Chapter 50 Conferring the Title of Crown Princess: Although Cheng Qianyue was in postpartum confinement, she also…
Although Cheng Qianyue was in her postpartum confinement period, she was still thinking about preparing some things for Yinreng's trip. Traveling far in the sweltering summer heat without proper preparation would be exhausting. She simply had a table moved to the bedside and began to draw up a travel list for Yinreng.
First, there's clothing. Leaving aside the fact that you'd need to change clothes every day in the heat, just the fact that you might have to ride a horse, and the roads in ancient times weren't as smooth as modern ones—they were mostly dirt roads. After riding for half a day, your horse would be covered in mud and grime. So, the more clothes you bring, the better; conservatively speaking, you'd need at least three or four trunks. Also, while it's summer when you set off, it will be cooler when you return, so you'd also need to bring autumn clothes. And if the Emperor stays at the Mulan Hunting Grounds any longer, he might return just before the New Year, so just to be on the safe side, you'd need to bring two more trunks of thick robes and fur coats.
Of course, Cheng Qianyue didn't have any clothes for Yinreng; she mainly made the list as a reminder, so she marked that item with an asterisk. However, she did have quite a few things she could prepare.
Look, shouldn't we bring something to shield him from the sun? Although there weren't sun-protective clothes in ancient times, oil-paper umbrellas and straw hats were still available. Actually, Cheng Qianyue had also wanted to bring him two veiled hats, those with a thin gauze rim, which are both breathable and provide sun protection, but veiled hats are such feminine things, and Yinreng might not want to wear them in public because he cares about his image. But whether he wears them or not is another matter, she still wants to prepare them.
In addition, they should prepare some things to refresh themselves, such as peppermint oil and snuff bottles. Besides, they will definitely need to camp outdoors on the road. If you ask what's most prevalent outside, it's definitely mosquitoes, insects, and rodents, so they should also prepare sachets and pouches to repel mosquitoes and insects.
Cheng Qianyue racked her brains to make a list, using more brain cells than she had used on her travels in her previous life. Just as she finished writing a long list and put down her pen, she heard that Yinreng had arrived.
When Yinreng arrived, he saw her sitting up straight and writing. When he took the paper and looked at it, he felt it was very thoughtful and said softly, "You are in confinement, why bother writing these things?"
Cheng Qianyue replied, "I'm worried about you going on such a long trip for the first time. Besides, I'm just idling around anyway, so it's good to think about these things. It's just using my brain, and I don't have to do the rest." That's the good thing about being a mistress; she only needs to list things out and her subordinates will immediately take care of them, without her having to lift a finger.
Yinreng laughed, and after laughing, he looked at the list in his hand and asked, "Why are some of them marked with a star, while others are not?"
Cheng Qianyue said, "You have to prepare the things marked with stars yourself. I don't have clothes or shoes here. I'm writing them down so that Chen He and the others can fill in the gaps. The things without stars are things I need to prepare for you. They're all small, miscellaneous items."
So that's how it is. Yinreng read through the list one by one, and when he saw the veiled hat, he chuckled. This kind of veiled hat worn by women was even listed! Further down, he saw that it even listed baby powder. He paused, then pointed at the writing, both amused and exasperated, and asked, "Why is this here?"
Oh, this is for the Third Prince. The ingredients are millet and talc, with added honeysuckle and other herbs. Its main function is to prevent prickly heat. Because of the hot weather, the Third Prince can't roll over yet, so his wet nurse applies a little to his bottom every day. Then Cheng Qianyue thought of bringing two jars for Yinreng as well.
She said, "You're bound to sweat when you're outside. Sometimes you don't have time to wipe the sweat off your neck and back, and it's easy to get prickly heat." If you do get prickly heat, it's incredibly uncomfortable to have your clothes rubbing against you. But if you apply talcum powder, it'll be much smoother.
Yinreng said, both amused and exasperated, "I'm not the Third Prince."
Cheng Qianyue rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "In my eyes, you're not much different from the Third Prince." With his stubborn temper, pride, and reluctance to listen to advice, if he really got prickly heat, he would probably just silently endure it until he couldn't stand it anymore and then call the imperial physician.
"It's for children, and it doesn't smell of cosmetics." She said kindly, "Use it if you need it, and don't worry about it if you don't. I'd rather you don't need it, just in case." She continued gently, "You are the Crown Prince, and your health is very precious. If you were to get injured, wouldn't your servants be devastated? So if you have a headache, fever, or feel unwell anywhere while you're out, please don't hesitate to seek medical attention."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say." Yinreng thought to himself that she was really treating him like a child, but he still felt very comforted that she cared about him so much.
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "If only you would listen to me." She handed the list to Ruoyun and told her to prepare the items listed on it. Once everything was ready, she could take it directly to Yuqing Palace. She didn't need to bring the list over to Chen He.
After she finished giving her instructions, Yinreng told her some good news: Cheng Qianyue had been promoted from a concubine in the Eastern Palace to a Crown Princess.
Crown Princess? What a ridiculous title! But then Cheng Qianyue thought about it and figured it was probably just a concubine with a title, similar to a secondary consort. After pondering for a while, she suddenly asked, "Am I the only one who has been granted the title of Princess?" There were still Li Jia and Lin Jia ahead of her; if she were to be made Crown Princess before them, it would be too conspicuous. She asked somewhat nervously.
Yinreng shook his head and said, "Since His Majesty is in a good mood, I have requested titles for the people in the Eastern Palace."
When the Emperor mentioned going to the Mulan Hunting Grounds, he then spoke to him about the princes of the Eastern Palace, especially praising Hongxi's diligent performance in the Imperial Study. He knew in his heart that the Emperor was trying to appease him because he remembered what had happened at the Mulan Hunting Grounds a couple of years ago, so he simply took this opportunity to request titles for the princes of the Eastern Palace.
