Тhе соusin from Jinling...
Wu Baоzhаng found thesе words eхtrеmеlу grаting. Shе wanted tо say something but felt that nоthing wоuld be аpрrорriаte аt thе mоmеnt, sо she simрly lowerеd hеr heаd and took а few sips оf tea.
Сhеng Lu аррrоаched.
Не first greеtеd Мadаm Chеn with а warm smile: "Наve уou finished all thе trivial matters fоr tоdаy? I hеard my cоusin frоm Jinling hаs arrivеd..." Аs hе sроkе, his gazе finаlly turnеd towаrd Wu Baоzhang. Нis jаdе-like fасе rеmained eхpressionless, and еven a hint of сonfusion fliсkerеd in his еyеs. After a moment, he spoke in a tentative tone: "You are... the eldest daughter of Prefect Wu’s family?!"
He actually pretended not to know her at all.
Wu Baozhang felt a suffocating tightness in her chest, unable to catch her breath for a long while.
Cheng Lu leaned over and said to Madam Chen: "She is the daughter of Prefect Wu of Jinling, married to Cheng Nuo of the fifth branch of Nine Prosperities Lane. In a way, she could be considered my cousin-in-law, but not my cousin. Now, Uncle Wen of the fifth branch is doing business in the capital. She came here claiming to be my cousin, probably because she has something to discuss with me. Please excuse us for a moment!"
The fifth branch of the Cheng family in Nine Prosperities Lane had fallen so low that they had to run a tea shop to make a living...
Madam Chen glanced at Wu Baozhang with a faint, ambiguous smile and said, "In that case, cousin, please sit with my husband. I’ll have someone prepare lunch."
What would it mean for her to stay here for a meal?
Wu Baozhang replied coldly, "Thank you, Madam. I have a few words to say to Master Chen, and I’ll leave afterward. My family is waiting for me to return for lunch!"
Madam Chen curled her lips disdainfully, not even glancing at Wu Baozhang as she left.
The anger Wu Baozhang had suppressed in her heart flared up instantly. She stood up and said, "Cheng Xiangqing, what do you mean by this?"
But before her words fully left her lips, Cheng Lu had already sprung to his feet. His gaze, sharp as a blade, fixed directly on Wu Baozhang as he said in a low voice, "Madam Nuo. Out of respect for you as the wife of my cousin Nuo, I won’t hold your rudeness against you. But if you think you can throw a tantrum here, I am no spineless fool. My wife, out of her kindness, has given us space to talk. You should know your place. If you push me too far, don’t expect things to go well for you." Then, his expression darkened as he added, "Speak quickly! I have to leave for the Imperial College soon."
Wu Baozhang nearly choked on her anger. It felt as though she had encountered more troubles in these past two or three days than in her entire lifetime.
First, Cheng Lu had turned his back on her, and now he treated her with such contempt and neglect. That Madam Chen was so coarse and vulgar, yet Cheng Lu, for the sake of her family’s influence, acted so affectionately toward her... Back then, he had spoken to her in the same tone and manner... What was so special about Madam Chen? Compared to her, Madam Chen had nothing but her family’s influence—no, not even that. It was simply that Madam Chen had someone backing her up. And Cheng Lu treated her like dirt.
But how could she say such things out loud?
A dull pain, as if someone had struck her chest, made her fall silent for a long while.
Cheng Lu, however, grew impatient.
He had worked hard to win Madam Chen’s unwavering affection and had even managed to gain Chen Li’s trust. If Wu Baozhang ruined his plans, he would rather strangle her with his own hands right then and there.
"What exactly are you here for?" he asked impatiently, his gaze growing even colder as he stared at Wu Baozhang.Wu Baozhang felt as if she had been doused with cold water on a sweltering day, her mind clearing instantly.
Why was she making such a fuss with him now?
She should be overjoyed to be rid of Cheng Lu. Why was she stirring up trouble?
Wu Baozhang took a deep breath and immediately formed a plan. She lowered her voice and said, "Do you think I wanted to come find you? I’m just heartbroken over the more than a thousand taels of silver I gave you. I know you don’t have the money to repay me now, but you must give me something. The silver I gave you was embezzled from the Cheng family’s tea shop. If they find out, even if I’m not divorced and sent back home, I’ll never be able to hold my head up in the Cheng family again. At worst, it’s just death—what is there to fear?"
Cheng Lu didn’t believe a word of it.
A woman like Wu Baozhang, managing the household finances—wouldn’t she have skimmed a bit for herself?
He thought for a moment and said, "Go back first. I’ll find a way to get a few dozen taels from Madam Chen and have someone send it to you later. Don’t come looking for me again. When I have the money, I’ll naturally have it delivered to you."
Being a live-in son-in-law was indeed different from inheriting the family line. Wu Baozhang also knew that no matter how much she made a scene today, it wouldn’t lead to anything.
She bid farewell to Cheng Lu.
Cheng Lu had one of Madam Chen’s personal maids escort her out, then went to see Madam Chen himself.
Madam Chen asked, "What about your cousin? Is she really not staying for lunch?"
"No need," Cheng Lu said with a smile. "She heard that my father is a senior eunuch in the Qianqing Palace and thought of asking me to help her find a way to do business with the Imperial Household Department. I know that my uncle Cheng Wen and cousin Cheng Nuo aren’t cut out for business, so I turned her down to avoid causing trouble for my father." He added, "But she won’t give up easily and will likely come again. If she does, don’t worry about my face—just send her away directly."
Madam Chen agreed with a smile, though inwardly she thought otherwise.
If Cheng Lu hadn’t fallen on hard times and needed her family’s protection, how could he have ever taken a liking to someone as plain-looking as her? As for this cousin of his, she didn’t care at all. As long as she didn’t cause trouble at her home or create any scandal that would embarrass her, it was fine.
