Chapter 48: Cheng Zhao Refuses to Admit Fault

Cheng Zhao felt much more relaxed.

When it ended, his body pressed against hers. Cheng Zhao could feel his burning breath spraying on the side of her ear, as well as the violent heaving of his chest.

A slight sheen of sweat, not sticky, but carrying a certain warmth.

"No wonder he has a better relationship with Mu Jiang and is more willing to stay at her place."

So, with this kind of merging, they were closer to each other.

She could feel his breath, his heartbeat.

His lips were almost pressed against the side of her face, and the hot air he exhaled was a little ticklish. Cheng Zhao tilted her head slightly to the side.

Zhou Yuanshen seemed to freeze for a moment.

He rolled over and got up.

After washing up, the couple went to bed. Cheng Zhao was truly exhausted this time, and she quickly fell asleep.

When she woke up the next morning, Zhou Yuanshen was predictably not in bed.

Cheng Zhao woke up, and a maid served her as she washed up. Suyue told her, "Qiubai came back at dawn and brought your lantern."

The lantern was placed on the kang table in the eastern side room.

Cheng Zhao combed her hair and changed her clothes, then picked up the lantern. "I'm going to Jiangyun Courtyard to serve my mother-in-law breakfast."

And she would eat there while she was at it.

At this hour, her father-in-law had already gone to court. The imperial court also resumed work today, so it would be very busy.

Seeing her arrive so early, the Second Madam was slightly surprised. "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"I came back to the manor at the end of the Xu hour yesterday. We didn't stroll for long," Cheng Zhao said.

Of course, she actually went to sleep quite late, almost at the Zi hour.

"...The lantern Yuanqi won." Cheng Zhao handed it to the Second Madam.

She then vividly recounted Zhou Yuanqi's performance last night to the Second Madam.

The Second Madam beamed with joy. "He is indeed quite clever."

As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, Zhou Yuanqi arrived.

After paying his respects to the Second Madam, he sat down to wait for breakfast, with some bruising under his eyes.

"I only slept for a shichen. I have to go to the academy to check in this morning, and I'll sleep more this afternoon," he said to the Second Madam.

The Second Madam said, "Go ahead. Children can handle staying up."

Zhou Yuanqi: "..."

Cheng Zhao winked at the Second Madam, silently urging her to praise Zhou Yuanqi. After all, it wasn't easy to guess that lantern riddle.

The Second Madam then said, "This lantern is very nice. If we went to the Liao family's workshop to buy this kind, we'd have to order it half a year in advance."

Zhou Yuanqi: "It's a gift for Third Sister-in-law. Mother is just benefiting from the association."

The Second Madam: "How rare. It saved me a few taels of silver and half a year of waiting."

Zhou Yuanqi: "..."

Cheng Zhao laughed out loud.

The three of them had breakfast, and Zhou Yuanqi dawdled, reluctant to go to the clan school.

Cheng Zhao asked him, "If you're late, won't the teacher scold you?"

"The teacher is counting on me to make a name for him. He wouldn't dare scold me," Zhou Yuanqi said.

In the future, when Zhou Yuanqi's fame shook the world, his enlightenment teacher would also become famous.

The Second Madam couldn't stand his arrogance and wanted to say a few more words, but Cheng Zhao changed the subject.

"Did anything interesting happen while you were admiring the lanterns last night?" Cheng Zhao asked.

Zhou Yuanqi thought of something and seemed a little annoyed. He flatly said, "No," stood up, and left.

The Second Madam felt he needed a good beating.

On his way to the clan school, Zhou Yuanqi recalled an incident from last night.

When they went downstairs to admire the lanterns, they encountered an extremely handsome young master, accompanied by a gentle and charming woman.

The man was dressed luxuriously and formally, and because of his good looks, he stood out in the crowd.

Zhou Yuanqi looked down on everyone, but he thought this man was quite outstanding and could be "recruited as a live-in son-in-law" for his sister-in-law.

He took a liking to this man.

But then he saw someone greet him.

Zhou Yuanqi was confused. He listened from the side for a long time before he finally understood that this man was Zhang Yunqi, the husband of Third Miss Cheng.

The woman accompanying Mr. Zhang was his outer room.

His outer room was slender and delicate, possessing a certain frail beauty. But compared to Third Miss Cheng, whose skin was whiter than frost and snow, she was both vulgar and infuriating.

Zhou Yuanqi had heard that Mr. Zhang had redeemed a sold daughter of a convicted official. Fearing his family's disapproval, he hid it from everyone and ran away, abandoning his family and wife.

