Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Mother, why are you wearing these beads again...

Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Mother, why are you wearing these beads again...

Xia Fu looked at him deeply and said clearly,

"Whether I marry or not is none of your business. Please don't worry about my affairs. I will give up the title of princess when you come to the capital next time."

Seeing that she looked annoyed, King Yunnan did not say much and just replied "yes" in a depressed tone.

Soon, Cheng Yian sent someone to ask Xia Fuan, worried that she was trapped in the temple by the rain. Xia Fuan glanced at King Yunnan and saw that he was a little uninterested. It was not good to keep him, so she sighed,

"I'd better go to Lu's house to visit An An."

King Yunnan knew that Xia Fu had seen through his thoughts and was very upset. "Afu, it's so late, you should stay here. I won't say anything more."

Xia Fu laughed, "It's okay. I'm afraid An An will be worried, so I'll go. You should spend the next few days with Xun Er. He will miss you when you're gone."

King Yunnan said nothing more and personally escorted Xia Fu out. Mu Xun was practicing archery in the front yard. When he heard that Xia Fu was going out so late, he threw an arrow into Xia Fu's arms.

"Mom, where are you going?"

Xia Fu held the child in her arms and coaxed him gently, "Good child, your sister An An is pregnant, and mother has to go take care of her. Your father is leaving soon, so can you stay with him? I will come back the day your father leaves."

Mu Xun was still young and a little attached to Xia Fu. "Then can Daddy and I go with you?"

Xia Fu bent down and pinched his cheek, "Silly boy, that's mother and son-in-law's home, it's not convenient for you and dad to go there."

King Yunnan was worried that the child would pester Xia Fu, so he shouted, "Xun'er, how is your archery practice today? Let daddy take a look."

When Daddy gets angry, he will beat people. Mu Xun was a little scared and went to King Yunnan obediently. Xia Fu gave a few instructions to the nanny who usually served Mu Xun, then went out and got into the car to leave.

It was already early evening when they arrived at Lu's residence. Cheng Yian received the news and ordered Li Ma and Ming Saozi to come and greet them. When Second Madam Wang heard about it, she also dressed neatly and went to the main hall to greet them.

Xia Fu could see that Wang had gotten down from the bed, and apologized, "I hope you won't mind me disturbing you so late at night."

Wang felt very uncomfortable after hearing what she said. The other person's grandmother went to the temple in the rain to ask for a peace amulet and did not return until late at night. If she, as a grandmother, could not even greet him, then her son's return would be a disaster.

He said quickly, "Princess, I am ashamed to hear you say that. I've troubled you to come all the way to get the amulet."

Xia Fu was also tired, so she nodded and went to Ningji Hall.

Cheng Yian was waiting at the door himself, watching from afar as his mother was carried around into the moon-shaped gate, looking extremely tired.

Just now I received news that my mother has returned to the Yunnan Palace.

She thought her mother would never come again. Why would she come? She must not have treated the palace as her home and there must be many inconveniences.

Thinking of his mother's life of wandering, Cheng Yian felt so heartbroken that tears were about to burst out.

She is now her mother's only hope.

Seeing Xia Fu smiling from a distance, Cheng Yian swallowed back his tears and smiled again as he walked towards her.

"mother...."

Cheng Yian embraced her and led her into the east room. When Xia Fu came in, she smelled the fragrance of pear blossoms.

"Are you willing to light incense today?"

Cheng Yian opened the curtain and let her in. "After you left, I asked Ruhui to try burning a stick of incense. She didn't feel uncomfortable, so she used it."

This is the mosquito repellent incense that Xia Fu prepared herself. It is very light and will not make people feel nauseous. This way, the maids don’t have to work so hard to repel mosquitoes.

"That's good."

Cheng Yian wanted to ask her to sit on the kang bed, but Xia Fu urged her to rest.

"It's getting late. Go lie down. I'll sit with you for a while and then I'll go to the west room to sleep."

Cheng Yian got on the bed as she was told, and she made way for her mother to lie down with her.

"No need to go to the west room, just sleep with me."

Xia Fu took off her coat and leaned on her side to accompany her. The light on the dressing table was still on. Xia Fu was very tired and leaned on the pillow to close her eyes. Cheng Yian had slept for more than an hour in the afternoon, but he was no longer sleepy. Knowing that she was afraid of the cold, he pulled the quilt and put it on her chest and abdomen.

