Queen O's Timid Fugitive A - Chapter 34
34
As the sun set behind the mountains and the sky darkened, Di Changjie finally saw the return of the Jiang family head, who had been absent all night and dawdled through the entire day.
Di Changjie vigorously wiped the sweat from his forehead, then tossed the red-hot iron plate, now battered and warped, onto the ground. His whole body seemed to relax as if a weight had been lifted.
Uncle Ling was right—he had no talent for forging blades. This day and night had once again made him painfully aware of his shortcomings.
Last night, after they left the city, they took a back mountain trail to avoid prying eyes like Auntie Sun’s. Claiming the family head had a sudden urge to forge a blade in seclusion and forbade any disturbances, Di Changjie locked the door and pretended she was inside, hammering away.
“You finally decided to show up?” Di Changjie’s tone wasn’t exactly friendly. Thanks to her, he hadn’t seen his wife in a day and a night, and he’d have some explaining to do when he got home.
Jiang Ciqing, beaming with delight, gave an awkward smile. She had told them she’d be back by afternoon, but she lingered until nightfall before climbing the mountain.
“This cloak…” As someone experienced, Di Changjie raised an eyebrow, eyeing the fox-fur cloak draped over her. His irritation vanished, replaced by a teasing grin. “A gift from Miss Xu?”
Cough, cough. Jiang Ciqing raised a fist to her lips, pretending to clear her throat, but it did nothing to hide the radiant smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of smugness as she boasted, “Looks good, doesn’t it?”
“Looks great, looks great,” Di Changjie chuckled, feeling that his day of pounding iron was worth it.
Old Master above, our young family head has finally grown up! An Omega gave her a gift! She’s no longer the clueless fool chasing after someone! Di Changjie’s eyes crinkled with joy, as if he were the one sending off a daughter to be married, filled with pride and emotion.
Jiang Ciqing deliberately pulled the fox-fur cloak tighter, suppressing a grin and feigning nonchalance. “It’s just alright. She was worried I’d catch a cold climbing the mountain at night and insisted I wear it before letting me leave.”
In her mind, she pictured Xu Fusheng lounging under a sweet osmanthus tree, swaying lazily in a rocking chair, glancing at her with a dismissive wave, urging her to hurry up and leave instead of lingering at the door.
Jiang Ciqing, unfazed, spun the scene into, “If she wasn’t so reluctant to let me go, I’d have been back much earlier.”
“Tsk tsk, not bad for our family head,” Di Changjie praised, winking at her.
“This cloak’s decent enough. I thought it was too warm at first and didn’t want to wear it, but she said she hunted the foxes herself, so I reluctantly accepted her gesture and wore it out,” Jiang Ciqing said, feigning reluctance. Her striking appearance made even her smugness seem oddly endearing.
She conveniently forgot how she’d pestered Xu Fusheng for half a day, coaxing and pleading until Xu Fusheng revealed that the two foxes were hunted especially for her.
“Hunted them herself, huh?” Di Changjie tsked again, reaching out toward the fur collar.
Smack!
Jiang Ciqing swatted his hand away sharply, scolding, “What are you touching it for?! What if you ruin it?!”
She shot a disdainful glance at Di Changjie’s grimy hands. What if he pulls out the fox fur?
Ruin it by touching? Di Changjie rubbed his reddened hand, shaking his head with another tsk. An Alpha in love—brain all muddled. As someone who’d been there, he understood.
Jiang Ciqing gently caressed the fur collar, cherishing it. Who would’ve thought the head of the wealthy Jiang family would treat an ordinary fur cloak with such care? One might mistake it for a garment made from the hide of a ninth-tier magical beast.
“Where are those two rabbits I brought back last time?” Jiang Ciqing asked, reluctant to touch the fur too much for fear of damaging it. She lowered her hand and turned to Di Changjie.
“What rabbits?” Di Changjie blinked, confused, before recalling the game Jiang Ciqing had brought back from the autumn hunt. “Oh, those two.”
“The pelts?” she pressed.
“Didn’t you tell us to tan them and store them?”
“Bring them out. We’re going to the village for dinner tonight,” she said out of the blue.
Di Changjie frowned, thinking for a moment before cautiously asking, “You’re planning to return the favor?”
The village’s Auntie Yao was the best at sewing. Jiang Ciqing was likely taking the rabbit pelts to her.
He couldn’t help but grin. “Two rabbits won’t make much. Wait for better weather tomorrow, and we’ll go hunt a few more in the mountains. We can make a big cloak for Miss Xu, too.”
Caught up in her joy, Jiang Ciqing nodded, finding his suggestion reasonable. “Alright, in a couple of days then. But tonight, we’re still going to the village for dinner.”
