The Legend of Chu Qiao - V1C11
Prologue 1- Major Chu Qiao
Prologue 2- Time's up!
Prologue 3- The red dot on the GPS vanished
1- Royal Hunting
2- Zhuge, Wei, Mu, Jue, Che, Yan.
3- Fifth Brother
4- Without a Tinge of Regret
5- Bloody Heart
6- Bastards
7- Snakes
8- We Should All Know Our Place
9- Do You Know Who I Am?
10- Thank You, Sisters!
11- My name is 'None'
12- The Lantern Festival
13- Liar!
14- Everything Happens for a Reason
15- To escape, or not to escape?
Chapter 11
My name is 'None'
Chu Qiao, age 10
One year later…
Chu Qiao [1]wore a brand-new white cherry dress, white camel fur boots, and two emerald jade flowers on her head. She looked adorable as she bounced along the lakeside in the backyard. She had just retrieved some agarwood incense from the outer courtyard, and as she walked past the bamboo grove, a shadow suddenly appeared in front of her. The person let out a big laugh as he said, "Haha! Finally, I found you!"
The young prince wore a sapphire robe embroidered with multicolored birds, a burst of colors. He happily waved his whip at Chu Qiao, looked her over from head to toe, and smiled, "What's up? Today's weather is so good, let's go fowling."
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows when she saw the young prince beaming with excitement. She shook her head and said, "I'm not free. I still have things to do. Please excuse me." With that, she turned and left.
"Hey, don't leave." The young prince hurriedly ran to block her path, extending his arms, and said, "It was not easy for me to find you, and I have been waiting here in this garden all afternoon. How about telling me your name and which court you belong to? I will ask Zhuge Huai to let you accompany me. What do you think?"
She raised her eyebrow, turned around, and faced him. "You want me to go with you?"
The young prince solemnly nodded and said, "Yes, among all the servants, you are the most pleasing to my eye. Let me appoint you as my chief bodyguard. What do you think?"
Chu Qiao smiled and nodded. "Okay then, I will tell you my name. But whether you can request me from my Master, we'll see."
"Rest assured!" He tapped his chest and declared, "Even if I requested ten, Zhuge Huai still has to listen to me, let alone that I am only asking for you."
Okay, listen carefully. My name is 'None,' and I belong to the 'Exist' court. I'm under Lady 'Tricks,' and I knead clay figurines for the Masters and ladies to play with so that they will have fun. You must remember.
The Young Master's eyes shone brightly, and he said, "Do you know how to knead clay figurines?"
"Yes," Chu Qiao laughed. Seeing this adorable kid, she tiptoed and gently extended her arm to pinch him on his cheek. She smiled and said, "I have many abilities and will let you see them first-hand in the future. I still have those to run, and I need to leave now. Remember to talk to Third Young Master."
"Don't worry, I will." The young prince nodded and grinned. "You'd better go back and pack first. I will pick you up in a short while."
Chu Qiao walked forward for quite a while. When she turned her head, the young prince stood on a boulder, enthusiastically waving his hand. Chu Qiao held back her smile and walked through the bamboo grove, carrying her agarwood incense as she headed toward the Qing Shan court.
"Named 'None,' court 'Exist,' servant of Lady 'Tricks' and skilled in kneading clay figurines and having fun. How on earth did you come up with these?" A distinctly male voice suddenly rang out. Chu Qiao was surprised and raised her head to see Yan Xun in a teal-colored light robe, sitting on the pine tree branch, smiling as he gazed at her.
Chu Qiao had already revealed her true self in front of him a few times and didn't find the need to hide anymore. She glared at him and angrily scolded, "You climbed so high. Aren't you afraid of falling to your death?"
"That should not be your concern. You are a wicked little kid; you should be more worried about yourself. The dark clouds are gathering. You can't be sure that there will not be thunderstorms during winter and that those guilty of wrongdoings will be struck."
With her small stature, she stood under the tree, looked up, and said coldly, "No matter how many wrongdoings I commit, I couldn't compare with you brats that don't even blink when taking someone's life. All of you are swine, and none are good."
"How daring!" Even though his words sounded harsh, he still spoke with a casual tone and smiled. Yan Xun sat on the branch, looked down at the child, and said, "I deliberately misfired my arrow to save your life. To protect you, I lost the prize of eight beautiful Western dancers from Third Young Master. You're not even grateful but insult me instead. What is your reasoning?"
Reasoning is spoken to people. What's the point of talking to swine? I warned you not to harass me again, and don't even think about turning me in as a threat. If you do, you'll regret it.
Once she finished speaking, she turned and sped up her pace. After taking two steps, she was struck on the back of her head by an object. She looked down and saw a snow-covered pinecone. She was furious. She turned her head and glared at Yan Xun with anger. "Are you trying to provoke me?"
"Nope." Yan Xun smiled proudly and said, "I'm not provoking you, just bullying you."
Chu Qiao tilted her head, suddenly turned, and walked away without saying a word. Yan Xun pretended to be deep in thought by half-closing his eyes, hoping the child would argue with him. But seeing her leave like that, he felt disappointed.
A fist-sized stone unexpectedly shot through the air toward Yan Xun's face. Fortunately, he had trained in martial arts and had quick reflexes. He tilted his head and dodged the blow. Secretly excited, he suddenly felt a wave of cold on his back, followed by a loud crash. The impact on the tree sent accumulated snow flying all over him.
