Chapter 75: The Purchase of the Duke

Zhou Yuanshen finished the bowl of soup.

Showing no expression of distaste, he seemed to find it palatable after a taste and easily finished it all.

He even cast a glance at Zhou Yuanqi.

Zhou Yuanqi: "Don't even think about persecuting me. I won't drink it."

"You don't like drinking soup, and you don't like talking nonsense either, right?" Zhou Yuanshen asked mildly.

Zhou Yuanqi thought to himself, he is actually threatening me!

What good would it do me to expose the fact that my sister-in-law wants a divorce?

And what harm would it do to The Brute?

He has plenty of women, but there is only one heavenly sister-in-law.

Zhou Yuanqi snorted.

Second Madam looked at one, then the other. "What secrets are you two hiding, playing riddles right in front of me?"

"Nothing," the two brothers said in unison.

Second Madam: "..."

The bumps in her life were all birthed by her own womb. What a sin.

Fan Xiao loved this kind of liveliness the most, watching from the side with great interest; Second Master didn't care much about the children's conflicts, letting them bicker among themselves.

After the meal, the few of them chatted.

They mainly talked about the Fourth Young Master, Zhou Yuanjin, being promoted to Captain.

Cheng Zhao then said, "Congratulations to Father and Mother. With this title, Fourth Brother's promotion to a general is just around the corner."

The rank of Captain was considered a watershed; it was incredibly difficult to cross this threshold.

The promotion of soldiers, without major military merits, would be stuck below the rank of Captain. Once appointed as a Captain, even without further military merits, one could eventually become a general just by accumulating seniority.

At such a young age, Zhou Yuanjin practically had his future secured in the bag.

Second Master and his wife were naturally very happy.

"He had really good luck this time, a blessing in disguise," Second Master said.

Cheng Zhao: "It is because he is brave and composed that he has such good fortune."

"He does have some capability," Second Madam said.

Zhou Yuanqi didn't like his third brother, and he equally disliked his fourth brother.

He said, "The Zhou family's ancestral graves must be smoking green, exclusively prospering military generals. the Hothead just picked up a huge bargain."

Cheng Zhao: "..."

One brother is The Brute, and the other is the Hothead. This younger brother is indeed very good at giving nicknames.

Second Madam knocked him on the forehead. "Show some respect!"

She added, "Your fourth brother has established himself and achieved great things. What about you?"

"I'm still young," Zhou Yuanqi said. "In the future, my fortune will be higher than both of theirs. Just you wait, Mother."

Second Madam was disdainful. "Could you also become a Duke?"

Zhou Yuanqi: "...That was an inherited title, not something he earned himself. He is just a General Pacifying the West."

Fan Xiao laughed, "Being the General Pacifying the West is not easy either. It was exchanged with a narrow escape from death."

Speaking of this, he looked at Cheng Zhao. "Has the Duchess ever been to the General's Manor?"

Cheng Zhao shook her head.

Zhou Yuanshen chimed in, "I'll take you to see it next time. The place is quite small."

With everyone sitting there, Cheng Zhao had no choice but to agree.

It was getting late, and the various gates of the Chen Duke's Manor were about to be locked. Fan Xiao stood up to take his leave. Zhou Yuanshen walked Fan Xiao to the door.

Zhou Yuanqi, on the other hand, was going to walk Cheng Zhao back.

"...Why did you and The Brute mention divorce?" Zhou Yuanqi asked.

Cheng Zhao realized that she had no way to pour out her grievances to anyone.

Even in front of Zhou Yuanshen, she couldn't freely accuse him of his misdeeds, because she simply couldn't say the words out loud.

For the first time, Cheng Zhao was like a mute eating bitter herbs—suffering in silence.

It could be considered a new experience of hardship.

"It was a joke," Cheng Zhao said to Zhou Yuanqi.

Zhou Yuanqi snorted, showing his disbelief. "Forget it if you don't want to tell."

Arriving at the entrance of the Nonghua Courtyard, Zhou Yuanqi turned and left, clean and decisive.

