Chapter 151: Cheng Zhao's Acumen

The weather grew hotter day by day.

The morning and evening winds held a slight chill, but by noon the ground was scorching.

The invitations for the Zhou family were written.

More than thirty families had been invited.

Each household's madame would bring one or two young married ladies, or unmarried daughters, to the banquet. There would be at least sixty or seventy guests, maybe over a hundred.

All invitations had to be sent out through the gatehouse.

It so happened that Cheng Zhao was in charge of the gatehouse, so she reviewed each one personally.

She kept aside two copies and headed to Shou'an Courtyard.

The sun was fierce in the late morning. Cheng Zhao felt as though flames were licking at her head, and a thin layer of sweat formed on her back.

The Dowager Madame was chanting sutras.

Nanny Sun instructed Cheng Zhao to go directly to the small Buddhist hall.

Cheng Zhao entered and knelt devoutly on the cushion beside the Dowager Madame, waiting for her.

After a moment, the Dowager Madame finished her chanting, and Cheng Zhao helped her by the hand to the main hall to sit and talk.

The Dowager Madame was not afraid of the heat. No ice had been placed in the main hall of Shou'an Courtyard, so the summer heat lingered without dispersing.

"Grandmother, we have invited Princess Jiahe as well as Prince Rong's household," Cheng Zhao said.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"At the end of last year, Princess Jiahe's son was killed at a teahouse on the neighboring street. Rumors say it was the doing of a relative of Prince Rong's household," Cheng Zhao said.

The Dowager Madame said, "It wasn't a relative of Prince Rong's household, but a distant relative of one of Prince Rong's secondary consorts."

"What if a conflict breaks out..."

"Then we cannot simply invite Prince Rong's household and not the princess," the Dowager Madame said. "We'll seat them at separate tables at the banquet."

"Grandmother, I checked the accounts at the gatehouse. Princess Jiahe hasn't had much dealings with our household. When you celebrated your birthday, she didn't even send a gift," Cheng Zhao said.

"I hadn't noticed that. She was heartbroken at the time and probably had no mind for social obligations."

"Grandmother, aren't social obligations arranged by the stewards of the gatehouse? Even if the princess was distressed, it's unlikely the gatehouse would forget our household's gift," Cheng Zhao said.

She added, "Princess Jiahe's husband is surnamed Guo, a cousin of the Empress. In my opinion, she simply doesn't hold our family in high regard."

The Dowager Madame said, "You are indeed meticulous."

"Then we won't invite the princess?" Cheng Zhao asked.

The Dowager Madame gave her a deep look. "You are not afraid of offending the Empress? The Empress and the princess are very close."

"It wasn't us who slighted the princess first. She was the one who failed in etiquette. Even if the Empress questions us, we have reason on our side," Cheng Zhao said.

The Dowager Madame nodded slightly. "Then we will not invite Princess Jiahe."

Cheng Zhao acknowledged the decision.

She braved the scorching sun and went to Chenhui Courtyard for the midday meal.

The Dowager Madame sent someone to summon Huan Qingtang and the Eldest Madam Song.

This evening banquet was held under the Dowager Madame's name. Apart from a few close relatives, all the guests were of high status. The Dowager Madame only gave instructions regarding a few households; the rest of the guest list was drawn up by the Eldest Madam and Huan Qingtang.

When they presented it to the Dowager Madame for review, she had simply considered it from a political standpoint—which families should not be invited and which should be cultivated.

Princess Jiahe and Prince Rong's household had not openly fallen out with each other. The matter between their families had spread all over, and it would also be acceptable to avoid favoritism by excluding both.

"...Who arranged this?" the Dowager Madame asked indifferently.

Eldest Madam Song glanced at Huan Qingtang.

Huan Qingtang said, "Grandmother, when Mother and I discussed it, I thought..."

"So it was you who arranged it?" the Dowager Madame said, turning to Song.

Song quickly said, "Princess Jiahe and Prince Rong's household haven't had a falling-out."

"Speak the truth!"

Eldest Madam Song hesitated for a long time before saying in a low voice, "There is an unmarried daughter in the capital who has had her coming-of-age ceremony but is not yet betrothed—from Princess Jiahe's household."

"Is your nephew in your natal family at the age to seek a marriage?" the Dowager Madame asked.

