Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Room Allocation

Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Room Allocation

The next day, the whole family went to the palace to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday, and Cheng Yian got up very early.

The second wife, Wang, had always been very close to the Empress Dowager. She got up early this morning and dressed herself up. She also called several daughters-in-law and children over and checked them carefully, fearing that there were any omissions.

"The Queen Mother is very strict and will not tolerate mistakes. Remember, when you enter the palace, be careful with your words and actions, don't cause trouble, and answer truthfully if you have anything to say. She doesn't like people to lie..."

After talking a lot, he saw that Cheng Yian seemed to be in a trance and couldn't help but frown.

"Xu Ge's daughter-in-law, what's wrong with you?"

Cheng Yian was in a bad mood. In the past, the eldest princess would always send a letter every five days, but there was no news today. Normally, she would have gone to the Cheng family to find out what happened from her father, but today was the Queen Mother's birthday and she couldn't get away for the time being, so Cheng Yian was a little absent-minded.

"I didn't sleep well last night, and I lost my mind for a moment. Please don't blame me, mother-in-law."

The Second Wife couldn't say much either. The eldest wife didn't have the qualifications to enter the palace. The Third Wife wasn't familiar with the Empress Dowager and didn't dare to bring her younger generation with her. So from the Lu family, only the Second Wife and the Third Wife came to the palace to offer congratulations.

Fifth Miss Lu Shuzhi

When she entered the palace, a smile appeared on her face.

Her brother was the emperor's confidant, and both the emperor and the empress loved her very much. Her mother was the daughter of the royal family, and the empress dowager also valued her very much. As long as she entered the palace, Lu Shuzhi became one of the most popular girls.

The people from Duke Lu's mansion arrived early and were led by palace servants directly to Cining Palace.

The birthday banquet was held in Shou'an Palace, west of Cining Palace.

Not everyone has the courage to enter the Cining Palace and kowtow to the Empress Dowager.

The third wife kowtowed outside and went to Shou'an Palace to wait.

Mrs. Wang brought her wife and children into the main hall of Cining Palace.

When I went in, the Crown Princess was serving tea to the Queen Mother.

The second wife first brought the younger generation to kowtow to the empress dowager, congratulating her for her good fortune and longevity. The empress dowager was tired of hearing this and had no expression. She just waved her hand to signal them to stand up.

"You are like my own niece, so you don't need to worry about these empty formalities."

When the Second Lady came before the Queen Mother, she lost her usual arrogance and looked extremely gentle.

"It's not that I'm being rude. It's just that the children are thinking about you and embroidered something for you. We want to show our filial piety to you. I hope you won't object."

After saying this, she ordered the palace maids at the door to present the birthday gift they had brought. It was a seven-foot-long picture of a hundred years of life with extremely exquisite embroidery. The Second Madam had hired craftsmen from Suzhou and Hangzhou to embroider it, which took half a year. The younger generations of the Lu family actually helped by pulling the needle and thread and embroidering some flowers and birds, as a token of their thoughtfulness.

This embroidery painting is of great value. It will look magnificent if framed on a folding screen.

The Queen Mother likes things that are grand and luxurious.

"Good, the kids are taking care of it."

He also instructed the maids to give rewards to everyone and ordered people to watch the seats.

Lu Xusheng has been making a lot of noise in Jiangnan recently. The empress dowager knows very well that such achievements will be recorded in history in the future. If Lu Xusheng can be used by her, why should the prince worry about not being able to ascend the throne?

The Queen Mother looked at Cheng Yian with mixed feelings.

"It's been more than half a year since Brother Xu's daughter-in-law got married, and there's still no good news?"

When the Queen Mother asked this, the person who was most nervous was not Cheng Yian and the Second Madam, but the Crown Princess who was sitting beside them.

Before Cheng Yian could sit down, she immediately stood up again. The second lady answered for her.

