Chapter 157: Cheng Zhao Doesn't Care

Cheng Zhao had no idea why Zhou Yuanshen had gone to the General’s estate.

When Second Madam asked about his whereabouts, she answered truthfully.

“Gone to the General’s estate?” Second Madam’s worry only deepened, and she turned to ask Second Master, “Has something happened in the Northern Frontier? Or the South?”

Second Master smiled. “I haven’t seen Yuanshen these past few days either.”

“It must be an urgent dispatch. It couldn’t be about Yuanjin, could it?”

Suddenly, she thought of her second son, Zhou Yuanjin, stationed far away on the frontier.

No matter how far away he was, at the slightest stir, someone would worry for him—Zhou Yuanjin was also a fortunate child.

“Mother, please don’t worry. If Lord Duke hasn’t returned by tomorrow, I’ll go to the General’s estate myself,” Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam replied, “If he still doesn’t come back, I’ll go too.”

Second Master quickly stopped her. “He has private matters. It’s fine for the daughter-in-law to seek him out, but if you follow as well, you’d be interfering too much. That’s inappropriate—he’s an already married son.”

So Second Madam entrusted the matter to Cheng Zhao.

During the evening meal, Second Madam was still distracted.

She cared too deeply. Cheng Zhao could sense her emotions, and so that night when she returned to the Courtyard of Splendor, she couldn’t help but ponder herself.

“Do you think I should go to the General’s estate to find Lord Duke?” Cheng Zhao asked Nanny Li.

Nanny Li looked at her in confusion. “What are you worried about, madam?”

“If there really is someone, and I stumble upon them, it would only create awkwardness between Lord Duke and me,” Cheng Zhao said.

She wasn’t pregnant yet, and she couldn’t afford to become completely estranged from Zhou Yuanshen.

If she witnessed something, it would be hard to pretend ignorance. Without seeing it with her own eyes, she could turn a blind eye.

“That’s unlikely,” Nanny Li said, her brows twitching. “Lord Duke isn’t that kind of irresponsible man. He knows what he’s doing.”

That was what she said, but even Nanny Li wasn’t certain.

Cheng Zhao hinted that Zhou Yuanshen might have hidden a mistress at the General’s estate.

Nanny Li privately felt the possibility was slim, but what if?

What if, for instance, such a thing was done on a whim, in the heat of a moment. Afterwards, filled with regret, he didn’t know how to tell his wife, concubines, or parents, so he kept her hidden outside.

If Cheng Zhao went and stumbled upon her, should she make a scene or not?

If she didn’t make a scene, Lord Duke would have no fear in the future on this matter. It would go on without end or restraint, causing endless trouble.

A woman outside was not like a concubine bought into the household. Her background was unknown, and some were wild and hard to tame, a great headache for the principal wife.

If she did make a scene, it didn’t seem worth it. Not only would it cause estrangement between husband and wife, but everyone inside and outside would watch the spectacle. The prestige Cheng Zhao had painstakingly built would collapse in an instant.

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

It was better not to go.

Just as Nanny Li was about to speak, Cheng Zhao had already made her decision.

She said, “Nanny, we can’t go directly. I’ll write a letter to my maternal uncle.”

Using the pretext of thanking Fan Xiao, Cheng Zhao wrote him a letter, asking him to mediate on her behalf.

It would be best if there was nothing.

If something did happen, her maternal uncle would stand in front of her to resolve the trouble first. Cheng Zhao wouldn’t bear any blame, nor would she have to offend Zhou Yuanshen.

As a principal wife, one had to learn to play deaf and dumb.

In any case, the situation within the Duke’s estate was unclear, Cheng Zhao had no children, and the marital relationship could not show any visible signs of rupture.

“Young Madam, this is exactly the spirit a principal wife should have,” Nanny Li said. “Knowing to prioritize the bigger picture.”

Cheng Zhao didn’t reply.

As she did her makeup in front of the mirror, her mind kept circling back to Nanny Qin of the main kitchen.

Nanny Qin was the sister-in-law of the head steward, and her sister worked in the Dowager Madame’s Longevity Courtyard. The Dowager Madame had wanted to put the entire main kitchen under Nanny Qin’s control.

But since Cheng Zhao had stepped in with her deep-laid plans, Nanny Qin felt somewhat powerless before her.

Lately, this Nanny Qin had been provoking Cheng Zhao frequently, evidently siding with Huan Qingtang. Meanwhile, seventy percent of the main kitchen staff had already been won over by Cheng Zhao.

After the First Madam moved out of the Hall of Ascending Brilliance, the first battle seemed about to begin.

