To keep a handle on Second Master Cheng, Master Zhou had stationed people to watch the Cheng household. So not long after First Master Cheng walked through the door, Master Zhou already got word of it.
“First Master Cheng has come to the capital?”
Hearing this news, Master Zhou was somewhat surprised.
“What’s he here for?”
“What else could it be? For Jiao-niang’s money,” Madam Zhou said. “With so many properties seized by that Second Master Cheng and his wife, how could he possibly stomach it?”
Master Zhou nodded.
Right – how could he stomach it.
But something felt wrong.
“How does he even dare?” he said, frowning. “Was losing out on Jiao Jiao’s dowry last time not lesson enough for him?”
“Brother, why are you here?”
Second Master Cheng was still asking in surprise.
Before First Master Cheng could answer, Second Madam Cheng let out a cold laugh.
“Why even ask? A cat smells fish and comes running,” she said.
First Master Cheng spat right in her face.
“Vile woman! This is no place for you to speak. The divorce letter is already written – get out of our Cheng household at once,” he barked.
All his life, First Master Cheng had been a gentle man. As the eldest brother he was strict in a fatherly way – stern toward Second Master Cheng, yes, but he had always maintained proper courtesy toward Second Madam Cheng. Although he had grown increasingly displeased with her over the years, he had never insulted her so harshly to her face.
Second Madam Cheng was completely stunned by the scolding, staring wide-eyed. When she processed what First Master Cheng had actually said, shame and anger surged up at once.
“Heavens damn it – bullying me at home wasn’t enough, and even fleeing to the capital can’t save me!” she cried. “If you dare divorce me, I’ll hang myself right in front of your family’s gates!”
First Master Cheng’s face went dark as iron; he let out a sharp snort.
“Out!” He jabbed a finger toward the door.
Second Madam Cheng only cried louder. Second Master Cheng felt his head buzzing in chaos – one moment trying to soothe his wife, the next stamping his foot at his brother.
“Brother, you rushed into the capital in such a fury – what on earth is this about!”
“What it’s about? Er-lang, are you telling me you don’t know exactly what you’ve done because of this woman’s instigation?” First Master Cheng said coldly. As he spoke, he pulled out several documents and snapped them open. “Explain this!”
Second Master Cheng recognized them immediately – copies of the property deeds of Immortal’s Abode and the other shops – and suddenly he understood.
“Brother, what do you mean ‘what’s this about’? You know,” he said, face sinking as well. “These belong to Jiao-niang.”
“Yes, of course I know they’re Jiao-niang’s – but what is going on now?” First Master Cheng barked.
“That foolish girl wrote her own name on them, when you and I are both still alive,” Second Master Cheng said. “With parents living, children may not hold private property – this is written clearly in the law. There is no separate estate between father and child. She’s asking to be charged with filial impiety.”
First Master Cheng let out a cold laugh.
“Exactly – you do know that while parents are alive, children may not hold private property. Then do you also know that while parents are alive, diverting property into another household’s name is considered unfilial, punishable by three years of penal servitude?” he said. “You actually wrote these estates under your wife’s name – what were you thinking!”
Second Master Cheng’s face froze.
“What were we thinking?” Second Madam Cheng had stopped crying and gave a derisive snort from the side. “Guarding against you, of course. Back then you even dared seize her dowry – never mind these properties.”
First Master Cheng gave another cold laugh.
“So you admit that transferring this property to another household’s registry was something you did intentionally?” he said.
Second Master Cheng hesitated for a moment, but Second Madam Cheng didn’t hesitate at all – she nodded immediately.
“Yes, we admit it,” she said, with a hint of disdain. “It’s nothing more than a smokescreen for outsiders.”
She even gave a slight smile.
“Brother, what – if no outsiders report it, are you planning to go make the accusation yourself?”
“Brother, you should understand – these are Jiao Jiao’s properties.”
She deliberately emphasized the words Jiao Jiao’s.
“Don’t you go getting any ideas about what belongs to her.”
Had he not suffered enough the last time he got greedy?
Second Madam Cheng looked both smug and warning.
Yes, the deeds were written in her own name, but the properties came from Cheng Jiao-niang. Since they belonged to Jiao-niang, and since First Master Cheng had already paid dearly once for trying to seize what was hers, he wouldn’t dare try again.
