Chapter 3: Acknowledgment

At the entrance of the Duke of Chen's mansion, firecrackers blared in unison.

The servants were shocked and hurried to report the news to their respective masters.

"Didn't they say the Guankui ceremony wouldn't be held?" Nanny Sun, who served by the Dowager Madame's side, was truly surprised.

She went inside to inform the Dowager Madame.

The Dowager Madame had risen early to pray to Buddha. She had just stepped out of the small Buddhist hall, preparing to have some breakfast.

Hearing this, the Dowager Madame frowned.

"What is going on with the second master and his wife? They were the ones making a fuss about not holding the Guankui ceremony, and now they are the ones going back on their word," the Dowager Madame said.

Nanny Sun said, "The Second Madame is truly unreasonable. You shouldn't indulge her."

"The family will have to divide eventually. Their own affairs should be decided by themselves," the Dowager Madame said slowly.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Second Madame and the Second Master arrived at the Dowager Madame's Shou'an Courtyard, inviting her to the main hall in the front yard to hold the Guankui ceremony for Cheng Zhao.

The Dowager Madame's gaze was serene. "Did they consummate the marriage yesterday? I heard that Yuan Shen went to the Capital Garrison in the middle of the night, and a special decree opened the city gates to let him out."

"They did not consummate," the Second Madame said in a relaxed tone. "We have the final say in this matter; how would outsiders know? The Guankui ceremony must be held. After all, the marriage was decreed by Her Majesty the Empress."

Seeing her speak so lightly, the Dowager Madame gently closed her eyes.

"Then let us hold it," the Dowager Madame said. "Second daughter-in-law, do not say I am biased in the future. For your daughter-in-law, I have done everything according to your preferences. You are the one who wants it this way, and you are the one who wants it that way."

Second Madame: "..."

But you are biased, and I am not allowed to say it?

Everyone in the Duke's mansion was invited to the main hall in the front yard.

The Dowager Madame sat facing south; the Second Madame and the Second Master sat beside her, second only to her.

The Second Madame's manager, Nanny Fan, guided the ceremony. Cheng Zhao paid her respects to the Dowager Madame and her parents-in-law, offering them greeting gifts, which were all shoes and socks.

When Cheng Zhao raised her hands, a precious emerald jade bracelet was revealed from her sleeves. Many people saw it, including the Dowager Madame.

The Dowager Madame glanced at her daughter-in-law, then at Cheng Zhao.

She didn't say anything.

Nanny Fan then led Cheng Zhao to meet the others.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the eldest branch were the most important.

Cheng Zhao exchanged greetings with them, offering embroidered pouches and handkerchiefs she had made herself. She also met the others, including Miss Mu, who was rumored to become the Secondary Wife to the Duke in the future.

Miss Mu's name was Mu Jiang. She was picked up by the Emperor and raised by the Dowager Madame. She was seventeen years old this year.

She was bright, beautiful, and valiant, dressed in luxurious clothes. Her scarlet dress was even more magnificent than that of Cheng Zhao, the bride.

A pair of almond eyes fell steadily on Cheng Zhao, her gaze sharp.

As an orphaned girl without a formal status, she could not marry the Duke as his primary wife. She could only wait until the primary wife entered the household before being elevated to a concubine.

Because her backers were the Dowager Madame and the Emperor, no one dared to call her a concubine. Even when rumors spread outside, people would say the Emperor would bestow her upon the Duke as a Secondary Wife.

Mu Jiang was not yet a concubine. She mingled among the female relatives of the Duke's mansion, even taking a prominent position near the front.

Cheng Zhao offered a handkerchief.

Mu Jiang accepted it and returned a pouch.

They looked away from each other, not making eye contact again.

When the two of them interacted, everyone's eyes were fixed on them, wishing they could spot something amiss.

As a new bride, Cheng Zhao naturally wouldn't dare to do anything, but Mu Jiang was famously fierce and competitive. They thought she would make a sarcastic remark, but unexpectedly, she was so well-behaved.

On second thought, the Duke went out on his wedding night, and the Guankui ceremony was almost canceled. Neither the Duke nor the Zhou family treated the Cheng woman as one of their own. Mu Jiang was probably too busy gloating; why would she need to provoke her?

The Dowager Madame's attitude remained lukewarm throughout.

Even though Cheng Zhao wore the bracelet gifted by the Second Madame on her wrist.

The others, however, thought more highly of Cheng Zhao because of this bracelet. After all, the Second Madame had accepted her, which was surprising.

"Since the marriage was decreed, the Second Madame was the one cursing the loudest. How is she the first to play the good guy now?" Everyone secretly criticized.

After the greeting gifts, came the most important part of the Guankui ceremony: the bride had to show off her culinary skills and offer food to her parents-in-law.

Normally, the kitchen would have already prepared everything. The bride would merely take a stroll to the kitchen for show, and then bring the food over to present to her parents-in-law.

Cheng Zhao also went to the main kitchen.

