"Chun'er," the young prince no longer had the sunshine and carefreeness of the past. He was like an old man, holding his sister's hand tightly, and said in a low voice, "Brother is sorry for you."
Zhao Chun'er didn't say anything, but just shook her head desperately. The tears she had been holding back all the way finally burst out at this moment, and flew to both sides in a mess as she moved.
Chu Qiao stood up slowly. No one looked at her, and no one paid attention to her. In this environment, her shadow seemed so redundant. She has an unshirkable responsibility for everything that happened today. She is an indirect executioner, there is no denying it.
The girl turned around, picked up the sword on the ground, held up a tattered mat, opened the door and walked out.
The door creaked shut and outside the rain poured down and the cold wind howled like a mad beast rushing around.
Carrying the mat, she ran quickly to the stable. When the black warhorse saw her approaching, it suddenly snorted happily and shook its head excitedly.
Chu Qiao shook off the rain on her body, walked forward with a smile, patted the horse's neck, smiled faintly, and said: "You still welcome me, right?"
The horse didn't know if it could understand what she said, but seeing that its owner was being friendly, it just nodded its head happily.
"I can only come to you tonight."
Chu Qiao smiled and sat down against the horse. The horse stuck close to her and rubbed her arm up and down with its neck in a very intimate manner.
Something fell out of the bag on the horse's back with a bang. Chu Qiao picked it up and saw that it was actually a small pot of liquor.
She hadn't drunk alcohol for many years, but when she parted with the Southwest Town Envoy that day, she somehow took a pot of wine from He Xiao.
The wind and rain outside were getting stronger and stronger. The sky and the earth were all grey and the rising sun was almost invisible. The room was warm and the fire was still burning, illuminating the figures of the two people inside, casting hazy shadows on the window paper.
The girl sat in the stable, bent one leg, leaned against the horse, leaned on the sword with one hand, picked up the wine jug with the other, and drank it down with her head tilted back.
The strong liquor felt like a burning fire when it entered her throat, and she suddenly began to cough violently, as if she was going to cough out her lungs. The horse was startled and looked towards her in panic. She patted its neck comfortingly while coughing, and laughed as she coughed, "It's okay... cough cough... I'm fine..."
As she smiled, tears flowed from the corners of her eyes, like a winding stream, falling drop by drop on her cheeks, shaking constantly with her violent coughing.
The sky and the earth were connected into a line by the heavy rain, and there was no sign of clearing up at all. Everything was like a simple drawing. On the dark ruins, the girl's figure was thin and skinny, and it was so desolate.
In the early morning, the heavy rain finally stopped, the sun shone through the fog, and then quickly disappeared again. After feeding the horses, Chu Qiao came to the door and knocked gently. Her voice was a little hoarse as she called softly, "Are you awake? It's time to get going."
There was a rustling sound inside, and Chu Qiao stepped aside and stood quietly. After a while, the wooden door creaked open, and Zhao Chun'er stood at the door, her face cold but her tone calm, "Thirteenth Brother asked you to come in."
Chu Qiao nodded and followed Zhao Chun'er into the house.
Zhao Song was sitting in the straw. His hair was combed neatly by Zhao Chun'er and he had even shaved his beard. He looked much more refreshed. If it weren't for the empty sleeves, Chu Qiao almost thought that everything was just a nightmare.
"Go away." Zhao Song looked over coldly. His voice was calm, but it was filled with indifference, "I don't want to see you again."
Chu Qiao had expected this to happen, so she was not panicked. She just calmly replied, "I want to take you back. It's a long way to Zhenhuang, and I don't trust you to go by yourself."
Zhao Song raised his eyebrows, and his eyes slashed across Chu Qiao like a knife, "Whether we live or die, what does it have to do with you?"
Chu Qiao felt as if a piece of flesh was suddenly cut out of her chest. She took a deep breath and continued, "Sichuan has been through war and is full of refugees and bandits. The princes of the major clans are watching and the armed forces in various places are expanding rapidly. At this time, the Zhao imperial power can no longer deter them. Before returning to Zhenhuang, you must not reveal your identities. There are a lot of bandits gathered in the western entrance of Sichuan and are roaming around the Hetao area. You..."
"That's enough," Zhao Song frowned impatiently and said in a deep voice, "I said, whether we live or die is none of your business."
Chu Qiao felt as if a huge stone was pressing down on her heart. She took a deep breath for a long time before she said in a hoarse voice, "Zhao Song, I know you hate me. I also know that what I have done is far from enough to atone for my sins, but I cannot watch you die."
Zhao Song smiled coldly, raised his eyebrows and looked at Chu Qiao, and said in a cold voice: "A Chu, do you know what I liked most about you before?"
