Chapter 50: Zhou Yuanshen Proactively Extends an Olive Branch

In the evening, Zhou Yuanshen arrived at the Nonghua Courtyard.

Seeing him enter, Cheng Zhao stood up to greet him before they both sat down.

"...Today, the Emperor went mad and slashed a minister with a sword," Zhou Yuanshen suddenly said to Cheng Zhao.

Cheng Zhao was stunned. "Who? My grandfather?"

Zhou Yuanshen paused. "It has nothing to do with your family."

Cheng Zhao was speechless.

Then why are you telling me?

Wait, no.

She raised her eyes, looking at Zhou Yuanshen, and after a long moment, she tentatively asked, "Is My Lord chatting with me about court affairs?"

"Yes."

Cheng Zhao was speechless again.

She felt it was very strange and was a bit confused, but she still went along with his words.

"Why did the Emperor attack someone in public?"

Convicting a scholar-official required a very strict process; even severe torture was not allowed. There had to be sufficient evidence.

By slashing someone right in the court, the Emperor would face attacks from all his subjects. They would rise up in resistance and refuse to work, causing the entire government apparatus to come to a standstill.

Government affairs needed officials to handle them.

Not only that, but it would also leave a heavy mark in the historical records: the court historians were also scholar-officials, and they would record this matter in detail, leaving the Emperor with a legacy of infamy for thousands of years.

"The Emperor wanted to rebuild the imperial mausoleum, which was opposed by Grand Preceptor Guo. They had been discussing this matter since before the new year.

After the new year, Grand Preceptor Guo's disciples used this to stir up trouble and said some very unpleasant things. In a fit of rage, the Emperor drew his sword and slashed him," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao listened carefully to his words.

When the Emperor attended court, he would occasionally carry a long sword. However, this item was mostly for decoration; courtiers, whether civil or military, were not allowed to bring swords into the hall.

"...The Emperor's sword was sharpened?" she asked.

Zhou Yuanshen looked back at her. "It shouldn't have been."

"Then someone deliberately played a dirty trick. They first angered the Emperor, and also had his sword sharpened?" Cheng Zhao said.

Otherwise, even if he drew his sword, it would only be to frighten the courtiers.

Once blood was drawn, it was completely different.

This incident would affect the political situation and implicate many people, including the Duke of Chen's estate.

A storm was coming.

"Someone must have tampered with it," Zhou Yuanshen said. "It is the doing of the Guo family."

The Guo clan was a prominent family from Yingzhou, renowned throughout the world, and the current Empress was born into the Guo clan. The influence of top-tier noble families in the court was much greater than that of the Emperor himself.

The Guo family had always wanted to win over the Duke of Chen's estate, as well as the Cheng family, which was why Empress Guo had bestowed the marriage between Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen.

Of course, if this caused the Zhou and Cheng families to turn against each other and engage in internal strife, it would also benefit the Guo clan.

Killing two birds with one stone.

"My Lord, does the Emperor want you to exert yourself and resolve this matter for him again?" Cheng Zhao asked.

Zhou Yuanshen: "Yes."

"Do you need my grandfather's help?" Cheng Zhao asked again.

Zhou Yuanshen: "I will go and speak to the Prime Minister myself."

Cheng Zhao: "Then tomorrow I can accompany you to the Cheng family."

"There's no need," Zhou Yuanshen said. "It's just a casual chat; you don't need to show up. This matter isn't too complicated. As long as the Emperor relents and names the Seventh Prince as the Crown Prince, this issue will be easily resolved."

"The Seventh Prince's maternal family is too powerful; the Emperor will not be willing," Cheng Zhao said. "What are My Lord's thoughts?"

"The Seventh Prince is weak and cowardly. If he becomes Emperor, it will be a fatal blow to the imperial clan. But for the noble families, it is an excellent opportunity," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao glanced at him.

When he said opportunity, he didn't just mean the opportunity for the Guo clan of Yingzhou, but also his own.

Nowadays, the power of the imperial clan had withered severely.

The Emperor's murderous actions would inevitably lead to the weakening of imperial power. Absolute power could never be achieved through slaughter; it would only alienate the scholar-officials from the Emperor even more.

