Chapter 149: Sharp Tongues
The Dowager Madame was thoroughly enraged by Zhou Yuanshen.
She had the small kitchen prepare some pastries and went to the palace to visit the Emperor.
The Emperor dismissed his attendants and chatted privately with the Dowager Madame.
On the surface, the Dowager Madame complained of grievances while secretly lodging accusations, saying that Zhou Yuanshen showed her no respect, had no regard for elders, and might even pose a threat to the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, I am truly worried for you. Yuanshen is too sharp and assertive; in time, he may overshadow his sovereign,” said the Dowager Madame.
The Emperor did not take it to heart. “Mother-in-law, why let an outsider harm the bond between you and Yuanshen? I know you are still troubled by the matter of Cheng Shi.”
The Dowager Madame paused. “Your Majesty knows of it?”
“Yuanshen told me,” said the Emperor. “He said he admires Cheng Shi’s beauty and held a birthday banquet to win her favor. His words were frank and open, and this depth of feeling in Yuanshen is quite like me.”
The Dowager Madame smiled kindly. “Who could compare to Your Majesty in matters of deep affection? You honor the younger generation too much.”
The Emperor was pleased.
They chatted for a while, with the Emperor showing the Dowager Madame both respect and reliance, even sharing a political matter from the Southern Frontier with her.
“If we were to dispatch troops, would it be appropriate to send Yuanshen?” the Emperor asked.
The Dowager Madame: “Yuanshen is the only adult male grandson of the Zhou family...”
“Yes, he cannot afford any misstep,” said the Emperor.
He sighed again, “It’s a pity I am not of your bloodline; otherwise, all the princes would be your grandsons, and you would not have to worry daily about the thinning line of descendants.”
The Dowager Madame only smiled.
On the carriage ride back from the palace, her face was clouded with gloom.
Nanny Sun kept comforting her.
“The Emperor now trusts Yuanshen greatly,” the Dowager Madame said, her face dark. “No wonder Yuanshen dares to threaten me, with no regard for seniority or propriety.”
Nanny Sun: “Do not fret, madam. He cannot surpass you in the end.”
“He attends court for half the month; he sees the Emperor more easily than I do. He will seize the chance to strike first and vilify me,” said the Dowager Madame.
Nanny Sun: “You are just upset, overthinking things. Calm your mind.”
“...Truly, I should never have chosen him to inherit the title,” said the Dowager Madame.
Nanny Sun soothed her, “At the time, there was no other choice.”
Zhou Yuanshen was not the Dowager Madame’s “best” choice, but her “only” choice. There was no alternative.
The Emperor lacked vigor. After the Zhou eldest grandson’s death, the title was left vacant, and the court eyed it covetously. What if it were demoted?
The Zhou family’s “hereditary and perpetual” qualification was not so secure either.
A male adult had to take the title to secure it.
The Second Master wouldn’t do—he was too old, and the risk was great; the other children of the Second Branch had not reached adulthood; an adopted child also wouldn’t work.
An heir would have to be young, waiting ten or eight years for him to grow up—by then, it would be too late.
“Dowager Madame, the Lord Duke’s attachment to Cheng Shi is a good thing. She is his weakness; you can use her,” said Nanny Sun.
The Dowager Madame closed her eyes slightly to rest. At this, she opened them.
She had been fixated only on Zhou Yuanshen and the Emperor’s favor toward him, forgetting he also had a vulnerable flank.
That entire Second Branch—old and young alike—were as fragile as paper.
“Nuanyu, you speak truly. I was fooled by my anger,” said the Dowager Madame.
Nanny Sun: “Every time you lose your temper, you fall into the Lord Duke’s trap. You must quell your fire.”
The Dowager Madame took a deep breath.
Upon returning to the estate, she summoned members of both the First and Second Branches to Shou’an Courtyard.
This included the Zhou Yuanshen brothers.
She announced joyfully, “On the twelfth day of the sixth month, we will hold a night banquet. Have the invitations sent out tomorrow.”
Everyone was stunned.
Except for Cheng Zhao, the others all showed shock.
