Shao Shang’s prediction was spot on. When Cheng Shi returned home and learned of the incident, he immediately wanted to grab a knife and go butcher someone. Madam Xiao barely managed to stop him and, under the pretext of returning New Year gifts, had Mother Fu and Changpu packed off and sent back to the Ge family overnight.
Thus, aside from seizing every second to give those two a thorough beating before their departure, Cheng Shi accomplished nothing. This time, he even blamed Madam Xiao along with them. To protest, he ate three consecutive meals with Cheng Cheng and slept two nights in a row with Cheng Zhi. Cheng Zhi tactfully suggested, “Eldest brother, you could switch the order—Second brother is separated from his wife, but I’m not.” This earned him a punch from Cheng Shi.
Madam Qing Cong felt this couldn’t go on and pleaded with Sang Shi to mediate. Sang Shi smoothly passed the task to Cheng Zhi, who promptly dragged his three nephews into it, demanding they come up with a solution. The three brothers, having just finished kowtowing and apologizing to their tiger-like mother, dared not provoke their wolf-like father. None of them agreed, until the professional traitor Cheng Shao Gong had a sudden flash of inspiration: “It’s better to let the one who tied the bell untie it.” And so, the ball was kicked to Shao Shang’s feet.
Originally, Cheng Zhi and the others hesitated, but to their surprise, the Fourth Young Miss Cheng boldly accepted the task and swiftly resolved the issue. She only said three sentences to Cheng Shi:
“Right now, the household only knows that the servants caused trouble that day. If you continue to be at odds with Mother, even Second Uncle won’t be able to avoid learning the truth.”
“Soon, Second Uncle will leave to study at White Deer Mountain and won’t return for years. I hope he can set off with peace of mind, free from worries. I believe Father feels the same.”
“Elder cousin isn’t just Aunt’s daughter—she’s also Second Uncle’s flesh and blood. Though Second Uncle isn’t eloquent, I know he not only loves her dearly but also feels guilty toward her.”
Seeing his daughter’s righteous and solemn expression, Cheng Shi gritted his teeth: This little ingrate! Who was I angry and worried for, if not her? So General Cheng retorted, “If my daughter is so magnanimous, why couldn’t you let it go that day? You could’ve endured it and let your mother handle it later!”
Shao Shang shot back instantly, “It’s easy to be magnanimous when the knife hasn’t cut you. That day, I was the one who suffered—of course I wouldn’t be magnanimous. Now that Father has avenged me, now I can afford to be righteous!”
Translated, this meant: Generosity is fine—as long as it’s someone else’s generosity, not your own.
Cheng Shi was astonished that his daughter could utter such shameless words with such conviction. He had always thought he was the only one in the family capable of such a skill! But upon reflection, he realized he now had a worthy successor, and his anger dissipated. Taking the opportunity, he went to reconcile with Madam Xiao.
Madam Xiao didn’t play coy either, graciously admitting her own mistakes and declaring the matter settled. That night, the couple frankly exchanged thoughts about their only daughter.
“…At the time, it was a dire emergency. Husband’s mother was being unreasonable, and we had no time to wrestle with her—especially when we didn’t even know when we’d return.”
Ten years ago, several previously surrendered feudal lords suddenly rebelled again, plunging the already small imperial territory into chaos. While this was disastrous for most of the court, Madam Xiao had calmly assured Cheng Shi, who was still fretting: Fortune favors the bold. For newly defected generals like Wan Cheng, this is a tremendous opportunity. The situation arose suddenly. The Emperor's trusted generals and troops couldn't be recalled from the frontlines, so he indeed summoned the two brothers to handle the emergency. When Cheng Shi went to battle, Madam Xiao would naturally follow as usual. But this time, Cheng Mu—who was usually as strong as an ox—caught a minor cold for the first time in ages. Ge Shi somehow found a Shaman who cunningly claimed that the Dragon-Phoenix Twins were auspicious and must stay by Cheng Mu's side to ensure her health.
With Madam Xiao's intelligence, this scheme wasn't impossible to break. However, the summons was urgent, and there was no time to waste.
Moreover, with the army mobilizing, the couple was swamped with preparations—gathering supplies, weapons, and their Private army. In haste, Madam Xiao seized a loophole in the divination and found another Shaman to declare that "keeping one of the twins would suffice." The couple then set off immediately, with their three sons escorted later by the Private army.
The Emperor was indeed very pleased with Wan Cheng and Cheng Shi's prompt response to the summons. In the following years, the brothers fought wherever they were sent, venturing farther and farther. The more the Emperor used them, the more reliable they became—and the more he trusted them. Looking back now, their decision back then couldn't have been more correct.
