In the vast snowy expanse, a city appeared. Chu Zhao couldn’t help but remove her hood, happily pointing with her hand.
“Look.” She said. “That’s the commandery city.”
Xie Yanlai was not far behind her. Hearing this, he didn’t even lift his eyelids: “Your Majesty, I’m a courier. There’s no place I don’t know.”
Oh right, he had even been here before. Chu Zhao laughed: “But you’re not as familiar with it as I am. I grew up here. I came here to play almost every day.” She reined in her horse to wait for Xie Yanlai to approach. “Don’t look down on our commandery city just because it’s remote—there are many fun things. After we repel the Western Liang soldiers, I’ll show you around properly.”
Xie Yanlai scoffed twice, spurred his horse forward, raised his hand and swept it. Chu Zhao’s hood was flipped up by him and fastened on her head.
“Miss Chu should think about what’s before her eyes first.” He tossed out the sentence.
Chu Zhao was both amused and annoyed. She grabbed the hood down again. Xie Yanlai had already galloped toward the city gate, where officials and soldiers were coming to greet them.
Chu Zhao rode closer and exchanged greetings with the officials, then declined their invitation.
“I won’t enter the city.” She said. “I’ll go directly to where my father is.”
The officials looked at the sky and said: “It will definitely snow tonight. It’s too dangerous for Your Majesty to travel through the night. Why not stay overnight and leave tomorrow?”
Chu Zhao glanced at the sky and said: “There’s still some time. If I reach Luocheng by nightfall, I can travel even faster tomorrow.”
Though she appeared to be a young lady, she was also the Empress. The officials dared not oppose her words and responded affirmatively.
“Don’t assign more troops to escort me.” Chu Zhao instructed again. “Don’t disrupt your troop deployment because of me.”
The officials responded affirmatively again and presented the prepared hot tea, ginger soup, and thoroughly cooked beef and mutton, letting them rest briefly and replenish their strength for the journey.
Chu Zhao didn’t refuse again. She had everyone dismount and rest on the spot, while she accepted the mutton soup A’Le handed her.
“A’Jiu and Xiao Man personally verified it.” A’Le said quietly. “Everything is safe.”
Chu Zhao smiled and didn’t say they were being overly cautious—she had been poisoned to death back then, poisoned several times in fact. First a miscarriage, then her health ruined, and finally a cup of poisoned wine.
The two were drinking their mutton soup when Granny Ding walked over.
“Granny.” Chu Zhao greeted warmly. “Come try our local mutton soup. It’s especially, especially good.”
Granny Ding nodded slightly: “Good.”
Chu Zhao thought of something and pointed at a shelter set up nearby, saying quietly: “Granny, you drink over there. You can avoid people.”
Because she had said her face was injured and inconvenient to show others, she paid attention to such details. Laughter like overflowing water filled Granny Ding’s eyes. Ah, what a wonderful girl.
Even if she could only be by her side for a moment, this life would be enough.
“Your Majesty.” Granny Ding lowered her eyes and bowed. “I’m not feeling well. I’d like to rest here in the commandery city and won’t go to Luocheng.”
……
……
A bowl of hot mutton soup made one’s whole body warm. Riding on her horse, Chu Zhao felt the cold wind blowing no longer disagreeable, but rather refreshing and pleasant.
“This is called when a liar meets liars everywhere.” Xie Yanlai passed by from the side, raised his hand and swept it, fastening the hood on Chu Zhao’s head again.
Chu Zhao pulled the hood down and spurred her horse to catch up with him.
“That’s called a liar seeing everyone as liars.” She said. “Can’t Granny Ding even rest for one night?”
Xie Yanlai scoffed twice: “She didn’t rest all along the way, but suddenly wants to rest here.” He waved his hand. “Either there’s something ahead she fears, or there’s something here she needs.”
Chu Zhao laughed heartily: “In short, everyone in the world is untrustworthy.”
Xie Yanlai said: “That’s right.” He glanced at Chu Zhao with a half-smile. “Empress, you understand this better than anyone.”
Though this girl didn’t say it aloud, who would she truly trust in her heart?
Chu Zhao raised her eyebrows at him with a smile: “Yes, yes, but I see through things without saying so. You’re good, I’m good, everyone’s good.”
Xie Yanlai spat and withdrew his gaze to look ahead.
Chu Zhao looked back at the commandery city gate and saw that Ding Dachui, after bidding a reluctant farewell to Granny Ding, had already caught up with his people.
“Whatever her reason, her men are still following us.” She said. “It doesn’t affect our journey. Everyone has secrets. I only take what I need—that’s enough.”
“You’re quite content with your lot.” Xie Yanlai said. “But don’t forget, circumstances are unpredictable. Things won’t always go as you wish.”
Chu Zhao nodded: “Then I’ll do what I can and leave the rest to fate.”
With that, she raised her whip and spurred her horse.
“Xie Yanlai, let’s compete in horsemanship. I won’t necessarily lose to you.”
The girl galloped past him, her hood and cloak flying. Xie Yanlai pressed his lips together behind her. Previously when he was A’Jiu and she was A’Fu traveling together, the couriers had joked and urged A’Fu and A’Jiu to compete in horsemanship. At that time, how could he compete with her? And she too, to maintain her disguise, didn’t compete with him.
Today, now, no need to pretend to be meek—show your true skills.
Showing true skills, did that mean he couldn’t beat her? What a joke. Xie Yanlai’s whip cracked in the air. His horse shot forward like an arrow, surpassing the girl. This time he didn’t nearly knock her off her horse, but curses still rang out—
“Xie Yanlai! Why are you competing with me, a young lady! Would you die if you lost to me!”
Watching the young man and woman galloping one after another until they became a black dot, Granny Ding standing at the city gate still couldn’t bear to withdraw her gaze.
“Granny.” The officials from the city gate had already returned. The gate guards called to her. “You should enter the city soon. At dusk the city gates close.”
Granny Ding thanked them and looked into the distance once more. Only when dusk fell and the city gates were about to close at the last moment did she enter the city.
Though the city wasn’t as bustling as before, the people’s lives were orderly and not chaotic.