Volume II, Big Summer Dynasty Chapter 14: Childhood
The assassination incident continued to unfold without rest from dawn until the next day. Zhu Shun, the housekeeper, suffered a broken hand, and Zhuge Huai's household experienced heavy losses. Outraged, Zhu Shun demanded justice from his master, Zhuge Huai, placing all the blame on the Kamisha girl they had arrested—who turned out to be Jin Jiao. Still wounded, Jin Jiao was dragged to the palm, wrapped in ropes and a mat, and thrown into the pavilion lake.
Zhuge Yue was lost in deep thought, not displaying his typical temperament. It seemed as though his maidservants had been dying one by one in less than 24 hours, and his thoughts turned to the only one left—the little girl Chu Qiao. She was young, around eight years old, appearing immature and usually speaking in vain when in front of him. Even if she had some capability, to outsiders, she remained largely unknown. By midday, news of the events had spread throughout the family and its government connections, top to bottom. This situation was uncharacteristic of the fourth young master and his typically efficient handling of affairs. Yet, this afternoon, idle rumors began circulating about the fourth young master, who had been quietly raised under the guidance of the Yue masters of old, where they had begun training young girls to mold them into future characters they desired.
"This way, please," they addressed Chu Qiao with newfound respect.
Still in the middle of the day, Chu Qiao was wearing a new white sea begonia skirt paired with white camel hair boots, her hair adorned with two green jade flowers. She hopped playfully in the back garden near the lake, looking stunning and lovely. She had just come from Merlin, where she often picked various blossoms and was drenched in their fragrance. On her way to the bamboo forest, a shadow appeared before her, smiling, and said, "I can't believe I found you!"
The Zhuge household's little son was wearing a sophisticated navy-blue robe, richly embroidered with colorful birds, a sight that impressed Chu Qiao. The little son beamed at her and said, "Where are you headed? The weather is nice—let's go fishing."
Chu Qiao frowned, watching the excited little son, shaking her head. "Sorry, I can't come today. I'm busy and have a lot of work to do—more work, less company." She then continued on her way.
"Hey, hey, don't go!" The little son hurriedly stepped in front of her, spreading his arms to stop her. "I've been looking for you all morning and finally found you here in the bamboo forest. What's your name? Which yard do you belong to? I'm going to Zhuge Huai's household—will you come over with me?"
Chu Qiao raised an eyebrow, turned her head, and asked, "Do you really want me to go with you?"
The little son sincerely replied, "Of all the maidservants in the Zhuge household, you seem the most pleasing to the eye. What if I offer you a new job as one of my personal bodyguards? Will you accept?"
Chu Qiao, amused, nodded and said, "Well, I'll tell you my name, but you have to go to the young master and tell him you saw my skills and met me again today, alright?"
"Don't worry!" The little son patted his chest, exclaiming, "I'll tell him I met this small maidservant today, who seems to be around ten or eight years old. Zhuge Huai will surely believe me."
"Well, listen carefully," Chu Qiao said, chuckling inside, as she played along. "They call me Virtual, and I live in the Ukrainian courtyard. I'm one of the sinus gods among the small maidservants. I order the young ladies who play and make clay figurines. Remember that."
The little son's eyes lit up. "You make clay figurines?"
"Aha!" Chu Qiao bubbled with laughter for the first time in years. Seeing how cute this child was, she couldn't help but tiptoe, pinch his soft cheeks, and smile. "I've got more skills to show you, but not today. The future will reveal them one by one. I have to go practice now. If you see the young master, remember to tell him."
"You can rest assured," the little son nodded with a sincere smile. "You still have to go back to pick up some blossoms, so I'll let you go for now."
As Chu Qiao walked away, she glanced back and saw the little son standing on a large stone, waving at her. Unable to hold back her laughter, she grinned at him before turning back towards Castle Peak, amused by the encounter.
"A fake name, a foreign courtyard under a master who loves fumes, favored among men, a small maidservant who plays with clay figurines—let's see if you can decode that," came a clear male voice from above. Chu Qiao, startled, looked up and saw Yan Xun, dressed in grand attire, sitting on a tall pine branch. He mockingly chuckled as he looked down at her.
