Chapter 307 - 91: Undecided

Chapter 307: Chapter 91: Undecided

"Give up!"

Lying on the floor, Ning Kun somehow struggled enough to spit out the rag gagging him. Seeing Chu Tang hand the note and Xiao Xun’s seal to Little Rabbit, he let out a cold sneer.

"You’ve taken the Princely Heir hostage, but you won’t escape even if you sprouted wings. You can’t even get out of this room—"

Before he could finish, Little Rabbit had already run to the side of an old woman—one of the people who had just subdued Tie Ying.

"Rat Lady," Little Rabbit said, "send it out."

The old woman chuckled and agreed. She took a rat from her robes, wrapped the note and seal to its body with a cloth, and tossed it to the floor. "Go on, my precious. Off you go."

With a SCRITCH, the rat vanished from the hall, scurrying along the base of the wall to who knows where.

Ning Kun’s voice died in his throat. These were a bunch of petty thieves and tricksters; of course they’d have strange ways of sending messages.

"But!" he shouted again, his voice sharp. "What you’re doing is pointless! Even if you get the message out, you can’t leave, and no one can fight their way in. If you stop now—"

Before he could finish, Chu Tang strode over, bent down, and slapped him.

Before Ning Kun could even process it, he was slapped twice more in quick succession.

"Well, now I’ve thoroughly offended the Princely Heir’s man," Chu Tang said, shaking her hand and frowning. "There’s no turning back now."

With that, she flicked her hand dismissively.

"Little Rabbit, gag him. Tightly."

Little Rabbit bounced over, brought her foot down on Ning Kun’s neck, and ground her heel into it. Ning Kun’s eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

"That’ll keep him quiet," Little Rabbit said with a giggle.

Chu Tang heaved a long sigh and glanced around. A dozen or so people were encircling them in the hall, but it didn’t give her any sense of security whatsoever.

’Just as Ning Kun said, we won’t escape even if we sprouted wings,’ she thought. ’We’ve captured the Princely Heir, but do we actually dare to kill him?’

’If we don’t kill the Princely Heir, we’ll be killed.’

’If we kill the Princely Heir, we’ll be killed too.’

’No matter how I look at it, this is a dead end.’

’Chu Zhao told me to stop Xiao Xun and then wait. In my panic, I forgot to ask—wait until when? A day? Two? Three? Or a year or two?’

Chu Tang raised a hand and thumped her own head. "Chu Zhao, oh, Chu Zhao, why was I foolish enough to listen to you?"

...

...

Chu Zhao was also waiting, watching the sun rise and fall as the light and shadows shifted within the hall of the Prince Mansion.

Ah Le, who had been dozing off in her chair, awoke with a jolt. Before her eyes were even fully open, she scrambled to her feet and assumed a defensive stance.

"Ah Le, you can go back to sleep for a while," Chu Zhao said with a smile.

Ah Le rubbed her eyes. "No, I’m awake. It’ll be time to eat soon." She sat up straight and looked outside. The doors and windows were all open, revealing the bright daylight, but also the grim ranks of soldiers standing guard.

That day, Chu Zhao had told the King of Zhongshan to think it over carefully. The King of Zhongshan had glanced at her, then left without another word.

They had been confined here ever since.

’It should be time for breakfast soon,’ Ah Le thought. ’This will be our fourth breakfast here.’ This time, Chu Zhao had taken the initiative to request tea and three meals a day. The staff of the Prince Zhongshan Mansion, having no intention of starving them, had complied and delivered everything on schedule.

"I wonder if things are going smoothly on her end," Ah Le couldn’t help but mutter. She quickly looked at Chu Zhao. "Miss, it’s not that I’m scared. Even if Miss Ah Tang fails, I won’t be afraid."

Chu Zhao laughed heartily. "That’s right. If we fail, we’ll just die together. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

’When I first awoke in this new life, I was a little afraid of dying,’ she reflected. ’But now? My regrets have been resolved. I have no attachments holding me back.’

Ah Le nodded. "As long as I can die with you, Miss, I’m not afraid of anything."

After speaking, she glanced at Ding Dachui.

Ding Dachui froze for a second. ’Me too?’ he thought. ’Well, if the Empress is gone, all this time I’ve spent will have been for nothing. I’d have to go back to being a mountain bandit—no, can’t do that either. If something happens to the Empress, the boss will never forgive me. I’d be a dead man for sure.’

"Me too," he said, echoing Ah Le. "As long as I can die with you, Miss, I’m not afraid of anything."

Chu Zhao burst out laughing.

Footsteps approached from outside, but this time, it wasn’t breakfast. Instead, the King of Zhongshan entered, leaning on a cane that struck the floor with a heavy THUD.

