Chapter 104: Cheng Zhao's Sharp Tongue

Cheng Zhao mused.

At this point, she had mostly figured out the situation.

Suyue and Qiubai were watching her, a bit tense, but Cheng Zhao comforted them in turn. "Don't be afraid."

She smiled calmly.

That smile gave Qiubai and Suyue confidence, and the two of them promptly steadied themselves, their spirits revived.

"Go ahead and get busy," Cheng Zhao said as she stood up.

As they walked out of the side chambers in the rear courtyard of the Taoist temple, they unexpectedly encountered a young nobleman.

He stood tall and graceful, elegant as a bamboo. Young in years, the youth was slender yet handsome, his gaze especially intense.

He stood there looking at Cheng Zhao but did not approach.

Cheng Zhao pretended not to notice and quickly walked away.

"That's the Fifth Prince," Suyue said in a low voice. "What is he staring at?"

"It seems he's staring at the Young Madam," Qiubai replied. "Could he have lingered here on purpose just to get a look?"

Cheng Zhao's brows were already furrowed.

Up to now, the only members of the imperial family she found pleasant were those close to the Rong Prince's household—likely because the Rong Prince's heir, Helian Jian, was a friend of Fan Xiao and Zhou Yuanshen. Birds of a feather flock together.

Apart from that, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Andong Commandery Prince Helian Xuan, and the Fifth Prince Helian Hong who had come today all seemed to clash with Cheng Zhao's nature. An inexplicable wave of irritation rose within her.

Before she could say anything, Suyue had already grown angry. "Cad!"

She added, "He looks quite young, yet he stoops to such low behavior. His mother and betrothed are both here, yet he still runs off to stare at the Young Madam."

Qiubai quickly told her to keep her voice down. "The Young Madam is the Duchess of the Zhou family. Even a prince wouldn't dare to act rashly. Don't make a scene and give them a handle to use against us."

Cheng Zhao nodded. "Right now, anyone and anything could be a distraction. Don't let yourself be diverted."

Dealing with a prince was actually quite difficult.

Their status and position weighed down on you; you couldn't make a move. A minor slip could cost you your life, or at worst, bring ruin upon your entire clan. It wasn't that he was formidable, but that his identity and rank were.

A father could kill his son, but a son who killed his father would be sentenced to death; the imperial clan could be executed by the Emperor, but no one else could touch them.

For now, Cheng Zhao had no way to handle a prince. She could only sidestep him and focus on resolving the matters at hand.

She returned to the bell tower. The first session of the fasting rites had ended, and then came the drama selection: the play titles were announced before the shrine, and a few were chosen to be performed, meant as an offering to the gods. This too was part of the Daoist rites.

When Cheng Zhao returned, the Dowager Madame beckoned her over.

"Have all the monetary gifts been distributed?" the Dowager Madame asked her.

Cheng Zhao replied, "Yes, they've all been given out."

She also told the Dowager Madame which households had sent managing servants and which had sent their madams or wives in person.

The Dowager Madame smiled slightly. "You handle things thoroughly. Go sit down and listen to the opera."

When the morning "fasting rites" concluded and everyone took a short break, Grandmaster Yang arrived again.

He carried a tray lined with crimson satin, on which lay wooden hairpins.

"This is a small token from the temple. I made them myself, steeped in elixir water. They can clear the mind and calm the spirit and also accumulate blessings," Grandmaster Yang said.

"How could we put you to such trouble?" the Dowager Madame said with a smile.

"The Dowager Madame is too kind. I am an old Daoist of modest means, and can only offer these humble items as a tribute."

The Dowager Madame thanked him again. She deferred to Consort Dou, inviting her to choose first, but the Consort insisted on taking after the Dowager Madame.

After a round of polite refusals, the Dowager Madame took one and had her maid pin it up for her.

Everyone else then helped themselves.

Cheng Zhao also took one.

She sniffed it and caught a faint scent of sandalwood, along with some other medicinal fragrances. It smelled very pleasant.

Just as she was about to put it in her hair, Hu Zhiwei, who was standing beside her, suddenly said, "Duchess, let me put it in for you."

She happened to be standing directly behind Suyue.

Her voice was not very low, and many people heard her. Sun Zhiya even cast a curious glance.

The First Madam was a bit surprised and somewhat displeased; she shot Hu Zhiwei a meaningful look.

With so many eyes on her, refusing would be a direct slight to the First Madam and a show of disrespect toward an elder—especially with Consort Dou present.

Cheng Zhao had no choice but to smile. "Thank you."

The Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi looked over; Zhou Yuanshen remained expressionless, not glancing that way, taking a wooden hairpin himself.

