Ashes to Crown Episode 20 Recap
> Ashes to Crown Recaps
Xiaoman left the city and rushed to Yunzhong Prefecture, looking grand and majestic on her warhorse. Liang Qiang also intended to return to the battlefield, but he was dragged by several elders of his family to accompany Deng Yi for drinks. Liang Qiang repeatedly explained that his position was earned entirely through fighting on the battlefield, rather than flattery in officialdom.
The elders reminded him that holding a high position meant that if he offended the Grand Tutor, all his efforts would be in vain. Despite his strong aversion, Liang Qiang still went to the tavern to drink. The waiter brought over a cup of wine, claiming it was a toast from an anonymous guest.
Liang Qiang looked around and saw Xie Yanfang holding a wine cup on the opposite side, so he had no choice but to drain his cup in one gulp. Xie Yanfang claimed illness to avoid attending court. Currently, Deng Yi held sole power, and his secret dealings with Xiao Xun were unacceptable to Chu Zhao. Therefore, Xie Yanfang deliberately watched the scene from the shadows, waiting to step forward only when something happened to Xie Yanlai on the battlefield.
Xiao Xun recalled that when Wei Village was mentioned back then, it had thrown Xie Yanlai into a panic. If he could find the child named Xiang beforehand, he would definitely be able to firmly control Xie Yanlai and gain more bargaining chips for himself. Xie Yanfang visited Chu Zhao at night. He mentioned that if she constantly relied on balancing him and Deng Yi, she still could not be considered truly powerful.
Chu Zhao explained that she did not need Xie Yanfang to worry about her actions. Inside the camp of the Northern Desert, the King of the Northern Desert heard that Xie Yanlai wanted to take his head, so he contemptuously declared they would see who emerged victorious first. In the imperial court, a minister reported that the official Zheng Xia had been sentenced to death. Chu Zhao was surprised.
Previously, some people had accused Zheng Xia of selling exam questions, but investigation showed insufficient evidence, and the case was shelved for a while. Censor Zhu Yong immediately cried out for justice on behalf of Zheng Xia, pointing out that Zheng Xia was accustomed to writing with his left hand, but the handwriting on the seal was clearly written by someone using their right hand. Furthermore, as soon as Zheng Xia entered prison, his left hand was broken and crippled.
Someone must have deliberately framed him. Chu Zhao decided to reinvestigate the case. Xiaoman led troops to the Jingzhou city guards to interrogate Zheng Xia, but was refused by the guards on the grounds of incomplete paperwork. Xiaoman directly barged in and forcefully took Zheng Xia away. When the news reached the Xie Residence, the butler felt that Chu Zhao looked down on the Xie family too much, failing to consult them in advance on such a major matter.
Xie Yanfang stated that Chu Zhao currently needed to establish her authority, and the most embarrassed person would likely be Deng Yi. As expected, Deng Yi lost his patience. He questioned Chu Zhao for disregarding the power to oversee the state granted to him by the Late Emperor.
Chu Zhao emphasized that she was the Grand Princess personally bestowed by the Late Emperor, and she had an obligation to inquire into all wrong, false, and unjust cases of the Great Chu. At court the next day, Mu Xiaoman had a matter to report. Some officials believed that the Gongwei Bureau had no right to attend and discuss matters in court, but Chu Zhao directly ordered her to enter the hall.
Mu Xiaoman had already verified the cheating case of Zheng Xia, revealing that the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy of Jingzhou had tampered with the exam questions and then framed Zheng Xia. Since the Chancellor of Jingzhou was a disciple of Deng Yi, Deng Yi was suppressed with anger, and Xiao Yu immediately issued an imperial edict to severely punish those involved in the case.
Xie Yanfang knew that Chu Zhao was intentionally targeting Deng Yi, so it was best for him not to get involved. Besides, the officials of Jingzhou would sooner or later become Deng Yi's discarded pawns. In the camp of Yunzhong Prefecture, the army supervisor appointed by Deng Yi was brooding over a soldier recording the wrong time and demanded severe punishment.
Zhong Changrong knew of the confrontation between Deng Yi and Chu Zhao, so he did not dare to speak up for the soldier and could only let the army supervisor have his way. Fortunately, Xie Yanlai arrived shortly after and was about to head to the front line. Zhong Changrong urged him to be careful in everything and not let Deng Yi's people catch any leverage against him.
He also complained that Xie Yanlai did not know the heights of the heavens and earth, having actually claimed he would kill the King of the Northern Desert. Xie Yanlai stated he had his own clever plan. Chu Tang wrote a letter to Chu Zhao. Ever since Zhu Yong arrived in Jingzhou, he had been acting swiftly and resolutely, and the local citizens praised him without exception. Chu Zhao was very satisfied, feeling she finally had capable talents to use.
Upon hearing rumors circulating in the markets about how ruthless the Gongwei Bureau was, Chu Zhao knew someone was deliberately spreading rumors to target her. She then had Zhu Yong arrange for the Prince of Jingzhou to write and present a Wenzhi Umbrella. Several noble ladies guided the citizens in the markets, and public opinion changed immediately.
The Gongwei Bureau made a great show of arresting Assistant Director Du of the Shaofu Temple, who found it hard to recover due to falsified accounts. Xie Yanfang recalled that Tian Lin, one of Deng Yi's disciples, had previously failed to establish a marriage alliance for their children with Assistant Director Du, leading to many secret grudges between them. This time, exposing one thing led to another, costing Deng Yi dearly.
However, handing over Assistant Director Du showed that he was already at his wits' end. Xie Yanfang worried that once Deng Yi was overthrown, the next person to contend with would be himself. He inquired about Xie Yanlai's movements, and the butler informed him that Xie Yanlai had arrived at Changping Pass. Deng Yi asked Chu Zhao if she was satisfied with his performance.
It turned out that a few days ago, Chu Zhao had asked Deng Yi to pretend to be at loggerheads with her so that Xie Yanfang would lower his guard. Deng Yi understood that Xie Yanfang was always holding him back, so he was willing to cooperate.
His confidants believed that they had not seen any benefits so far and had even lost two major generals, but Deng Yi stated that they should count themselves lucky as long as he himself was not dragged down. At night, Chu Zhao began to worry about Xie Yanlai. A'le cast a divination, which showed that Xie Yanlai was facing a bloody disaster. Chu Zhao was so angry that she threw the divination cylinder to the ground.
Xiaoman chimed in to reassure her, saying that a bloody disaster could also turn into great good fortune. Chu Zhao knew that the two of them were also acting out of consideration for her, so she walked out to the courtyard to pray for Xie Yanlai.
