Ashes to Crown

Chapter 180: Chapter 11: Succession

Outside the Emperor’s bedchambers, fireworks exploded in the sky.

The officials standing outside the hall stared up at the sky, their expressions grim and uncertain.

That Vice General Zhong had gone inside but emerged shortly after. Without looking at anyone, he walked to the front of the hall and suddenly lit two fireworks.

’What is he doing? Does His Majesty want to see fireworks?’

Most were baffled, but some quickly realized that although the daytime sky swallowed most of the fireworks’ brilliance, their shapes were still discernible.

”That night,” one official murmured under his breath, ”in the latter half of the night, there were fireworks just like this.”

’At the time, hiding at home, I wondered what sort of trickery this was.’

’So, it was from His Majesty’s side after all.’

At this very moment, Chu Zhao, Deng Yi, Xie Yanfang, the officials from the old court, and Xie Yanlai, who was guarding the city gates, were all looking up at the sky—some moved, others expressionless.

As the fireworks burst, the ground seemed to tremble faintly, as if countless people were surging in this direction.

”Your Majesty— His Majesty has passed away!”

Eunuch Qi’s trembling cry came from within the bedchambers.

The crowd staring at the sky snapped back to their senses, falling to their knees and bowing their heads in mournful sobs.

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The fireworks in the sky quickly faded, and the news of the Emperor’s death was sent out.

The funeral bells of every temple in the Capital City rang out in unison.

The populace, not yet recovered from the turmoil of the princes’ rebellion, was once again terrified. Although the Emperor had been a non-entity for over a decade, his presence was still a constant. Now, with the princes either dead or convicted of capital crimes, and even the Emperor himself gone, what would become of the Great Xia?

But the news of the Emperor’s death was accompanied by a series of follow-up announcements: the Imperial Grandson would ascend the throne, Chu Zhao—daughter of Chu Ling—would be named Empress, Grand Tutor Deng Yi would act as Regent, and the famed Dongyang scholar Xie Yanfang would join the court.

The anxious populace began to settle down again. The country still stood. Though they had never heard of this new Grand Tutor, the Dongyang Xie Family was the Imperial Grandson’s maternal family. With his uncle there, the court would surely be stabilized. Moreover, the Imperial Grandson now had an Empress, which meant he had both a family and a career—even if he was only six years old. It was all somehow reassuring.

As for this new Empress, Chu Zhao, her name had already caused a stir when the Emperor’s edict had named her Crown Princess Consort. Now, the topic was being dredged up again. After all, a Crown Princess Consort was a step below an Empress. Becoming the former did not guarantee one would become the latter—one only had to look at the fate of the previous, deceased Crown Princess Consort for proof.

The people hadn’t expected the Emperor to die. They thought there was still a long time, that the Emperor would raise the Imperial Grandson until he came of age—

’There’s still plenty of time, anything is possible.’

But the Emperor had suddenly passed away. The Imperial Grandson became the new Emperor, and Crown Princess Consort Chu Zhao was instantly to become the Empress.

”This... this isn’t appropriate.”

”Never mind all the well-read young ladies from prestigious families across the land. Just in the Capital City, this Chu Zhao is hardly—”

”What’s wrong with Chu Zhao? Don’t forget whose daughter she is. Back in the day, Chu Ling was the general His Majesty trusted most! Chu Ling’s military achievements are immense. He’s still stationed in Border County, acting as a pillar of stability. For the sake of pacifying Border County, he hasn’t returned to the Capital City in over a decade.”

Because of the Emperor’s funeral rites, the entire realm wore mourning clothes, and all music, dancing, banquets, sacrifices, weddings, and holidays were forbidden. This gave everyone more time for idle gossip.

Hearing this, people were a little dazed.

Chu Ling hadn’t returned to the capital for over a decade. Was this the reason?

’That doesn’t seem right!’

”That Chu Ling is a criminal—”

”Criminal? What crime! Did His Majesty ever convict him? Was Chu Ling ever imprisoned? The man is the great General of Yunzhong County!”

This was also true. The man who had been contradicted was left speechless, but the one who contradicted him wasn’t finished.

”The imperial edict said it itself! The Imperial Grandson’s escape from danger was all thanks to Miss Chu. It’s like father, like daughter.”

”First, there was Chu Ling, who stabilized the nation for His Majesty. Now, there is Chu Ling’s daughter, who preserved the bloodline of Great Xia for His Majesty.”

”If she’s not qualified to be Empress, who is?”

Who knew who was? To name anyone at this moment would be to throw them to the wolves. The gathered crowd instantly fell silent, and only then did the man who had spoken up flick his sleeves and walk away.

The crowd looked at one another, whispering, ”Who was that guy?”

No one knew who he was; it was as if he had appeared out of thin air.

The man who had been contradicted earlier snorted. ”He’s obviously just trying to praise the Chu Family’s Daughter.”

