After Cheng Yumo's homecoming banquet ended, the Marquis of Yichun's biggest celebration of the year also ended. Everyone in the Cheng Family was in mourning. After Cheng Yumo got married, he was already part of the Huo family and could go in and out of the Huo family. However, the same could not be said for the Cheng Family.
Princess Qingfu and the others had all set aside their thoughts and obediently stayed in the Marquis Household to observe mourning for Marquis Cheng.
In the blink of an eye, it was already November. The weather became cold and hard, and when they went out, they would breathe white air. Cheng Yujin wore a fluffy scarf around her neck and a silver-pink jacket and skirt. She went to pay her respects to Old Lady Cheng.
For the past few months, she had stayed at home and did not go out. She cultivated her body and mind and was very calm. Linlang Pavilion and Yunyi Fong's business was gradually on the right track. At the end of every month, they would send Cheng Yujin an account book. Cheng Yujin prepared a new pattern for the second month according to the account book and the sales situation. When she was ready, she would send it to Cheng Yuanjing's courtyard and have Liu Yi deliver it for her.
Because she knew that her external influence was weak, Cheng Yujin paid special attention to building a good relationship with the servants in Cheng Yuanjing's courtyard. They ran around outside all day and were well-informed and well-informed. Cheng Yujin stayed in the inner residence and did not go out. She was the last person to know what happened outside. Roping in these small fries might come in handy in the future.
It was a pity that Cheng Yuanjing was bound to leave, and she could not use these people for long. Therefore, she had to make good use of this last period of time.
In the past few months, Yunyi Fong and Linlang Pavilion gradually became famous among the womenfolk. At first, it was Yunyi Fong. After all, Yunyi Fong was located on the busiest street. The womenfolk who lived nearby accidentally found it and tried out the new look of Yunyi Fong. Later, they found that Yunyi Fong's cutting was very clever. The same fabric could not be worn by other shops and Yunyi Fong's beauty. And Cloud Clothing Lane would regularly release new styles every month. The female customers would spread the news from one to ten, and ten to a hundred, and there would be more and more repeat customers. Cloud Clothing Lane's reputation also spread from the circle of rich and powerful officials to the circle of high-ranking officials where Cheng Yujin was from.
Linlang Pavilion was a little slower than Cloud Clothing Workshop. After all, clothes were changed every season, but jewelry could be used for a long time. However, a woman's love for beauty was unstoppable. There were women who wore jewelry from Linlang Pavilion when they went out as guests. Gradually, more and more people knew about Linlang Pavilion.
Cheng Yujin was very satisfied when she saw the account book at the end of every month.
She did not have money and other worries, so she focused on solving her marriage problems. Her goal of becoming a husband, Lin Qingyuan, had not appeared for a long time.
Perhaps, it was not that Lin Qingyuan had not been to Marquis of Yichun for a long time, but that Cheng Yujin had not met him. During this period of time, Cheng Yujin frequently used the excuse of borrowing books to run to Cheng Yuanjing's courtyard. However, no matter how many times she went back and forth, she didn't run into Lin Qingyuan even once.
Cheng Yujin did not understand. Logically speaking, this was impossible. Every time she came, she calculated and purposely chose the time when Lin Qingyuan often visited Cheng Yuanjing. Why did she not see him even once?
Cheng Yujin did not think of Cheng Yuanjing. Liu Yi and the others were all people who made a living in the inner court. They specialized in pleasing their masters. They were the most skilled at arranging people. If they did not want two people to meet, even if they walked by at the same time, they had a way to divert them.
It was easy for people to lose their sense of time in a peaceful and regular life. Cheng Yujin's plan had not been implemented for a long time. She should have been anxious, but perhaps because her current state was too peaceful and comfortable, she actually felt that this was not a bad thing. She paid her respects every morning and rested for a while at noon. Then, she went to Cheng Yuanjing's room to read and casually waited for Lin Qingyuan. If she couldn't finish reading at night, she would often bring the book back to read. Going back and forth, both sides became her foothold.
Cheng Yujin changed into furry winter clothes. As soon as she entered the courtyard, the servant girl in the room saw her. The servant girl quickly came out and lifted the curtain for her. She said happily, "Eldest Miss is here!"
Cheng Yumo was already married. Only Cheng Yujin would come to Old Lady Cheng's place every day. Gradually, she had become the hope of the servant girls in Shou 'an Hall. It was as if the Eldest Miss had come and a new day had officially begun.
Cheng Yujin nodded and smiled at the servant girl. She asked, "Where's Grandmother?"