With that, she adjusted her cloak and strode out the door.
Watching her retreating figure, Di Changjie scratched his head, suddenly realizing. Dinner? This is about going to the village to show off!
Tsk tsk, an Alpha in love.
He shook his head with another fond tsk, watching her figure shrink into the distance before hurrying to catch up.
The Jiang family had recently been abuzz with two major events.
The first came from beyond the mountains: the Emperor of Nanliang had decreed that the Fifth Prince would lead an army of 100,000 to reclaim the border city, determined to wash away past humiliations.
The people of Nanliang were abuzz with discussion. If a prince was to lead the campaign, the most suitable choice would be the First Prince, whose maternal and in-law families were military dynasties. The Fifth Prince, though an A-rank Alpha, lacked the First Prince’s maturity, stability, and military approval.
The murky question of who would become the crown prince grew even more unclear.
Like ordinary folk, the Jiang family treated it as post-dinner gossip, debating which prince would ascend to the throne.
The second matter was discussed only within the Jiang family, behind closed doors, after ensuring no one was nearby. They lowered their voices, brimming with excitement.
Their family head had finally found an Omega she fancied!
And that Omega had given their family head a fox-fur cloak!
According to the Di kid, the foxes were hunted specifically for her.
Their dense, wooden Alpha family head had gone to the back mountains to hunt rabbits, then visited Auntie Yao—the village’s best seamstress—to learn how to make gloves and even asked about marriage customs.
It seemed a happy occasion was on the horizon.
The elders who’d watched their family head grow up were overjoyed, though they wondered what kind of unique gloves she was trying to sew after a month of effort. The rabbits in the back mountains were nearly hunted to extinction…
They had to ban their own kids from catching rabbits, ensuring all the pelts went to the family head for her sewing practice.
“Say that again?!”
This winter arrived earlier than usual. By mid-October, several heavy snowfalls had blanketed the land. Outside, the cold wind howled, and even the sunset had faded into a desolate, ashen gray. The world was barren and bleak, with yellowed bamboo stalks bending under the weight of snow.
In an intricately decorated wooden house, a young woman in a fox-fur cloak sat curled up on a nanmu wood luohan bed with carved scroll panels, clutching a silver filigree handwarmer. The room’s four corners were warmed by steaming floor heaters, and a snow-white carpet covered the floor. Even in the bitter winter, the room was cozy and comfortable, with no trace of cold.
Di Changjie, paler than he’d been in summer, stood before the bed, looking uneasy at the figure opposite him. He opened his mouth but didn’t know how to repeat himself.
Jiang Ciqing’s face was pale, her thin lips trembling. Her already frail frame seemed even more delicate under the heavy cloak, like a porcelain doll that might shatter with a touch. Forcing herself to speak, she repeated, “Say it again.”
“Family Head…” Di Changjie, a towering, burly man, showed a rare trace of fear, his tone laced with worry and hesitation.
The room’s atmosphere grew heavier.
“I told you to repeat it,” Jiang Ciqing gritted out, each word seeming to stab her heart like a knife.
“I…” Di Changjie, who had repeated the story a dozen times, suddenly faltered, stumbling over his words. “His Majesty decreed that Xu Fusheng is to be named a princess, saying she’s a lost member of the royal family, the daughter of the former Prince Chu Xiang and the Emperor’s cousin. She… she…”
He glanced at Jiang Ciqing, swallowing hard before continuing, “Back then, bandits stormed the capital, burning and pillaging. They slaughtered and burned Prince Chu Xiang’s mansion, abducting his only daughter to the barbaric lands.”
Jiang Ciqing clutched the handwarmer tightly, her skin sinking into the filigree pattern like deep ravines.
“When Xu Fusheng was young, she was traumatized by the fire and forgot everything. His Majesty grew suspicious after hearing of her appearance, sent someone to the barbaric lands to sketch her portrait, and found it bore a five-point resemblance to Prince Chu Xiang’s late consort. After explaining her origins, she agreed to return to Nanliang.” Di Changjie recited, his delivery stiffer and more disjointed than before as he glanced uneasily at her.
But there was no need to worry about Jiang Ciqing not understanding—she’d heard it dozens of times. She simply couldn’t believe it, asking over and over, hoping for a different answer.
Her face blank, Jiang Ciqing spoke mechanically, “Say it ag—”
She was cut off by a sharp shout: “Family Head!”
Di Changjie’s expression was grave, his tense brows cold and stern, like a heavy stone crashing onto her shoulders.
Jiang Ciqing’s body trembled, the rest of her words swept away by the cold wind.
She took a deep breath, her pale fingers gripping the handwarmer so tightly they seemed to pierce through her thin skin. The pain from the pressure kept her mind clear. In a low, heavy voice, she said, “Say it again.”
