TGCFNM -Chapter 473 Rescuing Chu Rou

Wan Sanjin was a bit stunned as he looked at Chu Ling; Bai Su and Ghost Scholar Cui Xi were also shocked.

Chu Ling’s gaze fell on the weapons: “If my guess is correct—no, it must be correct, otherwise there’s no way to explain the presence of these weapons. And if tonight Young Lord Xiao falls into the trap and brings a large force here, these weapons would be his ‘private stash.’ Even if Young Lord Xiao survives, he would be accused of treason.”

“And Chu Yue killed General Chu when he was off guard. That’s exactly why General Chu’s death became proof of his innocence, preserving the Chu family.”

In the book, the Chu family did suffer severe punishment, and in her second life, Chu Yue must have understood why she never became Empress, which is why she acted this way in this life.

“But why?” Cui Xi’s pale, blue-tinged face was full of disbelief. “Wasn’t General Chu especially fond of the young lady?”

Ghost Scholar, holding his fan, walked back and forth in the armory, his brows tightly furrowed. “If what you say is true, then Chu Yue killing General Chu is indeed very strange. If she was going to rebel, why not simply overthrow the Great Zhou herself, become a princess or even Empress? Why kill General Chu and choose Fu Qingyu instead?”

“Xiaoling, General Chu really did die, right?” Bai Su asked.

Chu Ling slightly tilted her head, acknowledging the question.

Ghost Scholar paused, his expression gradually calming. “Chu Yue can foresee the future and is no fool, yet she still made this choice, which means she saw even more. General Chu’s so-called rebellion probably wouldn’t have had any real effect and would have dragged the whole Chu family down. That’s why Chu Yue decisively chose to kill him.”

“As the eldest lady, Chu Yue was clearly cherished by the entire Chu household, so her first priority would be to protect the family. As for choosing Fu Qingyu, besides avoiding Young Lord Xiao, another reason is that she had confirmed Fu Qingyu’s identity—but could she really become Empress?”

Chu Ling frowned slightly, skeptical.

Chu Yue wasn’t a love-struck fool. Having been reborn, would she still want to pick a man and become his Empress?

Fu Qingyu was cautious around her; someone as clever as Chu Yue would surely notice that.

So the reason she persisted with Fu Qingyu must be… to manipulate him without shedding blood and become the de facto ruler, like an Empress Dowager?

Chu Ling was startled by her own daring speculation. Part of her thought, That’s probably too much, yet another part felt, This is exactly the kind of move a clever heroine would make.

However, Fu Qingyu was no pushover either. It seemed likely that the two of them were mutually using each other—let’s see who’s the better strategist.

Chu Ling inhaled sharply, looked at the still-confused Wan Sanjin, and directly stated her conclusion: “Chu Yue’s plans are grander, but you don’t need to worry about Fu Qingyu; I suspect the two are using each other.”

Wan Sanjin nodded: “I understand.”

Chu Ling continued: “Chu Yue must have weighed the pros and cons and chose the option best for herself and the Chu family. So tonight is her first battle of revenge, and her first step in seizing power. In the future, we might inevitably clash with her, so we must be cautious.”

“Tonight her real target is Young Lord Xiao, and what we need to do is stir up this situation. But we aren’t doing it to save Young Lord Xiao; we’re doing it to foil Chu Yue’s plan.”

Chu Ling sighed as she spoke.

Wan Sanjin also let out a sigh: “I believe your memory isn’t wrong. I noticed back when we studied together that she’s someone who will use any means to achieve her goals—and she’s very clever.”

Chu Ling spoke softly: “No one helps others without self-interest; heaven and earth would punish them otherwise. I don’t want to use any lofty words. But she already sees us as obstacles, so we must confront her.”

Wan Sanjin looked at Chu Ling seriously, revealing his thoughts: “Chu Yue can even recruit and use the most pitiful beggar. I don’t think it would be good for the Great Zhou to fall into her hands. We must confront her.”

Chu Ling nodded firmly and glanced at the weapons.

