Chapter 58: Superficial Glory

Descending the mountain, she took the same path as before, easily avoiding the gaze of the government soldiers without much effort.

Ling Yuan watched her from afar until she boarded the carriage, then turned and left.

By the time the carriage reached the Cheng residence, the sun was gradually sinking in the west. The first to rush out to welcome her was the fierce hound.

Cheng Cong chased after it from behind, biting his teeth and cursing, "You wretched beast, why are you acting crazy again? Do you still think I haven't been scolded bitterly enough by mother?"

Reaching the entrance, he saw the fierce hound wagging its tail and circling around Su Yunqing, who had just stepped down from the carriage.

Su Yunqing picked up the dog leash from the ground and pulled the hound inward. As she walked past Cheng Cong, she handed the leash to him. Cheng Cong raised his head with a blank expression, glanced at her, snatched the leash away, and prepared to leave with the dog.

"Stop right there!" After receiving the message from the gatekeeper, Madam Cheng hurried out and shouted sternly to Cheng Cong, who was about to bolt: "Not only do you fail to greet your eldest sister-in-law, but you've even forgotten how to address her?"

Cheng Cong tilted his head, blushed, turned around, and walked toward Su Yunqing. Lowering his gaze to avoid her eyes, he murmured softly, "Eldest sister-in-law..."

Su Yunqing nodded at him, then smiled and walked toward Madam Cheng: "Mother, he is still just a child, let him be!"

"You've finally come back." Madam Cheng pressed her lips together, squeezing out two lines of tears: "Come with me quickly and persuade Ji'er."

Su Yunqing was puzzled: "What is wrong with eldest brother?"

"He is sulking with me," Madam Cheng said. "I originally kept your trip to Mount Longyin a secret, but who would have thought that after a day and a night without seeing you return, he guessed it. For two days now, he hasn't eaten a single bite, and he keeps blaming me, saying I shouldn't have let you go..."

Su Yunqing comforted her: "Mother, don't worry. Look, haven't I returned safely? I will go and speak with him."

Only then did Madam Cheng break into a tearful smile: "Good child, if there were any other way, mother would never have been willing to let you take such a risk. After you left, I was just as worried and heartbroken as he was."

Su Yunqing squeezed her hand and said, "I won't go again, Mother. Let me go and check on eldest brother first."

In the Jade Emerald Pavilion, winter plum blossoms were on the verge of blooming, cranes paced leisurely in the courtyard, and the pond reflected withered lotus leaves and the evening glow—a scene of tranquil and peaceful days.

Utterly out of place amid all this was Hibiscus, who sat on a stone stool and wept silently.

When she saw Su Yunqing, her gaze was complex, joy tinged with resentment. She stood up, stepped forward, and curtsied: "Eldest Young Madam."

Su Yunqing nodded at her and walked straight toward the eastern wing room.

The porridge on the table was still steaming. Without a word, Su Yunqing picked up the bowl, sat by the bedside, and called out softly, "Eldest brother, time to eat."

Cheng Ji slowly opened his eyes at the sound. Su Yunqing's hazy face gradually became clear; she was still wearing men's attire.

Su Yunqing smiled and called out toward the outer room: "Hibiscus, come and give me a hand, help the young master prop up a soft pillow."

She fed him the porridge spoon by spoon, and he cooperated, eating it mouthful by mouthful. The two of them did not exchange a single word.

Outside, Madam Cheng pressed her hands together and bowed toward the sky, murmuring, "Namo Amitabha, Bodhisattva protect us..."

After feeding Cheng Ji, Su Yunqing had no time to return to her room to change clothes. She found a large flowerpot, asked Zhuhua to add some soil into it, took out the blue cloth pouch, and planted four stalks of Dragon Saliva Grass inside.

"I also brought back a jar of seawater, Zhuhua. Don't forget to pour some on them every day."

Zhuhua nodded. Looking at the four stalks of Dragon Saliva Grass, her face was full of disbelief: "Eldest Young Madam, you truly amaze me!"

Seeing that Cheng Ji had eaten, Madam Cheng was inwardly overjoyed, yet she did not dare to step forward to speak with him. She could only watch Su Yunqing from the side, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Su Yunqing said, "Don't rush, there's more."

With that, she took out the remaining four stalks and handed them to Madam Cheng: "Mother, use these four for eldest brother first. This time, you must have someone watch them closely."