"If we had to leave a child behind, naturally, the fewer the better. Let me ask you this—between sons and daughters, which is more likely to bring catastrophic disaster upon the family? Sons can join the military, serve in office, or travel for trade—you can't restrain them! Lord Zhi Xiang, who thought himself brilliantly cunning, devised the 'nibbling away at fiefdoms' strategy, only to meet defeat and death, with his entire clan of over two hundred slaughtered. Pitiful how a century of the Zhi family's legacy was destroyed overnight! Then there was Minister Chao, who advised the Emperor to weaken the feudal lords and centralize power. His father pleaded in vain to stop him, and in the end, three generations of their family were executed—and he was a loyal minister at that! As for treacherous officials who ruined their families, they're too numerous to count!"
Madam Xiao spoke eloquently, and at times like these, Cheng Shi could only listen with his head bowed.
Kindness doesn't manage wealth, and mercy doesn't command troops. Both husband and wife had been tempered through life-and-death trials. On the battlefield, a moment's hesitation could lead to a crushing defeat. Since they couldn't argue with Cheng Mu, they had to minimize their losses.
"We started from humble beginnings and have seen countless families ruined by their sons' misdeeds. To speak bluntly—when Marquis Li pledged allegiance to Your Majesty to rise in rebellion, over sixty of his kinsmen were killed and their corpses burned. It was horrifying! But since ancient times, how many daughters have brought such calamity upon their families?"
At this, Cheng Shi couldn't help interjecting, "But hasn't the Li family prospered again now?"
Madam Xiao glared. "That's because Marquis Li chose the right master! What if he had sided with a Usurper? Back when warlords rose everywhere, many proclaimed themselves kings or emperors, surrounded by followers. What became of their families and trusted aides in the end?"
Cheng Shi surrendered, quickly saying, "Alright, alright, I understand your point. Sons must be raised properly—otherwise, even if they just end up slovenly and destitute, it's merely an extra mouth to feed at home. The real fear is that they become wicked, treacherous villains, ruining the family at best or implicating the entire clan at worst. As for daughters, daughters..."
He couldn't continue. What followed was too cruel and unkind—only the closest kin could say it aloud. Daughters would eventually marry out—for the Cheng family, no matter how bad it got, it wouldn't be too disastrous. As long as they didn't enter the palace as concubines or marry into prominent noble houses, in these peaceful times, they could never stir up major trouble.
"That may be so, but Niao Niao is our own flesh and blood. Treating her this way—I can't bear it," Cheng Shi sighed.Madam Xiao gazed at her husband's face and suddenly recalled her former husband's words—that she was born with a heart of stone, sterner than any man's.
She said, "When I insisted on leaving Niao Niao behind back then, I had already prepared for the worst. Petty schemes and minor misdeeds don’t matter. What I feared most was that she might be raised too weak—a ‘weak’ nature is far worse than cunning or wickedness. A woman who is soft and spineless is nothing but meat on a chopping block, waiting to be trampled upon. That’s why I even asked Qing Cong to pick a clever but honest maid for her—don’t say I’m biased now, I had no idea ten years ago that she’d grow up resembling my mother. Who could have guessed, who could have guessed..."
"Who could have guessed you were completely wrong," Cheng Shi said with pride. "Back then, you worried she’d be too weak, but now you’re worried she’s too fierce. Seems like no matter what, you just can’t find her satisfactory."
Madam Xiao sighed. "This time, you’ve hit the mark. She’s also far too clever."
Cheng Shi mused, "And that makes you even more uneasy?"
Madam Xiao nodded. "Don’t keep accusing me of favoritism. Shunhua may be slow-witted, but she’s dutiful and steady. I’d trust her to marry into any household—she wouldn’t stir up trouble. But Niao Niao..." She exhaled sharply, raising her voice. "She fears neither heaven nor earth! If she’s displeased, she’d pluck the beards off eight generations of her son-in-law’s ancestors and twist them into calligraphy brushes—believe it or not! At that point, who knows if our Cheng family would be forging a marriage alliance or a feud!"
Cheng Shi struggled not to laugh, then sighed again. Sharp-witted and unruly—those two traits combined were truly a recipe for disaster. He asked, "So what do you propose?"
Madam Xiao replied calmly, "In the future, we’ll find her a kind, honest, and well-off family to marry into. A peaceful life is enough. Even if marital quarrels arise, you and our sons can back her up. That’s what’s truly best for her!" Then she added mockingly, "But with her temper, it’s unlikely any son-in-law could bully her. Instead, you and the boys should worry about whether you’ll have to apologize to the in-laws every other day!"
Cheng Shi frowned. If their child were mediocre, such an arrangement might suffice, but even a blind man could see the brilliance in their youngest daughter. He said, "We ourselves have always strived for excellence. Yet now you want Niao Niao to settle for mediocrity—do you think she’d agree?"
"Marriage is a matter of parental decree. Why wouldn’t she?" Madam Xiao retorted.
After a long silence, Cheng Shi said, "You’re too self-assured. I hope you won’t regret this in the future."
Madam Xiao lifted her chin defiantly. "No regrets once the move is made! I’d rather die than regret a single thing I’ve done in this life. Besides..."
