Chapter 94: Sneak a Kiss on Her
Fan Xiao had not only invited Zhou Yuanshen for drinks but also a few other friends.
Seeing Cheng Zhao arrive, he arranged the others in separate seats, only sharing the table with Zhou Yuanshen and his wife.
“Duchess, your foresight is admirable. You handled matters so brilliantly in such a short time,” Fan Xiao said with a laugh.
It seemed Zhou Yuanshen had already told him about the birthday banquet’s details.
“You flatter me, Uncle. I merely did my duty,” Cheng Zhao replied.
Fan Xiao praised her again.
The three of them were quite at ease. While the two men drank and chatted, Cheng Zhao sampled several of the delicious dishes.
“...Here, take this,” Fan Xiao handed a black lacquered box to Zhou Yuanshen.
Cheng Zhao glanced at it curiously.
Before she could ask, Fan Xiao explained unprompted, “It’s banknotes. Ah-Shen told me to be prepared in case the emperor brought up ‘double inheritance,’ so I made arrangements. But the emperor didn’t mention it.”
Cheng Zhao: “...”
Zhou Yuanshen took the black lacquered box and said flatly, “No need to say more.”
But Fan Xiao couldn’t help adding, “Ah-Shen, dodging the issue of ‘double inheritance’ won’t work. You need to tackle the root cause.”
Cheng Zhao interjected, “Uncle, ‘double inheritance’ is Grandmother’s tactic, a rope to bind the Duke. If we can’t drive a wedge between Grandmother and the emperor and make them fall out, there’s no way to ‘remove the firewood from under the cauldron.’”
She often thought that saying “stirring the boiling water to cool it” was foolish—a waste of effort.
Yet many times, the firewood under the cauldron was already blazing, impossible to pull away. Stirring the water was the only way to handle the immediate crisis.
One approach required long-term planning; the other was a response to current difficulties.
Either was better than doing nothing.
And Zhou Yuanshen had certainly made long-term plans.
It was like planting a tree—it takes two or three years to bloom and bear fruit.
The Grand Matriarch’s bond with the emperor had been cultivated over decades. She knew him better than anyone. Resolving this in one stroke was truly a tall order.
Under such immense pressure, Zhou Yuanshen hadn’t given up resisting. He had done everything he could.
“...It’s good that you understand his difficulties,” Fan Xiao smiled. “With you two united as one, things will get better.”
Cheng Zhao glanced at Zhou Yuanshen.
He lowered his head to drink, showing neither pride nor self-pity.
When obstacles appeared, he carved paths through mountains and built bridges across waters. He tackled problems as they arose. For deep-rooted ills he couldn’t remove, he wouldn’t indulge them either. Even if only superficial measures worked, he would buy time.
You couldn’t fell a giant tree with one axe stroke—you had to keep chopping slowly.
If it were her, Cheng Zhao would do the same.
So, she understood Zhou Yuanshen.
Having said her piece, she continued eating. Zhou Yuanshen raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her face before he downed a cup of wine.
Fan Xiao rambled on about many things.
He also mentioned the matchmaking by Qing’an Commandery Princess’s residence.
Cheng Zhao immediately pricked up her ears. She was very curious about this matter, wondering if Zhou Yuanshen had once pursued something in vain and then harbored resentment toward Huan Qingtang.
How deep had their old feelings been?
“If they hadn’t schemed, maybe you would have...”
Zhou Yuanshen coughed.
Fan Xiao cut himself off: “No more talk of the past.”
Cheng Zhao: “...”
He had already started—why not continue?
She stared at Fan Xiao expectantly, but he just smiled and refilled her cup.
Cheng Zhao had no choice but to look away.
Regarding this past incident, those in the know were unwilling to speak; those who couldn’t keep secrets, like the Second Madam and Zhou Yuanqi, didn’t know the inside story.
To get to the bottom of it, she suspected not even asking Zhou Yuanshen would work. He wouldn’t open up.
“I’ll have to go ask Qing’an Commandery Princess herself,” Cheng Zhao thought. “Her daughter, Xianzhen County Princess, seems to have a forged calligraphy copy. Next time, I’ll use that as an excuse to visit Qing’an Commandery Princess’s estate.”
