The Legend of Chu Qiao - V1C9
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 9
Do You Know Who I Am?
Chu Qiao held tightly onto a rope she had prepared earlier and swung herself into a small cave. This octagonal mountain was made up of piles of charcoal rocks. Every spring, purple moss appeared on the charcoal rocks. After roasting it, it emitted a unique smell that calmed the soul. Each spring, people from the Zhuge family collected moss from the cliff, and over time, they dug a man-sized hole. Chu Qiao spent a lot of time in the backyard and noticed the hole. She carefully placed the withered grass she had plucked apart and kept her rope, waiting for the crowd to disperse.
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." 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. Is the medicine still effective?"
The boy had striking eyebrows, a sharp nose, and jet-black eyes, with a pointedness hidden beneath his gentle demeanor. He was a distinguished guest at today's gala, His Royal Highness of Yan, Yan Xun.
Chu Qiao resolutely lifted her head and asked coldly, "Why are you here?"
Yan Xun grinned, "I should be the one asking you this."
Chu Qiao's thoughts raced as she repeatedly considered the chances of forcing this man off the cliff. As she pondered, she reached for the dagger hidden at her waist.
Yan Xun pointed at her and said calmly, "If you don't want to be discovered, you'd better obey and not have any other ideas. Such a small child, how can you be so evil?"
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrow, "Compared to you people, I am far from evil. With you hiding here, you are probably up to no good. Pot calling the kettle black, don't be a hypocrite and act like you're a big help to me."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun stood up, went to the cave entrance, and shouted, "Who's above?"
Chu Qiao gasped and couldn’t stop him in time. If she got caught, Xiao Ba would be in trouble too. She quickly pulled out her dagger and tried to throw it at Yan Xun.
Yan Xun instinctively grabbed Chu Qiao to hold her back. At the same time, an alarmed voice sounded from above. Yan Xun pulled Chu Qiao along with him, stuck his head out, and shouted, "His Royal Highness Yan is here, admiring the plum trees. Why are you causing a commotion? Quickly disperse."
Zhu Shun was brought to the cliff by his men. Upon seeing Yan Xun, he lost his dominance and bowed down for a long while before hastily bringing his men away.
Yan Xun grinned as he released her arm, spun around, and said, "These count as me giving you a big helping hand, right?"
Chu Qiao was short, shorter than Yan Xun's shoulders. She stuck her ear out and listened for a while, realizing there wasn't any movement above. She threw her hook above and ensured it was adequately led on before turning over and maneuvering her way up.
Yan Xun squinted and observed her. Although more agile, she wasn't from a martial arts background. While brave, she required a rope to escape , but managed it with precise and graceful movements. The cave was merely a meter below; Yan Xun firmly held onto the cliff and jumped up with a force surge.
Chu Qiao kept her hook and surveyed her surroundings to ensure her safety before leaving. She turned around coldly and said, "I don't like to owe people favors. Later on, before making your way back, look carefully at your horse."
Yan Xun was slightly taken aback. By the time he recovered his senses, the child was long gone. In the distance, she seemed like a dog crawling on the rugged trail and was gone after a moment.
The young Royal Highness of Yan squinted and slightly grinned, "Interesting."
Descending the octagonal mountain, she passed by a strip of exquisite rockwork before entering the plum forest.
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." 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. Is the medicine still effective?"
The boy had striking eyebrows, a sharp nose, and jet-black eyes, with a pointedness hidden beneath his gentle demeanor. He was a distinguished guest at today's gala, His Royal Highness of Yan, Yan Xun.
Chu Qiao resolutely lifted her head and asked coldly, "Why are you here?"
Yan Xun grinned, "I should be the one asking you this."
Chu Qiao's thoughts raced as she repeatedly considered the chances of forcing this man off the cliff. As she pondered, she reached for the dagger hidden at her waist.
Yan Xun pointed at her and said calmly, "If you don't want to be discovered, you'd better obey and not have any other ideas. Such a small child, how can you be so evil?"
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrow, "Compared to you people, I am far from evil. With you hiding here, you are probably up to no good. Pot calling the kettle black, don't be a hypocrite and act like you're a big help to me."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xun stood up, went to the cave entrance, and shouted, "Who's above?"
Chu Qiao gasped and couldn’t stop him in time. If she got caught, Xiao Ba would be in trouble too. She quickly pulled out her dagger and tried to throw it at Yan Xun.
Yan Xun instinctively grabbed Chu Qiao to hold her back. At the same time, an alarmed voice sounded from above. Yan Xun pulled Chu Qiao along with him, stuck his head out, and shouted, "His Royal Highness Yan is here, admiring the plum trees. Why are you causing a commotion? Quickly disperse."
Zhu Shun was brought to the cliff by his men. Upon seeing Yan Xun, he lost his dominance and bowed down for a long while before hastily bringing his men away.
Yan Xun grinned as he released her arm, spun around, and said, "These count as me giving you a big helping hand, right?"
Chu Qiao was short, shorter than Yan Xun's shoulders. She stuck her ear out and listened for a while, realizing there wasn't any movement above. She threw her hook above and ensured it was adequately led on before turning over and maneuvering her way up.
Yan Xun squinted and observed her. Although more agile, she wasn't from a martial arts background. While brave, she required a rope to escape , but managed it with precise and graceful movements. The cave was merely a meter below; Yan Xun firmly held onto the cliff and jumped up with a force surge.
Chu Qiao kept her hook and surveyed her surroundings to ensure her safety before leaving. She turned around coldly and said, "I don't like to owe people favors. Later on, before making your way back, look carefully at your horse."