The teenage Royal Highness jumped down from the tree, covered in snow, and was a mess. He lifted his head and saw the little girl standing on the snow-covered ground, clapping her hands to dust herself off. She noticed he was looking at her, raised her right arm, and showed him her middle finger. She smiled proudly and turned to walk away.
Yan Xun frowned slightly and also pointed at his middle finger. The thirteen-year-old Royal Highness Yan was pretty confused. What does this gesture mean?
Eleven-year-old page boy Feng Mian rushed out of the woods and said aggressively, "Your Royal Highness, I will go capture her so you can punish this disrespectful servant."
You? Catch her?" Yan Xun snorted and raised his middle finger. "Feng Mian, what does this gesture mean?"
This?" Feng Mian was slightly surprised but firmly said, "It should be a sign of apology. She knows what she did was excessive, but she's still a child and feels embarrassed to apologize directly, so she used that gesture instead of words.
"Apology?" Yan Xun frowned. "Doesn't seem like it."
"It must be your Royal Highness."
"Is that so?"
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In the main hall of Red Hill Court, Zhuge Huai, Zhao Che, and a few others burst into laughter as they overheard the conversation.
Wei Jing smiled and said, "Zhuge Huai, I didn't know you had such a clever girl here. Now, even I want to meet her."
Zhuge Huai shook his head and said, "My servants aren’t smart and put themselves in a position to be ridiculed."
"What happened? Why is everyone laughing?" The young prince was flushing with embarrassment, aware that he might have been the punchline but unsure what he did wrong.
Zhao Che chuckled. "Named 'None,' from the 'Exist' court, servant of lady 'Trick,' can knead clay figurines to play and have fun. Putting it together, it was 'no one exists, play tricks and have fun.' It was all a lie, Thirteenth brother. She was making fun of you!"
Zhao Song's[2] small face was glowing bright red with embarrassment. He stomped his foot in anger and ran out.
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A rumble echoed through the air. Suddenly, a wave of cheerful firecracker explosions lit up the scene; the sparkles blended with the large snowflakes on the ground. Many children giggled and played in the streets as they covered their ears and set off the less expensive 'thunder-cracker,' which produced a loud boom without sparks. They were having such a great time.
After Emperor Bai Zong's ascension to the throne of the Xia Dynasty, the twenty-fifth lantern festival arrived amid the festivities. Everyone was filled with joy as they filled the streets. The authorities provided free firecrackers for the people, creating a livelier and more joyful atmosphere. Sheng Jin Palace's master appreciated the actions of the capital magistrate and praised and rewarded him.
Amid the loud noises, Zhuge residents also increased their preparations for this important day. On this day, heavy snow fell, like goose feathers drifting everywhere. The city elders said that this year's snowfall was unusual; normally, there would only be frost by this time.
Chu Qiao wore her newly knitted pink dress with a fox fur coat, and the fox wool covered her white jade-like face. She looked adorable with her two bright eyes, and she gently brushed away snowflakes landing on her sharp nose.
"Xing’er, Young Master is calling for you." The new servant, Huan Er, ran over with a thud, arms akimbo as she hurriedly called for Chu Qiao.
Chu Qiao nodded and said, "Let's go." She headed toward Xuan Hall confidently and without a trace of anxiety.
Frowning, Huan Er watched Chu Qiao walk away. After a moment, she shook her head and hurriedly tried to catch up. Compared to Chu Qiao, Zhuge Yue was more slow-paced. When Chu Qiao pushed open the door, she saw the Fourth Master of the Zhuge family sitting on his heated couch, playing a game of Go. His eyebrows tightened as he pondered.
Chu Qiao prepared and double-checked all the necessary items for later and handed them to the other servants. Once finished, she poured a cup of tea and set it on the desk beside Zhuge Yue. She sat upright next to the incense burner, resting her chin on her hand, and waited quietly for him.
A book sat on the table with its pages partly flipped open. The yellowed pages showed that it was old. Chu Qiao was focused on the book, thought it was a Buddhist scripture, and became very curious.
Zhuge Yue was not seen as excessively cruel or cunning. At the very least, he was not as terrible as his aristocratic peers participating in the game at the royal hunting ground that day. Still, he was distant and extremely confident in himself. He didn’t think much of others, let alone believe in faith or religion. Why would he change his mindset and read Buddhist scriptures?
"What is written on that is not all rubbish," Zhuge Yue muttered, seemingly reading Chu Qiao's mind. He picked up a black go piece and placed it on the game board while flipping through a few pages of the book. "Read it out loud."
Living a life is like walking through thorns. If your heart stays calm, your body will remain peaceful and steady. If your body stays steady, you won't get hurt. But if your heart is troubled, your body will react rashly, leading to injury. As a result, you might be hurt by the thorns—scratched, pierced, and suffering from all kinds of pain in the world.
Zhuge Yue slowly lifted his head. His eyes showed a whirlpool of thoughts as he gazed at her intently. He finally smiled and said, "Not bad. You know so many words at such a young age. Who taught you?"
Chu Qiao had already sensed something was wrong when she read the first line; therefore, she did not panic but smiled. "Thank you, Young Master, for your compliment. I have loved reading books since I was young and learned from my brothers and sisters."
“Really? Do you understand what you've read?”
"I briefly understood." Chu Qiao replied, "Could the Master explain it to me?"
Zhuge Yue faintly smiled and did not reply. He lowered his head and continued studying his Go game.
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