Chapter 160: Encountering the Duke

Cheng Zhao kept a smile on her face.

She said, "Accompanying the imperial carriage is a great honor, and also the supreme glory of the Zhou family."

Inside, she was cursing wildly.

A perfectly good life in the palace, and they had to go out and suffer. The emperor had nothing better to do. Never mind the heat or cold—at this time of year, the grass in the hunting grounds was deep, and once night fell, the mosquitoes were thick enough to eat a person alive.

What a hardship!

"This opportunity is for you and your mother-in-law," the Dowager Madame said with a smile. "You must serve the honored guests well, and do your utmost on our behalf before the Empress."

She was always smiling like this.

But Cheng Zhao still managed to detect a hint of schadenfreude.

"Yes, Grandmother," Cheng Zhao said, smiling.

She remained expressionless, just as skilled as the Dowager Madame at putting on airs.

Only then did the Dowager Madame ask Cheng Zhao why she had come over in the mid-afternoon.

"...Tomorrow is the fifth, and it happens to be a day off," Cheng Zhao said.

Tomorrow was the twenty-fifth of June.

Counting carefully, Zhou Yuanshen would probably be heading back to the Capital Guard Camp soon.

During his return to the city this time, he had spent most of it sulking. The two of them hadn't had a proper chance to talk. Once he left for the Capital Guard Camp, Cheng Zhao would have some peace.

Cheng Zhao deliberately didn't look at him, to avoid seeming like she was "gloating over his misfortune."

The Dowager Madame's smile faded a little when she heard this: "You should have asked me first."

"I thought Grandmother would surely agree. This is a charitable act, and the stewards will only be grateful for your generosity," Cheng Zhao said.

The Dowager Madame gave a faint smile: "They'll be grateful to you."

"How could they? The Zhou family doesn't have stewards so ungrateful. You have managed the household for years, and the people you employ are loyal and devoted. There's no doubt about that," Cheng Zhao said.

If the Dowager Madame refused, it would mean she didn't trust the loyalty of the stewards she herself had chosen; if she agreed, it would give Cheng Zhao the authority to "act first and report later."

The Dowager Madame gave her a long, hard look.

Zhou Yuanshen then spoke up: "Grandmother, a thousand-li horse needs better fodder. If you won't give the Duchess even this bit of authority, she won't have the nerve to manage the household."

The Dowager Madame: "The Lord Duke certainly knows how to dote on his wife."

"If she had Grandmother's abilities, she wouldn't need anyone else to dote on her," Zhou Yuanshen said. "She's too weak. If no one helps her, how can she stand on her own?"

Feigning weakness while issuing a subtle threat.

The Dowager Madame finally nodded: "Then let tomorrow be a day off. When your eldest aunt ran the household, there were no fixed days off. We might as well start a new rule."

"Staying the same isn't necessarily good. Stagnant water can't raise fish," Cheng Zhao said.

The Dowager Madame said nothing more.

Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen left the Hall of Longevity together.

Outside, the sun blazed fiercely, and the mid-afternoon heat wave hit them like a punch.

A small oiled carriage belonging to Cheng Zhao was waiting at the gate.

She climbed in and turned back to ask Zhou Yuanshen: "Lord Duke, would you like to share my carriage?"

"No need. I'm going to the outer study," he said.

He turned and strode away.

Cheng Zhao watched his back for a moment, then silently lowered the curtain and told the old servant woman to drive back.

She first went to the Crimson Clouds Courtyard.

"Yuan Qi said we could go out for a stroll tonight, and I'd like to go too," Cheng Zhao said to her mother-in-law. "Mother, would you like to come?"

"It's so hot," the Second Madam said.

The house was comfortable. Blocks of ice inside the copper pillars kept it cooler than outside.

Even though the Second Madam practiced with her spear every day and worked up a sweat, that didn't mean she enjoyed the sweltering heat.

"I heard it's not hot by the river. The night breeze on the river is very pleasant, and the banks are lively. It's a new attraction this year," Cheng Zhao said.

The Second Madam: "Just you and Yuan Qi? Yuanshen isn't coming?"

"Yuan Qi suggested it. I think he has people to play with," Cheng Zhao said. "He didn't invite the Lord Duke."

The Second Madam glanced at her.

She wanted to ask: Haven't the two of you made up yet, after all this time?

Why were they still in such a long sulk?

But she was afraid to add to Cheng Zhao's troubles.

