Chapter 188: Cheng Zhao Tried to Persuade Him to Stay

After Zhou Yuanshen left, Cheng Zhao went to wash up, first bathing, then washing her hair.

Afterward, she sat on the heated kang by the window doing needlework, letting her hair air-dry as she waited for Zhou Yuanshen to return.

She picked out a lake-blue fabric and started making a sachet, planning to embroider orchids and orchid grass on it.

"...If the matriarch orders Concubine Mu to come back and the Duke refuses, the matriarch will definitely let Xiansi out to cause trouble," Suyue said as she helped Cheng Zhao sort the embroidery threads.

Cheng Zhao stitched a few lines and said with a smile, "Suyue, you have good insight."

"Don't tease me, miss," Suyue said, a little embarrassed. "Tell me—do you think what I said is right?"

"Very much so," Cheng Zhao said.

Suyue grew bolder: "But once Concubine Mu returns, she'll surely bear a grudge against you. It'll be endless."

"Remember when we went out to sea before? The waves kept coming, one after another, and even then you said, 'Endless, never-ending,'" Cheng Zhao said.

Suyue said, "I was about to get seasick then, and I just wished it would stop and the waves would calm."

"But when a ship is at sea, the waves never truly calm. When one storm ends, the next begins. Old sailors never get seasick, and they never fear. Wishing for it to end and quiet down—that's impossible," Cheng Zhao said.

Unless you go ashore.

Unless you stay far from that stretch of sea.

"I understand, young madam," Suyue said. "But aren't you angry?"

"I'm not a goddess. Even if I get angry, will that stop the waves?" Cheng Zhao said.

Suyue was speechless.

Qiubai and Nanny Li laughed from the side.

This time, Cheng Zhao's embroidery was more refined. She spent a good while just comparing color combinations, and when she stitched, she did so slowly.

The night had grown deep when Zhou Yuanshen returned from Shou'an Courtyard.

Cheng Zhao's eyes were tired from the needlework, so she put her things away.

Zhou Yuanshen picked up the piece and looked it over, saying, "The color is lovely."

"What kind of fragrance do you like?" Cheng Zhao asked. "Last time I made one for Fifth Brother, it was to refresh the mind."

"What do you suggest?"

"These days there are dried tangerine peels and such. Add a bit of osmanthus—it suits the season, fresh and pleasant," Cheng Zhao said.

"Then go with that."

Cheng Zhao acknowledged him.

Zhou Yuanshen went to bathe and emerged quickly from the washroom.

The couple lay down, and Cheng Zhao asked about the matters at Shou'an Courtyard.

"Is it about Concubine Mu?"

"Yes."

"Just as I expected," Cheng Zhao said. "Mother has been granted the title of First-Rank Lady, so the household's direction is shifting. Mother-in-law is bound to bring Concubine Mu back."

Zhou Yuanshen gave an "mm" in agreement.

Then he added, "She also spoke of some matters concerning the Sun family of Qingyuan Marquis's household."

A steward from the Sun family had been beaten to death by the husband of Princess Qing'an, over the canal transport business.

The two families had been reaping enormous profits from the water channels in the Jinzhou section. That was the "gray zone" allowed to nobles beyond state interests—nobody reports it, so no one prosecutes it.

Many aristocratic households held such money-making ventures.

The two families had seemed quite amicable, so suddenly this had turned into a case of manslaughter.

"...Princess Qing'an couldn't get the Court of Judicial Review to act, and the prince consort is still imprisoned. Memorials are flying into the imperial study like snowflakes," Zhou Yuanshen said.

"And what does the matriarch think?" Cheng Zhao asked.

"She told me to tell Uncle the matter should be shelved for now," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao: "The matriarch doesn't want the affair blown out of proportion?"

"Exactly."

Cheng Zhao could understand that line of thinking.

If this case were pushed too far, the hidden revenue in other places would also be dug up, damaging the interests of many families, making the Suns the target of everyone's wrath.

The matriarch didn't want her natal family to end up in the eye of the storm.

She wanted this settled quietly.

If not for the prefect of the capital meddling in the matter, the Sun family might not have reported it to the authorities—they would have settled it privately instead.

"His Majesty summoned me specifically today to ask about the transport along the canal," Zhou Yuanshen added.

