Chapter 249: Chapter 249

　　Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

　　An hour later, the conflict started to escalate in scale. The troops of the King of Ling involved themselves in the conflict, while the local pickets watched on. Regardless of how the civilians in the western part of the city cried out for help, they remained indifferent, claiming that they were waiting for orders from the higher-ups. They stood at the outside of the circumference, refusing to budge, as the people within started to clash with each other.

　　At this time, the big and small gangs, coupled with the stray hooligans, started to create chaos. After a few small skirmishes with each other, they realized that no one was keeping them in check, causing them to become more emboldened. Zhen Huang City was a mess as the civilians cowered in fear within their homes, not wanting to be implicated.

　　Chu Qiao ordered the troops to step up their security within the mansion as they sealed the doors, not allowing anyone to step outside. He Xiao and Zhuge Yue’s bodyguard, Yue Liu, was tasked with ensuring the internal security of the mansion. A short while later, the outside of the mansion was brightly lit; they had seemingly been surrounded by large groups of troops.

　　Yue Liu and the rest of his bodyguards gritted their teeth and whipped out their swords, ready to fight to the death. However, Chu Qiao was puzzled and ordered He Xiao to get a hold of the situation outside.

　　He Xiao came back quickly with the news that the inspector from the magistrate’s office had sent troops to protect the Chief Marshal’s residence, acting upon orders from the higher-ups. Swiftly, the noises around the mansion quietened down. Chu Qiao asked Yue Liu about what was going on, but he scratched his head and said that he had not heard of any such inspector before.

　　At around 9 to 11 pm, some noises started to echo outside the door. Chu Qiao had just stepped out of her room, as Zhuge Yue walked towards her hurriedly, dressed in purple. Upon seeing her, he asked, “Were you scared?”

　　Chu Qiao laughed in reply, “Do you think that I’m made of glue? When I was killing other people outside, your existence was still unknown.”

　　Zhuge Yue picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea. He smiled forcibly, before sitting down.

　　Chu Qiao asked, “What’s going on exactly?” She had not asked much about his matters. Firstly, given her identity and status, she was ineligible to know too much. Secondly, she no longer had any more energy to involve herself in these matters. However, she was particularly worried about tonight’s matters.

　　Zhuge Yue looked up and felt guilty upon seeing her worried expression. He held her cold hands and said, “Mu Yun and the rest are creating trouble. The southern gate has been taken over by Zhao Yang’s people. I came from the northern gates, hence I was slightly late.”

　　“How will they benefit from creating trouble? If it goes overboard, the Elders’ Clan will expel everyone back to their original locations. No one will get a share of the pie.”

　　Zhuge Yue laughed coldly and replied, “That’s the exact idea that they have.”

　　Chu Qiao frowned as she started to link the sequence of events together in her mind. She let out a long sigh and remarked, “That was close. Luckily you came out fast.”

　　Zhuge Yue patted her face and added, “Don’t be worried. I won’t be framed by these tactics.”

　　Presently, the conflict between Zhao Che and Zhao Yang was akin to the Southwestern Army pitting themselves against the Donghu Army. Zhao Yang had the backing of the king of Ling and Young Master Mu, while Zhao Che had the backing of Zhuge Yue’s Qinghai Army. Now that the Xia Emperor was severely ill, the various border troops stayed to guard the capital with their leader. This was against the rules; once anyone created any trouble, the border troops would be expelled to their respective locations. Zhao Che, Zhuge Yue, and Jinghan’s subordinates all belonged to the borders, with only Zhao Yang holding the power over Xiaoqi Camp, which belonged to the capital. Although that army of 30,000 was insignificant when on the battlefield, once the border troops were chased away, they would instantly become the dominant force of the capital. At that time, if Zhao Che did not return to the north with the Donghu Army, he would inevitably fall into Zhao Yang’s hands. With the departure of Zhao Che, the heir to the emperor’s throne would be all but confirmed.

　　Over the past year when the Xia Emperor had been ill, the politics within Xia had started to play out. As Chu Qiao had experience of being a military leader, she naturally understood the benefits and consequences of these matters. She consoled Zhuge Yue as she said, “Be careful. No need to worry about me. There are sufficient troops in the mansion. Even if 10,000 people attack this place, we can defend it for four hours. There’s no need to allocate troops here.”

　　Zhuge Yue was stunned as he asked, “When did I do that?”

　　Chu Qiao replied, “The inspector from the magistrate’s office was here just now. They defended us for over four hours.”

　　Zhuge Yue frowned tightly and thought for a long while before shaking his head and adding, “Those were not my troops.”

　　Chu Qiao looked at him in suspicion, a grave look appearing on her face.

　　Zhuge Yue laughed and held her hand. “It’s alright. I don’t think they have any bad intentions.”

　　“Are those Wei Shuye’s people?”

　　“If my guess is correct, they are Zhao Song’s people.”

　　Chu Qiao started to feel her heart turning cold. Zhuge Yue continued on in a low voice, “The emperor is ill. Every figure of authority in Zhen Huang is in the palace. The only person not in the palace that has the power to mobilize troops like that is him.” A heavy look flashed across Zhuge Yue’s eyes as he said slowly, “It’s been so long. I have forgotten him.”

　　It was warm in the palace as the joss sticks burned on. However, Chu Qiao stood there as she continued to feel a chilly sensation crawl all the way up her body.

　　The 13th prince, Zhao Song, who had one arm cut off by Yan Xun, whose brother had been killed by her personally, whose mother’s family had been ruined by Yan Xun and herself.

