Chapter 35 Chapter 35 I can't let anything happen to my dad

Chapter 35 Chapter 35 I can't let anything happen to my dad

Three days passed, Cheng Yian's daily life came to an end, and he took advantage of this free time to carefully sew a sachet for Lu Xusheng. It was made of lake blue silk satin material without any patterns embroidered on it. After all, men probably don't like fancy things.

etc!

Thinking of what Aunt Xu said about Lu Xusheng's preferences, is it possible that he likes bright things?

Cheng Yian suddenly decided to test whether it was real or not.

Therefore, Cheng Yian found a piece of brocade fabric, cut out a pattern with intricate patterns, and spent two days sewing a new one for Lu Xusheng. On the fabric, she also embroidered a few orchids and a cunning rabbit. At first glance, the patterns were intricate and colorful.

Cheng Yian hadn't embroidered for a long time. This time she picked up the skill again and felt quite proud of it. She looked at it from left to right and couldn't let it go.

Lu Xusheng returned at 12:00 in the middle of the night. His dark cloak was covered with frost and snow, and he looked dusty. Nanny Li hurriedly took off the cloak for him. Lu Xusheng shook off the snow stains on his body and lifted the curtain to enter the east room. Cheng Yian had asked someone to prepare hot water for him to wash his hands and face. After he washed his face, she poured him a cup of tea.

"Why do you always come back so late?" Cheng Yian asked him worriedly.

Lu Xusheng accompanied her to the table and sat down. He replied, "There are many things to do during the New Year. All the documents in the Governor's Office need my signature and stamp. I can't leave." He paused and said, "Your brother is busier than me."

Cheng Yiyan was in charge of the national treasury. Every penny of Dajin had to pass through his hands.

In March of the following year, he was the busiest person in the Dajin government office. He was indispensable for the year-end settlement and the new year budget.

Cheng Yian was also worried about his brother, "Did you see him today? Is he okay? Is he too busy to eat?"

Lu Xusheng smiled and said, "You worry too much. This is not the first year that he has been a doctor. The Cheng family has been very good at handling things. Your sister-in-law has people deliver three meals a day on time, so he won't go hungry."

Cheng Yian was very jealous of the relationship between Cheng Yiyan and Lu.

Nanny Li brought people in to set the table. Lu Xusheng took a look at today's dishes and found that there was still no change. He was indeed not very picky and ate whatever was available. This was a habit he developed after years of marching. But when he saw Cheng Yian making a list that day, he couldn't help but have some expectations.

Lu Xusheng finished his meal in silence. After the meal, he hesitated whether to go to the study. Cheng Yian took out two sachets from the study with great interest.

"Hey, here's a gift for you. Which one do you like? Pick one."

A lake blue plain sachet, calm and elegant, the fabric is extremely glossy, clean and neat without any unnecessary decorations.

Another brocade flower and bird sachet is exquisitely crafted and very eye-catching.

They all look great.

In terms of wearing, he likes the first one, but in terms of viewing, he likes the second one.

"Can't you give them all to me?"

Cheng Yian shook her head, "No, I have to pick one." She had finally embroidered two and couldn't give them both to him.

Lu Xusheng weighed the pros and cons for a moment, and finally took the second one and put it in his hand.

Anyway, he doesn't want to wear it, so let's choose the second one.

The little rabbit has a pair of silly eyes, a bit like Cheng Yian, very cute.

Cheng Yian was extremely shocked. He really liked brightly colored things.

Cheng Yian took a look at her own attire, an apricot-colored casual jacket and no makeup. Unless she was going out, she would not bother to dress up. Cheng Yian stared at him deeply and looked at Lu Xusheng with admiration.

Lu Xusheng was still thinking about her other sachet, "Are you really not going to give it to me?"

"Why do you need so many?" Cheng Yian said nothing and put the other one in the jewel box, preparing to wear it himself later.

Although Lu Xusheng felt a little regretful, he did not force it.

After a while, Xu Yi sent someone to deliver a message, saying that someone from the government office came to look for Lu Xusheng. Lu Xusheng took the sachet back to the study. Cheng Yian looked at the account book for a while and then went to bed.

She didn't know how long she had fallen asleep when she noticed a pair of hands wandering around her body in a dishonest manner. Cheng Yian was woken up by him.

"Lu Xusheng, I slept well..."

He had already turned her over and held her under him. He said in a deep voice, "I have been waiting for you for five days."

