Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Zhang Mingyu's Sensitivity

Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Zhang Mingyu's Sensitivity

The news of the ancestor's illness spread throughout the Cheng family, and the old lady from the fourth room came to visit on crutches.

The relationship between the two sisters-in-law has always been delicate. In the past, the old ancestor was a little jealous of her lovely granddaughter in someone else's care, and for the sake of the child, she had to cooperate with the old lady of the fourth room in many things. Over the years, they have developed a lot of tacit understanding.

Among the many sisters-in-law in the Cheng family, the old ladies of the fourth and sixth rooms are the most shrewd.

She first asked how he was, then tried to test the old man,

"I heard that An An has been close to the Yunnan Palace recently. You also went to the Yunnan Palace yesterday. What's going on?"

The old lady of the fourth room found it very strange that An An suddenly became related to Princess Yunnan, and the ancestor, who had not left home for thousands of years, went out for the first time and fell ill as soon as he came back. The old lady felt that there was something going on, so she came to ask about it.

The old man looked at her skinny appearance and knew that Xia Fu's death was also one of her worries, so he did not intend to hide it from her.

"The Princess of Yunnan is Fu'er."

The old lady in the fourth room shuddered in her heart, and didn't react for a moment. Then she came to her senses, and two lines of cloudy tears fell, and her face suddenly turned pale.

"You didn't lie to me, did you? You know, I've always been upset about Fu'er's death. I haven't had a good day since she left..."

The old man was also heartbroken, "Why would I lie to you? Otherwise, where did my illness come from?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady from the fourth room immediately stood up from her armchair and moved to her side, saying with tears in her eyes,

"If you let me see her, I will do it. I have given up. I can rest in peace even if I go to see King Yanluo now."

The old man shook his head and said, "I can't make the decision. If you want to see her, just send her a letter yourself. If she is willing to see you, it will be your good fortune."

The fourth room old lady still managed to be calm. She did not send the invitation directly to the Prince of Yunnan's Palace, but drove to the Duke of Lu's Palace in person. Cheng Yian was managing the affairs at the mansion. When she heard that someone from the Cheng family was waiting for her at the entrance of the alley, she did not even bother to change her clothes. She took her maid to the entrance of the alley. When she opened the curtain, she saw the thin face of the fourth room old lady.

"grandmother!"

Her eye sockets were deeply sunken, her face was covered with dark spots, and her cheekbones were covered with thin skin and flesh. She looked emaciated. Cheng Yian was shocked, "How did you become so thin? When my cousin got married, you looked pretty energetic."

The old lady didn't explain to her, but stroked the back of her hand and said,

"An An, take me to see your mother."

Cheng Yian was stunned and did not respond.

The old lady cried, "An'an, grandma doesn't have much time left. I just want to see your mother. It's my last wish. I want to apologize to her."

Cheng Yian looked at her thin face and felt sad. "I'll pass a note on your behalf. If she agrees, I'll go with you. If not, I hope you won't bother her."

The old lady choked up and nodded.

Cheng Yian immediately sent Qiu Qing to the Yunnan Palace. In less than a quarter of an hour, he replied that he was willing to agree. Cheng Yian wanted to change her clothes, but the old lady stopped her and said, "We are a family, so there is no need to change."

Cheng Yian was wearing casual clothes

's jacket and followed her to the Yunnan Palace.

The old lady did not go through the front door, but quietly entered the palace through the side door.

Xia Fu met her in the backyard side hall.

The old lady of the fourth room was no different from the ancestor. She was the person Xia Fu spent the most time with in the Cheng family. Xia Fu had complicated feelings towards her. The two looked at each other across the steps and cried in silence.

"Fuer..."

The old lady in the fourth room spat out a mouthful of black blood from her throat, her knees went weak and she almost fell down.

Seeing this, Xia Fu and Cheng Yian stopped her from behind.

"Old lady..." Xia Fu squatted down and hugged her.

The old lady from the fourth room looked at Xia Fu and felt sadder and sadder. Her voice seemed to become hoarse and she could only cry.

Several maids helped carry the person in and laid her on the Luohan bed. Xia Fu felt her pulse and knew that she was dying, so she remained silent for a moment.

Apart from that incident, the old lady, her mother-in-law, was extremely good to her. She favored her among the daughters-in-law and did not dislike her because her family background was not as good as that of her eldest sister-in-law, Jin. Seeing that she had a gentle personality, she took care of her in every way and never asked her to do any work.

