Chapter 25: Announcing Victory

The atmosphere in the main kitchen was stagnant, with only the billowing steam rising from the pots.

Everyone trembled in fear.

Dowager Madame did not fly into a rage; she merely instructed indifferently, "Drag her out, give her thirty blows with the board, and kick her out of the ducal mansion."

The manager, Nanny Liu, kowtowed incessantly, "Dowager Madame, please spare my life! Please give this servant one more chance. This servant was audacious, but I will never dare do it again!"

First Madam, Madam Song, seemed barely able to stand steady.

After she entered, both Dowager Madame and Huan Qingtang glanced back at her. Taking advantage of Dowager Madame's inattention, Huan Qingtang gave First Madam, Madam Song, an imperceptible shake of her head.

Madam Song turned pale.

"For the rice used for charity, even if you used stale rice, it might still be forgivable, but you actually used moldy, rotten rice.

If anyone died from eating it, the entire ducal mansion would be held accountable. At best, the Duke would be fined and imprisoned; at worst, our titles would be stripped and our estate confiscated.

Are you trying to kill the entire ducal mansion? Fortunately, the Duchess was sharp and saw through your wicked tricks. And you still have the nerve to beg for mercy? Drag her away," Dowager Madame said.

She spoke very slowly, her tone never rising.

Yet every word carried weight, pressing heavily on everyone's hearts.

She made the dangers of this matter crystal clear, preventing the servants from thinking it was a trivial matter and leaving them with the impression that Dowager Madame was harsh and heartless.

Based on Dowager Madame's explanation of the severe consequences this could have brought, expelling Nanny Liu and giving her thirty blows with the board was already extremely lenient of the ducal mansion.

At the same time, she pushed Cheng Zhao to the forefront.

If any of Nanny Liu's cronies felt dissatisfied, the one they would hold a grudge against would not be Dowager Madame, but Cheng Zhao, who had reported the matter.

The majesty, benevolent tolerance, and fairness of a superior—Dowager Madame displayed every single one of them without fail.

Cheng Zhao stood to the side, her head slightly bowed, remaining silent.

Two rough-work older maidservants stepped forward, gagged Nanny Liu, and dragged her away.

After Dowager Madame finished handling the matter, she ignored First Madam, Madam Song, and instead said to Cheng Zhao, "The Duchess has done very well, saving us from a great disaster.

I will reward you handsomely. Later, I will have fifty taels of gold leaves brought to you from my storehouse, so you can use them to reward others during the New Year."

Cheng Zhao immediately replied, "Thank you, Grandmother."

Although she had been pushed into the eye of the storm and would attract the resentment of some, it also genuinely established her authority.

Elders like Dowager Madame needed to be benevolent; while young, newly-wed daughters-in-law like Cheng Zhao needed authority.

As for resentment, the truth was that even if the vast majority of people in this mansion resented Cheng Zhao, it would not be a great loss to her.

Cheng Zhao could not have both a good reputation and actual power unless Dowager Madame was willing to prop her up. When she could only choose one of the two, she chose the latter.

"...The new rice has been swapped in, Grandmother," Cheng Zhao said to Dowager Madame. "The pots have also been washed clean. We trouble Grandmother to personally add the rice."

Dowager Madame wanted to say something, but Cheng Zhao continued loudly, "I have checked the storehouse repeatedly, and there is no moldy rice.

Please rest assured, in a household like ours, unless someone is intentionally causing trouble, we would never keep moldy rice in the storehouse. Even the mice in the storehouse are raised to be plump and fat."

Dowager Madame could not help but chuckle.

When she laughed, someone nearby immediately played along, chiming in with a few joking remarks.

This person was Dowager Madame's confidante and the sister-in-law of the chief steward. Originally, Dowager Madame had wanted her to take over the main kitchen, but First Madam, Madam Song, had disagreed and sent Nanny Liu to compete for the position.

A few others also echoed the sentiment.

The underlying implication of their words was that Nanny Liu had procured poisonous rice from elsewhere to frame the entire ducal mansion.

First Madam, Madam Song, also vainly attempted to interject a few words, but was interrupted by Cheng Zhao. She stood awkwardly on the spot, wishing she could tear Cheng Zhao to pieces.

After the new rice was put into the pot, Dowager Madame waited for the water to boil, stirred the rice porridge a few times, instructed Cheng Zhao to boil the porridge a bit thicker and not be too stingy, and then left the main kitchen.

