Ashes to Crown

Chapter 92: Chapter 52: Knowing

Although Xiao Xun had come in disguise, as Chu Lan’s guests made their hasty farewells, the news quickly reached the women on Mrs. Jiang’s side, and they too began making excuses to leave one after another.

Mrs. Jiang rushed over to find Chu Lan, bursting into the study to see him sitting there alone, completely still, a dazed look on his face.

”My lord, is our house about to be seized?” Mrs. Jiang asked with a sob.

Startled from his reverie, Chu Lan shot her a glare. ”What nonsense are you spouting?”

Then he burst out laughing.

”Seized? The Chu Family’s fortune has arrived.”

Mrs. Jiang grew even more alarmed. ’Has my lord been scared out of his wits?’

”What are you letting your imagination run wild for? Outsiders may not know about our connection to the Princely Heir, but you should,” Chu Lan said with a smile, personally helping Mrs. Jiang to a seat.

’She really had no idea what connection they had with the Heir of Zhongshan King...’ Mrs. Jiang looked at Chu Lan worriedly. ”My lord, you must be all right.”

Chu Lan sat down across from her. ”The Princely Heir came to help us solve a problem.” He stroked his short beard, his expression serene. ”We’ve already come to an agreement.”

Only then was Mrs. Jiang convinced, though she still found it hard to believe. ”Really? How?”

”This is a matter that I need you to handle,” Chu Lan said, moving to sit beside his wife. ”It must be kept secret. No one else can know.”

Mrs. Jiang quickly leaned in. As she listened to Chu Lan’s whispers, the last trace of worry vanished from her face, replaced by a smile that filled her eyes.

Chu Zhao was walking through the garden, lost in thought, and didn’t notice a few people striding toward her, fuming.

”—It’s that punk, Xie Yanlai—”

”He’s actually Xie Yanfang’s younger brother? Ah Qiang, you’re sure you heard that right?”

Liang Qiang, who was walking in front, stopped and glared at the young man behind him. ”What? You’re scared just because you heard he’s Xie Yanfang’s brother?”

The young man said sheepishly, ”What I mean is, Third Young Master Xie will surely discipline him—”

”Third Young Master Xie’s ’discipline’ was to send him out of the capital. Is that discipline? That’s letting him lie low and avoid trouble! That bastard mocked my sister and my family, the Liang Family. We absolutely cannot let him get away with this,” Liang Qiang said hatefully.

Just as he said this, he suddenly noticed someone standing before them. Liang Qiang and his companions jumped, then took a closer look—

”Miss Ah Zhao,” Liang Qiang called out hastily.

Chu Zhao smiled and curtsied, asking curiously, ”What are you all talking about?”

Liang Qiang said resentfully, ”It’s about that one from the Xie family— Ahem, Miss Ah Zhao, what are you doing here?”

’Is she here waiting for me on purpose?’

Chu Zhao smiled and said, ”There are plenty of people more talented than I am. I’m at leisure now, so I’m just taking a walk.”

’What a coincidence, to run into her just taking a walk.’ Liang Qiang gave a slight smile. ”Miss Ah Zhao, you’re too modest. Without you, the others would have had no chance to display their talents.”

Chu Zhao had no idea what this young man was thinking, nor did she wish to associate with the Liang Family. She said politely, ”Thank you, Young Master.”

It was time for the young master to take his leave.

But the young master across from her remained standing, seemingly in a daze.

The young men beside him were also a bit confused. Someone gave Liang Qiang a gentle nudge. ”Are we leaving?”

Liang Qiang snapped back to reality and looked at Chu Zhao. ”I’ll be going now.” He smiled again. ”I’ve been watching, you know. Miss Ah Zhao, you were very brave.”

Chu Zhao was taken aback. She harbored a deep hatred for the Liang Family and remained guarded and distant. Since the incident with Miss Liang, the two families had ceased all contact. While she knew some young men from the Liang Family came to Chu Garden to amuse themselves, she hadn’t paid it any mind. She never expected this Liang Qiang to praise her.

”Thank you, Young Master,” she said, returning the courtesy.

’I’ve probably made my intentions clear.’ Liang Qiang nodded. ”Well then, I’ll be going.”

Chu Zhao said, ”Take care, Young Master.”

Only then did Liang Qiang walk past with his companions.

