This was indeed somewhat unreasonable.
Cheng Chi frowned as he listened, pondering: “Besides this, what else did you hear?”
Zhou Shaojin thought carefully and said: “I remember that year, the bingwu year, which was the twenty-ninth year of Zhide, Cousin Yi came to see me. Before that, I hadn’t heard anything, then suddenly it was said that Second Uncle had died of a sudden illness, and he rushed to Xinglin Lane.” She looked at Cheng Chi with some guilt: “After I left Jiuru Lane, I had very little contact with them. Even if I occasionally heard some news, it was only fragments. When Second Uncle passed away, I didn’t go to pay my respects. At the time, I assumed Elder Sister knew, so I didn’t mention it to her. Later when Elder Sister brought it up, I learned that she too had only found out afterward. By the time she went, Second Uncle’s coffin had already gone south, returning to Jinling City. You know, because of my situation, if Elder Sister hadn’t been managing the Liao family’s household affairs, she wouldn’t have had any dealings with Xinglin Lane at all. Since they didn’t inform her of Second Uncle’s death, how could she have taken the initiative to offer sacrifices? Truth be told, neither of us sisters even burned a stick of incense for Second Uncle…”
Cheng Chi remained silent, his expression grave.
Zhou Shaojin hurried to comfort him: “Perhaps I’m overthinking it. At that time, my sister and I were on such bad terms with Jiuru Lane. When Second Uncle suddenly passed away, everyone might have panicked and simply didn’t think of it in time. Cousin Yi was called over probably because Cheng Zheng was already in the capital then, and they cousins still had contact with each other—he had visited Cheng Zheng’s residence…”
Cheng Chi patted Zhou Shaojin’s shoulder reassuringly, interrupting her: “Let me think about this.”
Zhou Shaojin immediately nestled obediently in his arms, saying nothing more.
But Cheng Chi soon asked her: “You said Second Uncle’s death wasn’t reported to your elder sister, and the reason she knew about Xinglin Lane’s affairs was because she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liao family, managing the household affairs in the capital. In other words, Xinglin Lane maintained contact with your sister because the Liao family and the Cheng family were old family friends. Have you heard your sister mention whether, when Second Uncle passed away, other Jiangnan families—like the Shen family or the Fang family—went to pay their respects?”
Zhou Shaojin said: “It was all so quiet, with no commotion at all—that’s what I found strange! At that time, the old ancestor of the second branch, Cheng Xu, was already gone. Second Uncle was the most senior elder in Jiuru Lane, and moreover, Second Uncle was a third-place scholar who had served as an Instructional Academician in the Hanlin Academy for so many years. By rights and reason, the Cheng family should have held a grand funeral. But it seemed like no one even knew about Uncle’s death…”
“So they didn’t report the death to the various families. Even if they did, it was only after Second Uncle’s forty-ninth day, after the coffin had already gone south.” Cheng Chi said, “You only knew about Second Uncle’s death because Cheng Yi happened to be with you. Did Cheng Yi come to bid you farewell afterward?”
Zhou Shaojin shook her head: “He only sent a servant to tell me. He said he really couldn’t get away…”
Cheng Chi continued: “Did he help escort the coffin south?”
“Yes!”
“What about Cheng Zheng?” Cheng Chi said, “You mentioned that later Cheng Zheng studied under my eldest brother, then passed the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and became a junior compiler. What about him? Did he go to see Second Uncle off?”
At that time, Cheng Xu had been ruined, and Cheng Zheng, this nephew who had always followed by Cheng Jing’s side, appeared to outsiders as the successor Cheng Jing had chosen—a relationship even closer than that with a biological son.
“I don’t know.” Zhou Shaojin said dejectedly, “Cheng Yi only sent word to me saying there was no one at Xinglin Lane, and he had to escort Second Uncle’s coffin. As for whether Cheng Zheng returned, he didn’t say, and I don’t know.”
Cheng Chi laughed coldly: “He definitely didn’t return. If he had, it wouldn’t have fallen to Cheng Yi to take charge. Given Cheng Yi’s nature, no matter what, he would have found time to bid you farewell. It was precisely because he truly couldn’t get away that he didn’t come to say goodbye in person, but sent someone to inform you… Look at Cheng Yi—he probably doesn’t like Cheng Shi much either, but when he came to the capital, he still visited Cheng Shi according to propriety… Didn’t you say he beat up Cheng Xu for you? That shows he truly treated you like a sister…”
With Cheng Chi putting it this way, Zhou Shaojin also found it strange: “Yes! At that time, he wasn’t on good terms with Cheng Shi, but didn’t want to stay at Cheng Gao’s place either, so he came to me… I originally thought he was just helping out… No matter how short-handed Jiuru Lane was, Second Uncle’s death was a major matter—it couldn’t be that there wasn’t even one person to escort the coffin south!”
She was quite vexed: “I was too careless at the time.”
“How can you blame yourself?” Cheng Chi held her in his arms, gently stroking her back: “It’s you—if it had been anyone else who went through such an ordeal, they would have turned the main branch upside down! Not to mention that after returning, you still thought about how to save the Cheng family!”
Zhou Shaojin’s face flushed at Cheng Chi’s praise, but immediately afterward, she felt a chilling coldness.
She couldn’t help but look up in shock.
Cheng Chi’s face was taut, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Shaojin’s heart tightened as she looked at him: “Has something happened?”