"Mom..." she called softly.

Xia Fu opened her eyes in a daze, and a tuft of her black hair slipped down from behind Cheng Yian's ear. Xia Fu subconsciously brushed it away for her, and the bracelet slipped off her wrist.

"Mom!" Cheng Yian's eyes were attracted by the string of coral beads and he was very surprised.

Xia Fu's eyes followed her and she felt uncomfortable for a moment. She said embarrassedly,

"I met your father at Xiangshan Temple today."

"So that's how it is." Cheng Yian guessed that this was the case. It was not easy to put the beads back on her mother. Something must have happened that she didn't know about. She pulled her mother's sleeve and acted coquettishly.

"So what are you and Dad planning now?"

Xia Fu smiled softly, "I plan to live with your father and keep him company when we get old."

Cheng Yian's face lit up. "Have you discussed it? Have you decided?"

Xia Fu was startled and shook her head, "No, that's what I meant. Your father hasn't agreed to my request yet."

Cheng Yian was not surprised, as this was indeed contrary to his father's past ways of dealing with people.

"What does my dad mean?"

"He wants to marry me."

Cheng Yian uttered a low "oh", which was more like her father's style, "So, you didn't agree either?"

Xia Fu did not reply immediately, but looked towards the window, thinking back to her ups and downs in life, her face slowly became calm and peaceful, "I'm sorry, An An, I will not return to the Cheng family, and I don't want to marry again. If your father agrees, we will live together, otherwise forget it."

She would not force Cheng Mingyu, nor would she force herself.

She was happy if Daddy married Mom, and she was also happy if Daddy and Mom lived together. Both choices were great for Cheng Yian. As long as they lived happily and comfortably, as a daughter, she could accept anything.

Cheng Yian was heartbroken when she thought about her mother returning to Beijing alone for her, without a proper place to stay.

"Mom, after I got married, I bought a villa in the south city. It's quiet and secluded, and the neighbors are all local people. We get along very well. I will transfer this villa to your name. From now on, it will be your private residence. If you want to open a pharmacy, you can open it nearby."

In the past, the villa was used to house memorial tablets. Now that the tablets have been taken care of, the house is perfect for my mother to live in.

Xia Fu smiled and said, "Why transfer it to my name? If I want to live there later, I can just go and live there."

Cheng Yian refused, "Mother, that was bought with your dowry. It was originally your house. Although you have no worries and don't take these private properties seriously, I hope that there will be a place that belongs to you and you can settle down."

Xia Fu scolded her, "I've waited a hundred years for you, and now everything is yours. Why bother with all this?"

Seeing her daughter frowning, she hurriedly said, "Okay, I'll move my personal belongings there. I'll live there after I leave the palace, but there's no need to change the deed."

Her so-called personal belongings were just a few medical books and records, some medicinal bath recipes, and a few homely clothes left to her by the old princess. She had nothing valuable on her, and the only piece of jewelry that belonged to her was just this string of coral beads.

Strictly speaking, this string of beads does not completely belong to her now. When Cheng Mingyu explicitly rejects her one day, she will have to return it.

Cheng Yian added, "Mom, do you remember that there was a shop in your dowry, but Cheng Mingyou lost it in gambling. Later, your grandmother used the money to pawn it off for me. I still have the money here, so I'll use it to build a shop for you."

Xia Fu used to live with the old princess and help her with household chores. She was paid for her food and clothing at the hospital and had no private property.

"It's all up to you."

That night, the mother and daughter slept in each other's arms.

The next day, someone from the Cheng family came again.

Cheng Yixin, Cheng Yiqiao and Cheng Yike came to visit Cheng Yian together.

Xia Fu avoided going to the lobby, using the excuse of feeling unwell and not meeting the guests.

She knew the children were afraid to see her.

She promised to make medicine packs for Cheng Mingyu, so she sat down and wrote a prescription for him. The Lu family also had a small pharmacy. She wrote down the prescription and asked someone to get the herbs. When they came back, she weighed them one by one and made medicine packs.

Ningji Hall was bustling with activity.

Cheng Yiqiao had not married yet and had no experience. In her eyes, pregnant women were rare treasures that would break if touched. She did not dare to get close to Cheng Yian and moved her chair far away from him.

