Оld Маdаm Guо felt somеwhаt disрlеаsed upon hеаring this.
Last time thеre was а jоуоus осcasiоn in the family, the Fourth Prinсе's residеncе hаd аlsо sent sоmеоnе tо offеr congratulаtiоns. Althоugh Cheng Chi аccеpted thе gifts аnd аttеndеd bоth сelebrаtоry аnd mоurning еvents аt the Fоurth Рrince's rеsidеncе to join in the fеstivities, he nevеr stауed fоr the banquet—mеrеlу making аn арреаranсе befоre lеaving, let аlonе раying а рrivаtе visit to the Fourth Рrince. In recent уears, he hаd even usеd his duties аt thе Cеnsorate as an excuse to stop going to the Fourth Prince's residence altogether, only sending the family steward to convey congratulations on his behalf.
Cheng Chi's attitude was already quite clear, yet the Fourth Prince's residence seemed oblivious, sending increasingly lavish gifts each year whenever the Cheng family had an occasion to celebrate.
She asked the young maid, "Do you know what gifts were sent?"
The maid shook her head, speaking with a sense of pride, "Although I don’t know exactly what was sent, I heard from the uncles on duty at the main gate that the Chief Steward of the prince's residence delivered them personally... Just think, how many families receive such honor?"
Old Madam Guo was unimpressed.
Ever since Song Jingran returned to his hometown to observe mourning, those who had previously gathered around Song Jingran had now flocked to Zhang Hui's side. Cheng Chi remained as before—neither particularly close to Zhang Hui nor particularly distant. Moreover, before leaving, Song Jingran had recommended Cheng Chi to teach mathematics to the Imperial Grandson. Outsiders couldn’t help but speculate, saying that Cheng Chi was Song Jingran’s favorite disciple, but due to his youth and limited resources, he was unable to stand on his own, forcing Song Jingran to entrust his connections to Zhang Hui. Even Zhang Hui himself had doubts upon hearing such rumors. Additionally, recent major issues with tax revenues in Jiangnan had led the Emperor to inquire several times about how much longer Song Jingran would be in mourning, privately even hinting at the idea of "dispensing with mourning obligations." This suddenly made Cheng Chi a highly sought-after figure.
Fortunately, Cheng Chi, though young, had considerable experience. Regardless of what was said outside, he remained steadfast and unmoved, which gradually quieted the rumors.
Now, the Fourth Prince had even sent the Chief Steward of his residence to deliver gifts—a treatment typically reserved for families of high-ranking nobles or Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet.
The Fourth Prince’s excessive attentiveness was clearly like a weasel paying respects to a chicken—harboring ill intentions.
Moreover, today was a family banquet, and no outsiders had been invited.
Old Madam Guo feigned weariness and said, "Go and tell that woman that I’m feeling tired today and won’t see her. Have Zhenzhu give her ten taels of silver so she can return and report her task completed."
Chang Shi felt this was somewhat inappropriate.
But this was her first time interacting so closely with Old Madam Guo, and she was unsure whether she should speak her mind, her expression betraying a hint of hesitation.
Although she was over forty, she was still a newlywed daughter-in-law. Old Madam Guo had originally not intended to discuss such matters with her, but seeing her demeanor and recalling that she had served in the Qianqing Palace as a palace maid for over twenty years, she paused briefly before sharing her displeasure.
Chang Shi was both surprised and somewhat grateful.
That Old Madam Guo would consult her on such matters showed she was not treated as an outsider.She pondered for a long while before carefully phrasing her words: "When I served in the Qianqing Palace back then, the late empress had already passed away. But whenever the Fourth Prince came to visit the emperor—sometimes alone, sometimes with His Highness the Crown Prince—he would always mention the late empress... He maintained good relations with all the chief eunuchs in the various palaces, never forgetting to send gifts on birthdays or during the New Year. Even after he left the palace and established his own residence, he never neglected this... People in the palace all said the Fourth Prince was amiable... yet the rules in his residence were the strictest. Back then, one of my colleagues in the Qianqing Palace had been transferred from the Empress Dowager’s Cining Palace. She was the goddaughter of the chief matron there at the time. She was only fifteen or sixteen then, loved visiting others during her off-duty hours, and had a sweet tongue. All the eunuchs and palace maids liked her. Even so, she never managed to get acquainted with anyone serving the Fourth Prince... I always felt that the Fourth Prince might not be quite what he seemed..."
