Ashes to Crown

Chapter 101: Chapter 60: A Respectful Send-off

That went a bit too far.

The men nearby frowned. Chu Zhao had only just started to behave herself, and now she was being improper again. This wasn’t just improper—was she trying to seduce the Heir of Zhongshan King?

Was she implying that she, as the host, would also repay the Heir of Zhongshan King by serving him with her body?

A young lady! How could she say such a thing!

However, while the young women around them were also made uncomfortable by her words, not all of them were disdainful or ashamed. Someone let out a stifled laugh.

”Chu Zhao, have you been learning from those young masters with impure intentions?” Qi Leyun asked loudly. ”You don’t learn from the good examples, only the bad ones.”

Hearing her, the other young women, as well as the frowning men, were taken aback for a moment. Then, they remembered something.

At Chu Garden, young women and young men competed, but as many were in the bloom of their youth, it was inevitable that other feelings would arise. There was a young master, surnamed Zhu, who, after winning a competition against a certain young lady, actually sent a matchmaker to her home to express his admiration.

The young lady, however, was neither panicked nor enraged. She told the matchmaker, ”The young master only bested me in a single talent, yet he expects me to marry him in return? If that’s the case, then countless people in this world could marry him as well.”

When word of this got out, it naturally became the talk of the town.

However, soon after, another young master, after competing with a young lady, also had his family go to her home to propose marriage. This time, he had lost to the young lady, but that didn’t stop him from being utterly captivated by her.

This young master came from an excellent family, and the young lady’s parents were tempted.

But the girl was unmoved. She told her parents, ”I came here to compete, not to find a husband.”

The young master refused to give up, repeatedly professing that it was precisely because they had competed that he understood her better. She was the woman he was looking for, the one he wanted to spend his life with.

The young lady laughed. ”All you understand is my talent. The ideal partner you envision is just my skill in painting. If that’s the case, why not take me as your teacher? A teacher for a day is a teacher for a lifetime—we could spend our lives together that way, too.”

This, too, became the talk of the town.

Many of the young women sneered, remarking that Chu Garden was a place for competition, not for finding a spouse—throwing the words the Third Prince had once used to scold the princesses right back.

The men couldn’t stand it anymore either. They privately issued an order: no more lovesick behavior at the Chu Garden Literary Meeting. A literary meeting was a literary meeting, and a competition was a competition. When men competed and sparred with each other in the past, did their hearts ever flutter with romance?

Anyone else who was tactless enough to make a fool of themselves would be banned from all future literary meetings, and no one would compete with them again.

Being ostracized by other scholars would affect one’s future prospects, so such incidents stopped happening.

Even if someone met a woman they admired at Chu Garden, they wouldn’t dare speak of it recklessly. They would wait until after the literary meeting to seek another opportunity.

By shouting this at Chu Zhao now, Qi Leyun was implying that a literary meeting was just a literary meeting, and repaying a debt of gratitude was just that. To have any other intentions would be despicable.

Exchanging maidservants was an elegant custom, and a woman could certainly do so with a man. But if a woman were to offer herself—

The one who said it would be despicable, but wouldn’t the one who dared to accept the offer be just as despicable?

It would no longer be a simple act of kindness, the grace of saving a life, or the conduct of a true gentleman!

Xiao Xun, of course, understood the implication. Looking at the girl before him, the smile on his face widened, his dimples deepening. ”Miss Chu jests. In that case, it would be rude of me to refuse.” With that, he raised a hand in a salute. ”I’ll take my leave.”

Chu Zhao didn’t try to stop him again. She smiled, replied in acknowledgment, and performed a respectful salute to see him off.

Linglong was still kneeling on the ground, too stunned to react. What was the meaning of that verbal sparring between Miss Chu Zhao and the Princely Heir? Had she really just become a maidservant to the Heir of Zhongshan King?

Ah Le had already reached out and hauled her up again.

”Miss,” she shouted. ”Should Linglong go with the Princely Heir now, or should we send her over later?”

Chu Zhao looked at Linglong and smiled faintly. ”Linglong, I think you should go now. Get familiar with the place. Your belongings will be sent over with the thank-you gifts. By then, you’ll be at the Princely Heir’s side and can help organize everything.”

