Zhao Chu carried her out of the room in long strides. As he stepped out of the guesthouse, he took a veiled hat from one of his subordinates and placed it on the person in his arms.
The fine white gauze concealed her face. Holding her, Zhao Chu felt the light weight in his embrace, and for some reason, his heart, hardened by years of experience, softened ever so slightly.
If she were willing to give up Chu Xiao and choose him.
From then on, he would treat her well.
"My Lord."
The carriage and horses were waiting right outside the guesthouse. Zhao Chu carried her into the carriage, and as the door closed, it completely shut out all prying eyes.
Zhao Shaoyou had a headache. "Is Father planning to take her by force to the Qin Kingdom?"
Pu Xi smiled faintly without answering. For his lord, obtaining a woman was the simplest of matters. But now, he desired the woman of the King of Chu, which meant that the Qin and Chu kingdoms would soon be at war.
He silently calculated the ensuing situation in his mind but had no intention of advising his lord to reconsider. Although he had only pledged his loyalty to his lord ten years ago, King of Qin Zhao Chu was not one to heed counsel easily.
Zhao Chu held Rong Ci as he sat in the carriage, opened the window, and glanced outside. They were in a small border town of the Wei State, bordering the Hexi Highlands. Just one more city gate, and they would enter the Hexi Highlands.
They would leave the city before sunset.
But Chu Xiao was no fool. Zhao Chu slowly curled his lips into a smile. With an ambiguous expression, he turned his gaze back to the woman who had remained quiet all along. He was curious: when Chu Xiao arrived, whom would she call her husband?
He had initially thought her overly kind-hearted and not particularly clever.
But Zhao Chu now changed his mind. She was remarkably composed. That delicate, seemingly harmless face gave no hint of what she was thinking.
However, he guessed she was probably wondering when Chu Xiao would come to rescue her.
He sneered inwardly but showed nothing on his face. Instead, he simply took her small hands, which had been resting obediently in front of her, and held them in his palms, kneading and squeezing them.
Rong Ci: …
She endured.
Since Zhao Chu was already on the move to leave the city, it meant Chu Xiao was not far away.
Zhao Chu would not bring too many men into the Wei State. She didn’t need to fear too much. She just had to wait for Chu Xiao to arrive…
No matter what, she was still the Consort of the King of Chu for now. Zhao Chu and Chu Xiao could contend for the world however they wished, but they must not do so in her name.
Therefore, she had to return to Chu Xiao’s side and continue playing her assigned role.
The task trigger was not now. Zhao Chu had just conquered the Han State, with five more states to go. He had his own path to kingship to walk. She only needed to find a way to stop him from making those foolish decisions in the end.
Before that, she simply wanted to lie low quietly by Chu Xiao’s side.
Rong Ci suddenly let out a soft gasp as the bones of her fingers ached from the kneading. She shot an accusatory look his way.
Zhao Chu replied indifferently, "My lady is distracted. Who are you thinking of?"
Who else could she be thinking of?
Of course, it was you, this scoundrel.
Otherwise, why would she have been sent to this chaotic era to correct the path he had strayed from? If not for him, she would already be sunbathing on a beach on a vacation island, sipping juice.
The more she thought about it, the more resentful Rong Ci became. With a swift motion, she pulled back the hand he had been toying with.
She couldn’t see it, but she didn’t need to—she knew her hand must have been reddened and warm from all the kneading.
Zhao Chu showed no anger. After traveling for an hour, he took a plate of pastries from the food compartment and placed it beside her hand.
Rong Ci remained unmoved. Sitting upright had begun to tire her—the carriage seemed hastily prepared, its cushions too firm. With her legs covered in wounds, prolonged sitting brought a dull ache.
Zhao Chu simply pulled her into his embrace, seating her before him. Holding a piece of pastry in one hand, he lifted the veiled hat and brought it to her lips.
Rong Ci turned her head away. Zhao Chu’s voice turned cold: “My lady, my patience is limited.”
Chu Xiao would never speak to her like this, never threaten her. Resentment simmered in Rong Ci’s heart, yet she could only part her lips and bite into the pastry, inadvertently brushing against his hand.
She stiffened; he paused.
Rong Ci quickly turned her head aside. Zhao Chu chuckled silently.
Finally, he retrieved a clean handkerchief from the carriage and wiped a crumb from the corner of her mouth. Rong Ci did not avoid him, allowing the gesture.
As the sun set, the border gate loomed ahead. The ground behind them trembled faintly, and a chill flashed in Zhao Chu’s eyes.
They were here.
He tightened his grip around her, his large hand stroking her waist idly.
“The King of Chu is pursuing us!” Zhao Shaoyou glanced back from his horse, a hint of worry in his voice.
