Chapter 224: Cheng Zhao's Arrogance Grows Even More Unbridled
It was already getting late, and Cheng Zhao could no longer make it back to her family home.
She did not want to give the Grand Lady any excuse to find fault with her.
The Grand Lady was probably furious by now.
After such an ugly commotion, she would certainly assume that Cheng Zhao’s sisters had sabotaged things and destroyed the pawn in her hands.
“...I’ll go back tomorrow. Tomorrow is a day of rest, after all,” Cheng Zhao said.
The older woman acknowledged her.
The eldest sister said, “Then I’ll go tomorrow as well. Linlang said she invited us to play cards.”
Linlang was Cheng Zhao’s second sister-in-law. Her maiden name was Yin Linlang.
The older woman returned to report what had happened.
Cheng Zhao also rose and returned to the Duke Chen’s residence.
Zhou Yuanshen had already arrived home. He was in the adjoining room, looking over some documents and dealing with miscellaneous matters. The page Nanfeng and the maid Mingyu stood nearby, reporting to him.
When they saw Cheng Zhao return, Nanfeng and Mingyu bowed. Each then went off to attend to their assigned duties.
Cheng Zhao sat down opposite Zhou Yuanshen. “Have you heard?”
“Mingyu just told me,” Zhou Yuanshen replied. “The matter at Prince Jingnan’s residence is quite interesting.”
“The Princess Consort wants to distance herself from the princess. The princess and her consort have ambitions of their own and want to win over Prince Jingnan, while the Princess Consort and the prince have long been on their guard against them,” Cheng Zhao said.
This time, what appeared to be a quarrel among women in the inner residence was actually an extension of the struggle at court.
If Princess Qing’an had merely been an ordinary member of the nobility, the Princess Consort would never have allowed Cheng Zhao’s sisters to cause such a scene at her snow-viewing banquet.
Without the hostess’s tacit approval, the tiny spark between County Princess Xizhen and Huan Qingtang would have been snuffed out the moment it appeared.
Who would have dared to add fuel to the fire and push matters to this point?
“...We’ve been very fortunate,” Cheng Zhao said with a smile.
With all sorts of circumstances coming together, Huan Qingtang had been forced to answer for her past, her reputation had been utterly ruined, and she no longer had the standing to suppress Cheng Zhao.
Zhou Yuanshen, meanwhile, had gained an excellent reputation.
It seemed that without any one of these pieces, they could never have achieved such a result.
Cheng Zhao understood the will of Heaven all too well.
For instance, the Grand Lady and Huan Qingtang had planned to use the banquet to elevate Huan Qingtang before the public. Even if she encountered a little suspicion, it would not have mattered.
The Grand Lady’s power as the Empress Dowager’s equal would have gilded Huan Qingtang with a layer of gold.
In this world, the voice of power rang the loudest.
They had planned everything so perfectly, even going so far as to trample Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen beneath their feet, yet in the end their scheme had fallen apart. That was “Heaven’s will denying them.”
Cheng Zhao’s counterattack, on the other hand, had effortlessly produced an even better result than she had anticipated. That was “Heaven’s will aiding her.”
“I have indeed been fortunate these past few years,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
A casual marriage decree from the Empress had given him a duchess who was as beautiful as a fairy and as intelligent as she was perceptive. His good fortune had begun at that very moment.
Once he had seized the right opportunity, he had set foot on a broad official road.
From then on, his path had been smooth.
Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen talked for quite some time.
She said, “I’m going back to my family home tomorrow. Would you like to come with me?”
Zhou Yuanshen replied, “The first snow of the year fell the day before yesterday.”
“Hm?”
Her question and his answer had nothing to do with each other.
“I’m making preparations for something, and I’ll probably be rather busy these next few days,” Zhou Yuanshen said. “If you need me to accompany you, I can—”
“No need. Your important business comes first,” Cheng Zhao said.
Zhou Yuanshen rose and walked over to her side. He slipped an arm gently around her and whispered against her ear, “Cheng Zhao, I’ll take Xian Si out tomorrow.”
Cheng Zhao froze.
He leaned closer and explained the matter to her in a voice so low that only she could hear.
When she had finished listening, Cheng Zhao was somewhat surprised. “Will it work? This is too...”
Too crude, too commonplace.
She was afraid it might have no effect.
“It’s worth a try,” he said. “If it succeeds, Lady Huan will be completely discarded. With Xian Si’s identity, she’ll have no choice but to work for you and me rather than Grandmother.”
Cheng Zhao moved closer to him.
She looked into his eyes.
His dark eyes were quiet and deep, filled with certainty—but also with the desperate determination of someone staking everything on a single throw. If he did not succeed, he would perish trying.
Cheng Zhao liked that ruthlessness.
To climb out of a desperate situation, one had to take risks.
