Chapter 209: His Grace Dotes on the Young Lady

At dusk, the courtyard was lit with lanterns when Zhou Yuanshen finally returned to the General's Mansion. After leaving the palace, he had stopped by the Fan residence for a brief meeting with Fan Xiao.

The main courtyard of the mansion was bright, light spilling through the lattice windows. A lively scene awaited, for his mother and his fifth brother had come to visit Cheng Zhao.

"...If you move like that, you'll lose in no time," Zhou Yuanqi said.

"The chess manual says this move is allowed," said Cheng Zhao.

"I'm going to take your chariot," Zhou Yuanqi said.

Cheng Zhao retorted, "Your chess manual is misleading me. Give it back—I still need that chariot."

"Give it back to your sister-in-law. What nonsense is this? Why aren't you following the manual?" said the Second Madam.

Zhou Yuanqi fumed, shouting in frustration, "Don't touch my board! Who plays chess by following the manual move for move?"

Zhou Yuanshen: "..."

Cheng Zhao caught sight of him first, casually shoving aside her nearly losing match as she rose: "Lord Duke has returned."

The Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi turned around.

"Where are you coming from?" The Second Madam looked him over.

Whenever he returned from the Jingyi camp, he wore light armor.

Today, however, he was in official robes.

"I came back mid-morning and went to the palace. Had lunch with His Majesty, then met briefly with Uncle Fan," Zhou Yuanshen said.

"Two days earlier than expected," Cheng Zhao noted.

Zhou Yuanshen then relayed how the emperor had called him back to the city ahead of schedule.

"Grandmother has gone to the palace," Zhou Yuanshen said.

The Second Madam said, "Your grandmother sent word for Zhaozhao to go back and stay in Chengming Hall."

She then recounted how the head steward had come to stir up trouble before the Second Madam.

"Those people are simply ridiculous," said the Second Madam.

Cheng Zhao responded, "Mother, you could go stay at Chengming Hall."

"I won't," said the Second Madam. "Every day the stewards come to report, and the place is bursting with people. I couldn't even practice my spear at dawn without it becoming the talk of the house."

She'd be driven to distraction.

She added, "It's not that I ever yearned to live at Chengming Hall—I just couldn't stand them looking down on us, trampling on us. Now that you can stay there, we've gotten what was due to us. Why would I hold any grudge? You and I don't need to be so precise with each other—I know your heart."

Cheng Zhao said nothing more, only clasped her hand: "Thank you, Mother."

The Second Madam smiled with warmth.

She then asked Zhou Yuanshen, "When are you two heading back?"

"There's still much to settle with Grandmother. I'll go back tomorrow, and Cheng Zhao can wait," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao nodded: "I'll follow Lord Duke's arrangements."

They exchanged a few more words.

The hour growing late, Suyue came in to ask Cheng Zhao when dinner should be served.

"Let's eat first," said the Second Madam. "We still need to head home."

"Mother and Fifth Brother can stay the night here," Zeng Zhao offered.

The Second Madam: "The old lady is already simmering with anger. If we stayed out, we'd give her an excuse to make a scene. Better to go back."

Cheng Zhao smiled: "Mother thinks of everything."

After dinner, Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen escorted the Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi to the main gate.

Zhou Yuanqi said to Zeng Zhao, "Practice your chess properly—I'll come challenge you next time."

"Alright."

Once they had left, Zhou Yuanshen and Cheng Zhao walked back together, and he took her hand.

His palm was scorching hot.

The late-autumn night breeze was biting, and Cheng Zhao's hands were cold, so he gripped hers all the tighter.

"...Would you like me to teach you chess?" he asked.

Cheng Zhao: "No need—Fifth Brother will teach me. He puts on a grumpy face, but he's very patient when he explains."

Having something to do with Zhou Yuanqi would pass the time.

Zhou Yuanshen said nothing in reply.

When they returned to the main courtyard, Qiubai and Suyue had the bath barrel ready.

Zhou Yuanshen said, "All of you, withdraw. We won't need anyone on night duty."

The maids all departed.

In the courtyard only the couple remained.

Cheng Zhao's heart inexplicably burned. She turned, meaning to say something, but Zhou Yuanshen silenced her with a kiss.

