"The Crown Prince has arrived. Marquis Jingyong has arrived. "
The eunuch's voice traveled into the main hall. Cheng Yujin was surprised for a moment, but quickly stood up and walked outside. Huo Xue and Su Ke Er, who were kneeling on the ground, were dumbfounded. When Cheng Yujin's red robe brushed past them, they seemed to wake up from a dream and quickly got up to greet the Crown Prince.
Cheng Yumo was also supported by the Nguyễn Clan as they walked outside to greet the Crown Prince. The Nguyễn Clan and the Huxue Clan met in the main hall, and their gazes towards each other were unfriendly.
Cheng Yujin raised her arms slightly, her right hand covering her left hand, and slowly bent her knees. "Greetings, Your Highness."
The Crown Princess bowed, but Huo Changyuan didn't dare to respond. He hurriedly dodged to the side. In the entire hall, only Li Chengjing walked straight towards Cheng Yujin without any hesitation. He held her arm and personally helped her up. The Huxue Clan knelt behind Cheng Yujin, and were very surprised to see the Crown Prince holding the Crown Princess' arm.
The Crown Prince was actually doing this in front of everyone? He was the Crown Prince, and he was personally helping a woman up in front of all the officials' wives. Didn't he feel like he was losing face as a Clan Head?
However, what surprised the Huxue Clan was far more than that. After Li Seung-kyung helped Cheng Yujin up, he didn't withdraw his hands. Instead, he naturally held Cheng Yujin's hand. "Why did you come out? I told you that you didn't have to come out to greet me, but you didn't listen. "
Cheng Yujin smiled and didn't refute Li Seung-kyung in front of everyone. However, she didn't seem to have any intention of accepting him either. What a joke. With so many pairs of eyes watching, if the Crown Prince returned to the palace and she openly sat in the inner room, she would become a ready-made target. Cheng Yujin would not allow herself to be used against her.
Cheng Yujin said, "I didn't know that Your Highness had returned to the Palace. Why is Your Highness back? "
"I saw Marquis Jingyong at the palace gates. After asking around, I found out that Madame Marquis Jingyong and the Old Madame were both in Ciqing Palace. It just so happens that His Majesty's matter has been settled, so I'll take him back to Ciqing Palace to take a look. "
It turned out that they had met at the palace gates. Cheng Yujin understood. It was no secret that she had invited the Huxue Clan into the palace. Presumably, before the Huxue Clan left, they had hurriedly sent an urgent message to Huo Changyuan. Huo Changyuan rushed to the palace gates after receiving the letter, but he didn't expect to run into Li Seung-kyung.
Cheng Yujin understood and asked, "Your Highness just came back from the Palace of Heavenly Purity? How is His Majesty? "
"His Majesty is doing well. Today, he was particularly satisfied with the mooncakes you prepared and praised the Crown Princess' virtue in front of all the officials. Presumably, he will reward you later. "
Cheng Yujin smiled and bowed, "This Mistress only used a small trick, I've made Your Majesty and the other officials laugh."
At this time, inside and outside the hall, there were many people kneeling on the ground, but the Eastern Palace husband and wife were talking as if there was no one else present. The Huxue Clan knelt on the ground in disbelief. It was useless for a man to be so polite to a woman. She really couldn't understand why the dignified Crown Prince would do such a condescending thing.
Su Ke Er was obviously afraid, but she still couldn't help sneaking glances at the Crown Prince. [Heavens, is this the Crown Prince?] She had thought that her cousin Zhang Yuan was the best man in the world, but she had never expected that after meeting the Crown Prince today, she would understand what it meant to be noble and noble.
Cheng Yumo knelt on the ground, his face turning paler with every sentence he heard. In the end, Huo Changyuan in the courtyard couldn't stand it anymore and coughed slightly.
