In the first lunar month, Cheng Yujin's confinement was over, and she could go out for a short time. Coincidentally, on the first day of the first lunar month, there would be a ceremony for the two children.
No matter from which angle, Cheng Yujin had to show up.
Early in the morning, Cheng Yujin got up to change the children's clothes. Cheng Yujin purposely woke up early and said to Li Chengjing, "Where's my hairpin? Go to the dressing table and help me look for that gold-plated sapphire hairpin."
Li Seung-kyung really went to the dressing table to look for it. Cheng Yujin's jewelry was placed in several boxes. Li Seung-kyung was not as familiar with it as Cheng Yujin. He searched for a long time before he found the hairpin in Cheng Yujin's mouth. When Li Seung-kyung came back with the hairpin, he found that Cheng Yujin had already picked up her daughter and was changing her clothes for the New Year.
Li Seung-kyung suddenly felt helpless, "Why are you so childish? In order to change Mingyue's clothes, you deliberately sent me away?"
Cheng Yujin did not care about him. She had already changed Mingyue's small cotton-padded jacket. The red fabric made Mingyue's arms look like lotus roots. Mingyue did not know that today was the first lunar month, and her mother was changing her clothes for outsiders. She thought that Cheng Yujin was playing with her, so she clenched her fist and smiled.
When Mingyue smiled, Cheng Yujin's heart was about to melt. Cheng Yujin and Li Seung-kyung had already agreed that each of them would change one child's clothes. Cheng Yujin did not abide by the rules and rushed to change the children's clothes. Li Seung-kyung could only pick up Li Mingqian and change his son's clothes unskillfully.
After changing the clothes, Cheng Yujin wiped the saliva from her daughter's mouth. Seeing that Li Seung-kyung was still fiddling with Li Mingqian's buttons, she could not help but say, "Let me do it."
"No." Li Seung-kyung was calm and insistent. "What's so difficult about that? I can do it well."
Cheng Yujin wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, she didn't have the heart to hurt Li Seung-kyung's feelings as a father. In front of his wife and daughter, how could Li Seung-kyung, the Crown Prince, admit that he didn't know how to wear children's clothes? He taught himself on the spot. After a long time, he finally managed to teach Li Mingqian properly. Li Seung-kyung secretly heaved a sigh of relief. When he looked up, he saw Cheng Yujin holding Ming Yue in her arms. Two pairs of beautiful eyes, one big and one small, were looking at him with a smile.
Li Seung-kyung's heart immediately melted. He hugged Li Mingqian with one hand and Cheng Yujin with the other. All of a sudden, he embraced his entire world.
Li Seung-kyung said softly, "If Mother could see this scene and see that you gave birth to two beautiful and adorable children for me, she would be able to rest in peace in the underworld."
Cheng Yujin's expression froze. She raised her head and carefully looked at Li Seung-kyung. "Your Highness … …"
"I'm fine." Li Seung-kyung shook his head and said, "I just suddenly felt a bit emotional. In fact, too much time has passed. I can't even remember what Mother looked like. "
Cheng Yujin quietly looked at him, her eyes gentle and focused. Li Seung-kyung had never called Empress Yang 'Mother'. He had always directly called her 'Empress'. The 'Mother' he spoke of could only be one person.
The former Princess Consort Kang, the Empress Zhong who had passed away early.
"All my memories of her seem to be related to her sickbed. My memories of before I was two years old are very thin. I only remember that Mama carried me to a place filled with the smell of medicine. She pointed at the woman on the sickbed and told me that this was my mother, the Empress. She was not in good health, and I was not in good health at that time. The gloomy palace and the lingering smell of medicine were all my memories of my mother. "
Li Seung-kyung rarely mentioned Empress Zhong. He did not mention it, and Cheng Yujin never asked. It was rare for him to take the initiative to mention it today. Cheng Yujin quietly listened and asked softly, "And then?"