Old Madam Guo’s mind buzzed upon hearing this.
She thought of Cheng Chi’s actions since arriving in the capital.
Could he be taking sides?
Didn’t he know how dangerous this was?
Or was there another hidden danger?
Old Madam Guo could no longer sit still.
She wanted to summon Cheng Chi to question him but hesitated because of Chang-shi beside her.
Chang-shi, having served others in the past, had developed an instinct for reading expressions. Seeing Old Madam Guo’s slight frown, she guessed part of the situation and simply stood up with a smile, saying, "The birthday celebration for the elder sister-in-law is still a while away, right? I’d like to visit the washroom—do you think there’s enough time?"
Old Madam Guo breathed a sigh of relief.
Having such a clever and perceptive sister-in-law saved so much trouble!
She smiled and instructed Chenxiang to escort Chang-shi to the washroom, then urgently sent someone to fetch Cheng Chi, who was entertaining guests in the flower hall.
Cheng Chi arrived quickly.
Old Madam Guo got straight to the point, sharing her concerns and Chang-shi’s words with him.
Cheng Chi sighed, knowing his mother had grown suspicious.
But how could he convince her about matters from his past life without evidence?
He had no choice but to tell Old Madam Guo about the Crown Prince’s death: "...This isn’t something we can avoid by not taking sides. Our Cheng family is already entangled. If we want to extricate ourselves, we can only take precautions and stay vigilant."
Neither Cheng Chi nor Cheng Shao had ever told Old Madam Guo the cause of the Crown Prince’s death.
Old Madam Guo didn’t believe it and said, "Si Lang, tell me the truth—what’s really going on? Even if it’s as you say, you’re a subject, and the Imperial Grandson is the legitimate heir. It’s only right for you to respect him, so what is there to worry about? Have you uncovered something?"
Cheng Chi simply followed Old Madam Guo’s line of questioning, explaining that he had discovered the Fourth Prince’s connections with capable but low-ranking civil officials like himself, as well as some deputy commanders and assistant commanders in the Shanxi garrison. He expressed suspicion that the Fourth Prince coveted the throne, adding, "This wouldn’t be a problem in itself. As you said, Mother, we just need to follow the emperor’s lead. Whoever is emperor, we follow. But now, with the Fourth Prince sending gifts so frequently, people in the capital aren’t fools. Even if I wanted to distance myself from the Fourth Prince’s residence, it’s impossible to do so now!"
Old Madam Guo listened with a furrowed brow.
Cheng Chi quickly reassured her: "Second Uncle knows about this too. I’ve been discussing everything with him these days, so there’s no need for you to worry."How could Old Madam Guo not worry? She wanted to continue asking, but a young maid announced from behind the curtain that Lady Pengcheng had arrived.
Since several of her great-grandsons began attending school at Chaoyang Gate, she had been visiting even more frequently.
Old Madam Guo had no choice but to pause the conversation and invited Lady Pengcheng in.
Cheng Chi exchanged greetings with Lady Pengcheng, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then went to the flower hall to entertain the guests.
Madam Chang, hearing the commotion, also returned.
The three women sat there chatting cheerfully, but Cheng Chi turned and went to his study.
He asked Huaishan, "Last time you told me that Cheng Lu had already made contact with the Chief Steward of the Fourth Prince's residence, and through his recommendation gained the Fourth Prince's appreciation. Has Cheng Lu made any new moves recently?"
