Chu Zhao remained unaware of the affairs of those prominent figures outside, and even if she had known, she wouldn't have cared. Her sole focus was on distancing herself from such influential people.
True to her resolve, she stopped joining her uncle and aunt for meals, opting to eat all three daily meals alone.
Jiang Shi, still smarting from the money Chu Zhao had stolen, decided to teach her a lesson.
The servants understood her intent and deliberately mistreated Chu Zhao—either delivering meals late or providing insufficient or poorly prepared food.
When Chu Zhao questioned them, they would smirk and say, "Young Miss eats late, and the stove fire has already been extinguished. We have to relight it."
As for the meager or poorly cooked meals, they had even more excuses ready.
"Miss A Zhao, the household has suffered a major theft. Our finances were already tight, and now we're just grateful to have food on the table at all."
Chu Zhao smiled faintly. "Then we should indeed be frugal." She asked no further questions.
After all, she was living under someone else's roof—what more could she do? The servants grew smug, but before they could even smirk properly, problems arose with the meals prepared for Jiang Shi. Either fully cooked dishes would mysteriously disappear, or the delivered food would be unbearably salty.
Jiang Shi flew into a rage, threatening to punish the kitchen staff. The servants kowtowed and pleaded innocence, creating a chaotic uproar until Chu Tang stepped in to mediate.
"They wouldn't be foolish enough to sabotage their own futures like this," she said, pointing in a certain direction. "This is A Zhao's retaliation."
Realization dawned on Jiang Shi, who fumed with anger and indignation. She immediately summoned Chu Zhao, who of course denied everything upon arrival. "If you don't believe me, Aunt, you can search my quarters," she added.
By then, any consumed food would long have been digested—there was nothing left to find. Jiang Shi sneered, "A Zhao, stealing is wrong. I refuse to believe your father taught you such behavior."
Chu Zhao replied, "Aunt, you shouldn't make baseless accusations. Who witnessed me taking money when I left home? And I returned empty-handed."
Evidence? Her stolen money had never been recovered. Chu Ke, having believed her story, never mentioned the money being retrieved. She doubted her uncle and aunt would dare confront Deng Yi about it.
Even if they did, Deng Yi would likely ignore them.
This was a classic case of stubborn denial. Jiang Shi was so enraged she nearly slammed the table. Chu Zhao chuckled, "Moreover, no one ever accused me of stealing when I lived at home. Now that I'm in the capital, you're making these claims. This can't be blamed on my father's teachings. Besides, in one's own home, why would anyone need to steal? We have everything we need. Accusing me of stealing this and that—even food and drink—would make people think you're mistreating me if word got out."
Fine, fine, fine. Jiang Shi took a deep breath. "You're just like your father—always having a clever retort. No matter what you do, you always have a justification. You're always in the right."
Chu Zhao said, "Aunt, that's not entirely accurate. What's right is right, and what's wrong is wrong. It doesn't depend on who says it."
Every time she spoke, this wretched girl had an immediate comeback. Jiang Shi had never noticed her being so sharp-tongued before. Furious, she demanded, "What exactly have you done that's right? Was beating people right? Or running away from home right?"
"Those two things can't exactly be called right," Chu Zhao answered softly without hesitation. "I can only say there was nothing wrong with doing them."
Jiang Shi was both angered and amused. "You certainly have your logic. You did nothing wrong? Do you even realize your actions could implicate the entire family? Because of your father, your uncle was forced to resign from his post. Now you want to drive us out of the capital too?"
Recalling these painful memories, Jiang Shi couldn't hold back her tears.
The servants quietly withdrew from the room. Chu Tang rose and sat beside her mother, gently wiping away her tears.Chu Zhao’s expression remained calm. She had already lived through this scene in her previous life. Her aunt was always like this—whenever she mentioned Father, she would lament how he had brought trouble upon the family and upon his elder brother, shedding tears and sinking into sorrow. In the past, Chu Zhao would feel at a loss, sad, self-blaming, and resentful toward her father.
But now, of course, she wouldn’t. With a calm mind, she could view things from a different perspective.
After a moment’s thought, Chu Zhao said, “I remember that Uncle entered the court later than my father.”
Jiang Shi was taken aback. What did this wretched girl mean? Was she implying that Chu Lan had only become an official because of Chu Ling?
