Chapter 62 Meeting the Family: The day after the Third Prince's first birthday banquet, Cheng Qianyue...
The day after the Third Prince's first birthday celebration, Cheng Qianyue finally saw her family. As soon as her mother, Lady Hitara, entered, she couldn't help but stand up. However, under Cheng Qianyue's eager gaze, Lady Hitara knelt down to pay her respects.
When Lady Hitara was still three steps away from her, she bowed her head formally and said, "This servant greets the Crown Princess."
Cheng Qianyue was startled by her mother's reaction and quickly went down to help her up: "Mother, what are you doing?" Having her own mother kneel before her would surely shorten her lifespan.
Xitala lowered his head and said solemnly, "Rules cannot be disregarded."
"What kind of rule is this?" Cheng Qianyue pulled her hand and sat her down on the kang. Afraid that Xitala would feel uncomfortable if there were people around, she raised her head to the servants next to her and said, "You don't need to serve me anymore, you can all leave."
After everyone in the room had retreated to the outer room, Xitala visibly relaxed considerably. Cheng Qianyue threw her soft body straight into her arms and softly called out, "Mother."
Just as Xitala was picking up the old rules again, her daughter broke them up, saying, "Look at you, you're so old, yet you're still acting like a child." But despite saying that, she didn't loosen her grip on Cheng Qianyue.
Cheng Qianyue murmured, "I miss you."
Hitara hugged her and whispered, "You've made something of yourself."
Cheng Qianyue lifted her head from her arms and asked, "Where are Father and Brother?"
Xitala said, "Your brother is paying his respects to the Crown Prince ahead. As for your father, well, he doesn't have that kind of luck." Seeing Cheng Qianyue's worried and puzzled look, Xitala continued, "It's nothing serious, it's just that your father slipped."
Mentioning Cheng Shifu, Lady Xitala was speechless with frustration. Half a month ago, they received news that the Third Prince was turning one year old, and the Crown Prince and Princess wanted to see them. The Cheng family was overjoyed. Two years had passed! Forget their grandson, they hadn't even seen their daughter once. They were truly grateful for the Crown Prince's great favor.
To meet an important person, one must learn proper etiquette. Since Lady Xitala had once been a bondservant of the Upper Three Banners and served the Emperor in the Changchun Garden, she naturally took it upon herself to teach the father and son how to greet their master. Cheng Shifu was the most extravagant; not content with just learning the rules, he insisted on burning incense, bathing, and fasting for seven days. As a result, whether from too much bathing or catching a chill, Cheng Shifu caught a cold.
Hey, why bother with greetings when you're sick? What if the illness affects your master? So, Lady Xitala told her husband to rest well. In the end, Cheng Shifu was left alone at home, banging his head and stamping his feet in frustration.
Cheng Qianyue: ......This really sounds like something her father would do. She said, half-laughing and half-crying, "I'll have someone bring some pills later. Although a cold isn't a serious illness, if it goes on for too long, even a minor illness can become a major one."
Hitara did not refuse. Her daughter now held a high status, and the pills she used were all made by the imperial physicians and were of the finest quality.
"Alright, let's not talk about him anymore. Where is the Third Prince? Can I see him?" asked Lady Hitara.
"Look at what you're saying, why can't we?" Cheng Qianyue quickly called for someone to bring the Third Prince over. Xitala Shi took the Third Prince and beamed with joy, saying, "Who is this? He's our young master." The Third Prince tilted his head and looked at her.
Cheng Qianyue said softly, "Third Prince, this is your Aunt Guo Luo."
The Third Prince might not know much else, but he had called his mother "Mother" many times before, so he immediately shouted, "Mother!"
Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "This child."
Although she didn't call him the right name, Lady Hitara was still very happy and kept praising the Third Prince for being clever. After placing the Third Prince in Cheng Qianyue's arms, she picked up the bundle next to her, opened it, and said, "This is what I brought for our young master."
The bundle was opened, and on top was an ebony box, with two brightly colored clothes underneath.
Xitala placed the box on the kang table and said softly, "It's nothing valuable, just a gift from us elders to the Third Prince." As she spoke, she quickly took out the clothes underneath and held them up to the Third Prince. "This is a 'hundred-family garment,' made from scraps of cloth obtained from neighbors and our tenant farmers. Underneath is also a quilt made from scraps of cloth, but the Third Prince doesn't need it anymore."
Cheng Qianyue was stunned for a moment.
Hitara continued, “When we heard that you were pregnant, your father and I reduced the rent for the tenants for three years to bring you and the baby in your womb good fortune. Later, when we heard that you had safely given birth to the Third Prince, I started asking others for cloth to sew these things.”
But who knew that even after the swaddling blankets and little clothes were made, they couldn't be sent out. The nanny she had asked for help with said, "It's not that we don't want to send them, it's that we dare not." The Crown Prince had been reinstated, and at this time, who wouldn't want to curry favor with him? But the problem was that every little thing happening in Yuqing Palace and Xiefang Hall attracted attention. If the things were sent in and discovered, and then investigated, oh, something that hadn't been reported or inspected had entered the palace—wouldn't that cause trouble?
Hitara sighed and had no choice but to give up. These things were left there until recently when they saw the light of day again. Before coming, Hitara washed, took apart, and re-sewed the swaddling clothes made from various families, adding new cloth before bringing them in.