　　He held her in his embrace, feeling his heart ache upon seeing her pale expression. He whispered, “Xing’er, how about I send you back to Qinghai first?”

　　Chu Qiao was still in a daze as she did not register his words. He repeated them again, causing her to shake her head vigorously. She tugged at his sleeve nervously as she exclaimed repeatedly, “I don’t want to!” She raised her head and looked up at him stubbornly like an untamed lion cub. Zhuge Yue sighed helplessly and hugged her while he said in a low voice, “It’ll be over soon.”

　　Yes, it will be over soon. Whenever the officials and princes saw the state that the emperor was in, they would repeat this sentence to their subordinates and families whenever they got home.

　　Yes, it will be over soon. The emperor’s days are numbered. The days of living life in fear will be over soon…

　　As the days passed, more and more rumors started to surface. The emperor’s mouth had contorted, the emperor was no longer conscious, the emperor could no longer recognize anyone, the emperor could no longer eat…

　　It looked like the emperor was hanging on to his life by his last breath, and that he was about to die anytime. However, as winter and the new year approached, the emperor was still alive. It was speculated that he could occasionally speak a few coherent sentences and open his eyes to drink some ginseng soup.

　　No one knew what he was hanging on for. He seemed to have some unfulfilled wishes, or that he was waiting for someone. As day by day passed, he refused to shut his eyes.

　　The atmosphere in the capital remained tense as a result. No one had full confidence to stir up a revolt. Zhen Huang City was thrown into a state whereby a conflict could break out even with the slightest trigger. Even the newborn infants did not dare to cry out loud in the night.

　　This morning, Zhuge Yue had gone out of the mansion to attend the morning court session, when there was a visitor. A young lady was dressed in a white cloak as she stood on the snowy ground. She had jet-black pupils, crimson red lips, and appeared like a beautiful drawing in a portrait.

　　The rays of light were cold and distant in wintertime. Chu Qiao stood at the door, braving the wind, dressed in a green cloak. Upon seeing the lady, she was stunned. She stared at her, not moving for a long time.

　　The young lady gave a slight smile and walked forward to Chu Qiao.

　　“Sixth Sister, don’t you recognize me? I am Xiaoba.”

　　Time had indeed passed by in a flash. Her younger self had knelt beside her body back then. She was frail and malnourished. She kowtowed under the moonlight, swearing to avenge her siblings’ deaths. In the blink of an eye, 14 years had passed.

　　Chu Qiao remembered the day of the execution, where she hid in the crowd, hearing the child cry her name out loud in a plea for help. Ultimately, Chu Qiao did not walk out. She could only retrieve her body from the mouths of the wild dogs. Without covering her body up, she could only let her body sink to the bottom of the lake like that.

　　It had been 14 years. Chu Qiao had always thought that she had died. She had seen her stubborn, teary face in her dreams countless times. She had always reproached herself over these 14 years, and had hated Zhuge Yue for so long because of this.

　　Her eyes started to tear. She stood by the door, reaching out her hands as she managed a bittersweet smile.

　　Xiaoba held her hand and smiled plainly as she said, “I’m good, right? I’m still alive. Bet you didn’t expect it.” Her voice was ever so familiar, sounding light and distant.

　　They walked into the room together. Xiaoba circled the room and took a seat on a soft mat. She took a deep breath as she said with a smile, “That Zhuge fellow still has the same habit of burning incense in the room like this.” She looked around with a posture of familiarity, blurting out the habits of how Zhuge Yue lived his life. She picked up a pomegranate with her hands and started to play with it.

　　Chu Qiao looked at her. She wanted to say a lot of things, but did not know where to start from.

　　Xiaoba laughed at her as she disrupted the awkward silence, “Sixth Sister, no need to feel shocked. The person who died that day wasn’t me. At the last minute, your husband swapped me with someone else, and provided for me for many years. I feel gratitude and resentment towards him, but I’m not here to force you to honor your promise of avenging our family’s death. Even I have given up my thoughts of revenge.”

　　A gust of wind suddenly swept across the room, lifting up the curtains. Through the sunlight, some specks of dust could be seen floating about in mid-air. The blinding sunlight caused Chu Qiao to squint, but she still could not make out Xiaoba’s face properly.

　　Chu Qiao looked at her, feeling slightly distanced. She thought for a long while before she said in a gentle tone, “Xiaoba, have you been well all these years?”

　　“I’ve been alright,” Xiaoba replied casually. “Zhuge Yue treated me quite well. Maybe some of your luck rubbed off on me. He brought me along to Mister Wolong’s to learn. I learned how to read. However, he often restricted my freedom, not allowing me to leave. I tried to escape a few times, but he always caught me. Just like this, many years passed, until…” She paused here and looked up at Chu Qiao. She chuckled before continuing, “Until the news spread that he had died in Yan Bei, and that he had been expelled from the Zhuge family. The people of the Qingshan Courtyard were chased out as well, handing me back my freedom. After that, I languished in the streets. After all, I’m a girl who does not know how to fend for herself. I ended up in a brothel for about a year, until I met 13th Royal Highness. I have to attribute my fortune to you. As I looked like you, I caught his eye. Now, I’m his personal servant. Hurhur, despite so many years, I’m still a slave. It’s just that I’m treated better now.”

　　Chu Qiao listened on as she spoke about Zhao Song in a casual tone. She remembered the time when she saw Zhao Song on Xiangzhi Mountains, along with the girl dressed like a man. She frowned and asked in a low voice, “You knew that I came to Zhen Huang. Why didn’t you come to find me?”