"To answer your majesty, you haven't gotten pregnant yet. Your niece was worried, but then she thought that having a child depends on fate, so she stopped worrying."

When the Second Lady said this, she glanced at the Crown Princess and saw that her expression had relaxed slightly.

The Queen Mother is now most worried about two things: one is the Crown Prince's ascension to the throne, and the other is the Crown Prince's offspring.

The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have been married for several years, but unfortunately the Crown Princess has not been pregnant. For the sake of offspring, the Crown Princess even took the initiative to take in several concubines for the Crown Prince. Unfortunately, in the huge East Palace, there is only a baby princess and no grandson.

The Queen Mother was in no mood to celebrate birthdays. She just hoped that the Crown Princess would give her a great-grandson.

Unfortunately not.

When the Second Lady said that having a child depended on fate, she was actually trying to comfort the Queen Mother.

The Queen Mother heard this and said no more.

"Xiang is playing at Linxi Pavilion. You kids can go there and leave your mother to talk to me for a while."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess stood up and left with Cheng Yian and others.

The third young master Lu Jisheng had to go to the outer court for the banquet. When Lu Shuzhi heard that her cousin Wang Yunxiang was at Linxi Pavilion, she went there first. The second lady told Bai to look after her sister, so Bai had no choice but to follow.

Only the Crown Princess and Cheng Yian were left at the end.

With the Queen Mother's question just now, the Crown Princess and Cheng Yian could be considered as "both fallen people in this world".

"Does the second wife often urge you?"

The Crown Princess was well aware of the Second Lady's character. She was very harsh and was not gentle to her daughter-in-law.

Cheng Yian laughed, "It's inevitable to nag a little, but now our Duke is not in the capital, and I am a good cook without rice. I can't cook without rice."

The Crown Princess was amused by her last sentence.

"I didn't realize you were such a carefree person."

Cheng Yian recalled the journey of seeking a child in his previous life, which filled him with sorrow and tears.

“Sometimes not having children is not a bad thing.”

If she had a child in her previous life, wouldn't she have died with Fan Yulin?

Upon hearing this, the Crown Princess's expression wavered and even her steps slowed down.

Although she is of high status and seems to be in a very good position, she is actually suffering inside.

Twenty-one years ago, after the late emperor met with an accident, the empress dowager set her sights on the Qin Mansion in order to consolidate the crown prince's position.

At that time, the country was still in mourning, and the Duke of Qin's mansion had just given birth to its eldest granddaughter. They did not dare to hold a banquet, but the Queen Mother actually drove out of the palace, brought rich gifts, and put the coral bracelet that the old man wore at his wedding on her hand.

Conspiracies can be prevented, but evil schemes are difficult to defeat.

When she was born, she was promised to the one-year-old prince.

My grandfather, who had always been cautious and self-protective, was forcibly dragged onto the ship of the Crown Prince by the Queen Mother.

For more than twenty years, the prince had been very good to her, but the burden on her was too heavy, and she had not given birth to a child for a long time. The pressure from both inside and outside was piled on her, making it hard for her to breathe.

Cheng Yian noticed that there was a hint of sadness in the Crown Princess' eyes.

In her previous life, the Crown Princess had never had a child and eventually died of illness in the Eastern Palace. After the Crown Princess' death, the Duke of Qin's Mansion decisively cut off ties with the Crown Prince and remained neutral. It was this move that directly led to the Crown Prince's rebellion.

Cheng Yian remembered that in her previous life, when she was bullied by her mother-in-law, the Crown Princess comforted her many times. When the Queen Mother made things difficult for her because of Lu Xusheng, the Crown Princess also helped her solve the problems many times. She was an extremely gentle and kind woman.

Cheng Yian really didn't want to see her trapped in her own web and eventually die of depression in this deep palace.

She has experienced the pain of not having children, so she understands.

"I heard that children are very spiritual. He will definitely come at the most appropriate time. If he doesn't come, there must be a reason."

