“That’s not right,” she shouted, pointing at Xiao Tu. “How old is he? The previous campaign was twenty years ago.”
Right! The girls in the hall came to their senses. This Chu Tang was treating them like children!
“—That’s right, twenty years ago, Xiao Tu’s grandfather died in that campaign,” Chu Tang raised her voice. “His grandfather died, his grandmother also died from excessive grief, his home was destroyed, his father took his mother and wandered homeless. After giving birth to Xiao Tu, they both died, and he became an orphan—is that wrong?”
Not wrong. Standing in the hall, Xiao Tu inwardly praised her.
……
……
“The border commandery has countless orphans like this. Because of war, they lost relatives, lost their homes. Many of them personally experienced being chased by Xi Liang cavalry hooves, saw Xi Liang bandits raise their great swords, saw their relatives die right before their eyes.”
Chu Tang said, looking at Xiao Tu.
“Xiao Tu, do you and the others hate my uncle Chu Ling?”
The conversation turned rather quickly. Xiao Tu blinked. “Hate—not hate?”
Chu Tang nodded. “Right, hate or not hate? Because my uncle and these officers failed to protect you, causing you to lose your relatives.”
Xiao Tu seemed confused. “But wasn’t that done by the Xi Liang people? We should hate the Xi Liang people. Why hate General Chu and the others?”
Whether this Xiao Tu truly didn’t understand or was pretending, the madams and girls in the hall all understood. They felt both angry and amused.
“Chu Tang, you don’t need to deflect,” a girl said. “We all know the disaster was caused by the Xi Liang people. But so many people died—the commanding general bears responsibility for inadequate leadership. This isn’t about whether to hate or not, it’s about responsibility, about dereliction of duty!”
“Whether so many deaths constitute dereliction of duty is for the court to determine,” Chu Tang said. “Even if there is to be criticism, it should come from those in the border commandery who personally experienced it, not from you girls who haven’t even left the capital, who haven’t even seen a dead person, criticizing freely based merely on hearsay.”
“You!” Several girls said angrily. “Something happened, and we can’t even talk about it? Right now everyone in the capital, everyone in the realm is talking. You, Chu Tang—will you silence the mouths of everyone in the world?”
Silencing the mouths of all under heaven—this accusation was serious enough.
Chu Tang sat in her chair, unhurried, unruffled, unangered. “No, and I’m not preventing others from speaking. I’m simply saying that you cannot prevent me from defending my uncle.”
A madam sighed softly. “Miss Chu, actually this matter has nothing to do with you. You’re young and in the capital. We haven’t seen it with our own eyes, don’t know the details. But you—aren’t you the same?”
“Yes, I also haven’t seen it with my own eyes. But that’s my uncle. I am a member of the Chu family. The Chu family is one body. I believe in my uncle, believe in his twenty-plus years of guarding the border commandery, his sense of responsibility and capability,” Chu Tang said slowly. “Therefore, I won’t consider this matter unrelated to me. I won’t stay home behind closed doors. I won’t avoid everyone’s accusations, questions, and mockery. But before the court has determined guilt and investigated clearly, I will certainly defend my uncle.”
This Chu Tang—at this moment, the madams and girls were all somewhat surprised. This Chu Tang was different from the temperament the girls usually described.
They had originally thought that with Chu Zhao in the deep palace—though her status was elevated, she couldn’t act arbitrarily—and with Chu Lan and his wife feigning illness and avoiding the world, regarding this matter with Chu Ling, public opinion would surely be one-sided.
They hadn’t expected that the usually cautious Chu Tang, who always read the wind, would actually jump out—
This Chu Tang, though she didn’t hit or curse people, argued back sentence by sentence like sticky taffy that couldn’t be shaken off, like cotton candy that left one powerless.
“Miss A’Tang,” the hostess couldn’t help but sigh gently, with an elder’s helplessness. “You really should avoid this situation. No one can say for certain about this matter. In the future, if truly—I mean, if—if he’s truly found guilty, you—what will your whole family do?”
Chu Tang looked at her and said softly, “If uncle is guilty, it is the Chu clan’s guilt. Our whole family naturally should receive punishment and admit guilt together, to console the people who have suffered.”
She stood up as she spoke.
“At that time, Chu Tang will personally kneel before all you madams and sisters to admit guilt. But right now—”
“Chu Tang absolutely will not allow you to denounce and slander my uncle, or insult my Chu family’s honor.”