Cheng Zhao was surprised. "...Has Grandmother already gone to the palace?"

"Yes."

Cheng Zhao: "Does the Emperor also wish to calm things down?"

"One move affects the whole board—His Majesty fears trouble even more," said Zhou Yuanshen.

Cheng Zhao: "It's still because of Grandmother. If it were any other family, this could have been blown out of proportion. They would certainly have seized the chance to execute a batch of people and purge the official ranks."

Zhou Yuanshen turned his face in the shadows to look at her.

"Do you think that would work?"

"That's just how governance works. Leave it alone in peacetime, and nothing happens; but when something comes up, you seize the moment to patch up the old holes," Cheng Zhao said.

The history books she had read all did it that way.

Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish—it needs a slow fire. Stitch here, mend there. Cleaning up officialdom is never about wielding the axe on a grand scale.

Seize one incident, execute a group of people, inspire the people; and intimidate another group, forcing them to lie low and spit out what they've swallowed.

In this way, officialdom stays clean for at least three to five years.

That's enough. Repeat it again and again, and the dynasty can last a hundred years, even several hundred.

Treating the court is like managing the inner household—there is never a one-time, permanent solution. It's like vines: cut down one batch, and the next batch is already sprouting with fresh shoots.

Zhou Yuanshen reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Cheng Zhao, you have deeper insight than most people."

Cheng Zhao nestled against him. "Just book-learning."

"You've managed the household extremely well—the stewards all respect you. That's not book-learning; that's real ability," he said.

Cheng Zhao smiled.

Zhou Yuanshen lowered his head and kissed her lips.

Cheng Zhao tangled her tongue with his, wanting very much to ask him—if Consort Mu came back, would he have to divide his nights between her courtyard and the Lijing Pavilion?

She didn't ask, because her breath was sealed by his. In that moment, there was nothing else to think of but the two of them.

Cheng Zhao clung to him tightly, her legs wrapped around his body, refusing to let go even as her muscles ached.

"Zhou Yuanshen," she whispered.

Zhou Yuanshen replied, "What?"

"You'll sleep in the Nonghua Courtyard for the rest of this month," she said.

As for next month—we'll see then.

"All right," said Zhou Yuanshen.

The bed curtains swayed. Cheng Zhao lost her breath, yet still she didn't loosen her hold.

Zhou Yuanshen was pleasantly surprised and put in even more effort.

The next morning, the sky outside was bright. Nanny Li woke Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao was still deep in sleep—she was too tired, too drowsy.

"Madam, we're about to be late for the Chenming Hall," Nanny Li said.

Cheng Zhao woke with a start.

She hurriedly drank a bowl of bird's nest porridge, washing up, combing her hair, and changing clothes in haste before rushing off to the Chenming Hall.

By the time she sat down, she still wasn't fully awake.

She was in a daze.

The voices of the stewards and Huan Qingtang drifted past her ears, and she listened half-heartedly.

It also helped that all the tasks in her charge were already properly arranged—there was nothing pressing to handle, so she could afford to slack off.

"...For the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Grand Lady and the Second Grand Lady want vegetarian meals," said Nanny Qin from the main kitchen.

Cheng Zhao snapped fully awake.

She slowly turned to look at Nanny Qin. "The Grand Lady never told me."

"She mentioned it yesterday, Madam," Nanny Qin said coolly. "The Grand Lady always eats vegetarian anyway—she just wants a whole table of vegetarian dishes made separately for the festival."

Cheng Zhao: "We'll need a separate stove. But is there enough time?"

"There are pots in the main kitchen that are usually reserved for making vegetarian dishes for the Grand Lady. We can just switch them out temporarily," Nanny Qin said.

Cheng Zhao noticed how lightly she brushed it off and glanced at her without showing any reaction.

Huan Qingtang then told Cheng Zhao that the Grand Lady wanted to bring Concubine Mu back, and that they should have the gatehouse prepare a carriage and arrange for someone to go to the family shrine.

Cheng Zhao acknowledged the orders as well.

With these two matters, Cheng Zhao was now fully awake.

By mid-afternoon, once her tasks were done, her thoughts kept drifting back to the matter of the Grand Lady's vegetarian meal for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Grand Lady rarely observed vegetarian fasting during festivals. Why would she suddenly bring this up now?