The Crown Princess' eyes suddenly soured when she heard this. She turned around and looked at Cheng Yian.

"Really?"

"Yes." Cheng Yian boldly held her wrist.

"Your Highness, you must believe me and don't torture yourself. You are a phoenix, and a phoenix can soar in the sky."

The phoenix will not be trapped in a cage.

The Crown Princess turned her gaze toward the azure sky, and began to feel a yearning for it.

How wonderful it would be if she could leave the palace one day.

No matter what, Cheng Yian comforted her with just a few words, and the Crown Princess's annoyance was relieved a lot.

"An An, you are so nice. You are very smart. If I get along with smart girls, I can become smart too."

"Your Highness, that's a compliment. I also have the same problem, so I often try to persuade myself in this way. You may not know that I once read a storybook in which a woman was unable to conceive and was very upset. Five years later, she discovered that her husband had a mistress behind her back. Think about it, it's a good thing that the child didn't come, otherwise she would have been stuck in that quagmire. Since I read this storybook, I no longer worry about having children."

The Crown Princess smiled upon hearing this.

"That makes a lot of sense."

After they walked for a while, a palace maid came running from Shou'an Palace and said that they wanted to ask the Crown Princess to come over for something.

The Crown Princess had no choice but to move to Shou'an Palace.

Cheng Yian watched her walk away, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards Linxi Pavilion.

There are two gardens in the palace. One is the Lu Garden, where the emperor and his concubines play and have fun, and the other is the Linxi Pavilion. In order to prevent the concubines from colliding with the empress dowager, a courtyard was built in front of the Cining Palace for the empress dowager to relax.

Many young men and women gathered here, all of whom were the younger generation who came to the palace today to celebrate the birthday.

Cheng Yian didn't want to come at all. It was the Queen Mother who asked her to come. If she didn't come, she was afraid that the Queen Mother would grab her by the braid and criticize her.

From a distance, one could see Wang Yunxiang and Lu Shuzhi sitting at a round table in the Linxi Pavilion, chatting and laughing. Many girls were gathered around them, and there were also some young masters taking the cool in the woods.

Cheng Yian would not join in the fun and planned to find a quiet place to sit. Bai, who was sitting in the beauty's seat under the corridor in front, saw her and immediately waved to her, and the two sisters-in-law sat together.

Ever since Wang Yunxiang provoked Cheng Yian and was beaten down in front of her by the princess's men, she has not left the house for half a year. It was only when the princess went south that she dared to show up again.

The Queen Mother intended to have her marry Cui Han to realize the marriage plan between Cui and Wang. In the past, Wang Yunxiang liked Cui Han very much, but now Cui Han is notorious, and Wang Yunxiang is a little disgusted. However, she dared not disobey the Queen Mother's order, so she tacitly agreed to this marriage.

Now we just have to wait for the Cui family’s response.

Today, the Queen Mother also summoned Cui Han to the palace so that Cui Han could take a look at Wang Yunxiang and then finalize the marriage.

That's why young boys and girls gathered at Linxi Pavilion.

Wang Yunxiang was chatting with Lu Shuzhi for a while when she suddenly saw Cheng Yian in the crowd. She had an idea.

"I'm going to the bathroom."

Lu Shuzhi followed her line of sight and saw Cheng Yian, "You're not going to cause trouble for my sister-in-law, are you?"

At first, Lu Shuzhi was not optimistic about this sister-in-law. However, as they got to know each other better, she found that Cheng Yian was easy-going and open-minded, so she decided to choose this sister-in-law.

Wang Yunxiang smiled lightly, "Your brother is so powerful now that I dare not go against your sister-in-law even if I have three heads and six arms.

, I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a minute."

Lu Shuzhi was simple-minded and believed her, "Then come back soon." She then played Gobang with the other girls.

