But what could Yuan Shi do even if she was unwilling?
Cheng Jing’s words had been very clear—her mother-in-law’s unwillingness to give her more silver wasn’t because her mother-in-law was biased, but because she herself lacked the ability and means to win her mother-in-law’s favor.
Her chest heaved up and down with agitation.
Her mother-in-law’s private silver—she could give it to whomever she wished and in whatever amount she pleased. Though Yuan Shi felt somewhat envious, she didn’t actually think there was anything wrong with her mother-in-law doing this. What she cared about was her mother-in-law’s approach. Among the three daughters-in-law, she was both the eldest daughter-in-law and the principal wife of the clan heir. Yet when it came to dividing the household, her mother-in-law didn’t consult with her but first discussed it with the second daughter-in-law, Qiu Shi. Even Zhou Shaojin, whose height hadn’t fully grown yet, had been called in for questioning. By the time her mother-in-law formally proposed the household division, Qiu Shi and Zhou Shaojin had already obtained what they wanted and would certainly not say a word. Two against one—when the time came to divide the household, it would still be done according to her mother-in-law’s wishes.
And to think her husband kept saying that her mother-in-law had an upright temperament and wasn’t the type to scheme against people in private. Wasn’t this scheming?
If anyone was to blame, it was that her mother-in-law was too good at pretending. Her so-called upright and incorruptible image was deeply rooted in people’s hearts, so much so that even her own sons believed it without question!
Yuan Shi didn’t speak for a long time.
Cheng Jing didn’t continue the topic either—if they continued, they would only end up quarreling.
He sighed softly in his heart and said, “Today is Fourth Brother and his wife’s return visit. Did you go to see them off?”
Yuan Shi had completely forgotten about this matter.
In her heart, Zhou Shaojin was just a pitiful little thing living under their Cheng family’s roof. On ordinary days when nothing was happening, she would just indulge in sentimental musings to attract those worldly-inexperienced young men, dreaming impossible daydreams. Even though she had married Cheng Chi through some fortuitous coincidence, she was still someone who couldn’t be taken seriously. How could she take Zhou Shaojin seriously, and how could she keep her affairs in mind?
Cheng Jing could tell at a glance that she had completely forgotten about it.
His expression immediately soured. He said, “A single tree cannot make a forest. Whatever trouble you caused before was for the First Branch, for Jiashan—I’m very grateful for that. But now that we’ve separated from the First Branch, the capital Cheng family is one household. For certain matters, you need to think clearly. Without the Cheng family, whether it’s the Yuan family or the Fang family, they probably wouldn’t be so courteous to us either. Who is close and who is distant, who is near and who is far—you should have a clear sense of this in your heart.”
Yuan Shi’s expression changed dramatically. “What do you mean by that?” Her voice was shrill.
Cheng Jing frowned. “You’re smart enough—you can’t not know what I’m saying.”
When he was very young, his father had told him that eggs were only safe when placed in different baskets.
Whether or not Cheng Jing liked Cheng Chi getting too close to Song Jingran, if Cheng Chi could truly gain Song Jingran’s regard, he would have more leverage when dealing with the Yuan family, which might not necessarily be a bad thing for him.
Sometimes Yuan Shi just couldn’t control her temper!
He sighed deeply, stood up, and said, “Tomorrow you should go to Chaoyang Gate and explain things to Mother, lest Mother think you’re slighting Third Sister-in-law. In a couple days, the eldest son of Wang Jian, the Vice Minister of Personnel, is getting married. We brothers have discussed going to offer our congratulations. I won’t be coming back for dinner tonight.”
Yuan Shi pressed her lips together as she saw Cheng Jing out.
When she returned, Yuan Shi’s wet nurse advised her, “Master hasn’t had it easy these years either, not even having anyone to attend to him. Madam, sometimes when you should be gentle, you should be gentle. When your daughters-in-law enter the household and Master respects you, you’ll also have face, won’t you? Think back—how much did Old Master respect Old Madam!”
