Chapter 206: Too Beloved

Cheng Zhao did not return to the Cheng family home.

After going to the palace to lodge her complaint, she continued to stay at the Peace Calming General's residence.

"...If we don't respond, Grandmother will fly into a rage. Will she ask the Emperor to intervene?" Cheng Zhao asked Zhou Yuanshen.

Zhou Yuanshen was set to leave for the Capital Garrison camp the next day, and he was making arrangements to ensure Cheng Zhao's safety.

He had even enlisted Fan Xiao's help.

Hearing her question, he looked up and said, "If the Emperor steps in, it works to your advantage."

Cheng Zhao thought about this and found it deeply sensible.

If the Emperor mediated, then for the sake of his own prestige, even if he applied pressure, it would be coercion disguised as favor, not something done blatantly.

If he truly dared to threaten Cheng Zhao, her grandfather would band together with the censors and denounce the Emperor for moral failure.

If it came to the Emperor mediating, the Dowager Madame would be utterly defeated.

Cheng Zhao didn't think it would go that far.

"I'll be at the Capital Garrison camp for eight days and then return to the city. You can stay safely at the General's residence," Zhou Yuanshen said. "And don't do anything rash."

Everything should be handled slowly; acting hastily often backfires.

"Alright," Cheng Zhao said. "During the day, I'll go home and relax. It's a rare chance to rest."

She added, "The people in the Duke's residence are mine. They won't betray me anytime soon. And anyone with eyes can see I have the upper hand."

Cheng Zhao could also use this opportunity to test the loyalty and character of the stewards she trusted.

It would serve multiple purposes at once.

Zhou Yuanshen pulled her into his arms. "When you move into the Hall of Inherited Brilliance, will you be afraid?"

"Is it because someone died there? I'm not afraid of that," Cheng Zhao said.

A physician had died in the Hall of Inherited Brilliance.

Zhou Yuanshen said, "No, it's about bearing greater responsibility. Will you be afraid?"

"No," Cheng Zhao said. "I'm young, but my mother and my eldest sister have seen the world. Whatever comes up, I have people to ask."

Her mother and eldest sister would teach her everything in detail.

Cheng Zhao wasn't afraid of managing the household; she could handle it. Even if she encountered setbacks, she could find people to help. She had great confidence in herself.

"Cheng Zhao, once you get what you want, can you spare some thought for other things?" Zhou Yuanshen asked her.

Cheng Zhao looked at him, puzzled. "About having children? I think about that every day."

"I mean about the two of us," he said. "Cheng Zhao, what kind of husband do you want, and what kind of wife do you want to be? Setting aside the titles of Lord Duke and Duchess—just the two of us."

Cheng Zhao lowered her gaze slightly.

Zhou Yuanshen gently kissed her. "This matter—ask your mother and eldest sister about it too, alright?"

Cheng Zhao remained silent.

Zhou Yuanshen lightly lifted her chin. "Cheng Zhao?"

She looked into his eyes.

She saw fervor there.

Passion is so hard to sustain. Like the peony—it blooms with such intensity, but soon withers, leaving crimson petals scattered on the ground.

Better to be like the pine and cypress, forever green and plain, mild as plain water.

Cheng Zhao claimed she feared nothing, but she did fear some things.

Seeing Mu Jiang, Huan Qingtang, or even that delicate, flirtatious Xian Si—her heart would stir with unease.

Not fear of Zhou Yuanshen, but fear that she herself might change.

The road ahead was muddy. If Cheng Zhao became less resolute, how could she reach the shore she longed for?

"I promise you, I will ask," Cheng Zhao said, sinking into the depths of his gaze, finally relenting.

Zhou Yuanshen gathered her into his lap.

Cheng Zhao's fingers lightly brushed his cheek, then traced his jaw, and further down, her fingertips stroked his Adam's apple.

Zhou Yuanshen's hands clasped her waist, then tightened suddenly, drawing her close as he kissed her fiercely.

He pressed too tightly; Cheng Zhao couldn't breathe.

She gasped and pounded his shoulder, and he finally loosened his hold.

That night, the two of them didn't sleep until well past midnight.

