A cousin from Jinling…
Wu Baozhang found these words extremely grating. She wanted to say something, but felt that nothing would be appropriate at this moment, so she simply lowered her head and took a few sips of tea.
Cheng Lu arrived.
He first greeted Madam Chen with a beaming smile: “Have you finished all today’s trivial matters? I heard my cousin from Jinling came…” As he spoke, his gaze turned toward Wu Baozhang. His jade-like face remained calm, with even a trace of confusion in his eyes. After a moment, he said in a tentative tone: “You are… the eldest daughter of Prefect Wu’s family?!”
Actually pretending they weren’t familiar at all.
Wu Baozhang felt a breath stuck in her chest for the longest time, unable to get through.
Cheng Lu leaned toward Madam Chen and said: “She’s the daughter of Prefect Wu of Jinling, married to Cheng Nuo of the fifth branch at Jiuru Lane. Technically speaking, she’s my younger cousin’s wife, not my cousin. Now that Fifth Branch’s Uncle Wen is doing business in the capital, she came here claiming to be my cousin—she probably needs me for something. You should excuse yourself for a bit!”
So the fifth branch of the Jiuru Lane Cheng family had fallen so low as to run a tea shop for a living…
Madam Chen glanced at Wu Baozhang with a half-smile and said: “If that’s the case, cousin can sit and chat with my husband. I’ll have someone prepare the midday meal right away.”
What did staying here for a meal amount to?
Wu Baozhang said coldly: “Thank you, Madam. I have a few words to say to Young Master Chen, and I’ll leave after speaking. My family is still waiting for me to return for the midday meal!”
Madam Chen curled her lip disdainfully and left without even glancing at her from the corner of her eye.
The fire Wu Baozhang had been suppressing in her heart suddenly flared up. She stood and said: “Cheng Xiangqing, what is the meaning of this?”
But before she finished speaking, Cheng Lu had already shot to his feet. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, staring straight at Wu Baozhang as he said in a stern voice: “First Madam Nuo, out of respect for you being Cousin Nuo’s legitimate wife, I won’t quibble over these discourtesies. But if you want to make a scene here, I’m not some spineless wooden puppet. My wife is virtuous—she gave up this space for us to talk, and you should have the sense to appreciate that. If you provoke me, don’t expect any good days ahead.” Then his expression darkened: “Say what you need to say quickly! I have to go to the Imperial Academy soon.”
Wu Baozhang nearly stopped breathing from anger. She felt that what she’d experienced these past two or three days exceeded everything she’d encountered in her entire life.
First Cheng Lu turned his back on her, then there was his neglect and contempt. That Chen woman looked so coarse, yet for the sake of her family’s power, Cheng Lu looked at her with such tender affection… Back then, he had spoken to her in the same tone with the same expression… What was so good about that Chen woman? Compared to her, that Chen woman had nothing but family influence. No—even her family influence wasn’t as good. It was just that Chen woman had someone backing her, so Cheng Lu treated her like dirt.
But how could she say these words?
Her chest felt stuffy and painful, as if someone had punched it, leaving her silent for a long while.
But Cheng Lu grew impatient.
He had worked so hard to get Chen woman firmly in his grasp, making her deeply devoted to him, and had also managed to gain Chen Li’s trust. How could Wu Baozhang ruin his good fortune? He’d rather strangle her with his own hands right now.
“What exactly did you come here for?” he said impatiently, his gaze growing colder as he looked at Wu Baozhang.
Seeing such a look, Wu Baozhang felt as if she’d been doused with water on a hot day—her mind cooled and cleared.
What was she doing making a fuss about all this now?
She should be happy to be rid of Cheng Lu. Why was she stirring up this muddy water?
Wu Baozhang took a deep breath and immediately formed a plan. She said quietly: “You think I wanted to come find you? I just feel sorry about those thousand-plus taels of silver. I know you don’t have the silver to repay me now, but you should at least give me something. The silver I gave you was embezzled from the Cheng family tea shop. If they discover this, even if I’m not sent back to my natal family in divorce, I’ll never be able to hold my head up in the Cheng family again. It’s just death anyway—what do I have to fear…”
Cheng Lu didn’t believe her at all.
A daughter-in-law like Wu Baozhang managing the household—how could she not skim a few taels of silver?
He thought for a moment and said: “You go back first. I’ll find a way to get a few dozen taels from Chen woman and have someone deliver it to you. Don’t come looking for me anymore. When I have money, I’ll naturally have someone send it to you.”
Marrying in was indeed different from being adopted. Wu Baozhang also knew that no matter how much of a scene she made today, nothing would come of it.
She took her leave of Cheng Lu.
Cheng Lu had one of Chen woman’s personal nannies see her out, then went to Chen woman himself.
Chen woman asked: “What about your cousin? She’s really not staying for the midday meal?”
“No need.” Cheng Lu smiled. “When she heard your father was the Grand Eunuch of Qianqing Palace, she thought of having me help find connections to do business with the Imperial Household Department. I know that my Uncle Wen and cousin aren’t suited for business and I feared they’d cause Father trouble, so I declined.” He added: “I suspect she won’t give up and will come looking again. If she comes, you needn’t consider my feelings—just send her away directly.”
Chen woman smiled in agreement, but inwardly dismissed it.
If Cheng Lu hadn’t fallen on hard times and needed their family’s protection, how could he have taken a fancy to someone as plain-looking as herself? What cousins and such—she wouldn’t take it to heart at all. As long as they didn’t make trouble at her home, as long as they didn’t create any scandal that would embarrass her, it was fine.
