Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The first sight of Cheng Lang made me fall in love with him
Chapter 9 Chapter 9 The first sight of Cheng Lang made me fall in love with him
Lu Xusheng returned to the small couch with a sense of loss, and lay down sadly with his hands as his pillow.
Cheng Yian had already fallen asleep, but he could still hear him sighing again and again. He knew it was intentional, so he just smiled it off, ignored it, and wrapped himself in the quilt and went to sleep.
Although he was disappointed, Lu Xusheng felt relieved in his heart. It was better to fight with him than to respond with cold words. It could be seen that a crack had been opened in the turtle shell and it could be peeled off slowly.
When it comes to patience, no one can outlast Lu Xusheng, otherwise how could he have survived those three months in Silver Mountain?
The next morning, before daybreak, Lu Xusheng went out. Although he still had two days of wedding leave, Lu Xusheng had been reborn and had to prepare for many things. For example, he could not let Dajin be suppressed by Beiqi everywhere, nor could he give the prince a chance to rebel. Therefore, he canceled his leave early in the morning and took up his post immediately.
Besides, Cheng Yian was kept up late last night by Lu Xusheng, so she got up a little late today. Rulan and Ruhui came in and hurriedly helped her dress up. Nanny Li also brought her breakfast personally, which included a small plate of barley cakes, a box of walnut cakes, a bowl of bird's nest porridge, and a basket of crystal shrimp dumplings.
Cheng Yian couldn't consume so much by herself, so she asked Nanny Li to accompany her for dinner.
Madam Li smiled and said, "Please eat. After you finish, you have to go to the Second Madam's room to pay your respects. I will wait until you have finished before eating."
Then he took out the account book that Cheng Yian had left behind last night.
"Miss, this is what my aunt gave me early in the morning. She said that I should go to the warehouse to do the accounting today." She could no longer suppress the smile on her face.
Cheng Yian paused his spoon and said nothing.
It seemed that Lu Xusheng had been rejected by her and had changed his approach to follow Li Ma'am's. No wonder, Li Ma'am was unaware of the situation and was naturally very happy.
He then spread out the account book and told her about several important industries in it.
"Look, there are five shops on the main street below the drum tower, a house, a hundred acres of farmland, two mulberry gardens, and several hilltops in Gusu. The harvest alone is enough for you to live comfortably. Of course, I know you don't count on these, but this is also the future young master's responsibility, isn't it? The aunt trusts you and gives everything to you. Only then can you have hope in life. You are blessed, young lady."
Is there hope for the future?
Cheng Yian scooped a spoonful of bird's nest and slowly brought it to his lips.
To be fair, what Lu Xusheng said was right. They knew each other well, so it was not impossible for them to accommodate him instead of getting along with others.
Let's take another look.
She had to buy the house, but she was unwilling to use Lu Xusheng's money and indulge his arrogance. He didn't want her to be a jeweler. What should she do?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Cheng Yian's mind. She turned around to look for Li Ma.
"Mammy, where is my mother's dowry?"
Nanny Li was flipping through the account book and was shocked when she heard this.
When Cheng Yian saw her expression, he felt something was wrong.
Nanny Li was her wet nurse. She had told her that her mother died less than half a year after she gave birth to her. This meant that she was her mother's only child. So, according to the rules, all of her mother's dowry should have been left to her.
Speaking of Cheng Yian's mother, Xia, she was the only daughter of a wealthy family in Suzhou. Her ancestors were farmers and scholars and were quite famous in the local area. It was said that his father traveled all over the country and fell in love with his mother at first sight when he passed by Suzhou and insisted on marrying her. The Xia family did not want to marry their daughter far away, but the Cheng family was from Hongnong, which was famous all over the world. Old man Xia agreed to the marriage and used all the family's wealth to support his daughter. Unfortunately, his mother passed away and the two families gradually stopped communicating. After Cheng Yian remarried and went to Yizhou, she asked someone to inquire about her maternal grandparents' family. She only knew that her grandparents had passed away early and adopted a son before they died. Her uncle later started a maritime trade business and moved to Songjiang.
In this way, the mother would have to leave behind a considerable dowry.
Where is the dowry?
Nanny Li was really stumped by her question. She didn't even bother to look at the account book in her hand. She said hesitantly,
"When the girl got married, the old lady and the husband added a lot, so I guess they were all added in. However, I have not handled the details, so I don't know the details. I think our Cheng family is big and powerful, and we are the most disciplined. As long as the dowry left by the lady is given to you."
Nanny Li was her wet nurse, so how could she not know about her mother's dowry?
There must be something fishy about saying this.
Nanny Li is my grandmother's person, so we just need to go back and ask my grandmother.
