Chapter 4: The Snipe and the Clam Grapple

The Guan Kui ceremony at the Duke's estate was even more bustling than the grand wedding yesterday.

Inside Dowager Madame's Shou'an Courtyard, she sat alone, lost in thought. Nanny Sun offered her some tea, which she took in her hand, remaining silent for a long time.

"You do not look too well," Nanny Sun said with some concern. "Was there something wrong with that jade rice cake?"

Dowager Madame pondered.

She suddenly said, "Nuanyu, in what year did Commandery Princess Zhaoyang die?"

Nanny Sun's heart skipped a beat.

She was not very willing to bring up this matter, and knowing that Dowager Madame was also afraid to mention it, she equivocated, "It must have been twenty years ago."

"Eighteen years," Dowager Madame corrected her.

Nanny Sun looked at her nervously. "What is the matter with you?"

"What if she didn't die? Could the Cheng family have secretly hidden her?" Dowager Madame said. "Was she pregnant with a child back then?"

Nanny Sun's face turned pale. "You are overthinking it. She is dead through and through."

"The new bride's given name has the character 'Zhao', and she is seventeen years old this year," Dowager Madame said.

Nanny Sun was stunned and almost knocked over the teacup in Dowager Madame's hand.

"A given name is truly too far-fetched of a connection," Nanny Sun said. "Please do not overthink it. Why would you suddenly recall such unlucky events of the past?"

Dowager Madame breathed a soft sigh of relief. "Forget it."

She set down the teacup, told Nanny Sun she was tired and wanted to rest, and dismissed her.

Voices could be heard from outside.

Nanny Sun listened closely and said to Dowager Madame, "Miss Mu is here."

Dowager Madame felt somewhat fatigued. "Tell her to go back."

Nanny Sun complied.

After placing a cushion behind Dowager Madame and serving her as she half-reclined, Nanny Sun walked out of the inner bedchamber.

"Nanny Sun, I need to see Grandmother," Mu Jiang said urgently.

"Dowager Madame is a bit tired and has already rested. Miss Mu, please lower your voice," Nanny Sun said.

"But..."

Nanny Sun waved her hand.

Mu Jiang did not dare to act out of line and had no choice but to leave Shou'an Courtyard.

She was still in disbelief, shocked by Dowager Madame's use of the term "principal wife".

Cheng Shi was nothing but a mere decoration.

It was the Empress who was trying to curry favor with the Chen Duke's estate, not the Zhou family trying to please her. There was absolutely no need to take Cheng Shi, whose marriage was bestowed by the Empress, seriously at all.

Mu Jiang had barely slept last night. She had only felt a bit happier upon hearing that Zhou Yuanshen had gone out; this morning, when she heard there would be no Guan Kui ceremony, she was in an excellent mood.

To go from a clear blue sky to being covered in dark clouds took only a short two hours.

Cheng Shi possessed an exceptionally extraordinary beauty, and for some inexplicable reason, she had managed to win over the Second Madame. Actually, it was understandable. The Second Madame was brainless, stupid, and naive, making her very easy to rope in.

But why would Dowager Madame also elevate Cheng Shi?

Was she setting her up for a fall?

Regardless, the tone of the servants had changed, and Mu Jiang was extremely unwilling to accept this.

She was going to take over the Duke's estate in the future. The ones she relied on behind her were the Emperor and Dowager Madame; no one had the right to step over her.

The Duchess was only one in name. The real power would be held in her hands as the secondary wife, which was also what Dowager Madame had hinted to her.

"Miss, should we return to our room?" her personal maid asked.

"I am going to the capital military camp to find Third Brother," Mu Jiang said. "Things in the estate are getting a bit out of control, and Third Brother does not know yet."

She turned to go to the carriage house to select a horse, and the maid could not stop her at all.

She lived more freely than most of the masters in this estate, and none of the servants dared to disrespect her.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law of the First Branch remained perfectly quiet.

However, the managing nannies and first-rank senior maids around them were somewhat uneasy.

"Chengming Hall is the main courtyard of the Duke's estate. As long as Dowager Madame does not tell me to move out for a single day, we will remain the true female masters of the Duke's estate," the First Madame said to her trusted confidantes.

She comforted them and told them not to panic.

