Upon hearing Zhou Shaojin’s words, Cheng Xiao covered her mouth with her handkerchief and began crying silently again.

Zhou Shaojin and Qiu Shi exchanged glances, both seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes.

Originally, Cheng Xiao had married the best among the Cheng sisters.

Her husband was her own cousin, her mother-in-law was her own aunt, and the couple had seen each other before marriage and were mutually satisfied. Though the Yuan family was a great clan, after marrying in, she hadn’t suffered the slightest hardship.

But now… caught in the middle, she had become the one suffering most.

“If you want to cry, have a good cry.” Zhou Shaojin gently patted Cheng Xiao’s back and said softly, “After crying, you must pull yourself together. Although the Cheng family is your maiden home, and a woman needs her maiden family to be strong to stand firm in her husband’s family, you also can’t turn against your in-laws because of your maiden family. After all, that’s where you’ll spend your whole life. You still have children—you can’t disregard them, can you? When you go back, it’s best not to say anything. Privately sound out Young Master Yuan’s feelings. If Young Master Yuan doesn’t feel for you at all, just pretend he doesn’t exist and focus on living well with your children. Grand Uncle committed an offense this time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll fall from power. Besides, there’s still your Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle. Even if Second Uncle and Fourth Uncle don’t amount to much, didn’t your younger brother also enter official service? As long as the Cheng family has someone to support the household for even one day, the Yuan family won’t dare do anything to you. But if Young Master Yuan does feel for you, yet is powerless to resist under the demands of filial piety, you should still talk things through with him properly. Even if you can’t make him stand up and speak for you when you’re in a difficult position, he should at least know your difficulties and know to feel for you…”

As she spoke these heartfelt words, the crying Cheng Xiao stopped her tears and stared at Zhou Shaojin with eyes washed clean by tears, her face full of surprise.

Zhou Shaojin’s tone paused slightly. She asked strangely, “What’s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?”

A trace of unease flashed through her voice.

“No, no.” Cheng Xiao quickly said, “I just didn’t expect Aunt to advise me this way… I thought Aunt would…” she said with difficulty, “tell me to just endure it and let it pass…”

Wasn’t that how many women got through life?

If this were her previous life, Zhou Shaojin might have chosen to endure. But having learned that endurance was useless, she hoped Cheng Xiao could choose a path that would let her live more comfortably.

She smiled somewhat awkwardly and explained gently, “Though we women are delicate, we also help men bear and raise children and take care of their daily lives. We can’t just endure everything silently because of this, can we?”

Cheng Xiao nodded repeatedly and said, “Aunt has touched my heart. I’m angry that Shiliang didn’t stand up for me. But thinking back now, he was in a difficult position too… When I came, he wanted to talk to me, but I ignored him…” As she spoke, her eyes began to moisten again.

Shiliang was the courtesy name of Cheng Xiao’s husband, Yuan Ming.

One’s beloved husband—how could she simply let go?

Zhou Shaojin comforted her, “Then you should explain things clearly even more. Otherwise, if husband and wife become estranged over this, how bad would that be!”

Cheng Xiao nodded and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Your Little Aunt is right.” Qiu Shi, who had been listening to their conversation, sighed deeply and said, “We women should accommodate our husbands, but we also can’t put ourselves in dire straits. This matter was originally the Yuan family’s fault. Just go ahead and talk to Young Master Yuan about it. If he stands on the Yuan family’s side, your Second Uncle will definitely support you and won’t let the Yuan family bully you.”

For even Qiu Shi to say such words, everyone was somewhat surprised.

“What are you looking at?” Qiu Shi smiled. “Am I not a woman too? Can’t I stand on your side and speak up?”

“Second Aunt!” Cheng Xiao looked at Qiu Shi gratefully.

“Second Sister-in-law!” Zhou Shaojin felt somewhat embarrassed.

But Cheng Sheng stepped forward and hugged her mother, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder and laughing coquettishly, “Mother, you’re so wonderful!”

“If I didn’t stand on your Second Cousin Sister’s side, I wouldn’t be wonderful!” Qiu Shi joked, pushing Cheng Sheng. “Sit up properly. You’re a mother now, yet you still have no propriety.”

Cheng Sheng sat up straight with a smile.

Qiu Shi then consoled Cheng Xiao: “Then don’t be sad anymore. I believe Young Master Yuan isn’t the type of unreasonable person…”

Before she finished speaking, a little maid reported through the curtain, “Second Madam, Fourth Madam, Second Miss, Third Miss—Second Young Master has come to fetch Second Miss.”

The people in the room looked at each other in surprise.

Qiu Shi’s face was already full of smiles. She pushed Cheng Xiao and said happily, “Look, Young Master came personally to fetch you. He must still have you in his heart. Hurry back now.”

Cheng Xiao’s face reddened, appearing somewhat at a loss whether to leave or stay.

Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Sheng quickly followed Qiu Shi’s words and urged with smiles, “Hurry back now. When Yi Ge’er has his full-month celebration in a few days, you must come early.”

Only then did Cheng Xiao rise with a flushed face, escorted out by Qiu Shi and the others.

Yuan Ming no longer had his former carefree manner. His smile appeared somewhat awkward. He stepped forward and bowed to Qiu Shi and the others, then said to Cheng Xiao in a low voice, “Seeing you hadn’t returned yet, I worried something might have happened, so I came.” His tone carried a trace of caution.

Zhou Shaojin and the others all sighed inwardly, smiling as they saw the couple off to their sedan chair. Watching the sedan chair leave through the main gate and disappear from view, Cheng Sheng finally said quietly, “I hope Second Sister can get through this ordeal.”