"Old Lady is inside. Old Lady just said that she had no appetite today. Coincidentally, the Eldest Miss came. Old Lady likes the Eldest Miss the most. With the Eldest Miss watching, perhaps her appetite will be better. "
"Oh, Grandmother's appetite is not good?" Cheng Yujin glanced at the upper room. She said, "I'll go see Grandmother. Thank you for reminding me. Lian Qiao, prepare some money for this sister's morning tea. "
Lian Qiao understood and went forward to give the servant girl some broken silver coins. The servant girl smiled and declined. "How can I accept this?"
"Grandmother needs someone here. Thank you, sister, for watching over her for me. This is some of my regards. Sister, take it and drink a cup of hot tea. Just treat it as a peace of mind for me, okay? "
Only then did the maidservant accept it half-heartedly. Therefore, the servant girls in Shou 'an Hall liked Cheng Yujin very much. The Eldest Miss not only could make people's eyes light up every day, but she was also very generous. As long as they were sweet mouths and diligent, they would be rewarded by Cheng Yujin every day.
As a result, the servant girls liked to run errands for Cheng Yujin even more. If there was anything in Shou 'an Hall, they would rush to tell Cheng Yujin, just to be the first to receive the reward.
Cheng Yujin looked at the servant girl's sparkling eyes as she received the broken silver coins. Her smile also became softer. She now earned a lot of money every month. Yunyi Fong and Linlang Pavilion brought her a huge profit every month. She ate and lived in the Marquis of Yichun. Recently, because she was in mourning, she didn't need to go out to socialize. It could be said that she only received money and didn't spend it. These broken silver coins were not money in her eyes.
However, such a small amount of money could make the servant girls around Old Lady Cheng like her more. Cheng Yujin could also do things with twice the result with half the effort. Both of them were happy, so why not?
For example, now, Cheng Yujin just met Old Lady Cheng face to face, and she knew that Old Lady Cheng had just woken up and didn't have a good appetite. She didn't want to eat early in the morning. It was obvious that she didn't sleep well last night. Cheng Yujin already knew what to say in a while.
Cheng Yujin walked into the room. First, she took off her cloak and neck sheath, and changed into indoor soft-soled shoes. Then, she walked to the west room. Unlike the other rooms in the Marquis Household that burned charcoal, Old Lady Cheng's room was covered with earth coils. It burned as soon as autumn came. The warm and dry air circulated underground. Even the floor was warm, and it was very comfortable to step on. When people walked in the room, they could just wear unlined clothes in spring and summer.
Old Lady Cheng's room was as warm as spring, but other people didn't have this comfortable. The other courtyards, including Cheng Yujin's room, burned charcoal. Even if they used the best charcoal, they didn't have to worry about not having enough charcoal. In the end, it couldn't be compared to Old Lady Cheng's large-scale earth coils. At least, Cheng Yujin didn't dare to wear unlined clothes in her own room.
She took off her heavy clothes and suddenly felt light. Cheng Yujin sighed from the bottom of her heart. It was really comfortable to be the Old Lady. When a woman was young, she served the elders in her maternal family. After she got married, she served her mother-in-law. When she finally became qualified, she had to worry about her children. Perhaps the only time she really enjoyed in her life was when she was the Old Lady.
Like Old Lady Cheng, she didn't care about anything, but she still had the power and money of the household in her hands. Her two sons and daughters-in-law had to carefully please her. Every day, her young granddaughter and maidservant would tease her in front of her. How comfortable was that? Cheng Yujin's goal was to become the future Old Lady Cheng.
However, all of this was based on the fact that Cheng Yuan-hsien and Cheng Yuanhan were Old Lady Cheng's biological children, and that Cheng Yuan-hsien was about to become the next successor of the Marquis Household. If either of these two conditions were missing, Old Lady Cheng wouldn't be able to live so happily.
Therefore, the root of her happy old age was that her biological son was going to be in power. Cheng Yujin stepped on the warm floor of Shou 'an Hall. Her idea of marrying into a noble family, achieving a leap in social class, and living a comfortable old age became firmer.
Cheng Yujin walked to the innermost room. Sure enough, Old Lady Cheng was leaning on the arhat bed. She wore a forehead protector on her forehead, which was decorated with an emerald the size of a broad bean. The light in the room was dim. Old Lady Cheng was also listless. She leaned on the soft pillow and let the maidservant massage her legs.
Cheng Yujin walked in and saw the situation. She naturally smiled and said, "Grandmother, good day."