Di Changjie, hearing the request yet again, relaxed slightly. Having grown up with her, he could read her emotions. Knowing she’d calmed down, he began again.
The handwarmer, freshly filled with silver-charcoal, radiated heat, but Jiang Ciqing’s calloused fingertips were purple with cold.
Her eyes lowered, her mind dredging up memories of Prince Chu Xiang. She vaguely recalled her mother mentioning that he was a descendant of the former dynasty’s royal family. Feared by the Emperor, his mansion was burned to the ground, and no one—not the prince, his consort, or even the servants and dogs—escaped.
Thanks to deliberate suppression of the truth, those who knew kept silent, and by Jiang Ciqing’s generation, almost no one knew of Prince Chu Xiang.
If her mother hadn’t mentioned it once, Jiang Ciqing wouldn’t have known either.
Her expression grew graver as Di Changjie spoke. The scattered, disjointed clues were like puzzle pieces that refused to fit together.
If her mother was right, Xu Fusheng had a bl00d feud with the royal family. Yet, Xu Fusheng also carried royal bl00d…
Jiang Ciqing’s eyes darkened. The events of years past were still vivid. Whether out of pettiness or misplaced blame, the Jiang family had endured endless concessions, yet the royal family remained suspicious, repeatedly targeting them. In her eyes, the Jiang family and anyone with royal bl00d were locked in a life-or-death struggle—either the royal family would die to atone for the Jiang family’s ancestors, or the Jiang family would be wiped out. There was no other way.
And Xu Fusheng, knowing she had royal bl00d, had willingly submitted to Nanliang.
Jiang Ciqing didn’t know what the old Emperor had told her, but Xu Fusheng had known her origins. Those words during the autumn hunt…
Was she toying with her?
Knowing everything yet pretending to stand by her, to care for her—then what?
Laughing with her royal uncle about how easily Jiang Ciqing trusted her?
The decisions she’d made last month felt like a resounding slap to her face.
She’d marked someone with a bl00d feud and even planned to kill her royal uncle and brother to marry her?
What were you thinking, Jiang Ciqing?!
She tugged at the corner of her mouth, finding herself laughable.
“Family Head?” Di Changjie looked at her, his eyes uncertain. He wasn’t a fool—after delivering osmanthus cakes for so long, how could he not know Xu Fusheng’s identity?
He was just curious how Jiang Ciqing had gotten entangled with her. After all, when Jiang Ciqing left Nanliang for the barbaric lands, only Jiang Wendao, Xu Ling, and the Liao family, who’d lost their daughter, knew a thing or two. Not a whisper had leaked otherwise.
Jiang Ciqing stared blankly at the snowstorm outside, the dark clouds obscuring the moon, snow falling from branches with a crackle.
“Changjie, I have a friend who…” Jiang Ciqing pursed her lips, her glistening eyes like a shimmering lake. Her hopeful words halted, and she found them absurd. How could she say such a thing?
Her obsidian eyes dimmed, shattering the moonlight reflected in the lake.
“She might have done something unforgivable,” she continued bitterly, sealing her judgment without waiting for a response.
“She’s just a princess, isn’t she? Family Head, if you want…” Di Changjie’s words were cut off by her cold glare. He trailed off awkwardly, lowering his head.
He didn’t fully grasp the complexities. The events back then were perilous, so they’d been kept secret. They’d only heard the village elders repeat how the Jiang family was oppressed by the royal family, always at risk of annihilation, with occasional assassination attempts. Naturally, they viewed the royal family as enemies, ever vigilant.
Di Changjie couldn’t bear seeing Jiang Ciqing, his childhood companion, so heartbroken. If they’re together, maybe the royal family will suspect less, he thought recklessly. No grudge mattered more than Jiang Ciqing herself.
“Changjie, I need to go to the city,” she said hoarsely, her weak voice like it could scatter in the wind.
Di Changjie frowned. “Tonight?”
“Now,” Jiang Ciqing replied instantly.
“No way! It’s been snowing heavily at night these days. If…” Di Changjie, usually compliant, wore a rare expression of disapproval, firmly refusing.
With the mountains sealed by snow, the paths covered, and visibility low in the foggy night, even experienced people like Uncle Ling wouldn’t dare descend now. Going out was tantamount to suicide.
“Tomorrow. I’ll go with you at first light,” Di Changjie decided, clenching his teeth.
“Tonight. Now,” Jiang Ciqing shook her head, her soft tone carrying unyielding resolve. “You go to the forging room and pretend I’m working. I’ll go down alone.”
“No way! In this weather, if you get lost, there’s no coming back!” Di Changjie roared, ignoring their master-servant dynamic, his eyes filled with panic and fear. He regretted bringing this news.
