Chapter 306 - 90: Severance

Chapter 306: Chapter 90: Severance

The members of the Aristocratic Families trembled, crouching beneath the rockery in the courtyard.

The screams and sounds of fighting had ceased. No one even spoke. All that could be heard were the heavy footsteps of Soldiers flooding in from outside the courtyard.

This government office was once spacious, but looking up now, one saw people everywhere. They surrounded the main hall, layer by layer, their shields, armor, crossbows, and longswords glinting in the light.

"Sir," a noble son pleaded again, unable to hold back. "So we don’t get in the way, please let us leave first."

Hearing the plea, a General glanced over, his eyes fierce.

"Sir, this has nothing to do with us," an elder hastily explained. "We don’t know anything. The Princely Heir said he wanted to see us, but before we could, these people just—"

’We really aren’t their accomplices!’

"Shut up," the General snapped. "No one is leaving this place." He sneered. "Don’t worry, we won’t let you get in the way."

The members of the Aristocratic Families naturally understood the threat in his words. Their faces went pale, and a chill spread through their hearts. It was too late. Once the fighting started, they would be the first to die.

’If we’d known that surrendering to Xiao Xun meant death, we would have been better off staying home and hiding.’

"Listen up, you people inside!" The General took a step forward, gripping his sword as he bellowed, "Stop what you’re doing now, and you might have a chance to live."

The hall was deathly silent, but shadows could be seen at the doors and windows. The villains in the courtyard had killed the Soldiers, seized their weapons, and vaulted into the hall, sealing the entrances. They had shouted that if anyone dared approach, they would start carving pieces of flesh off Xiao Xun, bit by bit. If the soldiers didn’t want their Princely Heir to suffer death by a thousand cuts, they had better back off.

A Soldier hurried forward and whispered a few words to the General.

The General’s expression turned to one of surprise, then shifted to a cold smile. "So, it’s Empress Chu’s family. No wonder they’re so bold—Chu Lan!" He raised his voice, and the doors and windows rattled from the force of his shout. "Surrender at once!"

...

...

Chu Lan sat on the floor. The shout was like a clap of thunder, jolting him so hard he nearly leaped to his feet. He wanted to cry but had no tears.

’Heavens, why are they calling my name!’

’I haven’t done anything!’

’Even if I wanted to surrender, I can’t!’

"Father, don’t be afraid," a female voice said from behind him. "They won’t dare to come in. They can’t hurt us."

’Don’t be afraid?’ Chu Lan slowly turned his head to look at the girl sitting at the desk behind him. He barely recognized her. ’Is this my daughter, Chu Tang?’

’Ah Tang, what is she doing?’

And these people... Chu Lan glanced at the servants in the hall. He never paid attention to household matters; his daughter managed everything. But even a fool like him knew that their family didn’t have servants this formidable.

’A ten-year-old child who can kill?’

The child was sitting on a corpse.

The corpse belonged to the General who had led them inside. He had been knocked down and was feigning unconsciousness, waiting for a chance to strike. But the moment his hand moved, the child flicked his wrist, and a throwing knife slit his throat. He no longer had to pretend to be unconscious. He would never move again.

Then the child retrieved his throwing knife and sat back down on the body to wipe it clean.

’Is he even human!’

’What in the world is going on? Weren’t we supposed to be defecting to Xiao Xun? Ah Tang had explained it all so clearly, she had even painted a picture of the good life we would all lead.’

"By going to him, we’ll be seen as returning to the correct path. Our future will be bright."

’So how, after we arrived, did my daughter just go and sever that future completely?’

Chu Lan didn’t dare shift his gaze any further. If he did, he would see the Heir of Zhongshan King—the man who had marched on the Capital City and was about to become the Crown Prince—trussed up in a chair with a dirty rag stuffed in his mouth.

His daughter, Chu Tang, had done it.

’He wanted to ask but didn’t dare. What was done was done, so what was the use in asking now? Was he supposed to kill his own daughter to atone to the Princely Heir?’

’He had gone through so much trouble to come here, all to secure a good future for his children.’

’How bitter! All his earnest intentions...’

’What in the world is happening?’

...

...

"Alright, it’s written." Chu Tang set down her brush, let out a breath, and walked over with a slip of paper. She pulled the rag from Xiao Xun’s mouth. "Princely Heir, where is your personal seal?"

Xiao Xun looked at her, neither surprised nor panicked, nor even angry. He said gently, "In the Ruyi Fragrance Pouch on my belt."

Chu Tang reached out, tore the Ruyi Fragrance Pouch from Xiao Xun’s belt, and tipped out a small seal. She didn’t forget to smile at him. "Your seal is quite beautiful, Princely Heir."

Xiao Xun smiled and nodded, accepting her compliment.

"Miss Ah Tang, I underestimated you," he said. "I thought you had arranged for your parents to defect to me. I never imagined you were coming to kidnap me. You even deceived your own parents and used them. I’m truly impressed."

Hearing this, the bound Ning Kun struck his head against the ground in frustration. He hadn’t received the same treatment as Xiao Xun, who was tied to a chair; instead, he was trussed up and thrown on the floor. Tie Ying was even worse off—not only was he tied securely, but he had been drugged with some unknown substance and had yet to awaken. They had let their guard down entirely because they saw how naive and sincere Chu Lan and his wife were.