The laughter in the hall died down.

The King of Zhongshan looked at Chu Zhao. "Miss Chu, you seem to be in high spirits."

Chu Zhao met the King of Zhongshan’s grim expression with a smile of her own. "It seems Your Highness is not in such a good mood."

The King of Zhongshan studied the young woman before him. She sat calmly in her chair, an unreadable, half-smiling expression on her face—

The first time he met her, though Chu Zhao’s gaze had been hostile and her words blunt, she had at least carried the air of a proper young lady from a noble house.

But now? No matter how he looked at her, she seemed to possess a certain... thuggishness?

The King of Zhongshan sat down. "Miss Chu, you were once an Empress. How is it that you now carry yourself like a common rogue? You’re nothing like your father."

’Am I like my mother, then?’ Chu Zhao’s mind drifted for a moment. ’Mu Mianhong certainly didn’t look like a rogue...’ She pulled her thoughts back, pushing the name away.

"In that case, Your Highness, you know the face but not the heart. If my father wasn’t a rogue, he wouldn’t be where he is today," Chu Zhao said with a smile. "The same goes for me."

The King of Zhongshan nodded. "You’re right. ’The world’s riches belong to the ruffians.’" He placed a slip of paper and a seal on the table. "Miss Chu, it seems my son’s luck has run out this time."

Chu Zhao’s smile grew even brighter. She reached out, picked up the note, and carefully examined the writing and the seal.

Ah Le was already clapping her hands in delight. "Miss Ah Tang is incredible! She really captured the Princely Heir!"

"You never know how capable you are until you’re pushed to the brink," Chu Zhao remarked with a sigh.

’In her last life, Chu Tang even dared to kill people,’ she thought.

’And I was the one she killed.’

Watching the master and servant, the King of Zhongshan gave a light cough. "Miss Chu, although my son has had a run of bad luck, that doesn’t mean you’ve won."

Ah Le’s eyes went wide. "Your son has been captured! His life is in our hands! How is that not winning?"

The King of Zhongshan looked at the maidservant and chuckled. "Young lady, you may not know just how many sons I have."

How many sons? Ah Le was taken aback.

"I have one wife and thirty concubines, and I have fathered seven children," the King of Zhongshan said, his gaze fixed on Chu Zhao. "Xun is the Princely Heir enfeoffed by the court, but he is not my only son."

Chu Zhao let out an "Oh?" and looked at him. "So what Your Highness means is, this particular son’s life or death is of no consequence?"

The King of Zhongshan didn’t answer, instead stroking the cane in his hand. "Xun is my eldest. At the time of his birth, I still felt like a child myself, and to suddenly have a child of my own was a strange feeling. I watched him open his eyes, grow from a babe in swaddling clothes to a toddler taking his first steps. I watched this child, who looked so much like me in every way, yet was a new life all his own. Everyone says children should be grateful for the gift of life from their parents, but in truth, it was Xun who saved me. His arrival completely changed my dull, dreary life. He reinvigorated my spirit and made me laugh with genuine joy."

He looked at Chu Zhao.

"Miss Chu, I’m certain you were the same for your father."

Chu Zhao considered this. ’How would Father have felt, in the middle of besieging a mountain bandit stronghold, to suddenly see a child held up and declared his own?’ she wondered.

’Startled, I imagine?’ Chu Zhao couldn’t suppress a smile. ’Father’s life certainly changed from that day forward.’

The King of Zhongshan watched the young woman’s brilliant smile and continued, "The bond between a parent and child is one of life’s rare blessings. But... life is inevitably filled with misfortunes, with meetings and partings."

"Just say what you mean!" Ah Le yelled, exasperated. "Are you or are you not going to care if your son lives or dies?"

The King of Zhongshan said, "As I said before, I raised Xun myself from a young age. He is another version of me, sculpted by my own hand. His will is identical to mine. If he knew his life would obstruct our great undertaking, he would willingly sacrifice it."

Ah Le retorted, "All those words just to say you’re abandoning your son."

The King of Zhongshan ignored her and looked at Chu Zhao. "Miss Chu, when I ascend the throne, I will posthumously name Xun the Crown Prince. At that time, I will name you the Crown Princess Consort, allowing you to accompany Xun in the afterlife."

"You—!" Ah Le snarled.

Ding Dachui drew his weapon.

The guards who had followed the King of Zhongshan inside also raised their swords and crossbows with a SHING, and a deep chill filled the hall.

Chu Zhao remained seated, a faint smile on her lips. "It’s true what they say: for an imperial family, there are no fathers and sons."