That’s why none of them—the sons or daughters-in-law—dared to slight Old Madam Guo.
Yuan Shi sighed and smiled bitterly. “How could I not know this? But I just can’t swallow this resentment in my heart.” As she spoke, she stopped in her tracks thoughtfully and said, “Come, let’s go visit Second Sister-in-law’s place.”
Yuan Shi’s wet nurse wanted to advise her, but Yuan Shi had already headed toward the rear courtyard, so she could only swallow those words of counsel.
However, the maid on duty in Qiu Shi’s rooms said, “Second Madam went to Chaoyang Gate, saying that Fourth Master and Fourth Madam are making their return visit today.”
Yuan Shi asked, “She still hasn’t returned?”
The young maid shook her head.
In the evening, Yuan Shi sent someone to inquire again. The person who returned said, “Second Madam sent word back saying that Fourth Master and Fourth Madam are both not at home. Fearing that Old Madam wouldn’t have anyone to attend to her, Second Madam is having Second Master stay there for the next few days. She’ll come back once Fourth Master and Fourth Madam return.”
A trace of mockery appeared in Yuan Shi’s eyes.
Who knows what the old madam promised her—she’s really clinging tight!
She disdainfully ordered the servant women to light the lamps and have the kitchen keep a late-night meal waiting for Cheng Jing’s return.
※※※
Zhou Shaojin used to most fear going out—the jolting carriage would shake a person’s bones apart.
This time, however, the carriage was exceptionally stable.
She couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise and quietly lifted the curtain to look.
Cheng Chi was resting with his eyes closed, but it was as if he had an eye growing on his forehead. As soon as she moved, he knew. He opened his eyes slightly, reached out to pull her into his embrace, and said with a smile, “No need to look. The one driving the carriage is Huai Shan. He’s from the northern frontier—he learned to ride horses before he even learned to walk.”
Zhou Shaojin felt like she had rolled into cotton wadding—soft, warm, and carrying Cheng Chi’s clean scent.
She nestled somewhat greedily in his embrace and said with a smile, “Even so, he must surely be one of the most skilled.”
Cheng Chi laughed heartily. “You’re quite right about that.”
Huai Shan, who was driving the carriage, showed a slight smile.
Cheng Chi then took out chess pieces that could stick to the board and asked her, “Do you want to play a few rounds of five-in-a-row with me?”
“No!” Zhou Shaojin shook her head in refusal. “My head is a bit dizzy.”
Some people get seasick, some get carsick, and some even get dizzy from sedan chairs.
Cheng Chi smiled and closed her eyes. “Close them and rest. I’ll wake you when we reach the post station.”
They were staying at post stations all along the way, which was more convenient.
Zhou Shaojin obediently closed her eyes at his words, but ended up rocking and swaying herself to sleep.
Cheng Chi smiled helplessly and kissed her forehead.
That day when she insisted he take her, enduring the pain until her face turned pale and she was covered in sweat without making a sound, he naturally understood her meaning. That’s why he had kept teasing her like this—hoping she wouldn’t dwell on those bad memories from her previous life, but would have the marks he left on her body engraved in her mind. But he had also seen her exhaustion and weariness these past few days. He might as well take advantage of the journey to let her rest properly, hoping that after returning to the capital, she could forget all the suffering from her previous life.
Thinking of this, Cheng Chi couldn’t help but kiss Zhou Shaojin’s forehead again.
Zhou Shaojin felt she had slept extremely well. When she opened her eyes and saw the simple but clean white bed curtains of the post station, it took her quite a while to come to her senses.
“Where did Fourth Master go?” she asked Chun Wan, who was sitting by her bedside making a braided cord.
Only then did Chun Wan notice that Zhou Shaojin had awakened.
