Chapter 27: When a melon is ripe, it falls off the vine.

The Dowager Madame was in a fairly good mood.

She never placed high hopes on anyone.

Whether they were her children, daughters-in-law, or managers, they were all her servants.

She always had more than one servant.

They did things for her.

When pleased, she would reward them heavily; when displeased, she would punish them severely. If anyone tried to ruin her good days or leak her secrets, she could also be ruthless enough to kill.

The First Madame, Madam Song, had some brains but no great wisdom. In recent years, she had become increasingly pampered and arrogant, going a bit too far.

Taking advantage of Cheng Zhao's hand to deal with the main kitchen's affairs also served as a warning to the First Madame, Madam Song. The Dowager Madame was quite satisfied with Cheng Zhao.

Nanny Liu of the main kitchen was quite skilled at winning people over and deceiving her superiors while hiding things from her subordinates. To deal with her, strong evidence was needed.

It had to be convincing so as not to chill the hearts of the other managers.

The inner courtyard always needed people to get things done. Every decree from the Dowager Madame had to be justified.

She sent Cheng Zhao to manage the main kitchen because Cheng Zhao had received the imperial mandate of the Duchess. Having her manage it made this decree viable.

At the time, the Dowager Madame was still considering her next move, but she hadn't expected Madam Song and Nanny Liu to underestimate their enemy so much, handing a great opportunity right into the Dowager Madame's hands.

The Dowager Madame said unhurriedly, "I have lived a lifetime and seen that every fruit first blossoms, then slowly sets and ripens.

If you rush to eat the fruit, it will be sour and bitter. You must wait. Bide your time, and the fruit will naturally fall into your hands."

Using Cheng Zhao had yielded such miraculous results, and the Dowager Madame was satisfied.

She had an excuse to punish the First Madame, Madam Song, telling her to restrain herself so she wouldn't become so indulgent that she forgot the hierarchy.

Huan Qingtang was in the Shou'an Courtyard, helping the Dowager Madame manage the year-end rents sent from the farming estates.

She suddenly felt a chill of fear.

Outside, it was said that the Chen Duke's estate owned over two hundred thousand mu of land.

But judging from these rents, it was far more than that!

Now that Huan Qingtang knew these secrets, how could she guarantee to the Dowager Madame that she would never speak out of turn? Or rather, how could she convince herself to yield the Chengming Hall to Cheng Zhao in the future?

"Perhaps this is Grandmother's idea. She wants me to agree to a dual-lineage marriage with the Duke."

Huan Qingtang closed her eyes slightly to soothe her inner emotions.

Sometimes, fate pushes everyone into their rightful places.

Huan Qingtang prepared to have a chat with Zhou Yuanshen.

She knew Zhou Yuanshen kept his distance from her, simply because they had been set up for a matchmaking meeting in the past.

Neither had fancied the other.

The Huan family mainly didn't like the Second Madame, believing such a mother-in-law would be difficult to get along with. The Chen Duke's estate was illustrious, but Zhou Yuanshen was not a son of the first branch; when the family eventually divided, he would become a collateral branch with little weight.

That time, using the birthday banquet at Princess Qing'an's residence, the two sides had a very simple meeting. It wasn't very formal.

It was Princess Qing'an who insisted on playing matchmaker on a whim.

The Second Madame probably thought Huan Qingtang was beautiful, and the Huan family admired the power of the Chen Duke's estate. Furthermore, neither family dared to offend Princess Qing'an, so they verbally agreed to the meeting.

Later, Huan Qingtang's matchmaking meeting with the eldest grandson of the Duke's estate was very formal: the Dowager Madame first invited a matchmaker to sound them out, and then they arranged to meet at a temple, which the Dowager Madame attended in person.

The meeting with Zhou Yuanshen was originally never mentioned by anyone. It was a noble young lady who was jealous of Huan Qingtang; she had also been at Princess Qing'an's banquet, spied on the secret, and spread it everywhere.

By the time this secret spread, Huan Qingtang had already set a wedding date with the eldest grandson of the Chen Duke's estate.

