Chapter 305 - 89: Giving (Part 2)

Chapter 305: Chapter 89: Giving (Part 2)

The woman of the Jiang Family tearfully embraced her. "My child, you’ve suffered so much."

Chu Lan sighed. "I am useless."

The family was a picture of misery and resentment. Ning Kun couldn’t be bothered to watch any longer and simply averted his gaze.

Xiao Xun’s gaze grew even gentler.

"Miss Ah Tang, you’ve been steeped in hardship, yet you navigate it with ease," he said. "Even if Chu Zhao continues to distrust and be wary of you, I believe you have a way to win her trust. Everyone praises Chu Zhao’s martial prowess, her ability to kill on the battlefield. But to wage war in the hearts of people... that too makes a great heroine, Chu Tang."

He looked at Chu Tang.

"Are you willing to become such a heroine, to stand above all others, admired by everyone?"

’Who wouldn’t want that?’ Chu Tang lifted her head, meeting Xiao Xun’s gaze directly for the first time.

"Will you... really marry me?" Chu Tang asked.

...

...

"I can’t speak for others, but I know my own cousin very well."

Chu Zhao fell silent for a moment before looking up to speak.

Sunlight slanted into the spacious main hall of the Prince Zhongshan Mansion, where the atmosphere was oppressive. In addition to the generals already present, the guards from outside had also entered because of the recent scuffle, standing as dense and imposing as a forest.

Chu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged as she smiled at the King of Zhongshan.

"Chu Tang is a person who knows her own limits. Or, to put it another way, she’s someone who doesn’t trust anyone."

’People who know their limits are indeed like that; they only trust themselves,’ the King of Zhongshan mused, nodding. "Yes. But she certainly believes in power." At this, he looked at Chu Zhao and chuckled. "Miss Chu, you were able to persuade Chu Tang to do this. Surely you didn’t rely on the deep bond between cousins?"

Even Ah Le didn’t dare to agree, casting a worried glance at Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao said nothing.

"Miss Chu," the King of Zhongshan said, rising to his feet. "Whatever you can offer her, my son can offer as well."

He looked down on Chu Zhao.

"In fact, my son can offer more. Something far more tempting, and more sincere."

"A person who knows her own limits will surely be able to discern the correct course of action."

...

...

Chu Tang was a person who knew her own limits.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived in the Capital City with such ease.

"Chu Zhao can become Empress because her uncle commands an army," Chu Tang said. "Whoever marries her gains the support of those troops. I may also be a Chu, but I have nothing. His Highness has a limitless future and will one day be the Emperor. How could I possibly be worthy of him?"

The woman of the Jiang Family and Chu Lan listened, their faces etched with sorrow, hating that they were too powerless to help their daughter.

"My second brother is no longer here," Chu Lan said, taking a few more steps forward. "The troops in the Border County... I will go and seize control of them for Your Highness to command."

Tie Ying couldn’t help but laugh. He made no move to stop Chu Lan’s approach. ’This is hilarious.’

"What’s so funny?" Xiao Xun snapped at Tie Ying. "Mr. Chu may be a scholar, but he can still oversee an army. We need him to preside, not to kill the enemy himself. As long as he is there, the Border Army will have to obey."

Tie Ying gave a noncommittal "oh." "My mistake. I was being shortsighted."

"Go stand aside," Xiao Xun said.

Tie Ying did as he was told and retreated, though he still couldn’t stifle a chuckle. Ning Kun, who had moved back with him, shot him a glare.

Tie Ying, completely unafraid, glared right back.

While the two of them exchanged glares in the corner, Xiao Xun had already resumed speaking to Chu Tang.

"It’s not surprising you have such concerns, Miss Ah Tang," he said. "In terms of family background, it’s true that you are not worthy of me."

Chu Tang pressed her lips together. ’The blunt truth is rather unpleasant.’

"But once I become the Crown Prince, and then the Emperor, I will be the most powerful man in the world. No family’s background could ever be worthy of me," Xiao Xun said with a smile. "I was originally interested in Chu Zhao because I needed Chu Ling. An alliance with him would have earned the late Emperor’s trust and convinced him to name me Crown Prince. But now, I no longer need this world to be handed to me—I am taking it for myself. In that case, family background is irrelevant."

Chu Tang nodded. The logic was sound.

"But one thing is of the utmost importance to me," Xiao Xun said. "My father, the Prince."

’The King of Zhongshan?’ Chu Tang looked at Xiao Xun.

"My father mobilized all his forces for my sake, disregarding his own safety. But I care about his safety. When I heard Chu Zhao was besieging my father, my heart filled with rage. Yet I cannot turn back to defend him; I cannot let all my father’s efforts go to waste."

