Ashes to Crown

Chapter 246: Chapter 60: The Deed

”Report—”

”The Western Liang Soldiers outside Yunzhong County have been annihilated—”

”A great victory! A great victory at Wang City—”

”Empress Chu has won a great victory at Wang City—”

A posthouse soldier on a galloping horse, a silk banner fluttering from his back, charged through the city. The already bustling streets erupted as if a string of firecrackers had gone off.

In a private room on the second floor, Qi Leyun threw open the windows with a CLATTER, and a cold wind rushed in, carrying the clamor from below.

The girls inside, dressed in thin clothes, complained, ”Qi Leyun, what are you doing!”

Qi Leyun stood by the window and said loudly, ”So everyone can hear more clearly.”

The girls grumbled good-naturedly, ”Do we really need to listen like this?” ”We heard it clearly already.”

These were people of wealth and status, all well-informed. And since this was a public victory announcement, their families had received the news long before the rider reached the Capital City.

Ignoring Qi Leyun by the window, they all turned to look at Chu Tang, who was seated in the center.

”Ah Tang, what on earth is going on?” ”How did Chu Zhao end up in the Border County?”

Chu Tang pressed a hand to her chest. ”I can finally talk about this. It’s been so hard keeping it a secret. You have no idea how much my heart and my body have suffered—”

The girls cut her off before she could finish, shaking her. ”Never mind your heart and your body!” ”Just tell us what happened!”

Chu Tang laughed as they shook her, then sidestepped away from them.

”It’s very simple. While everyone in the Capital City was busy condemning my uncle for being an incompetent main general and lamenting the people’s suffering, Chu Zhao marched out of the palace with her soldiers—” She stopped, planted her feet, and swept her hand forward like a sword cleaving the air. ”She went straight to the Border County, annihilated the traitors, and saved the people.”

Simple. It sounded simple, but to actually do it—so far, so dangerous... The girls watched her, their expressions full of excitement.

Chu Tang turned back to them. ”This is my Chu Family. We save the nation and protect its people, unafraid of slander or hardship. We don’t talk; we act.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Qi Leyun slapped the windowsill. ”How can you not talk about it! It’s happened before—General Chu was slandered, and now that she has achieved something great, she must be praised! Ah Tang, host a banquet at Chu Garden! Send out invitations! Everyone, come and praise the Empress!”

...

...

”Outrageous!”

In the grand court hall, after a long silence on the topic, the Empress was all anyone could talk about.

Before the public victory announcement reached the Capital City, most of the officials at court had already received the news. They had immediately gone to intercept the Grand Tutor and Third Young Master Xie.

Never mind why the Empress was in the Border County—the first priority was to suppress the news. They were to report only the great victory, not mention the Empress.

But it was no use. The victory courier had shouted the Empress’s name through towns and cities all the way to the Capital City, and now everyone knew.

In the court hall, all the civil and military officials were interrogating the Grand Tutor, as well as Xie Yanfang, and even the Xiao Emperor sitting on the Dragon Throne.

By now, everyone understood the situation perfectly.

”These rampant rumors outside about how the Empress, deep in her palace, grew restless hearing of the people’s suffering and led troops to the border overnight—it’s all fake!”

The Empress hadn’t even been in the palace before this incident.

The court officials glanced at the Dragon Throne. The curtain behind it was still drawn, but no one had been back there for a long time—of course, no one was supposed to be behind the curtain in the first place.

The official story was that an old injury the Empress sustained while protecting the Emperor had flared up, requiring her to rest, so she could no longer accompany the Emperor to court. They had all been wishing she would never recover.

They had cheered and celebrated, thanking the heavens for having eyes.

Who would have thought!

Instead of listening to politics from behind the curtain at court, that Empress Chu had run off to the Border County with an army.

In all of history, has there ever been anything so outrageous!

What was even more outrageous was that, fine, the Emperor was just a child who didn’t understand anything and had no control. But the Imperial Tutor and Xie Yanfang—those two couldn’t possibly claim they didn’t know!

If those two truly didn’t know, then it would mean Empress Chu held absolute power over Great Xia.

”Grand Tutor, Mr. Xie, how could you indulge the Empress like this, allowing her to commit such an outrageous act?”

At that moment, all the civil and military officials questioned them in unison.

Deng Yi remained silent from beginning to end.

”Everyone, this isn’t exactly an outrageous matter,” Xie Yanfang said. ”After all, it’s news of a victory, a joyous occasion—”

”Mr. Xie!” an official interrupted him angrily. ”We’re not talking about the victory report, we’re talking about the Empress leaving the palace!”

Xie Yanfang said slowly, ”They are, in fact, the same matter. The Empress left the court precisely to save the people on the border.”

”Mr. Xie,” an elderly official said, his voice trembling, ”has our Great Xia truly reached the point where we need the Empress to lead troops into battle? Is that not an outrageous state of affairs? If Great Xia has truly fallen so far, then this official, old as I am, would dare to fight to the death myself!”

Xie Yanfang bowed to him and said, ”I understand your sentiment, Your Excellency.”

But his words were just pleasantries that didn’t address the issue. Several officials anxiously took a step forward—

”What’s so outrageous about it?” Deng Yi’s voice cut down from the front. ”If this is outrageous, it’s not as if it hasn’t happened before.”