Ashes to Crown

Chapter 88: Chapter 48: Transition

The competition at Chu Garden had suddenly taken a different turn.

When Chu Zhao lost a round of calligraphy, the young gentleman opposite her prepared to lecture this young lady a bit, as was customary. He accepted her token of concession and had just begun to speak—”You—”

A girl walked out from the covered corridor. ”Don’t get too pleased with yourself. I’ll challenge you. You may have beaten Chu Zhao, but that doesn’t mean you’ve beaten all of us young ladies!”

The young gentleman was stunned. ”That’s not really—”

”What? You don’t dare?” the girl immediately shot back.

To say ”I don’t dare” to a young girl in front of everyone was something the young gentleman could never bring himself to say. He could only cup his hands in a frustrated, resentful gesture. ”Please, Miss.”

Chu Zhao’s spot had been snatched again. She looked at the girl. ”You—”

”No need to ask. Once I’ve won, you’ll know my name,” the girl said, lifting her chin slightly.

Chu Zhao chuckled and said deliberately, ”And what if you lose?”

The girl flushed with vexation. ”Then I will announce my name to the entire world.”

Chu Zhao laughed heartily and called to the maid behind her, ”Prepare an ink brush and paper for this young lady.”

Hearing the news from this side of the garden, the people in Chu Garden gathered around once more. Seeing that another girl had taken the stage, they all began to chatter.

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The girls in the corridors and flower-filled halls were also buzzing with discussion, but this time, few of them said things like ”This young lady must be good friends with Chu Zhao” or ”She’s standing up for Chu Zhao.”

Qi Leyun’s face was a mask of astonishment as she muttered something under her breath.

At that moment, Chu Zhao walked over.

Ever since arriving at Chu Garden, Chu Zhao had never paid them any mind. At first, they thought Chu Zhao would sneer, mock them, and drive them away. Later, they thought Chu Zhao would be moved to tears, thanking them for showing up to support her, help her, and bolster her presence—but neither happened.

Chu Zhao looked at the crowd—there were even more girls than before, with many more unfamiliar faces.

It was clear that despite the incident with Miss Zhou Jiang, the various families hadn’t forbidden their daughters from coming to Chu Garden.

”Everyone, what do you think of my game?” she asked with a bright smile. ”Isn’t it more fun than your old ones? You’re having a great time competing with me, aren’t you?”

To think she was here to show off. The girls were astonished and a little flustered.

Qi Leyun said huffily, ”We didn’t come here to play. We came to watch you lose to everyone.”

This was something she often said in the past, and no one had thought much of it. But this time, many of the girls felt uneasy. Someone even reached out and tugged on Qi Leyun’s sleeve—’Don’t say that.’

Chu Zhao didn’t get angry, much less strike her. She just kept smiling. ”I’m not afraid of losing to others. And it seems many people aren’t afraid either, like Miss Zhou, and this young lady here.”

She pointed to the girl in the center of the competition area. The girl was writing with intense focus, using a brush in both her left and right hands simultaneously. This skill attracted an even larger crowd of onlookers.

Qi Leyun actually felt a little sheepish after her outburst. Seeing that Chu Zhao wasn’t pursuing the matter, she breathed a small sigh of relief, clenched her fists, and said, ”Miss Zhou and this young lady won’t lose.”

”I know. They’re more skilled than I am,” Chu Zhao nodded. ”But before they stepped up, they weren’t certain they would win. No one can ever say with complete confidence, ’I won’t lose.’ After all, there’s always someone better out there.”

This was true. The girls nodded, and Qi Leyun opened her mouth but said nothing.

”But I’m different,” Chu Zhao said with a smile. ”Before I even step up, I already know I’m going to lose.”

Many of the girls couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

Qi Leyun muttered, ”So you knew all along.”

”Yes, of course I knew. I’m well aware of my own abilities,” Chu Zhao said with a shrug. Before anyone could ask, she continued, ”But knowing I would lose doesn’t mean I shouldn’t compete. There’s a difference between losing after a match and admitting defeat without even trying. I’ve always lived in the Border County. And while Western Liang has already surrendered, for many years, the Border County has still suffered from remnants of the Western Liang Soldiers. They might be stragglers, or they might operate under the guise of bandits, launching surprise raids and pillaging our lands. Ah Le and I have witnessed several battles—”

She gestured to Ah Le beside her.

”The young miss and I both rode with the army,” Ah Le said loudly. ”We carried bows on our backs and swords at our sides. We drew our bows and shot arrows at the Western Liang bandits—”

At this, she grunted, a little embarrassed.

”It’s just that our archery is poor. We didn’t hit anything.”

The girls all began to laugh, but it wasn’t mocking laughter this time. One girl even said in a small voice, ”You were so young then, that’s not surprising.”

