Zhou Shaojin poked her head into Cheng Chi’s cabin doorway.

Cheng Chi was in the midst of an animated discussion with Old Master Song: “The court couldn’t possibly allocate so much money to use waterwheels for irrigating fields to reduce flooding. In my view, rebuilding the river embankments is the feasible strategy…”

Zhou Shaojin secretly stuck out her tongue inwardly. Just as she was about to withdraw her head, Cheng Chi suddenly looked over and said, “Do you need something?”

He seemed still immersed in his discussion with Old Master Song just now, his gaze profound, his expression stern, looking extremely serious.

Was this what Uncle Chi looked like when discussing serious matters normally?

Zhou Shaojin thought to herself and said with a smile, “The kitchen made some new pastries. I was wondering if you’d like some?”

The pastries were actually made by her own hands.

“We’re not eating pastries,” Cheng Chi said solemnly. “Old Master Song and I have matters to discuss. You keep them for yourselves!”

The implication was that she shouldn’t come disturb them.

Old Master Song nodded upon hearing this, looking as if he wanted her to leave quickly.

It seemed this approach wouldn’t work!

Zhou Shaojin coughed lightly and withdrew.

The next day, Cheng Chi was still behind closed doors talking with Old Master Song.

Zhou Shaojin asked if they wanted tea.

Before Cheng Chi could speak, Old Master Song had already pointed to the tea cup in front of him and said, “This Longjing is quite good. I could tell with one sip it’s pre-Qingming tea. No need to change it—I’ll just drink this.”

Zhou Shaojin had no choice but to withdraw again.

On the third day, Cheng Chi and Old Master Song were using abacuses in the room calculating something.

Zhou Shaojin took advantage of their idle moment to go in and ask them, “…The boatmen caught some fresh small fish and shrimp. Chun Wan and the others are planning to coat them in flour and fry them. Should I bring you a plate?”

“No need,” Cheng Chi said without taking his eyes off the draft in front of him. To Old Master Song he said, “I calculated it as forty-nine. What did you get? I keep feeling there’s something wrong with this number. There’s no reason the water flow would weaken after the river channel is dredged.”

Old Master Song didn’t even glance at Zhou Shaojin and said, “I also think there’s something wrong with this number. Should we calculate it again from the beginning?”

Cheng Chi grabbed the abacus and shook it up and down, and the beads all neatly returned to their proper positions.

He instructed Qingfeng, “Go get us another stack of paper.”

Qingfeng scurried into the adjacent small room, brought out a ream of paper, and began cutting it into one-foot squares.

Zhou Shaojin sighed and had to withdraw.

When she reached the outside, Chun Wan hurried up to her and asked nervously, “What did Fourth Master say?”

“He didn’t say anything,” Zhou Shaojin said despondently. “Uncle Chi is very busy and has no time for us.”

“Then what should we do?” Chun Wan frowned. “How about you just go directly and say ‘sorry’ to Fourth Master?”

“That requires having the opportunity!” Zhou Shaojin said helplessly. “Uncle Chi has started calculating those water flows again.”

Chun Wan was rather speechless.

When Fourth Master got into calculating these things, he truly recognized no one—last time Biyu, following Old Madam Guo’s orders, had made Fourth Master an undergarment and called him over to try it on. Nanny Lu ran back and forth five or six times, not only failing to get Fourth Master to go to Old Madam Guo’s quarters to try on the clothes, but was actually driven out by Fourth Master.

Zhou Shaojin said, “Go see if the kitchen has any fresh melons or fruits. Tomorrow I’ll try cutting a fruit platter to send in. If Uncle Chi still ignores me, there’s nothing I can do.”

Chun Wan nodded and went to the kitchen.

After a cup of tea’s time, she came back to report to Zhou Shaojin: “They said that tonight after the boat stops, they’ll go ashore to buy some pears.”

“Then we’ll make stewed pear and lily soup,” Zhou Shaojin murmured. The next day, as soon as the kitchen had made it, she personally carried it over.

Cheng Chi was frowning, pacing back and forth in the room.

One could see that the progress on those calculations was not going smoothly.

Zhou Shaojin felt her timing for entering was somewhat inopportune.

Sure enough, before she could speak, Cheng Chi had already pointed to the tea table beside him and said, “What are you carrying? Just put it there for now!” Then without asking her another question, he walked straight to the desk and continued calculating.

Old Master Song, meanwhile, was leaning back wearily in the grand armchair beside him with his eyes closed, resting.

Zhou Shaojin placed the pear and lily soup on the tea table and withdrew quietly on light feet.

Chun Wan looked delighted upon seeing her.

But Zhou Shaojin shook her head at her bitterly.

Chun Wan’s expression dimmed.

Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing this.

She took a deep breath and said to Chun Wan encouragingly, “Forget it. Uncle Chi has always been broad-minded. He surely won’t hold this against me. Let’s not worry unnecessarily. Tomorrow we’ll just do what we’re supposed to do!”

That was all they could do.

Chun Wan consoled herself and returned to the cabin with Zhou Shaojin.

Zhou Shaojin stopped seeking out Cheng Chi. She accompanied Old Madam Guo as before, and when Old Madam Guo and Madam Song talked about those old stories, she would quietly sit to the side doing needlework.

Gradually, she began to pick up the flavor of things.

Especially those anecdotes about the famous families of Jiangnan. For instance, how the Haining Gu family rose to prominence, from which generation the Zhenjiang Liao clan began to prosper, which families from the previous dynasty that had been known for poetry, scholarship, and ritual propriety had now declined, what the reasons for their decline were, and which families had become even more prosperous, and who had brought about that prosperity… Listening to Old Madam Guo speak, a map of marriage relationships among the great clans of Jiangnan gradually emerged in Zhou Shaojin’s mind.