Mu Jiang walked over to him, wanting him to help pin it on, but he avoided her.

The temple had prepared a midday meal. The party followed the Dowager Madame down the tower and through the second mountain gate to eat.

During the meal, Cheng Zhao exchanged hushed words with the Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi. The three of them talked for a good while.

The Second Madam looked around several times.

When Zhou Yuanshen glanced over, he saw his mother and Zhou Yuanqi blocking Cheng Zhao, who was doing something out of sight behind them.

After the meal, everyone moved toward the main hall at the front.

The morning rain had stopped, but the sun had not yet come out and there was no wind. The mountain paths were still damp. Supported by maids and serving women, everyone walked slowly.

Sun Zhiya of the Qingyuan Hou Mansion leaned close to the Dowager Madame. "Great-Aunt, how about we stroll around level by level and walk off our meal?"

Clearing-up Hou's wife quickly said, "Ya'er, don't be willful. The mountain road is slippery."

"It's already cleared up. This is such a rare outing, and the Chongyang Temple is the foremost temple in the capital. I've longed to visit it," Sun Zhiya said.

The Dowager Madame chuckled. "Ya'er's sincere devotion will surely bring merit to today's rites. Well then, let's take a stroll."

Everyone agreed.

As they went up the steps, Sun Zhiya deliberately nudged Cheng Zhao, trying to push her to the back so she would be with the Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi.

She did not want Cheng Zhao getting close to Zhou Yuanshen and Huan Qingtang.

But Cheng Zhao seemed to lose her footing. Flailing, she grabbed Sun Zhiya's hair, loosening her chignon and pulling painfully at her scalp.

Sun Zhiya cried out in alarm.

Everyone turned to look at them, including the Fifth Prince, Helian Hong, and Consort Dou—the one her future husband, the other her future mother-in-law. Sun Zhiya dared not show an ugly expression.

Eyes brimming with tears, she looked at the Dowager Madame and then at the Fifth Prince. "Third Sister-in-Law couldn't keep her balance. When she slipped, she yanked my hair and even shoved me."

The Dowager Madame said, "That's nonsense..."

Consort Dou laughed lightly. "Don't be upset, Dowager Madame. Children just playing. Ya'er is refined and proper, born into a capital family. Her ancestors for three or five generations are not some rural upstarts from some province."

She added with a smirk, "You wouldn't know, Dowager Madame—what with the instability in the court in earlier years, some backwater wealthy folk now call themselves local aristocratic houses. How they puff themselves up."

Among those present, only Cheng Zhao's family was from a commandery clan. The rest were native to the capital.

This was a dig at Cheng Zhao.

Consort Dou was from the Piguo Duke's Mansion.

Cheng Zhao remembered that years earlier, there had been a case involving the Piguo Duke. The Grand Court had been unable to reach a verdict, and in the end, it was her grandfather who submitted a memorial to the Emperor, requesting a special decree to settle it.

As a result, the Piguo Duke was penalized with a two-year salary forfeiture and ten strokes of the rod.

A punishment harsh enough for a duke meant it was a case involving a death.

Cheng Zhao was not completely certain of the details; she had been young at the time, and her grandfather had likely withheld them, thinking she was too young to hear such things.

Now Consort Dou still held a grudge and was publicly stepping on Cheng Zhao.

No wonder she had felt hostile from the start—Cheng Zhao had assumed it was because the Fifth Prince had cast too many glances her way.

"The Consort speaks truly," Cheng Zhao said. "Wild swans are born on the border, fine birds raised in ornate halls. We have indeed lived too comfortably and can no longer even walk steadily. It has indeed been a lapse in dignified upbringing. Please forgive our poor manners."

Second Madam: “...”

This daughter-in-law’s tongue spared neither the senior branch’s mother-in-law nor daughter-in-law—she wouldn’t even let the Consort off.

The Fifth Prince glanced at her again.

Zhou Yuanshen stepped forward without a change in expression, shielding Cheng Zhao.

The Dowager Madame smiled. “Let’s continue our stroll. Someone, take Zhiya to have her hair tidied.”

She brushed the matter aside as if nothing had happened.

But Consort Dou was furious.

She had only called the Cheng family “country bumpkins,” and Cheng Zhao had compared her own family to wild geese and Consort Dou to a caged canary.

Consort Dou held power in the palace, and the Dou family wielded influence at court. She had even dared to bully the Empress—when had she ever swallowed such humiliation?

Such blatant disrespect toward a noble—she truly deserved to be dragged away and beaten to death.

And Cheng Zhao had been the Empress’s choice for marriage, too. Consort Dou’s gaze turned cold, a glint of murderous intent flickering in her eyes.