Ashes to Crown

Chapter 47: Chapter 11: Family Matters

By the time the sky had fully brightened, Chu Zhao arrived at the courtyard where Chu Lan and his wife lived.

Chu Tang, standing on the veranda, looked at her with displeasure. "Ah Zhao, you’re late again, making Mom and Dad wait for you to eat."

Inside, Chu Lan slammed the book in his hand onto the table in a clear reprimand.

"Ah Zhao," Lady Jiang said with a wry smile, "have you forgotten what time breakfast is served in this house again?"

In the days since her return, Chu Zhao had been late every single morning. Whenever a maid was sent to hurry her along, the response was always, "I’m coming, I’m coming," yet she would still arrive late.

Chu Zhao walked in and saw that most of the dishes had already been cleared from the table.

"Your uncle and your cousin had matters to attend to, so they ate first," Lady Jiang said, gesturing for Chu Tang to sit. "Your sister and I waited for you."

Chu Zhao washed her hands in the basin a maid brought her. "Back home, I always ate late. I had to practice my riding and archery, and I would only eat after I was done. Let’s just eat breakfast separately from now on. That way, Uncle and Aunt won’t have to wait for me."

Chu Lan frowned, displeased. "Before, it was just you and your father. Now that you’ve returned to the family, you can’t be so undisciplined."

Lady Jiang chimed in, "What your uncle means is that the three daily meals are among the most important matters of the day, and also an important part of household etiquette. Ah Zhao, it’s one thing to be casual in your own home, but when you marry into another family, will you also eat alone? Will you pay no mind to your husband, your father-in-law, or your mother-in-law?"

’Her uncle and aunt were always a perfect duo, one starting the song and the other harmonizing. In her past life, she would have been both nervous and strangely comforted by this, believing their words without question and obeying them completely.’

But now, Chu Zhao’s expression was placid. "Oh, that? We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it." She even smiled. "Who knows, maybe I won’t have any in-laws."

What in the world was she talking about! Chu Lan and Lady Jiang were stunned, and Chu Tang’s eyes went wide.

’In truth, that was exactly how it had been in her last life. She had no in-laws. When the Emperor appointed Xiao Xun as Crown Prince, he had also issued a decree ordering the King of Zhongshan to take his own life.’

’The King of Zhongshan was dead, the Emperor was dead, the Empress had passed away long ago, and Consort Zhao had been executed for her crimes. In the entire harem, she alone held power. Xiao Xun was always preoccupied with political matters, so she had always taken her meals by herself.’

’Later, as the number of imperial concubines in the palace grew, they would come to pay their respects and offer to dine with her, but she had no desire to see them—’

’—after so many years, she had grown accustomed to eating alone.’

’Why am I thinking about these things?’ Chu Zhao gripped her chopsticks and made a firm decision. "Starting tomorrow, I’ll eat on my own. It will save everyone the trouble."

She had always been an ill-mannered, reckless girl. After this latest escapade, it seemed she had decided to simply lean into her bad reputation.

Chu Lan slammed the table again. "Forget breakfast! From now on, you’ll eat every meal by yourself! And you are forbidden from leaving the house. That way, you can’t cause any more trouble, which will save everyone the bother." He then called to Chu Tang, "Assign her some schoolwork. Make her stay in and study."

Chu Tang rose and acknowledged the order. Chu Zhao, however, seemed unconcerned. She finished her food in a few quick bites, set down her bowl and chopsticks, and said, "I’ll take my leave." With that, she turned and left.

"Just look at her attitude," Chu Lan fumed, still seething.

Lady Jiang was furious as well. "Her attitude is only like this because she has Second Uncle backing her. Now she’s gotten arrogant, thinking she can hit Liang Siqing’s daughter and curse his wife whenever she pleases. If Second Uncle is so capable, why hasn’t he recovered the money she squandered?"

The thought of the money Chu Zhao had stolen and wasted away made her so sick to her stomach she couldn’t eat another bite.

Chu Ke walked in from outside. "Father, Mother, I’m heading out for a bit." Seeing their expressions, he asked, "Who are you angry with?"

Chu Tang, who was eating slowly at the table, said, "Chu Zhao, of course."

Chu Ke snorted. "Why waste your anger on her? Just ignore her."