’He must be from the Chu Family.’

”I think so,” someone agreed. ”We’re hearing more and more talk like this. It’s obvious someone is pulling the strings—”

”Exactly! Otherwise, who used to say anything about the Chu Family’s Daughter—” The first man agreed even more vehemently, nodding eagerly.

But as his voice fell, another voice chimed in.

”Who used to say anything about the Chu Family’s Daughter? You there, what hole did you crawl out of?”

This time it wasn’t a man’s voice, but a sharp, feminine one.

The crowd turned to look and saw a group of young women descending from the second floor of the teahouse. One of them had her brows raised and eyes wide with a face full of scorn.

”Have you not heard about the Chu Garden Literary Meeting from a while back?”

”The Chu Family’s Daughter was neither servile nor overbearing as she competed with the scholars of the realm. Who doesn’t know about that?”

Another girl among them smiled. ”Miss Qi, they probably really don’t know—” The young lady tilted her nose up, her eyes arrogant. ”They don’t look like they’ve ever read a book.”

Miss Qi’s expression was now one of undisguised mockery. ”So you’re uneducated. Do you even know what it means to be both talented and virtuous? All you know is to look at family background. Does having a great family and a big name mean you can be Empress?”

Another girl chuckled. ”Well, if we’re going by that logic, then the prestigious Zhao Family would have been the most suitable.”

The Zhao Family had already had their entire clan exterminated, and the court was not done, still hunting down remnants. Who would dare to be associated with the Zhao Family? The people sitting in the teahouse’s main hall scattered in an instant.

’These girls, their tongues are too venomous!’

’The rebellion just ended, His Majesty just passed away, and these girls aren’t staying obediently at home? What are they doing wandering around?’

Of course, they knew about the Chu Garden Literary Meeting. The Chu Garden Literary Meeting had let the young women of the Capital City steal the show, and they had all become even more brazen.

In the end, it was all because of that Chu Family’s Daughter.

Now that the Chu Family’s Daughter was to become Empress, who knows how much more arrogant the young women would become.

’Can’t afford to provoke them, can’t afford to provoke them, better get away fast.’

Watching the crowd in the main hall disperse, Qi Leyun was both proud and not quite satisfied.

”To think they still look down on Chu Zhao,” she said. ”Chu Zhao is so amazing.”

The girl beside her chuckled. ”Qi Leyun, didn’t you used to look down on her too?”

”That was before,” Qi Leyun didn’t deny it. ”I didn’t know her well back then. I didn’t realize she was this incredible.”

Zhou Jiang, who rarely spoke, also nodded. ”Chu Zhao is incredible. She’s not just skilled in both literature and martial arts, she also has a compassionate heart. On my way here, I heard people on the street discussing it. They said that during the night of the rebellion, they were displaced and in extreme danger. No one would open their doors, but Chu Zhao opened the gates of Chu Garden to shelter them. They said Chu Zhao has the heart of a Bodhisattva and the benevolence befitting a Queen Mother.”

So something like that had happened. The girls recalled that night, filled with nothing but terror, wishing they could hide underground. Who would have dared to open their door back then?

Chu Zhao truly was amazing.

If before they had feigned admiration because of her status as Empress-to-be, now, their eyes were filled with genuine respect.

Qi Leyun nodded. ”That’s right, that’s right! My family is being sheltered in Chu Garden right now.”

’Although it was Chu Tang who let us in, it’s the same as Chu Zhao taking us in.’

”And another thing, that talk about the Chu Family praising her,” Qi Leyun snorted. ”That’s even more ridiculous. The Chu Family’s gates are still shut tight. I climbed the wall, and I couldn’t even get Chu Tang to talk to me, let alone anyone from the Chu Family coming out to talk to people.”

Zhou Jiang pursed her lips and looked out at the street. While she didn’t believe the Chu Family was behind the praise, she was certain someone was pulling the strings.

”But so what if she’s being praised?” she said. ”She did all those things herself. She’s earned it.”

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Layers of high palace walls insulated the inner sanctum from the noise of the outside world.

Although she had not been formally invested, Chu Zhao was already dressed in the mourning attire befitting an Empress. Outside, the officials’ ritual wailing at the hall had just come to a temporary stop.

Inside the hall, Chu Zhao sat facing Xie Yanfang.

”Third Young Master, have some hot tea,” she said, pouring it for him with her own hands.

Xie Yanfang had now entered the court as an official. Besides the mandatory mourning, he had a mountain of tasks to attend to. After three days, he was far from rested. However, aside from a paler complexion and red-rimmed eyes, the young master’s spirits seemed fine.

He didn’t refuse, taking the cup and downing it in one gulp. He looked at the girl across from him, bundled in her mourning clothes, which made her seem even smaller.

He said, ”Don’t worry about the matters outside.”