Chapter 76: Zhou Yuanshen is an exceptional person

Cheng Zhao's eldest sister put in a lot of good words for Zhou Yuanshen.

She said, "Zhaozhao, the Duke of Chen is a perfect match for you. I used to wonder what kind of man could ever be worthy of my little sister. When I saw him, I knew he was the one."

"You flatter him too much," Cheng Zhao replied.

Her eldest sister pinched her cheek and poured her another cup of wine.

Cheng Zhao drank it, her stubborn temper softening a bit, and resumed her conversation with her eldest sister about Zhou Yuanshen.

Her eldest sister explained that Zhou Yuanshen had received a highly traditional aristocratic upbringing and was accustomed to a life of luxury and service.

To him, it was perfectly normal to have servants standing by to attend to him even while bathing or sharing a bed.

"...Did Nanny Li not teach you these things before you were married?" her eldest sister asked.

"She did," Cheng Zhao said. "She even mentioned that among my maids, aside from Suyue and Qiubai, someone might have to serve as a bedmaid."

It was just that she had eventually forgotten about it.

Whenever she was with Zhou Yuanshen, he never called her maids in to serve them.

Furthermore, Cheng Zhao's maids were all well-behaved and knew their place; none of them ever tried to throw themselves at him. Cheng Zhao had also made it clear to him that she would not give any of her own people to him.

Because of this, Cheng Zhao subconsciously came to believe that the private intimacy she shared with Zhou Yuanshen was the normal way of things.

She simply hadn't thought about that particular custom.

And on that day, Mingyu had not come in to serve them, but merely to report back on an errand—which was likely why Zhou Yuanshen knew he was in the wrong.

"Zhaozhao, men can be quite foolish sometimes. It was the Duke of Chen's fault for giving in to his greed in that moment," her eldest sister continued.

"It was entirely his fault," Cheng Zhao said.

"But to demand a divorce over this and give up your status as a first-rank titled lady... isn't that a pity?"

Cheng Zhao remained silent.

"Perhaps he simply loved your 'response' in that moment too much," her eldest sister added. "He had never tasted such a delicacy before, and upon encountering such fine fare, his table manners slipped."

Cheng Zhao shot her sister a look. "Do you really believe he hasn't tasted 'delicacies'? Over at Mu Jiang's place, aside from herself, there are two incredibly beautiful maids."

"You are acting like a child again," her eldest sister laughed.

She pointed out that Cheng Zhao was simply being competitive, feeling as though she had lost the upper hand in the matter.

But in a marriage, winning and losing were not calculated that way.

Her eldest sister shared a great deal more with her.

"I know a woman, a former courtesan who bought her freedom years ago. Now, she is exclusively hired by various brothels to train their girls. Shall I have her speak with you?" her eldest sister asked in a hushed tone.

Cheng Zhao was taken aback. "You actually know people like that?"

"I manage my own household and estate now; naturally, I have to know a little bit of everyone. Mother knows all sorts of people too, she just couldn't let you young girls know about it," her eldest sister explained.

She added, "When you eventually become the true mistress of the ducal estate, with all internal and external affairs in your hands, you too will have to deal with all shades of life."

Cheng Zhao remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.

Her eldest sister gently patted her head again. "You are still young. There is no rush."

She continued, "Make peace with him. The Secondary Wife is pregnant with a child, and his widowed sister-in-law might be taken in as a co-wife to continue the family line. By holding onto this grudge, you are only hurting yourself."

Cheng Zhao let out a heavy sigh.

"He already knows he was wrong. He begged me to plead on his behalf and even sent me several generous gifts," her eldest sister laughed.

"You let him bribe you?" Cheng Zhao asked.

"Of course, I only willingly accepted his bribes because I can see what a perfect match he is for you," her eldest sister replied.

Cheng Zhao leaned in a little closer. "What exactly did he give you?"

Her eldest sister listed them out in detail for Cheng Zhao: "Two blood coral sculptures, a box full of gold leaves, and a fine horse; along with an absolutely exquisite folding screen.

"This kind of folding screen would make a very decent gift for any Dowager Madame's birthday celebration in the future. Even the screen in my dowry isn't as fine as the one he sent."

Cheng Zhao felt that he had put genuine thought into these gifts; they weren't just randomly picked from the storehouse.

He truly intended to make peace.