Lady Jiang pulled him aside. "You just got back, and you haven’t even fully recovered yet. Don’t be in such a rush to go out."

Chu Lan glanced at him. "Don’t fall behind on your studies."

Lady Jiang bristled at the comment. "He only fell behind on his studies because of Chu Zhao! For her sake, Ao Ke ran himself ragged for days, neglecting his schoolwork and exhausting himself. Ao Ke, you said Ah Zhao gave all the money to those swindlers? Since you found that out, why wasn’t it recovered?"

Chu Ke’s eyes darted away. Just as Chu Zhao had instructed, he didn’t reveal that the money had been recovered only to be stolen again by her. He stuck to the story that she had squandered it all from the start. Whatever happened, he couldn’t be implicated.

"I wouldn’t know about that," he said. "The one in charge was that man, Deng Yi."

’It wasn’t exactly a lie,’ he thought. ’Chu Zhao really did give all that money to Deng Yi.’

’And his father knew that Deng Yi was an incredibly greedy man.’

"I knew it," Lady Jiang said at once. "That Deng Yi must have pocketed it for himself." She turned and urged Chu Lan, "Go get it back from him."

But there was no way Chu Lan was willing to deal with a vile character like Deng Yi again.

"I will write a letter to my second brother," he said grimly. "If he can get His Majesty to reprimand Liang Siqing, then he should certainly be able to get our family’s money back from Deng Yi."

At the mention of this, Lady Jiang grew even angrier. "And while you’re at it, ask him if he plans to just ignore our Ao Ke’s future! He ruined your prospects back then, and now he’s going to let Ao Ke’s be ruined too? You ask him if he even considers himself part of the Chu family!"

Chu Lan was vexed. "I know, I know."

"What’s the use of knowing? You’re the older brother, but you have no authority over him," Lady Jiang said, exasperated. "Even if you know, you can’t control him."

Seeing his parents arguing again, Chu Ke glanced at his sister. Chu Tang just gave him a helpless look.

"Father, Mother, let’s not talk about Second Uncle right now," Chu Ke interjected. "He’s unreliable, so we won’t rely on him. I’m not going out to have fun. The Third Prince is hosting a literary gathering at Wangchun Garden."

Hearing the mention of the Third Prince, Lady Jiang and Chu Lan stopped arguing. Chu Tang also stopped eating and put down her chopsticks.

"I’m going to see how I can participate. Showcasing my talents is one thing, but more importantly, the Heir of Zhongshan King is certain to attend the Third Prince’s gathering. I may not have the chance to speak with the Third Prince, but I might be able to get a word with the Heir of Zhongshan King." Chu Ke said with a sigh, "He helped us immensely this time; he’s a great benefactor to our family. Because of Chu Zhao’s rudeness, we haven’t even been able to properly express our gratitude."

Though he sighed, the young man’s eyes were sparkling, and he was full of vigor.

Whether it was the Third Prince or the Heir of Zhongshan King, both were scions of the Imperial Family. Lady Jiang, Chu Lan, and even Chu Tang all nodded in agreement.

"You should. You must. Go on, quickly."

...

...

Chu Zhao walked slowly back to her own quarters. A group of maids, who had been chatting and laughing together, quickly fell silent.

"All of you, leave," Chu Zhao said. "Do not come near me unless I summon you."

The maids pouted but scattered at once.

Ah Le ran forward to lift the door curtain for Chu Zhao, but Chu Zhao shook her head at her. "Ah Le, you don’t need to serve me here either."

Ah Le was aghast. "Miss, are you sending me away again?"

Chu Zhao smiled. "No, don’t be afraid. I have a task for you."

Ah Le breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest. "Just give me your orders, Miss."

Chu Zhao said, "I need you to keep an eye on the head of the house and Ao Ke. See who they meet with. Also, watch the main gate and see who comes to visit."

She sighed at this.

"I have no one else, so I can only rely on you. It will be a difficult task."

Ah Le smiled. "It’s just watching people. How is that hard work? It’s much easier than doing laundry or sweeping. Don’t worry, Miss. I can do the work of ten people all by myself."

Chu Zhao reached out, cupped Ah Le’s face in her hands, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "This time, I’m truly counting on you, Ah Le."

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