“Even upper and lower teeth sometimes clash, let alone two people living together.” Qiu Shi said in the tone of someone experienced, “Xiao may seem quiet, but she has things on her mind. She’ll have her own ideas about how to live her future days.”

One could only hope so!

All three were in somewhat heavy spirits as they parted at the ornamental gate, each returning to their own residences.

None of them knew whether Old Madam Guo was aware of the situation. Fearing that Cheng Jing and others had intentionally kept it from Old Madam Guo but it had been exposed through them, Zhou Shaojin made an excuse about helping Qiu Shi clean up and stayed behind. Old Madam Guo had taken Yun Ge’er back to Chaoyangmen early that morning. By now it was late, Cheng Chi had finished court and eaten dinner, and Old Madam Guo, having been busy all day, was tired. Only Yun Ge’er remained full of energy like a lively dragon, unwilling to sleep. Seeing it wasn’t yet his usual bedtime, Cheng Chi indulged him and held him sitting on the long desk in the study, teaching him to paint chicks.

Father and son painted while talking, and from a distance one could hear Yun Ge’er’s clear voice.

The corners of Zhou Shaojin’s mouth curved up. She stopped the maid who was about to announce her and tiptoed inside.

The luminous light emanating from the floor lamp beside the desk shone on Cheng Chi and Yun Ge’er’s faces. Father and son seemed glazed over, jade-like in their elegance, making her unable to look away.

Perhaps due to maternal instinct, while Cheng Chi’s attention was entirely on Yun Ge’er and he hadn’t noticed Zhou Shaojin’s return, Yun Ge’er suddenly raised his head, called out “Mother” loudly, and holding up his brush still dipped in ink, opened his arms wanting her to hold him.

Zhou Shaojin’s heart immediately melted into a puddle.

She rushed forward in quick steps and kissed Yun Ge’er twice with loud smacks.

Cheng Chi said softly with a smile, “Your mother is carrying your little sister now and can’t hold you. Father will hold you.”

Yun Ge’er nodded very sensibly and pointed at the rice paper on the desk, saying, “Mother, look—my painted chick.”

“It’s painted so well.” Zhou Shaojin praised him.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled. That expression was exactly like Cheng Chi when he was happy.

Zhou Shaojin loved him so much she hugged her son and kissed him several more times before setting him down.

Cheng Chi then coaxed him with a smile to go to sleep.

Yun Ge’er wanted to sleep with Zhou Shaojin.

Because of her pregnancy, Zhou Shaojin had rarely held Yun Ge’er or played with him these days.

Zhou Shaojin looked pleadingly at Cheng Chi.

Cheng Chi said Yun Ge’er was getting older. They no longer let him sleep with the maids and servants—he slept in his own bed now, with the night-duty maids and servants sleeping beside him.

He smiled helplessly and said, “It’s probably because you’ve spent less time with him lately, so he’s particularly clingy. Before you came back, he asked about you several times. Though I hope he can stand on his own sooner, I also can’t just ignore him and cast him aside.”

In other words, he agreed to let Yun Ge’er sleep with them tonight.

Zhou Shaojin happily took Yun Ge’er’s hand and said, “Shall Mother help you wash your face?”

Yun Ge’er followed Zhou Shaojin joyfully to the side room.

After washing up, he lay between Zhou Shaojin and Cheng Chi.

Zhou Shaojin told him the story of Jingwei Filling the Sea, which she had told him no less than fifty times.

Yun Ge’er held his mother’s hand with one hand and his father’s with the other, falling asleep to Zhou Shaojin’s sweet, soft voice.

Only then did Zhou Shaojin have time to ask Cheng Chi about Cheng Jing’s matter.

Cheng Chi quickly asked, “Does Mother know about this?”

“No.” Zhou Shaojin said, “We had Mother return early.”

Cheng Chi relaxed and said, “Originally it wasn’t a big matter, but because it involved the Yuan family, we feared Mother would feel uncomfortable knowing about it. Second Uncle and I discussed it and decided to hide it from Mother temporarily, planning to find an opportunity to tell her after His Majesty’s punishment came down. So we kept it from you all as well. I didn’t expect Miss Sheng to tell you about it. Now that His Majesty’s punishment has come down and Elder Brother is fine, in a few days he’ll come personally to tell Mother about this matter. We shouldn’t interfere.”

Zhou Shaojin thought this was good and smiled. “After such an incident, Grand Uncle must feel terrible. Should we invite him to stay and spend a day at home then?”

“We’ll see how it goes!” Cheng Chi sighed.

Zhou Shaojin said with confusion, “Why would the Yuan family act this way? Grand Uncle is the Yuan family’s son-in-law—if this gets out, what will others think of the Yuan family?”

Cheng Chi said, “The reason the Yuan family people were unwilling to help Elder Brother is that they still want another Grand Secretary to emerge from among their family’s outstanding disciples. But they don’t consider that if their family produces another Grand Secretary, that would make three. How could His Majesty allow one family to produce three Grand Secretaries when there are other candidates available?”

There was another point he didn’t mention.

In the past, he hadn’t entered official service, and Cheng Xu was still young. After Cheng Jing retired, Cheng Xu couldn’t immediately take over, so they would inevitably need to leave a path for Cheng Xu. The Yuan family disciples already had someone who could compete for entering the Grand Secretariat. After Yuan Weichang retired, the Yuan family could fully support Cheng Jing. When Cheng Jing retired, they could fully help the Yuan family disciples. When the Yuan family disciples also grew old, Cheng Xu could take over again…

Now this balance had been broken.

The Cheng family had Cheng Chi.

If Cheng Chi also aspired to enter the Grand Secretariat, he could directly succeed Cheng Jing. By the time Cheng Chi retired, Cheng Xu would have gained experience.

For the Yuan family, the Cheng family was no longer an ally but had become a rival.