The old lady of the fourth room just held her back, "Fuer, I never thought I would see you again in this life. I regret it now. Even if I had agreed to the old lady of the first room's request and given you to Mingyu, it would have been better than forcing you to jump off the cliff... In the end, my efforts were in vain and I harmed you and your daughter..."

In front of Cheng Yian, the old lady did not say that she regretted taking over the throne. If she had not been so minded, perhaps Xia Fu would still be her daughter-in-law now.

But without the original joint succession, there would be no Cheng Yian, so this cannot be said.

Xia Fu sensed her unfinished intention and glanced at her daughter secretly.

Cheng Yian drank his tea silently without any reaction.

Xia Fu did not talk much about the past with the old lady, but asked about her health.

"How about I prescribe some medicine for you?"

The old lady shook her head and handed her a box she was carrying.

"These are the old things I left for you. I'm giving them to you today. I've already signed a divorce agreement with An An. Fu'er, you have nothing to do with the Cheng family now. Live your life happily. If anyone dares to say anything, I'll stand up and speak for you."

Xia Fu smiled and said, "I am no longer Xia Fu. My name is Xia Lan. I was born in Miaojiang, the hometown of the old princess. I was promised to the prince as a concubine by the old princess. After the princess passed away, I was promoted to the principal wife."

The old lady understood what she meant and said, "Okay, that's best."

After talking for half a day, when asked about her affairs in the Yunnan Palace, she did not mention Cheng Mingyou at all, and Xia Fu did not ask either.

After all, everything between them is just a passing cloud.

When she was leaving, she held onto Xia Fu and refused to let go.

"I don't have much time left, and I won't be able to come to see you again. Fu'er, let me hug you tightly. If there is an afterlife, I will serve you like a cow or a horse for the rest of my life."

Xia Fu recalled the days when the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law supported each other after Cheng Mingyou's accident. She was heartbroken and hugged her back.

"It's all in the past. You should let it go. I'm living a good life now, and I'm glad to have escaped from the shackles of the Cheng family."

Finally, the old lady was quietly carried out of the palace through the side door by the maids.

Xia Fu, however, left Cheng Yian alone.

"An An, come here, into your mother's arms."

Cheng Yian moved over, took off her shoes, and got on the Luohan bed. Xia Fu held her hands in her arms.

"An'an, I don't regret what happened back then, and I have never regretted it. My An'an came into this world because of my parents' expectations. You must never look down on yourself."

Xia Fu's only and biggest concern was that her child would feel inferior because of his or her background.

Cheng Yian smiled and said, "Mom, I'm not as fragile as you think."

"Did you really do it voluntarily? You can't fool me just to comfort me."

Xia Fu's eyes suddenly turned pale, and she nodded, "Yes, firstly, my mother was a widow, and was coveted by people everywhere, so it was difficult for her to live. Secondly, she really wanted to have a child, otherwise how could she continue the family in the next few decades? Although the old lady had her own calculations and plans, she had indeed approved it with my own consent."

It seems that what the old lady and dad said are right.

I remembered what she said just now: I don't regret it, and I have never regretted it... My parents expected me to...

When Cheng Yian thought of the words "father and mother", he suddenly felt a sting of pain in his heart.

I asked suddenly,

"Have you ever thought about meeting Dad?"

Xia Fu fixed her eyes on the front of her clothes, where a small yellow flower was embroidered. The setting sun shone on it, making it seem as if she was immersed in the old times. She smiled and said,

"No need."

Cheng Yian twitched his lips in a hoarse voice.

The joys and sorrows of the world are not shared. Some people hope to become successful, some hope to have many children and grandchildren, and some hope to be reunited with their families, but she is afraid that her parents will never be together.

*

A few days passed after the Dragon Boat Festival. During these days, Cheng Yian either stayed at home to take stock of the revenue of shops in various places, or secretly went to the Yunnan Palace. Xia Fu would cook for her and make her favorite dumplings.

Lu Xusheng has been very busy these days. Although the Jiangnan wealthy families are not important, they are involved in a lot of post-war official affairs. For example, it is not easy to confiscate the assets of the eight wealthy families and pay them to the court.

During this period, Lu Xusheng made a trip to Jiangnan and returned in mid-May.

This time when he returned, he brought back a large amount of property and confiscated the accounts.

The emperor looked at the three thick stacks of account books and was amazed at the contents he read just by flipping through a few pages.

"Xusheng, your battle is unprecedented and will never be repeated. With all these treasures in the warehouse, I will not have to worry about military expenses for the next ten years."

These were only the existing properties. Together with the population and mines that were discovered during the investigation, all industries that were previously in the hands of the powerful were taken over by the court. Within five years, the Great Jin Dynasty could be said to be a prosperous country with a strong people.

"Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Lu Xusheng smiled and said, "I have been favored by your majesty and have been granted the title of Duke. I am already a very high-ranking official and have no other desires. If your majesty really wants to reward me, please reward me with some jewelry, land and property."

Lu Xusheng did this for a reason.

Since ancient times, those who have achieved great success have frightened the emperor. If he is only interested in fame and fortune, he will arouse the jealousy of court officials and the emperor. If he is greedy for money, the emperor will feel that this person is easy to control and can be used with confidence.

The emperor's expression turned red, "When did you become greedy for wealth?"

When asked this question, Lu Xusheng had something to say.

"Your Majesty, don't tell me, I really don't worry about anything else right now, except these yellow and white things."

"What do you mean?" This was not the Lu Xusheng he knew.

Lu Xusheng said, "You know, ever since my wife was adopted by Cheng Mingyu, Cheng Mingyu has almost given her all his assets. Now she has money and free time, and she doesn't even look down on the little assets of our Lu family."

"I was worried all day long, afraid that she would not want to live with me one day. I packed up and went back to Cheng's house."

The emperor was dumbfounded. Seeing that Lu Xusheng looked troubled and didn't seem to be pretending, he frowned immediately.

"You are the youngest duke of my Dajin. Last time you asked for permission, I granted her an imperial decree. Isn't it good for her to live a glorious life? How can you be so embarrassed in front of your wife?"

Lu Xusheng spread his hands and said, "You have seen my wife's character. If she leaves me, will she still worry about where to go?"

The emperor looked at Lu Xusheng with disdain, "You have been married for so long, why don't you have a child?"

Men all have the idea that having a child will tie the other person down.

Lu Xusheng held out his hands again, "He Qingyun has a daughter, but she doesn't tie my aunt down. Cheng Mingyu can afford to raise her."

The emperor also heard that Cheng Yixin was being proposed to by many powerful and wealthy men.

Lu Xusheng suddenly felt worried.

The emperor pondered and said, "Then I will ask Liu Xi to draw up a list and give it to you as a reward later."

Lu Xusheng smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

But the emperor still didn't give up.

Lu Xusheng had already suffered injustice regarding the title of Duke, so it was not reasonable for him to be rewarded with only a few property after his unparalleled contribution.

Since Lu Xusheng is his "biological son", then he, as his father-in-law, has to show his abilities.

"I can't let you be outdone by Cheng Mingyu!" the emperor said sternly.

Lu Xusheng was stunned for a moment, frightened by his sudden determination.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

The emperor suddenly stood up and paced back and forth behind the desk.

"I want to give Cheng Mingyu what he cannot afford."

Lu Xusheng stood up and bowed slightly, "Are you trying to give me face?"

"Yes," the emperor said immediately.

I have an idea.

"I will confer the title of Princess on your wife. This way, I will not only bring honor to you, but also make your contribution worthwhile."

Lu Xusheng was of course delighted. He would rather not receive any reward himself than not give his wife some dignity.

"My father-in-law really can't give me this respect."

The emperor laughed, "Is that so?" He picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, "It's settled."

The imperial edict was sent to the Ministry of Rites, which rejected it.

The emperor almost spit out his tea in anger, "Who dares to disobey my order?"

The Minister of Rites Kong Yunjie naturally did not agree to confer the title of princess on Cheng Yian. He did not want to see the Lu and Cheng families become powerful, so he rejected the edict on the grounds that "there is no precedent for conferring the title of princess on a daughter who is not a relative of the clan."

The emperor knew that the old officials in the Ministry of Rites were the most law-abiding, so he rewrote the edict.

Didn’t the Yunnan Palace recognize Cheng Yian as their adopted daughter?

Let Cheng Yian, as a princess, recognize the Yunnan Palace as her godparents, and this way it will be legitimate.

The emperor obviously wanted to use Cheng Yian to tie up the Prince of Yunnan's Palace. This was a major issue of state affairs.

The Ministry of Rites could not refute it.

But the Censorate rejected the edict.

The emperor was so angry that he jumped up and down.

Not long after, Cheng Mingyu asked for an audience. Coincidentally, Prince Yunnan was at the Ministry of Rites today to discuss this year's allotment for the Prince's Palace. He also heard about this matter and hurried to ask for an audience with the Emperor to make this matter come true. They entered the study room one after the other.

The emperor glanced at the King of Yunnan and asked Cheng Mingyu first,

"Mr. Cheng, I want to confer the title of Princess on your daughter to reward her for her heroic deeds throughout her life. Why do you refuse?"