Wang Yunxiang came down from Linxi Pavilion, walked along the stone path and around the corridor to Cheng Yian's side, bowed to her,

"Cousin, I haven't seen you for a long time. You are still as charming as ever."

Cheng Yian saw that she had bad intentions, so he slowly stood up and bowed in return, "Miss Wang, what's the matter?"

Wang Yunxiang was not annoyed when she saw her indifferent tone. Instead, she said warmly,

"I remembered that my cousin had made great contributions in Jiangnan, and I had not yet congratulated my sister-in-law, so I came here specially to pay my respects to her. I am sure that when my cousin returns triumphantly, you will be the most famous person in the capital."

Cheng Yian felt that Wang Yunxiang looked very strange.

It's unlikely that she was being sarcastic, but it's impossible that she was sincerely congratulating him.

It was as if he was deliberately holding her high up, and then waiting to see her fall.

"The people haven't come back yet, and Jiangnan is not yet stable. It's too early to talk about achievements." Cheng Yian replied in a neutral tone, with a slight suspicion in his heart.

Wang Yunxiang was a little disappointed when she saw that Cheng Yian was not fooled.

She has been living in Cining Palace these days. Last night, when she got up in the middle of the night, she overheard the Empress Dowager talking to the old nanny. She mentioned that there had been no news about Lu Xusheng for three days and she didn't know whether he had succeeded. She knew that something had happened to Lu Xusheng.

As soon as Lu Xusheng got into trouble, Cheng Yian became a widow. Wang Yunxiang couldn't wait to see Cheng Yian's miserable appearance.

"Sister-in-law, don't say that. It's as if my cousin won't come back. If he comes back, won't the credit be set in stone?"

Cheng Yian had been worried for the past two days. Seeing that Wang Yunxiang looked like she was waiting for something interesting, he guessed that Wang Yunxiang might know something.

Even she didn't receive the news, but Wang Yunxiang did. This shows that the news came from Cining Palace, and it is even very likely related to the person in Cining Palace.

Cheng Yian deliberately raised his voice and forced her to say,

"Miss Wang, what do you mean? You keep asking whether my husband will come back or not. From what you said, has something happened to him? Why are you so anxious to come to me and tell me?"

Suddenly, many pairs of eyes in the garden looked over.

Wang Yunxiang was suddenly panicked.

When this shout reached the Queen Mother's ears, she would no doubt know that she had eavesdropped on last night's conversation.

Wang Yunxiang felt as if the sky was falling.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just congratulating you!"

Cheng Yian sneered, "What kind of relationship do we have? Everyone in Beijing knows about it. Who would believe you if you came to congratulate me?"

Wang Yunxiang felt as if she was being roasted on a fire.

"you...."

At this moment, she caught a glimpse of a slender figure walking over from the end of the corridor. Wang Yunxiang seemed to have seen a savior, and immediately ran towards him with tears in her eyes.

"Master Cui, please help me! Cheng Yian is bullying me!"

The news of the marriage between the Cui family and the Wang family is no secret.

Judging from Wang Yunxiang's appearance, the Wang family has chosen her to marry Cui Han.

Cui Han's eyes fell on Cheng Yian who was at the corner, and then he looked at Wang Yunxiang in front of him, and the corners of his lips suddenly raised.

"It's enough if you don't bully others in this world. How could anyone bully you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a silence all around, followed by bursts of laughter.

Wang Yunxiang's expression gradually changed from shock to embarrassment, and then to shame.

"How could you...how could you say that!"

She covered her face and ran out of Linxi Pavilion angrily.

Why would she marry Cui Han when he was so disrespectful to her?

When the news reached the empress dowager, she was furious. She had originally hoped that Wang Yunxiang would marry into the Cui family, but now that Cui Han disliked her, she realized that she was useless. So she sentenced Wang Yunxiang to multiple crimes, beat her with ten boards, and sent her back to the palace.