"And then? Then when I was two years old, she fell ill and died. I cried endlessly. His Majesty carried me to the bedchamber and personally took care of me. Later, someone proposed to appoint another Empress. The Emperor did not allow it. However, after his wife's funeral, he still appointed Yang Miao as Empress. "
"It was said that Yang Miao had long been deeply in love with him. For him, she refused to marry until she was eighteen years old. Later, she married into the palace as she wished. In her first year as Empress, I don't know who advised her, but she said that she wanted to raise me personally. The Emperor did not allow it, but he still kept me by his side. I lived and ate in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. At that time, my health was not very good. I was sick for most of the year, so the Palace of Heavenly Purity was filled with the smell of bitter medicine every day. "
Li Seung-kyung recalled the past and smiled faintly. "Sometimes, he was really a very contradictory person. He compromised with the Yang Family, but he did not agree to let Yang Miao adopt me. Because someone said that I was born in the Dragon Boat Festival and would not live long, he personally took care of me in the Imperial Bedroom. He did everything, no matter how big or small, and even taught me how to read and write. When he discussed matters with the court, he was worried about leaving me alone in the inner hall, so he moved a wide bed and let me play next to him. Later, when I learned how to write at the age of four, he had people prepare a small table and chair. He sat on the side to review memorials and summon the court officials, while I sat on the side to write. "
From this point of view, the Emperor was a good father. However, Li Seung-kyung's feelings toward the Emperor were always complicated. Because the Emperor cared so much for Li Seung-kyung, but when he was five years old, he compromised with the Yang Family and allowed his son, who was only five years old, to recuperate in a Taoist temple deep in the mountains.
Then, there was an accident.
Cheng Yujin also sighed when she heard this. People were the most difficult to evaluate. A person's good points were often their fatal flaws.
The Emperor's temperament was moderate and compromise. He spent his entire life trying to smooth things over and let all forces coexist peacefully. It was like this when he was a prince, and it was still like this after he ascended the throne.
He was patient and gentle to Li Seung-kyung, but it was also this gentleness that almost caused Li Seung-kyung's death. The Emperor did not want to fall out with them, so he compromised with the Yang Family and tried to compromise between his son and the Yang Family. In the end, Li Seung-kyung almost died from sexual intercourse and had to live in seclusion for the next fourteen years.
The most difficult thing to resolve was the household debt. Cheng Yujin understood that this was the knot in the heart between the father and son. Cheng Yujin did not try to ease Li Seung-kyung's mind. Instead, she silently held his hand and silently supported him.
She was Li Seung-kyung's wife. No matter what decision Li Seung-kyung made, she would unconditionally support Li Seung-kyung.
Li Seung-kyung sensed that he had lost control of his emotions today. He gathered his thoughts and laughed self-deprecatingly. "I'm already so old, but I'm still affected by the past. It's really like I'm getting older for nothing."
"How could that be?" Cheng Yujin asked softly. "Your Highness, then … is mother's family still alive?"
Li Seung-kyung thought for a long time. In the end, he slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure. I haven't heard from them for many years. "
"Mother was originally the daughter of the Zhong Family of Qingliu in the capital. Maternal grandfather Zhong Bi was an upright person and had a reputation among scholars. Maternal grandfather had never taken a concubine in his life and only had one son and one daughter. As the youngest daughter, mother was doted on by her parents and indulged by her brother. Her personality was too docile and courteous. At the time, she was originally a wangfei. After the Emperor was summoned to the capital by Empress Dowager Yang, it was a long time before he went to pick up mother. Mother was Kang Wangfei. After she moved into the palace, her identity was never clear. She only lived with the identity of a woman in the Emperor's secret residence. In the second month of the first year of Jianwu, there were even people who publicly proposed that another Empress be appointed. The person who proposed this was naturally Yang Shoufu's youngest daughter, Yang Miao, who fell in love with the Emperor at first sight. The Emperor did not agree. After six months, the Yang Family could not withstand the pressure of public opinion and reluctantly backed down. The original wangfei was appointed Empress. During these six months, my mother lived in the palace with an awkward identity of being neither a wife nor a concubine. "
"After mother was conferred the title, Empress Dowager Yang kept harshly criticizing her in the name of being childless. Mother compromised and gave in to Empress Dowager Yang. She was even respectful to Yang Miao. It was not until the eighth month of the second year that she finally became pregnant. However, when she went to visit Empress Dowager Yang to admire the flowers, she accidentally fell and almost had a miscarriage. She lay in bed for three months. It was not until she was five months pregnant that she dared to walk around. "
Cheng Yujin listened to these sighs. She was in the palace, so when she heard these past events, she only felt that there were suspicious points everywhere. How could Empress Dowager Yang be so coincidental? She invited her step-daughter-in-law, whom she disliked, to admire the flowers. How could Empress Zhong fall so coincidentally? Most likely, she was schemed against.
