A’Le was not at home. Chu Zhao had assigned her to keep watch outside—as soon as Chu Ke left the house, A’Le would follow him.

However, with Miss supporting her, A’Le was no longer afraid of causing trouble for her mistress and cowering. She now dared to direct other maids.

There were two little maids that Jiang Shi had sent over to make up the numbers. A’Le used a few coins as rewards and instructed them to watch the gate.

When the girls entered, the little maid squatting at the inner gate under the pretense of helping the stewardess sweep immediately ran to inform Chu Zhao.

“It’s Miss Qi and the others.” The little maid even recognized who the visitors were and carefully observed where they went, asking Chu Zhao attentively, “They’re all at Miss Atang’s place. Will Miss Azhao go over?”

It had been like this before—Chu Zhao would keep an eye on Chu Tang, single-mindedly wanting to follow her and play with those girls.

Chu Zhao smiled and grabbed a handful of candied fruit for the little maid: “I won’t go over, but help me watch what they’re doing.”

Miss Azhao had become very generous now. The little maid accepted the treat and ran off happily. Moreover, Miss Azhao had struck Miss Liang, and the Master’s family had all gone to apologize and make amends, but Miss Azhao had made a trip to tell the Second Master, and after returning, not only did she not have to go apologize to the Liang family, she even went over and scolded them thoroughly, and the Liang family hadn’t dared utter a single word in response.

The Master and Madam always said the Second Master was guilty and brought disaster to the family, but comparing them like this, the Second Master was clearly more formidable.

When a father was formidable, it was equivalent to his daughter being formidable. Of course they were willing to work for the formidable Miss Azhao.

With the little maids running back and forth, by the time Chu Tang’s maid came over with a smile, Chu Zhao already knew her purpose.

“Everyone is playing in the garden,” the maid said. “Miss Atang specially sent word—if Miss Azhao would also like to go, just inform the Master and Madam, and you can take a walk in the garden too.”

Chu Zhao made a sound of acknowledgment and stood up as the maid wished: “I don’t need to inform Uncle and Aunt to go to the garden. Uncle said to confine me to the house—I just can’t leave the household, can I?”

With that, she strode outside.

“Miss Azhao,” the maid hastily called out with feigned unease, “then let this servant go request permission for you.”

Chu Zhao paid no attention to whether she was going to request permission or report on her, and headed straight for the garden.

The maids in the garden were also watching, reporting to Chu Tang and the others all along the way: “Miss Azhao has left her quarters.” “Miss Azhao has reached the stone bridge.” “Miss Azhao broke off a bamboo stalk—”

Breaking off bamboo for what? To use as a weapon? The girls felt somewhat uneasy. Fortunately, the maids soon brought more news—Miss Azhao had used the bamboo to poke at fish in the stream, then tossed it aside.

The girls breathed a sigh of relief.

“How vicious,” Qi Leyun said indignantly. “What did the fish ever do to her?”

As the girls played music, chess, and painted with unease, tension, yet trying to maintain composure, Chu Zhao finally appeared leisurely in their line of sight.

Looking at the girl in a half-worn blue dress, dark hair swept up high, revealing a slender white neck, with an expression that seemed like a smile but with cold eyes, everyone felt unfamiliar, unable to recall what Chu Zhao had looked like before—who had cared about her appearance anyway?

In the lakeside pavilion, the girls either sat or stood. The music stopped, and silence fell for a moment.

“What are you all playing?” Chu Zhao spoke first. Without waiting for anyone to respond, she sat down directly in a chair and looked around.

Ten years ago and ten years later, the girls still played the same things—playing music, playing chess, writing calligraphy and painting, always maintaining dignity and serenity, sitting, reclining, walking, pleasing to the eye like a painting.

The imperial concubines in the palace were the same. Wherever Xiao Xun went, he could enjoy wonderful music. At any time, concubines could play chess with him. Every palace hall was decorated with landscape, bird, insect, and figure paintings.

She had nothing outstanding among them.

No matter how much she studied, she couldn’t compare to these women who had been carefully taught these arts since childhood, and Xiao Xun was too lazy to even look at her, let alone notice her music, chess, calligraphy, or painting.

Nor could she find enjoyment in these things for herself—she had originally learned them to entertain others.

Her casual attitude and somewhat gloomy expression brought the girls back to their senses. Indeed, she came with ill intentions!

Qi Leyun snorted and said: “What? Are you going to blame us for not including you in our games?”

Chu Zhao also snorted: “No, I don’t even enjoy these things.”

These words stunned everyone again. Previously, Chu Zhao had never said she didn’t like these activities—she would only ingratiate herself by saying how much she liked them and wanted to learn, asking the older sisters to teach her—

So now she was giving up completely, no longer trying?

“Exactly. You never liked them, so why insist on pestering us to play together,” Qi Leyun said. “You weren’t happy playing, yet you blame us for neglecting and bullying you.”

Chu Zhao smiled, looking at her. She couldn’t quite remember who this girl was.

“You are?” she asked.