Because of that kiss, I endured it for five days and only touched her today.

Cheng Yian thought of that kiss and was still a little angry. He ruined her mood, so why should she give him the advantage?

"If you don't let me touch you, why should I let you touch me?"

Lu Xusheng's breath pressed against her face, "Maybe she got pregnant today in her previous life."

Cheng Yian paused, remembering that in her previous life, she found out she was pregnant on the 20th day of the lunar month. Her period did not come on the day she was supposed to have, and the imperial physician diagnosed her pregnancy after taking her pulse. The child was already pregnant at that time, which shows that it is possible that she was conceived at that time.

During this pause, Lu Xusheng had already walked in with ease, and Cheng Yian was so angry that he kept hitting him.

Unfortunately, beating him was useless, he became more and more violent, and Cheng Yian's voice was broken by him.

It was the dead of night, and every sound was particularly clear. Cheng Yian did not dare to disturb the maids and the old women, and she held back her voice. Unfortunately, the more she held back, the more she seemed to be reluctant to give in. Lu Xusheng's interest also kept rising and falling. Cheng Yian had surrendered early, but he was not ready yet, so he simply pushed her to a corner of the bed, and watched her lying on the pillows like an ostrich, whimpering and begging for mercy before he stopped.

Cheng Yian understood that he was settling the account for that night.

All the year-end rent from the Lu family was collected. Some was stored in the warehouse on the main street under the Drum Tower, and some was stored in the warehouse behind the Lu Mansion. Cheng Yian divided the remaining living food and other items into dozens of portions and let each family in the Lu family take one home. He was busy with this for three consecutive days.

It snowed for a long time at the end of the month, and finally it cleared up on the first day of December.

Cheng Yian accompanied his two sisters-in-law to preside over the meeting in the meeting room early in the morning and assigned the important tasks of the mansion for this month. They were busy until the beginning of the 4:00 p.m. when an unexpected guest came to the mansion.

The man lifted up his pink hood and smiled at her.

“An An…”

It was Zheng Ying, the daughter of Zheng Shanghe, the Minister of Revenue.

Cheng Yian was extremely surprised, and hurried forward to greet her and hold her hand, "Why are you here? By the way, I haven't congratulated you yet. Congratulations on becoming the Princess of Ning."

Two days ago, Lu Xusheng told her that the emperor had issued an edict to give Zheng Ying to Prince Ning.

Zheng Ying blushed, but still replied generously, "Thank you."

Cheng Yian wanted to take her into the house for tea, but Zheng Ying shook her head.

"Stop busying yourself, I'm here to take you to my house to play."

"To do what?"

Seeing Cheng Yian was obviously surprised, Zheng Ying was embarrassed. She was a horse lover who liked to deal with horses and didn't like to talk to people, so she was not familiar with the ways of the world. Today, she remembered that she had invited Cheng Yian to appreciate her stable, so she came over immediately.

Zheng Ying explained the reason and looked at Cheng Yian apologetically, "Was it too abrupt?"

Cheng Yian had been feeling bored for a few days, so he decided to go out and relax.

He immediately returned to Ningjitang, changed into traveling clothes, and accompanied Zheng Ying to Jiaozhongfang.

Duke Lu's Mansion is quite far from Jiaozhongfang. Go north through Xi'an Gate, then east along the foot of the Imperial City, and pass the Drum Tower Street to reach Jiaozhongfang area.

Although Jiaozhongfang is not far from the imperial city, it is located in the north of the imperial city and is not that densely populated. Here, Zheng Mansion occupies a large area. However, Zheng Ying did not take Cheng Yian to Zheng Mansion. She did not want to waste time on socializing, but took Cheng Yian directly to her stable.

Zheng Ying's stable was in an empty yard to the north of the Zheng Mansion. Minister Zheng doted on his daughter so much that in order to satisfy her hobbies, he bought a yard to the north of the mansion and converted it into a horse farm. Now this yard is Zheng Ying's private property.

Zheng Ying stayed here for half a day each day.

There is also a snow hut inside the horse farm, where Zheng Ying likes to bring a few friends to roast venison in winter.

He first brought Cheng Yian in, served her tea, and then pointed to the stables in the distance and said,

"My brother asked someone to buy two fine horses from Dayuan. I am thinking of the favor I owed you two, so you gave me Little Red Hare. Today I will give you a horse as a return gift. You can pick one yourself. Is that okay?"