"Eldest Sister, since you've pleaded for him, I won't hold it against him anymore," Cheng Zhao said.

Eldest Sister breathed a sigh of relief. "Mother, Father, and Grandfather will be at ease now too."

She added, "Since you two have reconciled, you should come home for a meal so our parents can see for themselves."

She pinched Cheng Zhao's nose. "Making such a big fuss over a trivial matter, you really are a child."

"It was a major matter."

"Yes, yes, a major matter," Eldest Sister said with a smile.

To a child, any little thing was a major matter.

However, everyone's maturity accumulates with the passing years. After experiencing many things in the future, looking back at today, she would probably feel a sense of happiness.

Cheng Zhao rested at her eldest sister's place for two days.

The next day, Eldest Sister also brought over their second sister-in-law and third sister.

The four of them gathered around to play tiles, bringing up the upcoming Shangsi Festival. They talked about going for a spring outing in the suburbs, flying kites, washing by the river, and wearing flowers in their hair.

Cheng Zhao's second sister-in-law, Yin Linlang, said, "I've already had someone reserve a spot early and set up curtains. I've also invited quite a few relatives and friends. You all must come together when the time arrives."

"I'll bring Yuanqi along."

"Excellent, he's very amusing," Second Sister-in-law said.

Cheng Zhao laughed. "Everyone thinks he's amusing, except for my mother-in-law. And his least favorite thing is for others to praise him as 'amusing'."

The women all burst into laughter.

In passing, they mentioned Cheng Zhao's other brother-in-law, Zhou Yuanjin.

He had been appointed as a commandant, which wasn't a huge event; many court officials probably didn't even know.

Cheng Zhao had told her sisters about it.

"If your Second Branch takes the path of military merit, it might not be worse than how things are now," Second Sister-in-law remarked. "Now that the Duke of Chen has abandoned the martial path to establish a firm foothold in the court, he has sacrificed a lot. His reputation isn't exactly pleasant to the ears."

Eldest Sister shot her a meaningful glance.

"I'm not looking down on him, I'm just worried for him," Second Sister-in-law quickly clarified. "My little sister's honor and glory are entirely tied to him."

Third Sister chimed in, "He kills for the Emperor, so he must have left himself a way out. As long as he can produce evidence that the Emperor ordered him to do it, and hands that evidence over to the historians, the historians will clear his name."

She paused, then added, "I think he's kept a backup plan; he seems quite calculating. The title of 'General Pacifying the West' wasn't just picked up off the street.

Perhaps his younger brother will remain in the position of 'commandant' until he's thirty, but he was appointed General Pacifying the West at the age of twenty."

"He is indeed very outstanding," Eldest Sister agreed.

Cheng Zhao realized that her sisters all quite admired Zhou Yuanshen.

Her sisters were quite wise and were not the type to follow others blindly.

"Could it be that I am prejudiced against him?" Cheng Zhao reflected.

Her sisters didn't know about the wretched internal affairs of the Zhou family.

But when Cheng Zhao looked at Zhou Yuanshen, he always carried the shadows of the Dowager Madame, Mu Jiang, and Huan Qingtang. She had never looked at him purely as his own person.

When she occasionally praised him, it was for her mother-in-law's ears, or she was praising the patriarch of the Zhou family, rather than praising him as a man.

And it certainly wasn't praising a man who had any real relationship with her.

Cheng Zhao couldn't be blamed for this.

On their very first night as newlyweds, he had presented Cheng Zhao with a massive problem; the first time they consummated their marriage, he had humiliated her again.

Even up to this day, Cheng Zhao had never felt at ease around him.

Cheng Zhao still felt that he had nothing to do with her.

After this incident, Cheng Zhao realized she had to continue playing her role as the Duchess, which meant the issue of producing an heir could no longer be ignored.

She had been tempted to just throw caution to the wind and give up, but her lifelong habit of striving for the best meant she simply could not allow herself to sink.

Therefore, after this brief detour, she had to get back on the right track.

This meant Cheng Zhao would have to swallow the harsh words she had lashed out at Zhou Yuanshen with just a few days prior, a realization that left her feeling rather awkward.

Then again, she reasoned, the path to wealth and status required one to be adaptable and know when to yield.

At the very least, venting her frustrations meant her grievances would not stay bottled up inside to hinder her future schemes.

That was what truly mattered.