She discovered how small the world was—it seemed like turning a corner would bring you to an acquaintance, and although she didn’t know these people, she knew what relationship they had with her.

This feeling was very wonderful.

Zhou Shaojin listened even more attentively.

When Old Madam Guo spoke to Madam Song about these things, she still held back somewhat. But after Madam Song left and only Zhou Shaojin remained, Old Madam Guo would usually add a sentence or two, and just these two sentences could often greatly shock Zhou Shaojin. Like last night, when Old Madam Guo had kept her to comb her hair, she quietly told her that Gao Yao’s father-in-law, Minister of Works and Grand Secretary of the Jinshen Hall Qu Yuan, was a son born of a concubine. Because his birth mother was especially favored, when he was ten years old, his legitimate mother, taking advantage of his father’s absence, poisoned his birth mother into muteness and sold her to a brothel. She later escaped and encountered the head of the Shen family, who kept her outside and she bore a son. This son, through a charitable hall, was adopted back into the Shen family as an adopted son. Later when Qu Yuan gained power, he found a way to locate his birth mother. Although mother and son didn’t officially recognize each other, Qu Yuan took very good care of his half-brother from the same mother. And Qu Yuan’s half-brother from the same mother was none other than Shen Qingyun, the Vice Prefect of Jinling… This was why successive Jinling Prefects could never touch Shen Qingyun…

Zhou Shaojin remembered that her mouth had opened wide enough to swallow an egg at the time.

But Old Madam Guo had just smiled as if nothing had happened.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t sleep for half the night.

Had Old Madam Guo ever told these things to Madam Yuan?

If Madam Yuan had known these secrets that Old Madam Guo knew, yet the Cheng family still couldn’t escape the fate of being completely executed, then…

Zhou Shaojin could say with almost certainty that the Cheng family must have been involved in imperial family affairs, and moreover, involved in something very dishonorable. That was why the Cheng family was completely destroyed so quickly. Otherwise, with the Cheng family’s connections and foundation, they absolutely wouldn’t have fallen so rapidly.

In fact, for the Cheng family clan far away in Jinling City, even if the Cheng family members in the capital had committed the greatest crimes, it wouldn’t warrant not even sparing the main family, and moreover, regardless of which branch or household, as long as they lived in Jiuru Lane, all perished.

What scandal had occurred in the imperial family back then?

The Crown Prince died of illness. The Imperial Grandson was made heir apparent, but like his father, the Imperial Grandson died of illness before the Emperor. The Emperor, overcome with grief, soon passed away as well. Only then did the Fourth Prince inherit the throne.

Zhou Shaojin tried hard to recall the events of her previous life.

The Fourth Prince was the beneficiary—she should unravel the threads starting from him.

When the Crown Prince was in position, the Fourth Prince’s birth mother was neither the Empress, nor was he himself the eldest son. Moreover, he gave the impression of being honest and dutiful, without any special talents. He was neither legitimate nor eldest, much less virtuous.

Later, after the Crown Prince died of illness, the Second Prince, Third Prince, Fifth Prince, and Seventh Prince all opposed making the Imperial Grandson the heir apparent. The Emperor stubbornly went ahead and made the Imperial Grandson heir, and the court disputed this matter for nearly a year in what was historically called the “Ritual Controversy.” It finally ended with the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate being exiled. Among them, the Second Prince, who had opposed most resolutely, was demoted to commoner status, and the Third Prince was demoted to Prince of the Second Rank. So after the Imperial Grandson died of illness, the Fourth Prince was able to triumph in his struggle with the Third Prince and ultimately inherit the throne.

Where could manipulations have been made?

The Emperor was a very strong-willed person. Not only did he live long, but during his reign, when it came to the chief eunuchs of the Inner Court’s Twenty-Four Offices, he executed or exiled them as he pleased. No one dared say an extra word before the Emperor. Even the several Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were defeated when their opinions differed from the Emperor’s. Later, someone jokingly called Yuan Weichang, who served as Grand Secretary for the longest time during the Emperor’s reign, the “Tortoise and Crane Prime Minister,” meaning he could endure like a turtle. Her brother-in-law had even mocked Yuan Weichang for this… So the matters of the Second and Third Princes couldn’t possibly have been manipulated by others.

Then it must have been the Imperial Grandson.

When the Imperial Grandson was ill, the Emperor had personally gone to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices for him. Both when leaving and entering the capital, the streets had been cleared. Lin Shisheng had even specifically sent someone to instruct her not to go out.

Half a year after the Imperial Grandson died, the Emperor passed away.

Zhou Shaojin propped her chin on her hand, really unable to figure out what matter involved the imperial family.

Or was it because she had been too far removed from these matters before?

If she hadn’t been reborn, how would she have known so many things about the Cheng family?

If she didn’t know about the Cheng family’s affairs, how would she have thought to approach Uncle Chi?

If she hadn’t approached Uncle Chi, how would she know the Cheng family had such a formidable person!

She should still find a way to have Uncle Chi pass a message to Cheng Jing as soon as possible.

Cheng Jing was now a Cabinet Minister—he should have more influence than before.

Too bad the Taoist priest trick had already been used!

But even if it hadn’t been used, trying to fool Uncle Chi and Old Madam Guo… Zhou Shaojin felt that with her abilities, that was simply impossible.

She needed to find an opportunity to speak with Uncle Chi!

But when would she be able to find this opportunity?

Zhou Shaojin was extremely troubled and decided to seize this opportunity to listen more to Old Madam Guo talk about those old matters. She vaguely felt that Old Madam Guo was intentionally telling her these things.

But she had no intention of becoming a clan wife—knowing these things probably wouldn’t be very useful, would it?