Chapter 172: A Storm Arises

The word "spy" was an old wound in Second Madam's heart.

The moment it was mentioned, she became especially tense. Back in the borderlands, spies were like thick clouds on a sweltering summer day—their appearance meant a violent storm was coming.

People would die.

How many depended on luck and on the commander's ability to respond.

After more than a decade of peaceful years in the capital, Second Madam had not forgotten the bloody scent in those old dreams.

"Mother, the Lord Duke knows what he's doing, and the two of us are cautious. Even if something does happen, it has nothing to do with us," Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam replied, "...I thought we were just here for leisure."

"These years, the Emperor has been bloodthirsty, and the court situation is complicated. 'The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease.' The Emperor may want to simply enjoy himself, but others won't allow it," Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam sighed deeply.

Cheng Zhao passed her a bowl and chopsticks: "Mother, eat something. You need strength to react to whatever comes."

Second Madam took them.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law ate their midday meal in silence, rested briefly, then went to attend the Empress.

By mid-afternoon, many of the young ladies had returned, presumably worn out from play.

They chatted excitedly about the morning's hunt.

When the Empress asked who had performed best, they hemmed and hawed, some said the Emperor, some said the Crown Prince.

Only Miss Liu, the daughter of Liu Zheng, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, spoke with innocent boldness: "Naturally, General Zhou and the Prince of Andong came out on top."

Guo Hanzhang asked coldly, "Who is General Zhou?"

"I only know General Zhou—don't you recognize him, Miss Guo?" Miss Liu asked.

The scene fell silent.

"Oh, you mean Grand Tutor Zhou," the Empress said with a smile.

She looked toward Cheng Zhao. "Grand Tutor Zhou bagged a great many prey today."

"He accompanied the Emperor and looked after the Crown Prince well. If he bagged so many, I imagine the Crown Prince must be delighted, Your Majesty," Cheng Zhao said.

Empress Guo laughed: "I didn't say he wasn't doing his duty."

Then she teased, "Do you want to call him Grand Tutor Zhou, or General Zhou?"

"My husband holds many offices, all by His Majesty's grace. Whatever title he's called with is his glory, and he certainly wouldn't mind," Cheng Zhao said.

Everyone laughed.

They all knew the Zhou family wielded immense power, and Cheng Zhao was smooth-tongued and tactful—no one was willing to court that trouble.

Soon evening arrived.

Bonfires were lit on the field, and they sat on the ground in the borderland style, roasting meat around the flames.

But all around stood sword-bearing guards, three rings of defense—not even a fly could get through.

Cheng Zhao remembered Zhou Yuanshen saying that the bonfire was fueled by horse dung.

She tried to push the thought away, but the more she tried, the deeper it sank, until she could almost smell horse manure. The roasted lamb leg smelled delicious, yet she had no appetite at all.

The Emperor was in fine spirits today.

The singing girls kept in the imperial retreat danced and sang around the fire—something unseen in the capital—and the crowd watched with great interest.

The Emperor lavishly praised the Prince of Andong and Zhou Yuanshen, who had taken the most prey and were nearly neck and neck.

The accompanying senior ministers were all veterans, and they deferred to the Emperor's glory, barely taking more than one or two animals each.

Cheng Zhao glanced over.

She met Zhou Yuanshen's eyes.

Zhou Yuanshen showed no particular expression, only gave her a slight nod; as he turned his face, she caught sight of the Prince of Andong, Helian Xuan, as well.

Helian Xuan's gaze rested on her face, his cheeks bearing a smile, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

Cheng Zhao turned her head away.

The night was lively, and everyone was entertained. Cheng Zhao ate none of the roasted meat and drank no wine.

When it ended, it was deep in the night, and each retired to their quarters.

Zhou Yuanshen came again to the courtyard shared by Cheng Zhao and Second Madam.

This time, Second Madam couldn't hold back and asked him, "Why are there spies?"

Zhou Yuanshen: "It has nothing to do with us, Mother."

"Ah-Shen, I don't feel at ease about you and your father," Second Madam said. "And your little uncle is here too."

"Father and little uncle are safe—they don't stand in anyone's way," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Second Madam grew even more anxious: "Then you stand in many people's way—does that mean you're in danger?"

"I won't come to harm," he said.

Second Madam's heart raced: "Ah-Shen..."