A gentleman does not take away what others like.

Cheng Yian smiled and said, "You don't have to give it to me. If you have time, you can teach me how to ride a horse and let me enjoy it."

Zheng Ying didn't say anything and pulled her to the stable. Cheng Yian found that as soon as Zheng Ying arrived at the stable, her eyes were shining. She could tell at a glance whether the horse was in a good mood or not. She would patiently persuade the sick horse to drink water and take medicine. She was really a very special girl.

Zheng Ying'an petted the horses, and they each picked a horse and took Cheng Yian for a gallop in the racecourse. Thinking of Cheng Yian's poor polo skills last time, he couldn't help but teach him a few tricks. The two were having a great time when they saw the butler leading two people in from afar.

The first one was wearing a jade crown and royal robe, with a handsome face. He was Zheng Ying's new fiancé, Prince Ning. The other one was wearing a dark black robe, standing tall and slender with his hands behind his back, following at the side. He was Lu Xusheng.

Zheng Ying was so frightened when she saw Prince Ning that she nearly fell off her horse.

Cheng Yian got off the horse first and held Zheng Ying, who was about to fall, down. The tall black horse blocked the view of Prince Ning and others. Zheng Ying looked at Cheng Yian with a look of help on her face, "An'an, what should we do?"

Cheng Yian was surprised by her nervousness, "Aren't you engaged? You will be husband and wife in the future, there is no need to be so formal."

Why does a girl who is usually very generous become so flustered when she sees Prince Ning?

Zheng Ying's knees were weakened with nervousness. She slowly walked around the horse's belly and shyly knelt in the direction of King Ning.

"I've met His Royal Highness Prince Ning and Duke Lu." She lowered her head and didn't dare to look at anyone.

Lu Xusheng exchanged a glance with Cheng Yian, who then knew that he was accompanying Prince Ning, and saluted him.

Prince Ning was originally calm, but when he saw Zheng Ying's face turned as red as a monkey's butt, he felt uncomfortable.

"Well, the weather is good today. I passed by here and remembered that my little Red Hare was also here, so I took a look."

Cheng Yian heard that this was Prince Ning's excuse, and she glanced at Zheng Ying secretly.

Zheng Ying believed it, "Then I will take you to see Little Red Hare."

Prince Ning: “….”

Lu Xusheng rubbed his brows and decided to help Prince Ning. He said to Cheng Yian expressionlessly,

"I was busy today and had no time to come and pick up Madam. But now, His Royal Highness Prince Ning has dragged me here in a roundabout way."

Zheng Ying: “…”

If you don’t understand, you’re a fool.

This made me feel even more embarrassed.

Seeing that she was standing still, Cheng Yian gently pushed her and said, "Miss Zheng, don't let His Highness stand in the wind."

Zheng Ying came back to his senses and stammered towards the snow room, "Your Highness and General Lu, please come in for tea."

Prince Ning gave Lu Xusheng a deep look and walked into the gate with his hands behind his back.

Zheng Ying led the two of them to sit down first, then winked at Cheng Yian, signaling her to follow him to the tea room.

Cheng Yian stood up and went to the next room with Zheng Ying. Zheng Ying smiled and hugged Cheng Yian's arm.

"What should I do? I'm so panicked... I can't even look at him."

Cheng Yian teased her, "What if we get married? Don't you care about him? No matter how noble the prince is, he is still your husband. Just treat him as an ordinary man."

Zheng Ying asked, "How was it when you first met General Lu? Were you as nervous as I was?"

Cheng Yian and Lu Xusheng met for the first time on their wedding night. They drank the wedding wine and went straight into the same room.

All in one step.

"Well, we never met before we got married."

After Zheng Ying understood, her face turned even redder.

I covered my face and dared not go out.

Cheng Yian had no choice but to whisper in her ear,

"Just treat him as your favorite horse in the stable. Talk to him the same way you normally talk to horses. Slowly, it will become natural."

Cheng Yian just saw Zheng Ying treating the horses in the stable as her friends, and her serious look was really adorable.

Zheng Ying looked at her anxiously, "Is this really possible?"

"Of course. Look at me and Lu Xusheng. We haven't met before we got married, but we are still here."

Zheng Ying glanced at Cheng Yian's bright face and pouted, "If I were as beautiful as you, I wouldn't be so unconfident."

Zheng Ying had some freckles on her cheeks and was often laughed at when she was young. As a result, she didn't like to play with others and had to deal with horses since she was young.

