"Тhis mаttеr seems rathеr оdd," Zhou Zhen musеd thoughtfully.
Zhоu Shаоjin widеnеd hеr eyеs. "What do you mean, оdd?"
Nоw that his dаughter wаs hеlрing Оld Mаdаm Guо оf thе eldеst branch cорy sсriptures, and hе hopеd to elеvаtе his dаughtеr's stаtus thrоugh Old Mаdаm Guo, Zhоu Zhеn nаturallу leаnеd more tоwаrd the еldest branch сomparеd tо thе seсond and third branсhеs.
Нaving his dаughtеr раss а mеssagе tо the еldest brаnch would аlso bе асcерtаblе!
Having madе up his mind, Zhou Zhen said seriоusly, "No mattеr how prоminent а fаmily is, its finаncial resources, material assets, and connections are limited. Only the most outstanding members of the family receive the family's full support. However, because 'man proposes, but Heaven disposes,' the family would not abandon other talented members either. As for Fourth Master Chi of the eldest branch, I've only met him twice before and never spoken with him. But this time..." He frowned. "Setting aside the fact that he holds an official degree, his conduct and demeanor—steady yet adaptable, meticulous yet forthright—show him to be an extremely capable and well-rounded person. He is more outstanding than many of his peers I've met, even those much older than him. How could the Cheng family have him manage household affairs instead of serving as an official? Isn't that a waste?"
After all, producing a jinshi in a family was no simple feat.
"Father thinks so too?" Zhou Shaojin's eyes lit up as she listened. "I also found it strange. But I heard from people in Nine Prosperities Lane that it's because the eldest branch's First Master and Second Master are both serving as officials outside, so there's no one to manage the household affairs."
"Isn't there also Cheng Jiashan?"
"But Cheng Jiashan is a case head!" Zhou Shaojin murmured cautiously.
Zhou Zhen disagreed. "So far, he's only a case head. But Fourth Master Chi has already earned his official degree."
Indeed!
Rather than waiting for Cheng Jiashan to pass the provincial and metropolitan exams—who knew how many years that would take—Cheng Chi was already fully prepared, lacking only the opportunity.
It must be Madam Yuan scheming to keep Cheng Chi at home for the sake of her own son.
Zhou Shaojin speculated with some malice but still spoke honestly. "Cheng Jiashan is the legitimate grandson of the eldest branch. If he were to manage household affairs, who would support the eldest branch when Uncle Jing and the others retire?"
Zhou Zhen laughed. "By that logic, wouldn't our Zhou family be left with nothing?"
Zhou Shaojin fell silent.
In their Zhou family, her father served as an official outside. Her two daughters were raised in their maternal grandmother's home, and all household affairs relied on Ma Fushan. Not only were their needs never lacking, but the family's assets also increased year by year. By the time her elder sister married, her father was able to purchase three hundred mu of paddy fields in Huzhou as her dowry.
After all, the south was not like the north. With a large population and limited land, a family with seven or eight mu was already considered well-off. Three hundred mu of paddy fields was equivalent to several large estates in the north.Zhou Zhen said, "Cheng Chi is only twenty-five this year. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be at least thirty years, perhaps even forty, before he retires. By then, Cheng Jiashan will probably have grandchildren already, won’t he? Even if they consider Cheng Jiashan a promising scholar and are reluctant to hinder his future, doesn’t Second Master Wei have another son? Why not send him back to the ancestral home to learn how to manage the family affairs under Fourth Master Chi? With capable senior stewards overseeing things and Old Madam Guo assisting, even if he were utterly incompetent, he could muddle through for a few years. Besides, the foundation of an official family doesn’t lie in this. As long as the three brothers of the eldest branch remain long in their official careers, the Cheng family’s affairs won’t collapse. Even I understand this logic. How could the ancestors of the Cheng family’s second branch and Old Madam Guo not know it?"
As he spoke, he stood up with a heavy heart, pacing back and forth in the room twice before stopping to ask Zhou Shaojin, "Do Old Madam Guo and Madam Yuan know that Fourth Master Chi didn’t attend today’s banquet? What was their reaction?"
Zhou Shaojin looked at her father curiously and said, "Don’t you know? Old Madam Guo didn’t attend at all, and Madam Yuan left after sitting for a while. It was Old Madam Li of the second branch who led Aunt Lu and others to accompany Mother."
Old Madam Guo had long ceased receiving guests on the grounds of widowhood, which was why visitors to the Cheng family considered it an honor to meet her. Last time they visited the eldest branch, everyone thought meeting Madam Yuan would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, Old Madam Guo personally received Madam Li. That was why Zhou Zhen said they were all benefiting from Zhou Shaojin’s influence.
"So that’s how it is!" Zhou Zhen listened thoughtfully and said, "There’s something you probably don’t know either. After the midday banquet, Elder Ze called me to his study and formally introduced your cousin Cheng Youyi to me. He even had him serve by my side while we played a few rounds of chess. During our conversation, he not only mentioned some of his former students and acquaintances in the capital but also brought up the Hong and Huang families..."
What did this mean?
Was he trying to win over Father?
Was this why Cheng Xu personally hosted Father with such high regard, even having all the men of Nine Prosperities Lane who were at home accompany him?
But Father was merely a transferred prefect of Baoding, still far from the position of a Nine Minister... Wouldn’t Cheng Xu risk losing more than he gained by doing this?
"Then... what did you say?" Zhou Shaojin asked stiffly.
Cheng Xu had a perfectly capable Cheng Chi at his disposal, yet he was eagerly currying favor everywhere for his own grandson, who only held the rank of a xiucai!
