Chapter 139 The Romance Ends After All Since Cheng Yexing left Changchun Garden last time...

Since Cheng Yexing left Changchun Garden, Cheng Qianyue hadn't paid any attention to him. Of course, she still thought about him, but she stubbornly refrained from summoning Lady Xitala or Lady Yulu to the palace to inquire. She was afraid that if she called them over, Cheng Yexing would think that her previous warnings were all bark and no bite.

The next news from outside came a month later: Cheng Yexing's official position had been announced. The emperor had appointed him as the Assistant Commander of Jiangning, to assist the General of Jiangning in supervising the navy.

Jiangning, what a wonderful place! That was Cheng Qianyue's first thought. But she quickly began to ponder other things, because she couldn't tell whether the transfer order was obtained by Cheng Yexing himself through a memorial requesting a transfer to a distant region, or by Yinreng himself making the decision. If it was the former, it meant her brother had figured things out and was keeping a low profile. But if it was the latter, it was very likely that Yinreng knew about what was happening outside.

Seeing that she was looking down and seemingly lost in thought, Yinreng casually asked, "What's wrong? Do you think Jiangning is too far away, or do you want him to stay in the capital?"

Cheng Qianyue felt a jolt in her heart. She looked up and saw Yinreng staring at her. She grinned and said, "No, that's not it. Besides, Jiangning isn't far away. I just think that place is full of outstanding people and beautiful scenery. He must have been misled by what he saw." She continued, feigning anger, "Last month, my mother came to the palace to complain to me that he was indulging in debauchery in the capital. If he's like this in the capital, what will he do in Jiangnan?"

"Hmm." Yinreng chuckled lightly, "So you took advantage of Hongyan's birthday to call him in and give him a good scolding?"

"Indeed." Cheng Qianyue tilted her head and asked tentatively, "You knew all along?"

"I overheard it. My subordinates said the Light Cavalry Commandant came in high spirits, but his face turned terribly dark on the way back." Yinreng put down his book and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Being fond of women isn't a big deal, after all, he hasn't seen any women for many years. If you're really worried that he's fooling around outside, I might as well send two people with him."

Cheng Qianyue immediately straightened up and refused, "Let's not." It wasn't about being blinded by lust, and besides, what would happen to Yu Lu Shi if Yinreng really gave her away? After thinking for a moment, she said, "I still hope they can have a harmonious marriage. Putting aside everything else, Yu Lu Shi has worked so hard all these years, taking care of his parents and raising his children. In my opinion, instead of giving her away, wouldn't it be better if you issued an edict scolding him, so he would be devoted to his wife?"

Yinreng couldn't help but laugh.

Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips. "What, am I wrong? There's an old saying: 'Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.' If he can't even manage his family affairs, he shouldn't be an official. Anyway, he has a title, so he can focus on raising the next generation."

Yinreng shook his head and said, "Giving him a concubine is not the same as telling him to favor his concubine over his wife. Forget it, since he has a virtuous wife at home, I will not interfere in such matters of the inner quarters."

Cheng Qianyue finally breathed a sigh of relief. After a while, as evening fell, Yinreng simply stopped reading and instead sat by the bed, staring at her. Cheng Qianyue sat in front of the dressing table, removed the hairpins from her hair and the earrings from her ears, and then went over and sat down beside him.

Yinreng gently stroked her hair and said, "People are bound to become arrogant when they are pampered, but after you scolded him, he shut himself in and stopped coming out. I guess he has come to his senses."

Cheng Qianyue hummed in agreement and asked softly, "What about the Jiangning Assistant Commander?"

“I had intended to send him out to a remote area, but I was unsure of the best place,” Yinreng said. “Not long ago, he submitted a memorial himself, saying that he had been in the capital for several months but had no opportunity to use his skills and wanted to be sent out to guard the frontier. I thought that he had been in Qinghai for many years and had gained enough experience, so I sent him to Jiangning to help the court strengthen its navy.”

"Oh, I don't know much about what's going on outside, but as long as you know what's going on," Cheng Qianyue replied.