After the meal, Cheng Yian immediately took Rulan to the Mingxi Hall where the second wife was staying to pay respects. When they reached a corner corridor, they met a maid who was in charge of the Mingxi Hall. The maid hurried forward to greet them.
"Second Madam, the Madam has gone to the old lady's Rongzheng Hall and told you to go straight there."
The old lady is old and doesn't sleep well at night and gets up late. In order to prevent the younger generation from disturbing her, she only visits her parents in the morning and evening on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. On weekdays, each room pays respects to their respective mothers-in-law. Today, which is only August 23rd, the old lady invited people to Rongzheng Hall. There must be a reason.
When they arrived at Rongzheng Hall, after the wives helped the old lady get up from her couch and eat, she spoke.
"I called you here today because of something important. The old marquis of Chengyang Marquis's Mansion reported his death at midnight yesterday. We have to go to pay our respects early this morning. You should discuss who should go."
The old marquis passed away, and the wives of the heads of all the mansions had to show up. The eldest lady had no choice but to take charge, "Go, daughter-in-law, and bring daughter-in-law Yun to see the scene."
Yun'er's daughter-in-law is the eldest grandmother Liu.
When the fifth girl Lu Shuzhi heard that she could go out, she got up with great interest.
"Grandma, I want to go, I want to go. I know Sister Alan from the Marquis' Mansion. Her grandfather passed away, and I must go to visit him."
The old lady glared at Lu Shuzhi, "Are you going to comfort Miss Alan, or are you going to go out and play?" After a sigh, the old lady shook her head, "As long as your mother allows you to go, I don't care."
Lu Shuzhi then shook the second wife Wang's arm and said coquettishly, "Mom, let me go."
The Second Madam looked annoyed and glared at her, "I don't have time to go. Your Third Sister-in-law is also busy, so who will watch over you?"
Lu Shuzhi puffed up his cheeks, looking disappointed. His eyes swam around and suddenly landed on Cheng Yian.
"If the third sister-in-law isn't going, will the second sister-in-law go?"
Without waiting for the second lady to speak, the first lady acted like a good person.
"Now that Brother Xu's daughter-in-law is married, it's time for her to go out for a walk and let the relatives see her."
Logically speaking, the first lady shouldn't butt in unless her mother-in-law spoke. But the first lady is now very clear about her thoughts. She wants to win over Cheng Yian. As long as Cheng Yian and the second lady are not on good terms, they, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, will not be able to work together to deal with the eldest wife.
Unexpectedly, the Second Lady did not fall for the First Lady's trick this time and nodded in agreement.
"The funeral in the Marquis' Mansion is a big deal, and the wife of the Crown Prince of the Duke of Lu's Mansion must show up."
These words overwhelmed the lady.
The eldest lady smiled deeply and said nothing.
Cheng Yian blinked, feeling that things were not going quite right from his previous life.
In her previous life, she followed her mother-in-law closely and obeyed the rules. The first lady used her knife on her, and the second lady used her as a target. But in this life, she has changed her tune. Although she is also caught in the middle, she is suspected of being a puller.
Cheng Yian was determined to maintain this indifferent attitude. The more she stayed out of the matter, the less likely these ladies would dare to take advantage of her.
So she knelt down gently and said, "I obey your command."
His face showed no emotion, neither sadness nor joy.
The third wife Feng saw the trick, and then looked at Cheng Yian's behavior, thinking, stupid? Where is he stupid? It's best to be neither humble nor arrogant. She secretly looked up to Cheng Yian.
When the Fifth Lady went, the Third Lady asked her own daughter, the Third Lady, to go with her. However, the Third Lady was a dull and aloof person and didn't like to go out. In the end, the Third Lady sighed and could only take her concubine's daughter, the Fourth Lady, Lu Shuling, with her.
The eldest daughter had one car, the third daughter had one car, the fifth daughter Lu Shuzhi had to squeeze in with the fourth daughter, and Cheng Yian rode comfortably alone.
Be free.
The Chengyang Marquis' Mansion is in the east of the city. The Lu family's carriage passed through the Zhengyang Gate and rushed to Chengqingfang, but it could not move when it was about to reach the alley near the mansion.
There were so many people outside that it was impossible to get out of the way.
"What happened? Why is the traffic jam so severe?"
Someone replied, "I heard a princess is coming."
Speaking of the princess, everyone immediately understood.
The late emperor died early, leaving only a crown prince. The current emperor has few children, with only Prince Ning as his son. Moreover, Prince Ning is a concubine's son and has been raised in the harem of Empress Chen. Both emperors have no other children, so the only princess in the entire palace is the late emperor and the current emperor's sister, Princess Minglan.
When the princess arrives, her full regalia will block half the street.
Everyone just accepts their fate and waits.