Cheng Yian felt more and more uneasy, so after dinner he left the palace and prepared to go to the government office to look for his father. However, when he reached the corridor of Donghua Gate, he saw a man in a black robe standing in the wind.

When Cheng Yian saw him, her eyes sore and she hurried over, holding up her skirt.

"Dad, is there any news about Lu Xusheng?"

The little girl was usually calm, but today tears welled up in her eyes. Cheng Mingyu knew she was in a state of panic, so he pointed at the carriage.

"Get in the car and talk."

He personally opened the curtains, let his little daughter go in first, and then followed in the carriage.

Cheng Yian had stopped crying and looked at him eagerly, "Tell me quickly."

Cheng Mingyu originally planned to keep the truth a secret from Cheng Yian, but the Queen Mother leaked the news, so he had no choice but to reveal the truth.

"Xu Sheng has been missing for three days."

Cheng Yian's face changed.

"Where are your Thirteen Guardians?"

Cheng Mingyu shook his head, "No news either."

Seeing Cheng Yian's face turn pale, he immediately soothed her gently.

"Don't worry, Daddy sent people south last night. They will definitely find him. Also, you have to believe in the strength of the Thirteen Guards. If they sacrifice, there will be news. Since there is no news, they must be doing something extremely secretive."

"What secret?" Cheng Yian was suspicious. "Dad, did he tell you anything before he left? Do you know anything?"

Cheng Mingyu was surprised at his daughter's sharpness. She could guess the truth with just a hint. Rather than letting his daughter make wild guesses, it would be better to tell her the truth. Cheng Mingyu replied,

"Xu Sheng went south to lure out an assassin. If I'm not mistaken, that person has shown up, but he's very difficult to deal with. His disappearance should be related to this incident."

Cheng Yian closed his eyes.

In his previous life, Lu Xusheng was stabbed to death due to a relapse of his old illness. The assassin must be this person. If Lu Xusheng did it on purpose, at least he would feel more at ease.

"I understand. Thank you, Dad."

The emperor was still waiting for Cheng Mingyu, so Cheng Mingyu couldn't stay for long. Before getting off the car, he told her, "Child, you have to believe your father. Don't believe any news from outside that your father hasn't told you. Do you understand?"

Cheng Yian said aggrievedly, "Then don't report the good news but not the worries."

Cheng Mingyu laughed, "Daddy will never do that again."

"An An, why don't you go and stay at the Cheng Mansion for a while?" He was afraid that his daughter would have wild thoughts at home.

Cheng Yian shook her head. The eldest son's family had her grandmother, brother and sister-in-law, so it was impossible for her to force a smile, and she didn't want to affect other people's emotions.

Cheng Mingyu also found it difficult to insist.

"Don't worry, Daddy will inform you of Jiangnan's news on time every day."

Cheng Yian felt relieved when he heard this, and subconsciously hugged his arm.

"Daddy keeps his word!"

Her slender wrists were wrapped around his arms, her eyes were sparkling, a rare kind of dependence.

Cheng Mingyu felt a warm current flowing through his heart. He stared at her for a long time and couldn't help but stroke her head.

Cheng Yian was rarely so close to him. He smiled shyly and quickly let him go.

Cheng Mingyu got off the carriage and rode towards the palace. Cheng Yian watched him go away and suddenly found another carriage chasing her.

The car curtain was opened, and a familiar face appeared.

“An An!”

Cheng Yixin called out to Cheng Yian.

Cheng Yian hurriedly lifted the car curtain and smiled at Cheng Yixin.

"Eldest sister."

"An'an, I heard about what happened at Linxi Pavilion. I'm worried about you staying alone at Lu's house. Come with me to live at He's house for a while."

When you have something on your mind, you are bound to feel at a loss. Having your loved ones by your side can help you feel more at ease.

Cheng Yian was reluctant to return to the Cheng family, so going to the He Mansion was the best option.

"Just take it as a way to relax!" Cheng Yixin strongly invited.