This was precisely why they felt so at ease secretly registering the properties under another household’s name. It was family business – no outsider could clearly sort out who owned what; only the family themselves knew the truth.
And as for the family members: they knew full well the estates belonged to Cheng Jiao-niang, but they had already suffered losses at her hands. They were afraid of her; who would dare file a complaint?
Outwardly everything had been arranged so neatly that no outsider could find grounds to accuse them. As for the people inside the family – they knew the truth but didn’t dare raise objections. And that girl, pressured by the law, couldn’t disobey them. Give it enough time… no, they didn’t even need that much time – those properties had already become theirs.
Theirs alone! Those gold-churning businesses!
“Brother, you crossed thousands of miles and ignored your own illness just to come to the capital for this?” Second Master Cheng had recovered his composure and shook his head, displeased. “It’d be better if you took care of Si-lang’s ridiculous mess first. As for Jiao-niang and our affairs, stay out of it.”
First Master Cheng gave a faint smile.
“Too late,” he said. “Before I came through the door, I’d already submitted the complaint to the magistrate’s office.”
…
“He really submitted a complaint?”
Master Zhou asked in astonishment, completely incredulous.
“Yes, yes. When I was on my way back, I deliberately swung by the magistrate’s office to ask around. Sure enough, he really did file the complaint, and the whole magistrate is in chaos,” the servant said. “The Cheng household is in chaos too. When they heard First Master Cheng say he had submitted the complaint, Second Master Cheng started fighting with him… and even Second Madam Cheng jumped in.”
At the mention of the brawl, the servant couldn’t help but get animated.
“But for now it looks like First Master Cheng’s side is at a bit of a disadvantage – he brought fewer people, and Second Madam Cheng managed to scratch a few lines across his face…”
Who was losing and who was winning – Master Zhou didn’t care in the slightest. As far as he was concerned, it would be best if the two brothers beat each other to death.
What puzzled him was why First Master Cheng dared to act this way. Stroking his beard, Master Zhou looked utterly confused.
“Is he not afraid of angering Jiao Jiao? How does he still dare try to take her things?” he muttered to himself.
“Master, if Second Master Cheng dares to seize them, why wouldn’t First Master Cheng dare? Those two brothers are birds of a feather,” the servant said with a pout.
The moment he finished speaking, Master Zhou suddenly sat bolt upright.
“Say that again!” he shouted.
The servant jolted in fright.
Had he said something wrong? Wasn’t insulting the Cheng family always considered a virtue in this household? When he did it well, Master Zhou would even reward him.
So why had Master Zhou become so agitated after he’d said just one “birds of a feather” today?
“Birds of a feather…” he stammered.
“No – not that part. The part before it,” Master Zhou glared.
“If Second Master Cheng dares to seize them, why wouldn’t First Master Cheng dare?” the servant repeated quickly.
Master Zhou clapped his hands.
“Right, right – so that’s how it is!” he said, suddenly enlightened. “Second Master Cheng seized the properties first. Now that First Master Cheng has come to seize them, he’s taking them from Second Master Cheng, not from Jiao Jiao. On the contrary, it’s entirely possible that this old fox intends to seize them and hand them back to Jiao Jiao!”
As he spoke, he stood up, growing more certain the more he thought about it.
“Yes, yes! Second Master Cheng is treacherous – using filial piety to suppress Jiao Jiao so no one else can speak for her. But First Master Cheng can.” He praised aloud as he talked, clapping his hands. “Good for First Master Cheng! After suffering once, he’s really learned. Even I didn’t react that quickly.”
“So that’s how it is, that’s how it is.”
The servant understood too now, and quickly flattered him, “But Master, you’re still smarter than he is. Look – our young lady is living just fine in our household.”
Master Zhou nodded, but after nodding, he frowned. Why did that compliment sound a bit off?
“All right, enough nonsense. Gather some men – we’re going to the Cheng household,” he said, waving for a maid to help him change clothes. “Since First Master Cheng has arrived, as in-laws we ought to pay him a visit.”
Madam Zhou happened to enter at that moment, and when she heard this, she was startled.
“Master, are you all right?” she asked.
Since when would Master Zhou visit the Cheng family when they came? It was already merciful if he didn’t chase after them to give them a beating.