Although he now dislikes Lady Li, she was the one who served him the longest and gave birth to the eldest prince, Hongxi, so she was made a Crown Princess. Lady Cheng served him extremely diligently in Xian'an Palace and has now given birth to a prince, so she was also made a Consort. Lady Lin has been steadily and firmly held the title of Crown Noble Lady for many years. As for the newly arrived ladies-in-waiting, they have only been in Xiefang Palace for a short time and have not yet made any contributions, so they remain Crown Princess's concubines.
Oh, so it's not just her who's being banned. Cheng Qianyue was immediately relieved.
Yinreng continued, "It's just that I'm sorry to trouble you."
"What's there to feel aggrieved about?" Cheng Qianyue asked, puzzled. Her treatment after being made a Crown Princess would definitely be better than it is now, so what's there to feel aggrieved about?
Yinreng said, "Firstly, I won't be there when the investiture ceremony is held. Secondly, this is the Forbidden City, which is not as spacious as outside. Perhaps we will only set up a few tables of wine in the main courtyard to celebrate. We can't have a grand celebration." This is the disadvantage of living in the Forbidden City. Under the emperor's nose, it is inconvenient to do anything.
"Oh, what's the big deal? I don't know what I would do if I really invited people over for the social event." Cheng Qianyue said with a smile, "It's okay. Think about it, I'll probably have just finished my postpartum period when the investiture ceremony is held, and my body might not have fully recovered yet. It's just perfect that we don't have a big celebration, which saves me a lot of trouble."
Yinreng tapped the tip of her nose and said, "You're just lazy."
Cheng Qianyue rested her chin on her hand and said, "I'm lazy to others, but I'm diligent to you, isn't that enough?" Look how good she is to him, she cares about everything, she doesn't pay that much attention to others.
“A bunch of fallacies,” Yinreng said with a laugh, then got up to go to the south room to check on his son. Cheng Qianyue reminded him, “The Third Prince is probably sleeping right now, so be careful not to wake him up.”
Children are at a stage where they do nothing but eat and sleep. If you wake them up, they will definitely cry and fuss!
At this moment, the Crown Princess was also having people pack up their things in the main courtyard. The palace maids Su Xin and Su Ya were directing people to open chests and cabinets. The Crown Princess was sitting in the outer room and took this opportunity to speak to Granny Shuang: "In the middle of July, Li Jia and Cheng Jia will have their investiture ceremony. We will set up a few tables of wine to celebrate for them. Go to the East Palace kitchen later and inform the head steward to finalize the menu and bring it to me for review in the morning."
Granny Shuang agreed, then couldn't help but ask, "Why did the Crown Princess mention Consort Liu and Consort Fan just now?"
The Crown Princess said, "The Crown Prince can't be without someone to serve him while he's out. If he doesn't bring the two newly arrived princesses, are he going to choose two palace maids to go with him?"
Granny Shuang said, "The Crown Prince will first go to the Rehe Palace before heading to the Mulan Hunting Grounds. He'll have quite a few palace maids serving him along the way." That's the Crown Prince, of course he'd have people to spare! If any of the maids catches his eye, they'd be overjoyed. They only care whether he returns with her. Why should the Crown Princess mention those two ungrateful wretches in front of the Crown Prince!
Just thinking about those two aunties, Liu Gege and Fan Gege, makes me angry.
Previously, the Crown Princess had been very kind to Lady Liu and Lady Fan, using the pretext of serving meals to give them exposure in front of the Crown Prince. But instead of being grateful, they turned around and fawned over others when the Crown Prince ignored them.
Hey! Do you guys still remember how you knelt before the Crown Princess, how you groveled and said you were willing to be a palace maid in the main courtyard?
Granny Shuang was furious with these two. How dare these two young princesses look down on the Crown Princess? What, do they think the Crown Princess can't guarantee their future without a prince by her side? Two-faced, scheming, despicable wretches! Bah!
If it weren't for the Crown Princess stopping them, Granny Shuang would have spat on their feet long ago, her sarcastic words making them too ashamed to show their faces.
The Crown Princess knew what Shuang Mama was thinking as soon as she saw her serious face, and said in a deep voice, "Mama is also an old servant in the palace, why bother getting angry with two young maids? No matter how lively this Xiefang Palace is, there is only one Crown Princess who was carried in from the Great Qing Gate." That is to say, even though Li Jia and Cheng Jia have become Crown Consorts, they still have to pay their respects to her, right?
Granny Shuang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This old servant is just indignant on behalf of the Crown Princess."
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "What's there to be resentful about? Do you still remember how you taught me? The most important thing for a wife is to be tolerant of others."
Since the Crown Princess had said so, what could Granny Shuang say? She could only mutter "Yes."
On the third day of the seventh lunar month, an auspicious day according to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Yinreng set off early in the morning with the Emperor. However, before leaving, he specially sent someone to deliver a message to the Xiefang Palace.
Cheng Qianyue was stunned when she heard Jing Shun's message. It turned out that Yinreng said if she needed anything, she should write to him, and he would send it to Yuqing Palace first, where he had left a eunuch. The letter would then be delivered by the Fourth Prince, who was in charge of the country.
Cheng Qianyue: Fourth Prince, isn't that the future Emperor Yongzheng? Are the Crown Prince and Fourth Prince on good terms?
But then she thought, what business is it of hers whether the two brothers are on good terms or not? She can't possibly act as a matchmaker for these two brothers and build up some goodwill between them. Oh well, the most important thing is to be able to write a letter to Yinreng!
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Author's Note: I accidentally moved my phone a little, and it malfunctioned. Urgently need to fix it [laughing and crying emoji]
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