Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Let him go!
Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Let him go!
The eldest princess was probably preoccupied with something, so she hastily sketched the outline of the villa and then lost interest.
From time to time, she would hold her chin up to look at Cheng Yian. She was really a graceful girl with a straight waist and an elegant sitting posture. The hem of her skirt was like petals, making her look like a delicate pistil. She was very pleasing to the eyes. What was even more rare was that she looked up at her with a pair of bright and clear eyes without any fear.
This is rare.
"You are so brave, young lady, to dare to look at me."
Cheng Yian sneered, "Your Highness has skin as white as cream. I can't take my eyes off you."
"Sweet talk." The eldest princess snorted, but she was very pleased in her heart. No matter what age a woman is, what she cares most about is her appearance, not to mention that the eldest princess is still passionately seeking a mate.
The eldest princess was in her early forties, with her hair in a high bun. She had a pair of long black eyebrows that went deep into her temples. Her eyes were narrow and sharp. Her skin was naturally fair, but due to her age, wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.
"But," she was tired of hearing so many flattering words, and she tapped her forehead from a distance with her pen.
"No matter how beautiful my skin is, it can't be as beautiful as a young girl like you."
It's so tender, just like a freshly peeled duck egg.
The eldest princess was young once too. When she thought about how she had not spent her most beautiful years with the man she loved, a trace of sadness welled up in her eyes.
If someone else heard this, they would panic and not know how to make up for it, but Cheng Yian was right on target.
"Really?" She stroked her cheek with a smile, as if she couldn't believe it. "That's because I often apply a kind of rose water called Wubaisan."
There is a reason why Cheng Yian said this.
At the end of every year, the royal family held a sacrificial ceremony. Her cousin Cheng Mingyu presided over the sacrifice as the first person in the court. This was the only time the princess could see Cheng Mingyu legitimately. The princess looked at the man who was nearly fifty years old, standing out in a gorgeous robe, still as handsome as ever, and murmured absentmindedly, "Mr. Cheng is still as elegant as ever, but I am old."
At this point, the princess ordered people to search everywhere for the art of living in the emperor's face, to the point of being almost crazy.
For a childless woman who is devoted to pursuing her lover, appearance is her lifeblood.
In his previous life, Cheng Yian had opened a perfume shop in Yizhou, doing this kind of business. There were some talented craftsmen there who developed many prescriptions, and their products were selling very well in the local area.
Wubaisan Rose Dew is one of them.
As expected, the eldest princess was intrigued.
"Rose water?"
The princess thought for a moment and said, "I have had this item for a long time, but it doesn't seem to have such miraculous effects."
"That depends on what the prescription is. My prescription is different from the others. If Your Highness is interested, I can prepare it for you on the spot."
Sitting down was fine, so the princess waved her hand nonchalantly, "Go ahead."
Afterwards, Cheng Yian asked the chief secretary to prepare pen and ink for her, and wrote down a list of ingredients on the spot, and asked someone to collect them. The servants in the Princess's mansion were busy planning for this every day. The ingredients were all ready-made and the best in the entire Dajin territory. Most of them were available in the mansion, and those that were out of stock were quickly bought from shops outside. It took only half an hour to get all the ingredients ready.
Cheng Yi'an took advantage of the situation and asked two maids, Ru Lan and Ru Hui, to help him. Chang Shi knew what to do.
Release the two maids.
Ruhui and Rulan were obviously impressed by the princess's majesty. They came in with tears in their eyes, tiptoeing and trembling with fear. Cheng Yian quickly signaled them with his eyes to calm down and not to displease the princess.
At this time, Rulan and Ruhui didn't know how to make dew at all. Cheng Yi'an was just looking for an excuse to release them. The bottle of fragrant dew was only allowed to succeed and not fail. Cheng Yi'an didn't dare to be careless. He excused that it was late and didn't dare to delay. , seconded manpower from Chang Shi to help.
The maids in the eldest princess's incense room were clever and skilled, so Cheng Yian didn't even have to do it himself. He would personally weigh the colors of each flower and match them, and then leave it to them to mix.