After waiting for a long time for the eldest princess to enter the house, the carriages of the Lu family and other nobles arrived at the side gate one after another. They entered the mansion one by one to pay their respects. They first kowtowed and burned incense in front of the old marquis' coffin in the mourning hall, and then were led to the banquet area in order.
The fifth girl took the fourth girl to look for Ah Lan, while the eldest lady took her daughter-in-law to socialize and chat everywhere, leaving the third lady and Cheng Yian alone sitting in the flower hall.
The flower hall was bustling with people and lively discussions.
"I heard that the princess has no connection with the Chengyang Marquis's Mansion. How can you be willing to give her this honor today?"
"You don't know?" The lady who was speaking raised her voice a little deliberately.
"The eldest princess rarely shows up. If she shows up, there is only one possibility."
"What?"
"Master Cheng is here."
oh.....
There was a sudden sigh of understanding at the table.
Upon hearing this, the Third Lady smiled and glanced at Cheng Yian, who also smiled awkwardly.
This is a case that is talked about with great relish throughout the capital.
The Mr. Cheng that everyone is talking about is no other than Cheng Mingyu, the head of the Cheng family.
In the 13th year of Emperor Qiankang's reign, Northern Qi and the Western Regions coalition forces pressed forward, intending to force Jin to pay tribute and submit. Cheng Mingyu, the newly crowned top scholar of the year, who was only 16 years old, accompanied the diplomatic delegation to Northern Qi and was besieged by the nobles of Northern Qi. He was eloquent and eloquent, and he refuted the Northern Qi officials with quotations from classics. All the learned scholars of Northern Qi returned empty-handed. Afterwards, he went to the border alone and came to the account of Che Khanate, which was sitting on the mountain and watching the fight between the tigers. He claimed that as long as Che Khanate watched the coalition forces invade Jin, Jin would cut off Che Khanate's salt, iron, tea and raw silk.
The Che Khanate is located in the northwest of the Jin Dynasty. It is a plateau country with strong cavalry combat power. However, the country is short of supplies and the population relies on salt, iron and tea imported from the Jin Dynasty to survive. The Che Khanate originally decided to sit back and watch the fight between the two tigers so that it could reap the benefits, but unexpectedly it was defeated by Cheng Mingyu.
"You are crazy. Northern Qi and the Western Regions coalition forces are attacking your Jin Dynasty. What does it have to do with me? Instead of asking me for help, you threaten me?" The commander-in-chief of Che Khan State was so angry that he jumped to his feet.
Cheng Mingyu did not retreat despite being attacked by swords and axes. He smiled and said, "If you, Marshal, do nothing, within a month, the Chehan territory will be without salt and tea!"
After saying this, Cheng Mingyu returned to Northern Qi to spread the news, saying that once Northern Qi attacked Jin, the people of Jin would be in dire straits and all refugees would flock to Northern Qi.
If you leave me without food, I will eat your food.
Finally, Che Khanate was forced to station heavy troops on the western end of Northern Qi, and threatened that if Northern Qi attacked Dajin, it would send troops to attack Northern Qi's western capital. The wealthy merchants and nobles in Northern Qi, fearing that refugees would flood into the country and damage their own interests, also backed off and expressed their opposition to the court's military action.
With this conspiracy, Cheng Mingyu made plans and resolved the crisis for the court.
Perhaps this young man was too talented and handsome, so a princess of Northern Qi chased him for three hundred miles just to see his appearance. Upon seeing him, she was so impressed that he was unique in the world that she wanted to keep Cheng Mingyu in Northern Qi as her consort.
When Princess Minglan of Dajin heard that Northern Qi was trying to snatch Dajin's top scholar, she led the people from the princess's palace to the border to welcome them overnight. It was said that the princesses of the two countries almost fought because of Cheng Mingyu.
It turned out that Mr. Cheng was not only talented when he was young, but also had a handsome appearance like Pan An. Princess Minglan fell in love with him at first sight and insisted on marrying no one else but him.
Cheng Mingyu was the eldest son of the Cheng family and the head of the aristocratic family. It was impossible for him to marry a princess, so he flatly refused. When he returned home, the elders arranged for him to marry the daughter of the Zheng family, who was also Cheng Yiyan's mother. Princess Minglan's proposal of marriage failed, so she also found a son-in-law out of spite.
But Zheng died after giving birth to a son and a daughter.
When Princess Minglan heard that Cheng Mingyu had lost his wife, she decisively divorced her husband and forced the emperor to remarry Cheng Mingyu.
Cheng Mingyu was forced into a desperate situation. After mourning for a year, he remarried. Unfortunately, this second wife gave birth to a daughter but died during childbirth.
God was probably jealous of Cheng Mingyu's extraordinary talent, so he gave him a reputation as a wife-killer.
But Princess Minglan didn't care. She said: As long as I can have a chance to have sex with Cheng Lang, I will die without regrets.