"Miss Ah Tang, if you help me defeat Chu Zhao and rescue my father from this peril, I, Xiao Xun, will be indebted to you for the rest of my life."

When he finished speaking, the young Princely Heir even performed a formal bow to Chu Tang.

Chu Tang hurried forward, curtsying and gesturing to stop him. "I dare not accept such a gesture."

Chu Lan and the Jiang woman were moved to tears. ’Heir Xiao is so perfectly filial! What a good man.’

The Jiang woman raised a hand and struck Chu Lan, saying resentfully, "This is all your fault! Why were you so foolish back then? You made His Highness miss a perfect opportunity."

’If Chu Lan had just acted decisively then, Chu Tang would be the Crown Princess Consort by now,’ she fumed inwardly. ’I would have been granted a title, living comfortably in the Capital City, not suffering through all this fear, turbulence, and displacement.’

Chu Lan sighed. "It’s all my fault."

Xiao Xun smiled. "Back then, I needed Mr. Chu’s assistance, and now, I need Miss Ah Tang’s. This just proves our fates are entwined—"

"Princely Heir, say no more," Chu Tang interrupted, biting her lower lip. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, her chest heaving as if she would be overcome by emotion if he continued. She took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"

...

...

"Miss Chu, you should think carefully about your next move."

The King of Zhongshan stood up, looking at Chu Zhao.

"You’re using my son as a hostage to threaten me, but has it not occurred to you that I could do the same with you and threaten the court?"

Upon hearing this, the previously silent Chu Zhao let out a laugh.

"Your Highness," she said with a smile, "you’re overthinking this. Holding me hostage won’t threaten the court. Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang are hardly my parents."

The King of Zhongshan was taken aback for a moment, then found her words rather amusing.

The girl was still smiling.

"—If you were to use me to threaten them, they would surely send you a knife to lend you a helping hand."

The King of Zhongshan laughed, nodding. He looked at Chu Zhao with a glimmer of pity.

"How pitiful. To the court, Miss Chu, you truly are expendable."

Chu Zhao nodded as well, her gaze gentle. "That’s why I so envy the Princely Heir, having a father who cherishes him as you do. Your Highness, for your son’s sake, I suggest you sit down and think very carefully about your next move."

She gave a slight smile.

"What if... the Princely Heir’s luck runs out this time? What if my dear cousin becomes confused and fails to discern the best course of action?"

...

...

"But I don’t know how to ride a horse or do martial arts," Chu Tang said. "I can’t do any of the things a hero does."

Xiao Xun let out a loud laugh.

"Miss Ah Tang, you don’t always have to act like a hero to get things done. As long as the result is heroic, that’s all that matters," he said, pulling out a small paper packet and giving it a little shake. "What you have to do is actually quite simple. This is a drug. It will render a person unconscious—"

’So it’s just a simple drugging.’ Chu Tang visibly relaxed. ’That’s easy enough for a helpless woman like me.’ She took another step, moving to Xiao Xun’s side. Peering at the packet, she asked curiously, "So I just need to give this to her, is that it—"

Xiao Xun nodded. "The drug is odorless and tasteless. You only need a tiny bit—"

His voice suddenly caught, as if a hand were squeezing his throat.

Chu Tang, who had been standing right beside him, was now pressing the cold, gleaming blade of a dagger against his throat—

"Nobody move!"

Her voice was sharp, and trembling.

"Or I’ll kill him!"

"My dagger is poisoned!"

Almost simultaneously, Tie Ying, who had retreated earlier, shot forward. But her last words made him hesitate for a fraction of a second. In that single moment, the young page and old woman who had entered among the servants of Chu Lan’s family moved like ghosts, spinning to entangle Tie Ying. With a heavy THUD, the three of them hit the ground in a tangled heap.

At the same time, Ning Kun and the other generals were knocked to the floor by two swift strikes from the old manservant.

Chu Lan and the Jiang woman stood frozen, tears of grateful emotion still welling in their eyes—

’What’s happening?’

Outside, the members of the Aristocratic Families waiting in the courtyard stared, their eyes wide. One moment, they had blinked, and the next, they saw the soldiers in the courtyard being swarmed by the servants from the Capital City.

Men and women, old and young—their ages and genders differed, but their actions were one. They snatched the soldiers’ weapons and, with a metallic SHING, slit their throats.

Blood arced through the sunlight, spattering the faces and clothes of the aristocrats. It felt like fire on their skin, and they let out terrified screams.

"AHHH—"