The second master of the Cheng family, ten years younger than his elder brother Cheng Peifeng, not yet forty. He is married to Guiniang, who is the niece of the Sheng family. He has a soft and yielding temperament. His brother pressures him to divorce Guiniang due to the Sheng family scandal involving Sheng Xiangqiao running off with a man and disgracing her betrothal to Prince Cining. Cheng Peinian is torn between protecting his family's reputation and not wanting to abandon his dutiful wife of many years. He plans to travel to Yan County to re-examine the salt tax as an excuse to avoid dealing with the divorce matter immediately.