The outcome of this battle would set the direction of the entire war.

That direction was crucial—it determined where people’s loyalties lay.

Lose the people’s hearts, and even an emperor couldn’t hold his throne.

If Cheng Zhao won this time, Huan Qingtang would lose her advantage entirely in her presence.

Cheng Zhao slowly combed her hair, her mind rapidly reviewing everything that had happened in the main kitchen lately. She had to seize the opportunity and deal Nanny Qin a heavy blow.

Nanny Li brought her some bird’s nest porridge and said softly to comfort her, “Young Madam, don’t be upset. These are all just your guesses.”

“No, she has ill intentions,” Cheng Zhao said. “I must ‘remove’ her.”

Nanny Li was startled. “Absolutely not! If Lord Duke is truly infatuated, doing that would be like losing the bait for the fish.”

Cheng Zhao turned around. “...Who are you talking about?”

“Who are you talking about?” Nanny Li asked, slightly surprised as well.

Cheng Zhao said, “We don’t know what’s going on at the General’s estate. I’m not clear on the inside story. There may not even be a mistress—it’s just our wild guesses. I was thinking about the main kitchen affairs.”

Nanny Li: “...”

She quickly collected her thoughts. “Has Nanny Qin caused you trouble again?”

“This morning, there was a big argument in the main kitchen. The procurement was almost delayed,” Cheng Zhao said.

Nanny Li comforted her a few more words.

After Cheng Zhao drank the porridge, Nanny Li brought water for her to rinse her mouth. That night, Suyue was on night duty, and Nanny Li withdrew from the main bedroom.

Looking back at the direction of the main bedroom, Nanny Li seemed to understand a little why Lord Duke was throwing a tantrum.

Because this mistress truly hadn’t taken Lord Duke’s affairs to heart.

Cheng Zhao was blessed with a face like a flower and a moon-like beauty. It seemed easy to become lost in her. After so many intimate nights between the young couple, it was only natural for Lord Duke to fall for her.

If he observed a little, he could probably see where Cheng Zhao’s thoughts lay.

So, he was a bit upset?

Or perhaps disillusioned, wanting to cool his feelings by distancing himself from her?

The next day, Cheng Zhao wrote a letter and instructed Suyue to personally deliver it to the Pillar-of-the-State General’s estate, to give it to Fan Xiao.

“Ask him to open and read it right there. Wait until he finishes and get his definite response before you come back,” Cheng Zhao instructed Suyue.

Suyue acknowledged the order.

The morning was still hot. Cheng Zhao went to the Vermilion Clouds Courtyard for breakfast, and her mother-in-law brought up Zhou Yuanshen again.

“Your father-in-law said he’ll check on Yuanshen at the yamen today,” Second Madam said.

Cheng Zhao gave a wry smile. “Mother, you truly dote on your children. Fortunately, they’ve turned out well and haven’t become prodigals.”

Second Madam: “...”

After breakfast, Cheng Zhao went to the Hall of Ascending Brilliance to conduct business.

Second Madam, on the other hand, pondered her words.

She felt that all three of her sons had turned out well because of the overall environment in the Duke’s estate. The Dowager Madame didn’t like them, so they didn’t dare to indulge.

They had to be ambitious.

Since Second Master and she cherished their children greatly, the sons were ambitious but lacked harshness.

All of them were quite good.

“...Isn’t this fortune in disguise?” Second Madam couldn’t help but say to Nanny Fan. “I’m always complaining about this, feeling sorry about that. But when I look back, it seems like the branches are heavy with fruit.”

Nanny Fan smiled. “The outcomes are all good, but the hardships you endured were not few. You must also cherish yourself.”

“It’s nothing much. What mother doesn’t suffer?” Second Madam said.

Looking back at the path she had traveled from a different perspective, it didn’t seem so bad after all.

Cheng Zhao had really helped her see many things clearly.

Second Madam now increasingly felt like an elderly matriarch: kind, gentle, seeing everyone as lovely and everything with tolerance.

If only Zhao Zhao could have a child.

—Of course, she couldn’t dwell on that.

If Zhao Zhao could have one, she would have long ago. Bringing it up would only add to her distress.

Second Madam was straightforward and outspoken; sometimes whatever was on her mind would slip right out, with no restraint at all.

She could not keep urging Cheng Zhao to bear a child in her heart. What if it slipped out next time and hurt Cheng Zhao’s feelings?

That day at noon, Suyue returned to the mansion.

By evening, Zhou Yuanshen and Second Master came back together.