Ten cents for calamus flower dew, half a cup of rainwater before the Qingming Festival, and ten cents for dew on the day of the Beginning of Autumn. Other people may not have these things at home, but there are people specially assigned to collect flower dew at the Princess's residence every day, so these are all readily available. There are also twelve liang of rose stamens, five liang of white chrysanthemums. The best white chrysanthemums have petals as big as umbrellas and their flower stems are full and bright. In addition, five cents each for white atractylodes, white peony, white poria, bletilla striata, and angelica dahurica flower stamens, plus ten grams of an extremely precious white silkworm, and it's done.
Of course Cheng Yian has a more advanced recipe, but as the situation is urgent, he has to use this one as a makeshift one.
They were served in small sets of Changsha kiln-blue plates. Some were being boiled in water, some were being refined, some were being pounded, and some were being strained. Finally, all were brought to Cheng Yian.
The princess was no stranger to the recipe for Wubai Powder, and was even more accustomed to the scene of applying medicine. However, the beauty rolled up her sleeves to reveal a section of her pink arms, and her slender and nimble white jade fingers were quite pleasing to the eye.
The recipe for Wubaisan was passed down from ancient times. Cheng Yian knew that this recipe could not impress the charming princess, so she quietly called Ruhui and asked her to return to Lu Mansion to get something.
About half an hour later, the floral dews and medicines were all ready. Ruhui also took out the treasure. It was a kind of green olive oil. Thanks to her free time some time ago, she bought some green olives and made a bottle of oil at home. The pulp and oil were mixed together and put in a small brown glass bottle. After a few days of sedimentation, only a piece of golden oil as big as the base of a finger was left.
This is Cheng Yian’s trump card.
Prepare the rose water and five-white potion by pouring it into a transparent glass bottle, then mix this substance into it. When you scoop it up with a spoon, it looks like a piece of flowing gold, which is breathtaking.
After the rose oil lotion was prepared, it was of course not tested on the eldest princess's face immediately. The chief secretary called a female official, and Cheng Yian asked the maid to help cover the female official's face with a thick layer of oil lotion. After an incense stick of time, her face was washed, and the female official's skin was cool and much whiter. Not only that, her hands were covered with skin that looked like freshly peeled lychees, so juicy that it was amazing.
Without hesitation, the servants immediately brought a recliner, covered it with a comfortable animal skin blanket, and the princess lay down on it. This time, Cheng Yian personally helped her apply facial mask, which took another incense stick of time.
Everyone helped the princess clean up. She touched her face, which was so tender. Looking at the astonished expressions in everyone's eyes, she knew the effect was very good.
"You are quite capable, girl."
Cheng Yian smiled and said, "It is my blessing that the princess can use it," and then she handed over the prescription she had just written.
"Your Highness, the recipe for the five-white rose essential oil is right here. Just prepare it according to the recipe and apply it once a day. Within a month, you will have a youthful complexion forever."
It is an exaggeration to say that one will always have a youthful appearance, but it is not impossible to regain youth in a month.
The princess was very satisfied to see that Cheng Yian was interested.
She likes girls who are smart and have good eyesight.
He glanced at the chief clerk and motioned him to accept it, then asked Cheng Yian,
"What's your name, kid?"
Cheng Yian replied, "My wife's courtesy name is Yi-jie, and my given name is 'An'."
"An An," the princess murmured in praise of her reputation. She thought that she couldn't let her down. She pressed her fingertips between her eyebrows and said thoughtfully, "I have dozens of shops in various markets in the capital. This recipe can be regarded as a share for you. I will share the money from the sales later with you."
This was an extra surprise.
Running a shop is exhausting. From buying and selling goods to collecting and paying wages, which account does not need to be checked? In her previous life, she had worked herself into a shrew in order to manage the family business. Now that she has the eldest princess as her backer, isn't it great that she can collect money just by sitting there?
People are like this. If you give in a step and I give in a step, the road will be wider.
Cheng Yian thanked him shyly.
The eldest princess nodded calmly.
In fact, today's matter has been perfectly resolved. Now that he has been allowed to invest, it will be impossible for him to embarrass the girl. As for that man, the princess is not looking forward to it. She knows very well that he cannot come. She has known him for thirty years, and he has spoken to her only a few times. He behaved like a gentleman, bowed from a distance and left.
This is not the first time she has made things difficult for the Cheng family. Has he ever shown up?
Never.
She simply submitted a memorial to the emperor, asking him to order her to release the man, without stirring up any emotions.
