Another young lady among them smiled: “Miss Qi, they might truly not know—” The young girl lifted her little nose, her eyes haughty. “They don’t look like they’ve read books.”
Miss Qi’s expression became undisguisedly mocking: “Haven’t read books? Do you know what it means to have both talent and virtue? You only know to look at family background—that a big family name and great reputation qualifies one to be Empress?”
Another young lady smiled: “If you put it that way, the Zhao clan of prestigious families would be most suitable.”
The Zhao clan had already been exterminated to the ninth degree of kinship, and the court still wasn’t satisfied, still pursuing remaining adherents. Who dared associate themselves with the Zhao clan? The people sitting in the teahouse hall immediately scattered.
These young ladies—their tongues were truly too venomous!
The turmoil had just passed, His Majesty had just died, and these young ladies weren’t staying quietly at home but running out to wander about!
Of course they knew about the Chu Garden Literary Gathering. The Chu Garden Literary Gathering had let the young ladies of the capital show off greatly, making them even more arrogant one by one.
In the end, it was all because of that Chu daughter.
Now the Chu daughter had become Empress, and who knows how arrogant the young ladies would become in the future.
Can’t provoke them, can’t provoke them, better flee quickly.
Watching the gathered crowd in the hall disperse, Qi Leyun felt both triumphant and unsatisfied.
“To actually look down on Chu Zhao,” she said. “Chu Zhao is so capable.”
A young lady beside her laughed softly: “Qi Leyun, didn’t you also look down on her before?”
“That was before.” Qi Leyun didn’t deny it. “That was when I wasn’t familiar with her yet and didn’t know she was so capable.”
Zhou Jiang, who rarely spoke, also nodded: “Chu Zhao is very capable. She can be both literary and martial, and she also has a compassionate heart. Earlier when we were coming over, I heard people on the street discussing how during that night’s turmoil, they were displaced and in extreme danger, knocking on doors that wouldn’t open, but it was Chu Zhao who opened the gates of Chu Garden and took them in. They say Chu Zhao has the heart of a bodhisattva, that the Empress Mother is benevolent and virtuous.”
There was such a thing? The young ladies recalled that night—only filled with fear, wishing they could hide underground. Who would have dared open their doors then?
Chu Zhao was truly very capable.
If before it was forced admiration because of her status as Empress, at this moment the young ladies’ eyes held genuine sincerity.
Qi Leyun nodded: “That’s right, that’s right. My whole family is currently being sheltered in Chu Garden.”
Although it was Chu Tang who had allowed them to enter, it was equivalent to Chu Zhao taking them in.
“Also, saying it’s people from the Chu family doing the praising,” Qi Leyun snorted. “That’s even more nonsense. The Chu family’s gates are still tightly closed. I climbed up on the wall, and couldn’t even get Chu Tang to come talk to me, much less have the Chu family run out to talk with people.”
As for this, although they believed it wasn’t people from the Chu family doing the praising, there was certainly someone manipulating things behind the scenes. Zhou Jiang pressed her lips together and looked toward the street.
“Even if she’s being praised, so what? Those things were all done by her herself. She deserves to be praised.”
……
……
Layer upon layer of high palace walls isolated the clamor of the outside world.
Although not yet formally enthroned, Chu Zhao also wore mourning garments according to the Empress’s specifications. At this moment, the officials outside had just finished a round of wailing in the hall.
Chu Zhao sat across from Xie Yanfang inside the hall.
“Third Young Master, drink some hot tea,” she said, personally pouring the tea.
Xie Yanfang had now entered the court as an official. Besides mourning, he still had many things to do. Over three days, he had not had it easy, though aside from a paler complexion and redder eyes, the young master’s spirits were still good.
He didn’t decline, accepting the tea and drinking it all in one gulp, looking at the young girl across from him wrapped in mourning garments, appearing even more like a small bundle.
He said: “Don’t worry about matters outside.”