Li Seung-kyung seemed to have just remembered this person and said with a smile, "It's all because my memory is bad, I almost forgot that Marquis Jingyong is still waiting outside. It's improper to stand outside and talk, Marquis Jingyong, come in first. "
Huo Changyuan cupped his hands and complied. With the Crown Prince's words, Cheng Yujin, Nguyễn Clan, and Huxue Clan's Su Ke Er also helped each other up. Li Seung-kyung was the first to walk inside, Cheng Yujin half a step behind, followed by a large number of palace eunuchs and eunuchs. Li Seung-kyung walked into the Western Hall and naturally sat in the main seat, Cheng Yujin sat opposite him. After that, Huo Changyuan and the others walked into the hall, but didn't dare to sit down, all of them standing respectfully.
Li Seung-kyung didn't speak, and no one dared to make a sound. Li Seung-kyung first poured a cup of tea and handed it to Cheng Yujin, then filled the teacup in front of him. "Today, Marquis Jingyong gathered at the Ciqing Palace, what's the matter?"
The Huxue Clan wanted to speak, but when they saw the Crown Prince's handsome and fair face, they didn't dare to speak. The Nguyễn Clan glanced at Cheng Yujin hesitantly. Cheng Yujin knew that if Li Seung-kyung wanted to speak, only she could do it, so she summarized what just happened in a few words. "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, I wanted to ask about grandmother's recent situation, so after the banquet ended, I took Second Aunt and Second Sister back to the palace. While we were talking, we found out that Second Sister just had a miscarriage at the beginning of the month. She's still so young, yet she's already suffered so much. I couldn't bear it, so I wanted to summon Old Madame Huo into the palace to ask about the situation. "
As Cheng Yujin spoke, she glanced down and said calmly, "But it seems that Old Madame Huo has misunderstood something. However, Marquis Jingyong is also one of the parties involved, so it's best to ask Marquis Jingyong directly. "
The Nguyễn Clan immediately showed a victorious expression. Cheng Yujin's eloquence was no joke. In just a few words, she summarized the cause and effect of the incident. Moreover, after what she said, Cheng Yujin's side was completely reasonable. On the other hand, the Huxue Clan was being unreasonable, and they were being suspected of measuring the heart of a gentleman with their own mean yardstick.
Li Seung-kyung nodded calmly. It was obvious that he didn't care about the Huo family's domestic affairs at all. Even when he heard that Cheng Yumo had a miscarriage, he didn't move at all. After Cheng Yujin finished speaking, the Huxue Clan was a little anxious. As expected, the Crown Princess was on Cheng Yumo's side. After being criticized by the Crown Princess, they were completely the bad guys.
The Huxue Clan hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I've been extremely benevolent to my daughter-in-law and treated her well. Your Highness, please handle this matter impartially and don't listen to and believe only one side. "
Li Seung-kyung glanced at the Huxue Clan indifferently. "How can I listen to the Crown Princess's words and believe only one side? If I don't believe the Crown Princess, do you think I'll believe you? "
The Huxue Clan choked. Seeing this, Huo Changyuan frowned. He immediately lifted his robe and knelt down. "Your Highness, please calm down. My mother hasn't left the residence for a long time and doesn't know the ways of the world. She didn't mean to offend Your Highness."
Seeing Huo Changyuan kneel down, the Huxue Clan and Su Ke 'er were both shocked and frightened. They followed suit and knelt down with a thud. It sounded like they were in pain.
"Why are you kneeling?" Li Seung-kyung's voice was still cold. "How dare you offend the Crown Princess. How dare you."
Huo Changyuan was shocked at first. He quickly glanced up and vaguely made some guesses. He turned to Cheng Yujin and cupped his hands. He lowered his head and said, "My mother spoke without thinking and offended the Crown Princess. Please punish her, Crown Princess."
Cheng Yujin clicked her tongue inwardly. She turned her face and glanced at Li Seung-kyung. Li Seung-kyung sensed her gaze and turned his head without any hesitation to meet Cheng Yujin's eyes.
Cheng Yujin silently withdrew her gaze. Li Seung-kyung's sudden move made her feel a little mushy.