She just teased Cheng Zhao with a smile: "Do you really trust Yuan Qi? He'll probably bring a bunch of children along, and you'll end up as their babysitter."

"I don't mind playing with children," Cheng Zhao said with a laugh. "Kids are much better than adults. They're so obedient."

Those a few years older—like Cheng Chao and Zhou Yuanshen—were neither fun nor obedient, and Cheng Zhao would rather spend time with children.

The Second Madam laughed.

"All that said, Yuan Qi definitely won't bring a bunch of kids just to play with me. He doesn't even like hanging around people his own age," Cheng Zhao added.

What's more, Zhou Yuanqi looked down on even his peer Zhou Yuanshen.

"That's true. Yuan Qi has his nose in the air," the Second Madam said.

Cheng Zhao: "Then I'll go back, bathe, and change. I'll head out with Yuan Qi later."

The Second Madam: "Take some guards with you. Just enjoy yourselves. It's fine if you come back a little late."

Cheng Zhao said she would.

Back at the Fragrant Courtyard, Cheng Zhao had a couple of pastries, took off her hairpins and ornaments, and took a simple bath.

She changed into a more comfortable linen summer dress and, with Suyue and Qiubai, met Zhou Yuanqi at the main gate of the Duke's mansion.

The sun had not yet set, and the light at the gate was still scorching hot, baking the horses until they squinted, listless and weary.

Zhou Yuanqi wore a lake-blue linen gown, his hair tied in the "total angle" style of youth.

Sweat had plastered the hair on his forehead, so he parted it to both sides, revealing a smooth, full forehead and a pair of jet-black, round eyes, like ink-black gems.

"So hot!" he said.

Cheng Zhao: "Get in the carriage quickly. There's a plate of ice inside."

Zhou Yuanqi climbed in and pressed his hands against the ice immediately, craving the coolness.

Cheng Zhao fanned him.

Suyue and Qiubai were in the carriage too. One handed him cold tea, bringing it to his lips, while the other wiped the sweat from his brow.

At first, the boy was pleased, thinking they were waiting on him attentively. But when Suyue cupped the back of his head to wipe his face, he suddenly realized they were treating him like a child.

He immediately grew annoyed: "I don't need to be waited on!"

Cheng Zhao laughed: "Fine, then I won't fan you. My arm is getting sore anyway."

Zhou Yuanqi: "..."

By the time the carriage reached the riverbank, they could already see Fan Xiao in the distance.

And standing beside Fan Xiao, dressed in a blue gown, was Zhou Yuanshen.

Zhou Yuanqi immediately asked: "Did you invite my Young Uncle and that brute?"

Cheng Zhao lifted the carriage curtain to take a look: "Aren't we meeting up with them? Didn't you arrange it?"

"No, I invited your fourth brother," Zhou Yuanqi said.

Cheng Zhao frowned: "What do you want with him?"

Cheng Chao was always unreliable.

"He has a lot of friends, and he's good to me. Not as annoying as my Young Uncle," Zhou Yuanqi said.

"No one is more annoying than my fourth brother," Cheng Zhao said.

One liked to tease Zhou Yuanqi, the other liked to provoke Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao thought, she could easily take her brother-in-law out and avoid everyone—why choose between two evils?

"...How about we just wander around on our own?" Cheng Zhao suggested. "We won't join either side."

"We don't have a pleasure boat. All the boats are rented out," Zhou Yuanqi said.

The Ullambana Festival was approaching, and many merchants had already launched their boats. After Ullambana came the Mid-Autumn Festival, another perfect time for boating on the river.

Business was booming right now.

Cheng Zhao: "You're terrible at making arrangements. Next time, I'll handle it."

Zhou Yuanqi: "..."

As they were talking, voices came from outside.

"Duchess, aren't you getting out of the carriage?" someone asked with a smile.

Fan Xiao was standing nearby.

Cheng Zhao had no choice but to step out of the carriage: "Young Uncle, what a coincidence."

"You're here to have fun too? Come join us?" he said.

"We have our own plans," Zhou Yuanqi said as he got out after her.

"We've rented the same boat as Cheng Chao," Fan Xiao said.

Zhou Yuanqi turned to Cheng Zhao and said, “You’re right. Your fourth brother really can’t be relied upon.”

Cheng Zhao was silent for a moment.

“You’ve just never suffered enough from him,” he thought. “My fourth brother has never been reliable.”