Тhis wау, thе rights and wrongs оf thе mаin brаnсh and Nine Prоsрerities Lаne seраrаting intо distinсt linеages wоuld naturally be weighed аnd judgеd.
Chеng Chi undеrstооd his mоther's lingеring соnсеrns and nеver minded the trоublе of аdmonishing Cheng Хu from the sеcond brаnсh. Моrеоvеr, this was onе оf the fеw рlеasurеs she hаd in hеr later уеars, sо he naturallу wouldn't interferе. Не smiled аnd agreed, "Аlright," thеn tоld Old Маdаm Guо аbоut Chеng Wеn's wish to оpеn a teа shoр.
Оld Мadаm Guо listеnеd and laughed, sаying, "Do you intend tо help the fifth brаnch gain а foоthоld in the сapital?"
Cheng Chi smiled meaningfully and replied, "That depends on whether they can establish themselves in the capital."
Previously, luring them to invest in Yutai Bank was meant to align their interests with the main branch, pulling them onto the same side to deal with the second branch. Now, although the main branch had separated, there had never been any conflict with the fourth or fifth branches. As relatives, they would lend a hand where they could. However, if they truly proved incapable, they wouldn't shield them in every matter as they had in the past.
Why was the Cheng family raided?
He had more important matters to attend to!
Although Old Madam Guo didn't know about the Cheng family being raided, the idea that they wouldn't help the fourth and fifth branches as they had before resonated deeply with her.
Especially regarding the fourth branch—because of Zhou Shaojin, after much turmoil, the fourth branch had separated from the main lineage but had become in-laws. The fourth branch still needed some guidance. As for the fifth branch, since they had never been involved in the conflicts among the main, second, and third branches, they could simply be treated as ordinary relatives.
On this point, mother and son were in agreement.
Old Madam Guo nodded and brought up the matter of the main branch's ancestral fields: "I've been thinking, we should still buy a small estate or something here in the capital. After I pass away, surely you won't travel all the way to Jinling City to pay your respects to me?"
Cheng Chi laughed and said, "I'll discuss this matter with Eldest Brother and Second Brother."
After all, his eldest brother was the head of the main branch. Matters like establishing ancestral rites and burial arrangements naturally had to be discussed with them.
Afterward, mother and son spoke about matters concerning the Jining River Governor's Office. Seeing Cheng Chi looking weary, Old Madam Guo urged him lovingly to go back to his room and rest: "You rushed back in the middle of the night yesterday and went out to meet people again today. Get some proper rest. Your maternal uncles from the Guo family will be coming this afternoon. Make sure to drink a few cups with them properly in the evening."
Cheng Chi was somewhat surprised and smiled, "The Guo uncles are coming too? You should consider reimbursing them for their travel expenses."
"Of course, I don't need you to tell me that! If they hadn't come, I might not have prepared to subsidize them. But now that they're coming, I wouldn't feel right if I didn't," Old Madam Guo said with a laugh. "Not only have your uncles come, but several elders, masters, madams, and young mistresses from the Gu family have also arrived. And people from the Shen family, the Duke of Liangguo's residence, the Zhu family—everyone who received an invitation has come. I just took a walk around the residence with Chief Steward Qin and decided to move to the Tingxiang Courtyard behind the main rooms on the eastern route tomorrow. We'll vacate the entire eastern route to use as guest quarters, otherwise, I'm afraid we won't have enough room."
Cheng Chi had only sent invitations to relatives and friends in Jinling as a courtesy. He hadn't expected everyone who received one to actually come.
He paused for a moment, then joked, "I wonder if it's because I'm well-liked or because Eldest Brother's official prestige carries weight?"
Old Madam Guo laughed and said, "Regardless, it's good that they've come."
Mother and son then began discussing the matter of moving.Tingxiang Courtyard was located behind the main residence on the east side, accessible through a small gate. Beyond it, winding paths led to secluded spots. Pavilions and the Water Pavilion were built in the style of Jiangnan gardens—small, delicate, and exquisitely lovely. Cheng Chi, thinking of Zhou Shaojin’s preference for staying indoors, had specially built this as a leisurely place for her to practice calligraphy and play the qin, lively and charming. However, the layout of the main rooms and side chambers was rather sparse, lacking a sense of solemnity, making it unsuitable for prolonged winter stays, especially for someone of Old Madam Guo’s age.
Old Madam Guo, however, didn’t mind. She smiled and said, “It’s only temporary, and the main rooms have heated floors. Let’s settle on this.”
Cheng Chi thought that since everyone had come from Jinling City for the wedding, the ladies and madams would inevitably come to pay their respects to his mother. How could he let her stay in Tingxiang Courtyard? He promptly summoned Qin Ziji and instructed him to renovate the main rooms before Old Madam Guo moved in. While other areas were difficult to alter and he felt it would be a pity to change them, the main rooms must be solemn, elegant, dignified, and exquisite.
※
After receiving the guest list from Xinglin Alley, Madam Yuan was so furious she felt a pain in her liver. As soon as Cheng Jing returned home, she couldn’t help but sob, “Mother has gone too far this time. For Fourth Uncle’s wedding, she actually sent invitations to all those relatives and old friends in Jinling City. Nine out of ten of them will personally attend Fourth Uncle’s wedding. When it’s our Jiashan’s turn to marry, people from Jinling will only send gifts but won’t come in person. When Mother scheduled Fourth Uncle’s wedding before Jiashan’s, I had a vague sense of worry, but I thought since Fourth Uncle was marrying the granddaughter of the fourth branch, it wouldn’t be overly extravagant. I held onto a sliver of hope, which is why I didn’t say anything. I never expected Mother would have no regard for Jiashan at all…”
The journey from Jinling to the capital was costly. Cheng Chi and Cheng Xu’s weddings were scheduled close together. Those who came would either stay at Chaoyang Gate to attend Cheng Xu’s wedding before returning or leave after Cheng Chi’s wedding. Those who left wouldn’t travel to the capital twice in such a short time. Those who stayed until Cheng Xu’s wedding were mostly idle female relatives. Not to mention the men, even the matriarchs of households couldn’t be away from home for so long. Even if every family in Jinling sent someone to Cheng Xu’s wedding, the attendees would be different, and the significance of the wedding would not be the same.