Ah Le nodded. ”Yes, we were too young. But the young miss and I have never stopped practicing our archery, not even after coming to the capital. The next time we face the Western Liang Soldiers, we’ll definitely be able to shoot a few of them down.”

The girls giggled, looking at the maid. She was still rustic, but she seemed rather endearing now.

Chu Zhao waited with a smile for Ah Le to finish, then continued, ”Why do I choose to lose after competing, even when I know the outcome? Because my father taught me that a warrior would rather die in battle than flee without a fight. The former is a hero; the latter is a coward. Compared to a real battlefield, all I lose here is having to endure a few insults. If I don’t even have the courage for that, forget being a hero, I’d barely be worthy of being called a person.”

The girls fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Chu Zhao suddenly bowed to them. ”However, my skills are poor, and I’ve caused trouble for everyone.”

The girls were a little surprised—Chu Zhao’s actions were always so astonishing. Someone waved her hand dismissively, instinctively saying, ”No, no, what are you talking about?”

”I’m a young lady, after all,” Chu Zhao said, straightening up. ”When I lose, and people mock me, calling me a ’mere girl’ over and over, it’s as if all young ladies have lost. I’ve brought shame upon all of us.”

She sighed softly.

”That’s why Miss Zhou and this young lady were so unwilling to accept it. They had to step up to win back face for us.”

’So they’re fighting to win back face for us girls.’ The girls looked toward the competition area. By now, the young lady had finished writing. Maids unrolled her work for the crowd to see, and a buzz rippled through the onlookers, punctuated by waves of cheers.

”My skills are lacking, but that doesn’t mean all young ladies are the same. For example, Miss Zhou, or this young lady here, or any of you.”

Chu Zhao’s gaze swept over them.

”Every single one of you has your own exceptional talents. My loss doesn’t mean that all young ladies have lost.”

”And even if Miss Zhou and this young lady lose, it doesn’t mean that you have lost too.”

Qi Leyun couldn’t hold back any longer and stepped forward. ”That’s right! To be honest, my calligraphy is very good too.”

The girls around her burst out laughing. ”Qi Leyun, you’re bragging.” ”I’ve never even seen you write.” ”You’re always dozing off at our gatherings.”

Qi Leyun retorted indignantly, ”That’s because I can’t be bothered to write for you all to see.” ”My parents won’t let me write.” ”I doze off because the music and conversation are too boring!”

The girls were noisy, but the atmosphere was joyous.

Chu Tang emerged from the side, saying with a smile, ”Whichever young lady wins back face for us all, I’ll provide her with today’s refreshments for free.”

The girls’ laughter grew even louder.

”Ah Tang, you’re so generous!” ”If I win and treat everyone to snacks, will you give them to me for free too?”

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After the young lady who had challenged them won three consecutive calligraphy rounds and retired in satisfaction, the young gentlemen wiped the sweat from their brows, thinking it was finally over and the next round could begin. But when the next match started, it wasn’t Chu Zhao who stepped forward, but several unfamiliar girls.

”I wonder if any of you gentlemen would be willing to compete with us?” they said. ”Allow us young ladies to also witness your remarkable talents.”

The crowd of onlookers was both stunned and exasperated.

”This is chaos! Absolute chaos!”

”How absurd! These women!”

”That Chu Zhao started all of this! She has corrupted the entire atmosphere!”

”They must be taught a lesson!”

Despite the grumbling, even more men stepped forward, and the competition continued with even greater fervor.

The onlookers watched with more focus, the girls watched with more earnestness, and Chu Tang was busier than ever, running off her feet. Chu Zhao, ironically, became the most idle person there.

She retreated with Ah Le to quietly observe it all.

”Young Miss,” Ah Le said in a low voice, ”I never expected things to turn out this way.”

At this point, the matter was no longer a dispute between Chu Zhao and the Third Prince. It had become a contest of skill between the young ladies and the young men.

It had transformed into an amusing, elegant affair.

Of course, the Third Prince would still hold a grudge against Chu Zhao, but on the surface, she would no longer be the sole target of mockery and humiliation.

”I didn’t expect it either,” Chu Zhao said. She hadn’t expected that Miss Zhou would step forward, nor that more and more girls would follow.

In her past life, she had always believed the other girls looked down on her. Before she became the Empress, she was insecure; after she became the Empress, she was arrogant. She neither wanted nor was willing to associate with other women.

Ah Le squeezed Chu Zhao’s hand. ”Young Miss, this is because you stood your ground first. If you had backed down in defeat at the very beginning, none of this would be happening.”

Chu Zhao smiled, a wistful look on her face. ”Yes. Only by humiliating yourself can others humiliate you. If you respect yourself, others will respect you too.”

Ah Le gasped. ”Young Miss, your learning has improved so much! You speak in such eloquent phrases, I can’t even understand what you’re saying anymore.”

Chu Zhao burst out laughing.