After the Nguyễn Clan finished speaking, Cheng Yujin almost blurted out, why should she help Cheng Yumo? She wasn't Cheng Yumo's mother. Whether Cheng Yumo was doing well or not, what did that have to do with her?
However, Cheng Yujin quickly calmed down. It was easy to be eloquent for a moment, but it would be difficult to protect her reputation and property in the future. The best thing to do was to say all kinds of nice things, but not give a single cent. It wasn't wise to fall out with the Nguyễn Clan now.
Cheng Yujin secretly pinched her own palms, and then said in a sincere tone, "Of course I hope that the Cheng Family is doing well. It's just that my ability is limited, and I really don't have many things to add to Second Sister's dowry. In any case, Second Sister still has two thousand taels in cash, but I only have a few land deeds. How can Second Sister's things be more practical? Speaking of which, I'm useless as an older sister. I have the heart, but I don't have the ability. "
The Nguyễn Clan frowned, "Didn't you get three shops from Father? In addition, there's also a small estate. You have so many things in your hands, how can you not be able to give anything?"
"Second Aunt, you don't know." Cheng Yujin said, "Grandfather pitied me, so he gave me the shops. These shops can't be compared to Father's and Second Uncle's businesses. The monthly profits are only enough to cover my daily expenses. Relying on these shops, I don't have to worry about food and clothing in the future. However, if I want to save money, it's far from enough. "
When Marquis Cheng gave her things, it was on the surface. Everyone knew that Cheng Yujin had three shops and a small estate under her name. In fact, with Cheng Yujin's current financial resources, it was easy for her to buy a set of good mahogany furniture. Not to mention her fixed assets, land deeds, and gold, just the monthly profits from Yunyi Fong was enough to buy several sets of furniture. However, Cheng Yujin wouldn't admit that she was rich. As long as they came to ask her, Cheng Yujin would say that she was poor. Anyway, they couldn't get her money.
When Cheng Yujin saw that the Nguyễn Clan was still unwilling to give up, she added another dose of strong medicine. She suddenly changed her tone and cheerfully said, "Second Aunt, why don't you lend me the two thousand taels of silver from Second Sister? I'll expand the shop and return it to Second Aunt when I earn more money?"
Hearing this, the Nguyễn Clan's smile stiffened. Cheng Yujin's shops didn't make much money, and now she wanted to borrow money to expand her shops? What would he do if he lost money?
The Nguyễn Clan didn't look too good, but Cheng Yujin acted as if she didn't see it. She excitedly discussed with the Nguyễn Clan about borrowing money. The Nguyễn Clan's face became darker and darker as she listened. She quickly found an opportunity to change the topic and refused to mention the shops again. Cheng Yujin pretended to be very disappointed, but she softly snorted in her heart. The best way to deal with people like the Nguyễn Clan, who wanted to take advantage of the situation, was to borrow money from her. Let's see if she still dared to mention the money.
The Nguyễn Clan continued to pester the Old Lady Cheng, and Cheng Yujin quietly let out a sigh of relief. However, this wasn't a long-term solution. She could pretend to be stupid for a while, but she couldn't always pretend to be stupid to get away with it. If the dowry issue wasn't resolved, she would always be standing on the ice. Who knew when she would fall off. Cheng Yujin's eyes quietly stared at the door. As soon as the Nguyễn Clan mentioned the dowry, she hurriedly sent the Dugeaux to invite Princess Qingfu over. After all, Cheng Yujin was a junior. With the grace of raising her, it was hard for her to refuse the Nguyễn Clan's request. However, Qingfu was different. As long as Princess Qingfu was willing to step in, Qingfu could easily block whatever the Nguyễn Clan mentioned. Old Lady Cheng also didn't want to give too much to Cheng Yujin for the sake of Princess Qingfu's face.
There were some things that Cheng Yujin had to put in a lot of effort to do well, but for Qingfu, it was just a matter of a few words.
Cheng Yujin thought that although she wasn't Princess Qingfu's biological daughter, she didn't fall behind in her duties as a daughter. She paid her respects every day, and she didn't miss a single day. After more than ten years, even a dog would have developed feelings for her. Based on these years of affection, Princess Qingfu should help her this time, right?
