Lady Zhang spared no further glance for her, instead looking expectantly toward her lord.
"No one's position remains unchanged forever. Otherwise, there would be no such thing as traitors," he remarked.
Seeing his wife's expression change, Zhu Maonian refrained from uttering more weighty words. "But coveting a daughter-in-law's family fortune is something no respectable family would do. Wu He is an honorable man, and given his current position, he must maintain his integrity. Moreover, our son He is upright by nature and would never engage in such behavior."
"Yes, I trust Wu He," Zhu Changning chimed in. He and his brother-in-law had been classmates for many years, studying under the same teacher, and he knew his character best.
"Indeed, our son-in-law is righteous," Lady Zhang agreed, twisting her handkerchief as she looked to her husband. "So, regarding this matter..."
"Let's proceed as planned."
"Very well, very well," Lady Zhang sighed in relief. Mindful of the time, she quickly moved on to another matter. "I've released most of the servants in our household, returning their contracts and allowing them to seek employment elsewhere. The workers on our estate remain untouched, and along with those who came with my dowry, they will all be left for Changmin's use. Six carriages have been prepared to depart first, with one servant remaining for each family member. The rest will follow with the steward later. Hanmei."
Xu Hanmei's heart skipped a beat as she responded.
"Under these circumstances, the midwife cannot accompany us. We'll have to find one when we arrive. Take Lady Qin from your quarters with you; her husband will follow with the steward later. I've taken the liberty of keeping the others here."
"But Mother..."
"I'm merely informing you, not consulting with you," Lady Zhang fixed her gaze on her. "As a daughter-in-law of the Zhu family, your focus should be on how to weather this crisis together."
Xu Hanmei, having been pampered in her maiden home and living a life of ease since marriage, was experiencing such harsh words for the first time in her life. Her face flushed red with shame and anger, wishing the ground would open up and swallow her.
Zhu Changning glanced at his wife. "Mother, Hanmei didn't mean any harm."
"That's good to hear," Lady Zhang said, not wishing to dwell on the matter, and continued discussing other affairs.
Changle's eyes darted back and forth, catching her eldest brother's gaze and silently grinning. She was certain that her mother's years of playing the role of a benevolent Buddhist had fooled her sister-in-law, who hadn't realized how formidable her mother-in-law could be. The absence of concubines in their household wasn't due to her father's abstinence, but because her mother was a force to be reckoned with!
A commotion outside drew their attention. Steward Zhou hurried to the doorway, peered out, and promptly announced, "My Lord, it's Gao Zhi."
Gao Zhi, a trusted advisor to Prime Minister Zhu. Zhu Maonian's face remained impassive as he watched the man enter. "Uninvited guests are hardly welcome."
Gao Zhi bowed with a ingratiating smile. "Prime Minister Zhu sent me to bid farewell to Lord Zhu and to kindly remind you that a seventh-rank official residing in a first-rank mansion is against regulations. Surely, Lord Zhu wouldn't want to face additional charges before departing?"
"How considerate of Prime Minister Zhu," Zhu Maonian replied dryly.
"Indeed, Lord Zhu. The Prime Minister is most concerned about you," Gao Zhi said, hands clasped behind his back and chin held high, clearly relishing the feeling of having a powerful enemy under his heel. As his gaze swept across the room, a beaming face caught his eye. Ah yes, the Zhu family's youngest daughter who had been studying abroad had returned.
"I wonder how the Fourth Young Miss's studies have progressed?" he inquired.
"I'm invincible!" Zhu Changle was delighted to be addressed, ignoring her father's warning glance. She approached Gao Zhi with a mischievous smile. "Would this esteemed official like to spar with me?"
"The Fourth Young Miss flatters me. I'm but a humble subject, unworthy of the title 'official,'" Gao Zhi demurred.
"If not an official, then a petty man?" Zhu Changle swallowed the very tempting follow-up question of 'What's so petty about you?' Instead, she observed, "You have a beard and don't look so small to me!"
Gao Zhi had encountered many sharp-tongued individuals before, but rarely a woman so bold in her speech. However, as the victor in this situation, he didn't mind. He smiled and nodded, "The Fourth Young Miss is too kind."
"You misunderstand. I wasn't complimenting you; I was calling you shameless!" Changle retorted.
Gao Zhi maintained his facade of being above quarreling with a woman. "They say the Zhu family excels at educating their children, but it seems that's not entirely true."
"Mm-hmm," Zhu Changle nodded in emphatic agreement. "Compared to the Zhu family, the Gao family's ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious vapors to have produced such an 'esteemed official' as yourself."
Gao Zhi sensed there was more to come and inwardly braced himself.
Zhu Changle leaned in closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "But you know, those who walk dark paths too often are bound to encounter ghosts. And usually, these ghosts are one's own people. For instance..."
"Nonsense! Lord Zhu..."
"You've already called my words nonsense, so why bother tattling to my father?" Changle scoffed. "Knowing so many of his unsavory secrets, do you think he'd keep you around to light his lamps once he succeeds? Who can keep a secret forever? Only the dead! You'd better hope your esteemed master never succeeds, or you'll be done for."
"Lord Zhu..."
"There you go tattling again! Fine, I'll say no more," Zhu Changle retreated a few steps, turning to wink at her family members, whose expressions varied widely. "I'm off to find Aunt Feng!"
Zhu Maonian glanced at Gao Zhi, whose smile had long since faded, and nodded slightly. "Gather your belongings; we're about to depart."
"Got it!" Changle called back cheerfully as she ran off, seeming far too happy for someone about to be exiled. An outsider might have thought she was headed for a picnic.
"My young daughter is naive. Please excuse her," Zhu Maonian said, smoothly glossing over the incident. "I appreciate Prime Minister Zhu's concern. Please convey my thanks to him. It seems we may never meet again. I wish the Prime Minister... swift fulfillment of his desires."
With Changle's earlier words as context, Zhu Maonian's statement left Gao Zhi unsure how to respond. He snorted, clasping his hands behind his back as he turned to leave. "It's getting late. Lord Zhu, please 'ah'..."
Unbeknownst to him, someone had scattered tiny black pearls just beyond the threshold. Gao Zhi's foot slipped, and he stumbled across the doorway. Before he could regain his balance, he slipped again, staggering forward several steps before desperately hugging a pillar to steady himself. Glancing back at the pearls on the ground, he realized what had happened. With a furious swish of his sleeve and an indignant snort, he stormed off.
Zhu Changle shook her head in disappointment. Had she known the pearls would come in handy, she would have opened more oysters earlier. How dare he bully her father! This grudge wouldn't be settled until she knocked out at least one of his teeth.
Living by the creed of remembering kindness and swiftly avenging wrongs, the fourth young miss of the Zhu family dusted off her hands. "Aunt Feng, did my master mention how long he'd be in seclusion?"
"No, he didn't," Aunt Feng replied, glancing in the direction Gao Zhi had departed. "Shall I go teach him a lesson?"
"No rush," Changle grinned, leaning in to whisper in Aunt Feng's ear. "Tomorrow night, double back and drug him so he doesn't wake up. Use your special technique to 'loosen his bones' without leaving any marks. Make sure his entire body aches so badly he can't get out of bed for ten days to two weeks."
"Yes, Young Miss."
Zhu Changle bounced along, hands clasped behind her back, taking two steps left, then two steps right. Building on her earlier words, she'd now arranged for Gao Zhi to experience a ghostly visitation. A man so full of schemes would likely scare himself half to death. If this made him wary of Prime Minister Zhu, who had wronged her father, it would be a complete victory for her.
Hehe, she was so clever!