Moreover, Chaoyang Gate had invited Song Jingran and Zhang Hui as officiants and Third Madam Wu as the auspicious woman… What would happen to Cheng Xu’s wedding then?
What was the point of her making such elaborate preparations?
When Cheng Xu was three years old, Madam Yuan had taken him back to their hometown to serve the widowed Old Madam Guo.
Cheng Jing and she had not lived together for ten years.
Occasionally, he would return to their hometown to visit Old Madam Guo, or she would come to the capital to see him. Their conversations were always about pleasant family matters. Even during the two years Cheng Xu studied in the capital, Madam Yuan remained gentle, considerate, virtuous, and tolerant, rarely mentioning household trivialities.
Now that the entire eldest branch had moved to the capital, Madam Yuan’s complaints had grown increasingly frequent, even touching upon matters involving Old Madam Guo.
Cheng Jing thought of how she had borne him children and served the elders over the years, which couldn’t have been easy. Some complaints were understandable, and he often tried to console her gently, showing tolerance and compliance as much as possible.
But today, her words had gone too far!His originally smiling face gradually grew cold and stern.
Madam Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly recalling Cheng Jing in his younger days. He had said that he was fine with anything, that he would yield to her in all matters—except when it came to his mother and younger brothers. If she spoke ill of them, the two of them would inevitably quarrel, and Cheng Jing would absolutely never lower his head or admit fault over such matters.
She immediately felt uneasy.
Seeing that she had stopped herself in time, Cheng Jing’s expression softened slightly. He said in a deep voice, "Such words are fine if you say them in front of me, but you must not mention them in front of outsiders, not even your own siblings from your maiden family. Si Lang agreeing to marry is a good thing. Not only is Mother happy, but we, as his elder brother and sister-in-law, and his nephews and nieces, should also be happy.
"He is Jiashan’s uncle, so it is only right that he marry before Jiashan. There is nothing wrong with the chosen date.
"As for holding a grand celebration, Si Lang’s wedding is the first joyous occasion for our eldest branch since the family division. Naturally, we must send out invitations widely and invite all relatives and friends. Not to mention Mother, even if it were me, I would do the same.
"If anyone is to blame, it can only be said that Jiashan has had bad luck, coinciding with Si Lang’s wedding.
"And as for Third Sister-in-law, no matter what happened in the past, she is now your third sister-in-law. Some words and some matters should not come from your mouth.
"You must remember this carefully.
"Then there is your illness.
"In the coming days, relatives will gradually arrive. The Zheng girl and the Xiao girl have both gone to Chaoyang Gate to help, but you, as the matriarch of the family, are nowhere to be seen. Even if you have to force yourself, you should make an appearance. You should understand this reasoning without me having to explain it, shouldn’t you?"
Madam Yuan felt as if she had suddenly fallen into an ice cellar, chilled to the bone.
"You…" She stared at her husband with wide eyes, her face filled with disbelief.
Cheng Jing’s heart softened involuntarily, and his voice grew gentle. "You should learn from Second Sister-in-law! Despite her frail and sickly body, she goes to pay respects to Mother every few days. Now that Si Lang is getting married, she has even moved into Chaoyang Gate… A-Lin, you should understand that being too rigid leads to breaking."
Tears streamed down Madam Yuan’s face.
Cheng Jing sighed and gently embraced his wife, whispering softly, "Alright, alright. I’m not blaming you. You know Mother’s temper—what’s wrong with lowering your head to her? In a couple of days, I’ll be on leave. Let’s go to Chaoyang Gate together."
He gave Madam Yuan room to ease the tension.
Madam Yuan nodded, but in her heart, she was calculating. The Yuan family had Yuan Weichang’s household living in the capital, so they would definitely attend Cheng Chi’s wedding. Her maiden family only needed to send someone to offer greetings; they could all come when Cheng Xu got married. As for those in-laws…
The thought of Second Madam Fang made her head ache as well.
Second Madam Fang’s icy, expressionless face made her feel uneasy every time she recalled it.
It seemed Second Madam Fang had placed the blame squarely on her.
Although she wasn’t afraid, the thought of someone hating her so deeply made it impossible for anyone to feel at ease.
Madam Yuan leaned weakly against Cheng Jing’s shoulder.
Meanwhile, in the western wing, Cheng Chi found it hard to sleep.
Thinking that the little one was now in the same city as him, just a half-hour carriage ride away, his heart felt as sweet as if he had drunk honey. An indescribable emotion surged in his chest, boiling like water brought to a rolling boil.Should I go see her?
It had been over a month since they last met.
He had sent someone to deliver a letter saying he had returned.
He wondered if that little one had thought of him.
In just over twenty days, she would step into the house he had built to shelter her from wind and rain, living under his protection…
Thinking of this, Cheng Chi found it hard to sleep.
He got up and lay down several times, finally lying on the bed with a bitter smile.
Indeed, the gentle embrace is a hero’s grave.
He hadn’t even married yet, and he was already hesitating…
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Dear readers, the extra update will still be around five in the afternoon.
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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