As long as her father held power for a day, Cheng Lu would have to grovel before her for that day. If one day her father passed away… Chen woman snorted coldly. Her son would be grown by then—would she fear she couldn’t handle a live-in son-in-law?
Chen woman gently helped Cheng Lu change his clothes.
When Wu Baozhang returned home, she didn’t see Cheng Nuo.
She was too lazy to ask about him.
But after Cheng Nuo left early and returned late for several days in a row, she couldn’t help but grow curious and asked the maid beside her: “Do you know what the master has been busy with these days?”
The maid smiled: “The master has taken on a big deal now. He says he can earn several thousand taels of silver! The master also said that when the silver comes in, he’ll reward everyone with two taels each and treat everyone to a feast.”
She hadn’t expected Cheng Nuo could actually earn money!
Wu Baozhang’s mood improved somewhat.
But this good mood didn’t last more than a few days. It ended when Cheng Nuo stormed into the inner room with a dark expression and threw a banknote at her face.
“Look at what you’ve done!” The usually gentle and weak Cheng Nuo now looked like an angry guardian deity, his eyes red with fury. “What kind of person is that Cheng Lu? A wretch who could abandon even his own birth mother—when you ran into him, you actually lent him twenty taels of silver without a word to anyone at home? Do you know or not that he’s a scoundrel who was expelled from the Cheng family? Someone disliked by both the first and second branches?”
The banknote stamped with the Yongfusheng Silver House seal fluttered lightly to her feet, yet she felt as if she’d been plunged into ice water, chilled from her fingertips straight to her heart.
Cheng Lu… how dare he… how dare he…
Wu Baozhang’s eyes also reddened with fury, but in her heart she knew more clearly that she absolutely must not admit to this now. Once she admitted it, this matter would surely reach Cheng Wen. Once it reached Cheng Wen, he would definitely go to the first branch to apologize. After the garden incident last time, she had worked so hard to find an excuse to make the first branch believe she’d passed by unintentionally. If Cheng Lu was brought into it, Madam Yuan wouldn’t let her off.
“Where did you run into Cheng Lu?” As she spoke, her eyes reddened and she said aggrievedly: “How could I have known I’d run into him? I met him on the street that day. He pestered me shamelessly, insisting I lend him some silver. I was pestered beyond endurance, and thinking that we all knew each other before, and how well he and you used to play together back then, my heart softened and I lent Cheng Lu the twenty taels of banknotes I had with me. I never thought about asking him to repay it. I just considered it fulfilling his and your old relationship. I never thought to have further dealings with him…”
Cheng Nuo looked at Wu Baozhang with suspicion.
Others might not know Wu Baozhang’s temperament, but he had personally experienced it.
Even when she had no grounds, she could argue herself into having some justification.
If she was in the right, why would she adopt such a submissive posture?
But he had always been habitually weak. Although he had doubts in his heart, Wu Baozhang had softened after all. And that Cheng Lu, just as Wu Baozhang said, they had all grown up together. Cheng Lu’s studies had been good—he’d even tutored him in his lessons. Although Cheng Lu had changed, he was still his cousin. Lending him twenty taels wasn’t a big deal.
Cheng Nuo asked: “Did he come find you again afterward?”
Seeing his tone soften, Wu Baozhang knew the storm had passed and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. She said: “If I’d seen him again later, I would definitely have told the first branch people… That Dong Shi is still relying on the family’s support. Since Cheng Lu has made something of himself, he should bring his mother over to enjoy some good fortune.”
Saying this, she couldn’t help but form plans regarding Dong Shi.
If she brought Dong Shi to the capital, Cheng Lu’s expression would surely be spectacular!
Wu Baozhang was pondering this in her heart when a young maid ran in and said: “First Madam, the master says that Fourth Madam at Chaoyang Gate has gone into labor. He wants you to hurry over there.”
Zhou Shaojin was giving birth?
Wu Baozhang’s mouth fell open: “What’s today’s date?”
The young maid quickly said: “April twenty-ninth.”
Wu Baozhang said: “It’s her first child—it probably won’t be that fast! What’s the rush?”
Hearing this, Cheng Nuo grew angry again: “That’s right, she’s giving birth to her child. Besides the doctor and midwife, there’s also Old Madam there to oversee things. If you go, you can neither bear the pain for her nor suffer for her. I think you shouldn’t go at all. Just stay home washing clothes and cooking from now on. After all, for some people, going or not going makes no difference!”
Veins bulged on Wu Baozhang’s forehead: “I was just talking! Did I say I wouldn’t go? You all curry favor with the first branch and use me as your scapegoat. If you’re so capable, go yourself! Why make your wife show her face and do such things?”
Cheng Nuo swept his sleeves and left.
Wu Baozhang sat there fuming, refusing to go. She quietly instructed her maid: “Go to Fucheng Gate and ask him what he means by this. Sending twenty taels to mock me—does he not plan to repay my silver at all?”
The maid hesitated for quite a while. Seeing that Wu Baozhang had no intention of changing her mind, she had no choice but to go to Fucheng Gate.
At Chaoyang Gate, Old Lady Guo had prepared the birthing room early that morning.
As soon as Zhou Shaojin went into labor, she was helped into the birthing room by experienced midwives. Medical women waited on the side, Qiu Shi sat in command in the birthing room, and Old Lady Guo chanted scriptures in the Buddhist hall. Even with all this, childbirth still caused Zhou Shaojin considerable suffering.