Wasn’t Old Madam Guo supposed to be a woman of extraordinary talent? Why didn’t she intervene?
Cheng Chi was such a proud person—he would surely disdain fighting for such things. But if he didn’t fight, with Cheng Xu ahead and Cheng Shi behind, and a watchful Cheng Xu by his side, he would spend his whole life stuck managing the Cheng family’s affairs.
What was the point of working so hard to earn a jinshi degree?
No wonder she had no impression of this Uncle Chi in her previous life!In the end, the Cheng family was raided and exterminated. Uncle Chi managed to escape, yet he turned back to raid the execution ground... It must have been because Cheng Xu was the eldest grandson of the Cheng family's main branch. Otherwise, living under an assumed name, he could have led a peaceful and stable life. Why would he have been pursued by the imperial court? Cheng Lu said that Cheng Xu lost an arm—could Uncle Chi have been injured as well? It’s just hateful that back then, I didn’t even know who Uncle Chi was, nor did I think to ask...
Zhou Shaojin thought to herself, feeling deeply indignant on Cheng Chi’s behalf. Unconsciously, her lips pouted as she said, "Father, don’t fall for the Second Branch’s patriarch’s scheme. He’s just like Lü Buwei, treating you as a 'rare commodity to be hoarded'! If you’re still serving as the prefect of Baoding during the next imperial examination, just see if the Second Branch’s patriarch will still value you so highly!"
"Nonsense," Zhou Zhen scolded with a laugh. "Is that how 'rare commodity to be hoarded' is used?"
Zhou Shaojin pouted at her father.
Zhou Zhen couldn’t help but find it amusing.
It seemed this little girl was just as he had guessed—among the Cheng family’s branches, aside from the Fourth Branch, she was quite partial to the Main Branch.
"Silly girl," Zhou Zhen said with a smile, patting her head. "Some things can only be understood, not spoken. Elder Ze couldn’t possibly say to my face, 'This is my great-grandson. If you promise to look after him in the future, I’ll have my relatives, friends, disciples, and old acquaintances support you more, making your official career smoother.' Nor could I say, 'Don’t worry. If I ever have the chance, I’ll definitely look after your great-grandson...' It’s all too early for such things. However," he paused, his expression turning serious, "the Cheng family’s branches are in chaos. You and your sister must be careful in your actions from now on, and don’t get yourselves involved."
Has the Cheng family fallen into chaos so early?
My brother-in-law once said that everything rots from within first. Once it’s rotten inside, outsiders can usually break in with ease.
Could this be the reason the Cheng family ultimately couldn’t escape the fate of being raided and exterminated?
Zhou Shaojin said, "Father, there’s something I need to tell you!"
Zhou Zhen raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Shaojin told her father about her observation that the Main Branch and Second Branch seemed to be joining forces to suppress the Third Branch: "...It seems like it started a long time ago. Do you think Cheng Ze might have done something to wrong Cheng Bei and Cheng Xu?"
Zhou Zhen was very surprised. He thought carefully and said, "You might actually be right. If Cheng Ze of the Third Branch really did something to wrong the Main Branch and Second Branch, then it makes sense for them to suppress him—as long as the Third Branch doesn’t produce a jinshi or a Junior Scholar Candidate to uphold the family’s reputation, they’ll have to rely on the Main Branch and Second Branch to survive. And they’ll have to worry day and night about being suppressed or retaliated against by them."
But in the end, the Third Branch won.
If someone told Zhou Shaojin now that the Third Branch had nothing to do with her being harmed in her past life, she wouldn’t believe it even if beaten to death!
Zhou Shaojin fell silent.
Zhou Zhen assumed she was worried about the Cheng family and said with a smile, "Don’t think so much, child. The Cheng family still has your Uncle Jing and Uncle Wei, doesn’t it? At worst, you can just return to the Zhou family. No matter what, your father will ensure your safety."
Zhou Shaojin believed him.She nodded, tugging at her father's sleeve, and said, "Father, if you find out anything about Cheng Lu, please let me know. Cheng Lu is a very cunning person. Even though he was sent to Yuelu Academy by Aunt Jing, who knows if he might hatch some new scheme? We need to be on guard against him."
"Alright!" Zhou Zhen laughed. "If there's any news, I'll definitely tell you." Though his tone was caring, it lacked seriousness, clearly not taking Zhou Shaojin's warning to heart.
Zhou Shaojin sighed inwardly.
She had known it would be like this.
No one really believed her.
If only Uncle Chi were here.
He would definitely listen carefully to what she had to say.
Thinking of this, Zhou Shaojin suddenly realized that Cheng Chi seemed particularly... cautious.
He paid close attention to small matters and minor details.
Did that mean if she could gain Cheng Chi's trust, she might be able to save the Cheng family?
It seemed she should make more appearances in front of Uncle Chi.
At the very least, she could become a familiar face!
Otherwise, why would Uncle Chi believe her?
Having made up her mind, Zhou Shaojin no longer dwelled on her father not taking her to his post. Instead, she turned her concern to him: "Are you going out tomorrow? What for?"
"A fellow scholar who has returned home for mourning invited me to a temple for vegetarian meals," Zhou Zhen said, thinking of how rarely his younger daughter went out. "Would you and your sister like to come along?"
Zhou Shaojin shook her head like a rattle drum. "I won't go. You can take my sister!"
Just going to Mochou Lake during the Ghost Festival had already caused so much trouble. It would be better for her to stay quietly at home and do needlework.
※
Sisters, today's extra update.
Corrected typos, though some often slip through. I'll have a friend look it over a second time.
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
OpenNovel