However, her ex-fiancé and current brother-in-law was still kneeling on the ground. Cheng Yujin coughed lightly. She finally remembered that there was someone on the ground waiting for her to speak. Cheng Yujin restrained her expression. "Since this is Old Madam Huo's first offense and Marquis Jingyong's face, this Consort will not pursue the matter. However, this Consort doesn't want to hear about it again. "
Huo Changyuan's suspicions were confirmed. His heart was filled with mixed feelings and he didn't know what to say. At this time, Su Ke 'er from the Huxue Clan reacted. She hurriedly turned around and kowtowed to Cheng Yujin. "This subject's wife has been rude. Thank you, Crown Princess, for your forgiveness."
Cheng Yujin nodded slightly and raised her hand like an imperial concubine. "You may rise."
Su Ke 'er didn't understand anything. She only knew that when the Crown Prince spoke, she was so scared that her heart almost stopped. Now that the Crown Princess had allowed them to rise, it was clear that everything was fine. Su Ke 'er was overjoyed and wanted to help Huo Changyuan up. However, Huo Changyuan frowned and avoided her.
Su Ke 'er's hands were empty. She didn't understand what was going on. When they were in the Marquis Household, cousin didn't reject her approach. Why was he avoiding her like she was a snake? Su Ke 'er's hands were empty as she knelt on the ground.
When the Nguyễn Clan saw this, she sneered in disdain.
Cheng Yujin pretended not to see. Once they were in position, she turned around and asked Li Seung-kyung, "I've embarrassed myself in front of Your Highness. This is my younger sister's family matter. Now that it has been brought up in front of Your Highness, this concubine feels very uneasy. Since Your Highness already knows about this, this concubine will shamelessly ask Your Highness for some advice. How does Your Highness think this matter should be handled? "
Li Seung-kyung didn't even think about it. "Since it's Second Sister's family matter, you naturally have the final say. We'll do as you say. "
Li Seung-kyung referred to himself as "Gu" in front of Huo Changyuan and the Huxue Clan. However, in front of Cheng Yujin, he referred to her as "you and I". He even called Cheng Yumo "Second Sister". It was clear at a glance whether he was close or distant to her.
The Huxue Clan immediately let out a long sigh in their hearts. When she entered the palace, she thought that she could rely on her relationship with Xiao Xue to ask the Crown Prince for help. Now that she thought about it, it was simply a fool's dream. The Huxue Clan and Xiao Xue were distant cousins. Xiao Xue was Li Seung-kyung's half-adoptive mother. How could this distant relationship compare to his own wife and his wife's younger sister?
The Huxue Clan never thought that she would make such a big fuss just because she wanted to keep someone close to her in the manor. The Huxue Clan especially remembered that when she first learned that Cheng Yuanjing had returned from his deployment, she even asked Huo Changyuan to help Cheng Yuanjing out a bit because Xiao Xue was also surnamed Xue. When the Huxue Clan thought about her tone and attitude at the time, they felt that their faces were as big as basins. They were so ashamed that they wanted to die.
How could they have the face to help Cheng Yuanjing, who was originally the Crown Prince?
Everything that had happened now was simply payback. The Huxue Clan had already given up hope that the Crown Prince would completely hand over the power of punishment to Cheng Yujin. She and Cheng Yujin had a lot of grudges, both new and old.
Cheng Yujin said unhurriedly, "This is an internal matter of the Huo family. This consort shouldn't interfere. However, since you've come to Ciqing Palace, this consort can't help but say a few words of fairness. Marquis Jingyong. "
Huo Changyuan was caught off guard when he heard his name from Cheng Yujin's mouth. He was stunned for a moment before he replied, "This subject is here."
"Second Younger Sister accidentally had a miscarriage. Were you the one who pushed her?"
Hearing such words from Cheng Yujin made Huo Changyuan feel ashamed and angry. He clenched his fists and finally replied bitterly, "Yes."
"When Madame Huo mentioned taking in a concubine, was it for you?"
Li Seung-kyung raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this. He thought it was just a normal family affair. He didn't expect there to be so many twists and turns in it.
As a man, he actually pushed his wife to have a miscarriage. After his wife's miscarriage, his mother still wanted to take in a concubine … As a man, Li Seung-kyung didn't know what to say. No wonder the Nguyễn Clan brought Cheng Yumo directly to Cheng Yujin to complain. Huo Changyuan deserved it.