As long as her father held power, Cheng Lu would have to humble himself before her. And if one day her father passed away... Madam Chen snorted coldly. Her son was already grown—she wasn’t afraid of being unable to outmaneuver a mere live-in son-in-law!
Madam Chen gently helped Cheng Lu change his clothes.
When Wu Baozhang returned home, she didn’t see Cheng Nuo.
She couldn’t be bothered to ask about him.
But as Cheng Nuo left early and returned late for several days in a row, she couldn’t help but grow curious. She asked her maid, "Do you know what the master has been busy with these days?"
The maid smiled and said, "The master has taken on a big deal recently, one that could earn him several thousand taels of silver! He even said that once the money comes in, he’ll reward everyone with two taels each and treat everyone to a feast."
Who would have thought Cheng Nuo could actually make money!
Wu Baozhang’s mood improved slightly.
But this good mood didn’t last long. It ended a few days later when Cheng Nuo stormed into the inner chamber with a dark expression and threw a banknote at her face."Look at the mess you've made!" Cheng Nuo, usually gentle and timid, now glared like an angry guardian deity, his eyes red with urgency. "What kind of man is Cheng Lu? He’s the sort who would abandon his own birth mother without a second thought. Yet when you ran into him, not only did you lend him twenty taels of silver, but you didn’t even breathe a word about it to anyone at home? Do you even know he’s a disgrace who’s been expelled from the Cheng family? That he’s someone the eldest and second branches despise?"
The silver note stamped with the seal of Yongfu Sheng Silver Shop fluttered lightly to her feet, but she felt as if she were soaked in icy water, a chill spreading from her fingertips straight to her heart.
Cheng Lu… How dare he… How dare he…
Wu Baozhang’s eyes were also red with anxiety, but she knew all too well that she absolutely must not admit to this matter now. Once she confessed, it would likely escalate to Cheng Wen. And if it reached Cheng Wen, he would surely go to the eldest branch to apologize. After the incident in the garden last time, she had barely managed to find an excuse to convince the eldest branch that she had merely passed by unintentionally. If Cheng Lu were dragged into this again, Madam Yuan would never let her off.
"Where did you run into Cheng Lu?" she asked, her eyes welling up with tears as she feigned grievance. "How was I supposed to know I’d run into him? I bumped into him on the street that day. He shamelessly insisted I lend him some silver, and he pestered me so much I couldn’t get away. Besides, I thought of how we used to know each other—back then, he and my husband got along so well. My heart softened, so I lent him the twenty taels I had on me. I never expected him to pay it back. I just wanted to honor the bond he once shared with my husband, never intending to have any further dealings with him…"
Cheng Nuo looked at Wu Baozhang with suspicion.
How stubborn Wu Baozhang’s temper was—others might not know, but he had experienced it firsthand.
Even without a shred of reason, she could argue her way into having three parts of it.
If she truly had reason on her side, why would she put on such a show of weakness?
But he had always been timid by nature. Though he doubted her, Wu Baozhang had ultimately backed down. Besides, as she had said, they had all grown up together. Cheng Lu had excelled in his studies and had even tutored him in his lessons. Though Cheng Lu had changed, he was still his cousin. Lending him twenty taels of silver wasn’t such a big deal.
Cheng Nuo asked, "Has he come looking for you again since then?"
Seeing his tone soften, Wu Baozhang knew the storm had passed and couldn’t help but sigh in relief. "If I had seen him again, I would have told the eldest branch… That Madam Dong is still relying on the family’s support. Now that Cheng Lu has made something of himself, he ought to bring his mother here to enjoy some comfort."
As she spoke, she began to scheme about Madam Dong.
If she could bring Madam Dong to the capital, Cheng Lu’s expression would surely be a sight to behold!
While Wu Baozhang was lost in thought, a young maid hurried in and said, "Madam, the master says that the fourth wife at Chaoyang Gate has gone into labor and asks you to hurry over."
Zhou Shaojin was giving birth?
Wu Baozhang’s mouth fell open. "What day is it today?"
The maid quickly replied, "The twenty-ninth of April."
Wu Baozhang said, "It’s her first child—it probably won’t be that quick! What’s the rush?"
Cheng Nuo flared up again at her words. "Exactly. She’s having her baby. Besides the midwife and the doctor, the old madam is there to oversee things. What good would you do going over? You can’t take her place in the pain or the labor. I think you’d better not go. From now on, just stay home washing clothes and cooking. After all, whether some people go or not makes no difference!"Wu Baozhang’s temples bulged with veins as she retorted, “I was just saying it, wasn’t I? I never said I wouldn’t go! You all want to curry favor with the main branch, so you use me as a stepping stone. If you have the ability, go yourself! What kind of man forces his wife to show her face in public?”
Cheng Nuo stormed off in anger.
Wu Baozhang sat there, sulking and refusing to go. She quietly instructed her maid, “Go to Fuchengmen and ask him what he means by this. Did he bring twenty taels of silver just to mock me? Does he not intend to repay my money?”
The maid hesitated for a long while, but seeing that Wu Baozhang showed no sign of changing her mind, she had no choice but to go to Fuchengmen.
Over at Chaoyangmen, Old Madam Guo had prepared the birthing room early in the morning.
As soon as Zhou Shaojin went into labor, she was assisted into the birthing room by an experienced midwife, with a medical attendant standing by. Madam Qiu oversaw the proceedings in the birthing room, while Old Madam Guo chanted sutras in the prayer hall. Even so, giving birth still caused Zhou Shaojin considerable suffering.
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Dear readers, today’s bonus update!
O(∩_∩)O~
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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