The First Madam struggled to contain herself but finally spoke, “Mother, isn’t this too extravagant? The one named Cheng Shi is young, and it’s not a milestone birthday.”
The Second Madam frowned at her.
The Dowager Madame smiled, “It’s Cheng Shi’s first birthday since marrying into the family. When she turns twenty, we’ll skip the celebration.”
“When I married in, my first birthday was only—” The First Madam, Song Shi, tried to continue.
Huan Qingtang interrupted, her voice slightly raised, covering her words: “Congratulations to my sister-in-law!”
She added, “No wonder my Second Uncle and Aunt gifted my sister-in-law such an expensive present, a five-catty gold pig—it was an early celebration.”
The Dowager Madame acted as if she hadn’t heard of this before, smiling, “What gold pig?”
Cheng Zhao briefly described it.
Zhou Yuanqi looked somewhat proud.
“Truly a rare treasure. Keep it well,” said the Dowager Madame with a laugh.
She then spoke of the birthday celebration.
The Dowager Madame took the opportunity: “The busiest at a night banquet are the main kitchen and the gate. Both happen to be under your management, and as the birthday celebrant, you toil all year without rest. Why not take a break? Let your sister-in-law and your elder aunt handle your birthday.”
She glanced at Zhou Yuanshen. “Yuanshen, what do you think?”
Zhou Yuanshen replied calmly, “Grandmother’s kindness and concern for her juniors are appreciated by my wife and me. However, having my elder sister-in-law and aunt toil for Cheng Shi’s birthday would make her feel uneasy.”
Huan Qingtang interjected, “That’s no trouble. For my sister-in-law’s special day, I’d be happy to do more.”
“My elder sister-in-law has never managed these affairs; mistakes might occur in the midst of celebration, adding bad luck to a good day,” said Zhou Yuanshen.
The Second Madam glanced at him.
Cheng Zhao, like the others, listened silently, refraining from speaking rashly.
Huan Qingtang’s expression flickered, then she regained her smile. “Grandmother trusts my abilities, but you, Lord Duke, do not?”
The Dowager Madame interjected with a laugh, “Lady Huan does have considerable skill in household management.”
“Thank you, Grandmother,” said Huan Qingtang with a smile.
Zhou Yuanshen: “I don’t doubt Grandmother, but ‘practice makes perfect.’ My wife has managed the main kitchen and gate for some time; she can handle it without effort. Elder sister-in-law, if you truly want to show kindness to Cheng Shi, why not give some expensive head ornaments? Neither I nor my wife would refuse gratitude.”
Huan Qingtang had previously shaken off his words, but now she truly changed color.
Her face turned ugly in an instant.
The Dowager Madame’s smile vanished. “Yuanshen, why must you harshly criticize?”
“Gifts should be given according to what pleases the recipient to reflect true friendship. Grandmother, you said you also cherish your granddaughter-in-law. Yuan Qi gave a five-catty gold pig; you should give one too. Good things come in pairs,” said Zhou Yuanshen.
The Dowager Madame: “...”
She nearly smashed her teacup.
The carefully controlled situation was disrupted by Zhou Yuanshen’s few words.
The First Madam, Song Shi, seeing Huan Qingtang and the Dowager Madame cornered, should have stepped in to mediate, but she stood by, barely hiding her schadenfreude.
Zhou Yuanshen looked around, speaking slowly, “I was joking. A gold pig costs twenty thousand taels. Grandmother has so many juniors; how much silver would she have to spend? You need not take it to heart.”
He hinted that the Dowager Madame was stingy, hoarding all the wealth for herself.
The Zhou family title’s assets alone brought in an annual income of three to four hundred thousand taels from rents.
The Dowager Madame held onto the estate’s mountains of gold and silver, unwilling to part with the slightest portion of wealth or status.
After addressing the Dowager Madame, Zhou Yuanshen said to Huan Qingtang, “Elder sister-in-law, I was also joking just now. You are a widow, already living modestly; even if you gave a gift, we wouldn’t dare accept it.”
He brought up Huan Qingtang’s widowhood to subtly criticize her for not knowing her place.