That night, Yinreng went to bed early, but Cheng Qianyue couldn't sleep because she kept thinking about things. She thought that it wouldn't have mattered in the past, but now there was probably nothing in or outside the palace that could be kept from Yinreng. So, Yinreng most likely knew about Cheng Yexing's connections with ministers outside; otherwise, he wouldn't have mentioned bestowing someone upon Cheng Yexing earlier. Cheng Qianyue felt a little relieved; thankfully, she had called her brother over and scolded him. Then she became angry again. Really, had he gone mad from fighting in the war? He came back and caused trouble for the family.

September arrived quickly after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and not many days later it was time for Cheng Yexing to depart for his new post. Before leaving, Cheng Yexing made a special trip to Changchun Garden to pay his respects to Cheng Qianyue. Cheng Qianyue had been ignoring him for more than two months, and with the thought of parting from loved ones, she finally saw him.

Hmm, he seems much more composed now. His eyes aren't as lively as before, and his nostrils aren't pointing upwards anymore. Cheng Qianyue didn't scold him, but raised her head and said, "Sit down." She continued, "When do we set off?"

Cheng Yexing had expected to be scolded again after entering, but his younger sister was surprisingly gentle. "The next day is an auspicious day for travel." She paused and then asked for leniency, saying, "I've been thinking wrong lately. When I went to Jiangning to take up my post, I was thinking of taking your sister-in-law, nephew, and niece with me."

“Alright, Jiangning is a good place. We don’t need to worry about them suffering there.” Cheng Qianyue nodded. “As for Father and Mother, I’ll take care of them in the capital. Don’t worry.”

Cheng Yexing sighed.

After a while, Cheng Qianyue saw that he was sullen and said with a smile, "At first glance, I thought it was quite strange that you looked like this. I wanted you to be more steady, but I didn't expect you to be so listless as if you had lost your soul."

Cheng Yexing smiled briefly, but quickly stopped, his face darkening as he seemed lost in thought. Cheng Qianyue asked him, "What are you thinking about? Your brows are so furrowed you could wring water out of them."

Cheng Yexing took a deep breath and said, "I have some doubts, but it doesn't seem like it. I can't be sure for the moment."

Um?

Then he said, "I suspect I've been set up."

Cheng Yexing has finally come to his senses. Sometimes he can't understand how his ego has grown so big. Could it be that he became arrogant and complacent because he had performed meritorious service and was being fawned over upon his return?

When Cheng Yexing got home that day, he slapped himself hard, his face swelling up. Yu Lu was bringing him water to wash his feet when she saw him slap himself, and the basin crashed to the ground. A while later, Yu Lu rubbed his face with a boiled egg, and Cheng Yexing patted her hand, saying, "From today onwards, I won't go to any banquets or drinking parties."

Yu Lu looked surprised: "Really?" Upon receiving an affirmative answer, she smiled through her tears. Cheng Yexing sighed, realizing he had indeed neglected her before, and felt he had been a bit of a jerk.

Then the next day, hey, Xitala saw the handprint on Cheng Yexing's face and immediately said, "Hmph, he deserves to live like this."

Cheng Yexing: ......

He felt a pang of regret. "Oh dear, I shouldn't have hit you so hard last night; the mark on my face is hard to erase." Later, even the clerk from the outer courtyard saw the mark.

Speaking of the advisors, these were the people Cheng Yexing had gathered after his return. One, surnamed Xu, was a scholar recommended by a colleague; the other, surnamed Wu, had come to him on his own, saying he had previously served as a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue and wanted to seek another career. Compared to Advisor Xu, this Advisor Wu was more eloquent.

When Master Wu saw the slap mark on Cheng Yexing's face, he began to greet him. Cheng Yexing mumbled a few words, which Master Wu then assumed were from the Imperial Concubine. Master Wu sighed and said, "The Imperial Concubine has been in the deep palace for so long that she doesn't understand your good intentions."

Cheng Yexing lowered his eyes and chuckled a couple of times. After Master Wu left, he suddenly felt something was amiss. This Master Wu seemed to be a master at manipulating people. It seemed that Cheng Yexing's heart had been nurtured step by step by him. For a moment, Cheng Yexing became suspicious, but even when he sent people to investigate, they couldn't find anything. Master Wu's background seemed very clean—a proper scholar who had served as a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue for several years.