Why do it when you know it is useless?
Maybe since she is not having a good time, he can't expect to have an easy time either.
A cold wind blew, gently lifting a corner of the curtain. The large front yard was deserted. The sunset had faded away its last tinge of color. It was getting dark, and it was time to send the girl back home... The eldest princess slowly straightened up, with a deep loneliness in her eyes.
At this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps from outside the stage.
“Your Highness!”
It was the voice of the chief guard of the Princess's residence, with an anxious and excited tone.
The eldest princess raised her eyes and frowned, showing displeasure at his rashness.
The guard came forward carefully holding something.
"Your Highness, there is a letter from Master Cheng."
The princess was stunned for a moment, "Which Lord Cheng!"
Is your Highness stunned? What other Lord Cheng is there?
The guard said hurriedly, "It is the Chief of the Censorate, Mr. Cheng Mingyu!"
An ordinary envelope was handed to the eldest princess. She stood there in a daze, not yet able to react. The letter was not sealed, and the snow-white envelope inside slipped out. The eldest princess hurriedly took it and spread it in front of her eyes. Two words suddenly came into her sight.
An extremely familiar handwriting, iron strokes and silver hooks, vigorous and upright.
It was written by Cheng Mingyu himself.
He actually wrote to her.
For the first time in his life, he responded to her ridiculous behavior.
The princess' heart suddenly began to beat like a drum, her emotions were entangled in her heart and she couldn't express them. She leaned her arms on the table, her shoulders trembled for a moment, and tears fell like broken strings.
Fearing that her tears would wet the envelope, she quickly put away her tears and picked up the letter, calling Cheng Yian over.
"An An, come and see your uncle's calligraphy..."
Cheng Yian was extremely shocked when he saw her emotions suddenly get out of control. He slowly moved over and took a look.
Two words were written on it:
"Let him go."
Cheng Yian helped.
How could Her Royal Highness the Princess ignore the meaning of these two words and concentrate on appreciating her uncle's calligraphy?
She was secretly shocked.
But if you look closely, it is really a good handwriting.
"These two characters are the bones and muscles of Liu style, written in one stroke, flowing like clouds and water, and completed in one breath."
The last stroke is ended quickly, bringing out a sharp ending, expressing the author's anger on the paper.
Cheng Yian had the impression that his uncle never showed his emotions on his face and had never been this angry.
But the princess didn't care. She wiped her tears and said to Cheng Yian with a smile,
"An An, you are a good and blessed child."
The eldest princess was truly an extraordinary person. She didn't feel offended at all and treated these two words as treasures.
Cheng Yian sighed in her heart. If she were living a life of luxury and wealth, she could ride a horse today and go traveling tomorrow, and live a fairy-like life. Why would she have to get entangled with a man?
When the cousin said let go, he might have been asking the princess to "let go", but it was a pity that the princess was so stubborn that it was impossible for people to follow her train of thought.
This is not the end.
The princess held Cheng Mingyu's calligraphy in her hands, unwilling to take her eyes off it, and very happily ordered the chief secretary, "Go to my storehouse and get the pair of jade bracelets that I wore when I was young."
"I obey your command."
Not long after, the Chief Secretary went to the storehouse and fetched two brocade boxes, opened them and placed them in front of Cheng Yian.
This is a pair of jade bracelets with extremely fine water content. Although they are not completely green, the green flowers on that part are extremely lively and gorgeous. The entire bracelet is as clear and transparent as glass. It is a rare treasure in the world. What's even rarer is that the two bracelets are almost identical.
Cheng Yian took a deep breath and bowed to the princess.
"Your Highness, these two items are worth a fortune..."
"Yes, so I give it to you as a reward." The eldest princess waved her hand and interrupted her in an extremely casual manner, "I wore it when I was young, but I can't wear it now, so it's best to give it to you."
Cheng Yian didn't dare to take it and looked at Changshi in panic. Changshi shook his head slightly at her, indicating that she didn't need to refuse.
Cheng Yian had no choice but to kneel down.
"Your Highness, I thank you for your grace." She told Ruhui to take it.
The princess no longer saw her, and enthusiastically handed the calligraphy to the chief secretary, "Frame it and hang it in my study."
Afterwards, no one paid any attention to Cheng Yian anymore, and the group of people accompanied the eldest princess and the calligraphy to the backyard.
