The Legend of Chu Qiao

Chapter 10

Thank You, Sisters!

That night, the court was eerily silent. In the dark woodshed, Jin Cai appeared battered and broken, with whip marks covering her body. Chu Qiao stood before her, splashing a spoonful of water across Jin Cai's face, stirring her from unconsciousness. As Jin Cai awoke and spotted Chu Qiao, fury consumed her, and she yelled, "You witch! How dare you come here?!"

Chu Qiao remained calm and listened quietly to her tirade. After a brief moment, a gentle smile appeared on her face as she responded, "If you want to die, keep shouting."

Jin Cai's clothing was stained with red and shredded, her complexion ghostly pale, and she gasped heavily, hate reflected in her eyes. Chu Qiao shook her head slowly and said, "Even if I didn't mean to harm you, it's obvious you wanted to hurt me. I warned you before. It would have been better not to make me your enemy. You wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't pursued me. Ultimately, you have to take responsibility for your actions."

"You evil bitch, if I die, I will haunt you!" Jin Cai spat.

With a sigh, Chu Qiao replied, "So, you want to die then?"

Jin Cai hesitated as Chu Qiao continued, "I never intended to hurt you, and what happened today was merely to teach you a lesson. Alas, Fourth Master wouldn’t save you. Soon, you’ll be with Jin Zhu at Ting Lake."

Jin Cai's face paled further at these words. She looked at Chu Qiao, her eyes pleading for her life. "Xing'er, we weren't real enemies, and there wasn't much hatred between us. Lin Xi's death was Jin Zhu's idea; I was just following along. If you can come here unnoticed, you can save me. Please, I don’t want to die!" she sobbed, trembling.

Chu Qiao placed her bag down and said, "Stop crying. I'm not here for a chat. You don’t deserve to die. Since I played a part in getting you into this situation, I won’t abandon you. Put these clothes on, and I’ll get you out right away." She moved closer and untied the ropes binding Jin Cai.

Jin Cai’s spirits lifted as she asked, "Can we really escape? It’s heavily guarded here."

"Don’t worry; I’ve bribed the guards at the back door. The masters are all returning home. You're just a maid, so no one will look too closely. As long as you can make it out of the estate, you won’t face execution."

Jin Cai followed Chu Qiao closely as they slipped out the window and navigated past the rockery at Red Hill court. Suddenly, they heard the sound of approaching patrol guards, and both crouched, praying not to be discovered.

Chu Qiao turned to Jin Cai, handing her the bag. She whispered, "I’ll distract them. You need to get to the western gate. I’ve arranged things with the gatekeeper. Just mention my name when you arrive, and you can pass. Here’s some money and clothes belonging to sister Zhi Xiang. They might be a bit small and not in the best condition, but it’s all I have. Take care after you leave and make wise choices." She then moved to the other side, creating noise to draw the guards’ attention toward her.

Jin Cai opened the bag and saw there was hardly enough money for even a roasted goose. She frowned at the torn and dirty clothes that carried a strange odor. Frustration bubbled up inside her, feeling like a fugitive instead of a proper servant. If caught, death awaited her—all because of Xing’er, who pretended to be so virtuous. It infuriated her.

In anger, Jin Cai grabbed the money and tossed the bag onto the ground, not caring about the consequences Chu Qiao would face if the bag and its contents were discovered after she made her escape. The cold wind nipped at her clothing as the moon cast a bright glow across the earth.

·········⋆༺𓆩❀𓆪༻⋆·········

In that moment, inside Housekeeper Zhu's room, the sounds of a man's heavy breathing mingled with a woman's soft moans and suggestive whispers. The winter night was frigid, and the guards had long since found warm spots to doze off. A small child quietly approached Housekeeper Zhu's door, making no visible movements or audible sounds.

Chu Qiao knelt outside the door, her eyes glinting like diamonds in the darkness, radiating determination and calmness. Inside, the man let out a groan, followed by the rustling of him putting on his clothes. Chu Qiao picked up a stone and threw it at the door. It struck with a soft thud, loud enough to be heard from within. "Who's out there?" Housekeeper Zhu called out.

Chu Qiao remained silent, picking up another stone to throw at the door once more. "I'm coming!" the man replied, sounding frustrated. "Who is it in the middle of the night?"

As the door swung open, the hallway appeared empty. Housekeeper Zhu, surprised, peered out and stepped forward. Just as he lifted his leg, he stumbled into a rope he hadn't seen and fell to the ground.

