Today was the day of the third day of the family visit. Cheng Yujin, like other newlyweds, also had to return to her parents' home on the third day of her marriage to show her family the situation after marriage. Before leaving the palace, Cheng Yujin went to Empress Dowager Yang and Empress Yang's palace to wash up. Empress Yang knew that she was going to return to her parents' home today, so she didn't make things difficult for her and quickly let her out.
Cheng Yujin returned to Ciqing Palace to change her clothes and boarded the carriage with her maidservants. At this moment, the Marquis of Yichun had been waiting for a long time. The Cheng Family had cleaned the courtyard and opened the gate. Cheng Yuan-hsien led the Cheng Family's brothers and nephews to wait in front of the gate. In front of the second gate, Old Lady Cheng was also supported by the crowd and quietly waited for the Crown Princess to return.
The sun gradually rose. Old Lady Cheng waited for a long time. Finally, a servant ran in to inform her that the Crown Princess had arrived. Old Lady Cheng's spirit was shaken. She quickly arranged the womenfolk and held her breath as she waited for the Crown Princess.
The sound of clapping could be heard from the street. Li Seung-kyung's carriage stopped at the main gate, while Cheng Yujin's carriage continued to enter the residence and stopped in front of the second gate. At this moment, Old Lady Cheng led Qingfu, Nguyễn Clan, and nearly a hundred servants of the Cheng Family to kneel in front of the gate and shouted, "Greetings to the Crown Princess."
Several women in palace attire came forward to lift the curtain of the carriage and carefully supported the person inside. Cheng Yujin slowly got out of the carriage and stood in front of the crowd. She slightly raised her hand and said, "Rise."
Only then did the crowd stand up. Old Lady Cheng stood up with the help of others. She trembled as she said, "Greetings to the Crown Princess. May the Crown Princess be blessed. "
"Grandmother, please don't stand on ceremony." Cheng Yujin stepped forward and pretended to help Old Lady Cheng up. She said, "Granddaughter is unfilial to have troubled Elder to wait here. Grandmother, please come in. "
Cheng Yujin just made a gesture and didn't really help Old Lady Cheng. Old Lady Cheng saw the red sleeves woven with gold spread open in front of her. The golden lines on the sleeves shone brightly under the sunlight, dazzling her eyes. Old Lady Cheng was in a daze for a moment. She stood up and smiled, "Crown Princess is right. I was too impatient when I saw the Crown Princess. Please come in, Crown Princess. "
When the Cheng family's servants heard this, they dispersed from the middle like the tide to the two sides. Only after Cheng Yujin and Old Madame Cheng walked past did they dare to follow in turn.
Today, the Cheng Family, regardless of master or servant, were all at the door to welcome the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The men followed Cheng Yuan-hsien to stand on the street outside the main entrance. The women followed Old Lady Cheng to wait at the second entrance. The servants knelt in different places according to their ranks. Cheng Yujin entered the courtyard and walked into the main hall of Longevity Hall. At this moment, Longevity Hall was already decorated. There were new decorations everywhere, especially to welcome the Crown Princess. Cheng Yujin invited Old Lady Cheng to sit, but Old Lady Cheng refused and repeatedly declined. Cheng Yujin finally sat on the highest seat, and Old Lady Cheng sat down.
Cheng Yujin was surrounded by a large number of palace maids and female officials. There were also many servants standing outside the room, all of them standing respectfully with their hands in their sleeves. Princess Qingfu and the Nguyễn Clan were worried when they saw her. They hadn't seen Cheng Yujin for only two days, but she seemed to have changed into a different person.
Cheng Yujin was wearing a bright red dress today. She sat upright. Just by raising her hand, the royal prestige suddenly appeared.
In the past, Cheng Yujin's bearing was also good. Her sitting posture, standing posture, and even walking posture were pleasing to the eyes. When everyone saw her, they only thought that she was beautiful. Who would have thought that after changing into the royal costume, she was beautiful but not for them to admire.
Her prestige came out of the jade gate, and the moon shone over the nine provinces. Just by looking at her, one could feel the majesty of the royal family. Beautiful but not demonic, majestic but not angry. No one could say what the Crown Princess should look like. But after seeing Cheng Yujin, they felt that the Crown Princess should look like this.
