Chapter 19: Husband's Thoughtfulness

Zhou Yuanshen told Cheng Zhao that she could rest at Chenhui Courtyard at noon.

"...You have duties to attend to in the morning, and the same goes for the afternoon. It would be quite a trek for you to return to Nonghua Courtyard for your midday rest." Zhou Yuanshen's expression remained very cold, and his tone could hardly be called gentle.

He added, "If you prefer to go back, it is up to you."

The First Madam, Madam Song, lived right in Chengming Hall. The managers would come to report to her, so it was no trouble for her to eat and rest after handling affairs.

But Cheng Zhao would have to rush back and forth.

Now that winter had arrived, it would snow frequently. Even with a small horse-drawn carriage, going back would be troublesome.

"...Would this disturb you, My Lord Duke?" Cheng Zhao asked.

Zhou Yuanshen replied, "Since I brought it up, I'm naturally not just being polite."

"Then thank you," Cheng Zhao said. "A side room will be fine for me."

"There is still an empty main room on the east side," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao glanced at him.

So, he didn't go to Nonghua Courtyard but specifically called her over just to give her a place to rest.

If the "Duchess" had to rush back and forth during her midday rest, the servants would inevitably mock her when they saw it, and Cheng Zhao would lose her prestige.

Once she lost her prestige, it would be difficult to convince the masses no matter what she managed.

Cheng Zhao accepted his kindness and asked, "Will you assign one of your servants to attend to me, or should I bring one of my own maids over?"

"I won't be here during the midday rest. Bring your own person," he said.

Cheng Zhao agreed.

She assured him that she would not snoop around or wander aimlessly, nor would she dirty Chenhui Courtyard. Her maid would also be loyal and devoted, absolutely never prying into the Duke's secrets.

Zhou Yuanshen did not respond to her words.

He stood up and led Cheng Zhao to the room on the east side.

Of the two main rooms on the east, the outer one was a sitting room. The bookshelves against the wall were filled with books, and there was also a rack of long swords.

The inner room was vacant, with a few miscellaneous items scattered about.

Zhou Yuanshen told her, "Come directly here for your midday rest tomorrow. Nanfeng will open the door for you."

That meant he would make the proper arrangements on his end, saving Cheng Zhao from worrying about it.

After everything was settled, Cheng Zhao returned to Nonghua Courtyard.

Everyone gathered around to ask about the situation.

"The Duke was worried that the servants would look down on the 'Duchess', so he specifically arranged for me to rest in Chenhui Courtyard at noon. He wanted to discuss this matter and thought it would be best for me to see the courtyard for myself, which is why he sent someone to invite me over," Cheng Zhao explained.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Nanny Li then said, "The Duke is very thoughtful. It is truly not easy for him to have considered this."

Cheng Zhao was also quite surprised.

Zhou Yuanshen didn't seem like someone with a meticulous personality. Perhaps because it concerned changes to the managerial power of the Duke's estate's inner quarters, he paid special attention to it.

The domestic affairs of the Duke's estate were very complicated, and Zhou Yuanshen had not yet reached the point where he could completely let go and let a trusted person manage them.

In the evening, Cheng Zhao spoke privately with Nanny Li, "I suspect the Zhou family's noble estate and properties haven't fallen into the Duke's hands either."

Her mother-in-law had always thought that the First Branch controlled the noble properties.

But judging from Zhou Yuanshen's tone, the noble properties were firmly in the Old Madam's grasp. The Duke himself was merely a puppet, and the mother and daughter-in-law of the First Branch were nothing more than higher-level managers.

The First Madam, Madam Song, definitely believed she would be the future mistress and was eager to seize power. Taking advantage of the fact that the head manager of the main kitchen was about to "retire due to old age," the First Madam wanted to arrange for her own person to take the position.

The Old Madam disagreed, but she wouldn't openly slap the face of the "head manager of the inner quarters," so she inserted Cheng Zhao into the mix.

Cheng Zhao's official title as the "Duchess" was quite useful at a time like this.

"...Nanny Li, do you still remember my youngest uncle?" Cheng Zhao asked.

