Chapter 60: Have Found a Suitable Man for Cheng Zhao

Cheng Zhao talked a lot with Second Madam.

She said to Second Madam, "Mother, my grandfather and my mother used to say that one should never rush into anything. Without absolute certainty, rushing only leads to mistakes. I didn't listen to this advice before, but thinking about it now, they were very right."

Dowager Madame was anxious. Having heard that Cheng Zhao was performing very well in Chengming Hall and had earned the respect of the managers, she feared Huan Qingtang wouldn't be able to suppress her, so she told Huan Qingtang to move into Chengming Hall ahead of schedule.

Huan Qingtang was also anxious. Wanting to secure her status as the main wife of Chengming Hall and backed by Dowager Madame, she agreed and moved in.

But unexpectedly, after the imperial court established the crown prince, Zhou Yuanshen was promoted.

Dowager Madame certainly knew about the establishment of the crown prince, but she hadn't caught wind of Zhou Yuanshen's promotion.

The importance of the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince position was obvious to all, and it was also a layer of guarantee for the Zhou family's long-lasting wealth and status.

Dowager Madame could not possibly oppose it.

Had she known in advance, she would never have arranged for Huan Qingtang to move into Chengming Hall.

She was caught completely off guard.

Because of this impatience, Huan Qingtang moving in and then moving back out caused her reputation to suffer greatly.

The loss outweighed the gain.

"...How were they just anxious? They clearly had crooked intentions and malicious motives. You silly child, you are just as silly as I used to be, still trying to make excuses for them," Second Madam said.

After Cheng Zhao married into the family, Second Madam never blamed herself again.

The doubts that had troubled her for over twenty years were all answered.

She had simply been plotted against, targeted, and ostracized by her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law all along.

When evaluating Dowager Madame, her words were sharp; she disregarded filial piety and couldn't be bothered to be tactful or subtle.

When she directly called Dowager Madame malicious, Cheng Zhao stepped forward and covered her mouth.

Second Madam was speechless.

"Mother, beware of eavesdroppers. Unfilial conduct is a grave offense; do not leave anyone with something to use against you," Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam said, "You are right."

She then smiled and added, "You won without fighting this time, entirely because you managed to stay composed. You deserved this."

If Cheng Zhao had made a fuss when Huan Qingtang moved into Chengming Hall, the outcome might not be what it is now.

Now, as the managers secretly mocked Huan Qingtang, they would also naturally sigh in admiration at Cheng Zhao's prudence.

Some even said, "The Third Young Madam is a master strategist and shares a deep affection with Lord Duke. She must have known about Lord Duke's promotion long ago and just held her ground."

With Cheng Zhao's shrewdness and Lord Duke as her backing, the managers would all look up to her.

No matter how formidable Dowager Madame was, she was nearing the end of her days. In the future, the entire ducal estate would belong to Zhou Yuanshen. Cheng Zhao and Lord Duke had a deep relationship; the bond of a young married couple carried significant weight, not to mention she was so wise.

As for who would be the true mistress of the ducal estate in the future, the managers would have to place their bets anew.

Cheng Zhao won this round beautifully.

She did nothing, yet achieved a total victory. Even Second Madam cheered for her.

"Perhaps in a year or half, you will move into Chengming Hall," Second Madam smiled.

Cheng Zhao replied, "Mother, it is you who will move into Chengming Hall. When the time comes, I will be like First Sister-in-law, going to your side every day to run errands."

Second Madam couldn't help but chuckle, "That troublesome?"

"It's not troublesome; you deserve it," Cheng Zhao said.

Second Madam was not skilled at managing a household and had no desire to live in Chengming Hall at all; she just couldn't swallow her anger.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked for a long while before Second Master returned from court and Zhou Yuanqi came home from school.

In recent days, the liveliest topic of conversation was all about Zhou Yuanshen.

"...Mother, let's quickly kick Third Brother out. He's going to go down in history in infamy and drag our ancestral graves down with him." Zhou Yuanqi's finely sculpted, jade-like face looked entirely serious.