Old Lady Cheng nodded listlessly. Cheng Yujin saw it and quietly walked to the arhat bed. She took over the work from the maidservant and leisurely poured a cup of hot tea for Old Lady Cheng, "Grandmother, I heard from the maidservant that you have a bad appetite today? Granddaughter woke up late today and didn't have time to eat when I went out. I was planning to come to grandmother's place to eat. Grandmother, can you make an exception for me and at least let your granddaughter have a taste of your cooking skills? "
Old Lady Cheng smiled. Anyone would be happy to see a young and beautiful girl early in the morning. Old Lady Cheng's eyebrows unconsciously relaxed and said, "Since you haven't eaten yet, let's set the table first."
When the maidservants saw that Cheng Yujin persuaded Old Lady Cheng to eat with just a few words, they couldn't help but look at her with gratitude and admiration. They had been persuading her for a long time. Their mouths were almost worn out, but Old Lady Cheng's reaction was indifferent. Later on, she even became impatient. As soon as the eldest daughter came, she was persuaded with just a few words.
Sure enough, the eldest daughter had a way.
In the fu, no one dared to cheat Old Lady Cheng. Old Lady Cheng's breakfast had been prepared long ago and had been warming it in the small kitchen. When they heard that Old Lady Cheng finally called for food, the maidservants hurriedly brought it over. The table was filled with clinking cups. Old Lady Cheng's dishes were the best. Even the breakfast was so sumptuous. There was porridge, snacks, and side dishes. In the end, there was almost no space left.
Cheng Yujin sighed in her heart. The more she thought about it, the better it was to have money. It was even better to have power. She didn't know when she could reach Old Lady Cheng's level.
Cheng Yujin was a granddaughter and not a daughter-in-law, so she couldn't sit down and eat with her. She really didn't eat in the morning. She raised her chopsticks and looked at Old Lady Cheng's eyes to give her some food. During the whole process, she persuaded her to eat and tasted the dishes. Old Lady Cheng didn't eat much, but Cheng Yujin ate until she was full.
However, Old Lady Cheng was old and didn't have a good appetite. Today's consumption had reached the usual average. The maidservants of Shou 'an Hall looked at Cheng Yujin as if she was a savior. Cheng Yujin observed that Old Lady Cheng was almost done eating. She put down her chopsticks at the right time. "Grandmother, granddaughter will serve you a cup of hot tea?"
Old Lady Cheng nodded. Cheng Yujin took the tea from the maidservant and handed it to Old Lady Cheng. Although it was said that Cheng Yujin would serve her, in fact, she was just a passing hand. There were very few places where she really needed to work.
Old Lady Cheng changed to the arhat bed outside to drink tea. The maidservants took the opportunity to remove the plates and cups. After Old Lady Cheng finished drinking, Princess Qingfu also came slowly.
Qingfu Junzhu came to greet Old Madame Cheng just to give her a heads up. No one expected her to do more than that. In the past, Old Lady Cheng and her eldest daughter-in-law would give face and casually ask her a few questions and directly let her go. Old Lady Cheng didn't know what happened today, but she actually asked Princess Qingfu to come down. She asked a few more questions. "How is Bao 'er recently? The temperature dropped a few days ago. The weather is cold and dry. It's easy to catch a cold. Are the people at Bao 'er's side alert? "
"Mother, don't worry. I have already warned them several times. They get up three times every night and specially cover Bao 'er with a quilt. Nothing will happen." Princess Qingfu replied quickly.
Qingfu really cared about her own son. Old Madame Cheng nodded and turned to talk about another puzzling matter, "A few days ago, the temperature changed and many people fell ill. I heard that the Empress in the palace also caught a cold and didn't get better for a few days. The Empress Dowager was worried about the Empress, so she went to ask for a protective talisman for the Empress. Unexpectedly, the Empress really got better. The Empress Dowager was very happy and said that she was going to make a vow with the Bodhisattva. "
"Oh?" Princess Qingfu raised her eyebrows in surprise. The matters in the palace had nothing to do with people like them. However, the Cheng Family was the Marquis Household. After several generations, they had accumulated some connections. For example, the movements of the Imperial Concubines in the palace, Qingfu as a junzhu didn't know. Instead, it was the old and frail Old Lady Cheng who seemed to be trapped in the Marquis Household that was the first to receive the news.
Cheng Yujin wasn't in a hurry to leave after eating. She also followed Old Lady Cheng to make a name for herself. She didn't expect to hear this kind of news. Whenever Old Lady Cheng said something, it definitely wasn't a joke. There must be some meaning behind it.
Cheng Yujin originally didn't care much about the matters in the palace. Those nobles were too far away from her. Even though she was a young lady of a noble family, she was still several levels away from entering the palace. She hadn't even seen the ordinary Shu Fei who wasn't favored by the emperor. How could she greet people like the Empress and the Empress Dowager?