She quickly set down the cord in her hands, went to fetch a cup of hot tea with a smile, and handed it to her. “Fourth Master encountered a superior he knew from his time in Huai’an. The two are talking in the courtyard.” She added softly, “Madam, are you hungry? Fourth Master had someone stew an old hen for you. Nanny Fan is watching over the stove in the kitchen. I’ll go bring it up for you right away.”
Zhou Shaojin murmured an acknowledgment, too lazy to get up, and leaned against the headboard while draped in her clothing.
Chun Wan went to the kitchen.
Hearing the movement, Cheng Chi dismissed the other person with a few words and came in.
Zhou Shaojin said with a smile, “Why didn’t you wake me when we reached the post station? Have you had dinner? The weather is so cold—you should also have some chicken soup to warm your stomach.”
Cheng Chi smiled. “I’ve already had dinner. I’ll keep you company and have a bowl of soup!”
Zhou Shaojin happily agreed, but noticed that Cheng Chi seemed somewhat distracted.
She asked him gently, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“It’s not really a big matter!” Cheng Chi took off his shoes and leaned against Zhou Shaojin. He said thoughtfully, “The person I just encountered was originally the Prefectural Vice Magistrate of Huai’an and is now transferred to be the Prefect of Wuchang. He’s returned to the capital to report. According to him, Cheng Shi made his milk brother the head steward of Jiuru Lane to help him manage general affairs. Some time ago, Cheng Shi’s milk brother went to Huai’an and scattered silver around, wanting to get involved in the Nine Borders trade…”
The Nine Borders were the nine strategically vital military towns like Datong, Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Taiyuan. To solve the issue of military provisions, the court encouraged merchants from the south to transport grain there, exchange it for salt permits, then obtain salt at various salt yards for resale—a highly profitable business.
Zhou Shaojin was astonished. “Didn’t we give them one million two hundred thousand taels of silver? Plus the Yutai Bank… Why do they still want to get involved with salt permits?”
Cheng Chi smiled faintly, a trace of coldness at the corners of his mouth. “Is the bank business so easy to run? Back then, even when I established the Jiuru Lane name, I had to rely on the Huizhou Li family’s ‘Wei’ Bank to get Yutai Bank started. Without Yutai Bank, without me, those people cashing in their notes will be enough to give the Second Branch a hard time. Did he think I was so easy to scheme against?”
Zhou Shaojin’s eyes lit up as she listened. “Are you saying that because you’re no longer the major proprietor of Yutai Bank and the Huizhou Li family has also withdrawn their investment, those who did business with Yutai Bank no longer trust the Second Branch that took over Yutai Bank and are no longer patronizing Yutai Bank’s business?”
“Exactly!” Cheng Chi said lazily. “Originally, Yutai Bank’s vault still had two hundred thousand taels of silver, but actually there were five hundred thousand taels on the books. Three hundred thousand taels were deposited in other banks to cover Yutai Bank’s banknotes. The reason the First Branch was able to negotiate the compensation with the Second Branch up to one million two hundred thousand taels was not unrelated to Yutai Bank being valued at two hundred thousand taels for them. But now, those who deposited silver at Yutai Bank are all taking their deposit slips to cash out, but the silver used to pay other banks for Yutai Bank’s notes cannot be retrieved—those banks couldn’t possibly use their own silver to honor the notes issued by Yutai. But Yutai couldn’t possibly open branches everywhere. Once Yutai’s issued notes can’t be honored, Yutai’s business will be finished.”
“So, to keep Yutai Bank running,” Zhou Shaojin’s eyes sparkled as she said, “the Second Branch must come up with three hundred thousand taels of silver first to cash out these people’s deposits. The Second Branch just received one million two hundred thousand taels and hadn’t even warmed it up yet when they had to take out three hundred thousand to settle accounts. They panicked at once, thinking that if they continued sitting idle and eating through their fortune like this, even one million two hundred thousand taels wouldn’t last long…” Then, since the Seven Stars Hall had started out smuggling salt, they set their sights on salt permits. As she spoke, she excitedly shook Cheng Chi. “Are those people demanding their silver your people?”