The Legend of Chu Qiao

Chapter 9

Rocks and Plum Blossoms

Chu Qiao grabbed a rope she had prepared earlier and swung into a small cave. This octagonal mountain was composed of stacked charcoal rocks and plum trees. Every spring, purple moss grew on them; when roasted, it emitted a calming, unique aroma. Each year, members of the Zhuge clan collected moss from the cliff, eventually digging a cave the size of a man that was impossible to see from above.

Last spring, Chu Qiao spent a lot of time in the area, noting the cave's location along with other household discoveries, knowing it might one day be useful. Today was that day. She carefully untangled the withered grass she had gathered, kept her rope close, and waited at the cave entrance for the crowd to leave.

At this moment, a warm breath could be felt in her ear. A male voice chuckled, "Girl, you are so wicked!"

Chu Qiao was shocked. She immediately turned around and hastily struck the person with the hook attached to her rope.

"It's hard to imagine you are a child, not even ten years old yet[1]." The girl was clever and agile. He grabbed Chu Qiao's tiny hands, his voice calm.

Because of Chu Qiao's small size, this person pinned her to the floor with just one hand. But she still stubbornly lifted her head and, surprised, raised her eyebrows, saying, "Oh, it's you?"

The young boy seemed stunned for a moment and examined the child. He had a moment of realization and smiled, "Ah! It's you, too. Was the medicine effective?"

The boy had striking eyebrows, a straight nose, a beautiful smile, and jet-black eyes and hair, with a hint of intensity beneath his gentle demeanor. In one word, he was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, both in past and present life. He was a distinguished guest at today's gala: His Royal Highness of Yanbei, Yan Xun, and the young man who saved her life at the Royal Hunt.

Chu Qiao resolutely lifted her head and asked coldly, "Why are you here? What are you trying to do?"

Yan Xun grinned and said, "I should be the one asking you that."

Chu Qiao's mind raced as she weighed the options of pushing this young man off the cliff. While she considered it, she reached for the dagger concealed at her waist.

Yan Xun calmly pointed at her waist and remarked, "If you want to avoid being caught, you’d better listen and not entertain any other ideas. You’re just a small child; how can you be so malicious?"

Raising an eyebrow, Chu Qiao shot back, "Compared to your lot, I'm hardly wicked. With you skulking around here, you're clearly up to no good. Don't be a hypocrite by pretending to be my savior."

Yan Xun heard this, he stood up, moved to the cave entrance, grabbed some roots to steady himself, and then stuck his head out, shouting, "Who's up there?"

Chu Qiao gasped, realizing she couldn’t stop him in time. If she were caught, Xiao Ba would face trouble too. Acting quickly, she drew her dagger and aimed it at Yan Xun.

Instinctively, Yan Xun grabbed her to hold her back. Just then, an anxious voice came from above. Yan Xun pulled Chu Qiao along as he leaned out and shouted, "His Royal Highness Yan is here. What’s all this noise about? Make yourselves scarce."

Housekeeper Zhu was brought to the cliff by his men. Upon spotting Yan Xun’s head, he lost his commanding presence, bowing deeply before hurriedly leading his men away.

With a grin, Yan Xun released her arm, turned to her, and said, "That counts as a big favor from me, doesn’t it?"

Chu Qiao, who was shorter than Yan Xun by quite a bit, leaned in and listened carefully, noting the lack of noise above. She then tossed her hook upward, ensuring it was secure before turning to make her ascent.

Yan Xun squinted as he watched her. While she was agile, she clearly lacked a martial arts background. Despite her courage, she needed a rope to climb, yet she executed her movements with precision and grace. The cave was only a few meters below; Yan Xun held onto the cliff securely and jumped up with a burst of energy.

Chu Qiao stowed her hook and surveyed her surroundings for safety before departing. Turning back with a cold expression, she warned, "I don’t like being in your debt. Just make sure to check your horse closely before you head back."

Yan Xun was momentarily taken aback, and by the time he regained his composure, the girl was already long gone. In the distance, she resembled a small creature navigating the rugged path, disappearing quickly.

The young Royal Highness of Yan squinted and snorted. "Interesting."

Descending the octagonal mountain, she passed by a strip of exquisite rockwork before entering the plum forest.

·········⋆༺𓆩❀𓆪༻⋆·········

The various wayward youths from prominent families in Huang City were assembled at Zhuge Court. The plum grove was closely monitored, creating an unusually quiet atmosphere. As she strolled through, Chu Qiao occasionally tiptoed to collect some plum blossoms[2].

"Hey, you! Come here!" a brash voice called out, sounding childlike yet authoritative.

Chu Qiao turned to see a young prince clad in an emerald robe adorned with a meticulous gold-stitched design of a fluffy, snow-white sable tail. His fair complexion was complemented by a slightly crinkled, sharp nose. With piercing black eyes, he insisted, "Yes, you! I'm talking to you!"

Frowning at his demeanor, Chu Qiao decided it was best to avoid conflict. She politely bowed and replied, "I have matters to attend to. Please excuse me." She then turned to walk away.

The young prince was taken aback; he hadn’t anticipated that a servant would just walk away from him. Scrunching his nose, he abruptly dropped the whip he was holding and shouted, "You insolent mongrel! How dare you!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Qiao quickly turned back, seizing the tip of the whip with her bare hands while meeting his gaze with a cold stare. Unbeknownst to him, Zhuge’s household servant was fiercely strong, and despite his tugging, she wouldn’t release it. He pouted in anger, "Do you want to die? I’ll have my men chop you into pieces!"

Chu Qiao smirked coldly and expertly spun the whip until it slipped from his grasp and into hers. Though she was under eight years old, small in stature, and gentle in appearance, her fierce glare revealed she was not to be underestimated. She stepped forward calmly and said without a trace of emotion, "Whips are for racing horses, not for attacking others." After saying this, she returned the whip to him and turned to leave.