Chu Qiao was startled, and immediately raised her head, only to hear Zhao Song speaking slowly, word by word: "What I liked most about you before was the way you are now, always so confident, no matter what position, identity, or situation you are in, you will never look down on yourself, never belittle yourself, never lose hope, and always be so firm, firmly believe in your own abilities. But," Zhao Song's eyes suddenly darkened, and the corners of his mouth were cold, "I really hate you now, arrogant, self-righteous, and always have a face of a savior. Who do you think you are, what do you think you are doing now? Giving alms? Atonement? Or do you want to do something, so that you can feel at ease and go back to that beast to live your life?"
Chu Qiao shook her head and bit her lower lip, trying to explain: "Zhao Song, I..."
"Get out! Don't let me see you again!" Zhao Song said angrily, "I've told you long ago that we are done with each other. If we meet again, it's either you or me. You betrayed the empire and massacred the people. You can never atone for your sins even if you die a hundred times!"
"Zhao Song..."
"roll!"
Zhao Song was furious. Chu Qiao stood there in a daze, her hands and feet shaking uncontrollably. She straightened her back and continued in a deep voice, "Zhao Song, I'll see you guys leave after entering Zhenhuang. Even if you don't need me, there's still the princess. It's been a long journey, you probably don't want the same thing to happen to her again."
As soon as these words came out, Zhao Chun'er's body suddenly stiffened. Zhao Song looked back at Zhao Chun'er, and then said stubbornly: "I will protect my sister. It is not your turn to care about this."
"Brother Thirteen..."
"Are you so cowardly that you have to rely on your enemies for protection?" Zhao Chun'er was about to speak when Zhao Song suddenly shouted. Zhao Chun'er looked at Chu Qiao with complicated eyes, then bit her lower lip lightly and stopped talking.
Half an hour later, Chu Qiao watched Zhao Song and Zhao Chun'er's carriage gradually disappear on the distant ancient road, and fatigue suddenly hit her like a tidal wave. A night of cold rain made her whole body hot and she could hardly stand, but when the morning sun finally pierced through the thick fog, she gritted her teeth, climbed onto her horse, and chased forward.
From that day on, she had been carefully wandering around in front and behind Zhao Song's carriage. Because she couldn't plan a route for them, she could only go ahead to clear the way for them at night. When she met scattered robbers and rioters, she would disperse them. When she met a large group of robbers, she would deliberately expose her whereabouts to lead the enemy away. During the day, she would follow from a distance and protect them secretly. Because she was so fast, she was never discovered.
But after four days, she finally fell seriously ill due to extreme fatigue and sleeping outdoors all day.
When she woke up, it was still raining heavily outside. She was lying in a dilapidated thatched pavilion. Zhao Chun'er was wearing a straw raincoat and holding a broken bowl with two pieces of dry food in it.
"Eat. If you die, who will escort us back?"
The princess of the Zhao royal family looked down at her and spoke calmly. She put the bowl on the ground and then turned and left.
A streak of mud splashed on Chu Qiao's pale face, winding like a shocking scar. She watched Zhao Chun'er's figure gradually disappear in the rain, and for some reason, her eyes suddenly felt a hint of inexplicable warmth.
Seven days later, the majestic ancient capital of Zhenhuang finally emerged vaguely in the morning mist. This first capital city in the north of Simon Continent, which has experienced three hundred years of war, is like a sleeping lion lying dormant on the turbulent land of Hongchuan. Looking at the city where she had lived for eight years, Chu Qiao suddenly felt exhausted and filled with emotion.
She turned her horse around, facing northwest, and was about to leave when the sound of horse hooves suddenly sounded behind her. Chu Qiao turned her head calmly, looked at the person in front of her, and said nothing.
"Are you leaving?"
"yes."
"Do you want to go back to find him?"
"yes."
"Are you coming back?"
"I don't know, maybe I will come back, maybe not."
“Haha,” Zhao Song suddenly laughed out loud, the sleeve of his one arm fluttering in the wind, the scene was as weird as a kite with half of its wings missing, “See, I am really a cowardly man!”
"Thirteen," Chu Qiao said in a deep voice, "Thank you for coming to see me for the last time."
Zhao Song smiled bitterly, "You traveled thousands of miles to escort me, so am I so narrow-minded that I can't come to see you?"
Yellow sand was piled up everywhere, and when the wind blew, it flew all over the sky. Zhao Song was wearing an ordinary coarse brown robe, but it did not diminish his royal nobility at all. The man's hair was blown by the strong wind. He spoke slowly with a cold tone, "But this time, it is really the last time. When we meet again, you don't need to be merciful to me, and I will not show mercy to you either."
Chu Qiao slowly shook her head, "I won't kill you."
"That's your business," Zhao Song said coldly, "Anyone who betrays the empire will die."
Chu Qiao frowned and raised her head when she heard this. She spoke in a deep voice, "Zhao Song, what is an empire?"