Ashes to Crown

Chapter 89: Chapter 49: Catching Sight

At the crack of dawn, Jiang Family arrived at the Chu Garden and instructed the female servants, ”Set this pavilion aside. I’ll be using it.”

But the servants didn’t immediately assent, instead exchanging uncertain glances.

Jiang Family grew angry. ”What? Can I no longer make decisions in my own family’s garden? Has this place become Miss Ah Zhao’s domain?”

One of the servants quickly shook her head. ”No, no.”

Another servant rushed to explain, ”We have to ask Miss Ah Tang first. She’s in charge of the garden.”

Hearing it was Ah Tang, Jiang Family’s anger vanished, her face filling with delighted surprise. ”My daughter is so capable! In that case, what am I even looking at? I’ll just let my daughter arrange everything.” With that, she didn’t bother looking at the garden any further and went straight to find Chu Tang.

Ever since returning home, Chu Tang, like Chu Zhao, had stopped eating with her parents. As for the reason—well, no reason was needed, of course.

She had simply sighed and said, ”It’s not right for me to always be living in someone else’s home.”

Pained by this, Jiang Family had pulled her into an embrace. ”Just stay in your own courtyard. You don’t have to come out. I’ll have a small kitchen set up for you, so you can decide what you want to eat and drink.”

Jiang Family hadn’t seen Chu Tang in several days and didn’t know her daughter was the one calling the shots in the garden. She arrived at Chu Tang’s courtyard joyfully. Chu Tang was having breakfast, but the scene wasn’t quiet and solitary as one might imagine. Instead, she was surrounded by seven or eight maids and servants.

These maids and servants weren’t waiting on her meal. Some held account ledgers, while others were talking—chattering away, noisy but not chaotic.

It was truly the scene of someone managing the household. Jiang Family let out a chuckle. ”Miss Ah Tang is quite busy.”

The room fell silent. The maids and servants hurried to bow, and Chu Tang rose with a smile to greet her. ”Mother, come quickly.”

She took Jiang Family’s hand and led her to sit at the table.

Jiang Family saw that the table held only simple porridge and side dishes. Most of the tabletop was occupied by thick account books of various colors and different labels.

”What’s this? Drunken Immortal Tower—” she said, reaching for one.

But Chu Tang spoke first, urging the maids and servants, ”Quickly, put these away and bring up the food.” Then she asked Jiang Family, ”Mother, have you eaten yet?”

Just as Jiang Family was about to say she had, Chu Tang began to wheedle, ”I haven’t eaten with you in so long, Mother. Even if you’ve already eaten, you have to keep me company.”

What mother could ignore her daughter’s coaxing? Jiang Family immediately smiled and agreed with a ”Fine.”

The maids and servants hurriedly carried the ledgers away and set out more porridge and dishes. The mother and daughter sat across from each other and ate.

”Mother, I got these from *her*,” Chu Tang said in a low voice, giving Jiang Family a conspiratorial wink.

Jiang Family understood implicitly what she meant, her expression joyful. ”My daughter, you’re so amazing.”

”It wasn’t easy to placate her,” Chu Tang said, feigning exhaustion. ”She’s like a horse without a bridle right now. If she goes wild, none of us will have an easy time.”

Jiang Family nodded repeatedly. ”I know, I know.” She picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and fed it to Chu Tang, her eyes filled with pity. ”Having to humor her... it’s truly been hard on you, my child.”

Chu Tang ate it in one big bite.

”Right, Mother, was there something you needed?” she asked.

Jiang Family hesitated for a moment before saying, ”Recently, the madams from various families have sent invitations, saying they want to come see this Little Wangchun Garden Literary Meeting. I must accompany them, so I wanted to pick a good place to host them—”

Seeing Chu Tang furrow her little brow at this, Jiang Family’s heart ached and she quickly changed her tune, ”Of course, if it’s not possible, we can discuss it further. I can’t let you be put in a difficult position. If we provoke *her* and she causes a scene, my daughter will be the one to suffer.”

Chu Tang held her chopsticks and thought for a moment. ”How about this: when the madams arrive, you can entertain them here in the residence. Then, I’ll have the maids in the garden give a live account of the competitions. The chess games, the calligraphy—we’ll have it all brought in immediately for everyone to see.”

’Like that, huh?’ Jiang Family hesitated.

”The girls these days are all just like *her*—extremely arrogant and brazen during competitions. You know that Qi Leyun, right? Goodness, she burst into tears when she lost and almost got into a fight with her opponent—” Chu Tang said in a low voice. ”The scene can get quite ugly. If the madams and elders go, the girls might become too reserved, and the competitions won’t be able to proceed. That’s one thing. But if we annoy the madams and they blame our Chu Family for being too indulgent, that’s another matter entirely.”