Cheng Yian clasped his hands and stared blankly. Everyone in the princess's mansion couldn't be judged by common sense.
He was able to leave the Princess's Mansion safely and was rewarded.
Ci, Cheng Yian was in a good mood and went out with two maids.
There is a carriage waiting at the door.
The one who came to pick her up was Cheng Yiyan.
Seeing Cheng Yian coming out, he hurried over to her and looked her up and down.
"Sister An, are you hurt anywhere? Did the princess give you any trouble?"
Cheng Yian showed him the gift and said, "No, I'm fine. I'm sorry to have caused trouble to you, brother."
A naive smile on his face.
Cheng Yiyan is the second child among the male grandsons of the Yi generation, and his older sisters all like to call him the second brother.
Cheng Yiyan frowned when he heard this, "What are you talking about? We are the ones who have implicated you. Come on, get in the car quickly, I'll take you back."
Cheng Yian really admires Cheng Yiyan.
No matter which branch of the Cheng family, no matter whether the girls are virgins or married out, whenever the sisters are wronged outside, Cheng Yiyan will always come forward to support them. With such an heir, the Cheng family is destined to prosper forever.
Cheng Yiyan personally lifted the curtain and sent her to the carriage, shaking his head as he looked at her naive look.
If it were someone else today, they would have been terrified, but she was so naive that she didn't know how dangerous the thief was.
Seeing that she was fine, Cheng Yiyan also breathed a sigh of relief.
The carriage slowly returned to Duke Lu's Mansion. Cheng Yiyan saw him off personally, and Duke Lu's Mansion had nothing to say.
Lu Xusheng received a letter from a pigeon at night and rushed to the capital. He arrived in the afternoon of the next day. He first went into the palace to report to the emperor, and then stopped the eldest princess' carriage outside Donghua Gate.
The princess was accompanied by about a hundred guards, while Lu Xusheng stood alone at the bridgehead.
The fiery red horse leaped into the air, and the man on the horse stood straight with a stern look on his face, and an air of war permeated him.
When the Chief Secretary saw this scene, he covered his face and turned sideways to glance at the Princess on the carriage.
The eldest princess had a calm expression on her face. She put her hand on her forehead and replied lazily,
"I have returned the person intact. Since there was a reason for this, I will not punish you for your offense."
Lu Xusheng obviously didn't buy her trick. He held the reins, raised his hand and shook out an object from his palm. The thin name card flew straight towards the princess's carriage. The guards of the princess's mansion were no pushovers. They leaped over to stop it halfway and then handed it to the princess.
The princess leaned in to take a look. It was a business card made of apricot-yellow hard paper with a four-seasons auspicious knot printed on it and the three words Cheng Mingyu inscribed on it. However, the business card had been cut in half by a sharp object and had exploded when the princess took a second look at it.
The eldest princess's expression changed. "What do you mean? How dare you disrespect me?"
Lu Xusheng sat upright on the horse, smiling slowly, "Of course I dare not be disrespectful to the princess, but if there is a next time, I may accidentally cut off a finger of Mr. Cheng to help His Highness with the wine..."
Hit the snake at its most vulnerable part; pinch a person at his soft spot.
How the eldest princess treats Cheng Mingyu is how he treats the eldest princess.
This is called defeating magic with magic.
The princess stood up, shaking with anger, "How dare you!"
Lu Xusheng looked indifferent and said, "There's nothing I'm afraid of. I dare to do anything that Your Highness dares to do, and I also dare to do things that Your Highness doesn't dare to do. Your Highness, you'd better take care of yourself." After saying this, he turned the reins and galloped down from the other end of the bridge.
The princess was so angry that her internal organs were fuming. She pointed at his back and cursed, "You rebellious bastard!"
All the way back home, the blue glow on his face had not yet subsided.
When someone else said this, the princess just thought it was a way to vent her anger, but Lu Xusheng didn't think so.
For a man who endures humiliation and lies dormant for three months to kill the murderer of his father, there is nothing he cannot do.
Being threatened was not a pleasant feeling. The princess thought about it and came up with a plan.
"What good life can An An have with a man like this? Come on, go to the opera house and pick out three or five good-looking and good-tempered young men, take good care of them, and come back to relax An An."