Chapter 110: Cheng Zhao’s joy was written all over his face.

The room was quiet.

Cheng Zhao smiled to reassure everyone: "It's all over. Our group came out unscathed, while the Dowager Madame's side suffered losses."

Second Madam couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Once she laughed, the faces of the Cheng family members brightened a little.

When the discussion turned to the current situation, Second Madam said, "The Emperor grows more irrational by the day. He's always been a bit unhinged."

The women of the Cheng family fell silent again.

Cheng Zhao sighed softly.

The Emperor was like a runaway horse, treating everyone badly. Everyone lived on a knife's edge, never knowing whether the next moment would see them soar to the heavens or plunge into the sea.

For the senior ministers, it was a test of wits, but even more so of luck.

The great aristocratic families were all on edge.

The topic was too heavy, so after a few remarks, they changed the subject.

Second Madam turned to Madam Cheng and praised Cheng Zhao lavishly for her cleverness.

"She outfoxed the Dowager Madame. My dear in-laws, I always thought no one could ever beat the Dowager Madame," Second Madam said, swelling with pride.

Madam Cheng smiled. "Zhaozhao has a bit of a cunning streak."

"All thanks to your excellent teaching," Second Madam replied.

Madam Cheng responded, "It's your affection for her that gives her the nerve to 'run wild.' As a daughter-in-law, gentleness and filial piety should come first."

They exchanged compliments for a good while.

The younger generation stood nearby, smiling.

For a time, the Nonghua Courtyard was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.

After the midday meal, Cheng Zhao's sisters-in-law, sisters, and Second Madam chatted in the eastern side room. Madam Cheng deliberately called Cheng Zhao into the inner bedchamber.

"Zhaozhao, you still need to be cautious in this household," Madam Cheng said. "But don't be afraid, either. The Lord Duke has already taken command of the Capital Guard."

The Dowager Madame should understand that Zhou Yuanshen, by having the Celestial Master Yang killed, had once again won the Emperor's trust.

In fact, the Dowager Madame had handed Zhou Yuanshen that opportunity herself.

Zhou Yuanshen was no longer just a family head that the Dowager Madame and the Duke of Chen's mansion had attached to the Emperor. He now had his own value in the Emperor's eyes.

If the Dowager Madame insisted on fighting him to the bitter end, she would only end up hurting herself.

She wouldn't make a move against Cheng Zhao openly.

This time, Cheng Zhao had won a step, and Zhou Yuanshen had gained ten steps. The couple had taken the initiative on the chessboard into their own hands.

Madam Cheng warned her to be careful, but she also told her not to live in fear and lose that spirit.

A person who lives constantly in worry not only suffers pain but also loses their judgment, leaving only suspicion and paranoia.

"Mother, I understand it all," Cheng Zhao said with a smile. "I've triumphed again this time. Heaven favors me."

"You once said that a fortune-teller told you your destiny is noble. 'Noble destiny' doesn't mean you'll hold a high position; it just means you have good fortune and will always turn danger into safety," Madam Cheng said.

Cheng Zhao nodded.

Madam Cheng gently touched her face. "Zhaozhao, I heard you were poisoned. Your father couldn't sleep for several nights."

Cheng Zhao's feelings for her father were somewhat distant, because he was always busy and very serious.

When Cheng Zhao and Cheng Chao made mistakes, they would both kneel in the scorching sun as punishment.

Under normal circumstances, if both siblings erred, their mother would only physically punish Cheng Chao; for Cheng Zhao, she would use methods like "confinement, copying books, recitation" rather than rough punishment for a girl.

But their father treated them equally.

Kneeling for an hour had sunburned Cheng Zhao's face, and it hurt for a long time. When she cried from the pain, she told her mother, 'I'll never speak to Father again!'

For all these years, she had indeed barely interacted with him.

Many people doted on her—her grandfather, mother, elder brother, sister-in-law, and sisters. She was the family's treasure, and she could be very willful.

"...Tell Father I'm sorry for worrying him," Cheng Zhao said.

"Zhaozhao, your father does love you," her mother said.