As soon as she left, the main hall became lively.

"Second Aunt, I thought there wouldn't be a Guankui ceremony today. Didn't they say the bride was feeling unwell?" The Zhou family's Eldest Young Madame, the eldest daughter-in-law of the first branch, Huan Qingtang, said this.

The Second Madame was annoyed just looking at her.

Of course, she didn't just hate the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the eldest branch for controlling the noble estate's assets, but also because this Eldest Young Madame had some ambiguous and unclear history with her son.

Originally, Huan Qingtang was supposed to be her daughter-in-law.

It was an old matter, better left unmentioned. The Second Madame had suffered defeat in front of the eldest branch's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law more than once or twice.

"The marriage was decreed by Her Majesty the Empress; she is the Duchess. How could we not hold the Guankui ceremony?" the Second Madame said coldly.

Cheng Zhao went to the kitchen but made everyone wait for an hour before returning.

During this time, there was inevitably a lot of whispering.

An hour later, Cheng Zhao returned with the servant women. The servant women carried a few breakfast dishes, and Cheng Zhao took them over.

She first handed a type of pastry to the Dowager Madame.

The Dowager Madame's attitude had remained very cold. She took a symbolic bite, but suddenly froze; then, she took a deep look at Cheng Zhao.

This glance even carried a hint of ruthlessness.

She looked again.

Cheng Zhao did not step back, standing respectfully in front of her.

The Dowager Madame's sharp look flashed by and was quickly concealed. To the onlookers, it seemed she merely paused, took a couple of extra glances at Cheng Zhao, and then a smile surfaced on her face.

"This jade dumpling cake tastes quite good. The bride is indeed from a prominent family in Wu Commandery; her upbringing is so good, and her culinary skills are outstanding. Having you as the Principal Daughter-in-law is a blessing for the Zhou family," the Dowager Madame said with a smile.

As soon as these words came out, the main hall suddenly fell silent.

The two sons of the eldest branch had both passed away. Zhou Yuanshen's ranking had risen from the third son of the Zhou family to the eldest son, and he had also inherited the noble title.

Although it was somewhat inappropriate for the old madame to call Cheng Zhao the Principal Daughter-in-law, it wasn't exactly wrong if it was solely meant to elevate her status.

The faces of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the eldest branch suddenly looked unnatural.

What did this mean? Was the Dowager Madame really going to hand over the noble estate's assets to this Duchess? But they hadn't petitioned the emperor to grant her an official title yet. Would they petition for her in the future?

The Second Madame was even more shocked.

She had no idea what kind of madness had taken over the Dowager Madame to suddenly favor the second branch, personally acknowledging Cheng Zhao and calling her the Principal Daughter-in-law.

Among those whose interests were tied to this, only the young Mu Jiang instantly changed her expression, looking at the Dowager Madame in astonishment.

The Dowager Madame finished eating the jade dumpling cake and repeatedly praised Cheng Zhao's culinary skills.

Cheng Zhao then offered food to her parents-in-law.

This time, her father-in-law, disregarding whether it was appropriate, took several looks at her face.

It seemed the new bride's capabilities were truly not small.

How strange.

"She is not among the noble ladies with resounding reputations throughout the capital. The Cheng family also has a few girls with excellent reputations, but this Fifth Miss is not one of them," the Second Master Zhou thought.

What was going on?

After the Guankui ceremony, the entire mansion was boiling with excitement, and everyone was discussing it.

Cheng Zhao walked back with her parents-in-law.

The Jiangyun Courtyard and Nonghua Courtyard where they lived were quite far from the main hall, belonging to the secluded courtyards within the Duke's mansion.

The Second Madame's heart was full of questions she wanted to ask, but she didn't know where to begin.

As they neared the entrance of the Jiangyun Courtyard, the Second Madam turned to Cheng Zhao and said, "You can return the emerald jade bracelet to me now, right?"

Fearing that Cheng Zhao might think her stingy, she quickly added, "This is a family heirloom passed down from my mother. If I lose it, the old lady will skin me alive. She is still hale and hearty, you know, strong enough to wield a long spear."

Cheng Zhao let out a meaningful "Oh." "Mother, so there is actually someone you are afraid of? I must pay a visit to Grandmother someday."

She then added, "Grandmother should like me, shouldn't she?"

The Second Madam thought to herself, more than just like! What she has always wanted most is a daughter just like Cheng Zhao, quiet, gentle, and beautiful.

But wait, something was wrong!

Cheng Zhao gracefully curtsied. "Father, Mother, your daughter-in-law will take her leave now."

She turned and walked away, completely failing to return the emerald jade bracelet to the Second Madam.

Staring at her retreating figure, the Second Madam suddenly snapped to her senses. "Did I just expose my own weakness? Did I just hand her leverage against me?"

The Second Master replied, "Yes. From now on, if you try to bully her, she knows exactly who to complain to. And she even has a token to prove her case, that emerald jade bracelet."

The Second Madam was speechless. "..."