"Ouch!" he yelled in pain and was about to curse when a black sack was abruptly placed over his head, blocking his vision. Realizing something was amiss, he began to shout and flail.

The night was dark and cold. Chu Qiao gripped her sharp dagger, her expression cold as ice. She aimed the weapon at his chubby hand and sliced it. A loud shriek, like that of a pig being slaughtered, pierced the night. Housekeeper Zhu clutched his wrist in agony, rolling on the ground. Without hesitation, Chu Qiao dashed toward the flowerbeds in the west.

Behind her, the sound of approaching guards echoed, along with a woman's panicked scream. "What happened? Ah! Who attacked you, Housekeeper Zhu?"

The woman, her clothing askew, stammered, "I didn't see who it was. All I could tell was that the person was short and seemed like a child."

"Which way did they go?"

"West!"

"Chase!!"

Footsteps hurriedly rushed by as more than a few dozen guards and servants sprinted away. Crouching low and trying to blend in with the bushes, she remained motionless until the voices faded into silence. Once the area fell quiet, the girl dusted off her clothes and walked away casually, her demeanor unusually relaxed and self-assured.

As she passed the rocky formations of Red Hill Court, she spotted her bag with its contents scattered messily, just as she had anticipated. With a sneer, she picked up her bag and made her way toward Qing Shan Court. She carefully climbed through the back window and changed into her white pajamas. As voices outside grew louder, the flickering light of torches illuminated the night sky.

Chu Qiao ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her eyes before opening the door with a sleepy expression. At that moment, she encountered several young maids who had just stepped out of their rooms. “What’s going on?” she asked.

These servants, already around thirteen or fourteen years old, possessed a lower status than Chu Qiao and simply shook their heads in confusion. Suddenly, a door creaked open at Xuan Hall, prompting them to rush over.

Zhuge Yue appeared troubled and noted the disheveled state of Chu Qiao and the other maids. He turned to his bodyguard and inquired, “What’s happening? Why all the commotion?”

“Young Master, it seems there was an assassin. Housekeeper Zhu had his hand severed. Guards at the western door caught Jin Cai trying to flee. She has been brought back to the court.”

Zhuge Yue was taken aback, but then he chuckled. “Who would have thought Jin Cai had such a fierce temperament?”

The guard scrutinized Chu Qiao closely. “When Jin Cai was caught, she shouted that Chu Qiao framed her and that she hadn’t done anything.”

As soon as this was announced, all eyes turned toward Chu Qiao. She scrunched her small face, her large innocent eyes welling up with tears as she blinked, feeling aggrieved. She looked at Zhuge Yue with a pitiful expression and, in a sad voice, said, “Fourth Master, I... I was sleeping in my room the whole time. I-I didn’t...”

“Fourth Master, Xing’er was in her room the entire time,” a maid of lower rank stepped forward to speak.

Before long, other servants began to stand up for Chu Qiao as well. Zhuge Yue nodded and instructed his messenger, "Inform the court that if that woman keeps spreading lies, there's no need for a trial. Just toss her into the lake. How old is Xing’er? How can Jin Cai’s claims get increasingly absurd?"

The guard quickly nodded and departed. Zhuge Yue then turned to his young maids and said, "You all can go back to sleep," before heading back to Xuan Hall.

Chu Qiao held her ground, her expression reflecting her displeasure at being wronged. Some of the other servants urged her, saying, "Xing’er, don’t be afraid. We’ll testify for you. She can’t accuse you." Chu Qiao acknowledged them with a nod, her voice trembling as she replied, "Thank you, sisters."

·········⋆༺𓆩❀𓆪༻⋆·········

It was late at night, and a cold wind swept through the air. Today marked the seventh day since the deaths of the Jing family's children. Those responsible had finally paid with their lives.

However, the meager retaliation was far from sufficient; it called for much more escalation. The "assassin" incident became a hot topic of conversation, creating chaos that lasted into the following day.

Housekeeper Zhu, who was left with one hand, unleashed his fury by ordering the execution of Jin Cai. She had already been injured and succumbed within two hours. Her body was disposed of in the lake, wrapped in a straw mat to feed the crocodiles.

Zhuge Yue was seen as a solitary figure. Xuan Hall originally housed only Jin Zhu and Jin Cai, but both passed away within days. Now, only Chu Qiao was left. At nine years old, her youthful face, tall slender build, and childlike voice made her leadership hard to accept. Despite her abilities, rumors circulated that the Fourth Master was emulating the Old Master by developing an inappropriate interest in young girls.

Consequently, Chu Qiao was treated with even greater respect by those around her.

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