Chapter 100: We Are in Cahoots

Zhou Yuanshen quickly regained his composure.

He looked at Cheng Zhao, wondering if she had heeded his warning. If she hadn't, he would need to prepare in advance; of course, even if she had heard him, he still had to make some arrangements to avoid trouble.

As for Cheng Zhao, after hearing his words, her expression turned serious.

She nodded. "I've sent people to ask my mother and my eldest sister."

Zhou Yuanshen gave a slight nod.

A maid served tea, and he took a slow sip before saying to Cheng Zhao, "I do know a bit about the Double Ninth Temple."

"What do you know?"

"The Double Ninth Temple has a very famous Taoist priest whose secular surname is Yang. Some call him Heavenly Master Yang. The world only knows he excels in alchemy. He also has a Taoist name, Zhichang. What makes him most valued by the emperor is his mastery of the Mystic Gate Arts and his ability to arrange geomancy arrays." Zhou Yuanshen said.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhao tried to recall: "I've heard of this Heavenly Master Yang. People say his immortal pills are miraculous."

It was her fourth brother, Cheng Chao, who had mentioned him. Cheng Chao had spoken of Heavenly Master Yang when referring to the Prince of An, that is, Helian Xuan's father.

"The prince was gravely ill, suffering terribly. Fortunately, Heavenly Master Yang's pills eased his pain. The master said his pills only relieve pain, not save lives, but Ah Xuan and the princess still held great hope," Cheng Chao had said at the time.

Not long after, the Prince of An passed away.

No one in the Prince of An's household blamed Heavenly Master Yang; they were only grateful that he had made the prince more comfortable in his final moments, allowing him to leave with a measure of dignity.

The Cheng family also dealt with Taoist priests and monks, but Cheng Zhao had been too young when she was betrothed, so she never interacted with such people.

"...Does he have real skill, or is he a fraud?" Cheng Zhao asked.

From Cheng Chao's account, it seemed Heavenly Master Yang wasn't a liar.

"At least in the Mystic Gate Arts, he has genuine ability. The arrays he sets up are quite formidable," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao recalled that military tactics also used formations, though they differed from those of Taoist priests.

"Lord Duke, have you studied the Mystic Gate Arts?" she asked.

If he hadn't, he probably wouldn't have stated so decisively that Heavenly Master Yang was skilled; he would have sounded more speculative.

"I've studied the basics," Zhou Yuanshen said. "Matters of talent—genius like this appears only once in centuries. Most people, even if they study hard, only grasp the basics and barely get their foot in the door."

"Knowing even a bit of the basics is impressive," Cheng Zhao said.

The couple chatted idly for a while.

By evening, Mama Li and Su Yue had both returned.

Cheng Zhao told them not to avoid Zhou Yuanshen and to speak directly about what they had learned.

Mama Li had gone back to the Cheng residence and reported first: "The lady said that although peace rites are common, for any meritorious aristocratic family holding such rites, allied households would rush to send gifts."

She added, "The Duke's mansion just hosted a birthday celebration, and now they're making such a public display—it's a bit strange. The lady told you and the Lord Duke to be watchful."

She also mentioned Heavenly Master Yang.

Mama Li said: "Master Zhichang's medicines can both cure and kill; his formations are eerie, capable of conjuring fog out of thin air. My lady doesn't understand the trick behind it."

It was roughly the same as the inside information Zhou Yuanshen had shared.

However, Cheng Zhao's mother had little understanding of Mystic Gate Arts and was skeptical of it, which was why she used the word "eerie."

Su Yue then relayed the eldest sister's reminder.

The eldest sister also mentioned the gift-giving and Heavenly Master Yang's immortal pills.

"The eldest miss also said the Double Ninth Temple is lush with bamboo," Su Yue said.

Cheng Zhao glanced at Zhou Yuanshen.

He explained: "Bamboo groves are used to set up Mystic Gate arrays. One should not tread into them lightly."

Then he added, "Of course, don't fixate too much on it, or you might overlook other aspects and fall into a trap instead."