In Chen Ming Courtyard, an attendant was kneeling in front of Cheng Yuanjing's table, reporting on the matters in the palace. Liu Yi said: "Your Highness, a few days ago, someone in the imperial court brought up the matter of the country being unstable. When the report was sent to the cabinet, Yang Shoufu said that he didn't dare to rashly discuss the crown prince. He didn't write a draft and directly sent it to the emperor. "
The crown prince was the foundation of the country. Because of the crown prince's disappearance, the imperial court had been debating for a long time. In the beginning, when the court officials saw that the emperor had suffered a great blow, they frantically searched for the crown prince among the people. They didn't dare to be unlucky, so no one mentioned the crown prince. Over the years, the storm in Qingxuan Temple had gradually passed. The Crown Prince was still silent, but the Second Prince, who was born by Empress Yang, was growing up day by day. Especially this year, the Second Prince's reputation of being smart, studious, and respectful to his teachers had spread throughout the court.
Therefore, there was no lack of people in the imperial court who had other thoughts, and some restless voices grew louder and louder.
When Liu Yi and the others heard these things, they were furious and scolded the traitors. The Yang Family's intentions were clear to everyone.
In the eighth year of Jianwu, the crown prince fell seriously ill and was sent to Qingxuan Monastery to recuperate. Later, Qingxuan Monastery was destroyed by a mountain flood, and the young crown prince disappeared without a trace. Because something happened to Yang Shoufu, Yang Shoufu took the blame and resigned. He reflected on himself at home, and later, the Empress Dowager invited him out in the name of making amends for his mistakes, and asked Yang Shoufu to investigate the matter. Later, after investigating, Yang Shoufu dismissed several local officials, and scolded them for not being able to control the flood, and then there was nothing else.
This case was absurd from beginning to end. Although Qingxuan Monastery was located in the mountains, because of its fame, it was very prosperous. Throughout the year, there would be pilgrims who would travel thousands of miles to come up the mountain to ask for a lot. When choosing a monastery, one would look at the feng shui. Qingxuan Monastery had existed for fifty to sixty years, and pilgrims came and went without incident. Why was it that not long after the crown prince left, it was destroyed by a mountain flood, and no one in the monastery survived?
Many people didn't believe in the mountain flood, but what could they do? Yang Shoufu personally decided on the case, and the Empress Dowager left the file in the Palace of Peace and Tranquility. Even if other people didn't believe it, who dared to investigate? What's more, after the crown prince disappeared, the emperor sent countless people and resources to search for him year after year, but there was no news. Gradually, the court officials tacitly agreed that the crown prince, Li Seung-kyung, was dead.
The emperor was too sad to accept reality. He could keep the crown prince for ten years, but he couldn't delay it indefinitely. The country couldn't be without a ruler for a day, and at the same time, the emperor should be decided as soon as possible.
The court officials tacitly agreed that the crown prince was dead, and then the Second Prince was the eldest son, and was the rightful candidate for the throne. Empress Dowager Yang also had the same idea. In the past few years, she had reminded the emperor many times not to dwell on the past, and to quickly appoint a new crown prince.
Yang Shoufu and Yang Fucheng had controlled the court for twenty years. Without Yang Fucheng's agreement, there was no way a memorial would be delivered to the emperor. It was clear that Yang Fucheng didn't have much patience left.
Liu Yi and the others were angry and helpless about this situation. After they finished speaking, they eagerly waited for Cheng Yuanjing's orders: "Your Highness, what do you think we should do?"
Cheng Yuanjing frowned. His expression wasn't very serious, but when he was silent, no one in the room dared to raise their heads. Cheng Yuanjing didn't speak immediately. He slowly thought of many things in the past.
He was born in the palace, and his body wasn't very good when he was young. When he was very young, he knew that the surname of this country was Li, but the people in charge were the people of the Yang Family.
His father, the current emperor, Li Huan, wasn't the rightful heir to the throne. In fact, Li Huan wasn't even a favored prince back then. When he came of age, Li Huan went to the vassal state early to get married. Li Huan's title was Kang Wang. He didn't have any expectations or ambition, and Li Huan didn't want to fight for it. He was content to be a rich and idle prince.