Fortunately, her mother-in-law and husband didn't believe these rumors. The Dowager Madame also said, "It is common for those of noble character to be envied by the mediocre," never mentioning the matter and strictly forbidding the servants from discussing it.

The only one who brooded over it was probably the Second Madame.

Huan Qingtang felt fortunate countless times that she hadn't become the Second Madame's daughter-in-law.

The Second Madame's personality was like a wild horse. How could a noble lady from a scholarly family know how to tame a horse? The Second Madame charged about recklessly, and Huan Qingtang was truly a bit afraid of her.

But in the end, her husband passed away, and she still had to marry Zhou Yuanshen. The Second Madame would still be her mother-in-law.

The hand of fate always pushed misplaced people into the positions that belonged to them, even if it delayed time and the path was winding.

Huan Qingtang sighed.

She also thought of Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao handled this recent matter quite beautifully. Fortunately, she didn't have the Second Madame's reckless personality.

Huan Qingtang had been dealing with women of Cheng Zhao's temperament since childhood, so she was confident she could handle Cheng Zhao.

The only issue was Zhou Yuanshen. At the very least, she needed to give him a heads-up and explain the events of that year again in advance—even though he had never mentioned that meeting.

Cheng Zhao sat in the Nonghua Courtyard, counting gold leaves.

Her senior maid, Suyue, was very straightforward: "Only fifty taels of gold leaves. The Dowager Madame is a bit stingy."

Cheng Zhao couldn't help but laugh. "What a big tone you have!"

Fifty taels of gold, in anyone's hands, was a considerable fortune.

Cheng Zhao certainly didn't disdain it.

Gold leaves were very thin. Fifty taels of gold could be beaten into a full box. Using them to reward people during festivals was both generous and presentable, and they could last a long time.

"This servant was hoping she would give a hundred taels," Suyue said.

Cheng Zhao replied, "The Dowager Madame's money doesn't just appear out of thin air. Other than you, no one would call her stingy."

Nanny Li then scolded Suyue, "You girl, with your big ambitions and empty eyes, you need to change that."

Suyue stuck out her tongue.

Making everyone laugh.

Cheng Zhao handed the money box to Nanny Li and breathed a soft sigh of relief. "My first assignment is finally secured."

A minor matter in the main kitchen had not only established her authority but also vented anger on behalf of her mother-in-law, and she even received fifty taels of gold leaves. Cheng Zhao believed she had achieved good results.

From now on, she would still have a place of influence in the main kitchen.

As Cheng Zhao slowly took root in the Chen Duke's estate, her title as the Duchess would carry more weight.

She had been in a good mood these past two days.

With the matter settled and her monthly time over, Cheng Zhao felt completely relaxed.

Just as she was planning to go out with her maids Qiubai and Suyue to check on her dowry shops and meet the head manager in charge of her dowry, Zhou Yuanshen sent someone to the Nonghua Courtyard.

"The Duke said he will come to the Nonghua Courtyard for dinner tonight," the maid said.

This was an unfamiliar maid.

She was very pretty and delicate, tall and slender.

Nanny Li acknowledged it, invited her to sit down, and asked for her name and where she worked.

The maid's name was Mingyu, and she served in the outer study.

Hearing that Zhou Yuanshen was coming, Cheng Zhao's face turned quite ugly.

She returned to the inner bedroom and spent a long while trying to compose her emotions, but still felt a wave of frustration.

Thinking of this, Cheng Zhao suddenly said, "Make sour radish duck soup again. I'm going to the Jiangyun Courtyard for dinner tonight."

She added, "Tell the Duke to go to the Jiangyun Courtyard for dinner as well."

Nanny Li was shocked. "How can you..."

Her belly hadn't shown any signs of pregnancy yet, and the internal situation of the Zhou family was so complicated. How could she avoid the Duke at a time like this?

"We haven't had dinner with my parents-in-law yet. Can't we show some filial piety? My second brother and sister-in-law occasionally accompany my parents for meals too," Cheng Zhao said.

She didn't intend to fall out with Zhou Yuanshen.

On such a happy day, she simply didn't want to spoil the mood.

She would just be willful this one time.