"Mother, I rarely lose. And even if I do lose, with my current strength, I can afford the loss," Zhou Yuanshen said. "Mother, I'm no longer a teenager."

Second Madam stared at him, her eyes slightly glistening: "You're a grown man now."

"Mother, rest assured," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Second Madam nodded firmly: "I trust you!"

Zhou Yuanshen said nothing more, but called Cheng Zhao out for a private word between husband and wife.

"...The Emperor wants me to kill someone for him," he told Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao asked, "Is it Liu Zheng, the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review?"

Zhou Yuanshen's eyes flickered, seeming a shade brighter than usual: "How do you know?"

"I heard from my grandfather that the Emperor has been displeased with Liu Zheng for a long time, and has attacked him several times. This time, of all the officials and families, the Court of Judicial Review sent the most people—and my little uncle also serves there," Cheng Zhao said.

The Court of Judicial Review was not a department that normally accompanied the imperial entourage.

Cheng Zhao had deduced how many people each yamen had sent based on the number of wives present.

The Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice, two chief clerks, and three fifth-rank officials were all there; aside from Fan Xiao, all had brought their families.

That far exceeded protocol.

Combined with old grievances, Cheng Zhao judged that at least one of the Chief Justice and the Deputy Chief Justice would be settled here. The others would be promoted on the spot, so that upon returning, no court dispute could arise.

—Cook the rice while it's still raw.

And Liu Zheng's wife and daughter were unusually flamboyant, showing that they thought their family's standing was high enough to suppress the Guo clan.

And suppress imperial power as well.

The Emperor felt wary and hateful, yet had no reasonable way to remove the Chief Justice, so he had to take a different path.

"It is him," Zhou Yuanshen said.

"He's very close to the Prince of Andong. Zhou Yuanshen, word may have leaked about this—those with shrewd eyes can see it coming. Watch out for them playing the mantis behind the cicada," Cheng Zhao said.

The Emperor wanted to kill Liu Zheng, and Zhou Yuanshen was merely an unfeeling blade.

If Liu Zheng sensed it and turned around, allying with the Prince of Andong to kill Zhou Yuanshen, wouldn't that be even better? Zhou Yuanshen already held too many offices.

Even just the Capital Military Camp alone was enough to intimidate the court.

"The hunt lasts eight days—it'll likely happen in the latter half. I'll be careful," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao nodded.

She thought to herself that if she hadn't figured it out, Zhou Yuanshen wouldn't have told her the specific person, the specific matter—just a brief mention to ease her mind.

That night, lying in bed, Cheng Zhao couldn't sleep.

She felt it was unfair for Zhou Yuanshen.

The Emperor only wanted to use him. When a minister became too much of a hindrance and the Emperor proved too incompetent to handle it, his only recourse was murder.

If it succeeded, Zhou Yuanshen got a small reward and bore the ill reputation; if it failed, Zhou Yuanshen would be the one to suffer.

Zhou Yuanshen had to make sacrifices, to take risks, in exchange for the strength to contend with his family's forces, enough to resist the Grand Madam's control over him.

Cheng Zhao couldn't put the feeling into words.

In matters of court and government, she could not help him in the slightest.

She only prayed for his success.

She hoped he would stay focused, not care about anyone else, not be distracted—staying the course on his path, climbing to the summit of power.

Even if, by then, she and he had gone their separate ways, she would still be proud of him.

The hunt reached its fourth day, calm and uneventful. The Emperor was cheerful every day.

And when he was happy, everyone else could breathe a sigh of relief.

However, on the afternoon of the fourth day, Cheng Zhao and Second Madam were sitting idly with the Empress when the Empress’s trusted eunuch stumbled in, sobbing: “Your Grace, the Crown Prince has been carried off by a wolf.”

The Empress seemed not to understand: “Carried off by a wolf?”

“Grand Tutor Zhou has gone after him, and His Majesty has taken men as well.” The eunuch burst into tears.

The Empress’s face went deathly pale, yet she still found it hard to believe; she could not quite collect herself.

Second Madam strode swiftly outside.

Cheng Zhao followed her.

“Qiubai, fetch my crossbow,” Cheng Zhao ordered.

Qiubai acknowledged the command.

The maidservant beside Second Madam went to bring two horses, a bow, and twenty arrows. Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, each with a maidservant in tow, rode off into the mountain forest under the direction of the guards.

The two women exchanged not a single word with each other, yet their coordination was flawless.