This attitude made Qi Leyun glare angrily. What an act! Chu Tang had said long ago that Chu Zhao had written down and memorized each of their names, calling them “older sister” this and “older sister” that every day. Now she suddenly pretended not to recognize them?

“I’m Qi Leyun,” she said without courtesy, huffing. “My father is a clerk at the Minister of Works office. I’ve also spoken ill of your father. Come hit me then!”

Chu Zhao was amused. The malice of young girls was still different from that of the palace concubines. Looking at it now, it seemed somewhat laughable.

And this Qi Leyun—she remembered her now. Clerk Qi’s family had been quite unlucky. When chaos erupted in the capital, their house had been casually hit by a torch thrown by rioters. It happened to land in the woodshed, causing a great fire. The entire family hadn’t escaped.

This fierce, fresh-faced girl before her eyes had turned into a piece of charcoal.

“Hit you—” Chu Zhao said.

Qi Leyun’s expression tensed, and the other girls couldn’t help but stiffen.

Chu Tang stood up but didn’t speak, prepared to intervene when they started fighting.

Chu Zhao didn’t rush over. Instead, she leaned back against the chair, her expression lazy.

“—Why just you? You’ve all said such things, haven’t you?” she said. “If I had to hit everyone, how could I manage? So I hit Miss Liang as a warning. From now on, just don’t do this again.”

The girls were all stunned. Qi Leyun also stood there dumbly, then became even more indignant.

“Chu Zhao, you even act magnanimous about it,” she shouted. “You hit someone and you’re still in the right? What’s wrong with saying bad things about your father? Are they bad things? They’re facts! Didn’t your father let bandits go? Wasn’t your father disrespectful to His Majesty?”

Chu Zhao was silent for a moment, then nodded: “Yes, my father indeed did those things.”

“Since he did them, he can’t stop people from talking about it!” Qi Leyun sneered.

The other girls also returned to their earlier attitudes, their expressions either disdainful or mocking, all talking at once about past events.

“Your father even beat my second uncle back then. They were both commandants, but just because my second uncle wouldn’t allow your father to leave the formation without permission.”

“Back then your father sent soldiers to seize the memorial impeaching him and burned it in the street. Many people saw it.”

Chu Tang sighed softly: “Why bring all this up? It was all in the past. Azhao, you too—quarreling over this, dredging it up again and again, who’s really humiliating Second Uncle?”

Hearing these words, Chu Zhao still didn’t rush over to hit anyone. She sat in the chair and reached out to pluck a string on the instrument, the twang interrupting the girls’ voices.

“But His Majesty did not condemn my father for any of this,” Chu Zhao said. “The court did not punish my father either, so he is not guilty.”

Qi Leyun sneered: “That’s because His Majesty is magnanimous and benevolent, but officials and common people don’t need to be magnanimous toward such vile behavior. Your father did it, so others can talk about it. What, do you want to silence everyone in the world?”

Chu Zhao stood up.

Qi Leyun instinctively took a step back, and the other girls were also startled.

“You’re all right, but as far as I’m concerned, unless the court and His Majesty pronounce him guilty, my father is innocent. I cannot remain unmoved when you insult him.” Chu Zhao still didn’t rush over to hit anyone, but slowly walked toward them. “You can say whatever you want behind my back, however you want, but don’t do it in front of me, don’t let me hear it. Otherwise, if you insult my father and I don’t teach you a lesson, I would be an unfilial wretch. Family protects family, family shields family. It’s perfectly justified for me to hit you.”

As she spoke, she had already moved close to Qi Leyun.

Qi Leyun’s body stiffened but she didn’t retreat further—one more step back and she would fall out of the pavilion.

“I came today to tell you all this.” Chu Zhao reached out and patted Qi Leyun’s shoulder. “From now on, don’t come looking for me, don’t appear before me. We have nothing to do with each other.”

This wretched girl! They hadn’t even said anything yet, and she was already telling them to stay away from her first. Qi Leyun glared and gritted her teeth.

But Chu Zhao didn’t look at her anymore. She glanced at Chu Tang.

“Atang,” she said, gesturing around. “Is our family’s garden beautiful?”

What was this about? Was she going to forbid the girls from coming to play? “Our family”—with that “our,” this household wasn’t hers alone. Chu Tang smiled and said: “It’s beautiful.”

Chu Zhao said: “Such a beautiful garden, after all these years, still in the Chu family’s hands—what do you think that’s because of?”

Of course the Chu family’s garden would remain with the Chu family. Because of what? Chu Tang was taken aback.

Chu Zhao said nothing more. She walked out of the pavilion, casually breaking off a willow branch. As she walked, she waved it about, humming a tune.

The girls watched the figure swaying and walking slowly like the willow branch, their ears filled with Chu Zhao’s humming, not knowing what to say for a moment.

One girl stared blankly and couldn’t help saying: “She’s humming the piece I played earlier.”

That piece was very difficult. She had practiced for a long time and specially came to perform it for others.

Now hearing Chu Zhao hum it with flowing grace, not missing a single note, she was even more accomplished than the girl herself.