Cheng Mingyu bowed calmly and replied calmly,

"Your Majesty, I do not agree with An An recognizing the Yunnan Palace as her godparents. If you want to confer the title of Princess, just confer it on Lu Xusheng's merits. Why bother involving the Yunnan Palace? As for your concern about the officials' comments, I will take care of this matter."

Previously, the Yunnan Palace had announced that it would recognize Cheng Yian as its goddaughter, but that was just verbal talk to facilitate the communication between Xia Fu and Cheng Yian. But now that she has been conferred the title of Princess, it means that she will be recorded in the Yunnan Palace. He has not yet found out about Xia Fu's affairs, and now the Yunnan Princess is "Xia Lan". Who knows if there will be any trouble in the Yunnan Palace in the future? Cheng Mingyu firmly refuses to agree.

The King of Yunnan was immediately furious and pointed at him and said to the Emperor,

"Your Majesty, there must be a logical reason to confer the title of Princess. This Cheng Mingyu is clearly abusing public power for personal gain. He can't bear to see An An call me godfather."

The emperor also saw the reason, stroked his beard and squinted his eyes to look at Cheng Mingyu.

"Mr. Cheng, you have always been generous. Why are you so fussy about such a small matter today? She is just a goddaughter. The Prince of Yunnan has done a favor to An An's mother. It is reasonable for An An to call the Prince of Yunnan his godfather."

Cheng Mingyu suddenly lifted his robe and knelt down, saying with a determined look,

"Your Majesty, this is my only selfish desire. I can accept anything except my precious daughter calling someone else godfather. As for the favor she owes to the Yunnan Palace, I, as a father, will repay it for her. The court will pay half of the military pay for the Yunnan Palace."

He always throws money at me.

The emperor held his forehead with his hands, feeling powerless.

Cheng Mingyu had a backup plan and dragged the Minister of Revenue Zheng Shanghe along as well.

When he heard that he was going to save money for the national treasury, Zheng Shangshu's eyes lit up.

"Your Majesty, please accept it."

While the emperor was still weighing his options, the King of Yunnan waved his hand,

"Your Majesty, the harvest under my rule is good this year. You only need to give half of the military pay."

“Cough cough cough!”

Liu Xi, the Chief of Ceremonies, couldn't stop coughing.

They are all so tough.

So Cheng Mingyu also stood up and bowed back, "Then I will pay for this half as well!"

The King of Yunnan put his hands behind his back and said, "I don't want the military pay this year!"

Everyone: "......"

The emperor, Minister Zheng, Liu Xi and Lu Xusheng looked at each other.

It turns out that conferring the title of a princess on Cheng Yian could save the court so much expenses.

But the words of King Yunnan cannot be taken seriously. It may not be a good thing if he really does not want military pay.

Every year the imperial court sent military pay to Yunnan and also appointed officials to control Yunnan’s civil and military affairs. Otherwise, they would just give money for no reason.

Cheng Mingyu had anticipated this, so he took advantage of the emperor's weak spot.

The emperor began to persuade the King of Yunnan.

"King of Yunnan, the people of southern Yunnan are already heavily taxed. Your Majesty is going to guard the southern border for me and resist foreign aggression. How can you not get money from the court? In the end, everyone knows that An An is the adopted daughter of the princess, so it has no impact on the palace."

The King of Yunnan refused.

If Xia Fu was really the Princess of Yunnan, then the King of Yunnan would have nothing to worry about, but she was just a title.

Once Cheng Yian can truly recognize the Yunnan Palace as a godparent as a princess, he will be completely tied to the Yunnan Palace, which means he will have a greater chance of marrying Afu.

Moreover, Wang Minrui of Yunnan realized that Cheng Mingyu was not just competing with him for his "daughter".

Then the King of Yunnan also took out his trump card and bowed to the emperor sincerely.

"Your Majesty, I sincerely submit to you and am willing to protect the southern border for you. I really like this girl An An, and the princess treats her as her lifeblood. Please grant your majesty's wish."

This is to tell the emperor that if he wants to win over the Yunnan Palace, he must show sincerity.

This was the emperor's original idea.

So I was in trouble again.

At this time, Cheng Mingyu took a deep look at King Yunnan.

Xia Fu is Cheng Yian's biological mother. Regardless of whether they are godparents or not, Cheng Yian cannot escape the relationship with the Yunnan Palace.

So why is King Yunnan so determined to recognize An An as his daughter?

Unless he feels that the existing relationship is unreliable.

Under what circumstances would a man become so insecure?

Unless Xia Fu's heart is not with him...

