The Crown Prince's arrest of a group of scholars did not plunge the capital into panic. Instead, the Third Prince's counterattack was to officially announce the commencement of the Hope Spring Garden Literary Gathering, drawing even more people into the capital.
The gathering would take place the next day.
As for whether it was the same as in her previous life—Chu Zhao thought for a moment but couldn't recall. In her previous life, the girls hadn't participated, and even when the topic was brought up, it was mostly met with a few complaints before being forgotten. She hadn't paid it any mind either, as she had been busy preparing for her engagement with Xiao Xun at the time. Her heart and eyes were filled only with him; even if the sky had fallen, she wouldn't have cared.
Chu Zhao didn't dwell too much on the literary gathering now.
She had no choice in the matter. Although the Third Prince's days were numbered, if she dared not attend now, he could easily cut off her path to survival first.
The girls gathered as usual, either at Chu Manor or in taverns, reviewing records of previous competitions and honing their skills.
"Minister Liang's family has been sentenced, but their lives were spared," Qi Leyun brought the latest news. "They've been exiled to the Border Commandery."
For the young girls, this fate was hardly better than death. Some even murmured that they would rather die than suffer such a fate.
"Once they leave, they'll likely never return to the capital in this lifetime," someone sighed.
Chu Zhao sat nearby, her expression unmoved. Hearing this, she glanced at the girl who had spoken.
The other girls noticed immediately, and one of them quickly nudged the speaker.
"What are you saying?" "Whose fault is it anyway?" "They brought it upon themselves with their crimes." "Though the women of the family are pitiable, they enjoyed the privileges before, so they must bear the consequences now."
The girls chattered among themselves.
They assumed Chu Zhao was displeased by any sympathy for the Liang family, as one of their charges included spreading rumors and seeking private revenge—specifically, fabricating stories about Chu Zhao and the young master of the Xie family.
Chu Zhao smiled faintly, her feelings complicated. It wasn't that she pitied the Liangs—how could she, of all people, pity others? In her previous life, she had met a wretched end, and she wondered if anyone had spared a word of pity for her then.
The reason she had glanced at the girl was because she remembered that in her past life, though the Liang family had been convicted and driven from the capital, they had eventually returned—not only returned but risen to great heights, even becoming relatives of the imperial family.
In this life, however—
Chu Zhao gently traced the rim of her teacup with her finger. Who could say?
"The Hope Spring Garden Literary Gathering begins tomorrow," she said to the girls. "But with all the recent turmoil in the capital, the situation is different from before. Everyone must be cautious in speech and action to avoid bringing disaster upon their families."
The girls nodded in agreement.
Qi Leyun snorted, "Chu Zhao, you should remember that yourself. You're the one who causes the most trouble, aren't you?"
She sat down beside Chu Zhao.
"Don't go picking a fight with the Third Prince when the time comes."
The girls laughed, and Chu Zhao joined in, poking Qi Leyun's shoulder with her finger.
"I know," she said with a smile. "A noble person knows when to advance and when to retreat. I understand when it's time to hold back and when it's time to yield."
Zhou Jiang, who excelled at chess—aside from when she was playing, the girl remained as unremarkable as ever, sitting quietly in the crowd, often overlooked and seldom speaking—surprisingly spoke up: "We've already proven ourselves at Chu Manor, ensuring the world won't look down on us. That's enough. There's no need to compete in every single matter. Doing so would only make us appear petty and invite ridicule for being mere girls after all."
At this, the young girl paused thoughtfully, then nodded to herself."But if we're playing chess, I'm absolutely determined to win."
The girls who had been about to nod immediately burst into laughter, some nearly toppling over.
"A Jiang! Are you guiding us or corrupting us?"
However, these two rounds of laughter dissipated the previously tense atmosphere.
"Tomorrow we'll be going to Spring Gazing Garden," Chu Zhao said. "Everyone should go back early today to rest."
Qi Leyun laughed again: "Rest? We need to prepare our outfits and accessories. The jewelry my mother ordered for me has arrived—I need to go try it on."
The other girls also chimed in cheerfully, saying their new clothes were ready, their accessories were finished—such lively chatter truly reflected their teenage spirits.
"Is that so," Chu Zhao said with a smile. "Then I'll go shopping too and buy some nice things."
The girls dispersed from the tavern and went their separate ways. True to her word, Chu Zhao didn't head straight home but took A Le shopping instead.
A Le said: "Miss A-Tang has already prepared clothes and accessories for you, miss, but of course you can buy more if you wish."
"Not for clothes or accessories," Chu Zhao said. "Let's visit some medicine shops."
A Le paused in surprise, then understood: "For A Jiu? He hasn't finished the pills from last time yet. No amount of medicine can hurry his recovery anyway."
Actually, she wasn't buying medicine for A Jiu—she wanted to stock up on medicinal ingredients for home use. After all, once the Spring Gazing Garden Literary Gathering concluded, the turmoil among the princes would begin. Although she'd warned Xie Yanfang, even if the Crown Prince struck first against the Third Prince, the ensuing chaos would still be significant—
Better to be prepared than caught off guard.
Just as Chu Zhao was about to explain, a familiar figure flashed past her vision—
"A Jiu!" she called out instinctively.
Before A Le could react, she saw Chu Zhao dart away and hurried after her.
......
......
Xie Yanlai had merely crossed from one alley through the main street into another alley—how could he have been spotted in those few brief steps?
He frowned at the girl blocking his path.
"What do you want?" he said irritably.
Chu Zhao looked him over. The youth wore dark robes with hints of crimson, his belt embroidered with gold thread—simple yet subtly luxurious, the preferred style of noble scions.
He looked completely different from his courier appearance.
This was the first time she'd seen him properly dressed. The previous times—once when he was beaten and disheveled, another when he was bedridden recovering, wearing loose commoner clothes.
"Wearing proper clothes really makes a difference," Chu Zhao said with a laugh.
What kind of remark was that! Xie Yanlai sneered: "Even dressed like this, Miss Chu could still recognize me. You really can't get me out of your head."
A Le, who had just caught up, stared in astonishment. What was he saying!
"A Jiu," A Le said angrily. "Our miss has been concerned about your injury. She was just about to specially buy medicine for you."
Chu Zhao smiled without denying it.
Xie Yanlai raised his phoenix eyes to look at the girl: "Oh? Good, good. Buy plenty then. Serve this young master well and you'll be rewarded."
Chu Zhao immediately produced a letter: "Perfect! Then please deliver this letter to my father for me."
Xie Yanlai felt both annoyed and amused: "You carry letters with you? So certain you'd run into me anytime, anywhere?"
Chu Zhao smiled: "When opportunity arises, don't let it pass."
Xie Yanlai scoffed but didn't take the letter, waving his hand instead: "Step aside, step aside. I'm still injured and need to go recover."
Chu Zhao didn't stop him, moving aside.
"Why are you out?" she asked, watching the youth's retreating back.The young man stood straight-backed, not turning his head: "So Miss Chu can catch me if I come out."
For someone like him, whether to come out or not probably wasn't his decision to make. Chu Zhao didn't tease him further.
"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.
OpenNovel