Chapter 220: The Worst Strategy
The Chen Duke’s residence was like a pond: the slightest breeze was enough to stir up waves.
After the First Madam’s death, Huan Qingtang came to Chengming Hall to take charge of affairs and accomplished several things in a row, all with the Grand Madam’s support behind the scenes.
“Even if the Third Young Madam has moved into Chengming Hall, the situation is still unclear. The Grand Madam is still alive.”
Cheng Zhao might not necessarily become the future mistress of the Duke’s residence.
The servants were all like rootless duckweed, drifting wherever the current took them. One moment the wind blew this way, and the next it blew that way.
Suyue had a fiery and impatient temperament. “What a bunch of fence-sitters!”
Qiubai comforted her, and Nanny Li also told her not to worry.
Cheng Zhao remained composed.
She neither grew proud nor impatient, and simply took care of the matters at hand.
“Things went smoothly before. Did you think victory was already ours?” Cheng Zhao teased Suyue with a smile.
Suyue let out an exasperated cry, her brows drawing together. “And you can still joke at a time like this?”
Cheng Zhao smiled. “First Sister-in-law hasn’t won, and we haven’t lost either. What are you fretting about?”
Suyue: “...”
The situation was better than Cheng Zhao had expected, and she was quite satisfied.
Her composure encouraged her trusted aides. Suyue gradually stopped panicking and settled down. Chengming Hall remained impregnable, both inside and out.
Just then, another complication arose.
The invitations arriving at the gatehouse no longer passed through Cheng Zhao’s hands. The stewards delivered every one of them to the Hall of Longevity instead.
After the Iron Case had come to an end, the capital had fallen quiet for a time. Now it was lively again, with far more banquets and weddings than usual.
The Grand Madam handed all the invitations to Huan Qingtang.
Once, twice—the stewards began to feel uneasy.
This time, even Nanny Li, who served at Cheng Zhao’s side, grew anxious.
“The Grand Madam’s move is truly ruthless. First Young Madam is still in mourning, yet she’s sending her out to attend banquets while keeping you confined at home. She’s trying to suppress you!” Nanny Li said.
One person was being raised up while another was being pushed down, and all the attention was turning toward Huan Qingtang.
“She has no sense of propriety. Isn’t she afraid people will laugh at us? It makes it seem as though there’s no one else in the Duke’s residence,” Suyue said anxiously once more.
Nanny Li said, “That’s precisely the point. Apart from First Young Madam, there’s no one else.”
Suyue’s expression changed drastically. “The Grand Madam has truly lost her mind!”
Qiubai also looked toward Cheng Zhao.
Cheng Zhao remained impassive.
“...Young Madam knows what she’s doing.” Qiubai was comforting the others—and herself. “You don’t care about it at all, do you, Young Madam?”
Cheng Zhao said, “I do care.”
Qiubai: “...”
After Cheng Zhao said this, she saw her trusted aides looking as though they had been struck by lightning and could not help laughing.
“I’ll think of a solution,” Cheng Zhao said with a smile. “The sky hasn’t fallen yet. It’s still too early to talk about who has won or lost.”
That evening, when Zhou Yuanshen returned, he saw that everyone in Chengming Hall was dispirited, while Cheng Zhao’s expression remained unchanged. He gave her a puzzled look.
After they went to Jiangyun Courtyard for dinner, the couple returned, washed up, and lay down. Only then did he ask, “What happened here? Is it about the gatehouse?”
Cheng Zhao said, “Nothing escapes your notice.”
“There isn’t much happening in the household,” he replied.
Not just in the household—even the entire imperial court revolved around little more than these same matters.
“Nanny Li and the others are worried about me,” Cheng Zhao said.
“...Are you worried?” Zhou Yuanshen asked.
Cheng Zhao replied, “No. First Young Madam is still in mourning. If she keeps going out to attend banquets and socialize, she’ll give people countless things to talk about in the future.”
Zhou Yuanshen nodded slightly. “I also think this is the worst possible strategy. Her frequent outings will only bring trouble upon herself. That’s why I didn’t intervene on your behalf.”
He added, “It’s good that you understand everything.”
Cheng Zhao said, “Mother hasn’t heard about it yet. Once she does, she’ll be worried.”
“I’ll speak with her tomorrow after dinner,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
The couple chatted softly as they settled down. Then he pulled Cheng Zhao into his arms once more.
The night stretched on.
Meanwhile, in Jiangyun Courtyard, the Second Madam had caught wind of something and was instructing Nanny Fan to investigate it the next day.
The Second Master said, “There’s no need to investigate. I happen to know something about it.”