"Mother's due date was originally June. However, on the fifth day of the fifth month, for some reason, she suddenly acted up. She was in pain for an entire day and gave birth to me with difficulty. Although mother was rescued at that time, her health was not good after that. Sure enough, after only two years, she passed away. During those years, because mother's decision to appoint an Empress was delayed, maternal grandfather was very angry. He repeatedly impeached Yang Shoufu in public. In the end, his career was ruined and he could not advance. Maternal grandfather was demoted and depressed. Later, after mother died, maternal grandmother was greatly affected and passed away in the same year. Maternal grandfather was filled with grief and indignation. He angrily resigned and left the capital with maternal uncle. I heard that in less than two years, he died of an illness on the road. News of maternal uncle rarely reached the capital. Later, when I carefully inquired about it, I only knew that he went to a small town in the southwest. There, he settled down and set up a business, taught and educated people. He was no longer an official. "
When Cheng Yujin heard this, she sighed. A good family was torn apart just like that. When the Zhong father and son left the capital, it was impossible for them not to have prepared traveling expenses. However, Zhong Bi died of an illness on the road in less than two years. Was this also related to the Yang Family? Li Seung-kyung's maternal uncle went to the southwest and avoided the world. Was this also related to the Yang Family?
She heard that Ren Zongchao had offended Empress Dowager Yang's concubines and concubines. None of them had a good ending. Even their families were not spared. As for the concubines who had not offended Empress Dowager Yang, they were all sent to the imperial mausoleum and lived in poverty for the rest of their lives. It was understandable that the enemy treated Cheng Yujin this way. However, why did they have to trample on the innocent concubines who had not offended Empress Dowager Yang like this?
Empress Dowager Yang was too ruthless. In her eyes, she probably could not tolerate others living well.
To be able to do this to a five-year-old child, no matter what Empress Dowager Yang did, it would not be strange.
Cheng Yujin furrowed her brows and thought for a while. She looked at Li Seung-kyung tentatively. "Your Highness, at that time, you said that mother was supposed to give birth in June, but she suddenly gave birth prematurely. All these years, Empress Dowager Yang has been insisting that you were born on the Dragon Boat Festival, asserting that you would not live long. She even used this as an excuse to move you to a Daoist temple to recuperate. Could it be … "
Li Seung-kyung's eyes were dark and quiet. They were so heavy that it made people feel suffocated. Cheng Yujin looked for a while and understood.
The child in her arms suddenly cried. Cheng Yujin quickly lowered her head and found that it was Li Mingqian again. He was pinching his sister's arm. Cheng Yujin quickly carried Ming Yue away. Li Mingqian exposed his evil deeds in front of everyone. This time, even Li Seung-kyung could not help him. He could only hit his hand lightly and scolded, "You are the older brother. Do you have the tolerance of an older brother?"