If the competitions couldn’t go on, those thick account books would cease to exist. If she annoyed the madams, she, as the lady of the house, would be resented. Both outcomes directly concerned her own interests. Jiang Family immediately nodded. ”Good, good. You’ve thought of everything. We’ll do as you say.”

Chu Tang gave a sweet smile. ”I’m so happy I can ease Mother’s worries and help the family.”

Jiang Family reached out to stroke her head and sighed softly. ”Faced with troubles, my daughter has grown up.”

Seeing this, Chu Zhao, who was standing at the courtyard gate, averted her gaze and turned away. Chu Tang gave her a daily report on the Chu Garden’s income and expenditures, which was why she had come this morning, only to be met with this scene.

”Miss Ah Zhao,” the maid who had been stopped from announcing her asked nervously, ”The Madam’s arrival was sudden.”

Chu Zhao smiled at her. ”It’s perfectly natural for a mother and daughter to talk. I won’t interrupt. I’ll speak with Ah Tang after she’s finished.” With that, she walked away.

Ah Le hurried to follow, and the two walked at a leisurely pace.

”She sees that more people are coming, so she thinks everything is fine now. The Madam has come running back to play the master of the house again,” Ah Le huffed.

Chu Zhao hummed in agreement. ”It’s fine. Don’t worry, Ah Tang will handle it.”

Ah Le noticed she seemed a bit distracted. ’Not worried, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t angry, right?’ She asked cautiously, ”Miss, are you angry?”

Chu Zhao made a small sound, snapping back to reality. Seeing Ah Le’s worried expression, she smiled. ”No, no.” After a moment of silence, she looked back at Chu Tang’s courtyard. ”Is that what it’s like to be with your mother?”

Ah Le froze and also looked back. ’So that’s what’s bothering the Miss—’

”I don’t know. I don’t have a mother either,” Ah Le said. ”The way the Madam treats Miss Ah Tang is completely different from how she treats anyone else.”

Chu Zhao hummed. ”I suppose that’s what a mother is. Endlessly doting on her own child, seeing nothing but the best in them.”

The two girls stood on the path, staring blankly at the courtyard in the distance, as if they could still see and hear the mother and daughter laughing affectionately, still feel the overwhelming adoration pouring from Jiang Family’s every word and gesture toward her daughter.

Ah Le squeezed Chu Zhao’s hand. ”Miss, don’t be sad.”

Chu Zhao felt the young maid’s concern. ”I’m not sad, really. I was just thinking—” She squeezed Ah Le’s hand back. ”My mother treated me like that, too.”

Ah Le blinked, a little confused. ’Is Miss saying that her mother would treat her this way if she were here?’

”Yes.” Ah Le nodded. ”She definitely would. If my mother were still alive, she would have doted on me, too. She wouldn’t have even hit me if I stole something.”

Chu Zhao burst out laughing and poked Ah Le’s forehead. ”Your mother gave you a wonderful name. You’re happy, and you bring happiness to others.”

Ah Le giggled sheepishly.

Chu Zhao pulled her along, striding forward without looking back. ’She was a little sad, but not in the way Ah Le thought. She had a mother, too. In her previous life, her mother had done so much for her—’

’—perhaps even given her life.’

’What saddened her was that in life, they had never met, and in death, neither knew the other’s fate.’

’In this life, she wouldn’t allow for such regrets. She had to see her mother. Whatever the reason for a husband and wife not meeting, for a mother and daughter being separated, she would demand a clear and thorough explanation.’

Just as the two returned to their courtyard, Chu Tang’s maid, Linglong, hurried over, carrying an account ledger.

”Our Miss knows you came by, Miss Ah Zhao. You don’t need to worry about the Madam’s business; she is handling it,” Linglong said, handing over the ledger. ”These are yesterday’s accounts. They’ve been sorted. Please look them over, Miss Ah Zhao.”

Chu Zhao smiled and pushed the ledger back. ”I don’t need to see these. My heart isn’t in it. I just want to focus on my own affairs in peace. I’ll leave the other matters to my dear cousin.”

Linglong didn’t insist. She bowed and said, ”Please rest assured, Miss Ah Zhao.”

After seeing Linglong off, Chu Zhao was just about to study the record of Qi Leyun’s losing chess game when a young maidservant poked her head in from outside and called for Ah Le. Ah Le hurried out and returned a moment later, just as rushed.

”Miss, the Heir of Zhongshan King has come to visit,” she said in a low voice.

Chu Zhao’s hand, holding the game record, froze.