The late Emperor had planted the seeds of disaster, and the current Emperor was walking down his father's old path. The court was in utter chaos at this time.

At the beginning of last year, the Prince of Xingyang set up his own banner and wanted to raise an army to rebel.

For such a treasonous act, the courtiers were actually divided on whether to send troops to attack him. When Cheng Zhao heard about it at the time, she found it unbelievable.

At that moment, she realized just how dissatisfied the courtiers were with the Emperor!

Fortunately, the Prince of Xingyang was soon assassinated, and the matter was left unsettled.

Now, just at the start of the year, the Emperor slashed a minister in the main hall. This action would inevitably stir up massive waves.

She wondered how it would ultimately be resolved.

Cheng Zhao suddenly realized that perhaps one day, war would break out everywhere.

Court politics was not just a contest within the main hall; it could also cause the disaster of war. This had happened in the late Emperor's later years, but at that time, the Helian clan still had luck on their side, and several rebellions were quelled.

And now?

Did the Helian clan still have such luck?

Cheng Zhao looked at Zhou Yuanshen.

She suddenly realized that if the world fell into chaos, Zhou Yuanshen might not be without a chance, because he himself was a military general, and his maternal family, Madam Fan, also held military power.

"...Does My Lord feel that an heir will definitely be established this year?" Cheng Zhao asked.

"It is imminent," Zhou Yuanshen said.

The husband and wife chatted about court politics for quite a while.

Cheng Zhao understood the situation very well.

Her eldest sister was very good at managing the household, and her third sister was brimming with literary talent, but she alone liked to read history books and listen to her grandfather talk about political affairs.

After dinner, Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen played chess and continued chatting about this matter.

They had been married for almost half a year, and this was the first time they had conversed so smoothly.

Right before going to sleep, Cheng Zhao suddenly asked, "Why did My Lord talk to me about these things today?"

"Your eldest sister said that you really like listening to your grandfather talk about these things. Therefore, you are very favored by your grandfather," Zhou Yuanshen said.

"When did Eldest Sister tell you?"

"When you all went downstairs to guess lantern riddles," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Cheng Zhao was speechless.

"You said that you are willing to be this Duke's wife. Cheng Zhao, I have no intention of tormenting anyone, and I am not deliberately being distant with you," he added.

Cheng Zhao thought of what happened last night.

The two of them were indeed very much strangers; even the days they had shared a bed added up to less than a month.

Before Mu Jiang got pregnant, he always rested in the Lijing Courtyard, where there were beautiful concubines and maids.

Cheng Zhao didn't have much interest in chatting. But being able to understand him as a person was beneficial to her.

If he showed her a bit of favoritism, Cheng Zhao's path would be easier to walk.

She also relied on him for children.

"Of course, I want to be closer to My Lord," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanshen pulled her into his arms.

During their intimacy that night, his movements were much gentler.

Cheng Zhao once again felt the scorching heat from last time, and her breathing became so tight she could barely catch her breath. And when he leaned down, wanting to cover her lips, Cheng Zhao hurriedly avoided him.

She was about to run out of breath, how could she let him block her mouth?

Zhou Yuanshen's movements paused again.

He hadn't fully enjoyed himself yet, but he hastily wrapped things up. After washing up with water, the couple went to sleep.

He left before dawn.

When he left, Cheng Zhao was still thinking, "Is there an early court session today too? The Emperor slashed a minister, won't Grand Preceptor Guo make a fuss for a few days?"

Her thoughts were not wrong.

That day, Zhou Yuanshen was indeed at home; he was reading in the Chenhui Courtyard and even sent someone to tell Cheng Zhao that he would come to the Nonghua Courtyard for lunch.

Cheng Zhao didn't have to go to the Chengming Hall today, and she thought to herself, why is he being so endless?

"...Suyue, make a trip back and tell my mother to quickly get a statue of the Child-Giving Guanyin for me," Cheng Zhao said.

After Mu Jiang got pregnant, he stopped going to the Lijing Courtyard, and Cheng Zhao also hoped she could gain some peace and quiet soon.