Chapter 697 Refusal of Marriage
Chunfang was furious. She had never been slapped before in her life. Besides, she didn't really come to be a palace maid; she came to the palace to develop a relationship with her cousin.
She wanted to take advantage of her proximity to Cheng Feng; once she won his heart, she could marry him smoothly.
Cheng Feng is now a favorite of the Emperor, with unlimited potential and endless wealth and honor.
Just then, Chunfang cried out and fell to the ground, tears welling in her eyes. She said pitifully, "This servant did not offend the lady, why did you hit me?"
At this moment, Cheng Feng, dressed in clean official robes, hurriedly came over and saw Chunfang fall to the ground.
He approached and asked, "What happened? Fang'er, why are you lying on the ground?"
"Brother Feng, I..."
"Stand up! What kind of behavior is this?" Cheng Feng glared at her.
Chunfang blushed and showed Cheng Feng her face. "Fang'er just lost her balance and fell. I'm sorry, I didn't want to embarrass Brother Feng, boohoo..."
Cheng Feng quickly helped her up and said in a deep voice, "Once you're in the palace, you should call me Chief Eunuch Cheng, don't keep calling me that..."
"Okay, Steward Cheng, I'll call you that from now on."
Cheng Feng walked up to Hongxiu and quickly put on a smiling face, "If Fang'er has offended you in any way, please forgive her. She's new to the palace and doesn't know any better..."
Hongxiu stood ramrod straight. "Ha! She didn't offend me, but she was disrespectful to Her Majesty the Empress right off the bat. I slapped her. Steward Cheng, if you have any questions, ask them while I'm still here!"
Cheng Feng was stunned by the retort, then looked at Chunfang and asked, "Why are you disrespecting the Empress?"
"How dare I offend Her Majesty the Empress?" She naturally dared not say those words she had just spoken in front of Cheng Feng.
Cheng Feng also believed that although Chunfang was a bit spoiled at home, how could she disrespect the Empress for no reason? Was there some misunderstanding? But Hongxiu was also a person who knew proper etiquette, and she would not hit Chunfang for no reason.
Cheng Feng was speechless and could only say, "Chunfang, you go back first."
Hongxiu, however, was not about to let her off so easily. She said in a deep voice, "Just now, Miss Chunfang spoke ill of the Empress in front of me, saying that Her Majesty the Empress was shameful. I speak of the Empress every day. Her Majesty is the head of the palace. What kind of gossip did Miss Chunfang spread about Her Majesty? I would like to ask Steward Cheng to advise your Miss Chunfang to be careful with her words and actions. This is the palace. If you are not careful, you will lose your head."
Cheng Feng was stunned. "Why did you say that the Empress is shameful? Where did you hear these rumors? I will send you out of the palace soon to prevent you from causing trouble here."
Chunfang quickly explained, "I...I didn't talk about the Empress, cousin, you have to believe me, I..."
"Quickly apologize to the lady-in-waiting," Cheng Feng said again.
Hongxiu stood firmly, exuding an aura even stronger than any other young lady Chunfang had ever seen. She bit her lip and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Hongxiu said, "What did you say, young lady? I didn't hear you clearly."
Cheng Feng glared at her, and Chunfang said again, "I'm sorry, Lady, I was wrong."
"Where did we go wrong?"
"This servant shouldn't have said Your Highness was shameful." That was not what she meant at all.
"Considering this is your first offense, I'll punish you with twenty strokes of the cane!" Hongxiu still had this much power.
Chunfang didn't expect to be beaten even after apologizing. She was very indignant, but she didn't dare to say anything more. She said pitifully, "Manager Cheng."
Cheng Feng didn't know why Hongxiu had to punish her. Seeing that Hongxiu was angry, he explained, "She is my aunt's daughter, and she came to the palace to learn some manners."