After the husband and wife tidied up the children, they each changed into their formal clothes and went out to participate in the Yuan-Ri Dynasty Assembly. Today, Cheng Yujin was worthy of being the focus of attention. She was the center of attention wherever she went. Her limelight even overshadowed Empress Yang.
Since the birth of the twins, the Empress was very embarrassed. Dou Xiyin was even more embarrassed to enter the palace. Today, she could not avoid it. Dou Xiyin braced herself and attended the same event with Cheng Yujin. Although everyone greeted her when they saw her, their eyes were obviously looking at her as if she was a joke.
Dou Xiyin was very angry. What made her hate was that Cheng Yujin was very different from her and attracted a lot of attention. The more people came forward to congratulate Cheng Yujin, the more Dou Xiyin hated her.
Cheng Yujin had no time to care about what Dou Xiyin was thinking. Since she appeared, people kept coming forward to talk to her. Especially after the Imperial Court Assembly ended, the women were free to move around. The flow of people became more and more obvious.
Today was the first day of the New Year. It was also Li Mingqian and Li Mingyue's full moon ceremony. The Emperor wanted to use the twins to inspire the people. Last year, there were floods and plagues, so there were many bad rumors among the people. The Emperor ordered the twins' full moon ceremony to be held at the same time as the Lantern Festival. He also had the intention of seeking good luck and getting rid of bad luck.
Cheng Yujin could not stand for long because she had just finished her confinement. After the Imperial Court Assembly ended, she went to the side hall to rest. At this time, there was still some time before the banquet started. Many people brought their families to congratulate the Crown Princess for the New Year. When they arrived at the side hall, they could not help but praise the two children.
One of the Marchioness saw Li Mingqian and Li Mingyue. Her eyes were filled with undisguised love and envy, "The Crown Princess is really lucky to have a pair of twins. These two children of the same size are enough to make people happy when they are placed together. This subject's wife only wants to share in the joy of the Crown Princess. This subject's wife only hopes that the daughters-in-law can also add children to the family this year. "
Cheng Yujin smiled and said, "The Marchioness is kind-hearted and the family is prosperous. Naturally, her wishes will be fulfilled."
Everyone was willing to listen to auspicious words for the New Year. After the Marchioness heard this, she smiled gratefully and said, "Many thanks to the Crown Princess. Then this subject's wife will borrow the Crown Princess' auspicious words. I heard that the Emperor likes the young royal prince and princess very much and asks about them every day. Unfortunately, it's winter right now and the young royal prince and princess are just one month old, so they can't be exposed to the wind. This summer, he will probably be able to bring them outside to bask in the sun and wind. At that time, I'm afraid that the entire palace will fight to bring the two little masters over. "
Hearing these words, Cheng Yujin only smiled and did not say anything. Everyone's intention to curry favor with Cheng Yujin was almost straightforward. After all, even a blind person could understand the situation now. There was no such thing as taking sides. As long as the people in the capital were not stupid, they knew that they had to quickly hug the future Emperor and Empress' thigh.
Cheng Yujin looked at the two children with undisguised gentleness in her eyes, "As long as they are safe and sound, I will be satisfied."
Marchioness looked at the Crown Princess in front of her. The Crown Princess was still very young this year. She had once been famous for her graceful bearing. Now that she had children, there was a layer of soft light around her body. She was like a lustrous pearl, dazzling beyond compare.
Marchioness envied Cheng Yujin from the bottom of her heart. Whether a woman had a good life after marriage could be seen from her face. Regardless of her appearance, the expression at the corners of her eyes and eyebrows, and the bearing of her every movement, could all reveal her true life. People who lived comfortably would be more relaxed and calm. This kind of brilliance was like the glaze on porcelain, brightening up the entire person.
That's right, she had a handsome and dignified husband who was always gentle and considerate to her. She had a pair of cute children and didn't have any concubines jumping around in the inner courtyard. Which woman in the world wouldn't be envious of this kind of life?
Marchioness gradually talked about the people in the palace. She asked, "Why didn't I see the Empress Dowager appear this year?"