In the 20th year of Yonghe, the Crown Prince and Rong Wang had a serious fight. One was assassinated, and the other was demoted to a commoner. Emperor Renzhong was very angry. After he killed Rong Wang's family, he immediately fell seriously ill. At that time, Empress Dowager Yang was still the empress. After she and her brother Yang Fucheng discussed it, they summoned the Kang Wang to the vassal state to the capital. Before the Kang Wang's carriage reached the capital, Emperor Renzhong died of illness.
It could be said that the Kang Wang, Li Huan, ascended the throne with the help of Empress Dowager Yang and Yang Fucheng. For many years after, the imperial harem and the court were controlled by the siblings.
After that, Consort Zhong of the Kang Wangfei rose and fell a few times. She was made empress after much difficulty and gave birth to her eldest son. She died in less than two years. After Zhong's death, Yang Fucheng's daughter, Yang Miao, entered the palace and was made empress. At that time, Cheng Yuanjing was still raised in the palace. Yang Miao proposed to adopt Cheng Yuanjing, but the Emperor didn't agree. Perhaps the Emperor's warning angered the Yang Family. Not long after, Cheng Yuanjing suddenly fell ill and was sent to Qingxuan Temple to recuperate. Then there was a mountain flood in Qingxuan Temple. The Crown Prince and hundreds of people in the temple all disappeared.
When he was five years old, Cheng Yuanjing narrowly escaped death. He was escorted out of Qingxuan Temple by his personal guards. He watched as his personal guards died one by one. In the end, even he couldn't bear the burden and fell into the river. Yang Fucheng destroyed the dam upstream. It rained heavily for a few days, and the flood in the mountains was huge. Because the water flow couldn't be controlled, after Cheng Yuanjing fell into the river, Yang Fucheng quickly lost track of Cheng Yuanjing. Cheng Yuanjing luckily escaped with his life. After that, he changed his name. First, he hid in the house of the exiled Xiao Xue. Later, he returned to the capital under the name of a mistress. In the end, he survived with great difficulty and perseverance.
Cheng Yuanjing always knew what kind of situation he was facing. His father, Li Huan, was weak and generous. His talent was average. For many years, he could only maintain a facade and deceive himself. When Zhong was still the Empress, Li Huan couldn't protect his wife. When Cheng Yuanjing was still the Crown Prince, Li Huan couldn't protect his son. Now, Cheng Yuanjing even lost his identity as the Crown Prince. It was easier said than done for him to contend with the giant Yang Family.
The Yang Family had controlled the Imperial Court for more than twenty years. Their roots were complicated beyond imagination. Without Yang Fucheng's approval, no matter what happened outside, it wouldn't reach Li Huan's ears. If Cheng Yuanjing stayed in the palace, he would also be manipulated. He could only see what the Yang Family wanted him to see. Since this was the case, Cheng Yuanjing took the risk and slowly gained experience at the grassroots level as an official. He wanted to see the real people and the real officialdom.
He thought that he would at least have two or three years to figure out the boundaries of the Yang Family's power.
Unfortunately, it seemed that he didn't even have three years.
Since the Yang Family wanted to shed all pretense of cordiality and point their swords at the Eastern Palace, Cheng Yuanjing couldn't continue to slowly gain experience. Many of his future plans would have to be rearranged. Thinking about it, Cheng Yuanjing was about to "die of illness".
Cheng Yuanjing made his decision in a flash. He gave out orders one by one. When his subordinates heard them, they complied.
They were discussing secret matters when the sound of a cuckoo bird suddenly came from the door. This was the predetermined signal. Cheng Yuanjing immediately stopped talking. Liu Yi and the others also tensed up. They couldn't help but press their arms to their sides.
The sound of a cuckoo bird meant that an uninvited guest had disturbed them. Who could it be at such a coincidental time? The sound of footsteps quickly approached the courtyard. The imperial bodyguard disguised as a Cheng Family servant deliberately raised his voice to alert the people inside, "Ninth Masters, someone is here."
Liu Yi and the others' veins were already bulging on their arms. Cheng Yuanjing, on the other hand, was very calm. He asked calmly, "Who is it?"
