Chapter 143: This Is Cheng Zhao's Way Out
Zhou Yuanshen was tireless.
Last night, he had stirred Cheng Zhao twice, and today, after attending to the emperor and playing a game of polo, he still had the energy to torment her.
Cheng Zhao thought the term "brute" suited him perfectly.
When it was over, Zhou Yuanshen poured warm water from the thermos and handed it to Cheng Zhao.
He wanted to attend to her personally, but Cheng Zhao refused and took care of herself.
When they finally lay down, the courtyard was utterly silent, as everyone else had already retired.
Zhou Yuanshen quickly fell asleep.
Cheng Zhao, drawn into his rhythm, also drifted into slumber.
The next day, there was nothing pressing. The court officials had the day off. The Second Master and his son did not go to the yamen, and Zhou Yuanqi did not return to school.
Breakfast was taken in their own courtyard.
“... What are you doing this morning?” Second Madam asked them.
“Young Uncle has invited us for wine and an opera performance,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
Zhou Yuanqi added, “I don’t want to go out with Young Uncle. He always picks on me.”
Zhou Yuanshen: “No one invited you.”
Zhou Yuanqi: “...”
Second Madam seemed thoughtful.
Cheng Zhao noticed and asked, “Mother, is there somewhere you’d like to go?”
Second Madam said, “I’ve only been to Yuanshen’s General of the Pacified West’s mansion twice. If there’s nothing to do today, we could go take a look.”
Cheng Zhao replied, “I’ll accompany you.”
“You should all come,” Second Madam said, then turned to Zhou Yuanshen, “You too. Your Young Uncle is a man of leisure and often has time for wine and opera. He won’t miss this one outing.”
Zhou Yuanshen agreed.
Around mid-morning, the family went to the General of the Pacified West’s mansion.
It was Third Madam’s third visit, yet she still found the place warm and inviting. The courtyard wasn’t large; it would feel crowded and noisy if filled with people, but for the young couple, it had the peaceful seclusion of a retreat amidst the bustle.
“... Next time you quarrel with your grandmother, just scare her a little. You could move here and stay a few days,” Second Madam suddenly said.
Second Master chuckled: “How could it come to that? Ah Shen is the Lord Duke.”
The Dowager Madame would never let go of the Zhou family’s Lord Duke. What she needed was to tame him, suppress him, make him obedient, a willing pawn and servant.
“Precisely because he’s the Lord Duke, he can move here,” Second Madam said. “If it were Yuan Qi moving here, who would care?”
Zhou Yuanqi: “...”
He suddenly felt like giving his mother a nickname.
But he didn’t dare.
He had studied the classics since childhood, and the sages placed filial piety first. Zhou Yuanqi was all talk; he wouldn’t dare disrespect his mother.
Even if she occasionally drove him up the wall.
Cheng Zhao smiled. “Maybe that day will actually come. If something unexpected happens at Nonghua Courtyard, we can use it as an excuse to move here. If Grandmother wants us to move back, she’ll have to vacate the Chengming Hall for me.”
She even felt it was entirely possible.
The women in the Chengming Hall were dangerously restless, their conflicts too deep, and the Dowager Madame played them against each other. The storm was bound to escalate.
They wouldn’t be able to bear the consequences of those upheavals, so they’d make Cheng Zhao the scapegoat.
The blame, the cause of calamity, would all be pinned on her because she was the newcomer. She was also the Duchess of Chen, who had carved a crack into the Dowager Madame’s reign.
Second Master gave Cheng Zhao a meaningful glance and laughed. “Zhaozhao, why the gloomy talk? You’re still so young.”
He didn’t want Cheng Zhao to see the future as too bleak.
Even though he knew things weren’t smooth.
“It’s just being forewarned is forearmed,” Second Madam said.
Zhou Yuanshen only listened quietly.
Second Madam turned to him. “Yuanshen, do you think your wife and I are right?”
“Very much so, Mother,” Zhou Yuanshen said, his expression calm and his tone flat.
Whether he truly agreed or was just humoring her, no one could tell.
Second Madam couldn’t fathom her son’s thoughts, nor did she care to waste the effort overthinking it.
They took another walk around, and Second Madam kept praising it. “Lovely.”
Zhou Yuanqi piped up: “Mother, I think you’re the one who wants to move here yourself.”