That night, Cheng Zhao was nearly taken apart limb by limb.

She grew reluctant later on.

"...Cheng Zhao, I brought you a gift," he coaxed her. "Put in a little effort—your return gift is all I ask."

Cheng Zhao wrapped her arms around his neck: "You give a gift and then expect one back?"

She could barely catch her breath.

Zhou Yuanshen wore her down, gently teasing and pressing.

By the end, the water had gone cold, so they only made a hasty toweling-off. Cheng Zhao, held in his arms, drifted toward sleep with a haze.

She felt a bit sore.

A light ache, nothing serious—even a pleasant soreness after such fullness—that only made her sleepier.

Zhou Yuanshen's hand moved soothingly over her back as he murmured to her, and she only hummed in response.

She slept until late morning light filled the room.

When she woke, Zhou Yuanshen was no longer in bed—he had gone to court.

Suyue came in and lowered her voice: "Young Madam, would you like to bathe? Lord Duke asked us to have hot water prepared for you."

Cheng Zhao: "..."

She did end up taking a bath.

The night had been cold, but the carrying-on had worked up a light sweat, and by the time she could wash, the water in the barrel had gone completely cold—so she'd deferred.

After dressing, Cheng Zhao sat down to a belated breakfast.

Half the morning had gone by.

"Start packing—we'll be heading back within a day or two," Cheng Zhao told Suyue and Qiubai.

"We'll be staying at Chengming Hall, I presume?" Suyue smile.

Cheng Zhao: "I should think so—the head steward came by to tell us so."

"Young Madam, why don't you wait a while? Let Nanny Li have Chengming Hall arranged first, then you can go," Suyue suggested.

Cheng Zhao: "Let's not provoke the Grand Dowager further."

"One should not," Cheng Zhao remarked with a slight smile, "taunt a cornered beast. It's not fear—just sensibility."

Suyue saw the logic in that.

Just then Qiubai entered carrying a long, narrow case.

"Lord Duke brought this over this morning—said it's a gift for you," Qiubai said.

Cheng Zhao recalled now: Zhou Yuanshen had mentioned a gift.

She opened it to reveal a black, cylindrical tube.

"What is that?" Suyue and Qiubai crouched around, unable to tell.

Cheng Zhao, however, recognized it—she'd seen one before at her second sister-in-law's.

"This is an import—it's called a kaleidoscope. The inside is quite amusing," Cheng Zhao said with a smile.

She pried off the lid and set it against her eye.

As she rotated it, images unfolded like paintings before her—foreign landscapes, vividly colorful and utterly novel. Delightful, she found it.

Cheng Zhao was rather taken with it.

"I'll take it over later to show Fifth Brother and show it off to him," Cheng Zhao declared.

She then passed it around to Suyue and Qiubai for a look.

Both were mesmerized.

"It feels like it pokes me straight in the eyeball," Suyue observed.

Cheng Zhao laughed at that.

Qiubai likewise found it miraculous.

The trio lingered over the kaleidoscope for quite a while.

"Lord Duke is truly thoughtful," Qiubai remarked.

Cheng Zhao hummed in agreement.

"Have we got anything nice to give him back?" Cheng Zhao asked.

Suyue and Qiubai began to inventory their lady's dowry—everything the Cheng household owned of note seemed to appeal to civil scholars.

For a man of letters, one might offer rare manuscripts, calligraphy rubbings, a fine inkstone—treasures every student adores. The Cheng family could easily produce such things.

But as for a general's manly tastes, they had no idea. Nor, alas, any item.

"Perhaps you should ask him what he likes next time," said Qiubai.

Suyue interjected: "Need you ask? He likes our young lady Cheng Zhao."

Cheng Zhao: "..."

Shortly before midday, Zeng Zhao arrived back at the Duke Chen’s mansion and presented herself at the Grand Dowager’s Shou'an Hall.

Upon hearing of her arrival, the Grand Dowager wiped her face into a smile, sliding the mask of benevolence back into place.

Cheng Zhao bowed respectfully.

"You look somewhat thinner than a few days ago," the Grand Dowager observed, gesturing for Cheng Zhao to take the chair beside her.

Seating herself, Cheng Zhao prepared to play her role.