’If Chu Lan and his wife had shown even the slightest hint of strangeness, I never would have let them in.’

Chu Tang simply said, "My parents are honest people, and timid. I was afraid of frightening them."

A half-smile played on Xiao Xun’s lips as he watched Chu Tang press the seal onto the slip of paper.

"What did Chu Zhao promise you?" he asked.

At this point, what was there for Xiao Xun not to understand?

Chu Lan’s family—or rather, Chu Tang, leading her parents—hadn’t come to him out of desperation. They had come to capture him.

’What would you call this?’

’Walking into the tiger’s den?’

’Whose scheme was this? Deng Yi’s? Xie Yanfang’s? First, the court spread rumors that Chu Lan was colluding with the King of Zhongshan. Then, Chu Lan fled here, with Grandmaster Zhou fanning the flames. If any single step had been missing, it would have been hard to convince me, and I wouldn’t have let them come. And of course, there was the most crucial person of all—’

Chu Zhao.

’If not for Chu Zhao, Chu Tang would never have been persuaded.’

’If not for Chu Zhao, even with the earlier plot by those three, Chu Tang could absolutely have been won over by me after she arrived.’

’Chu Zhao!’ Xiao Xun’s bound hands clenched behind his back. ’Is she going to ruin my plans again?’

Chu Tang said, "Oh, it’s not about promises. She and I are family. If her life is difficult, mine won’t be any better. I had no choice."

’Because they’re family? Is Chu Tang really that kind of person?’ Xiao Xun didn’t question or refute her. He only said, "It seems I am less worthy of Miss Ah Tang’s trust than Chu Zhao is."

He looked at Chu Tang.

"The position of Empress was no empty promise to trick you, Miss Chu Tang. I can conquer this entire realm, so why would I need to rely on an Empress Clan to support my rule? In fact, someone like you, Miss Ah Tang, with your modest family background, is more suitable to be my Empress. With you as Empress, I wouldn’t be subject to the pressures and threats from other powerful families. In this way, we would both get what we want... Miss Ah Tang."

He smiled at Chu Tang, his dimples deepening.

"Is it that you don’t believe you can be a good Empress? What do you lack, compared to her? A good father?"

Sitting on the floor, Chu Lan began to weep.

Chu Tang chided, "Princely Heir, my father is a good father too."

Xiao Xun said, "Yes. All fathers who dote on their children are good fathers. It shouldn’t be judged by power and influence."

He looked at Chu Tang.

"Compared to Chu Zhao, all you lack is military power. I’ve said it before: I can let your father command the Border Army, keeping it in your hands. If you are still not at ease, Miss Chu Tang, I can give you half of the Tiger Talisman. With military authority in your grasp, then surely Miss Ah Tang can be a great Empress, right?"

The Tiger Talisman. That was real military authority. Chu Tang clutched the slip of paper, her eyes flickering.

"Ah, Miss Ah Tang," Xiao Xun sighed softly. "What I need is an Empress. This has nothing to do with love or romance. I need a partner, an assistant, a—"

Before he could finish, Chu Tang suddenly raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

SLAP. The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the room.

Xiao Xun froze, his words cut short. He stared at the girl before him in disbelief.

’In all his life, not even his father had ever laid a hand on him.’

’She... slapped... his face?’

’While he was speaking to her with a gentle smile and a warm tone, she slapped his face?’

’His face!’

The girl’s strength wasn’t great, and the slap didn’t particularly hurt. But it was his face!

A slap to the face was never meant to inflict pain. It was meant to humiliate.

’This is humiliation—’

"You!" Xiao Xun’s dimples vanished, his eyes darkening.

He didn’t get to finish. Chu Tang stepped forward, raised her hand, and this time, instead of slapping him, she shoved the rag back into his mouth.

Xiao Xun’s voice was muffled, and he could only glare at her, his eyes blazing with fire.

Only then did Chu Tang pat her chest and say to Xiao Xun, "Don’t be angry, Princely Heir. I had no choice."

"Sister Ah Tang, what are you dawdling and muttering for?" Little Rabbit asked, unable to hold back any longer.

He had been crouching on the General’s corpse the whole time, tossing a small knife in his hand and watching Chu Tang.

"If you wanted to hit him, you should have called me. I would’ve hit him hard enough."

Chu Tang looked at him and said, "I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I wasn’t even trying to hit him."

’What does that mean? I understand even less now.’

Chu Tang let out a long sigh. "By hitting him, I’ve cut off my own path forward."

’Heir Xiao’s words were too tempting. If I had listened any longer, I really wouldn’t have been able to stop myself from defecting to his side.’

’She knew these powerful nobles best. They appeared generous, but in reality, they were incredibly petty.’

’With that slap, even if Heir Xiao were to make her Empress, the memory of it would be seared into his heart. He could take her life at any moment.’

’Slapping Xiao Xun was her way of killing any lingering hope in her own heart, of telling herself to stop dreaming of becoming his Empress.’

She closed her eyes and held out her hand.

"Quick, get this to Chu Zhao. Any later, and I’ll regret it."