Princess Qingfu felt that she was a member of the royal family in vain. Compared to Cheng Yujin, she, as a princess, had no bearing. The Nguyễn Clan was even more embarrassed. When the marriage was just bestowed, Cheng Yujin's clothes had not been sent yet. The Nguyễn Clan only felt that Cheng Yujin was still Cheng Yujin. She was just lucky to be bestowed with a good marriage.
Therefore, the Nguyễn Clan yearned for Cheng Yujin so that she could help her son. Later, the Nguyễn Clan was choked by Cheng Yujin and lost a lot of face. The Nguyễn Clan was indignant, but they did not dare to say it in person. They could only curse at the mulberry tree in private to vent their anger. At that time, she did not feel that the Crown Princess was different from other married daughters. Until today, when she saw her, the Nguyễn Clan felt afraid in hindsight.
If it was today, the Nguyễn Clan would not dare to steal Cheng Yujin's words no matter what, let alone scheme against her. The Nguyễn Clan did not dare to breathe loudly. Princess Qingfu also felt that she had lost face as the legitimate mother. She felt ashamed in front of her adopted daughter, so she lowered her head and did not want to speak.
Only the Old Lady Cheng, who had seen many occasions, could still be considered calm at this moment. She slowly asked about Cheng Yujin's daily necessities after she got married.
Cheng Yujin also answered with a smile. In any case, she could not say that the palace was not good. Of course, the words she picked out were all good things.
Old Lady Cheng obviously also understood. Hearing these words, she also let out a sigh of relief. After exchanging greetings for a while, the atmosphere gradually warmed up. Cheng Yujin left the palace maids and servants outside and changed her etiquette. She and the Old Lady Cheng went to the inner room to chat about daily life.
After leaving the splendidly decorated main hall, everyone's expressions were clearly much more relaxed. Although it was said that they were experts, Cheng Yujin was still the host. She sat on the main seat of the arhat bed. Old Lady Cheng sat across from her. Princess Qingfu, the Nguyễn Clan, and the others moved armchairs and sat to the side.
The maidservants scattered around Cheng Yujin. From this posture, it could be seen that there was a hierarchy between the two.
Old Lady Cheng had not been a supporting role for many years. She was the eldest member of the Cheng Family. Wherever she went, she would sit in the most honorable and most central position. Everyone carefully flattered her. Now that she had suddenly fallen to the second position, Old Lady Cheng felt very awkward.
But no matter how awkward it was, she still had to smile in front of Cheng Yujin. "Crown Princess, you have only been in the palace for two days, but this old one feels like three to five years have passed. Have you gotten used to being in the palace these two days? "
"Everything is fine." Cheng Yujin gently nodded. "Thank you for your concern, grandmother."
Old Lady Cheng carefully asked the most important question, "Then, do you get along well with His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Everyone in the Cheng Family pricked up their ears. Compared to the empty words about basic necessities, it was clear that this was the only thing they cared about. The Crown Prince and the Cheng Family had some relationship, but the terrible thing was that the Cheng Family did not know about this. They even mistakenly thought that the Crown Prince was just a concubine's son. They courted disaster and made the Crown Prince's golden thigh into a death sentence.
Cheng Yujin thought about what happened when she was drunk last night. She felt that it was too horrible to look at, but she still smiled demurely and said, "Everything is fine between His Highness and me."
Old Lady Cheng probed, "This old one had eyes but failed to see. I did not recognize His Highness's majestic appearance. His Highness … Will His Highness punish the Cheng Family?"
Cheng Yujin understood. It turned out that they were here to plead for leniency. They did not dare to talk to Li Seung-kyung, so they came to talk to her. Why did they think that Cheng Yujin could influence Li Seung-kyung?
Cheng Yujin thought that Old Lady Cheng brought this upon herself. It was useless to ask her for help. However, now was not the time to panic. The Yang Family was still there. How could the Cheng Family be the first to panic?
Cheng Yujin told the truth. "Grandmother and father can rest assured. Since His Highness married me, it means that he has no grudges against the Cheng Family. In the future, as long as the Cheng Family knows their place and restrain themselves, His Highness will not pursue the past. "
With Cheng Yujin's words, Old Lady Cheng's heart, which had been hanging in the air for half a year, finally calmed down. When Li Seung-kyung was still in the Cheng Family, Old Lady Cheng always thought that he was Xiao Xue's illegitimate child. Although she did not dare to directly attack him, she still made a lot of sarcastic remarks behind his back. There was even one time when Cheng Yuan-hsien scolded Li Seung-kyung as an "illegitimate child" in front of him. At that time, they did not think much of it. However, when they found out about Li Seung-kyung's identity, the Cheng Family recalled these things and were all scared to the point of trembling.