She nodded lightly. “There’s nothing I can do to help. I’ll pray for your success.”
Zhou Yuanshen tightened his arms around her.
Held against him, Cheng Zhao found it a little difficult to breathe. Only after a while did he loosen his embrace somewhat.
She hesitated before asking, “Should I be advising you to be more cautious?”
As his wife, was she supposed to counsel him when he was about to take such a dangerous gamble?
It seemed that she should.
Zhou Yuanshen smiled.
He bent down and lightly kissed Cheng Zhao. “Do you want to advise me?”
“...Not particularly.”
The husband and wife exchanged a smile.
The next day, Zhou Yuanshen left very early.
The sky had not cleared after the snowfall. It was overcast, and the snow piled up in the courtyard had not yet melted.
It was not especially cold, either.
Cheng Zhao took her time eating breakfast, then did her hair and makeup as she prepared to visit her family home.
Qiubai had already gone to the outer courtyard to order a carriage for her, while Nanny Li went to prepare gifts.
Suyue stayed at Cheng Zhao’s side and told her about Huan Qingtang.
Even the servants in the main kitchen had heard.
By now, the whole household probably knew.
“...The Grand Lady is furious,” Suyue said in a low voice. “I heard Nanny Sun lashed out at the senior maidservant. That was the Grand Lady’s order.
“The Grand Lady has always treated the servants kindly, and a senior maidservant is practically a second-rank mistress in the household. If she hadn’t been enraged, she wouldn’t have humiliated her like that.”
Cheng Zhao selected a box of rouge and dabbed some onto her lips with her fingertip.
She pressed her lips together to blend it in, so her words came out muffled, almost hidden in her mouth. “Be careful these next few days. Don’t let yourself fall into the Grand Lady’s hands.”
Suyue said, “You can rest assured. Our people know their limits. If anything really does happen, they’ll kneel, weep, and beg forgiveness. The Grand Lady won’t truly make things difficult for the servants.”
The Grand Lady’s benevolent expression was not one she would readily cast aside.
Cheng Zhao was about to say something else when a maid outside announced, “Third Young Madam, the Eldest Young Madame is here.”
Suyue looked faintly surprised.
Cheng Zhao gave her a meaningful glance. Suyue understood at once and hurried out from the inner room.
Through the thin curtain of glazed beads, Cheng Zhao heard Suyue say, “Eldest Young Madame, our mistress is doing her makeup. You’ve come rather early. Is there some urgent matter?”
“Ask her to come out. I have something to say to her. Otherwise, I’ll go in myself!” Huan Qingtang said.
Her words were sharp and her tone severe.
Cheng Zhao had been her sister-in-law for more than a year, and this was the first time she had ever heard Huan Qingtang raise her voice like that.
Huan Qingtang had also modeled herself after the Grand Lady, cultivating a gentle and gracious image in ordinary times. Other people handled all the dirty work for her, while she enjoyed every benefit.
To barge into Cheng Zhao’s residence, Chengming Hall, with such an aggressive attitude was highly unusual.
Had she gone mad with rage?
Cheng Zhao motioned for the maid doing her hair to secure the last hairpin. She put on her earrings herself, then lifted the beaded curtain and walked out.
There was no sunlight. Even the glazed beads gave off no radiance in the dimness, their dazzling colors withdrawn.
“Eldest Sister-in-law...”
“Cheng Zhao, what exactly are you trying to do?” Huan Qingtang took two steps forward, her face stiff and stern as she stared intently at Cheng Zhao.
Cheng Zhao met her gaze. “What am I trying to do?”
“You set a trap to harm me. Do you think it’s only me you’ve ruined? You’ve damaged the reputation of the Duke’s residence, Grandmother’s life’s work, and the dignity of our entire clan!” Huan Qingtang’s voice was loud.
It was anger.
It was accusation.
More than that, it was an attempt to pin all the blame on her.
Several household managers stood at the entrance, having come with her. They seemed more like people who had followed her to persuade her to calm down, and none of them dared approach.
Cheng Zhao stepped forward. “How did I set a trap to harm you? Explain it clearly. Don’t leave out a single word.”
Her voice was just as loud.
Huan Qingtang refused to yield. “You had your sisters—”
“Did I ask you to attend the banquet at Prince Jingnan’s residence?” Cheng Zhao cut in, overpowering her voice.
Cheng Zhao practiced swordsmanship every morning, and her abundant vitality gave her a much stronger voice than Huan Qingtang’s.
“Grandmother was the one who summoned you. How could she possibly be trying to harm you?”
“And you actually dare slander Grandmother...”
“Was I the one who told you to use Princess Qing’an? Was I the one who instructed someone else to push the County Princess into the pond?” Cheng Zhao pressed.
Her confidence grew.
Her arrogance became even more brazen.
Huan Qingtang was nearly unable to withstand her onslaught.