Ashes to Crown

Chapter 98: Chapter 57: Atmosphere

The competitions these days were completely different from before.

The subjects were no longer limited to the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—anything was fair game for a challenge.

A certain Miss Cong loved to fish. She was typically a timid and quiet person, but swept up in the girls’ collective excitement, she had unconsciously stood up and shouted, ”I can fish, does anyone dare to challenge me?”

After shouting, Miss Cong herself was mortified—’what kind of talent is fishing?’—but someone actually accepted her challenge. And then, Miss Cong won.

At the time, Chu Zhao had pointed at the loser and laughed heartily. ”You can’t even beat a girl at a simple pastime.”

And so, pastimes like riding, archery, and fishing were all turned into competitions. Today’s event was pitch-pot. It was played in teams of ten, and because Chu Zhao was skilled in horsemanship and archery, possessing both the arm strength and keen eye for it, she was allowed to join a team.

”But you have to know, pitch-pot is still different from archery,” Qi Leyun reminded her, still worried. ”Don’t just throw blindly. If you lose, you’ll embarrass all of us.”

Chu Zhao smiled and pointed toward a screen standing in the direction of the flower hall. ”Who’s been embarrassed more times?”

After every competition, the winner’s name was recorded, but so was the loser’s. This motivated the winners to win even more, while the losers grew more determined to compete and redeem their reputations.

Qi Leyun had lost more times than Chu Zhao.

It was plain for all to see, so Qi Leyun had no retort, and she ground her teeth in frustration. ”We’re both embarrassments! The pot calling the kettle black, and you’re proud of it?”

Qi Leyun wasn’t afraid of Chu Zhao hitting her anymore. In fact, although Chu Zhao talked tough, aside from that one time with Liang Qin, she had never actually struck any of the other girls. Qi Leyun had even provoked her deliberately a few times, but Chu Zhao had only ever retorted verbally, never physically.

Sure enough, Chu Zhao just laughed upon hearing this, and the other girls laughed along. They, too, had long since stopped being afraid of her.

They even felt that the past incident of her hitting someone wasn’t such a big deal anymore.

’Girls are people too, and people have all sorts of tempers. So what if a girl is a bit short-tempered? When you spend time together, arguments are inevitable. Don’t sisters at home bicker and quarrel all the time?’

Besides, the fight between Chu Zhao and Liang Qin had a clear cause and effect; it wasn’t some baseless, malicious act intended to harm.

When men got together, besides discussing poetry and philosophy, they often got into fistfights over a single disagreement. But after the fight, they held no grudges, continued to associate with one another, and were even praised for being ’magnanimous gentlemen’.

Well, then they could be magnanimous too.

”Alright, you two, stop arguing about who’s won or lost,” the other girls said with a laugh, pointing ahead. ”Go and beat *them*.”

.....

...

Chu Tang sat on the second floor.

Hearing the cheers and laughter from outside, the maids who were organizing the account books commented with a smile, ”It sounds like Miss Ah Zhao and the others have won.”

Instead of sitting and poring over the account books as she usually did, Chu Tang rose and walked over to the window. She saw the girls cheering excitedly, with Chu Zhao surrounded in the middle, several of them holding her hands—

”Miss Ah Zhao seems to be getting along very well with everyone,” a maid said with a smile.

Chu Tang nodded with a gentle smile. ”Yes, everyone is quite fond of her now.”

And this fondness wasn’t because Chu Zhao had become like them, but precisely because she was different from them.

Chu Tang found it amusing but also completely understandable. ’People are naturally more curious about those who are different from themselves. Once that curiosity takes hold, their hearts become invested. For women, this means acceptance; for men, it means the desire to conquer—’

’That must be the reason for the Heir of Zhongshan King.’

Chu Zhao had been vague and unwilling to tell her the details, but after a little thought, especially after questioning Chu Ke, she had figured it out.

However, Chu Ke didn’t know about Chu Zhao falling into the water and being rescued by the Heir of Zhongshan King. This must have happened before Chu Ke caught up with her.

But Chu Ke did verify that throughout their journey together, Chu Zhao’s attitude toward the Heir of Zhongshan King had been very poor.

”The Heir of Zhongshan King was so pleasant, so gracious, so polite, and he treated her so well—” Chu Ke had grumbled indignantly.