They did not expect the Crown Prince to give the Cheng Family any preferential treatment. As long as the Crown Prince could see that Marquis Cheng was indebted to the Crown Prince and not pursue the Cheng Family's offense, Cheng Yuan-hsien would be thankful. Now that they heard Cheng Yujin's words, Qingfu and Chen Laofu were undoubtedly greatly relieved.
After Old Lady Cheng felt relieved, her mind began to move again. She calmly sized up Cheng Yujin. She was as beautiful as a painting, as if she was in the clouds. Old Lady Cheng felt that she was pleasing to the eye. Presumably, in the eyes of men, she was even more beautiful.
Old Lady Cheng beat around the bush and asked, "Your Highness the Crown Prince's benevolence, this old one is endlessly grateful. In the future, I will have to trouble the Crown Princess to mediate for the Cheng Family in front of Your Highness. Crown Princess, are you and the Crown Prince doing well? "
Cheng Yujin thought to herself, "Didn't I just ask this question? Why did it come again?" She saw Old Lady Cheng's expectant and meaningful gaze and slowly realized what the Old Lady Cheng was asking.
Cheng Yujin felt awkward. There were no outsiders here. The female officials and eunuchs from the palace had all been arranged to stay outside. They were rewarded and didn't need to work, so the palace servants all turned a blind eye and let Cheng Yujin and the Cheng Family talk alone. But even so, Cheng Yujin couldn't say anything as Old Lady Cheng, Princess Qingfu, and the Nguyễn Clan stared at her.
What should she say? Should she say something like this?
Cheng Yujin only had a general memory of her previous life. It was like watching a shadow puppet show. What remained in her mind were the most special and crucial scenes. It was like she was reading a highly summarized picture book. She couldn't remember the specific details. And among these scenes, there was almost no interaction with Huo Changyuan.
In her impression, after she married into the Huo family, the Huxue Clan was very possessive of their son. After Cheng Yujin weighed the pros and cons, she deliberately kept a distance from Huo Changyuan. The two of them didn't have much intimate contact. Therefore, Cheng Yujin didn't have much experience in this area.
She also didn't know what a normal marriage should be like. Between husband and wife, how often should this kind of thing be done?
Cheng Yujin thought about how she got drunk last night and fell asleep as soon as she went back. It was a peaceful night. Li Seung-kyung only touched her on their wedding night. However, the wedding night was part of the wedding night. According to this, Li Seung-kyung's attitude was similar to hers. Everything was for the sake of etiquette and children.
Cheng Yujin left herself some leeway. She just nodded with a smile and didn't say much. She couldn't be too full of herself. If Li Seung-kyung quickly cooled down like other men and she couldn't give birth to children, then she wouldn't be able to do anything.
Old Lady Cheng saw Cheng Yujin's reserved and cold smile and was a little worried. It was like this in the past. When the madam of another family brought her nephew to visit the Cheng Family, Cheng Yujin would smile and greet them. Then she would be too lazy to pay attention to the group of young men and focus on talking to the madam. Cheng Yujin looked like this. When she showed a cold face, who would dare to go up to her and make trouble? On the other hand, Cheng Yumo knew how to take the initiative to talk and play with the young men.
Old Lady Cheng watched as the young men who were guests looked at Cheng Yujin in amazement. However, Cheng Yujin didn't even look at them. Those young men didn't dare to come over and bother Cheng Yujin. Old Lady Cheng was worried about this for a long time. She was especially afraid that Cheng Yujin would act like this after she got married.
Now it seemed that her worry was not wrong.
Old Lady Cheng even felt that Cheng Yujin was completely capable of closing the door and not letting her husband in. Or she could drive her husband to another place and not bother her.
Now that Cheng Yujin's husband was the Crown Prince, Cheng Yujin wouldn't go so far as to not let the Crown Prince in. However, as long as she treated the Crown Prince coldly, the Crown Prince wouldn't stay. In the long run, wouldn't the relationship between husband and wife become colder and more rigid? How could they have children like this?