Yan Xun was slightly taken aback. By the time he recovered his senses, the child was long gone. In the distance, she seemed like a dog crawling on the rugged trail and was gone after a moment.
The young Royal Highness of Yan squinted and slightly grinned, "Interesting."
Descending the octagonal mountain, she passed by a strip of exquisite rockwork before entering the plum forest.
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The various vagrants from prominent families in Huang City were gathered at Zhuge Court. The plum forest area was under tight surveillance, so it was extremely quiet. As she walked through, Chu Qiao occasionally tiptoed to pick some plum blossoms.
"Hey, you! Come over!" a rude voice shouted out, seemingly that of a child but with an overbearing tone.
Chu Qiao glanced and saw a young prince dressed in an emerald robe, embroidered with a detailed depiction of a fluffy, snow-white sable tail in gold stitches. He had fair skin and a slightly crinkled, sharp nose. His black eyes stared at her and shouted, "Yes, you! I'm calling you!"
Chu Qiao frowned but decided it was best not to cause trouble. She bowed politely and said, "I still have things to do. Please excuse me." After speaking, she turned and left.
The young prince was surprised because he didn't expect this servant to leave as she wanted. He wrinkled his nose, suddenly dropped the whip, and shouted, "You mongrel! So daring!"
Once she heard the sound, she immediately turned back and grabbed the tip of the whip with her bare hands while staring coldly at him.
Little did he know that Zhuge's household servant was so ferocious that he used all his might and tugged but to no avail. He pouted and raged, "Do you want to die? I will tell my men to chop you up!"
Chu Qiao smiled coldly and skillfully spun the whip. The whip instantly slipped from the young prince's hand into hers. Despite being under eight years old, small in stature, and having a gentle face, her glare was not that of a child. She calmly moved forward and said without a hint of emotion, "The whip is used for racing horses and not for you to attack others.” After she finished speaking, she handed the whip back to him and turned to leave.
Seeing that this girl was smaller in stature but filled with confidence and grace, he felt captivated by her. Watching her leave, he felt uneasy but couldn't bring himself to speak to her due to his enormous ego. He arrogantly ran up and blocked her path, "You are a servant from which Zhuge Court? What's your name? Do you know who I am? Do you not believe I will ask my men to chop you up?"
Chu Qiao lifted her head, glanced at him slightly, and pushed his arm away. She raised her eyebrows in disdain: "You can't beat me, so you must call your men. What a weakling. No matter your status, I'm not interested in finding out."
The plum trees swayed as the young prince stood among them, gazing blankly at Chu Qiao, who was vanishing into the horizon.
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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. 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 long time passed, and Zhuge Yue appeared to have fallen asleep. Suddenly, there were noises outside, and he drowsily opened his eyes.
Fourth Master, Housekeeper Zhu sent his men to inform us that he caught Jin Cai red-handed at Octagonal Mountain, laying out a rattan pot and several poisonous snakes. She's being followed now.
Zhuge Yue half-closed his eyes and said leisurely, "Even though Jin Cai is bossy and timid, she wouldn't dare to bring poisonous snakes with her. Did anyone hear what she said?"
She said… The servant's voice trailed off as he quietly shot a glance at Chu Qiao sitting in the corner. He whispered, "She said she was following Xing’er and even claimed to have set up both Jin Cai and Jin Zhu. Her goal is to take revenge for the deaths of the Jing household's children."
"Xing’er," Zhuge Yue reclined on his bed, lifted his teacup, and said calmly, "Explain yourself."
Chu Qiao kneeled and replied calmly, "I didn't do it."
"So, 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, then said, "Xing’er saw a young prince in the garden. He isn't from our court; he's just over thirteen years old and was wearing a jade robe with a snow-white sable tail. I don't know his name."
"Hm," Zhuge Yue nodded and told the messenger, "You go."
The messenger was slightly taken aback and uncertainly said, "So for Miss Jin Cai…"
Zhuge Yue raised his head, closed his eyes, and leaned on the bed. He gently said, "She has to pay the price for her mistakes. See how the court wants to handle her."
The messenger nodded and left. The house was quiet, with a slight smoky scent from the incense.
"Xing’er, do you hate the court for killing your relatives?"
Chu Qiao looked down and replied obediently, "Master, Xing’er has been the court's servant since a young age. It's only because of you that I have a warm bed to sleep in, hot food to eat, and clothes to keep me warm. I'm still young, and my heart can't hold many thoughts. I just want to serve my Master well and live a decent life."
"Yes," Zhuge Yue nodded, "what you're thinking is right. Even though you are very young, you are reliable and mature. Next time, the matters of Xuan Hall will be handed to you to manage."
"Yes, Young Master. Thank you!" The child respectfully lowered her head. After a while, she suddenly asked, "Does the Young Master believe that sister Jin Cai set up sister Jin Zhu?"
Zhuge Yue let out a short groan. "Jin Cai is not daring, and even if she had the guts, she wasn't clever enough to come up with this plan. Zhu Shun is an elder here, but made a mistake and was punished for it. His ego is too big, and he wants to find an excuse for his mistake, which is fine. However, he shouldn't blame people from my courtyard, creating a false image of a fight between the servants in the Qing Shan court to clear himself. He hasn't learned properly from his past experiences."
"Then why doesn't Young Master help sister Jin Cai? She will get beaten to death by the court."
“If she didn’t do it, I would have saved her. But she fell so quickly into somebody else's trap, and that was enough to prove her stupidity. There's no point in letting someone like that stay with me."
This world mirrors the one she experienced in her previous life. This world mirrors the one she experienced as Major Chu Qiao. This place is filled with peril, and only the shrewd and resilient can secure their life in this harsh setting.
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