Just when Cheng Yexing thought he was being paranoid, his transfer order came down. Knowing that it was Cheng Yexing who had personally submitted the memorial for the transfer, Wu, the clerk, quickly submitted his resignation, saying that the Ministry of Personnel had filled his vacancy as a county magistrate, and he wanted to be transferred to Guangzhou. Frankly, the back and forth was too coincidental, yet everything seemed so natural.

After Master Wu left, Cheng Yexing felt increasingly uneasy. He wondered if Master Wu had been sent by someone else. But what was his purpose? Furthermore, earlier that day, when he came to Changchun Garden to resign, the Emperor had said to him with a half-smile, "No one is perfect. Arrogance has its limits. It's already quite impressive that you understood this so quickly." Hearing these words, Cheng Yexing felt as if he'd been struck by lightning, his soul nearly leaving his body. He thought his younger sister was right; there was nothing in the world the Emperor didn't know!

As Cheng Qianyue listened to him speak with a furrowed brow, she grew increasingly alarmed. "Are you saying that you were instigated by this Master Wu to act that way before?"

Cheng Yexing said, "It does seem suspicious, but for a moment we don't know what he's trying to do." More importantly, this kind of thing can't be reported to the Emperor. If the Emperor finds out that he's trying to win people over in order to push the Third Prince to be the Crown Prince, well, that would be the end of us. So this is a messy affair that can't be investigated too closely.

Cheng Qianyue couldn't understand what Wu Shiye was after either. Whether he wanted to flatter Cheng Yexing or had grander ambitions and wanted to curry favor with him, Wu Shiye should have stayed by Cheng Yexing's side. Finally, she said, "If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore. I'll just consider him a fool."

After Cheng Yexing left, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but wonder where this Master Wu came from. But then she thought, if Cheng Yexing didn't have the heart for it, no amount of flattery would help. As the old saying goes: A straight body casts a straight shadow!

——

In the study of the Eighth Prince's residence, He Zhuo reported softly. The Eighth Prince listened attentively, and couldn't help but cough a few times. The Eighth Prince had fallen ill ever since he was reprimanded and stripped of his title by Emperor Kangxi. After hearing that Emperor Kangxi had scolded his mother, Consort Liang, his illness worsened. Even with careful recuperation afterward, he still had lingering health problems, and would easily develop a dry cough if it got even slightly cold.

He Zhuo said with concern, "Master, please have some tea to soothe your throat."

Eighth Master hummed in agreement, and after a long pause, said, "Has the Cheng family's Light Cavalry Captain left the capital?"

He Zhuo nodded and said yes.

Eighth Master chuckled and shook his head: "What a pity. I thought martial arts practitioners were more ambitious than scholars, but who knew he was just a cowardly rat."

He Zhuo chuckled twice, "Cheng Yexing came from humble beginnings, and his success today is largely due to the presence of a concubine in his family. Now that he's being reprimanded by the concubine, he's bound to be timid and hesitant."

The Eighth Prince paused for a moment, then waved for the others to leave. Once he was alone in the room, he couldn't help but sigh. He had spent most of his life opposing the Emperor, so he didn't expect the Emperor to let him off the hook. But he didn't want to be a bald prince forever either; he was still young and could endure it, so he pinned his hopes on supporting the new Emperor's ascension to the throne.

If he could get on the good side of the new emperor, his seemingly hopeless situation could be salvaged...

But who should he ally with? The saying goes, "the eldest son should be chosen as heir," but compared to the eldest prince, he preferred the third or fourth prince from the Consort's family. Firstly, the Consort was favored, and secondly, suppressing the eldest son and supporting the younger one would demonstrate his ability. But now it seemed the Consort's family was no longer useful. Because the Cheng family had left and didn't know when they would return, he suddenly lacked a good strategic move.

Eighth Master narrowed his eyes: "We need to think carefully about how to proceed from here. If one piece is lost, it's time to replace it with another."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Great news! Great news! Double updates every day will continue next month! I estimate it will be finished next month~ Please look forward to it~