Chapter 248: Epilogue (8)
Mother Sun was furious.
Suyue was terrified that her mistress might actually anger Nanny Sun to death.
After a long while, Nanny Sun finally steadied herself. Slowly straightening, she looked at Cheng Zhao. “I kept a trump card. The moment I die, someone will inform the Emperor that you are the orphaned daughter of Prince Jin and Commandery Princess Zhaoyang.”
“I know. Back then, of the late Emperor’s five legitimate sons, three died in the struggle for the throne. Only Prince Jin and the Tenth Prince, who had not yet been granted a princely title, remained. The latter is His Majesty.
“When the Northern Di surrendered, the late Emperor sent Prince Jin to the northwest to handle affairs, giving him the chance to win the army’s loyalty. Once he returned to the capital, he was to be made Crown Prince.
“Prince Jin’s betrothed—the Commandery Princess Zhaoyang—was very fond of fun and followed him to the frontier. Prince Jin had intended to consolidate his influence over the army, but the Zhou family unexpectedly discovered evidence that he had been secretly colluding with the Northern Di.
“To destroy the evidence, Prince Jin even caused the death of the Zhou family’s eldest master. The late Emperor felt guilty toward the Zhou family and was grateful that they had protected his only surviving legitimate son. That was why he granted Old General Zhou the title of ‘Duke of Chen.’” Cheng Zhao spoke calmly.
Nanny Sun abruptly turned to look at her.
Cheng Zhao continued, “Back then, Grand Madam sent the Commandery Princess Zhaoyang away on the pretext of inviting her to eat jade dumpling cakes. Afterward, the Commandery Princess escaped because the Tenth Prince could not bear to kill her.
“Grand Madam exhausted every means to find her, yet suddenly discovered a horribly disfigured corpse supposedly belonging to her. Grand Madam believed it was a substitute.
“So when I presented the jade dumpling cakes, you suspected that I was the daughter of the Commandery Princess Zhaoyang? Since you suspected it, why didn’t you tell the Emperor and have him kill me?
“Could it be that the Commandery Princess was actually captured by you, and that the Emperor did something to her? Is that why you absolutely dare not tell him that she might have had a child?”
Cold sweat poured down Nanny Sun’s face.
“How about I go tell the Emperor?” Cheng Zhao asked. “Perhaps I really am his daughter. What would he do then? Show gratitude to the Zhou family for killing people and paving the way for him time and again—or dig up Grand Madam’s grave?”
Nanny Sun collapsed onto the floor, unable even to sit steadily. “You—you really are...”
Cheng Zhao gazed at her quietly. “What do you think?”
Nanny Sun seemed unable to bear it any longer and let out a strange, shrill cry.
Cheng Zhao and the others left the small Buddhist shrine.
When they returned to Chengming Hall, Nanny Li, Suyue, and Qiubai all watched Cheng Zhao’s expression nervously, cautiously testing the waters.
“Fifth Miss... are you really the daughter of the Commandery Princess Zhaoyang? Is that what Madam told you?” Suyue asked.
She had started calling her “Fifth Miss” again.
Suyue and Qiubai were both stunned, for they had known nothing of this past history.
When Cheng Zhao had made the jade dumpling cakes upon entering the household, she had not explained anything to the people around her. She had always been headstrong from childhood, and even Nanny Li had never dared make decisions for her, only carrying out her orders.
After that, one difficulty after another had arisen in their dealings with the Zhou family. They had struggled forward through every obstacle, and gradually forgotten the small matter of the jade dumpling cakes.
“What, have you gone stupid too? The three of us sisters look alike. We were born to the same parents,” Cheng Zhao said.
“Actually, you don’t look that much alike. You’re all beauties, so I suppose there’s some resemblance. But you and Fourth Young Master look more alike...” Suyue muttered.
At that point, Suyue’s eyes widened slightly.
Cheng Zhao gave her a deep look, and Suyue immediately lowered her head.
Nanny Li and Qiubai remained silent.
“Bury this in your stomachs. Don’t go spreading these words,” Cheng Zhao said.
The three of them assented.
Cheng Zhao and Cheng Chao somewhat resembled their grandmother. Their grandmother, in turn, had been maternal cousins with Grand Princess Jianning, the birth mother of the Commandery Princess Zhaoyang.
Relations within an aristocratic family were always intricate. Many marital connections were never examined in detail; outsiders might not understand them, and even members of the family themselves might not have a complete grasp of them.
That evening, Zhou Yuanshen returned and asked about the day’s events.
Cheng Zhao told him about her visit to Nanny Sun, but she did not mention the Commandery Princess Zhaoyang.
Most likely, no one was willing to bring up that past.
In Cheng Zhao’s heart, she was unquestionably the daughter of the Cheng family.
“Back then, when my father went to Qinzhou, my mother set aside all the household affairs and took Fourth Brother and me with her. We were still quite young at the time,” Cheng Zhao said with a smile.