Cheng Zhao's mother had deep knowledge, her eldest sister had made sharp observations, and as for Zhou Yuanshen, he likely knew about as much as the old lady did.

For the evening meal, the couple went to Jade Residence mainly to inform the Second Madam.

"...During the rites, you'll just be seated. It's just a matter of passing the time," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Second Madam replied, "I'll take good care of Zhao Zhao. Don't worry."

Zhou Yuanqi asked, "Do we have to go?"

"Probably not."

"I want to go," he said.

Cheng Zhao wasn't keen on taking him and teased him: "Why's that? I thought you didn't care for watching rites—mostly women go to them."

"But I love watching the excitement," he said with a straight face.

Second Madam: "What excitement could there be?"

"Can't guess, so I need to see for myself," Zhou Yuanqi said.

Cheng Zhao: "..."

This little brat had caught onto something again. Too clever.

Second Madam: "..."

Sometimes she really wanted to knock some sense into him.

Cheng Zhao was about to stop him, but Zhou Yuanshen spoke up: "Let him go. I'm going anyway, so we can go together."

Zhou Yuanqi pouted: "I don't want to go with you. I'll go with my sister-in-law and my mother. I'm a child."

Children could mingle with the womenfolk.

"You're not a child anymore," Zhou Yuanshen said.

"You don't get to decide that," Zhou Yuanqi shot back.

"Then who does?" Zhou Yuanshen asked. "Next time we have a banquet, would you like to sit at the children's table?"

"I don't want that—I'm not that young..."

"So are you old or young?" Zhou Yuanshen pressed.

The back-and-forth quibbling between the brothers left Second Madam stunned: When had Zhou Yuanshen ever acted so childish?

He fired off witty remarks one after another, cornering Zhou Yuanqi until he couldn't talk back.

In Second Madam's memory, Zhou Yuanshen had been a well-behaved boy since childhood.

When he was little, he had fair skin, even prettier than Zhou Yuanqi, and everyone adored him. Later, he spent his days running through the military camps, faster than a foal, sturdy and strong.

When he got older and the situation stabilized, the family returned to the capital, and Zhou Yuanshen attended the clan school. The teachers praised him for his perseverance and talent.

His discord with his eldest cousin, Zhou Yuancheng, had started because he constantly outshone the latter at school. Excelling in both civil and military arts, he was the most outstanding male of that generation.

The eldest grandson, Zhou Yuancheng, often stirred up trouble for him just for that reason. But Zhou Yuancheng frequently suffered from headaches and fever, and whenever they argued, he would fall ill afterward—sometimes feigning, sometimes real, hard to tell.

The eldest branch and the old lady always blamed Zhou Yuanshen.

Second Madam had argued many times with her sister-in-law and mother-in-law over this.

Zhou Yuanshen never said much.

He simply left the clan school quietly and followed his maternal grandfather to the border region.

It wasn't until he earned the title of General Who Pacifies the West and his maternal grandfather passed away that he returned to the capital.

Second Madam always felt he had endured a lot of grievances and unfairness, and as his mother, she always lost in arguments and couldn't stand up for him.

That's why, in her memory, he had never acted childlike. He seemed unwilling to trouble his parents, always good and outstanding.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yuanqi, thoroughly frustrated, dragged Cheng Zhao into it: "Are you with me or not? Are we on the same side?"

Cheng Zhao blinked. "Yes."

Zhou Yuanqi lifted his chin triumphantly.

Zhou Yuanshen looked at Cheng Zhao.

She explained, "At that time, all of us from the second branch will be together. We really are on the same side, Lord Duke. How about you join us too?"

"Don't need him," Zhou Yuanqi said.

Anyway, he'd have to rope someone else in eventually. Better not compete with Grandmother for a hot-tempered brute—his father said Grandmother was formidable.

"Why not?" Cheng Zhao asked. "He's noble and honorable. If he's with us, we'll have an advantage."

Second Madam couldn't take it anymore: "How old are you people?"

Even a ten-year-old child wouldn't so openly "form cliques."

"Mother, you are also on our side," said Cheng Zhao.

The Second Madam: "..."