He told the Second Madam about the Grand Madam taking control of the gatehouse, giving all the invitations to Huan Qingtang, and restricting Cheng Zhao from going out.
The more the Second Madam heard, the angrier she became.
“...Zhaozhao hasn’t said anything,” she forced herself to calm down and said.
The Second Master replied, “She and Yuanshen haven’t fallen behind. The fact that neither of them is doing anything means they’re waiting to see what happens next.”
“We don’t need to worry?”
“No.” The Second Master smiled. “Lady Huan is still in deep mourning.”
“That old woman has lost her senses too. She’s acting out of desperation,” the Second Madam said coldly.
The Second Master replied, “The desperate one is Lady Huan. Mother still has cards in her hand, and she’s waiting to use them to control Lady Huan.”
The Second Madam said, “...The Grand Madam trusts no one. She has never regarded her daughters-in-law or granddaughters-in-law as members of the family.”
The Second Master fell silent.
It was only now that the Second Madam understood this truth.
And who, exactly, besides daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law, was not considered family?
That night, the Second Madam slept poorly.
Their circumstances were clearly improving—so why did she feel her heart growing colder?
In the past, she had suffered under the Grand Madam and Madam Song. Yet in her heart, the Zhou family of the Chen Duke’s residence had still been a family.
Its relationships might have been battered and broken, but it had been a family all the same.
Now, looking at it again, it seemed she had been the only one who thought so.
The Chen Duke’s residence, its wounds laid bare, was not a family at all. It was a stage. Everyone had to perform a scene to amuse the Grand Madam.
If they performed poorly, someone else would be brought in to take their place.
And the only person seated in the audience was the Grand Madam.
At the thought, the Second Madam shuddered.
The Second Master took her hand and said softly, “Go to sleep. Don’t dwell on it.”
The next day, Cheng Zhao continued managing affairs. Some of the stewards in Chengming Hall were restless, but every one of Cheng Zhao’s own people remained calm and orderly.
Zhou Yuanshen went to court.
He had not originally intended to interfere, but when he saw how worried the servants in Chengming Hall were, he decided to lend a hand.
He made a trip to the Du residence and sought out Cheng Zhao’s eldest sister, asking her to do him a favor.
Several days later, the sky turned overcast.
Judging by the weather, it seemed that the first snow of the year was about to fall.
Nanny Li remarked, “This year’s first snow is rather late. It’s already the tenth month.”
“This year has been warm,” Cheng Zhao said.
Since snow was expected, Cheng Zhao reminded Huan Qingtang, who was in charge of the storerooms, “First Sister-in-law, the winter supplies for the various quarters should be distributed.”
Huan Qingtang smiled. “I was just preparing to do that. I’ve instructed the stewards to draw up a list and send it to each quarter. Tomorrow, I’ll have the stewardesses from each quarter collect the supplies according to the list.”
“That would be excellent,” Cheng Zhao said with a smile.
Huan Qingtang said, “It’s already the tenth month. Even if the sky weren’t overcast, the winter supplies should have been distributed by now.”
Cheng Zhao chatted with her for a while.
Neither of them mentioned the matter of going out to attend banquets.
The skies remained overcast for several days. The north wind howled, and sure enough, tiny pellets of snow began to fall at dusk. Gradually, they turned into snowflakes, drifting lightly onto the roofs and treetops.
When they opened their eyes the next morning, bright daylight filled the windows, and the courtyard was covered in snow an inch deep.
“What a heavy snowfall.” Cheng Zhao was delighted.
The first snow of every year was always enough to bring joy.
Zhou Yuanshen had risen early to attend court, and Nanny Li had instructed the rough servants to clear the snow from the pathways.
But the snow was still falling. In no time, another layer of white had settled over the flagstones.
“Tomorrow, I can invite my sister and sisters-in-law over to warm themselves by the brazier and brew tea,” Cheng Zhao said.
Nanny Li smiled. “I’m afraid Second Young Madam will invite you first.”
“Second Sister-in-law does love hosting guests when the first snow falls,” Cheng Zhao said.
The snow stopped in the middle of the morning.
It had been neither too heavy nor too light—not enough to cause a disaster, but more than sufficient for brewing tea, admiring the snow, and holding a festive gathering.
In the middle of the afternoon, the gatehouse delivered an invitation to Cheng Zhao.
Nanny Li’s face lit up with delight.
On closer inspection, her delight faded.
“Young Madam, it really is an invitation from the Cheng family,” Nanny Li said.
She had thought the Grand Dowager Lady would pass along invitations from other households to Cheng Zhao as well. As it turned out, only invitations from the Cheng family—and those specifically addressed to Cheng Zhao—had been sent over.