Ashes to Crown

Chapter 63: Chapter 27: Two Victories

The fighting on the second floor had stopped, but the scattered crowd slowly gathered again. Despite the numbers, it wasn’t noisy; in fact, it was quieter than before.

Some people were just passing by, but one glance was enough to make them stop and stay.

Most of the patrons sat at their tables, eating their own meals, but they would occasionally call over a waiter. They weren’t asking for more food or wine, but rather: ”What’s the score?”

The waiter answered enthusiastically, ”They’re fifty moves in.”

”Only fifty moves? That’s too slow.” A customer stroked his beard and shook his head. ”It seems their skill levels aren’t very high.”

The waiter chuckled. ”That’s fifty moves into the third game.”

The customer was surprised. ”That fast?” Still, he shook his head. ”That just proves their skills aren’t anything special.”

The customer next to him was more forgiving, laughing as he said, ”One is seventeen or eighteen, and the other is only thirteen or fourteen. What kind of skill can you expect?”

All that mattered was seeing the two of them battle it out for victory.

He asked the waiter, ”So who has the upper hand?”

The waiter excitedly held up three fingers. ”Miss Chu, for all three games.”

...

...

Chu Zhao looked at Chu Ke across the board and asked impatiently, ”Are we still playing?”

Across from her, Chu Ke was practically plastered to the Go board. Two other young men were beside him, whispering advice, but what did it matter? Chu Zhao’s victory was already a foregone conclusion. A few more advisors wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide.

Chu Ke swept his hand, scattering the stones across the board, and looked up, his face ashen.

’When did this damn girl learn to play Go? Didn’t they say she was useless at everything? She’s been hiding her skills all along.’

”There’s no reason to hide the ability to play Go,” Chu Zhao said nonchalantly as she collected the stones. ”It’s just a way to pass the time.”

Seeing her infuriatingly smug expression, Chu Ke slammed his fist on the table several times. ”Let’s compete in calligraphy! Go is just a game to pass the time. I’ve spent all my time on my studies.”

’It’s understandable for a girl with nothing better to do to treat Go as a pastime. A scholar like me doesn’t have time for such things. It’s only natural my Go skills are a little lacking.’

Chu Zhao smiled. ”Alright. I don’t need to study to make a living, so calligraphy is also just a way for me to pass the time.”

Liang Qiang, standing to the side, laughed. ”Then let’s see what you’ve got.”

The other young men chimed in. After the Go match, they all looked at Chu Zhao differently. Although Chu Ke’s skills were indeed terrible, this girl clearly had some real talent. She wasn’t just some fierce, rude brute who only knew how to fight and curse.

Seeing the looks in the eyes of the young men who had previously been fawning all over him, Chu Ke grew even more furious and pounded the table. ”Well, what are you waiting for? Clear the table!”

The young men smilingly moved the Go board aside, then fetched the ink, brushes, paper, and inkstone that the restaurant had already delivered and set them up. Chu Zhao said nothing more. She sat up straight, held back her sleeve, and lifted the brush to begin writing.

Seeing the girl’s serene expression, the young men stopped their joking and fell even quieter than they had been during the Go match.

...

...

”It’s so quiet.”

Qi Leyun rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the pillar on the opposite side of the room. The tables over there were clearly full, but she couldn’t hear the sound of Third Young Master Xie’s laughter.

’Third Young Master Xie really is a quiet person.’

Her gaze couldn’t help but drift downward, a hint of annoyance on her face.

”Why is it so quiet over where Chu Zhao is? Did she leave?”

Although the young ladies had stopped paying attention, their maids were still gathering gossip, ready to report on Chu Zhao’s humiliation at a moment’s notice to cheer their mistresses up.

However, they hadn’t gotten the chance yet.

A maid said, ”She didn’t leave. Miss Chu is competing in calligraphy with Chu Ke.”

Qi Leyun and the other girls all turned to look at the maid, their expressions a mixture of surprise and amusement.

”What calligraphy skills could Chu Zhao possibly have? She’d be lucky if she can even write the characters correctly.”

”Didn’t we make her write for us once? Remember how ridiculous it was?”

”Chu Ke might be mediocre, but he’s still leagues above her, surely?”

”It might be a fair match if Chu Tang were competing against Chu Ke.”