Zhou Yuanshen said, “If Mother wants to come, of course, she’s welcome.”
Second Madam patted Zhou Yuanqi’s head and then lightly slapped Zhou Yuanshen’s arm. She sighed. “If you want to live independently, make preparations early. Then you’ll suffer fewer grievances. Now, it’s not worth it.”
She had endured so many years.
The Dowager Madame was old, and Zhou Yuanshen had inherited the title. Good days were right around the corner. It would be foolish to give up now.
“I don’t feel wronged,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
Zhou Yuanqi added, “Why would I feel wronged, Mother?”
Then he said, “This is excessive doting. Your sons are fine. It’s only you who thinks we’re put upon.”
He went on, “Too much coddling ruins children. Some people can also get spoiled.”
As he said this, he glanced at Cheng Zhao.
Second Madam reached out and knocked him lightly on the head. “You’re mocking your mother and insinuating about your sister-in-law. That’s improper and rude!”
Zhou Yuanqi: “You’ve made me dumb.”
“Your brain is too sharp. A little dullness would be good—more steady,” Second Master interjected with a laugh.
Second Madam and Cheng Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle.
They also visited the stables.
The pony that had once thrown Zhou Yuanqi off its back, scaring him into a high fever, had grown significantly in just a short time.
Its coat was sleek and shiny, its limbs powerful. It was more beautiful than any other horse in the stables, clearly a fine breed.
“What a magnificent horse,” Second Master said. “Is it docile now?”
“Only to a limited extent. Still a bit of a rogue,” Zhou Yuanshen replied.
Cheng Zhao laughed. “Just like Fifth Brother.”
Zhou Yuanqi: “...”
It had been a while since he last taunted his sister-in-law, and now she was teasing him along with everyone else.
Before he could react, his parents burst out laughing first. Zhou Yuanqi’s face puffed up in frustration, which only made Second Madam laugh harder.
Joyful laughter filled the entire mansion as they toured every corner. They even stayed for lunch.
The mansion was staffed by only six retainers, and the meal was cooked by Vice General Meng’s wife.
It was homestyle fare—not particularly refined—but delicious.
Cheng Zhao ate a full bowl.
Second Madam rewarded the cook with a gold ring, explaining the reason: “The food was excellent, and the Young Madam enjoyed it greatly.”
In the afternoon, they returned to the Fan residence.
They stayed there for two more nights before heading back to the Duke of Chen’s estate.
Upon arrival, everyone first paid their respects to the Dowager Madame.
The Dowager Madame’s complexion was rosy, and she said cheerfully, “Each of you is glowing. It seems the General’s mansion has nourishing feng shui.”
She sounded genuinely complimentary.
Her manner was cordial, her words sincere—nothing seemed amiss.
But Second Madam glanced at Cheng Zhao.
Cheng Zhao responded with a proper and respectful smile. “The feng shui elsewhere is refreshing for a change, but home is always better.”
The Dowager Madame smiled again.
The earlier disputes seemed to have been settled with the Dragon Boat Festival as the cutoff.
First Madam and Huan Qingtang also came to pay their respects.
The two of them were equally deferential. First Madam even seemed a bit afraid of the Dowager Madame, her smile almost ingratiating.
“... Your eldest aunt-in-law must have been scolded, and she took a hard blow,” Second Madam said as they walked back.
Song’s demeanor was completely off.
“She went too far in targeting her daughter-in-law. Grandmother won’t tolerate that,” Cheng Zhao said.
Then she added, “As a mother-in-law, eldest aunt-in-law’s behavior borders on cruelty. She’s lost her composure, which is why she’s baring her fangs, Mother.”
Second Madam sighed deeply. “Who could have imagined it?”
She felt a flicker of sympathy for the main branch and their in-laws.
But then she recalled the time she had felt sorry for Mu Jiang after her miscarriage, only to have her kindness thrown back in her face. Second Madam realized that wasting compassion on those who didn’t deserve it was simply foolish.
She didn’t want to be foolish anymore—it would only hold her children back.
She mulled over all the wicked deeds the First Madam had inflicted upon her over the years. There were so many, countless ones easily coming to mind, each and every one enough to make one gnash their teeth in fury. The Second Madam's heart instantly turned cold and hard, and she let out a quiet snort. The Second Master gave a faint, subtle smile.