Many people mocked Third Miss Cheng because of this.

She was originally the most outstanding noble lady in the entire capital, and even the Empress praised her endlessly. Suddenly suffering such a fate, those who were jealous of her all stepped forward to kick her while she was down.

How wretched she must have been at that time!

Zhou Yuanqi knew all about these past events. He just found it hard to match the person in the rumors with the person he saw in reality.

Moreover, they didn't match at all.

Cheng Ying was elegant and noble, talented but not arrogant, and not pitiful at all. She didn't look like someone who was covered in disgrace. And Zhang Yunqi's outer room didn't have a beauty capable of toppling cities that could crush Cheng Ying.

On the contrary, Cheng Ying and Zhang Yunqi's appearances complemented each other perfectly.

When Zhou Yuanqi thought about how he had taken a fancy to this man's good looks and vainly attempted to recruit him as a son-in-law for his sister-in-law, he felt as disgusted as if he had eaten a fly.

At the time, many people were looking at Zhang Yunqi and his wife, deeply interested in their secrets.

His young uncle, Fan Xiao, watched with even greater relish.

"To make a beauty suffer such humiliation, that Mr. Zhang truly deserves death by a thousand cuts!"

Recalling it, Zhou Yuanqi was still full of anger as he puffed his cheeks and went to school.

The Second Madam was also confused when she saw Zhou Yuanqi suddenly lose his temper and leave.

It was the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, and Chengming Hall also resumed work. After finishing breakfast at Jiangyun Courtyard, Cheng Zhao took a small oil carriage and rushed to Chengming Hall.

The morning was very busy.

Huan Qingtang didn't need to go to Shou'an Courtyard. She still followed Madam Song.

The same went for Cheng Zhao.

It wasn't until close to noon that the tasks were distributed, and they had already missed lunchtime.

The First Madam kept Cheng Zhao behind. "You two sisters-in-law will both eat here with me, so you don't have to go back and forth. I've already instructed the main kitchen to send your portions over."

It wasn't a discussion at all.

She had something to say.

Cheng Zhao recalled yesterday's confrontation at Shou'an Courtyard and had a feeling in her heart. She smiled and nodded. "Then I'll trouble First Aunt."

They had a simple lunch.

After the meal, the three of them sat down to drink tea and chat. The First Madam asked Cheng Zhao about her lantern viewing last night.

Cheng Zhao gave a brief account.

The First Madam smiled and said, "Cheng-shi, as an elder, there is something I must say to you."

Cheng Zhao sat up straight. "Please enlighten me, First Aunt."

"As a daughter-in-law in the Duke's mansion, you cannot monopolize all the benefits. We all respect the Old Madam and the Duke, but it is inappropriate to casually use others' mistakes to claim credit," the First Madam said.

She was referring to how Cheng Zhao had used the loophole in Huan Qingtang's words yesterday to resolve the conflict between the Old Madam and Zhou Yuanshen.

Cheng Zhao smiled. "First Aunt is absolutely right. I share the same view as you."

She added, "Interfering in someone else's private matters and causing discord between a wife and a concubine, I also consider that a 'mistake'."

Huan Qingtang froze.

Madam Song was stunned.

It turned out that Cheng Zhao didn't feel any guilt at all.

She even believed that when Huan Qingtang publicly suggested bringing Mu Jiang out for the Lantern Festival, she was interfering in the private matters between her and Zhou Yuanshen, and that Huan Qingtang had provoked her first.

But in the eyes of the First Madam and Huan Qingtang, Mu Jiang wasn't a concubine in Cheng Zhao's room at all, and she didn't fall under Cheng Zhao's jurisdiction.

The First Madam had intended to teach Cheng Zhao a lesson.

A person who had used someone else should logically feel embarrassed.

She hadn't expected to be picked apart by Cheng Zhao instead.

Huan Qingtang drank her tea in silence, seemingly not hearing anything.

The First Madam, however, grew angry. "Cheng-shi, by picking faults like this, have you studied in vain?"

Cheng Zhao didn't get angry, nor was she embarrassed or apprehensive. Her expression remained unchanged as she simply said, "First Aunt, neither of us has made a mistake, so why do you seem to be 'flying into a rage out of humiliation'?"

The First Madam: "..."

Huan Qingtang, standing to the side, gave a soft smile.

It seemed a little helpless, yet also remarkably magnanimous and unbothered.