Huo Changyuan closed his eyes and said bitterly, "Yes."
"That's it." Cheng Yujin raised her hand and rolled up her long sleeves. She said, "Madame Huo is your mother. Madame Su is your cousin. Second Younger Sister is your wife. The fetus that died early was also your child. Everything here started because of you. If you had done something, Second Younger Sister and Madame Huo wouldn't have misunderstood each other. Second Younger Sister's child wouldn't have died early. Second Younger Sister just had a miscarriage and didn't even have the strength to speak. You actually want to take in a concubine. With your actions, where is loyalty, benevolence, filial piety, and the laws of the imperial court? "
Cheng Yujin's thoughts were always so high. Huo Changyuan remembered that he had been scolded by Cheng Yujin for being unbenevolent, unfilial, and untrustworthy. Then, she tore up the marriage contract in front of him. He didn't expect that he would have the chance to hear it a second time in his life.
Cheng Yujin's words were powerful and resonant. Everyone was stunned by her imposing manner. The whole hall fell silent. After Cheng Yujin finished scolding, she habitually concluded, "Your actions, in a small way, are favoring your concubine and neglecting your wife. In a small way, it is favoring your concubine and neglecting your wife. In a big way, it is not distinguishing right from wrong and ignoring the laws of the country. With your actions, how can the imperial court dare to put you in an important position? How can His Majesty and His Highness dare to entrust you with the important task of protecting the country and the people? "
Li Seung-kyung turned his face slightly and held back the smile on his face. He remembered the first time he met Cheng Yujin. Cheng Yujin and Huo Changyuan had broken off the engagement. Cheng Yujin had tried her best to hit Huo Changyuan's face in the corridor. She was very regretful when she found that she didn't break his face. The first thing to be an official in the imperial court was to have a decent appearance. People with defects and scars were not allowed to be officials. The second thing was that they had to have a decent character.
It was clear that Cheng Yujin was really persistent in wanting to destroy Huo Changyuan's official career. The inexplicable awkwardness in Li Seung-kyung's heart immediately dissipated. Li Seung-kyung was a man. Of course, he could tell the difference between a woman's sharp tongue and her soft heart and her true hatred. No matter what Huo Changyuan was thinking, Cheng Yujin really wanted him to die a horrible death.
That was enough. Li Seung-kyung only regretted that he had appeared too late and that he hadn't been able to meet Cheng Yujin before her engagement. Since Cheng Yujin had broken off the engagement with Huo Changyuan and had married him, there was no need for him to dwell on the past. Moreover, Li Seung-kyung could feel that Cheng Yujin was much warmer to him than she was to Huo Changyuan.
The ill feelings in Li Seung-kyung's heart dissipated, and he immediately felt refreshed. At this moment, his eyebrows were raised and his eyes were bright. It was simply breathtaking. He slightly turned his face and smiled as he enjoyed Cheng Yujin's cursing.
Unfortunately, human emotions were not interconnected. At this moment, Huo Changyuan was in an extremely bad mood. Under Cheng Yujin's continuous questioning, he had no strength to retaliate. He could only weakly defend himself with the last sentence, "This official has no intention of taking a concubine … it was the Crown Princess and mother-in-law who misunderstood."
"You have no intention of taking a concubine?" Cheng Yujin raised her eyebrows and glanced at Su Ke Er, whose expression had suddenly changed. "That is to say, it was you who purposely delayed the girl, damaged her reputation, and delayed Madam Su's marriage?"
Su Ke Er was on the verge of tears. She looked at Huo Changyuan and was about to cry. However, the cousin she was longing for didn't even look in her direction. Instead, he cupped his fists and said, "Yes. This official's actions were improper and thoughtless. When this official returns, this official will choose a good husband for my cousin and send her off with a large sum of money. "
Su Ke Er's face was sullen, while the Nguyễn Clan was so happy that they were about to jump up and down. Even Cheng Yumo withdrew his gloomy expression and looked up in surprise.
