Chapter 139: Zhou Yuanshen's Satire
Cheng Zhao’s palm pressed down on the pomegranate flowers.
The pavilion was open on all sides, with sunlight slanting in from the side. Though no servants were attending them, it was still broad daylight.
Cheng Zhao was very nervous, afraid of losing propriety.
She struggled, trying to push him away, but because she was leaning back slightly, she couldn’t muster much strength.
The pomegranate flowers beneath her hand were even softer, as if she had crushed them into pulp.
“Zhou Yuanshen...” she murmured his name through clenched teeth.
Zhou Yuanshen deepened the kiss, swallowing her breath.
Cheng Zhao’s hands and waist went limp; she nearly collapsed onto the stone table. He caught her, making sure she didn’t hit her head.
He guided her hands to wrap around him.
“Cheng Zhao, stay here tonight,” he said, his voice hot and scorching, as he gently nibbled her earlobe.
Cheng Zhao: “Tomorrow is the festival...”
“The festival will be busy,” he said. “It’s rare to have leisure today.”
“Let’s return to Ronghua Courtyard; it’s more convenient,” Cheng Zhao refused him.
Her statue of the Child-Giving Guanyin was enshrined in Ronghua Courtyard. Without the desperate longing for an heir, this moment of passion felt rather unworthy.
As if it were merely for pleasure.
Cheng Zhao’s grand plan had yet to be settled; indulgence was truly a luxury, a corruption.
Zhou Yuanshen kissed her again, then let go.
His dark eyes were placid, and his movements were brisk as he turned.
Cheng Zhao: “...”
What did he have to be angry about?
Cheng Zhao frowned slightly. Lowering her head, she noticed her sleeve was stained with pomegranate flower juice. Looking more closely, her right hand, along with the skin on the side of her hand, were dyed red.
Her skin was fair, so the streaks of pomegranate juice were especially conspicuous.
Her sleeve was also stained.
This was a light purple top, the fabric a gift from her second sister-in-law, its color surpassing the morning clouds. Cheng Zhao liked it very much.
“This will be hard to wash off,” she said, examining her sleeve, her frown deepening.
On the way back, Zhou Yuanshen was displeased, and Cheng Zhao was displeased too.
A servant picked a basket of pomegranate flowers and placed it in the carriage, right at Cheng Zhao’s feet.
Cheng Zhao kicked it; a few flowers fell onto the back of her foot, and she shuffled them away.
By now it was dusk, the sun setting in the west, and the light inside the carriage was dim. Zhou Yuanshen shouldn’t have been able to see, but he glanced anyway, and very precisely picked up the fallen pomegranate flowers.
When they returned to the Duke of Chen’s mansion, two lanterns were already lit at the entrance.
Their carriage was held back because several carriages were ahead of them.
Cheng Zhao lifted the curtain.
She spotted Huan Qingtang, along with the Marchioness of Qingyuan—the niece-in-law of the Dowager Madame’s natal family—and Sun Zhisheng.
It seemed one party had just returned, and the other was about to take their leave.
Cheng Zhao let the curtain fall and didn’t move.
Zhou Yuanshen, however, said, “Get out of the carriage.”
Cheng Zhao: “The Marchioness of Qingyuan is there.”
“Cheng Zhao, do you have a guilty conscience?” he asked.
Cheng Zhao was baffled.
What guilt did she have?
The troublemaking children of the Qingyuan Marquis's household, and Sun Zhiya, who was suspected of causing the Fifth Prince’s death and was herself disfigured—all these were the Dowager Madame and the Sun family’s own doing.
What did it have to do with Cheng Zhao?
Cheng Zhao had almost been killed too.
“What guilt do I have?” she retorted coldly.
Zhou Yuanshen: “If you have no guilt, then there’s no need to avoid anyone. If you yield, they’ll think you’re indeed guilty and will try to retaliate even more.”
Cheng Zhao: “...”
What he said wasn’t wrong, but that clearly wasn’t what he meant just now.
When you asked if I had a guilty conscience, you truly believed I did.
Whose side are you on?
You couldn’t possibly be on the Sun family’s side. Could it be Huan Qingtang?
Didn’t you say that Huan Qingtang and the Huan family schemed against you at Qing’an Princess Manor? After being schemed against, would you become interested in her out of resentment, and instead help her?
Cheng Zhao was instantly fuming.