“I’m fine, I’m fine – if we go any later it’ll be a pity,” Master Zhou said, hurrying toward the door. “Quickly now, bring more men, and take some tools with you…”
Since First Master Cheng had started the performance, he had to go beat the drums as well – he couldn’t let First Master Cheng take all the benefits.
Watching Master Zhou rush out with a group of people as if heading out to loot someone’s house, Madam Zhou was completely confused. She called over the servants to ask what was going on, and once she understood, she couldn’t help clicking her tongue.
“To think the Cheng family used to take pride in their celebrated ‘Two Chengs’… and now the family is practically split apart, the brothers estranged, even shameless enough to fight a lawsuit in court and brawl with one another,” Madam Zhou murmured.
“Money moves the heart, after all,” a maid said.
Madam Zhou shook her head.
Money?
Money doesn’t necessarily move the heart. For example, even if all of that girl’s properties were laid out before First Master Cheng and offered to him, he wouldn’t feel joy – he would feel shock instead.
“What moved First Master Cheng’s heart wasn’t her wealth,” she said, “it was her.”
Only Second Master Cheng and his wife, relying on the fact that they were her biological parents, couldn’t see how fearsome this girl truly was.
“But there’s no hurry – they’ll see the truth soon enough,” she said.
At this, she clasped her hands and silently recited a prayer, calming her heart, which had been stirred again at the thought of the girl.
“What… is she doing?” she asked in a low voice.
She didn’t say the girl’s name, yet the maid understood. In this household, only this girl could be referred to with the pronoun “she” in that singular, unique sense.
“Receiving guests,” the maid said quietly. “Qin Family’s Thirteenth Young Master is here.”
“Qin Family’s Thirteenth Young Master, huh,” Madam Zhou muttered. “Since he’s so earnest and attentive, she might as well marry him quickly.”
Then she remembered something else.
“What about Liu-lang?”
The maid gave an awkward smile.
“Of course… he’s here too,” she said.
“What’s all the commotion outside?”
Zhou Liu-lang frowned as he asked.
“They say First Master Cheng has arrived, and Master Zhou went with some people to pay a visit,” the servant said.
First Master Cheng arrived – and brought people along to pay a visit? Why would anyone need to bring people just to visit? Normally, you only bring people if you’re going to fight or cause trouble.
To outsiders, this sounded strange, but Zhou Liu-lang was quite used to it. Their family had indeed brought people along on previous visits to the Cheng household – though for fighting, of course.
This was a minor matter, not worth worrying over. He drew back his gaze and turned to Qin Shi’san-lang.
“I don’t think you need to waste your breath,” he said. “That Young Master Gao simply won’t listen. He’s set on it: he lost face, he was humiliated, and he won’t stop until he takes revenge. The more you speak nicely, the more justified he feels.”
Qin Shi’san-lang laughed.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said, then looked at Cheng Jiao-niang. “At least it’s better than letting him think, ‘She’s righteous and right,’ and act on it.”
Cheng Jiao-niang gave a faint smile.
“All the same,” she said.
All the same – doesn’t matter.
Qin Shi’san-lang shook his head.
“This time, it’s different,” he said. “The Gao family is different.”
Different from Secretariat Editor Liu, different from Feng Lin. Those previous people could all simply be called officials, but the Gao family now – besides being officials – they are imperial relatives. Feng Lin and the others serve the royal family, but the Gaos are the royal family.
Being family carries an extra measure of affection, an extra measure of closeness, compared to being merely a subject.
Zhou Liu-lang snorted.
“That’s just because they’re relying on Prince Ping,” he said. “Without Prince Ping, the Gao family wouldn’t be so arrogant.”
Qin Shi’san-lang frowned, about to speak, but Cheng Jiao-niang spoke first.
“Prince Ping?” she said.
These simple words – seemingly a question, yet also echoing Zhou Liu-lang’s words. Her voice was calm and soft, but for some reason, hearing those words made Qin Shi’san-lang feel his heart tighten sharply.
Prince Ping?
Relying on Prince Ping… without Prince Ping, the Gao family wouldn’t be so arrogant?
Is it because of Prince Ping that the Gaos are so powerful?
Then… what if Prince Ping were gone?
