“He came here to help me all along,” Chu Zhao continued to A’Le.
Ah, came to help all along? A’Le was surprised. That couldn’t be right—how could A’Jiu come to help? Moreover, Third Young Master Xie had written first, then he came. He’d even said himself that Third Young Master Xie sent him to drag her back.
“Don’t listen to what he says,” Chu Zhao smiled. “Just watch what he does.”
A’Le made a sound of understanding. If Miss said so, then it was so. Regardless of the reason, as long as Miss got what she wished.
Crack—the whip snapped crisply.
“Depart!” Xie Yanlai withdrew his proud chin. The whip cracked in the air as he shouted, taking the lead and galloping off first.
Behind him, everyone shouted in unison and moved.
Chu Zhao was among them, shouting chaotically together with A’Le.
“Depart—”
Going home.
Going to see Father.
Going to do what she hadn’t done in that life.
Dust flew on the main road as armored soldiers galloped swiftly, not slowing down one bit when encountering carriages, horses, or people.
“Imperial urgent military march!” the lead officer shouted. “Clear the way quickly—those who block the road shall die!”
The cavalry galloped on.
Whether main roads or side roads, whether border commanderies or interior lands.
With the border warfare, all of Da Xia was tense. Outside Zhongshan Commandery too, there were more and more troops. However, being in Zhongshan Commandery after all, the sensitive populace still had some suspicions.
“Why are so many troops coming to Zhongshan Commandery?”
“Could they be going to attack Prince Zhongshan—”
“I heard the Emperor is displeased that Prince Zhongshan didn’t come to court to pay respects.”
“How could the Prince go pay respects? He cried until his eyes nearly went blind over the Late Emperor’s death.”
“People from Prince Zhongshan’s mansion seeking physicians never cease—”
“This is a bit much. No matter what, Prince Zhongshan is His Majesty’s only elder.”
This discussion made the populace somewhat tense, and they looked at the troops with strange eyes. Some local scholars even went to ask the soldiers what they were doing here.
However, the official troops didn’t arrest these bold scholars, only saying that military secrets must not be probed.
Though they said it mustn’t be probed, soon other scholars figured it out themselves.
“This is strategic deployment,” a scholar in a roadside tea pavilion said, using his finger dipped in tea to draw winding lines on the table. “Zhongshan Commandery is the capital’s most important defense line. Deploying troops here is most appropriate—it can defend the capital when retreating, or aid Yunzhong Commandery when advancing.”
People gathered around listening, half-understanding and half-believing.
Zhongshan Commandery was truly such an important military defense location? How come in the past—
“What about the past?” The scholar stroked his beard with tea-soaked fingers, his gaze distant. “Do you think back then, why did Emperor Jingtai enfeoff Prince Zhongshan to Zhongshan Commandery? Emperor Jingtai had difficulty with heirs—in the end only the Late Emperor and Prince Zhongshan remained. At that time Xi Liang was fierce, ravaging the border commanderies, nearly invading the central heartland. To stabilize Da Xia, Emperor Jingtai chose this vital location of Zhongshan Commandery and had Prince Zhongshan stationed there to form a solid defense at critical moments—”
So that’s how it was! The surrounding people suddenly understood. Emperor Jingtai truly had great foresight.
Hearing this, Xiao Xun pressed his hat down, but even so couldn’t hide the smile at the corners of his mouth.
“Dead people are truly wonderful. Imperial Grandfather can now be called far-sighted too,” he said in a low voice. “Better to say Imperial Grandmother was far-sighted.”
Finishing this sentence, Xiao Xun’s smile grew stronger, not feeling at all that this was mocking his elders.
Imperial Grandmother could personally harm imperial children. Imperial Grandfather knew but said nothing, didn’t punish Imperial Grandmother, didn’t console Father, and drove Father to Zhongshan Commandery to live or die on his own.
When elders were unjust to their children and grandchildren, they didn’t deserve to be his, Xiao Xun’s, elders.