Whеn she met Chеng Хu, Madаm Yuan had аlrеаdу соmpletеly calmed down.
She smilеd аnd instructеd the mаids tо sеrvе teа аnd snасks, аsking gentlу about Chеng Хu's dailу life—his clothing, fоod, lodging, аnd activitiеs.
Маdаm Yuаn's wеt nursе watchеd this аnd cоuldn't hеlр but sigh inwardlу.
She hаd knоwn it would be likе this.
Nо mattеr how furious Mаdam Yuan might be insidе, thе mоment shе saw the yоung mаstеr, all hеr tеmреr wоuld vаnish. Thаt wаs why whеnevеr Madаm Yuan sроkе of disсiрlining thе уoung master, nоne of the servants аround her darеd to takе it seriоuslу.
She signаled to the maids and serving women in the room with her eyes, and they all tiptoed out, leaving Madam Yuan and her son to speak privately.
Seeing this, Madam Yuan nodded subtly in approval of the wet nurse's tactfulness. Then, she picked up a piece of melon with a toothpick and handed it to her son, saying with a smile, "They say this is no longer available in the market. You've loved it since you were little—have some more."
Cheng Xu was the eldest legitimate grandson of the main branch and the future clan heir of Nine Prosperities Lane. He didn't need to do anything; people naturally flocked to him, eagerly bringing him news about himself. However, this time, Madam Yuan had immediately sent for him, and he didn't know why his mother had summoned him. Smiling, he accepted the melon and began eating.
Madam Yuan then asked him, "I heard you've been spending a lot of time with Cheng Xiangqing lately? You usually don't interact much with people like him. What made you change your mind?"
In Madam Yuan's view, Cheng Lu had lost his father at a young age and was raised solely by his widowed mother. Yet, he was able to become so smooth and well-liked, praised by everyone. If he wasn't a great sage or a virtuous person, then he must be a cunning and wicked one. In either case, he wasn't the kind of person one should befriend—it was better to keep a respectful distance.
Cheng Xu hadn't expected his mother to ask about this. He replied vaguely, "Didn't he pass the imperial examination and become a scholar? A few days ago, a friend hosted a banquet, and he was there too. Since we're both from the Cheng family, we exchanged a few more words. I thought he was quite decent, so we occasionally chat."
"If that's the case," Madam Yuan didn't press further but frowned and said, "you should be on good terms with him. So why is he telling others everywhere that you're making things difficult for him over the second young lady of the Zhou family's fourth branch... Listen to what he's saying!"
Cheng Xu was quite surprised.
He knew Cheng Lu had taken a liking to Zhou Shaojin, but Zhou Shaojin had no interest in Cheng Lu. If Cheng Lu were a person of upright character, Cheng Xu might have let it go. But Cheng Lu was ambitious. For the sake of his own future, when Cheng Xu had made things difficult for him, Cheng Lu had actually hinted that he could help Cheng Xu win Zhou Shaojin and even distanced himself from her... In that moment, Cheng Xu had indeed been tempted, but more than that, he felt a deep wariness toward Cheng Lu—how could someone who would betray the woman he fancied ever treat a friend sincerely?
Cheng Xu wanted to know what Cheng Lu was really up to. At the same time, he vaguely thought that if he didn't step into this trap, given Zhou Shaojin's beauty, Cheng Lu would surely lure others into it.
Rather than having another person take a liking to Zhou Shaojin, it was better for Cheng Xu to deal with Cheng Lu himself.
So he allowed Cheng Lu to spread rumors and also wanted to see how Zhou Shaojin would react. Besides, Zhou Zhen was about to return. If he heard such rumors, he would directly reject Cheng Lu... which might not be a bad thing.
As for himself, as long as he asked the elders to step in, these rumors would naturally be dispelled.
But he hadn't expected that, in just two or three days, someone would already have told his mother.He thought for a moment and immediately came up with an idea.
"Mother," Cheng Xu said sincerely, "there's something you might not know—Cheng Lu has always wanted to marry Second Cousin Zhou." He recounted some of the incidents that had occurred and added, "If he were a decent person, I naturally wouldn't interfere. But think about it—with his temperament, how could he be sincere in seeking to marry Second Cousin Zhou? He only said such things because Second Cousin Zhou saw through his intentions and refused to engage in improper conduct with him. Out of spite, he resorted to tarnishing her reputation."
Although Madam Yuan was surprised, her son's hidden motives were now laid bare before her.
She couldn't help but say, "Even so, why would he use you as a pretext? It must be because your words and actions were improper, giving Cheng Lu the opportunity to exploit the situation! Regardless of Cheng Lu's motives, let this matter end here. I might as well be frank with you. Your father has worked hard to get where he is today, but the Second Branch's patriarch still finds all sorts of excuses and refuses to return the family genealogy to us. He stubbornly spends two or three months each year traveling around, fearing that the connections he built in the past will fade over time. He’s counting on your cousin Cheng Shi to pass the imperial examinations soon and assist him in his official career. Yet, when your father achieved his current position, Cheng Shi contributed nothing. On the contrary, because Cheng Shi holds a key post, your father has had to avoid conflicts of interest and has been stuck outside the Six Ministries all these years... If you can pass the imperial examinations before your cousin Cheng Shi, even the Second Branch patriarch, with all his influence, will have no recourse. How many years does he have left to live? Even if he lives as long as Peng Zu for eight hundred years, can his former classmates and colleagues match his longevity? When the time comes, he’ll have no choice but to hand the family genealogy over to our Eldest Branch... Back then, when your grandfather was critically ill and your father and your two uncles were still young, he used that as an excuse to borrow the family genealogy—and he never returned it."