The Nguyễn Clan was almost crying tears of joy. She had always said that Cheng Yujin's brain was very reliable. In the past, the Nguyễn Clan and Cheng Yumo were on the opposing side. Cheng Yujin had attacked them to the point of questioning life. Now that they were on different sides, she felt that Cheng Yujin was simply a godly teammate.
Just look at how the Crown Princess spoke. From beginning to end, she didn't say a single word about not agreeing to taking a concubine. However, she was able to make Huo Changyuan say that he would send Su Ke Er off. Furthermore, Huo Changyuan had promised to personally send Su Ke Er off. This way, even if Su Ke Er did everything she could to get back to the fu, including crying and throwing a tantrum, Huo Changyuan wouldn't accept her.
Otherwise, wouldn't he be living up to Cheng Yujin's reputation of being untrustworthy and unrighteous?
The Nguyễn Clan and Cheng Yumo looked relieved. To them, this matter had been resolved perfectly. It had even far exceeded their expectations. However, Cheng Yujin wasn't the same. She looked coldly at Huo Changyuan and said, "Madam Su is your cousin. You took the initiative to send her off. As an outsider, this consort can't say anything. However, since Second Sister is marrying you, this consort can't help but say a few more words. Old Madame Huo said that Second Sister is unfilial. I don't know how she angered you, but you threw Second Sister to the ground and caused her to miscarry. In this consort's opinion, the truly unfilial person is Marquis Jingyong. "
Huo Changyuan was immediately shocked. The Huxue Clan seemed to want to refute, but Cheng Yujin didn't give them the chance. She continued, "You couldn't resolve the misunderstanding between your mother and wife, and even caused them to fight over you. This is unfilial. You threw your own child to death, cutting off the Huo family's first direct descendant. This is unfilial. You were unfilial to your mother, and unrighteous to your wife. Because of this, you almost ruined your cousin's life. You were unfilial, and you were unrighteous. Today's situation is all your fault. Marquis Jingyong, you're a marquis, but you've done such a thing. What have you, Marquis, been all these years? "
The Huxue Clan had doted on their son for many years. They couldn't bear to hear others say anything bad about Huo Changyuan. Now that they heard Cheng Yujin say that today's situation was all Huo Changyuan's fault, how could the Huxue Clan stand it? Unfortunately, the Huo family could let her throw a tantrum, but the Eastern Palace couldn't. Cheng Yujin flicked her sleeves, picked up the tea, and said, "Marquis Jingyong, I hope you'll go back and think about it. See our guest out. "
Huo Changyuan felt as if he had been hit in the head. He had been doted on by the Huxue Clan since he was young. Naturally, he was used to the unprincipled sacrifice of women for him. In his opinion, it was normal for women to sacrifice selflessly for him.
Huo Changyuan had never thought that he had a responsibility in the family. He refused to admit that the Huxue Clan was biased. Cheng Yumo also loved him and didn't have the heart to criticize him. Only Cheng Yujin mercilessly exposed everything.
He couldn't absolve himself from the blame for the Huo family's current situation.
Huo Changyuan left in a daze. When he left, he even forgot to wait for his mother and cousin. The Huxue Clan chased after Huo Changyuan, and Su Ke 'er naturally followed. The Nguyễn Clan and Cheng Yumo had achieved their goal, so it was time for them to leave. They looked at Cheng Yujin with gratitude, resentment, respect, and fear in their eyes.
In the end, the Nguyễn Clan stepped forward and said, "Thank you, Crown Princess. Mo'er and I will take our leave. "
Cheng Yujin stood up and slowly walked over. She looked down at Cheng Yumo with a deep and quiet gaze. In the end, Cheng Yujin didn't say anything. She only said one last sentence, "You chose your own path, and you live your own life. Don't regret what you've done. You're already an adult, so you should know that people have to be responsible for their own actions. "
Cheng Yumo lowered his head and bit his lip. Cheng Yujin was too lazy to say anything more. She held her wide sleeves and turned around. She lightly said, "After you go back, take a good rest. Lian Qiao, send Second Madam and Marchioness out. "
Li Seung-kyung sat at the head of the table and watched the entire process with a faint smile.
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