She thought for a moment. It would be a shame to destroy all these weapons, but leaving them for someone else was unacceptable. So, she said, “…let’s write a secret letter to Lord Mei. We’ll say we’ve discovered an armory that must be handed over to the court, and have the imperial guards come quickly to move it.”

Wan Sanjin nodded: “Once again, we’re helping Lord Mei earn merit.”

Chu Ling nodded. “We really are Lord Mei’s good friends.”

The Ghost Scholar chuckled at the two of them and lightly tapped his fan.

Wan Sanjin, puzzled, touched his shoulder. Chu Ling had already pulled him outside and made him memorize the route. The two of them carefully made their way back, lighting the incense they carried. Once fully burning, they waited for the right moment and threw it down.

After tossing it, they watched as the chaotic area below became engulfed in smoke. They then left, taking their gold with them, and escaped through another passage.

By coincidence, as they were escaping, they ran into a few men in black. Just as the men were about to strike, someone called out, “Master,” stopping Chu Ling’s hand.

“Master, it’s Han Jin. We’ve finished lighting all the incense. I came to find you.” Han Jin whispered, guiding the two exhausted gold carriers out of Half-Moon Mountain.

Wan Sanjin was panting like he’d almost died.

Chu Ling, on the other hand, seemed fine. Luckily, Bai Su and the Ghost Scholar had been helping her along the way, making it much easier.

“Master Wan, eat more and train more. Look at yourself—you’re so weak,” Chu Ling said. She was about to get up when Bai Su suddenly pressed her back down.

“There are people over there,” Bai Su warned.

Chu Ling immediately pulled the two of them down. Once they were crouched, she carefully set down the gold and signaled them to stay still. Then she stealthily slipped behind a large boulder and looked at two opposing figures not far away.

Whoa!

It was Chu Yue and Chu Rou!

Bai Su floated closer. “It’s Chu Yue and Chu Rou. Chu Yue is asking if Chu Rou leaked information, saying the Chu family adopted her and yet she’s a traitor.”

“Chu Rou retorted that the Chu family adopted her with ulterior motives. Something about a past life? In her previous life, Chu Yue had her use the ‘beauty scheme,’ forcing her to marry a vile man. They despised her but exploited her.”

Bai Su frowned. “What kind of nonsense is this?”

Chu Ling tugged on the Ghost Scholar’s sleeve, and he had no choice but to say, “Bai Su, continue.”

Bai Su then roughly recounted the conversation between the two: “Chu Yue said she never expected Chu Rou to betray her, to enter the palace, and even wake up in the same bed as Xiao Lengjue… Chu Rou said she truly loved Young Master Xiao, and that Chu Yue was petty-minded.”

“Chu Yue seemed very pained, very sad, almost crying. She said, ‘I’ve always treated you as a younger sister. Even when you overshadowed me, I never said anything.’ Chu Rou replied, ‘You’ve been reincarnated too. Clearly, you’ve been using me as a target…’”

Chu Ling rubbed her temples, frowning. Listening to their conversation, her mind was full of question marks.

This didn’t fit the Chu Yue she had guessed. Why was she struggling with Chu Rou for so long…?

“This is bad. Chu Yue is stalling!” Chu Ling whispered.

In the blink of an eye, she pulled up her face veil and pressed down her headscarf. Then, in an instant, she rushed out, startling even Bai Su.

In a flash, Chu Ling tackled Chu Rou. A sharp arrow shot at the same time—if not for Chu Ling’s intervention, Chu Rou would have surely died.

From initial shock and anger to sudden realization, Chu Rou’s eyes locked onto Chu Ling, instantly understanding. She got up and charged forward, engaging Chu Yue in combat.

In the distance, the dull sound of iron-hooved horses approached—Xiao Lengjue’s men had arrived.

Chu Ling seized the chance to conceal herself and ran. She then returned to gather Wan Sanjin and Han Jin, carrying their belongings in the opposite direction.

Unnoticed by anyone, wisps of smoke slowly drifted out from the ventilation openings above the passages, gradually spreading to cover all of Half-Moon Mountain.