’Yes,’ Chu Tang thought. ’Other women, let alone being saved by him, would flock to him, subservient and eager, just at the mention of his name.’

’The women the Heir of Zhongshan King usually encountered were undoubtedly all like that. So when he met someone as wild and untamable as Chu Zhao, he was naturally drawn to her.’

’Although I haven’t had dealings with men, growing up in an academy and observing their ways, I believe I understand them quite well.’

’Chu Zhao is an ignorant country girl, taught by our uncle to be arrogant and look down on everyone. But I am not. I know exactly what it means to form a connection with a man like the Heir of Zhongshan King.’

”You can fight for the admiration of the girls,” Chu Tang murmured to herself. ”I, however, must go and seize the opportunity to secure my own future.”

The maids heard her soft muttering and were about to ask what she said when a servant woman approached with a beaming smile.

”Miss Ah Tang, someone from the Drunken Immortal Tower has delivered the new order sheets,” she said.

Chu Tang smiled at the woman, then glanced at the account books on the desk. ”I’ll go take a look.”

The maids thought nothing of it and curtsied as she left. They watched Chu Tang depart with the servant woman. Not long after, they saw Chu Tang’s personal maid, Linglong, return. She said something to Chu Zhao downstairs, and Chu Zhao then announced to the other girls, ”I’m sitting out the next round. Don’t you dare lose without me.”

The girls laughingly shooed her away.

Only then did Chu Zhao follow Linglong and leave.

The maids on the second floor didn’t think much of it either. ’Even though Miss Ah Zhao has entrusted the affairs of Chu Garden to Chu Tang, she can’t just ignore everything. Important matters still require her approval.’

...

...

Chu Zhao left, but the competitions continued. Her participation wasn’t essential anymore, unless someone specifically called her out for a challenge.

As soon as Chu Zhao left, another girl joined the team. It was ten against ten, and once again, the girls won the round.

The girls cheered jubilantly. On the other side, the young masters just shook their heads. Some bowed courteously to the women, but one remarked, ”When it comes to these frivolous pastimes, we are admittedly inferior.”

The girls naturally caught the sarcasm in his words, but it didn’t provoke a torrent of angry curses.

One girl asked with a smile, ”The young master is clearly learned and talented. Might I ask what you excel at?”

The young master naturally knew what the girl was getting at. But since she had started with a compliment, he couldn’t refuse to answer, or he would look like an uncultured fool.

Besides, no one dared to underestimate these girls anymore. The young master carefully considered his options and chose one of his strongest skills.

Just as he expected, the girl beamed and said, ”As it happens, I know a little about that myself. I would be honored to exchange pointers with the young master.”

Her words were so polite that the young master could only agree. The two competed, and in this round, the girl lost.

The young master breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn’t say anything arrogant or insulting. Instead, he bowed to the girl. ”Your thoughts are quick and agile, my lady. I was merely fortunate to win.”

The girl also thanked him sincerely. ”This has been a most enlightening match, sir.”

After they separated, neither the men nor the women in the crowd made a clamor. The men offered no praise to the winner, instead pointing out his shortcomings. The girls, on the other hand, praised the loser, encouraging her not to be discouraged by defeat.

The atmosphere of the competitions in Chu Garden was different now. The goal was no longer to crush an opponent, but to engage in a true contest of skills.

And in a contest of skills, one had to be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Learning was a limitless journey; no one dared claim to be invincible after a single win.

This also meant they were finally being seen, treated as real opponents.

The girls chattered and laughed as they gathered around the one who had lost. Amidst the joyous noise, a woman’s shriek suddenly pierced the air, immediately followed by a loud SPLASH.

”My lady—!” A sharp cry followed immediately.

Everyone’s gaze snapped in the same direction. It wasn’t far—just across from the platform, by the lake’s edge, a maid stood beneath the rockery.

The maid was no stranger. Everyone knew her as Ah Le, who was always by Chu Zhao’s side.

But at this moment, Chu Zhao was not beside her. Ah Le’s face was a mask of terror as she screamed toward the lake.

”Help—!”

’Help? Miss Chu Zhao... fell in the water?’ Everyone was stunned. Their eyes shot toward the water, but before they could see anything clearly, they heard another SPLASH.

Someone came running, swift as the wind, and leaped into the lake, sending up a huge spray of water.