"I'm afraid I might hurt you with my clumsy hands and feet."

Cheng Yian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Cheng Yixin sat next to Cheng Yian and asked about her diet and daily life, "Did you vomit?"

Cheng Yian said, "I vomited twice, but I couldn't vomit anything. I vomited a lot."

Cheng Yixin nodded, "The first three months are hard to endure. I used to vomit a lot in the morning, but I would feel better in the evening. When you feel better, you should eat more."

Cheng Yian said proudly, "I'm fine. The princess prepared some medicinal food for me. I feel comfortable eating it and don't feel that bad."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, are you showing off?" Cheng Yiqiao said, "I'll find a foster mother tomorrow."

Cheng Yixin looked at Cheng Yian and smiled without saying anything.

Being able to move to the Lu residence and take care of him personally is definitely not just about being a stepmother.

Cheng Yixin suspected that Princess Yunnan was Cheng Yian's biological mother, Xia Fu. After all, her father's condition had not been quite right recently.

She didn't ask further, "Don't just lie there all the time. Get up and walk around from time to time."

"I know, elder sister."

The two sisters brought large and small packages of supplements to the Lu family. Princess Yunnan was at home, so they couldn't stay and left after sitting for an hour. Cheng Yike saw the guest off for Cheng Yian and then returned.

Cheng Yiqiao and Cheng Yixin were there, so she didn't dare to say anything. After they left, Fang Gong congratulated Cheng Yian.

"An An, congratulations. I was so scared when I heard you fainted that day, and I didn't dare to come over to make trouble. Today, I heard that Sister Qiao was coming over, so I came with them."

Cheng Yian pulled her to sit on Luohan's bed and asked, "How is your shop going?"

Speaking of the shop, Cheng Yike was embarrassed and shook his head, saying, "Not very good. After opening it for a while, the business is not good, which shows that it is not on the right track."

Cheng Yian thought for a moment and said, "I have learned some recipes for making perfume in the past. Why don't I give you the recipes and you learn how to make them and sell them in a store."

The recipes she gave to the eldest princess all sold very well. The manager of the eldest princess's shop only had to say that the recipes were for the eldest princess to use and almost all of them were sold out. Every three months, someone in the eldest princess's mansion would send her dividends and silver. She made a fortune working for the eldest princess.

Cheng Yike was not very interested and said with a headache, "I am not very good at it. Besides, even if it is the same recipe, the princess may be able to sell it, but I may not be able to sell it."

Everyone was striving for the fame of the eldest princess.

"That makes sense."

In fact, Cheng Yike wanted to learn some skills on his own instead of picking up ready-made recipes from An An.

Cheng Yike felt sorry.

At this moment, an idea suddenly flashed through Cheng Yian's mind.

"Yes, Ke'er, Princess of Yunnan, you know it, right?"

"I know. She's your stepmother."

"Yes, the princess is good at pharmacology and is planning to open a shop these days. Why don't you help her set it up?"

But she is actually an extremely capable girl, meticulous and calm, restrained and thoughtful, and my mother needs just such a person to help her. If the two of them get together, my mother will have someone to help her, and she will also have someone to show her talents. Earth, isn’t it the best of both worlds?

Cheng Yian thought this was a brilliant idea.

Cheng Yike just needed a guide. If the princess was willing to teach her, she would also be willing to learn some pharmacology skills. The fire in her heart seemed to be ignited.

"Okay, okay, An'an, as long as the princess doesn't dislike me, I will follow her."

"Let's go find my mother."

Cheng Yian brought Cheng Yike to the main building and saw Xia Fu preparing a prescription. The two of them were looking out the door.

There are many blood-activating herbs here. When Xia Fu saw Cheng Yian coming, she quickly asked Rulan to take her away.

"Don't come over here, you can't stand the smell."

Cheng Yian did not dare to be careless and immediately left the building and returned to Ningji Hall.

"Rulan, go take a look and help me introduce Xiaoke to mother."

"Hey, I'll go right away."

After a while, Rulan turned back and told her,

"Don't worry, Miss Ke'er may have done it. As soon as she entered, she helped the princess with work. The princess taught her how to weigh things, and the two of them were chatting and laughing. It was a good thing."