Cheng Zhao: "I've always known that. I'm not angry with him. It's just that I truly have nothing to say to him, and he doesn't like casual conversation."

She added with a smile, "Actually, I don't know what he enjoys talking about. Mother, he's a bit like Zhou Yuanshen."

A sudden inspiration struck her. "Next time, I can play chess with Father."

"That's not a bad idea. Your father does enjoy playing chess," her mother said.

As the Cheng family members were about to leave, Zhou Yuanshen hurried back.

He had been exceptionally busy lately.

In fact, from now on, he wouldn't be able to come home every day.

He greeted everyone.

Cheng Zhao's mother exchanged a few more words with him privately.

After seeing off the women of the Cheng family, the couple went to the Jiangyun Courtyard for dinner.

Second Master examined Cheng Zhao: "Zhaozhao looks a bit thinner. This ordeal frightened you."

"I'm not afraid, Father," Cheng Zhao said with a smile.

Second Master nodded slightly.

That evening, Second Madam spoke again: "We really should move out."

Second Master was silent.

Now they could leave, but Zhou Yuanshen certainly couldn't, since he was the Duke of Chen. And Cheng Zhao probably wouldn't leave either.

Between Zhou Yuanshen and Cheng Zhao, there seemed to be a bond now. To let the eldest branch take Zhou Yuanshen and have him serve as heir to both houses—Second Master could no longer bring himself to suggest it.

Simply put, the young couple were no longer strangers to each other as they had been at the start.

If Cheng Zhao left with them, she would be living as a widow in all but name. Yet she was doing an excellent job as the Duchess, even capable of defeating the Dowager Madame.

"Let's sleep," Second Master said in a low voice.

"She actually plotted against a child!" Second Madam sneered in the darkness.

She was even too tired to be angry.

After this incident, the Dowager Madame's standing in her heart had completely collapsed. All her prestige as an honorary first-rank lady and mother-in-law was gone.

She was just an annoying old woman past her prime.

Second Madam suddenly thought, she didn't want to play this game anymore.

Leave her behind to enjoy her honors alone, and stop riding on her coattails.

"It's like a cat chasing a mouse. The children seem to be having a lot of fun," Second Master said.

Second Madam: "..."

It seemed to be true.

Whether it was Cheng Zhao, Zhou Yuanshen, or Zhou Yuanqi, none of them felt "aggrieved." They were all savoring their victories.

Even if Zhou Yuanshen and Zhou Yuanqi never said so out loud.

But Second Madam often felt aggrieved.

Upon reflection, only those in an inferior position, looking up at those on high and feeling slighted, would feel aggrieved.

It was a form of self-disparagement.

Second Madam suddenly realized that for over twenty years, she had always lowered herself when facing the Dowager Madame, which only invited more disdain.

Some people bully the weak.

"So that's how it is," Second Madam had another moment of enlightenment.

Her talent for understanding was truly poor. The children grasped these truths, but it took her until her forties.

How had she lived the first forty years?

The elderly couple chatted a little more, and gradually Second Madam fell asleep.

Over at the Nonghua Courtyard, Cheng Zhao was still awake.

Zhou Yuanshen told her to instruct the maids to pack his spare clothes.

Starting next month, he would spend fifteen days each month at the Capital Guard camp, so he needed some clothes and shoes placed there.

Cheng Zhao immediately gave the orders.

She thought to herself: "He'll be away for half a month."

How wonderful. She could sleep in peace at night. And when he came back, Mu Jiang's pregnancy would be more stable, and he could go to the Courtyard of Beautiful Scenery.

Cheng Zhao had previously thought she could manage to have him stay overnight at Nonghua Courtyard only twice a month. Now that might finally be achievable.

"Cheng Zhao."

He suddenly called her name.

Cheng Zhao looked up to meet his eyes.

"You had a happy look on your face," he said.

Cheng Zhao was startled and hurriedly tried to hide her expression.

Before she could say anything, Zhou Yuanshen turned and went to the washroom, slamming the bead curtain so hard that the beads clattered noisily.

Cheng Zhao: "..."

She didn't.

He was bluffing.

And he had scared her into revealing her guilt. Truly infuriating.