Chapter 215: All Scores Settled

Madam Song was dead.

Her remains were transported back to the Duke of Chen’s residence for the funeral.

There was much talk among the common people.

Every guest who came to pay their respects to the Zhou family wore an expression of grief. One and all kept their heads bowed, dejected and wary.

Of course, they were not mourning for the Zhou family or First Madam Song. They were worried about their own safety.

The recent forged-iron case had implicated more than a dozen families. The prominent clans of the capital were connected by marriage, their relationships tangled and intricate. No one dared claim that their own family could emerge from it completely unscathed.

The Zhou family had few members. First Madam Song had hanged herself, preserving her reputation. She had done right by both her maternal family and the Zhou family, and there were actually quite a few people who envied her.

Everyone praised her for her “loyalty.”

The one who felt angry was Second Madam.

Second Madam sat alone in Jiangyun Court, silent for a long time.

Cheng Zhao had to oversee the funeral arrangements.

A mourning shed had been erected outside the Duke of Chen’s residence, and the coffin rested in the outer courtyard. Zhou Yuanshen and Second Master were busy handling matters outside, while Zhou Yuanqi had to kneel in the mourning hall every day.

First Madam had lost both her husband and her son. The only person who could smash the funeral basin for her was her nephew. Huan Qingtang also had to observe heavy mourning.

Huan Qingtang wept as though her heart were being torn apart and was almost incapable of managing anything.

All the matters within the residence, as well as receiving the female guests, fell entirely upon Cheng Zhao.

She had to rise before dawn each day and remain busy until midafternoon, when she finally found time to visit Jiangyun Court.

She carried a small food box.

When Second Madam saw her, she came back to herself somewhat. Forcing herself to sit up, she said, “Should I go to Chengming Hall and help you?”

“There’s no need. Grandmother is also hiding in Shou’an Court, crying. It’s only natural for you to be heartbroken. I can manage,” Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam studied her and thought she looked haggard.

A funeral was a major affair, one that was difficult to encounter in a lifetime. A lady of the house was not considered truly capable until she had overseen a funeral.

This time, Huan Qingtang had to give the opportunity to Cheng Zhao. Otherwise, it would be considered unfilial of her toward First Madam.

And being branded unfilial would be even worse for her.

Cheng Zhao had been presented with a good opportunity, and Second Madam ought to have been happy for her.

Yet her spirits remained low.

“Mother, try some of this,” Cheng Zhao said, opening the food box she had brought.

Second Madam glanced inside.

It was a bowl of almond tea.

“...Winter hasn’t even arrived yet, and you’re already having almond tea?” Second Madam asked.

When the weather turned bitterly cold, almond tea became very popular in the capital. Fragrant, warm, and sweet, it made one’s entire body feel heated and comfortable after a single bowl.

It took considerable effort and ingredients to prepare, so eating it under ordinary circumstances was somewhat extravagant.

Everyone tacitly regarded it as a winter food. Making it casually at other times would invite people to call one greedy.

“I suddenly felt like having some,” Cheng Zhao said. “I was so tired by midafternoon that I couldn’t keep going without something nice to eat.”

She handed it to Second Madam.

Unlike the almond tea served piping hot in winter, this bowl had been allowed to cool to a lukewarm temperature.

Second Madam ate it with Cheng Zhao.

After taking a sip, she said, “It’s so sweet!”

Far too sweet.

“Perhaps you haven’t had anything sweet in a long time, so you’re not used to it. I think it’s fine,” Cheng Zhao said.

She coaxed Second Madam, and the mother- and daughter-in-law ate the bowl of almond tea together.

It was indeed sweet—Cheng Zhao had added two extra spoonfuls of sugar—but it was not cloying. The first sip was overwhelmingly sweet, but after a few more mouthfuls, it became quite pleasant.

After finishing the bowl, Second Madam unexpectedly felt much more at ease.

The tension in her face softened.

Whenever Cheng Zhao was unhappy, it was as though her own joy had frozen solid. Eating something sweet slowly brought it back to room temperature.

She used this method to comfort her mother-in-law.