Empress Dowager Yang had been sick last year. She had been sick for the entire winter and hadn't recovered. The weather had been dry these past few days and Empress Dowager Yang had accumulated heat poison in her body, causing her to fall ill again.
Cheng Yujin explained, "The weather has been cold and dry these past few days. The Empress Dowager has accumulated heat and fallen ill. She is not feeling well and is currently recuperating in Ci Ning Palace. It is important for the Empress Dowager to recuperate. On such a noisy occasion like the Lantern Festival, we don't dare to trouble the Empress Dowager to appear. "
Marchioness nodded when she heard this, saying, "That's true. These past few days, the New Year's have been eating a lot of fish and meat. After being roasted for a long time, it is indeed easy for one to have excessive heat. However, the Empress Dowager is blessed by the heavens. She will definitely be able to turn misfortune into blessings and recover soon. "
Cheng Yujin nodded in agreement. Perhaps because of Empress Dowager Yang, Marchioness thought of an interesting matter, "Speaking of which, there are quite a few people who have been suffering from excessive heat recently. I heard that the young master of the Yang Family took a fancy to a woman on the street and wanted to take her as his concubine on the spot. That woman was unwilling and they even made quite a commotion on the street. "
The Yang Family only had one young master. Yang Shoufu had two daughters and one son. The two daughters were Yang Yan and Empress Yang. Although his son, Yang Shilong, was very lecherous and had many concubines in his residence, he only had one child in all these years, which was Yang Hsiao-yu. Yang Hsiao-yu could be said to be the only child of three generations. He had always been regarded as the lifeblood of the Yang Family and was very doted on by the elders. Even Empress Yang and Empress Dowager Yang valued Yang Hsiao-yu very much and would often reward him.
Yang Hsiao-yu grew up in this kind of environment and inherited his father's lecherousness. However, he did not inherit his father's and grandfather's sensitivity to politics. Instead, he learned a lot of bad habits. Not to mention his lecherousness, he also liked to force people to buy and sell. The more noble the girl, the more unwilling she was, the more he would force himself on her.
In short, his actions were very hateful.
The topic of the Yang Family was very vague. No matter what Cheng Yujin said, it would be easy for her to be caught. Therefore, she did not respond and only said that she did not know. This Marchioness did not mention Yang Hsiao-yu because she wanted to catch Cheng Yujin. She just wanted to use this opportunity to pass the news to the Crown Princess and sell her some good points. Now that the news had been passed and Cheng Yujin did not respond, Marchioness naturally changed the topic quickly.
Yang Hsiao-yu's matter only left a mark in Cheng Yujin's heart. Although she had noticed it, she did not pay too much attention to it. However, no one would have thought that Yang Hsiao-yu's matter of liking a commoner girl would have a follow-up and caused quite a commotion.
Yang Hsiao-yu saw that the commoner girl was not bad looking and tried to flirt with her on the street. The commoner girl endured the humiliation and left after rejecting him. Unexpectedly, this fellow was not willing to give up. After pestering the commoner girl time and time again, he became ruthless and directly took her away.
The other party's brother noticed and quickly chased out to stop him. Yang Hsiao-yu was spoiled by his family since young. Seeing that someone dared to not give him face, he immediately ordered the servants to teach this untactful commoner a lesson. Who would have thought that this brother was a fierce man. He actually broke through the servants' encirclement and gave Yang Hsiao-yu a few punches. When had Yang Hsiao-yu ever been so humiliated? His fierce nature was also aroused. He ordered the servants to hold down the brother while he took out the nine-section whip and ruthlessly beat him. The nine-section whip was a steel whip. In the end, it actually beat the person to death.
All of this happened on the street. The streets were bustling with activity during the day. By the time the Capital Governor's people arrived, the girl's brother had already been beaten to death on the street.
The vile nature of this matter and the bloody scene caused a huge uproar among the commoners in the capital.
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