Indeed, his father was nearly taking another man’s wife across the border—how could the King of Chu not give chase?
Perhaps losing one’s sight sharpened the hearing.
Rong Ci lifted her eyes, still bound by cloth. It was Chu Xiao, leading troops to find her.
It had to be.
Sensing the calm breath of the man behind her, she wondered: What was this madman Zhao Chu planning?!
Surely he wouldn’t use her to provoke Chu Xiao at the Wei State border, in front of several rulers?
Even with his arrogance, the Qin Kingdom was not yet strong enough to confront the combined forces of other states.
For a moment, she considered turning to persuade him: Let me go.
Then he could take Shao You straight through the gate and return to Qin.
But her lips parted and closed without a word—Zhao Chu was far from one to heed advice.
At that moment, a cloud-piercing arrow sliced through the air. Squinting, Zhao Chu shifted with the woman in his arms to the left. The black arrow, fierce and lethal, whistled past their ears and embedded itself deeply into the carriage window, its fletching quivering.
Rong Ci nearly lost her balance. Though blind, she could sense the killing intent and danger.
Countless soldiers closed in, flanking the carriage from both sides.
“Halt! Who rides in this carriage? Show yourselves for inspection before leaving the city!”
Yet the carriage not only refused to stop but charged forward defiantly.
Zhao Chu opened the window and leaned out slightly, a careless smile curling his lips.
Through the swirling yellow dust, his eyes met those of Chu Xiao, mounted on a steed.
In an instant, murderous intent filled both gazes.
Zhao Chu’s near-taunting smile, and the glimpse of white gauze from the woman before him fluttering out the window, turned Chu Xiao’s eyes crimson with rage—he wished he could grind Zhao Chu’s bones to dust.
“Stop now, or be shot on the spot!”
A threatening voice echoed from behind the carriage.
Though Rong Ci could not see, a chill ran down her spine.
It was Bai Jian’s voice—she knew it well. Chu Xiao had come.
He must know she was in this carriage.
A thousand thoughts raced through Rong Ci’s mind, but she desperately hoped Zhao Chu and Chu Xiao would not clash here.
She turned to look at him firmly. “Let me go.”
“I will hold off the Chu army for you.”
Only then did Zhao Chu lower his gaze, amused. “My lady drops the act?”
Rong Ci remained calm. “Yes.”
Zhao Chu had long seen through her act. With the Chu army not far behind, there was no need for her to pretend any longer.
"You have only a few dozen men, while the Chu army numbers in the thousands. The city gate is right before us. Release me, and you can leave the city smoothly."
Her calm and composed demeanor stirred a laugh in his chest. "Consort, why are you concerned for my safety?"
She paused, trying to cover up: "Of course, it's because I was attacked by bandits at Yu Mountain. Presumably, you saved me, and I am repaying kindness with gratitude."
He suddenly leaned in, his meaning unclear: "Shouldn't repaying kindness involve offering oneself? Consort, you called me 'husband' so many times…"
If she had known he was Zhao Chu from the moment she woke up, she would never have uttered the word "husband."
Just as she was about to retort, he lifted her veiled hat, pinched her chin with one hand, and kissed her fiercely and harshly—nothing gentle about it, almost carrying a hint of malice because of her plea to let her go.
Chu Xiao had arrived, and now she wanted to leave.
Zhao Chu wanted to transfer his very essence to her, to mark her with his scent. He kissed so violently that she couldn't catch her breath, and a surge of anger rose within her.
She bit him back, her face flushed as she gasped for air during his brief pause. "Zhao Chu! It hurts."
Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint deep within his gaze as if scrutinizing her.
"What did you call me?"
He lowered his voice. His eyes weren't fierce, even calm, yet they carried an intangible pressure.
This was Zhao Chu, but not the young Zhao Chu she had once known.
This was Zhao Chu fifteen years later.
Dangerous, stern, and imposing, he inevitably evoked a sense of unfamiliarity and timidity in her.
In her fury, she had instinctively called him by his name.
She could feel him scrutinizing her, his gaze sharp as if it could see through all her hidden thoughts.
Rong Ci clenched her palms nervously.
Yet, she heard him chuckle softly in her ear: "Consort, are you thinking of how to deceive Gu?"
He wasn't deaf; he had heard her clearly call him by his name.
Her tone was all too familiar.
She recognized him.
A chill settled in his heart, though he showed none of it on his face. This Consort of the King of Chu seemed to hold many secrets.
But since she was unwilling to speak, Zhao Chu was in no hurry. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Consort, you were attacked by bandits and fell into distress. I saved you."
"Why not stay with me from now on?"