Hongxiu avoided him, saying, "It's only because I, the female official, am easy to talk to and taught her some rules. If it were someone else, she might have been dragged away and beaten to death. Chief Eunuch Cheng must know the rules of the palace. If this matter reaches the Emperor, what will be the consequences if he finds out that someone has disrespected the Empress? Chief Eunuch Cheng should weigh the consequences himself."
Hongxiu finished speaking and left immediately.
Cheng Feng noticed that she didn't give him any face at all, and thought that she wasn't usually like this; she had a good temper. Their relationship got better and better.
He immediately realized what was happening and asked Chunfang, "What did you say to her that made her angry?"
“Cousin, she hit me! It wasn’t me who made her angry. She just hit me because she’s a lady-in-waiting to the Empress. There’s law in the palace too!” Chunfang was furious. She held Chengfeng back so he wouldn’t go to Hongxiu. “My face is all swollen from her beating. It hurts so much.”
Cheng Feng saw that there were indeed deep five-finger marks on her face. "You deserve it. I warned you long ago not to go to the palace, but you wouldn't listen. You even went to my mother to plead for you. Now look what happened..."
Cheng Feng suddenly remembered his mother and asked, "What exactly did you say to her?"
Chunfang said, "I didn't say anything."
"Go back first. If you dare to talk nonsense with her, I'll send you out of the palace. No matter how much your mother pleads, it won't work." Cheng Feng finished speaking and left.
Chunfang stomped her feet in anger. She was going to tell her aunt that Feng-gege must not be allowed to marry a woman like Hongxiu.
Neither Cheng Feng nor Hong Xiu noticed that a young eunuch was secretly watching them from the shadows. The eunuch, staring at Chunfang who was sulking alone, thought to himself, "Isn't this the start of Steward Cheng's romantic entanglements?"
Seeing Chunfang walking back, he chased after her and tried to befriend her.
-
When Cheng Feng arrived at Kunning Palace, he did not see Hongxiu, but he did see the Emperor.
He bowed to the emperor and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
When Xie Shang saw Cheng Feng approaching, he asked, "Why are you here? Is there something you need to see the Empress?"
Jiang Fenghua walked towards them. "It was I who sent Hongxiu to invite Steward Cheng. Why wasn't Hongxiu with you?"
Cheng Feng said, "She returned first. I was delayed by some matters. Has she not returned yet?"
Jiang Fenghua said, "She may have gone to find Lianye. I heard that Lianye went to deliver food to Lin Feng. The two of them are inseparable and their relationship is getting better and better."
Xie Shang said, "Lin Feng has gone to great lengths to please Ruan Ruan in order to win Lian Ye's favor."
Jiang Fenghua didn't remember either. "Really?"
Xie Shang was taken aback, then smiled slightly, "Of course."
Jiang Fenghua didn't want to argue with Cheng Feng in front of him, so she said to Cheng Feng, "I asked Hongxiu to invite Chief Steward Cheng here because I wanted to ask him what his plans are. I know whether you have feelings for Hongxiu or not."
Cheng Feng's cheeks flushed slightly.
Xie Shang said, "Cheng Feng is no longer a minor steward; he is the chief steward of my Imperial Household Department. He manages all the estates and shops outside my palace. He is my most trusted minister. If you really like Hongxiu, I will grant you a marriage."
Cheng Feng's eyes lit up, and just as he was about to nod and say "I like it," Hongxiu and Lianye returned one after the other.
Suddenly, Hongxiu knelt before Xie Shang and said, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for considering my feelings. This servant will not marry Steward Cheng."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. In their view, Cheng Feng and Hong Xiu had feelings for each other. Moreover, this was something Xie Shang had planned long ago. Cheng Feng was his person, and Hong Xiu was Jiang Fenghua's person. Given Cheng Feng's current status and position, Hong Xiu marrying Cheng Feng would not make her suffer.
Xie Shang asked, "Why don't you want to marry Cheng Feng? Aren't you two in love?"
Jiang Fenghua was also confused. She wanted to hold a wedding for Lianye and Lin Feng, as it was time for them to get married. If they stayed any longer, Lin Feng might become dissatisfied.
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