His companions couldn’t hold back any longer, chattering all at once. ”Didn’t she bully your sister, too? Why were you smiling at her like a flower in bloom—” ”When did you get so familiar with Miss Chu?”

”A squabble between girls is nothing, not like that punk from the Xie family—” Liang Qiang said, grinding his teeth at the thought. ”Besides, that kid isn’t some proper young master. He’s the bastard son of a mistress.”

His companions recalled their earlier conversation and asked curiously, ”Is that true?” ”So that’s his origin?” ”I can’t believe Third Young Master Xie has such a disgraceful brother.” ”In that case, we can’t let him off easy!” ”Ah Qiang, tell us, how should we teach him a lesson!”

Their bravado surged.

’People are always quick to judge others by their birth. Just as I expected, no one’s afraid now that they know.’ Liang Qiang smiled with satisfaction. He couldn’t resist looking back, and sure enough, he saw the girl also looking in his direction. ’She really can’t bear to see me go.’

He had come to Chu Garden several times these past few days but hadn’t dared to speak with Chu Zhao directly, fearing it would cause trouble for his family. ’Still,’ he thought, ’the fact that I’m here at all must be the greatest comfort to her.’

”Ah Zhao.”

A voice from up ahead broke Chu Zhao from her daze.

Chu Zhao pulled her gaze back and saw two girls standing a short distance away. Nowadays, many girls no longer avoided her; in fact, they would actively greet her.

”What are you looking at?” the two girls asked, also glancing behind them at the retreating figures of the young men.

Chu Zhao said, ”That was Young Master Ah Qiang of the Liang Family. After the huge falling-out I had with Miss Liang, I didn’t expect him to still come to Chu Garden.”

The two girls laughed. ”Maybe he came to watch you make a fool of yourself.”

Chu Zhao smiled. ”Well, that’s still drawing a crowd.”

Both girls laughed. ’How could anyone say Chu Zhao is fierce? She’s clearly very witty.’

”Actually, Miss Liang is being laughed at too, and not because of what happened with you,” one of the girls said in a low voice. ”You’ve heard about her marriage proposal being rejected, right?”

Chu Zhao actually hadn’t heard about Liang Qin’s engagement being rejected, nor did she particularly care.

The other girl nodded. ”You heard about it too? At first, everyone thought the Xie family looked down on the Liang Family’s status, but it turns out the man himself was unimpressed with Miss Liang. He said her looks couldn’t even compare to his own.”

Chu Zhao understood now and frowned. ”Even if he wasn’t interested, there was no need to humiliate her like that.”

The two girls exchanged a look, a little surprised. They had expected Chu Zhao to gloat over her misfortune.

”Miss Liang is a girl, and what happened to her is something any of us women could face,” Chu Zhao said. ”We should put ourselves in her shoes and empathize. Our bodies, our features—they are gifts from our parents. We don’t get to decide them. It’s not our fault, so we shouldn’t feel inferior or be ridiculed for it.”

The two girls nodded. ”You’re right, Ah Zhao.”

Chu Zhao said, ”That man is despicable. I hope none of us ever encounter someone like him.”

’The people of the Xie family truly are no good,’ she thought. ’But since I won’t be the Empress in this life, their rebellion has nothing to do with me.’

”You two have fun,” Chu Zhao said. ”I’m going to have a word with Ah Tang.”

The girls smiled. ”Go on, don’t let us keep you.”

Chu Tang was sitting on the second floor, sipping tea at a leisurely pace, while four maids organized account books nearby. When they saw Chu Zhao enter, they all hurried to greet her.

”Would you like to take a look—” Chu Tang offered.

But Chu Zhao waved her hand, dismissing the maids first.

Chu Tang grew a little tense. She had just seen Chu Zhao walking over with a few other girls, and the girls in this area had also flocked to greet her. Chu Zhao’s relationship with the other girls was so much better now; she was no longer shunned. In fact, she was subtly becoming their pillar of support. ’Is she going to kick me to the curb now that she doesn’t need me anymore?’

Chu Zhao looked at her, hesitating. ”Elder Sister, do you know who came today?”

Seeing Chu Zhao’s strange expression, Chu Tang was a little confused. ”Who?”

Chu Zhao looked down at her own fingers. ”Have you heard of the Heir of Zhongshan King?”

Chu Tang looked at Chu Zhao. She knew of the Heir of Zhongshan King, but she didn’t know what to make of Chu Zhao’s current demeanor. ’Is this... bashfulness?’