Nanny Li: "Why bring up the young master's uncle all of a sudden?"

Her mind was still on the affairs of the Duke's estate.

"Grandfather always said that my youngest uncle was a rebellious person. He didn't study or practice martial arts, just ran blindly all over the world.

But I really liked listening to him talk. He once told me that even the Emperor is nothing special; he is equally constrained by others and cannot do whatever he pleases.

The Emperor is nothing more than a patriarch with a richer 'noble estate'. Sometimes, the Emperor cannot carelessly touch the profits gained from this 'estate'. If he wants to build a garden, the imperial censors would rather smash their heads to death in the great hall than let him."

Nanny Li was terrified. "Keep your voice down. Little ancestor, is this something you can casually talk about?"

"The logic is sound," Cheng Zhao said. "Nanny, think about it. In the inner courtyard of the Zhou family, doesn't the Duke seem like a new emperor, while the Old Madam is the 'Empress Dowager' controlling the real power?"

When the noble clans were at their peak, the Emperor was not even as wealthy or powerful as the patriarch of a Duke's estate.

When the late Emperor was alive, there was too much slaughter, and the noble clans were heavily suppressed. The current Emperor inherited a lighter burden, which is why he has a bit of real power.

This situation seemed to be spiraling out of control.

The Cheng family was willing to form a marriage alliance with the Zhou family precisely because imperial power was withering and declining, and the noble and pure families needed a more powerful backing.

The Old Madam of the Zhou family was not just the one calling the shots at home.

She also had a say in the political affairs of the court.

"It seems the Duke and the Old Madam have always been fighting," Cheng Zhao said.

Nanny Li: "...The Old Madam is getting on in years, and her grandson has already inherited the title. Yet she still refuses to relinquish power. What is she after?"

Cheng Zhao: "If I were in my old age, I wouldn't relinquish power either. If you don't hold power in your hands, are you just going to wait and live at the mercy of your children and grandchildren's moods?"

"Children and grandchildren should naturally respect their old grandmother."

"What does an old ancestor with no money and no power rely on to gain respect? The conscience of her children and grandchildren? Children have the least conscience," Cheng Zhao said.

Nanny Li: "..."

She didn't even know if Cheng Zhao was on the Old Madam's side or the Duke's side.

Why did it seem like she could understand everyone's situation?

"...How did you get so worried that you started talking nonsense?" Nanny Li said helplessly.

Cheng Zhao chuckled.

She just felt that the situation in the Duke's estate was complicated.

Just like the court politics, the current situation was a complete mess.

Zhou Yuanshen was not the legitimate son of the First Branch; he probably never thought he would inherit the title.

But since the title was given to him, not giving him the corresponding noble properties was nothing more than a blatant disregard for his dignity as a person.

Even the Second Madam wanted to live in Chengming Hall, let alone Zhou Yuanshen himself?

Cheng Zhao could understand. She had married into the Zhou family and occupied the position of the Duke's legitimate wife. If she were never given her official lady's title, she would also feel aggrieved.

The taste of having only an empty title and no real power was hard to bear.

As for the Old Madam, she probably couldn't let go. She might not even think highly of this grandson, Zhou Yuanshen, and only chose him to inherit the title out of helplessness.

Entrusting all the family properties to him was absolutely out of the question.

Cheng Zhao could understand both of their thoughts, but everyone had to choose their own corner to stand in.

She was the Duchess, so she ought to stand on Zhou Yuanshen's side. The Old Madam wouldn't trust Cheng Zhao anyway; even if Cheng Zhao surrendered to her, it would be meaningless.

Cheng Zhao sorted through everything in her mind.

Once she had it all figured out, no matter how difficult things were, she could slowly feel her way forward without being in a complete mess.

The next day, Cheng Zhao went to Chengming Hall.

When she arrived, the side hall where the First Madam managed affairs was already full of people.

When the crowd saw her, they greeted her with sparse voices, lacking any warmth. They were all taking their cues from the First Madam.

The First Young Madam, Huan Qingtang, sat just below the First Madam.

It seemed she had always been assisting the First Madam in managing affairs.