The Second Madame had absolutely no right to live in Chengming Hall, and she completely lacked the ability to manage the household affairs; the newly married young Madame was even more incapable of doing so.

The transition of power would require bloodshed and death. Dowager Madame would never tolerate the Second Branch snatching it away.

As long as Dowager Madame did not die, the First Branch would always be the masters of the Duke's estate.

The confidantes retreated, and the First Madame fell into deep thought.

"Mother, please do not worry either," the First Young Madame, Huan Qingtang, keenly sensed her mother-in-law's emotions and comforted her softly.

"No, I am just wondering what Dowager Madame meant by 'principal wife'. You and I are the true principal wives of the Duke's estate."

Huan Qingtang smiled. "It was just a polite remark for the occasion."

"What if Cheng Shi has an heir..."

"She won't. Dowager Madame is even more afraid of Cheng Shi having an heir than we are. If she has her own child, where would that leave Mu Jiang? Dowager Madame wants to support Mu Jiang," Huan Qingtang said.

"We must think of a way to ensure Cheng Shi never has an heir. As long as this 'Duchess' does not die and never has a legitimate son, Chengming Hall will forever be ours," the First Madame said.

Chengming Hall, of course, did not just refer to this courtyard, but to the status, position, and noble properties attached to it.

The noble properties of the Chen Duke's estate included over two hundred thousand mu of farmland alone, ranking first among the high-ranking noble families in the capital. No one was as wealthy and prominent as the Zhou family.

Although the First Madame was a widow, because she managed the household, she could still go out to socialize as usual, and wherever she went, others would flatter and curry favor with her.

All of these things were given to her by "Chengming Hall".

"Mother, isn't this simple? There are many ways to make a woman unable to bear children," Huan Qingtang said.

She added, "However, there is no need to act rashly for now. The Duke and Mu Jiang are deeply in love. He will naturally let Mu Jiang give birth to the eldest son first before he consummates the marriage with Cheng Shi. We just need to wait for now."

She also said, "Someone else is more anxious than we are."

The First Madame nodded slightly.

She looked at Huan Qingtang and said, "Back then..."

"I have absolutely no relationship with Third Brother. He has no affection for me, and I am not familiar with him either. It is all a misunderstanding by outsiders," Huan Qingtang said.

The First Madame replied, "That is not what I meant. You have to adopt a son eventually. Rather than adopting, it would be better to give birth to one yourself."

Huan Qingtang's expression remained unchanged. She locked eyes with the First Madame for a few moments, restrained her smile, and sighed. "Mother, you are making things difficult for your daughter-in-law."

"In the face of survival, forget about a pure reputation," the First Madame said. "How can an adopted son be as close to your heart as one born from your own belly? As long as 'Chengming Hall' is in our hands, we do not need to worry about any rumors or gossip."

Huan Qingtang lowered her eyelashes.

"Mother, this is the second time you have said this," she said in a low voice.

The First Madame said, "I am planning for your future."

"Are you afraid I cannot outscheme Mu Jiang?" Huan Qingtang asked.

Dowager Madame's heart leaned toward the First Branch; the Second Madame was a hothead who was easy to manipulate; the Duchess, Cheng Shi, was merely a decoration who would never gain status and power in the Zhou family.

The only one who could compete with the First Branch was Mu Jiang.

And Mu Jiang was cheerful, lively, and intelligent. She also shared a deep, illicit affection with Zhou Yuanshen and had the backing of two great mountains. She was very troublesome.

"We cannot underestimate the enemy," the First Madame said.

Huan Qingtang said, "Let us first have Cheng Shi clash with Mu Jiang to test Cheng Shi's depth."

"Her?"

"Mother, do not look down on her," Huan Qingtang said.

"It is not that I look down on her. She was just 'born at the wrong time'. Marrying into the Duke's estate at a time like this, where is there any place for her to gain a foothold?" the First Madame said.

Huan Qingtang pondered.

She actually wanted to see for herself.

For no other reason than the fact that the Cheng family, an aristocratic family of Wu Commandery, had a resounding reputation, even more prestigious than her own maiden family, the Huan clan. She was somewhat curious about the daughter of the Cheng family.

Perhaps Cheng Zhao would bring her a surprise?