Cheng Zhao chuckled.

Zhou Yuanqi also looked at her earnestly, "Third Sister-in-law, don't panic. I have arrangements for your matters too."

He had already scouted several handsome men and was testing them on Cheng Zhao's behalf, planning to observe the situation for a year or two.

Second Madam tapped Zhou Yuanqi on the forehead. "All day long, you're full of nonsense. I'll have you adopted out first!"

"It's not like I'm doing evil. Last time, Third Brother killed Grand Tutor Wu. That was the Emperor's grand tutor; how is it any different from killing someone's father? Now he has become the new Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. People outside are calling him a treacherous official," Zhou Yuanqi said.

Generally, treacherous officials who incur public wrath are cursed for hundreds or thousands of years. Zhou Yuanshen was very daring in his killings; he wasn't far from inciting public anger.

Cheng Zhao smiled and asked Zhou Yuanqi, "Which treacherous officials do you know of?"

Zhou Yuanqi named two. One was Zeng Bo, and the other was Huang Zhilin.

Cheng Zhao asked, "Do you know when they died and why they died?"

Zhou Yuanqi choked on his words, then argued a moment later, "I don't like them, so I couldn't be bothered to learn about them. I have many books to read, I don't have the time."

"I know them all, let me tell you."

Cheng Zhao explained to him in detail: Zeng Bo lived a thousand years ago. He died of consumption before he was forty, yet his family continued to thrive for another hundred years before falling.

It wasn't until the entire era collapsed that Zeng Bo was dragged out to be cursed, blamed as the cause for the ruin of the entire court.

As for Huang Zhilin, his reputation was indeed poor, but he served as an official under two dynasties and lived to his eighties, dying a natural death. It was later his grand-daughter-in-law's husband who, for the sake of his own career prospects, dug up thousands of crimes against him and had his corpse exhumed and flogged.

"You see, those you think are treacherous officials, one was forced to take the blame for the entire court a century later, and the other was a sacrificial lamb and a stepping stone in political struggles. To call a person treacherous, you must look at what they did, who instructed them, and who benefited. In the imperial court, the winner is king and the loser is the villain. However, the families of these two men lived very stable and wealthy lives," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanqi said, "You are just making sophistries."

"People are not black or white. Even the most upright court official has his faults," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanqi replied, "You are speaking up for a brute. No matter how you argue, that brute's reputation is indeed poor right now."

"Once he gains real power, he will repair his reputation," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanqi asked, "Reputation can be repaired?"

"Reputation is like a city wall; it requires money, effort, and power to repair. It doesn't grow naturally from the ground. Generally speaking, a person who desires nothing will not have a bad name, but neither will they have a good one; they will simply remain obscure," Cheng Zhao said.

Zhou Yuanqi told her, "These are all just fallacies."

Second Madam also felt that Cheng Zhao was making excuses for Zhou Yuanshen, but seeing Zhou Yuanqi at a loss for words made her quite happy.

"Listen to your sister-in-law," Second Madam said. "If you dare say you'll have your third brother adopted out again, I'll throw you out."

"You're biased!"

"He is the Duke of Chen, of course I am biased. When you earn an official rank, I will be biased towards you too," Second Madam said.

Zhou Yuanqi puffed his cheeks in anger.

Second Master listened from the side.

After a long while, he finally said, "Zhaozhao is indeed very knowledgeable. These words have also given me something to reflect upon."

Cheng Zhao cast him a surprised glance.

Her own parents and grandfather all called her Zhaozhao, and she didn't mind the nickname. It was just a bit surprising that her father-in-law would address her like this.

It gave her the illusion that he was treating her like his own daughter.

"Zhaozhao is absolutely right," Second Madam smiled.

Cheng Zhao was speechless.

She had gone from being Cheng Shi to her parents-in-law's Zhaozhao.

Zhou Yuanqi was suppressed and stopped throwing a tantrum, and the family happily ate their meal together.