Cheng Yian didn't tell her that Lu Xusheng divorced her in his previous life. "I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. Besides, if His Highness didn't mean to, why would he go out of his way to see you?"

These words gave Zheng Ying a little more confidence.

Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, pour some tea and personally serve it to Prince Ning.

Lu Xusheng had already left with an excuse, and Cheng Yian did not follow him in. The couple stood in a corner of the corridor, giving Prince Ning and Zheng Ying a chance to talk.

Their attendants and maids were waiting for them, and they were quite polite.

Prince Ning took the tea and saw that Zheng Ying still didn't dare to look at her, so he held his forehead slightly.

The atmosphere in the snow house was still for a moment.

To break the awkwardness, the two of them suddenly spoke in unison.

"Has Little Red Rabbit been well behaved lately?"

"Has your Highness had lunch yet?"

This tacit understanding invisibly brought them closer. Zheng Ying finally took the time to look at him. His eyes were very clear and he looked very handsome. Zheng Ying felt that she was not worthy of him, so she quickly lowered her head.

Prince Ning immediately made an excuse, "I haven't had my meal yet."

When Zheng Ying heard this, it was as if she had finally found an opportunity to escape from this embarrassment. "I'll go prepare it for Your Highness..." Without waiting for Prince Ning's response, she walked out of the snow room.

Prince Ning looked at her graceful back and choked silently.

As a result, Prince Ning looked around and waited for nearly half an hour, and finally saw Zheng Ying hurriedly bringing a plate of dishes, three dishes, a soup, and a snack, all hot, as if they had just come out of the pot.

Zheng Ying shyly placed it on the table beside Prince Ning.

"Your Highness, please use it."

Prince Ning was already hungry, but he couldn't deny his fiancée's face.

"good."

After all, Prince Ning was born into a royal family and had been pampered since childhood, and his every move exuded elegance.

Zheng Ying was serving beside him. Seeing him take a bite of each dish, she couldn't help but ask, "Does it suit your Highness' taste?"

Prince Ning nodded and said, "Very good." He paused and suddenly realized something, raised his eyes and asked Zheng Ying,

"You made this yourself?"

Zheng Ying chuckled, her face flushed with enthusiasm and said, "Yes, since you have come in person, I don't know how to entertain you..." After she finished speaking, a blush had already crept up to the tips of her ears.

Prince Ning's mind moved, and he looked at her quietly without saying a word.

To be fair, Zheng Ying was indeed not his type, but for the sake of the greater cause, he accepted his father's arrangement. Today, he came to visit her specially on his father's orders. He found that Zheng Ying was more sincere than he thought.

People who grew up in the imperial city are used to living with masks on. Zheng Ying's innocence is rare.

Prince Ning suddenly began to look forward to his life after marriage.

The noise inside reached Lu Xusheng's ears at a low level, and he glanced sharply at Cheng Yian beside him.

The first time Prince Ning met his fiancée alone, he was treated to a meal prepared by his fiancée herself.

As for him, he has been waiting here for quite some time, but there is still no sign of Cheng Yian's menu.

Cheng Yian was somewhat confused when she received her husband's dissatisfied and even questioning look.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Xusheng smiled and asked, "Madam, have you forgotten something?"

"What?"

"The menu?"

Cheng Yian blinked, and it took him a long time to realize what Lu Xusheng was talking about.

"Did you see that?"

"Um."

"want to?"

"Um?"

"If you come all the way to visit me before we get married, I will cook for you every day."

Lu Xusheng: “….”

Forget it, he can never expect Cheng Yian to cook in his life.

Seeing his frustrated look, Cheng Yian raised his lips.

The Zheng residence was not far from the Cheng family. The Cheng family was going to the Lu residence to deliver a batch of newly made leather today. Upon hearing that Cheng Yian was here, Nanny Han came straight to the stables of the Zheng residence, stood in front of the carriage, and saluted Cheng Yian attentively.

"Aunt, the old ancestor heard that you were here, and invited you to come back to the Cheng family for a simple meal. If you are happy, you can stay here. If it is inconvenient, the young master of the mansion will take you back at night."

Cheng Yian raised his eyes and looked at Lu Xusheng, "Are you going?"

Lu Xusheng had already thoroughly offended his father-in-law, so he shook his head and said, "I won't go. I have something else to do in the government office. I'll pick you up later."