But then one of them remembered something else and called a maid over. ”Weren’t they just playing Go? Who won?”

That’s right, there was that, too. The girls all stared intently, waiting for the answer.

The maid timidly held up three fingers. ”Three games. Miss Chu won them all.”

The girls erupted in an uproar.

”Is Chu Ke’s Go skill that pathetic?”

”How embarrassing.”

”Chu Ke was always just average. In the Chu Family, only Chu Tang is truly exceptional.”

”He’s completely disgraced the Chu Family, losing to Chu Zhao.”

”Hey, aren’t they both from the Chu Family?”

The girls burst into a flurry of chatter. Qi Leyun pulled half of her attention away from the pillar and ordered her maid, ”Go keep an eye on them. Let’s see what kind of garbage Chu Zhao manages to write.”

...

...

The crowd grew larger, and it was no longer as quiet as before. A few maids squeezed their way in, and since they couldn’t really judge the calligraphy, they kept asking others, ”How is it? Is it any good?”

The others watched the girl sitting upright and writing, nodding in approval. ”Her small regular script is not bad. She’s clearly put in the effort to learn.”

’Just ’not bad’?’ The maids breathed a sigh of relief. They stood on their tiptoes to watch as Chu Zhao finished a sheet and set it aside. The characters on it were neat and elegant, but sure enough, nothing special—about the same as what their own mistresses could produce.

”Hey,” someone beside them suddenly exclaimed. ”She’s switched to a different script.”

The others noticed too and couldn’t help but press forward. The people in front, getting squashed, complained unhappily, ”Don’t push!” ”You’re stepping on my foot!”

A small commotion rippled through the crowd.

Chu Ke couldn’t help but look up. Only then did he realize how many people had gathered. He glanced at Chu Zhao across the table; she had already finished one sheet and was now focused on writing a second—

’Calligraphy isn’t a race to see who can write the fastest!’

Chu Ke cursed inwardly, tightened his grip on the brush, and quickened his pace. More discussions rose around him, and all he could hear was talk of ”the girl,” ”the girl.”

”This girl’s running script shows considerable skill.”

”She’s not very old, but her brushwork is vigorous. She’s clearly put in a lot of practice.”

”Hey! The girl’s switched scripts again. It’s cursive script!”

...

...

”I don’t believe it! What does she know about cursive script!” Qi Leyun shot to her feet. She glanced at the pillar—it wasn’t going to run away. Pulling back the rest of her attention, she pushed her maid aside. ”I’m going to see for myself!”

Unable to contain their curiosity any longer, the other girls also stood up. The group clattered down the stairs, their glittering jewels and magnificent robes immediately creating another spectacle.

More eyes turned to watch them, then followed their path toward the second floor.

Deng Yi shook his wine pot; it was empty. He raised his hand to call for a waiter, but the waiters were all watching the second floor, pointing and whispering with amusement. Deng Yi had to call out twice before one finally came over.

”Another pot of wine,” he said, gesturing to the empty seat across from him. ”This gentleman is paying for everything.”

...

...

Having finished four sheets of paper, Chu Zhao looked at Chu Ke, who was still frantically writing, and reminded him, ”Brother, calligraphy isn’t a competition to see who can write the most.”

Chu Ke looked up. For some reason, his hair had become disheveled again from his writing, making him look even more pathetic with his bruised and swollen face.

He looked around, and all eyes finally fell on him.

”Brother Ao Ke,” one of his companions said, pointing to his paper with some embarrassment. ”You... wrote this character wrong.”

’That’s because I finished the stroke too quickly,’ Chu Ke thought, so angry he slammed his brush on the table. He held out his hand. ”Let me see!”

The sheets Chu Zhao had written were no longer on the table; they were being passed around by the crowd.

Only the six or seven sheets he had written lay scattered on the desk. The onlookers had no interest in picking them up, merely leaning over for a quick glance—

’This is so humiliating!’

Liang Qiang wasn’t quite so cruel. He snatched a sheet from someone else’s hands and handed it to Chu Ke. ”Look, your little sister can write in cursive script, just like you.”

Chu Ke stared at the paper that was nearly shoved in his face. The flamboyant, masterfully flowing characters on it made his eyes ache.

’The damn girl didn’t make a single mistake.’