Xie Yanlai looked down at the person rushing toward him from the firelight and carnage, drawing closer and closer—
She was petite in stature, her skirts fluttering. In the interplay of light and shadow, she raised her head.
The city gate was imposing, the torches had been extinguished, but the figure of the young man standing on the battlements—Chu Zhao recognized him at a glance.
“A’Jiu!” she shouted joyfully, “It really is you!”
Without any hesitation, she lowered the shield in her hand and spurred her horse into a gallop toward him.
Xie Yanlai gripped his crossbow without moving, his peripheral vision suddenly catching those around him. The imperial guards on either side were all looking at him, their expressions somewhat peculiar.
“Yanlai,” one imperial guard asked in a low voice, “should we still… kill without mercy?”
The person had already entered arrow range—were they not going to act?
Hadn’t they said earlier that no matter who came, even if it were Third Young Master Xie himself, they would kill without mercy?
How troublesome! Xie Yanlai gritted his teeth in frustration, watching the girl who had arrived below the city gate.
“Chu—” he shouted loudly, but the words caught at his lips and he lowered his voice, “What are you doing running here!”
Having lowered his voice, he felt something was wrong. The city gate was high—if he lowered his voice, Chu Zhao wouldn’t hear him, but others would instead.
He glanced around again and indeed saw the surrounding imperial guards all watching him. This was clearly the tone used with an acquaintance—
“Yanlai,” an imperial guard even asked, “is she family?”
Xie Yanlai raised his crossbow and shouted sternly, “Halt! Take one more step forward and you’ll be killed without mercy!”
Chu Zhao seemed not to understand what these words meant. She rode all the way to the city gate, reined in her horse, raised her head toward the young man on the battlements and waved her hand: “A’Jiu, A’Jiu, it’s me, Chu Zhao! Open the gate quickly—”
This dead girl was even announcing her own name—did he not recognize her? He wasn’t blind!
When the imperial guards heard Chu Zhao announce her name, although many didn’t recognize the girl’s face, most knew this name—she was the one who had thrown herself onto Xie Yanlai in the street to shield him from the whip, and she was the one whose tale of mutual devotion, never leaving each other’s side, and life-and-death companionship had spread throughout the capital.
“Chu Zhao?”
“Yanlai, it’s Miss Chu.”
“Your fiancée—”
The imperial guards immediately began chattering.
Fine if you recognize her, but what was that last sentence about! Xie Yanlai took the opportunity to curse at that guard: “What nonsense are you spouting!”
That guard shrank back. All right, perhaps they weren’t engaged yet.
However, since she was an almost-engaged fiancée, her appearance here now seemed somewhat understandable.
“Yanlai, Miss Chu must have come to find you.”
It was too dangerous outside, the girl had set her heart on rushing straight to her beloved, worried about him, and feeling safest only by her beloved’s side. Ah, who knew how their own family and loved ones were faring at this moment—the guards’ minds wandered in distraction.
Xie Yanlai shouted: “The imperial city is forbidden territory—retreat immediately!”
His shout awakened the distracted guards. Everyone looked at him—could it really be that even if family or loved ones came, they would still—
Wake up already, she didn’t come here to find him. Xie Yanlai gripped his crossbow, his body tensing, the bowstring already drawn taut, the arrow flashing with cold light.
Chu Zhao looked at the coldly gleaming crossbow in the young man’s hands and said with a smile, “A’Jiu, I need to enter the imperial city.”
She wanted to enter the imperial city!
Indeed, she had come to enter the imperial city.
Xie Yanlai looked down at the girl below the city gate. He knew that many people would come to this imperial city, but he hadn’t expected the first to arrive would be this girl.
His gaze shifted to the left and right behind the girl.
The fighting at the watchtower continued, the breach growing larger and larger, and more and more people were pouring through. They spread out to the girl’s left and right behind her, like the iron wings of an eagle.
Chu Zhao, daughter of Chu Ling.
He scoffed, then laughed again.
Inside and out, none of the rulers, ministers, fathers, sons, or brothers had expected a Chu Zhao to emerge.
This would truly be an excellent show to watch.
Except—he was also in this show—
“Chu Zhao.” Xie Yanlai lowered his crossbow, aiming at the space between the eyebrows of the girl on horseback. “Without summons, entry to the palace is forbidden. Carrying troops and weapons into the city is forbidden. Retreat.”
He spoke each word distinctly.
“Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy.”
He would really kill her—the guards looked at the young man on the battlements.
He really would kill her—Chu Zhao looked at the young man. Back then by the river, he had also truly been willing to kill.
However, there was nothing to reproach him for at that time, because he needed to survive and he had no other choice.
But now, she was here for him.
“A’Jiu,” Chu Zhao said, facing the arrow’s gleam, speaking to the young man on the city wall. “It’s not that I want to see His Majesty—it’s the Young Highness.”
She gently pushed the child leaning against her, revealing him from beneath the wrapped cloak.