Nanny Jin patted her chest and stepped forward: "Eldest Young Madam, rest assured. This old woman won't entrust this to anyone else this time; I will brew the medicine myself, guaranteeing that no ghosts or goblins will dare come near."

Su Yunqing smiled: "Troubling you, Nanny Jin."

Having given her instructions, Su Yunqing finally returned to her room to bathe and change.

With all preparations complete, and after sending Zhuhua out on an errand, Su Yunqing opened the cloth bag.

Two ink-feathered macaws were confined inside a single cloth bag, their feet and beaks bound so they could neither make a sound nor move.

She took one out, placed it into the birdcage prepared by Zhuhua, and untied its bindings. The bird immediately fluttered about and chirped joyfully inside the cage.

Su Yunqing then carried the other one around the room, inspecting every corner. She needed to find a covert place to hide it so that no one else would know a second one existed—not even Zhuhua.

Finally, her gaze locked onto the giant scroll jar in the study. Scroll jars were placed directly on the floor; anyone entering the study and casting a glance inside would immediately notice something amiss.

She took out all the scroll paintings inside, hoisted the jar up, stepped onto a chair to place it atop the bookshelf, and put the still-bound ink-feathered macaw inside.

Only then did she walk into the bathing room to bathe and change her clothes.

The next day, Zhuhua was assigned a new chore: teaching the large bird how to speak.

"May Eldest Young Madam be blessed with supreme fortune and longevity spanning the southern mountains..."

Less than two days after her return to the Cheng family, Madam Hua's household had sent over a calling card, stating that Madam Hua would visit the Cheng family on the twenty-first day of the eleventh lunar month.

Madam Cheng's expression turned troubled. She disliked growing too close to these high-ranking officials and nobles because Master Cheng detested them; every contact was an unavoidable obligation she had to endure. Su Yunqing, however, curved her lips into an imperceptible smile.

This ink-feathered macaw was truly the pinnacle among birds. Zhuhua had taught it for merely three or five days, yet it could already recite long sentences of more than ten characters without a single error, mimicking human speech with astonishing accuracy and even a pleasant tone.

Madam Hua did not come alone; true to her word, she brought her daughter, Prefect's Wife Hua Yingliu.

Although Madam Cheng was graceful and poised in social interactions, because Master Cheng had always disdained mingling with official circles, she lacked much experience in dealing with official families. After exchanging a few polite greetings, she excused herself under the pretext of caring for her ailing husband and son.

Su Yunqing led Madam Hua and the Prefect's Wife to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to sit, drink tea, and converse.

Hua Yingliu had passed through the vast courtyard and entered this sprawling, exquisitely landscaped back garden. Her eyes were kept busy taking it all in. It was not as though she had never seen the world—she had an aunt who was a imperial concubine's brother's wife, and she had visited luxurious grand mansions in the capital—yet the Cheng family estate still managed to dazzle her eyes.

Su Yunqing personally poured tea for them, smiled faintly, and asked, "Madam Hua, Madam Tian, how do you find this garden?"

Madam Hua nodded. "Exquisite. It truly deserves to be called the pinnacle of Jiangnan gardens. I never expected that such a utopian paradise would be hidden within the inner courtyard of the Cheng residence."

Hua Yingliu echoed, "Mother is right. Every step reveals a new view, leaving one's eyes entirely unable to take it all in."

Su Yunqing pressed her lips together. "I have already discussed it with my mother-in-law and second brother-in-law: we intend to sell this garden to raise military funds for the Chengzhou coastal defense garrison, offering a humble contribution to assist Lord Tian in resisting the Japanese pirates."

Madam Hua and Hua Yingliu exchanged a glance and simultaneously looked back at her. Madam Hua remarked, "The Cheng family is wealthy and influential; under Master Cheng, it has flourished for nearly twenty years. Now, you've actually reached the point of selling the garden to raise funds?"

Su Yunqing replied, "Madam Hua may not know this, but bigness comes with its own heavy burdens. I only came to understand this truth after mother-in-law handed the household management over to me. With so many businesses under our umbrella, making a profit in the east while losing money in the west, we just juggle them back and forth like this, maintaining a mere facade of prosperity..."

The Hua family had originally been commoners. It was only after Noble Consort Zhang gained power and rose to prominence through the patronage of Imperial Uncle Zhang that they gradually prospered. It had only been a few years since then, so how could they possibly understand commerce?

Swayed by Su Yunqing's bitter complaints, the two of them nodded repeatedly in agreement.