"Eldest Miss's servant girl."
Liu Yi and the others were surprised. What did the Cheng Family's Eldest Miss come here for? However, since it was her, there was no threat. Liu Yi calmly put his arm back to its original position.
His subordinates relaxed their vigilance. Cheng Yuanjing's expression, on the other hand, became cold. Just now, even when he heard that Yang Fucheng intended to usurp the position of Crown Prince, Cheng Yuanjing's expression didn't change. However, now that he heard that Cheng Yujin had sent someone, his expression became serious.
Cheng Yujin was opportunistic, profit-oriented, and good at pleasing people. If she wanted to convey good news, she would come in person. Only when she delivered bad news would she let someone else do it for her. Cheng Yujin had suddenly sent her personal maidservant to look for him. What exactly had happened?
Cheng Yuanjing's expression was grave and stern. He said, "Send her in."
When Liu Yi heard this, he frowned and hurriedly persuaded, "Your Highness, the plan is not yet complete. The road ahead is dangerous. We don't have much time left. Your Highness will soon leave the Cheng Family. At this juncture, it's really not good to have too much involvement with the Cheng Family. "
"I know." Cheng Yuanjing certainly understood this. However, what if something really happened to Cheng Yujin?
She was such a strong person, yet she had to send a servant girl to invite him. Most likely, she really had no other choice.
Cheng Yuanjing said, "Send her in."
Liu Yi still wanted to persuade, but Cheng Yuanjing had already stood up. His expression was cold and dignified. When Liu Yi saw this, he could only sigh and swallow his words back into his stomach.
At this time, Cheng Yujin was sitting in Shou 'an Hall. After waiting for a long time, she still didn't see Princess Qingfu's figure. Her heart gradually turned cold.
Shou 'an Hall was only a short distance away from Princess Qingfu's courtyard. The Dugeaux had a steady temperament and definitely wouldn't delay on the road. Now that she still hadn't arrived, it basically meant that Princess Qingfu wouldn't come.
The Nguyễn Clan's questions were getting more and more intense. Cheng Yujin knew that she couldn't play dumb for much longer. Cheng Yujin couldn't describe her mood. After a moment, she laughed at herself.
Just showing up and saying a few words, Princess Qingfu wasn't even willing.
Cheng Yujin and Princess Qingfu were mother and daughter in name, but in reality, how was Cheng Yujin related to Qingfu? She had her own son. All of her wealth and energy would naturally be left to her son.
Cheng Yujin's heart quickly sank. If she couldn't count on Princess Qingfu, who else could she count on to help her? Perhaps Cheng Min would be useful. Last time, Cheng Yujin overheard Xu Zhixian's words. Cheng Min felt guilty towards her. Perhaps she could use this point to get Cheng Min to help her keep her dowry. Cheng Min was Old Lady Cheng's only daughter. If she spoke, Old Lady Cheng might listen.
However, this method was the best of the best. Cheng Min was already married and usually didn't return to Marquis of Yichun. Relying on Cheng Min was purely a gamble. Cheng Yujin frowned. She quickly went through everyone in the Cheng Family in her mind. In the end, she found that there was no one she could rely on.
Her heart sank uncontrollably.
Nguyễn Clan said, "The dowry was originally provided by the family. In an emergency, Mo'er is about to get married. Logically, we should let Mo'er use it first. Rules are dead, but people are alive. We can't keep to the dead rules and embarrass Mo'er and the Marquis Household, right? "
Old Lady Cheng finally opened her mouth. Her tone was heavy as she said, "But after all, Old Marquis personally said that everyone should use their own dowry. I'm afraid it's not good for us to go against his will. "
Cheng Yujin said in her heart, "It's over." Old Lady Cheng said this, so it was decided. Now, she only needed someone to take on the bad reputation.
Sure enough, Nguyễn Clan hurriedly said, "When Father spoke, only our family was present. As long as we don't say anything, who would know? I'm sure Father will support our actions in the underworld. "
Old Lady Cheng revealed a relieved expression. In any case, these words were said by the Nguyễn Clan. It had nothing to do with her. Old Lady Cheng was about to say something when a man's voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Who said no one would know?"
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