Ashes to Crown

Chapter 238: Chapter 56: Holding the Fort (Part 2)

Surely there was nothing in the world that was so difficult to understand.

But now, she truly found herself at a loss.

Surrounded by their words and stares, Chu Tang showed not the slightest bit of discomfort. She even nodded along with the madams’ words. ”Yes, all this bickering is unseemly. And I suppose the complaints and criticisms stem from a place of deep concern. But as a member of the Chu Family, I must say a few more words, because—”

Her gaze swept over everyone in the hall.

”You are all observers, living safely here in the distant Capital City. My uncle, however, is fighting on the most dangerous of battlefields, holding back tens of thousands of soldiers from the Western Liang Army and protecting the countless people of the Border County. You have merely heard of death and tragedy, while he is personally experiencing them.”

”You have heard the heartbreak, the fury, the curses. But my uncle is right there, in the midst of it all. Not only must he feel that same heartbreak and fury, but he must also suppress it, bear your curses on his back, and continue to face Western Liang, deploying his troops and commanding his men.”

At this, she called out her maidservant’s name in a loud voice.

The maidservant, who had been hiding somewhere, poked her head out and timidly answered, ”Yes?”—’The scene just now was so scary! Those madams and young ladies looked like they were about to strike Miss Chu! I really wish I could just grab her and run home. No, run to the Imperial Palace. That’s the safest place.’

”Summon Little Rabbit,” Chu Tang said.

’Thank goodness she’s not calling for me.’ The maidservant breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.

Who was Little Rabbit? Why was she summoning someone? The madams in the hall were puzzled. A short while later, the maidservant returned, leading a ten-year-old page boy.

”Miss Ah Tang.” Little Rabbit stood firm in the front hall. Unintimidated by the large crowd, he called out in a clear voice.

Chu Tang nodded at him but didn’t speak to him directly. Instead, she addressed the people in the hall. ”Little Rabbit is an orphan from the Border County. My uncle has taken in many orphans and widows. Many of the servants in my household are elderly people from the Border County with no one else to care for them—”

’Is that so?’ the young ladies wondered. ’Is she telling the truth?’ But they had never bothered to pay much attention to the Chu Family before, let alone inquire about the origins of their servants.

”—The suffering in the Border County, the brutality of the war... We, so far away in the Capital City, know nothing of it. But Little Rabbit—”

Hearing this, one of the young ladies finally had something to say.

”That’s not right,” she cried, pointing at Little Rabbit. ”How old is he? The last war was twenty years ago.”

’That’s right!’ The young ladies in the hall came to their senses. ’This Chu Tang must think we’re children!’

”—That’s right. Twenty years ago, Little Rabbit’s grandfather died in that war,” Chu Tang said, raising her voice. ”His grandfather died, and his grandmother died soon after from a broken heart. Their home was destroyed. His father and mother became homeless wanderers. They both died after Little Rabbit was born, and he became an orphan. Is there anything wrong with that story?”

’Nothing wrong at all,’ Little Rabbit praised her silently, standing in the hall.

...

...

”The Border County is filled with countless orphans like him. Because of the war, they have lost their families and their homes. Many of them have personally experienced being chased by the hooves of the Western Liang bandits, have seen those bandits raise their greatswords, and have watched their loved ones die right before their eyes.”

Chu Tang said, then looked at Little Rabbit.

”Little Rabbit, do you and the others hate my uncle, Chu Ling?”

The question came a bit suddenly. Little Rabbit blinked. ”Hate... or not hate?”

Chu Tang nodded. ”Yes, do you hate them or not? Because my uncle and the other generals failed to protect you, causing you to lose your families.”

Little Rabbit seemed genuinely confused. ”But wasn’t that the work of the Western Liang people? We should hate the Western Liang people. Why would we hate General Chu and the others?”

Whether Little Rabbit truly didn’t understand or was just pretending, the madams and young ladies in the hall certainly understood. They were partly annoyed and partly amused.

”Chu Tang, you don’t need to beat around the bush. We all know the disaster was caused by the Western Liang people,” one of the young ladies said. ”But with so many people dead, the main general’s incompetence is also to blame. This isn’t a question of who to hate. It’s about responsibility. It’s a dereliction of duty!”

”Whether the deaths of so many people constitute a dereliction of duty is for the court to decide,” Chu Tang said. ”And even if accusations are to be made, they should come from the people in the Border County who experienced it firsthand, not from a group of young ladies who have never set foot outside the Capital City, never even seen a dead body, and are just making baseless accusations based on hearsay.”

”You!” several of the young ladies sputtered in anger. ”So something happened, and we’re not even allowed to talk about it? Right now, everyone in the Capital City, everyone in the entire world is talking about this! Are you, Chu Tang, trying to silence everyone?”

The accusation of trying to silence the entire world was a heavy one.

Chu Tang remained seated, unhurried and unprovoked. ”No, I can’t. And I’m not trying to stop anyone from speaking. I’m only saying that you can’t stop me from refuting your claims either.”

One of the madams sighed softly. ”Miss Chu, this matter really has nothing to do with you. You’re young, and you’re here in the Capital City. We weren’t there to see it, so we don’t know the details. But... aren’t you the same?”

”Yes, I didn’t see it with my own eyes either. But that is my uncle. I am a member of the Chu Family, and the Chu Family is one. I believe in my uncle. I believe that a man who has been defending the Border County for over twenty years has both a sense of responsibility and the capability to do so,” Chu Tang said slowly. ”Therefore, I will not consider this matter to be unrelated to me. I will not shut myself away, nor will I avoid everyone’s accusations, questions, and ridicule. But until the court investigates and passes judgment, I will continue to defend my uncle.”

This Chu Tang... At this point, the madams and young ladies were all a little surprised. This Chu Tang was not at all like the girl they usually talked about.

They had originally thought that with Chu Zhao in the depths of the Imperial Palace—his status high but his actions restricted—and with Chu Lan and his wife feigning illness to hide from the world, the tide of public opinion regarding Chu Ling would be completely one-sided.

They never expected the ever-cautious Chu Tang, who always knew which way the wind was blowing, to actually jump into the fray. ℯℯ𝑙.

This Chu Tang didn’t hit or curse anyone, but her way of refuting them sentence by sentence was like a sticky candy you couldn’t shake off, yet also like cotton candy that left you feeling powerless.

”Miss Ah Tang.” The hostess of the gathering couldn’t help but sigh, her tone filled with the helplessness of an elder. ”You really should be lying low for a while. No one can say how this will turn out. In the future, if—I mean, if he’s truly convicted, what will you... what will your whole family do?”

Chu Tang looked at her and said softly, ”If my uncle is guilty, then it is the Chu Family’s crime. Our family will naturally accept the punishment and admit our guilt together, so as to appease the people who have suffered.”

She stood up as she spoke.

”When that time comes, I, Chu Tang, will personally kneel before all you madams and sisters to admit my guilt. But for now—”

”I, Chu Tang, will absolutely not stand by and listen as you reprimand and slander my uncle, and disgrace the name of the Chu Family.”