Chapter 176: Ashes will Rise

For several moments after the man finished speaking, Qingyue did not move. The silence that settled over the ruined street seemed heavier than anything they had encountered since arriving at Ashen Fortress.

Her eyes remained fixed on the broken buildings around them, taking in the collapsed roofs and cracked walls.

Every detail she saw broke off another piece of the image she had carried in her mind since embarking on the journey.

"How many people are left here?" she asked, gulping hard.

The man looked toward the children huddled beside one of the ruined buildings. "Barely a few hundred remain."

Qingyue lowered her gaze. They really did try to destroy everything that their mother had fought for, but she wasn’t going to let them win.

"They wanted this place forgotten," Qingyue said, her voice carrying through the ruined city. "They wanted my mother’s name erased from these walls, and they wanted everyone who remained loyal to her to believe that the royal family abandoned them."

She turned toward the man. "But they failed."

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You don’t know what you’re promising."

Qingyue’s voice grew stronger. "We will rebuild Ashen Fortress."

Yexue looked at Lieyin. "Qingyue..."

"We will rebuild the walls, restore the homes and reopen the markets," Qingyue continued, her gaze moving over the ruined buildings. "We will bring back the soldiers who fled to the mountains, and we will give these people reason to believe in this place again."

The man stared at her as though he had never expected to hear those words.

"And when Ashen Fortress stands again," Qingyue said, "we will march against the capital and take our rightful place."

"Do you really mean that?" the man asked.

Qingyue’s face remained firm. "More than anything."

The words were not spoken with the recklessness of someone seeking revenge. There was something steadier beneath them, something that made Ru Yi realize Qingyue was no longer speaking as an exiled princess dreaming about reclaiming the throne.

She was speaking as a leader. Someone very capable, and it made Ru Yi fall in love with her all over again.

"They took your homes from you," Qingyue continued, her anger still burning bright. "They destroyed the people who remained loyal to our mother, and believed leaving us with nothing would make us powerless."

Her gaze hardened. "They were wrong."

"And what happens when the capital learns we’re rebuilding the city?" the man asked. "If everything goes south it is our people who will suffer the most."

Qingyue looked directly at him. "They will come, for sure." A faint smile appeared on her lips. "But they will find that Ashen Fortress is no longer waiting to be destroyed."

One of the older men standing behind the fortress leader lowered his head. Another followed. Soon, several people surrounding them began bowing.

Qingyue stared at them in surprise.

The fortress leader remained standing, but something in his expression had changed. "You sound just like your mother."

Qingyue’s breath caught. "You still remember?"

The man’s voice softened. "Of course I do. I served directly beneath her." He sighed as he recalled a distant memory.

"She knew the names of all the soldiers that were stationed here. She visited families herself, inspected the training ground and never allowed the officers to eat better food than the common soldiers."

Qingyue’s eyes began to glisten. "She did all that?"

The man smiled faintly. "She was the Empress, but she never forgot that Ashen Fortress belonged to the people who protected it."

Qingyue looked away before anyone could see the tears gathering in her eyes.

For years, her memories of her mother had been filled with fragments, warmth mixed with the pain of losing her too young and in such a brutal manner. Hearing someone speak about the woman she had once been made the loss feel painfully real.

"Come, my child," the man said again, looking at the others. "You cannot remain in the streets. There is an old imperial residence on the northern side of the city."

Lieyin frowned. "Is it still standing?"

"Yes. We never used it because it belonged to your mother." He turned around and they followed him.

Eventually they reached an enormous stone structure built directly into the mountainside. Unlike the surrounding homes, the residence had thick walls, tall towers and narrow windows designed for defense. In the middle was a courtyard enclosed by iron gates.

Even abandoned, it still looked imposing.

Ru Yi looked upward. "This was an imperial residence?"

"Yes." The man pushed open the heavy doors. "It was where the former Empress stayed whenever she visited Ashen Fortress."

Dust covered the floors inside, and faded curtains hung from tall windows. But the structure itself remained remarkably intact.

Portraits lined the walls, their surfaces dulled by years of neglect, while old furniture stood exactly where it had been left.

Qingyue slowly walked through the entrance. Her eyes moved over everything, and then she stopped in front of a large portrait hanging above the staircase.

It was Empress Zhilan.

Qingyue stared at the painting. For several seconds, she simply stood there.

Then she reached toward it, her fingers trembling as they brushed against the dusty frame. Ru Yi came to a stop beside her.

"She was beautiful," Ru Yi whispered.

Qingyue smiled through the tears. "From what I remember she hated having her portrait painted."

Ru Yi stepped closer. "Why?"

"She said artists always made her look more serious than she was."

Ru Yi smiled. "I can imagine that."

Qingyue laughed softly, but the sound broke halfway through and she quickly turned away. It was Yexue that moved first, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Lieyin joined them a moment later. Qingyue closed her eyes and leaned into her sisters, accepting the comfort they could give each other.

Ru Yi walked back to the doorway. She knew they needed their privacy.

This was their mother’s home. This was their grief and their family. She didn’t belong inside that moment.

Ru Yi stiffened when she felt a presence beside her. She already knew who it was before the gruff voice came through.

"Our job here is done, darling. It’s time to go back."