Why couldn’t I have waited until tomorrow? he thought, filled with remorse.
But Jiang Ciqing was resolute. “I have to go down tonight.”
“No chance! Absolutely not! Even if I agreed, Ah Fu and Uncle Ling wouldn’t. You know how dangerous it is!” Di Changjie’s eyes reddened, his words tumbling out in a rush.
He couldn’t understand why the usually clear-headed Jiang Ciqing was saying such reckless things.
“This isn’t up for discussion…”
“Not even an order! Jiang Ciqing, you’re not going down tonight!”
“Di Changjie!” she snapped, her tear-filled eyes blazing with anger.
“Jiang Ciqing!” Di Changjie didn’t back down, refusing to yield.
Bang!
“I’m the Jiang family head!” She hurled the handwarmer to the ground, her voice sharp and commanding. Her tense jaw sharpened, her gentle facade ripped away, her frail body trembling with rage.
The glowing charcoal rolled onto the carpet, scattering ash. The silver handwarmer rolled, one side dented from the force.
“You still know you’re the Jiang family head?! If something happens to you, what becomes of the Jiang family?!” Di Changjie glared, his neck veins bulging like pythons.
Though master and servant on the surface, they were more like siblings. Three years older, Di Changjie often teased her but always yielded. Today was the first time he’d ever so firmly opposed her.
They faced off, Di Changjie’s fists clenched like cauldrons, intimidating, while the slimmer Jiang Ciqing stood like an unsheathed sword, sharp and cold. Neither yielded an inch.
Their heavy, angry breathing echoed in the silent room.
Jiang Ciqing took a tentative step forward.
Di Changjie immediately sidestepped, blocking her path.
“Move,” she warned, her fists tightening under her robe.
“No way,” Di Changjie refused, unyielding.
Jiang Ciqing didn’t waste time, striding forward.
Di Changjie reached for her wrist, but she dodged. His eyes narrowed, muscles bulging, his right foot sliding back into a stance. With explosive force, his hand shot toward her shoulder like an eagle’s claw.
Jiang Ciqing’s lips pressed into a line. She sidestepped, dodging his grasp, then struck at his wrist with a knife-hand. Her feet stayed rooted to the carpet, showing her resolve to not retreat.
Di Changjie didn’t pull back, taking the hit with a grunt before swinging again.
As his claw-like hand sliced through the air, Jiang Ciqing’s eyes remained calm as a still pond. She bent backward, dodging, then kicked hard at his knee.
Having trained together since childhood under the same elders, they knew each other’s moves and weaknesses. Despite Di Changjie’s strength, his lower body was his weak point.
He stepped back to avoid the kick, then turned his claw into a fist, swinging at her face with unrelenting force, the punch booming like muffled thunder.
Jiang Ciqing dodged again, refusing to meet his brute strength head-on. Her back arched like bamboo, the fist grazing her nose and side. She twisted, squatted, and swept her leg like a whip.
With a loud crash, Di Changjie staggered and fell backward!
Seizing the moment, Jiang Ciqing sprang forward like a leopard, aiming a punch at his face!
Boom!
The punch grazed his cheek, shattering the floor tile beneath, debris flying as the stone caved into a crater.
Both were furious, especially Jiang Ciqing, who held nothing back. The pain of her knuckles cracking against the tile surged through her, but she didn’t flinch, as if numb to it.
Or perhaps the pain in her heart overshadowed it—what was one more ache?
Even defeated, Di Changjie glared defiantly, refusing to let her leave.
Jiang Ciqing’s eyes reddened, bloodshot veins spreading, her aloof features twisting with ferocity. Her chest heaved, bl00d and dirt oozing from the crater.
“Brother Changjie,” she closed her eyes, her voice trembling as if using all her strength, “I have to go down the mountain.”
“I need to ask her myself.”
Were those moments under the osmanthus tree real, or were you toying with me? Was it revenge for me leaving the barbaric lands without a word?
How much of your heart was true, how much was false?
Or do you have some unspeakable reason?
That distant royal bl00d—I could overlook it, if you tell me you had no choice.
Her mind flashed to those moments under the osmanthus tree, her hopes and dreams, her imagined future.
The wind rustled the cherished fox-fur cloak.
Jiang Ciqing lifted her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“I have to ask her myself,” she repeated hoarsely, her once-straight spine bending, as if the cloak’s weight was too much to bear.
Di Changjie had never seen her like this—fragile, pleading, as if she’d melt into the snow outside.
He looked away, unable to bear it, and finally relented. “Go. I’ll cover for you.”
Jiang Ciqing exhaled in relief, rising slowly and stumbling into the snowstorm.