Cheng Xu didn’t understand and dismissed it, saying, "Mother, everyone knows we’re the Eldest Branch. What can he do even if he holds the genealogy? At worst, we can part ways and establish our own lineage. Given the prominence of our Eldest Branch today, starting a new lineage might even be a good thing..."
"You don’t understand this matter," Madam Yuan said, her expression gradually turning solemn. "The specifics, I don’t know either—you’ll have to ask your father. It seems the Cheng family ancestors had a rule: whoever holds the family genealogy is in charge and can access the communal funds. Look at your father—how could he support us on his salary alone? How could he socialize with his superiors or help colleagues and friends? If it weren’t for the subsidies from the communal funds, our family would have long been destitute. And how could your father have built such a reputation in the capital? It was all built with silver!"
This was the first time Cheng Xu had heard of this. He asked, "Mother, isn’t it Fourth Uncle who manages the family affairs now?"
"That’s only because the Second Branch needs someone capable of handling them!" Madam Yuan said sarcastically. "If Cheng Shi were to manage family affairs, how would he have the time and energy to prepare for the imperial examinations? Otherwise, why would your Fourth Uncle, a distinguished jinshi with such talent and learning, be stuck at home? Your Fourth Uncle is doing this for the sake of your father and your Second Uncle!"So grandmother, father, uncle, and even Second Granduncle and Third Uncle in the capital all feel they’ve let Fourth Uncle down?
Cheng Xu murmured, "Didn’t Fourth Uncle establish Yutai Bank? At worst, we could give the family’s shared properties to the second branch, and we could live separately. With Fourth Uncle’s abilities, I don’t believe we wouldn’t manage!"
"If only things were as simple as you imagine!" Madam Yuan thought of how she had suggested the same thing when she first married into the family, before Yutai Bank even existed, and how her husband had smiled bitterly. She sighed helplessly and said, "You’re still young, and some matters aren’t yet the right time to tell you. Just listen to your mother, study hard, earn an official rank, and bring back the family genealogy—that would make me happy."
"Just listen to your mother, study hard, earn an official rank, and I’ll find you a wife who can help you in your career—that would make me happy." This was something his mother had told him countless times since childhood, except today she added, "and bring back the family genealogy."
In the past, hearing this would excite him, even fill him with pride. He thought of how his mother was the daughter of a grand secretary, and if nothing unexpected happened, his father could also become a grand secretary. If he, too, could become a grand secretary like his father, his mother would become the first woman in history to achieve such a distinction... He truly wanted to give his mother this honor.
But today, he had other thoughts.
"Mother!" Cheng Xu smiled. "Everything has its pros and cons. Marrying into an official family may help my career, but it also comes with many frivolous sons and troublesome matters. Take our family, for example—isn’t there the fifth branch? I think it would be better for you to find me a girl from a respectable, simple family, whose father serves as an official in the court. At least she wouldn’t hold me back... If I work hard and advance on my own, I might still earn an honorary title for you."
Madam Yuan was startled.
The conditions her son laid out perfectly matched Zhou Shaojin’s family background.
It seemed her son truly had his eye on Zhou Shaojin!
But she didn’t want to clash with her son over this. Not only did she show no sign of surprise, she even smiled and said, "You seem to have thought this through. Have you taken a liking to some girl? Tell me quickly! Who is she? What does she look like? How did you meet her?"
Cheng Xu didn’t dare say.
He knew that if he revealed even a hint, Zhou Shaojin would be suspected of improper conduct with him. He could ignore whatever Cheng Lu said, because given Cheng Lu’s status, as long as the Cheng family denied it, no one would believe him. But he couldn’t let the elders in the family suspect Zhou Shaojin. Otherwise, even if he married her, she wouldn’t have a good life. It might even make his mother dissatisfied, leading to discord between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law...
He smiled nonchalantly and said, "Mother, am I that kind of person? To secretly spy on other families’ daughters? I was just speaking and thinking out loud. In the end, it’s the parents’ decision and the matchmaker’s words—I’ll still have to listen to you."
"Good!" Madam Yuan had been waiting for her son to say this. She smiled and said, "I’ve taken a liking to the eldest daughter of the Min family in Fujian—the younger sister of Min Jianxing, the top scholar in the Renchen imperial examination. You must have heard of their family: one imperial tutor, two top scholars, one second-place scholar, and twelve jinshi..."Cheng Xu's mind buzzed with a sudden "hum." He could barely make out what his mother was saying, yet he knew deep down that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
His mother’s designs on the Min family were certainly not a spur-of-the-moment idea. Once she set her mind on something, few could sway her.
He shot to his feet in an instant.
"What do you think you’re doing?" Madam Yuan’s expression darkened, her gaze sharp as a blade as it fell on Cheng Xu’s face. "I’m speaking to you! What’s gotten into you, acting so stubborn?"
Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Cheng Xu snapped back to his senses.
He kept reminding himself inwardly.
Stay calm, you must stay calm. Otherwise, things will surely go awry, and the situation could spiral out of control!
※
What did you all gain yesterday, sisters?
o(n_n)o Haha!
Today’s update!
※ (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please feel free to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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