Zhou Yuanshen walked Fan Xiao to the main entrance, arranged a carriage to send him off, and urged him not to ride a horse.

"Are you and the Duchess at odds?" Fan Xiao asked him.

Zhou Yuanshen: "Yes."

"Have you thought about how to resolve it?" he asked.

Zhou Yuanshen: "No."

"Get in the carriage. Let's find a place to drink, and I will carefully strategize for you," Fan Xiao laughed.

Zhou Yuanshen: "Little Uncle cannot help with this matter."

"You underestimate me."

"Little Uncle has no wife in his room. When it comes to marital affairs, all you give are terrible ideas," Zhou Yuanshen said.

Fan Xiao: "..."

He scolded Zhou Yuanshen for being unfilial, dropped the carriage curtain, and ordered the driver to head back.

Fan Xiao was twenty-five years old this year. He had been married when he was sixteen.

His wife passed away from illness. Even before marrying over, her health had not been good. She was thin and frail, unable to stand a gust of wind. Additionally, she had been somewhat reluctant to marry into a military family, and eventually died of melancholy.

Fan Xiao had never remarried.

The Fan family did not make arrangements for him to take a second wife either.

However, his superior was currently acting as a matchmaker for him. Perhaps in a year or half a year, he would take a wife again.

Zhou Yuanshen stood at the doorway for a moment.

The mid-spring wind was chilly, blowing a cold draft up his sleeves, and he thought of Cheng Zhao again.

Zhou Yuanshen pondered alone for a long time.

The next day, he made a trip to the Du family, the home of Cheng Zhao's eldest brother-in-law.

Another day passed, and Cheng Zhao's eldest sister sent her an invitation card, inviting her over as a guest.

Cheng Zhao went immediately.

"Yesterday, the Duke came to drink with your brother-in-law," her eldest sister smiled.

Cheng Zhao was stunned, then frowned. "Did he say anything?"

"You guessed wrong this time. He told me everything; Mother told me too," her eldest sister laughed.

Cheng Zhao stood up to leave.

Her eldest sister pulled her back. "But no one told me exactly how the Duke offended you, not even the Duke himself. I figured that besides me, you probably have no way of telling anyone else about this. Keeping it bottled up is uncomfortable. Want to chat with me?"

Cheng Zhao: "...I can't even tell you."

"You can say, 'Once upon a time, there was a young married couple...'"

Cheng Zhao was amused and laughed out loud.

Her eldest sister patted the back of her hand. "Let's drink some wine too."

They didn't drink in the side room, but hid inside the green gauze cabinet. In that tiny square of space, a few dishes and a jar of good wine were laid out.

The two sisters huddled in the green gauze cabinet chatting.

After downing three cups of wine, Cheng Zhao's chatterbox gradually opened.

She briefly told her eldest sister about the matter.

Her eldest sister couldn't help but laugh.

"...In many prominent households, when the master and the main wife are consummating, the maidservants have to hold water and serve outside the curtain. You should know about this, right?" her eldest sister asked.

Cheng Zhao had almost forgotten about this.

When she and Zhou Yuanshen shared a bed, they always called the maids in only after the deed was done.

"Therefore, although it was very excessive of him to call the maid in to await orders, it isn't an unforgivable sin," her eldest sister said.

Cheng Zhao frowned.

Her eldest sister leaned in closer and asked her softly, "Zhao Zhao, how do you two communicate regarding this matter?"

Cheng Zhao didn't understand. "What communication?"

"Just like how we are chatting now. I say a sentence, you say a sentence; I ask a question, you answer. A married couple's intimate acts in the boudoir are also like a conversation. When he spoke, did you answer?" her eldest sister asked again.

Cheng Zhao was stunned.

She was supposed to "answer"?

She was his legitimate wife. Being dignified was her duty. How could she...

"What if he was hoping for you to give some response? Just as the maid knocked on the door, he noticed you were exceptionally nervous, not your usual 'indifference.' He might have been instantly captivated by this response, thereby making a mistake?" her eldest sister continued.

Cheng Zhao: "..."