Cheng Mingyu ignored her and swore in front of his clan members that he would never marry.
Princess Beiqi never married for his sake, and Princess Minglan was depressed all her life because of him.
This led to the rumor that "once you meet Cheng Lang, you will be ruined for the rest of your life."
Cheng Mingyu is now forty-five years old. Other people at this age would be potbellied and look old, but he has a noble and elegant temperament, unrivaled in history. He looks no more than thirty years old, and even a young girl in her twenties would find it hard to suppress her passion for him.
Has Princess Minglan given up?
No, in the next twenty years, she continued to work tirelessly to see Cheng Mingyu, regardless of wind or rain.
Look, today even the funeral hall is blocked.
The Third Madam also glanced in the direction of the mourning hall. "I have never met your uncle, but I heard from far away in Nanjing that Cheng Mingyu got married and all the beautiful ladies in the capital burst into tears."
Cheng Yian laughed, "Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Yes, there are even more exaggerated ones than this."
Cheng Yian smacked his lips and said, "People outside say that my cousin is a god, but we are very afraid of him. When we hear his name, we always scatter in fear."
"Are you afraid too?"
"Why not? Our Cheng family has a clan school. Boys and girls over the age of four can enter. I went to school with my sister at that time. One day, I recited a poem and won a prize from the teacher. During the break, my sister snatched the candy. My cousin who came to inspect happened to see us. Guess what, he actually slapped my sister's palm open."
The third wife was shocked. "Is he so harsh? They are just little kids, so it's normal for them to have some minor fights. He shouldn't be so harsh, right?"
Although Cheng Yian was grateful to his uncle for rewarding the good and punishing the evil, he was also afraid of his severity.
It was just a condolence, so even though there was a buffet, no one ate. They just sat for a while and then went back home.
Chengqingfang is very close to the Cheng Mansion. After arriving here, Cheng Yian simply went back to the Cheng Mansion to ask her grandmother about her dowry.
Then he confessed his crime to the first and third wives.
"I remembered that I still have a few winter clothes at Cheng's house, so I went to pick them up."
There was no reason for the eldest lady to refuse, and she ordered two maids to follow her, "Go earlier and come back earlier."
The Cheng family is adjacent to the Chengyang Marquis Mansion. Exit the alley in front of the Marquis Mansion and go east across the main street to reach the Cheng family's shop in the southwest corner. Follow this alley to the deep woods and there is a back door, from which you can enter the South Mansion.
There is a two-meter-wide bluestone road near the back door. There is a sycamore tree planted every five steps. Each tree has deep roots and lush leaves, and stands tall like a canopy. This place has always been very lively. People from nearby carry baskets to sell fresh fruits and vegetables to the Cheng family. There are also women from poor families who come here to take on some needlework. They all depend on the Cheng family for their livelihood.
In addition, many of the Cheng family's stewards also lived in the nearby skirt rooms, and often the lower-level stewards gathered here to drink and chat.
Cheng Yian was at the funeral today, she was not dressed brightly, just a plain skirt. If she was not a housekeeper in the back house, she would be hard to recognize at a glance.
It was almost noon, and most of the housekeepers were busy in the mansion. There were few people under the tree that was usually bustling with people. Cheng Yian asked two maids and the coachman to wait at the corner shop, gave them a few dimes to buy wine and food, and took Rulan inside. When they were about to reach the back door, they suddenly heard voices coming from under a tree in front.
"Did you know that the second aunt's room was burned down the other day?"
"That's right. People from the Discipline Institute came to ask about it, but then for some reason, there was no further news. But why are you asking these questions?" This woman was obviously an elderly woman, and her voice was deep.
The other sister-in-law sneered,
"You don't know, this fire can cause trouble."
The old woman was startled when she heard this. "What's the trouble?"
The two of them sat under the tree and looked around, but saw no one else. They were completely unaware that Cheng Yian and his servant were standing behind the tree.
The sister-in-law whispered, "The second wife of the fourth room is frightened and sick. She said that there was a ghost haunting her at night. I don't think it's a ghost, but the spirit of the former second wife."
The old woman was shocked when she heard this and quickly covered her mouth.
"My dear, don't you know that the matter of the second wife is taboo? Don't mention it again, so as not to cause trouble."
But the sister-in-law suddenly had tears in her eyes, pushed her away and sobbed,
"Don't blame me for being nosy. I was really favored by the late Second Madam. Although I was just a servant, I had the chance to meet her. She was a fairy-like beauty with a kind heart. I accidentally broke a blue and white porcelain teacup, which should have been sold. But she kept it a secret for me and took the blame. I have always kept it in my mind. For so many years, I have always felt resentful."
"Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? What could have forced her to abandon her child who was less than half a year old and jump off a cliff to commit suicide..."