“Why did you suddenly bring that up?”
“It just came to mind. Prince An happened to be in Qinzhou as well. Our two households were neighbors, and quite a few things happened between us.
“It was also during those years in Qinzhou that Cheng Chao and I stayed by our parents’ side. My father was extremely strict. He wished he could shape the two of us into pillars of the nation, only to discover that neither of us was particularly promising.
“We were masters at slacking off and being slippery. The two of us came up with every possible trick to get out of our lessons. Even I thought I was incredibly clever for coming up with so many ways to fool him.
“Once, my father became especially angry and punished us rather severely, making us kneel beneath the blazing sun. Even now, Cheng Chao and I are both a little afraid of him. It left us with lasting shadows,” Cheng Zhao said with a smile.
“Your father-in-law only wanted the best for you.”
“Of course he did. What a pity we were destined to be two rather useless children. Cheng Chao is as stupid as a blockhead,” Cheng Zhao said.
Then she added, “I only have a little cleverness myself. When it comes to true intelligence, my eldest sister, second brother, and third sister are the ones with genuine talent.”
She continued, “But Cheng Chao and I were closer to our mother because of those years in Qinzhou. During that time, there were only the four of us. Aside from the hardship of studying, they were happy days.”
Zhou Yuanshen listened quietly.
Then he asked, “Do you feel there was something strange about it?”
The legitimate eldest son of an aristocratic family volunteering to gain experience in the provinces, his eldest daughter-in-law setting aside all household affairs, and a prince spending time with them...
“There was nothing strange about it. Many things are simply coincidences. If you insist on examining every detail, anything can seem suspicious,” Cheng Zhao said. “I was only sighing over how lucky I was to be born into the right family. My parents are the only truly good people in this world.”
Zhou Yuanshen pulled her into his arms.
Cheng Zhao murmured against his chest, “I want children too.”
She and Zhou Yuanshen would make wonderful parents as well.
Their child might be quick-witted and mischievous like her. Or perhaps cautious and reserved like Zhou Yuanshen. Even if they were unlucky enough to take after her uncle Cheng Chao and turn out a little foolish, it would not be a bad thing. Fools often had the best luck.
“When the weather warms up, shall we go pray to the Goddess of Fertility?” Zhou Yuanshen asked.
“Good!” Cheng Zhao agreed.
Before long, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month had passed, and Cheng Zhao carried out a thorough purge of every steward and servant in the household.
Those who ought to be released were released; those who ought to stay were retained.
Many servants had signed life contracts, yet Cheng Zhao still gave them money and returned their deeds of sale.
As a result, those who left were all deeply grateful.
The chief steward and Nanny Sun left as well.
Nanny Sun was in poor spirits, and her nephew took her away. Some said he brought her back to their ancestral home; others said she could not endure the journey and died halfway there.
Cheng Zhao did not concern herself with it any further.
She was not afraid that Nanny Sun might reveal anything. Compared with Cheng Zhao, Nanny Sun would never dare expose the Zhou family’s secrets. If she kept silent, she might survive. If she spoke, she would certainly die.
Grand Madam had committed too many sins.
Once the government offices reopened after the New Year, Zhou Yuanshen and the Second Master separately went to inquire about the women of Prince Andong’s household and the bandits from the Xu family. They were all still in prison.
However, the case had not yet been judged, and it would probably drag on for a long time.
Prince Andong had explained the situation to the Emperor. The Emperor trusted him and did not intend to investigate too deeply. Still, since knives had been drawn within the inner household, the Dali Temple would not release the women easily.
So the matter dragged on.
In the second month, Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen made a trip to the saltworks by the Eastern Sea and, while they were there, went to pray to the Goddess of Fertility.
In the third month, Cheng Zhao heard that the Seventh Miss of Prince Rong’s Mansion had become betrothed. The groom was the paternal cousin of Cheng Zhao’s second sister-in-law, Yin Linlang.
The Yin family was likewise a prominent clan of Wu Commandery, and Yin Linlang’s grandmother had been a princess of the imperial family.
Second Madam was surprised when she heard the news. “Wasn’t she supposed to be betrothed to your Fourth Brother?”
“She’s much younger than my Fourth Brother. She’s about the same age as my Second Sister-in-law’s cousin, so they’re a better match,” Cheng Zhao said. “Either way, it would still be a marriage between connected families.”
Then she lowered her voice and added, “My Fourth Brother is enamored of Guo Hanzhang, but he doesn’t dare say so. The family probably wouldn’t agree either.”
“That girl is quite formidable!” Second Madam said.
She still remembered how Guo Hanzhang had ridiculed so many noble ladies. And as the niece of Empress Guo, any family that married her would have a difficult time with her.
“It’s not that we’re afraid Guo Hanzhang would be difficult to handle. It’s just that the situation is unpredictable, and my maternal family doesn’t want to get involved too deeply,” Cheng Zhao said.