This wasn't the first time Yan Xun had shown his light-hearted nature to Chu Qiao. Unable to disguise her annoyance, she coldly said, "Climb so high—aren't you afraid of falling to your death?"
"Don't worry about that," Yan Xun replied with a chuckle. "You're a vicious child, always worried about the weather. I see dark clouds gathering in the sky. In winter, it's impossible to have thunder, but you seem unbothered by such things."
Chu Qiao, small but bold, stood by the tree and replied, "You don't have anything good to offer. But the guilty conscience of someone who follows princes all day long—that's what I'm waiting to beat out of you."
"You're so bold," Yan Xun said harshly but with a laugh. The young prince, still sitting in the tree, followed the child's movements. "I shot at you that day, but my arrows missed. And yet, to save you, even your young master danced for joy. But instead of being grateful, you act like a little demon. What's the reason?"
"I warned you not to haunt me anymore. If you dare, you'll regret it."
With that, Chu Qiao turned to leave, but after only two steps, she bumped into a rough, hard surface—a snowy pine tower. Embarrassed, she bowed her head. Furious, she turned back and glared at Yan Xun. "Are you provoking me?"
"No," Yan Xun smirked, struggling to hold back laughter. "Not provoking—I'm bullying you."
Chu Qiao, her head tilted, stood silently for a moment before walking away. Yan Xun pretended to be deep in thought, waiting for her to leave. His heart felt bitter as he watched her go. Suddenly, a fist-sized stone shot through the air, hitting the tree. Startled, Yan Xun narrowly avoided being buried under an avalanche of snow. Covered in snow, he looked up to see Chu Qiao standing in the white snow, looking more beautiful than ever—like Snow White, while he felt like the prince who had just fallen from the skies.
Yan Xun jumped down, still covered in snow, and smiled at her, only to see her give him a mocking grin and show him a middle finger before walking away.
Yan Xun, not angry but amused, felt the cold numbness of the snow on his feet. As he realized what had happened, he absentmindedly returned the gesture, wondering what it meant. Thirteen-year-old Yan Xun of noble birth was puzzled. What was this gesture?
Meanwhile, the eleven-year-old prince, who had been watching from the woods, cried, "In the world, I'll catch her!"
"Did you catch her?" Yan Xun scoffed, pointing to his middle finger. "Hey, what does this gesture mean?"
The prince, slightly taken aback, replied, "It probably means an apology. She knows she's done something outrageous, but she's sensible enough to apologize with this gesture."
"An apology?" Yan Xun frowned. "Really? It didn't seem like one."
"Yes," the prince assured him. "That's what it means."
Yan Xun, still wondering, looked dumbfounded.
…
Zhuge's little son arrived at the Hongshan courtyard, where Zhuge Huai and Zhao Che were sitting. After hearing the little son's story, they burst into laughter. Zhao Che said, "The young prince is clever, but even a ghost wizard wouldn't be able to make sense of this. Huai, your household is full of clever maidservants—I'd love to meet them."
Zhuge Huai laughed again, saying, "The servant isn't very sensible."
"What are you laughing at?" The little son's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
Zhao Zhe laughed. "Wu Yuan, Dou Da Niang's clay figurine maidservants—weren't you just fooled? My prince, they were playing a joke on you."
Loud laughter echoed through the corridors.
Zhao Song's face flushed as he stomped away, bitter and embarrassed.
AC Afterthoughts
After reading this chapter, I initially thought that Zhuge's little son was a member of the Zhuge household, perhaps the younger brother of Zhuge Huai and Zhuge Yue. However, it was revealed that he is actually Zhao Song, the 13th Prince of Wei. I couldn't help but laugh out loud, especially at how clueless Yan Xun appeared when he didn't know what the middle finger meant!
It's hilarious because Chu Qiao comes from the future, so the gesture was completely natural to her. However, in an ancient setting, it's entirely strange and out of place—making the moment even funnier!