Cheng Chi was silent for a moment, then said in a heavy voice: “If you haven’t misremembered, Second Uncle’s death must not be simple. Either he offended His Majesty, or someone killed him… Yet Eldest Brother asked nothing, did nothing, and just had Second Uncle buried like that! If not for Second Uncle’s concessions, could he have become a Grand Secretary? No matter how indifferent to fame and fortune Second Uncle was, he surely hoped to leave his name in history, didn’t he? If Second Uncle hadn’t held fast at the Hanlin Academy, how would Eldest Brother have had the opportunity to enter the Grand Secretariat? In the end, he merely stood on the family’s shoulders and took one step forward… yet he did such a thing…”
He was unprecedentedly furious!
Zhou Shaojin quickly tried to soothe him.
“I’m fine!” Cheng Chi’s jaw remained tense, not relaxing at all: “I’m not angry with you, I’m angry with Eldest Brother… Perhaps he was able to enter the Grand Secretariat precisely because of this matter!” By the end of his words, there was a hint of malice.
Zhou Shaojin hastily reminded him: “Eldest Uncle entered the Grand Secretariat after the new Emperor ascended the throne…”
Before she finished speaking, both of them froze, staring at each other.
After a long moment, Zhou Shaojin gasped: “It can’t be? Perhaps we’re overthinking it!”
“We’re not overthinking it at all.” Cheng Chi’s expression was cold and stern: “I’m afraid this is the root cause of the Cheng family’s calamity!”
“Wait.” Zhou Shaojin pressed her forehead: “I’m still confused.”
They were discussing Second Uncle’s matter. How did the conversation suddenly shift to Cheng Jing becoming the reason for the Cheng family’s extermination?
Cheng Chi’s thinking was jumping too fast.
She couldn’t keep up.
Cheng Chi also wanted to organize his thoughts: “In official families, whether it’s weddings, funerals, birthdays, or celebrations, they’re all good opportunities for social interaction. As you said, after Cheng Xu passed away, Second Uncle was the most senior elder in the family. At that time, Eldest Brother was still in a junior ministerial position. By rights and reason, he should have held an elaborate funeral. He should have used the funeral as an opportunity to gain sympathy from Second Uncle’s examination classmates, colleagues, and close friends, laying groundwork for entering the Grand Secretariat. But look at Second Uncle’s funeral—not only was there no imperial decree of grace, but Cheng Yi was the one who escorted the coffin south. So I say either Second Uncle offended His Majesty, and Eldest Brother didn’t dare hold an elaborate funeral, or Second Uncle offended someone, and His Majesty turned a blind eye to protect that person, while Eldest Brother, for the sake of his own career, pretended not to know and quickly had Second Uncle buried.” At this point, a cold glint flashed in Cheng Chi’s eyes: “Learning civil and martial arts to serve the imperial family—that’s just selling one’s skills, not selling one’s life to others. Certainly not selling the life of Second Uncle, who wholeheartedly helped him, to someone else!”
His words were filled with dissatisfaction toward Cheng Jing.
Zhou Shaojin fell silent.
She too felt Cheng Jing had acted wrongly.
But that phrase “just selling one’s skills, not one’s life” also seemed not quite right…
“So how Second Uncle died has become the key issue!” Cheng Chi said, his tone now calm and rational. “Breaking with His Majesty? What matters could make him break with His Majesty? Although His Majesty always treated Second Uncle as a confidant, Second Uncle always kept his position very clear. Even as a confidant, he was merely going along with His Majesty’s wishes, accompanying him in his pursuits. He would never truly regard himself as His Majesty’s confidant. But to say Second Uncle only showed blind obedience to His Majesty would also be wrong. In Second Uncle’s eyes, the common people and the nation’s welfare were what he truly cared about.
“What could make him break with His Majesty could only be such major matters.
“But Second Uncle wasn’t the type of hothead who thought a few words or showing His Majesty something could persuade His Majesty to act according to his wishes.
“So the possibility of Second Uncle breaking with His Majesty is very small. Moreover, Second Uncle always had His Majesty’s regard. Even if there were some offense, His Majesty wouldn’t have taken Second Uncle’s life.
“Unless Second Uncle was involved in treason, or colluded with some prince to covet the throne.
“But do you think this is possible?”
Not to mention Cheng Chi—even Zhou Shaojin didn’t believe it.
She shook her head.
“Then he must have offended someone.” Cheng Chi asked Zhou Shaojin: “In the twenty-ninth year of Zhide, the Crown Prince and the Imperial Grandson were already gone, right? I remember you saying the Fourth Prince succeeded to the throne in the tenth month of the twenty-ninth year of Zhide. When did Second Uncle pass away?”
Zhou Shaojin’s heart skipped a beat: “Early in the ninth month. I remember at the time Cousin Yi asked me to go climbing on the Double Ninth Festival. I was too lazy to go and didn’t agree, but I still prepared food for Cousin Yi. In the end, after Cousin Yi was called away, he never came back, and all that food was eventually given to the servants around me…”
When the late Emperor passed away, according to ritual, the new emperor had to observe mourning for twenty-seven days before ascending the throne.
His Majesty ascended the throne on the sixteenth day of the tenth month.
Cheng Chi’s voice suddenly became extremely somber: “At that time, His Majesty should have already been ill. Even if Second Uncle had offended someone, who could make those around His Majesty so wary?”
The Fourth Prince!
Zhou Shaojin almost blurted it out.
Cheng Chi’s gaze was very dark: “At that time, His Majesty should have already named the Fourth Prince as heir apparent. Second Uncle clearly knew he would inherit the throne—why would he still offend him? Wasn’t Second Uncle afraid of bringing disaster upon the entire family? What matter could Second Uncle have had that would offend him? That he would offend him?”