there was something strange about that kid, no matter how you looked at him.

Chu Ling took the letter and dismissed Zhong Changrong and Zhang Gu for the time being—one to his duties, the other to rest and wait. Only after they had both left did Chu Ling open the letter.

”Father, I once had a long, long dream. In my dream, all my loved ones and I died tragically—”

....

....

The turmoil in the Capital City and the unrest in Yunzhong County had no effect on the old village deep in the mountains. The forest night, however, had grown even quieter than before.

As a torch lit up the mountain woods, the trees seemed to tremble for a moment. It was as if a great net had been cast, swooping down toward the light.

Branches and leaves were severed wherever the cold light flashed. One could only imagine that if it landed on a person, they would be torn to shreds.

Standing amidst the trees, Zhong Changrong showed not a shred of fear, his scarred face grim.

”Enough with these tricks,” he barked. ”Tell Mu Mianhong to get out here.”

The net stopped just above his head. High up on a large tree in the dense woods, a torch flared to life, illuminating the person standing there.

It was a man with a thick beard and a woodcutter’s axe slung across his back. His eyes were fierce. ”Zhong Changrong, what are you doing here? We haven’t broken our promise. We haven’t set foot in your Luocheng.”

Zhong Changrong sneered. ”But you set foot in the Capital City.”

The man with the axe stiffened but refused to show weakness. ”So what if we did? We can go anywhere under heaven except your Luocheng. If General Wei has the nerve, let him slay every last bandit in the realm!”

Zhong Changrong retorted, ”And what makes you think we can’t?”

The atmosphere in the dark night grew tense, ready to erupt at any moment.

A few bird calls echoed through the woods. The man with the axe looked displeased, but with a wave of his hand, the great net above Zhong Changrong dissipated. He himself vanished back into the trees.

A moment later, a figure emerged gracefully from the woods, her white dress like a cloud drifting down through the dark night.

”Mr. Zhong,” a woman’s voice said, soft as a falling leaf. ”I was the one who sent Xiao Man. I know this displeases you, but please understand. A mother always worries when her child travels far from home.”

In the spreading darkness, her face was indistinct, but one could still make out her refined and beautiful features.

Zhong Changrong sneered. ”You think you’re worthy of that word—”

The woman lowered her head.

Followers stood behind her, seething with anger and ready to rush forward, but they held back.

Zhong Changrong said nothing more. He wrenched his gaze away, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of the woman for another second. He took out a letter and threw it forcefully.

”A letter for you. From your people,” he said.

He was strong, but the thin letter was light. It fluttered through the air and began to fall after only a short distance. The woman’s figure blurred. A long whip shot out like a striking snake, coiling around the letter just before it hit the ground and snapping it back into her hand.

”One more thing,” Zhong Changrong said. ”The General has a message for you.”

He relayed Chu Ling’s words. Without another word, he turned and strode quickly away.

The forest fell silent again. The woman stood frozen until people emerged from all around her.

”Village Chief,” they called softly, their faces filled with concern.

The woman snapped out of her daze and waved a hand dismissively. ”Everyone, return to your posts.” With that, she vanished into the woods in a few quick strides.

The wooden house on the cliff was aglow with light. This time, the woman was not sitting alone. A dozen people—old and young, men and women—were crowded inside. They gathered around, tense and excited, watching as she unfolded the letter.

”What does Xiao Man say?”

”Did Chu Zhao really become the Empress?”

”Did Chu Zhao really save the Imperial Grandson?”

”Did Xiao Man and the others make it into the Imperial Palace?”

Everyone chattered, asking questions all at once.

Of course, they knew about the turmoil in the Capital City—and had learned of it no later than the government. But Xiao Man hadn’t sent anyone back, so they couldn’t confirm the details or get more information.

They never expected that Zhong Changrong of all people would deliver a letter from Xiao Man.

”Xiao Man says the situation is still unstable, and that it was incredibly dangerous—” the woman read the letter’s contents aloud in a soft voice. When she reached the most recent news, she looked up and said with certainty, ”Chu Zhao... is now the Empress.”

The lamplight revealed the woman’s face. She was fair-skinned and beautiful. Though middle-aged, her eyes were still clear, just tinged with an underlying melancholy.

A wave of astonishment swept through the room. ”She really is the Empress.” ”That’s incredible!” ”The Empress... the most powerful noblewoman in the realm.”

”Becoming Empress was a dangerous affair.” The woman lowered her head, reading the description in the letter again. ”If they had arrived a moment later, Chu Zhao would be dead right now.”

Xiao Man hadn’t written much, and it seemed to have been penned in a hurry. The listeners were left wanting more, and they crowded around the woman, chattering and asking all sorts of questions.

An old woman stepped forward and motioned for everyone to disperse. ”Our people are in the Capital City now. Everyone must pay closer attention to any news from that direction.”

The others agreed and scattered. The old woman stayed behind and looked at the woman, asking softly, ”Ah Mian, should we send more people to the Capital City? Chu Zhao must need help now, right?”

Mu Mianhong shook her head. ”No. In fact, I’m going to write to Xiao Man and tell them to come back once things in the Capital City have stabilized.”

The old woman looked shocked. ”But... why?”

Mu Mianhong was silent for a moment before saying, ”Having General Chu there is enough. We shouldn’t get too close, lest she discover something.”

The old woman understood. She looked both sad and annoyed. ”Discover what? That she still has a mother? Isn’t that—”

”That’s not a good thing,” Mu Mianhong cut her off, her delicate features turning sharp.

The old woman lowered her head, took a step back, and replied respectfully, ”Yes.”

”It’s not a good thing.” Mu Mianhong’s gaze drifted past the old woman toward the doorway, as if speaking to herself. ”She’s going to be the Empress. How can she have a mother with a disgraceful status like mine? Besides... what I did to her was worse than what an animal would do. How could I possibly deserve to be called her mother? General Chu was right. It’s better for Ah Zhao’s happiness to have a mother who is dead.”

The old woman’s voice choked with emotion. ”Ah Mian, it wasn’t your fault. You did it all for our village. You... you had no other choice—”

Mu Mianhong offered her a faint smile. ”My having no choice has nothing to do with her. The tragedy is that she has a mother like me, a fate she couldn’t choose.”

With that, she turned to the letter on the desk and reached out, gently stroking the paper.

’Even without a mother, she still grew up to be brave and resourceful, exceptionally intelligent, and famous throughout the Capital City. In a single leap, she became the most honored woman in the realm.’

’She’s doing so well. Why should I cause her more trouble?’

The old woman watched her, but in the end, said nothing more. With a soft sigh, she withdrew, leaving the woman alone in the wooden house, sitting under the lamp and reading the letter again and again.

....

....

Night had swallowed the land. When the morning light finally broke over the horizon, the King of Zhongshan awoke from a deep sleep with a loud sneeze.

He opened his eyes to see a young man half-kneeling by his bed. The young man was holding a blade of foxtail grass, tickling the King of Zhongshan’s face with it.

”You little brat,” the King of Zhongshan chided with a laugh, reaching out to cup the young man’s face. ”Is this how you show filial piety to your royal father the moment you return?”

Xiao Xun pressed his father’s hands against his own cheeks and looked up with a grin. ”Father, I haven’t slept in days, yet here you are, sleeping so soundly. I had no choice but to wake you up like this.”