At night, without waiting for Cheng Yian to ask, Cheng Yike couldn't wait to worship Xia Fu as her master. She kowtowed to Xia Fu in front of Cheng Yian, and Xia Fu acknowledged her and said, "Get up. If you have nothing to do in the future, come find me."

In half a day, ten packets of medicine were prepared for Cheng Mingyu, and Xia Fu asked Cheng Yian to send them over.

When Cheng Yian ordered the guards to deliver it, Cheng Mingyu was not at home.

There has been a lot of turmoil in the court these past two days, and it is not peaceful.

The emperor intended to abolish the Eight Advisors and set up an inner cabinet, which caused an uproar in the court and the country.

Why did they abolish the Eight Discussions? Because many of the former emperor's old ministers were among them, and whenever the emperor wanted to discuss matters, he was blocked by the prince's party. Secondly, the emperor was directly facing the six ministries, and the memorials piled up like a mountain every day. As an emperor, he was not as comfortable as the ministers, and he was busy enough every day, so he had to set up a legitimate government office to help him handle the memorials on state affairs.

Third, the situation in the south of the Yangtze River was pacified, and the Jin Dynasty was thriving. Lu Xusheng diverted the disaster eastward, causing a feud between Northern Qi and the Che Khanate. The Jin Dynasty just stood by and watched, and there was no war on the border. It was the most stable time both inside and outside the court, and it was suitable for reform.

So he decided to take this opportunity to abolish the court meeting system and establish a cabinet.

The first assistant of the inner cabinet has been decided to be Zuodu Lushi Cheng Mingyu.

From now on, Cheng Mingyu resigned from the post of Zuodu Lushi, took charge of the government affairs, reviewed memorials for the emperor, and sent the reviewed memorials to the Silijian for red ribbons. In this way, the emperor could free himself from the heavy court affairs and sit comfortably on the fishing platform.

After the first assistant, Kong Yunjie was confirmed as the second assistant.

Although Kong Yunjie is a member of the Prince's Party, he is also the contemporary Yansheng Duke. His prestige in the court is second only to Cheng Mingyu. He also has the recommendation of the Queen Mother and others, so the title of Second Assistant has to be given to Kong Yunjie.

Next, Chen Huairen, brother of Empress Chen, the Minister of Personnel, and Zheng Shanghe, father of Princess Ning, the Minister of Revenue, were selected without surprise.

The emperor thought the eight advisors were too many, so he temporarily decided to have five people in the inner cabinet.

The fifth person is particularly crucial.

In the inner cabinet, Cheng Mingyu is a pure minister, while Chen Huairen and Zheng Shanghe are undoubtedly members of the imperial party.

If another imperial party comes, how can the prince tolerate it?

Therefore, the prince took great pains to get the Minister of War to retire, and strongly recommended the Right Commander-in-Chief Qin Guogong, determined to let him take over as the Minister of War and enter the cabinet.

The two parties have been at loggerheads over this matter for the past few days. Duke Qin has great prestige in the army, and he is a prudent and upright person with a very good reputation in the market. He is also the grandfather of the Crown Princess, so he is qualified to join the cabinet.

But the emperor did not agree and kept the matter to himself for a long time.

He had someone more suitable in mind.

In the past, Lu Xusheng was one of the Eight Councillors, and all major military affairs were reviewed and led by him.

Abolishing the Eight Discussions also meant kicking Lu Xusheng out of the decision-making circle of court affairs. The emperor was well aware of Lu Xusheng's ability. To put it bluntly, as long as Lu Xusheng was there, he was not afraid even if the rest of the people in the cabinet were all members of the prince's party, because Lu Xusheng had the ability to turn the world around.

It was the same with Silver Mountain back then, and it is also the same with Ping Haoqiang this year.

Prince Ning recommended Lu Xusheng in the court at the right time, which aroused opposition from many civil officials.

They objected for two reasons.

First, Lu Xusheng is too young, only 22 this year. It is not polite enough to let a young man of only 22 enter the cabinet.

Secondly, they gave a very strong reason: the chief minister of the cabinet was Cheng Mingyu, so how could Lu Xusheng, as a son-in-law, enter the cabinet?

Will the affairs of state from now on be decided by the father-in-law and son-in-law at the doorstep of this family?

Compared to Lu Xusheng, Duke Qin's voice is obviously higher.

The emperor was also very tough. He put the matter on hold and waited for Lu Xusheng to return to Beijing.