She shot her husband a sidelong glance. "Do you think the female lords out there are blind and deaf? Have they not heard of Niao Niao’s domineering reputation or failed to notice her defiant behavior? Shunhua told me she knew at first glance that Niao Niao was no ordinary gentle lady!"
"Nonsense!" Cheng Shi countered. "Just earlier, Third Brother told me that Sang Shi adores Niao Niao."
As the two teetered on the brink of another argument, Madam Qing Cong, who had been waiting outside to confirm the couple’s reconciliation, couldn’t help but shake her head—why couldn’t Sang Shi simply favor Niao Niao’s type?
In truth, Cheng Zhi found his wife’s partiality rather intriguing as well.In just these few short days, Sang Shi had already managed to gift Shao Shang a jade bracelet, two golden phoenix hairpins, and three treasured scrolls. If not for his desperate intervention, Sang Shi would have even altered a brocade belt originally meant for him to give to Shao Shang.
Now, she was caressing a newly acquired jade belt hook, murmuring about how well it would suit Shao Shang.
"Yang Yang is gentle and kind. Why don’t you adore her as much as you do Shao Shang?" Cheng Zhi wasn’t trying to stir trouble—he was merely curious.
Sang Shi stroked the smooth jade of the belt hook, tilting her head in thought. Truthfully, she liked Yang Yang too, but she couldn’t deny her greater fondness for Niao Niao.
Most girls in their early teens, no matter how strong-willed, yearn for their parents' love and approval. But Niao Niao was entirely different. She seemed utterly indifferent to whether Madam Xiao understood her, pitied her, or even loved her.
If she wanted something, she found a way to get it herself. And this time, she had achieved everything she desired.
Sang Shi observed coldly: Madam Xiao personally taught Yang Yang how to manage household affairs, while Shao Shang was confined at home, itching with envy. But Madam Xiao was resolute by nature, rarely swayed once her mind was made up—pleading was futile. Who could have predicted that a sudden upheaval would present the girl with such a golden opportunity, killing two birds with one stone?
First, Shao Shang had exposed her birth mother’s favoritism. Before, Madam Xiao’s bias had been subtle, and if Shao Shang had complained, people would have accused her of jealousy and pettiness. But now, Madam Xiao could no longer act as freely as before. On the contrary, every move she made would be scrutinized, with her husband and sons questioning whether she was being "partial" again.
Second, Shao Shang longed to see the world beyond and act freely, while Madam Xiao insisted she stay within the inner quarters to cultivate her temperament. Both had their reasons, and both were strong-willed. Now, though Madam Xiao said nothing, Sang Shi knew she was deeply unsettled. Over the past two days, the brothers had taken Shao Shang on carriage rides all over the city, and Madam Xiao hadn’t uttered a word of protest—likely a silent concession.
Recalling the scene in Nine Dapple Hall that day—Madam Xiao’s thunderous rage, Madam Qing Cong’s gentle coaxing, the three brothers desperately trying to stop Shao Shang from speaking further—yet the girl had refused to back down.
Why did she adore her? Upon reflection, perhaps it was because she, too, had once stood alone against the world, just like Shao Shang.
"Elder Sister Yuan Yi is perfect in every way, except for her stubbornness," Cheng Zhi sighed, shaking his head. He had been young when Madam Xiao married into the family, and the childhood habit of calling her "Elder Sister" sometimes slipped out. "But Shao Shang isn’t blameless either. Who schemes like that?"
Sang Shi placed the jade hook into an embroidered box, then turned back with a smile. "Let me ask you this. For our Wei Wei, would you rather she grow up to be like Yang Yang or like Niao Niao?"
Cheng Zhi pondered for a moment before sighing. "I’d prefer her to be like Niao Niao. I’d rather she scheme against us than be like Yang Yang, helpless in the face of injustice. The world won’t always have someone to protect you." Cheng Yang had been extraordinarily lucky, but no one could guarantee that luck would last forever.
"I love Niao Niao precisely because she never wallows in self-pity. When faced with hardship, she finds a way—even if it’s a terrible one." There was a vibrant charm to the girl, a fierce, unyielding spirit that brimmed with life.As she spoke, Sang Shi grew worried again. "But perhaps being born lucky like Yangyang, loved and cared for everywhere she goes without needing to scheme or calculate—just staying dutiful and modest—is the real blessing."
And so, the two couples arrived at completely different conclusions.
Author's Note: No one is perfect. Throughout history, both in the East and West, how many great figures who achieved dazzling success in their careers ended up with a mess when it came to their children?
Take Fang Xuanling, for instance—with his intellect and status, yet look at his sons. Later, even his memorial tablet in Lingxiao Pavilion was removed. How pitiful.
Or consider President Reagan and his wife, famously one of the most loving couples in U.S. presidential history, who outmaneuvered the former Soviet Union in their political careers. Yet their children? Among the most unfilial descendants in American presidential history.
Thus, Madam Xiao's missteps in handling her children do not diminish her exceptional vision and formidable execution in grand endeavors.
The world is just like this—such figures are a dime a dozen, dear.
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