Cheng Mingyu was so sensitive and attentive that he sensed something was wrong from this brief confrontation.

When Cheng Mingyu thought that what happened between Xia Fu and King Yunnan might be different from what he imagined, his heart surged and he slowly straightened up. In this case, he could not let An An get involved with the Palace of King Yunnan.

So this experienced and shrewd civil official quickly offered a plan to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered that the prince has an eldest son who is twenty-one this year and has not yet married."

Smart people know when to stop.

The emperor knew what it meant.

After all, Cheng Yian is not the biological daughter of King Yunnan. How strong can this relationship be?

It would be better to marry a daughter of a royal family to Yunnan and use the marriage as a complete alliance to consolidate the power.

The King of Yunnan was really amused.

As expected of him being the chief of the Censorate, no one can outsmart him in tricks.

No matter, he is closer to the water and gets the moon first.

So the King of Yunnan generously gave up that idea.

"Oh, Your Majesty, in short, An An is my wife's daughter. It doesn't matter whether we are related or not. What matters is that I treat her as my own daughter. With An An accompanying my princess in the capital, I can be assured of being loyal to Your Majesty in Yunnan."

This is to tell the emperor that with Cheng Yian as a tie, he is willing to work hard for the emperor.

So that's what was settled.

Half of the military pay that the imperial court gave to the Prince of Yunnan's Palace went to Cheng Mingyu to repay the Prince of Yunnan's Palace on behalf of Cheng Yian.

The King of Yunnan accepted it with a pinch of his nose.

The emperor commended Lu Xusheng for his merits and issued an edict to confer the title of princess on Cheng Yian. What should he do if the Minister of Rites still did not agree? It didn't matter. Lu Xusheng took the imperial edict to the Ministry of Rites in person and secretly slipped a piece of paper to the Minister of Rites.

What's on top?

It described some of the details that Lu Xusheng had found out in Jiangnan. Although Minister Kong was an upright person, he could not stand the fact that the children of the Kong family under him were not so clean. Minister Kong frowned, signed and stamped the edict without saying a word, and sent it to Lu's mansion.

Cheng Yian received the order in court, and members of the Lu family came to congratulate him.

It is truly a rare honor.

The Lu family held a grand banquet to express their gratitude for the emperor's grace.

Lu Xusheng came back at night and saw Cheng Yian holding the imperial edict, looking at it left and right, treating it like a treasure. Suddenly, he felt that all the hard work was worth it.

So he bowed to her in a formal manner.

"I pay my respects to Princess Qinghe."

Cheng Yian was happy, and put on airs and acted like a princess, "Brave prince, why are you back so late?"

Lu Xusheng felt something was not right when he heard this. Did he become a county lord?

What does "County Horse" mean? It means that Cheng Yian can divorce him if he wants to in the future.

It's terrible, it's terrible, he has stumbled before his time.

"Hey, we don't call him that. Let's just call him husband." He quickly grabbed Cheng Yian's braid.

"Cheng Yian, you have never called my husband."

Cheng Yian rolled up the imperial edict and handed it to Ruhui to keep carefully. He replied casually,

"Is this some kind of impressive title? If I don't call you, you're not my husband anymore?"

Lu Xusheng suddenly stopped talking.

After waiting for the maid to go out, he picked her up from the couch and carried her straight to the bed.

It was mid-May, the hottest time of the year. After taking a shower, Cheng Yian wore only a thin skirt. He tied the skirt with ease.

The skirt was torn off by him.

A chill hit his chest, and Cheng Yian subconsciously covered his head and looked at the man above him, "What are you doing!"

In the dim light, Lu Xusheng glanced at her.

"Changed the bra?"

As a husband, he is familiar with Cheng Yian's bras and always covers them up thoroughly.

It's a rare occasion that this orange bra is very spacious today, as if it was made too small and can't be covered at all, like a ripe and broken pear, reluctant to accept but shy.

Cheng Yian blushed, "My mother made this for me, I couldn't bear to throw it away, so I put it on."

Some of the small clothes Xia Fu made for Cheng Yian in the past were suitable and some were not, but she was reluctant to throw away any of them.

Lu Xusheng smiled and said, "As expected of my mother-in-law. Only my mother-in-law loves me as her son-in-law."

Cheng Yian kicked him.

When the passion reached its climax, Lu Xusheng lifted her hair and asked,

"Can you please call your husband?"

"Are you coquettish or not?"

Lu Xusheng pushed her against the fence and bullied her, but Cheng Yian refused to give in.

"County horse!"

"Lu Junma..."

"This is a title you earned for yourself. How can I let you down?"

Lu Xusheng: “….”