“Your uncle is exceptionally talented! He was invited to serve as a Langzhong—it took repeated invitations before he accepted. Had he agreed earlier, he would have become an official even sooner than your father!” she retorted indignantly, quickly steering the conversation back to Chu Ling. “Your father refused to study, joined the military, and was fortunate enough to gain Your Majesty’s favor. But he became arrogant and domineering, offending people left and right. While he enjoyed his freedom far away, others couldn’t reach him, so they turned their accusations toward your uncle—”
Chu Zhao interjected, “Did Uncle resign because others accused him?”
“Yes, and it was all because of your father—” Jiang Shi said bitterly.
Chu Zhao cut her off, “That was clearly forced by others. How can you blame my father?”
“If your father hadn’t done those things—” Jiang Shi fumed.
“Did Your Majesty ever convict my father for those actions?” Chu Zhao interrupted again.
Jiang Shi faltered. Of course not. And precisely because of that, Chu Ling appeared even more arrogant and unrestrained, which only fueled the officials’ resentment and harsh treatment of Chu Lan—
“Since Your Majesty did not convict him, my father is not guilty. Why should Uncle fear the accusations and interrogations from others? Not only should he not fear them, but he should also challenge these people in return,” Chu Zhao declared. “My father is fighting for the court on the battlefield, where situations change in the blink of an eye. He cannot rigidly adhere to rules while far from the court and unable to explain himself. Uncle, being in the court, should have defended Father, refuted the accusations, and cleared his name.”
Jiang Shi and Chu Tang stared at her, momentarily speechless.
“As the saying goes, ‘Father and son fight side by side in battle; brothers join forces to slay a tiger.’” Chu Zhao raised her eyebrows and looked squarely at Jiang Shi. “But what did Uncle do? He was so afraid of being implicated that, as I recall, when just one or two officials impeached Father, Uncle immediately submitted his resignation overnight. He ignored Your Majesty’s attempts to retain him and fled to Qiao Mountain Academy.”
“You—you’re talking nonsense!” Jiang Shi stammered, trying to argue back.
But Chu Zhao didn’t engage further. She stood up and said, “If Uncle had shown even the slightest intention to defend Father and counter those who accused him, things would be different today. Instead of my father struggling alone outside, the two brothers could have advanced together—one earning renown as a civil official, the other glory as a military general, supporting and relying on each other. Imagine the prestige our Chu family would have enjoyed! At the very least, when two children quarreled and fought, it would have been Minister Liang apologizing nervously at our doorstep. And the one eagerly sought after for connections wouldn’t be Miss Liang, but Sister A’Tang.”
Chu Tang clenched her hands, imagining such a scene. Yes, that would have been wonderful.
Jiang Shi, too, found herself inadvertently imagining sitting in Madam Yan’s position, looking down upon others—
But as an adult, she quickly snapped out of it.
“This is sophistry,” she retorted angrily, though her earlier vigor had noticeably diminished.Chu Zhao did not press further, his expression tinged with melancholy. "What's done is done, and dwelling on the past is futile." Then his brows furrowed sharply. "But for Uncle to have enjoyed a life of leisure while avoiding troubles, only to now resent my father for hindering his career—that is absolutely unacceptable! If you insist on this, then my father and I shall likewise resent Uncle for his refusal to offer aid, his indifference, and his neglect back then. Had Uncle lent my father a helping hand back in the day, my father would not be merely a Garrison General today!"
With that, he flung his sleeve and stormed off.
Jiang Shi was momentarily stunned, only managing to call out "You—" after collecting herself, but she couldn't find the words to continue. Her mind swirled with thoughts of what might have been back then and how things stood now.
"She's shifting the blame," she finally said, turning to Chu Tang. "Now it seems as though we're the ones who owe them."
Unlike her usual self, Chu Tang did not comfort or agree with her mother. Resting her chin on her hand, she murmured pensively, "I heard Minister Liang also started as a court official back in the day."
Just as these words were spoken, Chu Lan, hearing the commotion die down, approached with a book in hand, shuffling in his slippers to smooth things over. He happened to catch this remark.
"What does it matter that Minister Liang was once a court official?" he asked.
No sooner had he spoken than both his wife and daughter turned to look at him, their eyes carrying a trace of resentment.
"I might have been Lady Yan."
"I might have been Miss Liang."
Chu Lan was utterly baffled, completely in the dark.
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