On top of that, she was upset about her clothes being ruined by the pomegranate flower juice.
The fabric was expensive; her sister-in-law had specially brought it back from Wu Commandery for her, insisting it suited her perfectly.
Her second sister-in-law always thought of her, and Cheng Zhao couldn’t bear to disregard that care by carelessly ruining a nice outfit. Cheng Zhao cherished her family’s affection for her.
Except for her Fourth Brother, Cheng Chao, who was always at odds with her, everyone else was very kind to her.
Thinking of her fourth brother reminded her of how disobedient he was. She had told him not to hang around Helian Xuan, but he still brought Helian Xuan home. Cheng Zhao really wanted to pick a fight with him.
All these little sparks of irritation converged, and by the time Cheng Zhao descended from the carriage, she was already boiling with anger.
Zhou Yuanshen picked up the basket of pomegranate flowers, handed it to the charioteer and deputy officer, and also got out of the carriage.
The couple walked inside.
When the Marchioness of Qingyuan and Sun Zhisheng saw them, their expressions shifted; Huan Qingtang remained as gentle and amiable as ever: “Lord Duke, Sister-in-law.”
“Elder Sister-in-law,” Zhou Yuanqi said, his tone cold and stiff.
Cheng Zhao also returned the greeting, calling her “Elder Sister-in-law.”
They didn’t speak to the Marchioness of Qingyuan.
Huan Qingtang saw this, simply smiled, and didn’t offer any reminders.
But Sun Zhisheng was furious: “Who do you think you are? No respect for your elders.”
He added, “If I lodge a complaint with the Censorate, accusing Grand Tutor Zhou of being unfilial, how would you deal with that?”
Zhou Yuanshen halted.
The Marchioness of Qingyuan’s face also darkened. She said to Sun Zhisheng, “Forget it. We’re not worthy of the Lord Duke.”
“Auntie,” Zhou Yuanshen said, “The case of Cousin Sun Zhiya killing the prince isn’t settled. There are many doubts that can be reopened. Go ahead and file that complaint with the Censorate. Show me what happens.”
The Marchioness of Qingyuan’s face drained of color.
Sun Zhisheng, torn between anger and fear, also understood the stakes involved and swallowed his temper, falling silent.
Huan Qingtang looked at him with a smile: “The Lord Duke must be tired today. You both go back and rest. I’ll see my aunt off.”
Her words were correct.
But it was her attitude...
Too familiar—perhaps she didn’t mean it that way, but that’s how it sounded to Cheng Zhao.
Cheng Zhao didn’t want to listen to their bickering, nor did she want to argue. She stepped over the threshold first and headed back.
She walked onto the covered corridor, her pace quickening.
Zhou Yuanshen watched her striding away, his gaze growing heavier, but he quickly looked away and said to the people at the entrance, “Without the Elder Sister-in-law managing this household, we’d need to hire ten more stewards. We’re indebted to her.”
His tone was sarcastic.
Huan Qingtang was stunned; the smile vanished from her face in an instant.
Zhou Yuanshen finished speaking and also entered the gate.
The Marchioness of Qingyuan and Sun Zhisheng, having swallowed so much humiliation, were outraged; Huan Qingtang’s face was gloomy.
“A rat everyone wants to beat—his bloodthirsty, filthy tricks will eventually backfire. We’ll see how he dies then!” Sun Zhisheng, only fifteen, didn’t hold back when cursing. “Mother, let’s go!”
He helped his mother, and they stormed off in fury.
Huan Qingtang stood still, neither smoothing over Zhou Yuanshen’s blunt words nor moving.
She pondered briefly, wondering where she had gone wrong.
It seemed that Cheng Zhao had been throwing a tantrum, which had dragged her into it.
Zhou Yuanshen was probably having a quarrel with Cheng Zhao and had taken his anger out on her.
Huan Qingtang mused for a moment, watching Zhou Yuanshen’s wide-striding figure disappearing into the distance. She too entered the gate. She went directly to the Dowager Madame’s Shou’an Courtyard.
Meanwhile, Cheng Zhao went to Chengming Hall.
After returning from her maternal family, politeness dictated that she should notify the Eldest Aunt.
“You all leave and don’t know when to come back. Look how late it is,” the First Madam said disapprovingly. “You’re like this, and Lady Huan is the same.”
She then asked, “Go check at the gatekeeper’s lodge and see if Lady Huan has returned.”