She knew what was troubling Second Madam.

First Madam Song had certainly not taken her own life.

At a time like this, she had to die. The Zhou family had no place for her anymore. One could imagine how she had died and what torment she had endured before her death.

Second Madam had been her sister-in-law for twenty years. The two had never been close and Second Madam had suffered greatly at her hands. Thus, even shedding tears for her seemed meaningless.

And yet, on an emotional level, it was still painful.

Cheng Zhao understood that all too well.

“Mother, if you feel unwell, you can tell me,” Cheng Zhao said. “There was a filthy little dog by the roadside. It was terribly annoying, and it even chased me once, nearly biting me.

“But when it was run over by a carriage, lying there with its entrails torn open, I still felt sad.”

Disliking Madam Song and sympathizing with what had happened to her were two different emotions. Cheng Zhao did not think they conflicted.

Second Madam blinked.

She held back and held back, but in the end tears still welled in her eyes. “The Old Lady warned you in advance. It seems even the Marquis of Changling’s residence was caught in a scheme. If we refuse to obey in the future, we’ll meet the same fate.”

She continued, “We’re all outsiders, Zhaozhao.”

Cheng Zhao took her hand. “Mother, don’t be afraid. First Madam didn’t die because she was an outsider. She died because she failed.”

Second Madam’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao assured her, “We won’t lose. As long as we don’t fail, we won’t die. Mother, believe in me—and believe in the Lord Duke!”

Tears slid down Second Madam’s cheeks. “I’m not only worried about you all. I also pity your First Madam.”

“I understand,” Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam cried for a while.

Then she talked with Cheng Zhao at length, voicing all her worries. Along with the sweet almond tea, it left her feeling much more relaxed.

Second Master and Zhou Yuanqi also returned to Jiangyun Court.

Second Madam had already washed her face.

Her eyes were still red, however, and the traces of crying were obvious.

“...Were things not busy outside?” she asked her husband and son.

Zhou Yuanqi answered, “Even if we’re busy, we still have to eat. Third Brother has someone bringing him food in the mourning hall, so he can manage. Who told him to be the Duke of Chen?”

Second Madam: “...”

“Mother, are you still upset? Have you forgotten how First Madam used to bully you?” Zhou Yuanqi asked.

Second Master lightly patted his son’s shoulder. “The dead deserve respect. You must not speak carelessly of your First Madam. It’s all over now.”

She was dead.

All past grievances had been wiped away.

“But my mother suffered so much because of her. She didn’t die at my mother’s hands, so why should everything end just because she’s dead?” Zhou Yuanqi said.

Second Madam said, “Enough. If your father says it’s over, then it’s over. You mustn’t speak carelessly of your parents either.”

Zhou Yuanqi: “...”

Seeing her younger brother-in-law caught in the middle and unable to please either side, Cheng Zhao could not help laughing.

Yet what truly eased Second Madam’s heart was Zhou Yuanqi’s words.

Her children understood her, and her husband favored her. That was enough for her to let go.

Whatever hatred or resentment she had felt was merely emotional grievance. Once someone understood her and someone cared for her, that grievance was like snow beneath the spring sun—it melted away in the light, leaving no trace behind.

Second Madam said to Cheng Zhao, “Go on and attend to your duties. Don’t worry about me.”

Then she added, “You’re so busy, yet you still take the time to look after me. I know how filial you are. Don’t worry—I’ll listen to everything you say. We absolutely will not lose.”

Cheng Zhao said, “Mother loves me best.”

Second Madam stroked her head and adjusted the white flower at her temple.

That evening, Zhou Yuanshen returned to Chengming Hall.

Cheng Zhao told him that Mother had recovered.

“...Mother is very softhearted. In truth, she was a little afraid. She was frightened,” Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanshen nodded. “She witnessed many things, especially the killings during the late years of the late emperor’s reign. She can’t bring herself to speak of them, but she knows.”

Because she knew, she was afraid.

Cheng Zhao and the others had not seen those things themselves, so their fear was limited. They were ignorant, and therefore fearless.

“I told her to believe in us,” Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanshen nodded.