Old Lady Cheng was very vexed when she clearly had a picturesque appearance, but she didn't understand. Old Lady Cheng wanted to remind her, but she was old and couldn't teach her granddaughter the ways of husband and wife. In the end, Old Lady Cheng vaguely said, "Crown Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince has been wandering outside for many years. He also got married late. Presumably, His Majesty has been looking forward to holding a grandson for a long time. The Crown Prince is older than you. If there's anything between the two of you, you have to listen to him. Just go along with His Highness. "
Cheng Yujin didn't understand why Old Lady Cheng specifically said such a simple principle, but she still nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Grandmother. "
However, when Old Lady Cheng saw Cheng Yujin's expression, she knew that she didn't understand. She didn't understand what Old Lady Cheng was hinting at. Old Lady Cheng was speechless for a while. She originally wanted to let Qingfu teach Cheng Yujin, but when she thought of Princess Qingfu and Cheng Yuan-hsien's marriage, she felt that it was better not to say it.
Old Lady Cheng and Marquis Cheng's relationship wasn't very good. However, Old Lady Cheng was strong and ruthless. The women around Marquis Cheng couldn't survive. The three children of the Cheng Family were all born from Old Lady Cheng's belly. Only Cheng Yuanjing suddenly came back when he was six years old and became a fish that escaped the net. However, it was later proven that he wasn't.
Princess Qingfu and Cheng Yuan-hsien's married life was even more needless to say. Cheng Yuan-hsien had a concubine on his left and a beautiful concubine on his right. Princess Qingfu was always alone in an empty room. She could only see her husband at Old Lady Cheng's place. Cheng Yujin grew up in this kind of environment and was influenced by what she saw and heard. How could she learn the normal way of getting along with men?
On the contrary, Cheng Yumo's parents were both alive. The Nguyễn Clan and Cheng Yuanhan had a good relationship. Therefore, Cheng Yumo was better at getting along with men than Cheng Yujin.
Old Lady Cheng was secretly vexed. The Cheng Family was now tied to the Crown Prince's boat. If Cheng Yujin couldn't give birth to the Crown Prince's legitimate son, then the Cheng Family's bargaining chip would be much weaker. Old Lady Cheng didn't care if Cheng Yujin and the Crown Prince were husband and wife on the surface. As long as they had a legitimate son, it didn't matter if the two of them were united on the surface but separated at heart.
Cheng Yujin and the Crown Prince were both beautiful and dignified. When the two of them stood together, they looked very good. However, when two dignified people were together, it always made people worry that they couldn't give birth to a child.
Old Lady Cheng knocked for a while and made up her mind. She quietly gave a few instructions to the mama.
After lunch, Cheng Yujin and Li Seung-kyung would return to the palace. When they were eating together just now, just as Cheng Yujin said, Li Seung-kyung always had a sense of propriety. He was gentle and polite. When he spoke to Cheng Yuan-hsien, he also spoke amiably. He didn't have any intention of bringing up old scores. The Cheng Family was relieved. In the afternoon, they happily sent Cheng Yujin back to the palace.
However, before she left, Old Lady Cheng gave Cheng Yujin a box. She also repeatedly told her to wait until she returned to the palace and there was no one around to look at it.
Cheng Yujin didn't take it to heart. This time, she brought back a lot of gift boxes when she returned home. When she left the palace, she brought a return gift. When she left, her maternal family gave a lot of gifts in return. Cheng Yujin thought that Old Lady Cheng's box was just one of the gifts, so she didn't pay much attention to it.
After returning to the palace to report to the Empress Dowager and having dinner in Ciqing Palace, Cheng Yujin changed into light, casual clothes. Only then did she remember the mysterious box that Old Lady Cheng gave her during the day.
When it was dark, the rear palace hall was quiet. Cheng Yujin had nothing to do, so she flipped through Old Lady Cheng's things to look at. At first, she didn't understand. She wondered why Old Lady Cheng gave her a book on cultivation. Then, after flipping through two pages, she saw a very detailed diagram.
Cheng Yujin was stunned for a moment. She closed the book with a bang.
She was so ashamed that her face turned red. She couldn't wait to throw the box out. What was Old Lady Cheng thinking about every day? She gave such serious instructions. Cheng Yujin thought it was something important. In the end, it was just this?
Cheng Yujin was ashamed and angry. She was so angry that she gritted her teeth. However, no matter how angry she was, she didn't dare to be impulsive. This kind of thing couldn't be placed carelessly. If it was accidentally found by a servant, what face would she have left as the Crown Princess?
Cheng Yujin was anxiously looking for a place to hide when a voice came from behind her. "What are you looking at? Why are you so angry?"
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