Planning what was in front of her was foresight. Planning something that wasn't on the same level as herself was overestimating herself. Cheng Yujin understood her own weight. Therefore, she wouldn't waste energy on something that didn't have any return.
However, ever since she eavesdropped on the conversation between Cheng Yuanjing and Marquis Cheng and learned of Cheng Yuanjing's true identity, it was as if the distant palace was suddenly pulled in front of her eyes. Cheng Yujin unconsciously began to pay attention to the changes in the palace. For example, now that Old Lady Cheng mentioned the Empress and the Empress Dowager, Cheng Yujin who didn't pay much attention to them in the past also quietly perked up her ears and carefully listened to what Old Lady Cheng would say next.
Princess Qingfu asked: "Mother, what does the Empress Dowager mean by this? She wants to return a vow. How is she going to do it? "
Old Lady Cheng sighed. Her voice carried a gravity that outsiders couldn't understand: "The Empress Dowager is going to personally leave the palace and go to Xiangji Mountain to return a vow."
"Ah?" Princess Qingfu was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Is this information accurate?"
Old Lady Cheng was silent and only nodded slightly. Princess Qingfu and Cheng Yujin both understood. It seemed that this honourable Empress Dowager had already made her decision.
The Empress Dowager leaving the palace was not a small matter. Now that the Empress Dowager's status was high, she would be accompanied even more. Most likely, the women of the Jing City who had ranks would be accompanying her.
The men of Marquis of Yichun didn't have any achievements in their careers, but they were ashamed because their family had a noble rank, second rank.
Qingfu herself also had the title of Junzhu. She herself had a rank of second rank. No matter how one looked at it, Cheng Yujin would have the opportunity to accompany her.
Cheng Yujin understood a bit why Old Lady Cheng was absent-minded early in the morning, but she couldn't understand why she had so much on her mind that she didn't have an appetite to eat. The Cheng Family was a completely unrelated Marquis Family. If they had the opportunity to travel with the Empress Dowager, wouldn't that be a great thing? Why would Old Lady Cheng be so worried?
Princess Qingfu didn't think as far as Cheng Yujin. After she confirmed this information, her eyes were filled with uncontrollable joy: "This is great. I haven't paid my respects to the Empress Dowager in many years."
Old Lady Cheng sighed and said: "If it's just the Empress Dowager leaving the palace, then it's fine. The Empress Dowager has always been very stubborn and has a stubborn personality. What's strange is that the Emperor will accompany the Empress Dowager to the mountain to fulfill her vow. "
Cheng Yujin's heart skipped a beat when she heard the mention of the Emperor. Although it was a bit strange for the Empress Dowager to leave the palace, it still made sense. After all, their Empress Dowager revered Buddhism and donated a lot of merit to the temple every year. However, it was very unusual for the Emperor to accompany her.
This was what Old Lady Cheng couldn't understand. Now that the Emperor had passed his prime and the Second Prince was growing up, the Crown Prince's whereabouts were still unknown. Qingfu couldn't understand, but Old Lady Cheng, who had experienced the change of dynasties, was very sensitive.
Old Lady Cheng had been faintly worried before. However, when she thought of her two sons, she felt that with the Cheng Family's current fate, no matter how big the waves were, they wouldn't touch the Cheng Family. However, this time, the Emperor suddenly left the palace, causing Old Lady Cheng's dusty anxiety to explode in an instant.
Could it be that the sky was going to change so quickly? For the Emperor to leave the palace, did he know something?
Princess Qingfu was still happy. She saw Old Lady Cheng's heavy expression and sighing incessantly. Cheng Yujin also lowered her head and didn't speak. She felt very confused: "If the Emperor wants to leave the palace, then leave the palace. The Emperor has a reputation for filial piety. When he ascended the throne, it was the Empress Dowager who supported him. He is filial to the Empress Dowager and accompanied the Empress Dowager to fulfill her vow. There's nothing unusual about that, right? "
Old Lady Cheng sighed and said: "Maybe."
Cheng Yujin stood to the side and didn't speak. Old Lady Cheng didn't understand why, but she had a general guess.
In the past, Cheng Yujin wouldn't have thought too much about it, but now that she knew Cheng Yuanjing's true identity, how could she not understand why the Emperor left the palace.
Perhaps, the Emperor deliberately went in such a big circle and didn't hesitate to use accompanying the Empress Dowager to fulfill her vow, filial piety, etc. His true goal was to see Cheng Yuanjing.
Cheng Yuanjing was about to regain his identity.
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