Impressed by her petite stature yet confident demeanor, the young prince found himself speechless and captivated. As she walked away, a sense of unease washed over him, but his inflated ego prevented him from speaking up. He quickly dashed in front of her, blocking her path. "Which Zhuge Court servant are you? What's your name? Do you know who I am? Do you really think I won’t have my men take care of you?"

Chu Qiao raised her gaze, quickly scanning him before pushing his arm aside. She raised an eyebrow in disdain, "You can't take me on yourself, so you resort to calling your men? How pathetic. Regardless of your status, I have no interest in your threats."

Amidst the swaying plum trees, the young prince stood frozen, watching as Chu Qiao disappeared into the distance.

The eleven-year-old boy stood frozen, staring at the silhouette.

·········⋆༺𓆩❀𓆪༻⋆·········

After arriving at Qing Shan Court, she greeted those around her and went straight to Xuan Hall. Zhuge Yue was lying lazily on his bed, gazing at Chu Qiao without lifting his head.

She approached a jade vase and removed the flowers from the previous day, placing the freshly picked plum blossoms into it and keeping a few petals. Then, she moved next to Zhuge Yue and knelt by the incense burner. She mixed the mashed plum blossoms with basil, then carefully poured the mixture onto the burner and gently fanned it. Immediately, a refreshing scent filled the air. Zhuge Yue took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

A considerable amount of time went by, and Zhuge Yue seemed to have dozed off. Suddenly, he heard commotion outside and lazily opened his eyes.

Fourth Master, Housekeeper Zhu reported that Jin Cai was caught at Octagonal Mountain, setting out a rattan pot and several poisonous snakes. She is now in custody.

Zhuge Yue partially closed his eyes and replied nonchalantly, "Considering her cowardly nature, Jin Cai wouldn’t dare to bring poisonous snakes with her. Did anyone catch what she said?"

The servant hesitated, quietly glancing at Chu Qiao in the corner before whispering, "She claims she was following Xing’er and accused the two servants who fought and died of being her accomplices because Chu Qiao wanted to avenge the children of the Jing household."

"Xing’er," Zhuge Yue reclined on his bed, lifted his teacup, and addressed her calmly, "Explain."

Chu Qiao knelt and replied, "I didn’t do it."

"Then where did you go?"

"Xing’er went to the plum garden."

"Did anyone else see you?"

The child shook her head, paused for a moment, and then added, "Xing’er saw a young prince in the garden. He isn’t from our court; he looked to be just over eleven or twelve, wearing a jade robe with a snow-white sable tail. I don’t know his name."

"Hm," Zhuge Yue nodded and instructed the messenger, "You go now."

The messenger appeared uncertain and asked, "So regarding Jin Cai…"

Zhuge Yue lifted his head, closed his eyes, and leaned back against the bed. He said softly, "She must face the consequences of her actions. Let’s see how the court decides to handle her."

The messenger nodded and departed, leaving the house quiet, filled with a faint, smoky scent of incense.

"Xing’er, do you resent me for the death of your relatives?"

Chu Qiao looked down and answered respectfully, "Master, Xing’er has been a servant of your courtyard since childhood. It’s thanks to you that I have a warm bed, hot meals, and clothes to stay warm. I’m still young, and my heart can’t hold many thoughts. All I wish is to serve my Master well and lead a decent life."

"Yes," Zhuge Yue agreed, "what you’re thinking is wise. Even at a young age, you show dependability and maturity. I’ll entrust you with managing the affairs of Xuan Hall from now on."

"Yes, Young Master. Thank you, Young Master." The child bowed her head respectfully. After a moment, she asked, "Yes, Young Master. Thank you, Young Master." The child bowed her head respectfully. After a moment, she asked, "Does the Young Master think that Sister Jin Cai set Jin Zhu up?"

Zhuge Yue let out a soft sigh. "Jin Cai lacks the courage, and even if she had the nerve, she wouldn’t be clever enough to devise such a plan. Housekeeper Zhu is an elder here who made a mistake and has been punished for it. His pride is large, and he seeks a scapegoat to deflect blame for his error. However, he should not involve people from my courtyard in his failures, fabricating a conflict among the servants in the Qing Shan court to justify himself. He has yet to learn from his past mistakes."

"Then why doesn’t the Young Master help Sister Jin Cai? She might really face severe punishment from the court."

"If she were innocent, I would have intervened. But she’s so easily ensnared by someone else’s machinations, which is enough to demonstrate her foolishness. There’s no merit in keeping someone like her close."

This world reflects the one she encountered in her previous life—fraught with danger, where only the clever and resilient can navigate the harsh realities and secure their survival.

The sun's rays pierced the room through the cracks in the window, and the refreshing scent of the plum flowers slowly drifted in.

Ultimately, Housekeeper Zhu spent more than ten years serving the Zhuge household without ever failing in his responsibilities. He suspected that the feud between Jin Cai and Jin Zhu was behind the accusations against him, but worried that the Fourth Master might not believe him and think he was merely trying to shift the blame to Jin Cai to save himself. Therefore, Housekeeper Zhu decided against letting the court execute Jin Cai; instead, he planned to wait until the following day to inform the Third Master, who would be available then.

[1] At this point in the story, Chu Qiao is 9, Zhuge Yue is 15, and Yan Xun is 14.

[2] Plum blossoms, which come mainly from the Prunus mume tree (also known as the Japanese apricot or Chinese plum), are celebrated throughout East Asia as the first signs of spring. They often bloom even while there is still snow on the ground. These blossoms are deeply revered for their resilience and delightful fragrance. Blooming from late January through mid-March, ume flowers mark the quiet transition from winter to spring

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