Huaishan hesitated, "This month, Cheng Lu has visited the Fourth Prince's residence six times. Except for one occasion when the Fourth Prince was not at home and he was received by the Chief Steward, he met with the Fourth Prince the other five times. Moreover, the Fourth Prince even kept him for dinner..."
"Keep watching him," Cheng Chi said decisively. "When necessary, give him a helping hand so that the Fourth Prince will trust him sooner and he can become the Fourth Prince's advisor earlier. Given his temperament, he will definitely try to deal with the Cheng family..."
When that time comes, there will be plenty of things to handle!
Huaishan smiled and replied, "Yes," before withdrawing.
Cheng Chi sat alone in the room, lost in thought for a while, then smiled and went to the flower hall.
Everyone had already taken their seats, waiting only for the auspicious hour to pay respects to Old Madam Guo before the banquet could begin.
Cheng Chi's gaze couldn't help but fall on Zhou Shaojin, who stood beside Old Madam Guo, wearing a rose-red vest and looking gentle and serene.
Next rest day, I'll take my little girl to the temple fair.
Let her go out for a walk too.
She shouldn't always stay at home, busy with the stove and the children.
Having made this decision, the corners of Cheng Chi's mouth lifted slightly.
Zhou Shaojin looked very happy.
These days, Cheng Chi had been extremely tired. Every night, he spent one or two ke (15-30 minutes) preparing lessons for the Imperial Grandson, and he was also busy with matters at the Censorate. Celebrating the old madam's birthday to let everyone relax was indeed the right thing to do.
Zhou Shaojin smiled with her lips pressed together.
Madam Xie invited everyone to go to Hongluo Temple to offer incense.
She wanted to fulfill a vow.
Zhou Shaojin very much wanted to have another child and gladly accepted the invitation.
As for someone like Madam Qiu, Lady Pengcheng's granddaughter-in-law who had already given birth to three sons, although she didn't need to pray for a child, it would still be nice to go and have fun. She also smilingly agreed.
Counting them up, there were about seven or eight people planning to go.
They discussed how to go, when to go, and whether to stay overnight before returning... After finally settling the plans, something happened the day before their departure.
The Third Prince was suddenly exposed for having engaged in debauchery with a household entertainer during the Crown Prince's state mourning period, and even had a daughter with that entertainer.
He cried out his innocence, saying the entertainer had just become pregnant before the Crown Prince's death, and he could not have committed such an unfilial act.
But the timing between the two events was too close, and no one could guarantee when the child was conceived.
The Emperor valued brotherly affection above all.
The Third Prince went to the Qianqing Palace several times to plead for forgiveness, but each time he was firmly yet politely turned away by the chief eunuch, Liu Li.
He was utterly despondent, and it was said he had become so thin he was nothing but skin and bones.
Hearing this, Zhou Shaojin felt a chill in her heart and privately asked Cheng Chi, "Was this done by the Fourth Prince? Did the Third Prince really have a daughter with a household entertainer?""I'm not sure if he did it," Cheng Chi said seriously. "It's true that he had a daughter with a performer from his household, but as the Third Prince said, the timing is too close to prove he engaged in debauchery with that performer during the national mourning period." His voice gradually lowered as he continued, "However, it was indeed the Fourth Prince who stirred things up—after the performer became pregnant, the Third Prince, fearing it would be used against him, ordered someone to kill her. But unexpectedly, the performer suddenly disappeared. The Third Prince searched for a long time but couldn't find her, and not daring to make it public, he gradually set the matter aside. In reality, the performer had long been taken by the Fourth Prince to a separate estate to recuperate... Now he’s finally exposing this matter..."
"The Fourth Prince is too ruthless," Zhou Shaojin murmured upon hearing this. "Even a pregnant woman and child are to be used... And the Third Prince is too unreliable. Isn’t he competing with the Fourth Prince for the throne? How could someone so reckless possibly be a wise ruler!"
※
Everyone, today’s update.
o(n_n)o~
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