She made up her mind.
Amidst the eating, drinking, and idle talk, dusk had fallen before they knew it.
When it ended, the night drum had already sounded—it was well into the night.
At the entrance to the Drunken Immortal Tavern, they ran into Andong Commandery Prince Helian Xuan and Cheng Zhao’s fourth brother, Cheng Chao.
They exchanged courtesies.
“I’ve been hearing about the duchess’s amusing anecdotes lately,” Helian Xuan said.
He stood under the lantern by the tavern door, light and shadow enveloping him, his face even fairer, like the bright radiance of jade.
Clean, yet with a touch of austerity.
Cheng Zhao didn’t sneer, but she wasn’t eager to engage with him either, turning her head to the side.
The atmosphere grew a bit awkward.
Fan Xiao’s gaze swept between them again.
Cheng Zhao’s fourth brother, Cheng Chao, laughed, “The Duke’s mansion banquet is indeed the talk of everyone. Fifth Sister, haven’t you thanked me yet?”
“You can ask me for a reward privately,” Cheng Zhao said, her tone sharp, shooting him a warning glance.
What did he mean, saying such things in front of outsiders? Who was his flesh-and-blood relative after all?
Zhou Yuanshen’s gaze also rested on her face.
Cheng Chao felt a pang of embarrassment and wanted to say something, but nothing seemed fitting.
He inwardly fumed—he wouldn’t help her again next time. She’d gotten a little honor and now her tail was in the air.
Helian Xuan’s expression dimmed.
“I won’t forget your reward. I’ll send it home another day,” Cheng Zhao added.
Seeing him and Helian Xuan together, Cheng Zhao could hardly suppress her anger.
After all, someone from the Cheng family had died at Helian Xuan’s hands.
Cheng Zhao was angry at her own brother for being spineless and for always valuing outsiders more than her. He was so obedient to Helian Xuan but always argued with her.
The one time he did something for her, he had to ask for credit in front of outsiders.
Among the three standing there—Helian Xuan, Fan Xiao, and Zhou Yuanshen—who was appropriate for discussing private family matters?
Whose relationship with her was closer than that of siblings born from the same mother?
In front of a group of outsiders, his talk was so inappropriate, blurring the lines between close and distant. It truly infuriated her.
“...It’s getting late. Shall we call it a night?” Fan Xiao, sensing the awkwardness, smiled as he tried to smooth things over.
Helian Xuan looked at Cheng Zhao again.
Cheng Zhao immediately met his gaze.
Their eyes locked. Cheng Zhao’s expression was dark, and it was Helian Xuan who looked away first.
“We’ll head back first,” Cheng Chao said, calming down, then added to Zhou Yuanshen, “Duke, come home for a meal another day. Grandfather was asking about you.”
“I’ll drop by when I have time,” Zhou Yuanshen said.
They exchanged farewells and set off separately.
The Zhou family carriage arrived, but Zhou Yuanshen said, “The night market is ahead. Care to stroll around to sober up?”
He had drunk a bit, maybe three-tenths tipsy.
Cheng Zhao: “Alright.”
This street was the busiest and most lively, the night market bright with lights and crowds bustling shoulder to shoulder, as lively as broad daylight.
“On ordinary nights, the market isn’t as packed as it is during the Lantern Festival. But it’s still pretty good,” Cheng Zhao remarked.
Zhou Yuanshen said, “It’s been nearly a decade with no major affairs in the court. The people live and work in peace, which is why the night market thrives.”
Then he asked her, “Want to eat something?”
Cheng Zhao was already full.
She had walked with Zhou Yuanshen to digest the meal, with no intention of getting anything to eat.
“I’d like to buy some trinkets, but nothing to eat,” she said.
Two peddlers carrying their wares crossed paths. To avoid them, Cheng Zhao and Zhou Yuanshen moved to the eaves of a shop.
Right there was a street tree, casting a patch of shadow over the eaves.
Suddenly, he lowered his head and planted a kiss on her lips.
It was so fleeting she thought she had imagined it.
Cheng Zhao: “...”