Linglong’s heart pounded. She couldn’t help but look at Xiao Xun. ’He is so handsome and valiant, and he’s a Princely Heir, a member of the Imperial Family, a man from the heavens—’

’Didn’t the young miss design this fall into the water for this very moment?’

’And now it has fallen to me.’

’As for how it fell to me—who cares! To hell with questions and thinking! To hell with explaining things to the young miss!’

’I, Linglong, am ascending to the heavens!’

”Yes,” Linglong declared, shouting as loudly as Ah Le had, making sure everyone could hear. ”This servant will go and attend to the Princely Heir at once.”

With that, she walked over to Xiao Xun’s side on her own, without needing Ah Le’s support.

Xiao Xun never once glanced at her. His gaze fell only on Chu Zhao, with half a glance for Chu Tang standing behind her. ’Was this scheme hatched by one of the Chu Family girls, or two of them working together?’

’Even if it was two girls, it was really because of one of them. One must have convinced the other.’

Xiao Xun looked at Chu Zhao again. This was the first time he had truly seen the girl. This time, he would remember more than just her face and her family name.

”I’ll take my leave,” he said. ”Miss Chu.”

Without giving Chu Zhao another chance to speak, he strode away.

Linglong, no longer looking as weak as she had just after falling in the water, trotted to keep up, not once looking back at her former young miss.

Chu Zhao said nothing more to stop them, joining the others in a respectful salute to see them off.

After this interlude, no one was in the mood for competitions. Many people had heard the news that the Heir of Zhongshan King was in the Capital City, but since the King of Zhongshan had left the capital decades ago, the people of the Capital City were unfamiliar with both father and son.

Since arriving in the Capital City, the Princely Heir had lived in seclusion, avoiding all social contact. It was as if he weren’t even here.

It wasn’t until today that everyone finally saw him.

”The Princely Heir is even more handsome than the King of Zhongshan,” an older person remarked, recalling the few times the then-Little Prince had made public appearances.

Others weren’t interested in the past. They wondered, ”How long will the Princely Heir stay in the Capital City this time?”

”The Princely Heir isn’t married yet,” someone else speculated in a low voice. ”Will Your Majesty arrange a marriage for him?”

In short, there were now many new topics of conversation. People sat around chatting or wandered about, whispering among themselves. In a grand gesture, Chu Zhao made all the refreshments free of charge to celebrate the Princely Heir’s gracious visit.

Chu Zhao didn’t join in these discussions. She excused herself, saying she needed to prepare the thank-you gifts and report the matter to her elders.

Chu Tang followed close behind her. Chu Zhao neither shooed her away nor spoke to her, not until they had entered a room and sat down.

”Do you have anything to say?” Chu Zhao asked, looking at Chu Tang.

Chu Tang looked at the girl sitting before the table and obediently shook her head. ”I have nothing to say. Everything I would say, you already know, Ah Zhao.”

’Admitting my mistake, making excuses... doing that in front of a clever person is just tedious and laughable.’

Chu Zhao smiled. ”Then, does Sister Ah Tang have any questions for me?”

For instance, why she had been pinned in the crevice of the rockery, or why Linglong was kicked into the water. Or how she knew about their entire plan.

Chu Tang was indeed curious about these things, but what was done was done. There was no need to ask.

”No.” Chu Tang shook her head again, her expression more sincere than ever. ”Ah Zhao, I have no questions at all. You don’t need to explain anything to me. From now on, whatever you say, I will listen.”

’The cousin from that other life who beat, cursed, and tried to assassinate me, the madwoman who wouldn’t even deign to speak a clear sentence, was like a completely different person from the girl before me now.’

’So calm, so frank, so clever.’

’This is how it should be. My cousin has always been a clever person. Getting along with clever people is the simplest thing—you just have to make them understand that you’re someone they can’t afford to provoke.’

’This head-on blow should be enough to sober Chu Tang up for good.’

Chu Zhao smiled.

”Since that’s settled, I won’t say any more about it. I will only tell you my objective: our Chu Family will have absolutely no dealings with the King of Zhongshan.” She looked at Chu Tang and said softly, ”If someone insists on trying, I will make sure that person is no longer named Chu.”