"Yes," Eldest Madam Song replied.

"Then why didn't you send someone directly to speak with the princess?" the Dowager Madame asked.

Song remained silent.

"You knew the princess looks down on your natal family and wanted to use the Zhou family's prestige? You think so much for the Song family, but disregard the Zhou family. After you die, will you be buried back in the Song family ancestral graves?" the Dowager Madame asked coldly.

Eldest Madam Song lowered her head even further.

"Mother, your daughter-in-law knows she was wrong."

After the two left, the Dowager Madame let out a sigh.

In the inner courtyard, no one was sharper than Cheng Zhao. She was perceptive, intelligent, and detailed.

The only flaw was that she was disobedient and did not follow the Dowager Madame's will.

Therefore, no matter how many virtues she had, they were useless. What the Dowager Madame valued most was docility, and not challenging her authority.

"...The sacrificial fields of the Cheng clan of Wu Commandery are far more extensive than we imagined," Nanny Sun said to the Dowager Madame.

The Dowager Madame had long since sent Nanny Sun to investigate this matter.

The Cheng family upheld literary traditions and had an excellent reputation, with renowned scholars and literary figures across several generations. Even the Dowager Madame had assumed that the Cheng family had a similar standing to the Song and Huan families.

But after dealing with Cheng Zhao, she realized she had been mistaken.

Though their prestige was comparable, the Cheng family's foundation was far beyond what the Huan and Song families could match.

"No less than two hundred thousand mu," Nanny Sun added.

The Dowager Madame was greatly shocked. "That much?"

It was widely rumored that the Zhou family had more than two hundred thousand mu of hereditary estates, the largest among high-ranking noble houses, but very few knew that the Zhou family actually owned more than five hundred thousand mu of land.

Throughout the capital, no one matched the Zhou family in wealth and prominence.

Families like the Huan and Song families would consider themselves fortunate to have a few thousand mu of sacrificial fields.

But according to Nanny Sun's investigation, the Cheng family owned no less than two hundred thousand mu.

Among the high-ranking noble houses of the capital, this amount of land was enough to rank among the top.

"No wonder this little monkey Cheng Zhao is so hard to deal with!" the Dowager Madame said. "Perhaps it's even more than two hundred thousand mu."

She then asked, "They have accumulated this across several dynasties—quite an accomplishment. Did they indeed harbor Commandery Princess Zhaoyang back then?"

Nanny Sun shuddered. "Dowager Madame, why do you bring up that person again? You've been suspecting this quite a lot lately."

"I never saw her corpse," the Dowager Madame said.

Without seeing it with her own eyes, she could not be at ease.

Though it was high summer, it felt as though a chilling wind had blown into Shou'an Courtyard, and countless goosebumps rose on the back of Nanny Sun's neck.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the main branch returned under the blazing sun.

When they reached the entrance of Chengming Hall, Eldest Madam Song was filled with anger and said to Huan Qingtang, "Go back first. Rest after lunch and come again later."

Huan Qingtang said, "Mother, if you want to arrange a good marriage for your nephew, I have an idea, and it won't anger Grandmother."

"Stop gloating," Song said, not trusting her.

Huan Qingtang said, "Princess Jiahe lost her son and is in low spirits, possibly even half mad. There is no benefit for the Song family to form a marriage tie with her.

"Instead, consider our neighbor Prince Rong's household. The prince's residence has several young ladies of marriageable age. Not only do they have good family status and substantial dowries, but they might even be granted the title of county princess."

Eldest Madam Song was somewhat intrigued, though her face still showed impatience. "Don't I know that? But marrying a concubine-born daughter would still leave me dissatisfied."

"Prince Rong's Seventh Daughter is fourteen this year and will have her coming-of-age ceremony next year. She is the legitimate daughter of the prince's primary consort, the full sister of the heir. I've heard that when she comes of age, the prince will petition for her to be made a county princess," Huan Qingtang said.

Eldest Madam Song's heart was stirred even more.

The status of one's natal family also bolstered a titled lady's prestige.

Eldest Madam Song already held the highest-ranking title, but because her natal family was somewhat lacking, she sometimes lacked confidence.

However, the Zhou family was her support, and she could strive for even more.

"She will also attend this evening's banquet," Huan Qingtang added.

"Come inside and tell me more," she said to Huan Qingtang.