Cheng Yian followed the Cheng family's maid to the Cheng Mansion.

Cheng Yiqiao and Lu personally welcomed Cheng Yian in at the door.

"Is my second brother not at home? I heard from Lu Xusheng that he has been very busy lately."

Lu sighed, "I haven't been home for half a month."

"What about father? Is he not here either?"

Before she finished speaking, she saw a man wearing a black fox cloak standing in the corridor waiting for her. He was tall and straight, with clear eyes and a smile as he looked at her.

"An An."

In private, he called her Pingping, and in front of everyone, he called her Anan like everyone else.

"Father..." Although she hadn't returned to the Cheng family for some time, Cheng Mingyu still brought her food every now and then. The more Cheng Yian saw him, the more intimate he felt.

Cheng Mingyu could feel his little daughter becoming increasingly dependent on him, so he raised his hand and led her into the house.

The old lady held her in her arms as usual, "Ping girl is so cruel. She hasn't returned to her parents' home for a whole month."

Cheng Yian defended himself, "Other people don't go back to their parents' home for a year or two after getting married, but I've been back often enough. If I come from time to time, I'm afraid you'll dislike me."

The old lady glared at her, "Would I dislike you? Even if you were to get a divorce and return home now, I'm afraid your father would still set off firecrackers to celebrate for a few days."

Things are different now. In the past, Cheng Yian was in Nan Mansion and the emperor was forcing her to get married, so Cheng Mingyu had no choice but to marry her to Lu Xusheng. Now that the girl has come back, he has no worries. He is just afraid that she will suffer in her husband's family.

Take Cheng Yiqiao for example. Other girls in their twenties would have been very dissatisfied, but when it comes to Cheng Mingyu, as long as Cheng Yiqiao is not willing to get married, he will not urge her.

Cheng Yian listened to this and looked at Cheng Mingyu. Cheng Mingyu was just taking the tea handed to him by Cheng Yiqiao with a calm expression, without any sign of denial.

Cheng Yian sneered, "That means I really left the Lu family. Please don't blame me."

The old man laughed and talked about another matter.

"Ping Ping, go home and stay for a while."

The maid was serving tea to Cheng Yian, who took it in his palm, but didn't bother to drink it. He asked the old lady,

"Stay for a while?"

The old lady pointed at Cheng Mingyu and Cheng Yian and said,

"In about twenty days, we will go back to our hometown to worship our ancestors. Your father is the clan leader and must come. We will probably spend the New Year in Hongnong. Coincidentally, today the court has decided that your father will be ordered to go on a tour to the south to preside over the land survey for the court. Your father has estimated that he may not be able to come back for half a year, so he will take care of the affairs of the Metropolitan Procuratorate before the end of the year. Your father will go directly from Hongnong to Jiangnan at the beginning of next year. He is worried about not seeing you for such a long time and wants you to come back to live..."

After hearing these words, Cheng Yian felt as if he was pinned down, and his head was buzzing.

In her previous life, her father also went to Jiangnan after the New Year. It was not until the end of July when he heard that something happened to her at the Lu family that he hurried back to take care of the Miao mother and daughter. She would always remember her father's affection when Fan Yulin knelt at his feet and asked to marry her.

She could see his shape and heard him coughing violently through the beaded curtain. She didn't know the reason at that time, but now she thought that either he caught a cold from traveling all the way due to her sadness, or he suffered from the exhaustion in Jiangnan, or both.

In short, one year after she married and moved to Yizhou, her father died of illness.

Since his death, the Cheng family has gone downhill.

Later, when the crown prince rebelled and the Northern Qi cavalry marched south, the Cheng family suffered a devastating disaster.

If you want to save the Cheng family, the first step is to prevent anything from happening to Dad.

Going to Jiangnan to survey the land meant facing tens of thousands of wealthy families, and the dangers involved were hard to estimate.

Dad must have suffered a lot there and damaged his health, which is why he suffered from the illness he later developed.

She is fine in this life, Daddy won't worry.

Then the only hidden danger is this southern tour.

No, she had to find a way to stop her father from going south.

As soon as this thought came to his mind, Cheng Yian's chest violently pounded and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground.

The teacup smashed to the ground and shattered, and even the brocade carpet on the ground was wet. Everyone looked at Cheng Yian in shock.

"An An, what's wrong with you?"

Cheng Mingyu looked at his daughter's pale face with a serious expression.