Cheng Yian was rarely moved. In her previous life, she was alone in Yizhou and had few people to discuss things with. But it was different in this life, as she had so many relatives by her side.

She did not reject Cheng Yixin's kindness.

"Then I'll bother you, elder sister."

Cheng Yixin immediately took Cheng Yian to He's house and told Rulan to go back to Lu's house to pack her luggage.

"Actually, there's no need to pack. I've made a lot of new clothes. You're about the same size as me, so just wear mine."

Cui Jie'er was circling around her aunt, and Cheng Yian felt much happier looking at the child.

"Where do I live?"

Cheng Yixin said without hesitation, "Just live with me in the main courtyard."

Cheng Yian was stunned. "That won't do. You're going to chase your brother-in-law away just because I'm here?"

Cheng Yixin smiled, "I just want to talk to you about personal matters."

"Besides, I have already asked someone to send his things to the study in the front yard." Seeing Cheng Yian still looking fierce, she suddenly said seriously,

"An An, I want to experience what it feels like when he's not around. We've never been apart since we got married. Sometimes it's not a good thing to stick together. We need to give each other space."

Cheng Yian was silent.

Cheng Yixin insisted, and she had no choice but to just take her niece out to play.

Over there, He Qingyun returned home and heard that his sister-in-law had arrived. He just went to the backyard to greet her and then went to the study.

He Qingyun stayed in the study for two consecutive days and felt extremely comfortable.

Not having to face it makes me feel refreshed.

Even when the servant came in to serve tea, he asked Cheng Yian, "Is my sister-in-law living well?"

The servant blinked and replied, "I heard from Mrs. Tan in the tea room that since the wife of Duke Lu came into the mansion, there has been constant laughter and joy in the main courtyard, and our grandmother is also very happy."

"That's good."

Yesterday the emperor handed an ancient painting to He Qingyun, asking him to restore it. He Qingyun took it back and pondered over it for a long time, but still didn't know how to start. Today, on his day off, he decided to think about it carefully, so he spread the ancient painting on the table and observed it carefully.

At noon, the trees are still and the wind has died down.

The sun was especially bright on the first day of May, illuminating the courtyard in a white glow. The maids and servants all hid in the inner corridor to rest.

,

Cheng Yian accompanied his little niece for a nap in the east room.

After finishing her housework, Cheng Yixin returned to the upper room from the backyard.

It was quiet outside, with only the chirping of cicadas and birds.

She suddenly thought of He Qingyun.

She hadn't paid much attention to He Qingyun in the past three days. She only heard that the emperor had given him another task, so she thought he must be busy.

She had never been separated from He Qingyun for such a long time, and her heart was pounding as if she couldn't let him go, so she had the idea of ​​going to the front yard to visit him.

It happened that no one was around at noon, so Cheng Yixin didn't call the maid and walked alone along the corridor to the study in the front yard.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, to the east is my father-in-law's courtyard, and to the west is He Qingyun's study.

When she reached the hallway, the gatekeeper was dozing off and didn't see her. Cheng Yixin didn't wake him up and just walked in quietly, lifting her coat hem.

He Qingyun was also an extremely elegant young man. He planted a lot of green plants in the yard, with branches and leaves trimmed neatly. He also planted a bamboo forest behind his study. Suddenly, a gust of hot wind blew, and the sound of phoenixes singing in the air was very elegant.

Cheng Yixin entered the study courtyard, but saw no one outside the corridor.

This is strange, because on normal days there are no less than five or six people serving here.

No matter how bright the sun is, there is no reason to be lazy and wait until no one is around.

Is it because she has been keeping an eye on that matter recently and is disciplining the family?

Cheng Yixin walked up the corridor with a sullen face. Just as he turned the corner to the outside of the main house, he suddenly heard some unusual noises coming from inside.

Cheng Yixin didn't react at first, but after listening carefully for a few more times, her face suddenly turned pale as snow.