The next day, Zhou Yuanshen left for the Capital Garrison camp, and Cheng Zhao slept until the sun was high in the sky.

She had Suyue, Qiubai, and another attendant skilled at hair-styling brought over to the General's residence, where she enjoyed a little idle time.

In the morning, with nothing else to do, Cheng Zhao returned to her parents’ home.

Her second sister-in-law immediately sent word, summoning both her eldest and third sisters back.

The four women played mahjong together, and Cheng Zhao had the best luck.

"...Using the fire to publicly reveal your situation in the Duke's residence—letting people know that the Duchess who already runs half the household lives in such a remote place—is a clever move," her second sister-in-law laughed.

Her eldest sister said, "The strategy is sound, and things worked out well. It just so happened that the new concubine moved into that residence and then a fire broke out—no one would suspect you."

Cheng Zhao said, "I originally only planned to use the 'scriptures' as a ploy, but then termites showed up. The more chaos, the murkier the waters—better for me."

Her third sister said, "Using force against force—this time, Zhao Zhao might just achieve what she wants."

"I hope so."

Her eldest sister said with a smile, "Mother will probably nag you. Scheming in front of a shrine like that—it's disrespectful."

Cheng Zhao said, "That deity isn't all that efficacious. I offered so much incense, and it still didn't help me conceive."

"Hush, that's even more irreverent," her eldest sister said.

Cheng Zhao's faith was shallow, and her second sister-in-law and third sister felt the same way.

Perhaps because they were young and had experienced little, they had less fear of the unknown.

Her eldest sister smiled, though when she mentioned the shrine, a trace of unease flickered in her expression.

While they were chatting, the head maid from their mother's quarters arrived.

"Mother requests the Fifth Lady's presence," the maid said.

Cheng Zhao recognized this head maid and spoke to her politely. "Sister Yu Zan, is my mother angry?"

"The lady hasn't heard the full story yet. She heard the Duke's residence had a fire and was just sending people to inquire. She's not angry," said the maid named Yu Zan.

Her eldest sister teased Cheng Zhao: "Aren't you the one who said you're not afraid?"

"Know your enemy and know yourself. If Mother is vexed, I'll have to shed a few tears and play the pitiful one," Cheng Zhao said.

Her eldest sister called her mischievous.

Cheng Zhao went before her mother.

She told her the whole story.

"...I had someone light the scriptures and set the fire myself. With the scriptures given by the Dowager Madame, the First Madam, and Huan Qingtang as an excuse, and with the new concubine moving into my courtyard..." Cheng Zhao said.

Her mother's face darkened.

"Mother, with such a dangerous thing as termites happening, you can see some people are even more impatient than I am. If I don't act first, I'll just get schemed against again, and gain nothing in the end," Cheng Zhao said.

She was stirring things up, but others were faster and crueler.

"Who released the termites?" her mother asked.

Cheng Zhao thought for a moment. "Very likely my aunt, the First Madam. She managed the Duke's household for years and wants to move back to the Hall of Inherited Brilliance. She's taking a risky gamble."

"That's also a wicked scheme. If the termites got out of control, all the buildings in that residence would be destroyed, and they might even spread to the whole street," her mother said.

Cheng Zhao said, "Yes. If the Hall of Inherited Brilliance stays empty, things like this will keep happening."

Her mother sighed.

"Still, you were too reckless. You shouldn't have schemed before the statue of Guanyin," her mother insisted.

Cheng Zhao said, "Mother, it's just a jade carving. If it weren't carved as Guanyin, it would just be a piece of jade."

"That's even more improper talk!"

Cheng Zhao fell silent.

Her mother scolded her for a while, then offered her advice anyway.

Cheng Zhao staying hidden and not responding to the Dowager Madame's "inquiries"—her mother also thought that was the best course for now.

When she returned to her second brother's courtyard, her fourth brother Cheng Chao had also arrived.

"Did you get scolded?" Cheng Chao asked her.

Cheng Zhao said, "Mother couldn't bear to scold me. She even praised me for doing well."

Cheng Chao: “...”

Setting fire in his own courtyard and being praised for it—unbelievable.

Why had he never received such doting indulgence and leniency?