First Madam followed suit, personally escorting Dowager Madame back to the Shou'an Courtyard, no longer able to care about her trusted aide, Nanny Liu.

For the rest of the morning, Cheng Zhao stayed in the main kitchen, accompanied by Nanny Li; her maids, Suyue and Qiubai, kept an eye on the porridge stall at the back gate.

There were many people lining up to receive porridge.

This incident quickly spread throughout the inner quarters of the ducal mansion; everyone everywhere heard about it.

Dozens of pots of porridge were distributed that day.

Cheng Zhao casually ate a little food in the main kitchen and was busy until mid-afternoon.

When she returned to the Nonghua Courtyard, Second Madam had arrived.

Cheng Zhao smiled and said, "Why did you come over, Mother? You just needed to call for me."

"You have been busy all day, how could I make you run around again?" Second Madam said. "Go quickly and change your clothes, and then tell me what happened."

Cheng Zhao finally revealed a genuine smile for the first time that day. "Alright, Mother, please sit for a moment."

She instructed the maids to serve fresh tea to Second Madam, bringing out her best tea leaves and pastries to entertain her, before going to change her clothes.

After removing her hairpins and taking off her thick outer garments, Cheng Zhao finally went to sit down in the eastern side room.

Second Madam remarked to her, "Doesn't your neck get tired wearing a whole head full of hairpins and ornaments normally? Although they do look quite pretty."

Second Madam's own attire was always very simple and capable.

Cheng Zhao smiled. "I have been used to it since childhood. When I was little, heavy objects were pressed into my hair buns; when wearing long earrings, the earrings must not hit the face while walking."

Second Madam clicked her tongue. "You suffered a lot in your maiden home."

Cheng Zhao: "..."

"I am not saying your mother abused you, but in a prestigious family like yours, there are simply too many rules," Second Madam said.

Cheng Zhao understood her meaning and smiled. "Mother, that is because the aristocratic families and even the imperial clan in the capital all use this set of rules. Only by conforming to it can one earn respect; families that deviate from the norm cannot last long."

"You don't hate it?"

"I'm alright with it," Cheng Zhao smiled.

Since she was young, she had been full of energy and very active; she had to find a balance between strict etiquette and her true self.

Especially during the three years her father was posted outside the capital, when only she and her fourth brother accompanied their parents, she played around with absolute lawlessness.

Her mother was very afraid that she would not be able to adapt upon returning to the capital, that she would turn into a wild child and suffer from disparagement. Therefore, her mother suppressed her strictly, forbidding her from attending any of the Cheng family's banquets.

The madams of the aristocratic families did not know her, and she had no reputation to speak of. Consequently, after she reached her coming of age, not many prominent families came to propose marriage.

However, Cheng Zhao adapted very well.

Her two older sisters always said she was smart and knew how to please others. Even if she was rebellious in her bones, she did enough on the surface so that no one could pick out any faults.

Compared to Cheng Zhao, Second Madam suffered because she was not good at keeping up appearances, putting her true temperament right out in the open.

"...Weren't you asking about the main kitchen, Mother?" Cheng Zhao steered the topic back.

Second Madam sat up a bit straighter. "I heard Nanny Liu was beaten and kicked out?"

That Nanny Liu was part of First Madam, Madam Song's dowry and had managed the main kitchen for quite a few years.

"Yes. Grandmother personally gave the order. If she had not spoken, how would I dare touch Eldest Aunt's person?" Cheng Zhao said.

She recounted the incident to Second Madam in detail.

First Madam was distributing porridge but had prepared a sack of moldy, toxic rice. Of course, she wasn't going to actually distribute it; rather, she wanted to use it as a handle against Cheng Zhao, taking the opportunity to find fault and kick her out.

Who knew that Cheng Zhao would keep such a close watch.

Watching that sack of rice go into the pot, she went and invited Dowager Madame over.

She even enthusiastically invited Dowager Madame to taste the pot of porridge.

Once boiled, the porridge seemed to have nothing wrong with it. But that was Dowager Madame—who would dare let any mishap befall her? When Dowager Madame wanted to taste it, the manager, Nanny Liu, was scared out of her wits.

"It was merely a psychological game. Nanny Liu broke under the pressure and was so terrified that she knelt down to stop Dowager Madame. In truth, after being boiled, the toxicity of the poisoned rice was quite limited," Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam: "..."