"Don't look down on these things because they're rough, but they have a good meaning. I guarantee that if the Third Prince wears them, he will grow up safely and healthily," said Lady Hitara with a smile.
Cheng Qianyue said softly, "What are you saying, Mother? These are good things." Then she added, "I've also prepared things for you, including writing materials, fabrics, silks, and tea." She paused and asked, "By the way, is my brother married yet?"
Hitara replied, "It was accomplished last March."
Cheng Qianyue said with a smile, "Then we'll have to prepare another gift for my sister-in-law."
Hitara said, "Then I won't refuse. You don't know her, so I didn't bring her today. I'll ask Yulu to come and kowtow to you when there's another opportunity."
"The Yu Lu family?" Cheng Qianyue tilted her head. Was there something wrong with her memory? She remembered that her brother Cheng Yexing had arranged a marriage with the Wen Du family before. Was she mistaken, or had the family been changed?
Xitala knew what the girl was thinking just by looking at Cheng Qianyue's eyes, and said in an annoyed tone, "Do you think our family is the kind of poor people who suddenly become rich and then act arrogantly?"
Cheng Qianyue shrank back shyly and said softly, "No, I didn't mean that." Then she asked, "Then what happened?"
"What? What happened?" Xitala muttered, head down.
Cheng Qianyue felt there must be more to this than met the eye, so she immediately put on a stern face and said in a deep voice, "Mother, don't try to hide it from me. What exactly happened?"
Hitara was taken aback by her daughter's expression. "Hey," she thought, "looking at my daughter with that sullen face, she really has quite the air about her. No wonder she's a mistress." Then, recalling how easily Cheng Qianyue had given orders, Hitara knew she was doing well in the palace, and she felt slightly relieved. She said, "What else could it be? She probably got a distant relative of that bondservant captain and looks down on us now."
In the third month after Cheng Yexing joined the patrol camp, Lady Xitala arranged a marriage for him. Because their family owned about a hundred acres of land and had a small household, and Cheng Yexing himself had a legitimate job, finding a wife was relatively easy. Lady Xitala introduced him to a Manchu girl from the Bordered Blue Banner, Lady Wendu. It was said that Lady Wendu's family was related to a distant bannerman (a bondservant) of the Bordered Blue Banner. Afterwards, the engagement was arranged, and gifts were given; they were just waiting for Cheng Qianyue to return from the palace after her selection of concubines for the wedding banquet. But then disaster struck. Not long after, news spread that her daughter had entered the Xian'an Palace, leaving the Cheng family completely stunned.
Later, the Wendu family became unwilling and insisted on annulling the marriage. Xitala was already in a bad mood when her son's engagement was broken off, and in anger, she smashed all the gifts they had sent. For the next few days, she was still furious and even considered going to their home to berate them, but Cheng Shifu and Cheng Yexing persuaded her otherwise. Fortunately, heaven intervened, and the Crown Prince was reinstated, finally bringing relief to the family. With the Crown Prince doing well, their daughter was doing well too. Who knew the Wendu family would be so shameless as to dare to come again? As a result, they were driven away by Xitala.
Hitara said, "What do you think our family is, that we can come and go as we please? Bah, no way."
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself how majestic her mother was, and immediately clapped her hands and applauded.
Xitala raised her eyebrows smugly and continued, "Then I took a closer look at your brother's marriage. It didn't matter that his family background wasn't outstanding; the most important thing was that he had good character. After several rounds of selection, I finally chose Yulu."
"Yes, Mother must have chosen a good person," Cheng Qianyue said approvingly.
Xitala said, "Everyone can make mistakes, but Yulu is definitely right."
In her search for a good wife, she not only inquired far and wide but also pretended to be a stranger to observe her. At that time, Xitala walked quite a distance before finding the right place, and then, under the pretext of visiting relatives, knocked on the door, hoping to rest at her house. She watched as Yulushi worked tirelessly, from pouring water to washing clothes to cooking, without stopping for a moment. Even when Xitalashi spoke to Yulushi while she was busy, Yulushi remained unperturbed. Xitalashi realized that this girl had a truly good temperament. Although her family background was somewhat humble, this had its advantages—she was easier to control, and Xitalashi wasn't afraid she would cause trouble for the family.
Cheng Qianyue laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Mother, you're so naughty!"
As before, Lady Hitara tapped her forehead with her fingertip, saying, "This is called intelligence. You've been in the palace for so long and you still can't speak."
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "No, that's not true. She only speaks her mind freely in front of her family. She's very careful to read the room when dealing with other people. But if someone looks down on her, her mouth isn't just for show. Didn't she silence the Eighth Prince's wife yesterday?"
Hitara said again, "When your brother comes over in a while, take a good look at him. He's different from before. I don't know if you'll even recognize him."
Cheng Qianyue answered with great confidence, "I'm sure I can recognize him." But she was also quite puzzled. It had been quite a while, so why hadn't her brother arrived yet? A little confused, Cheng Qianyue called Lin Quan'an over to ask him.
Lin Quan'an replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Jinxi, who is by the Crown Prince's side, just came to say that the Crown Prince and his maternal uncle are riding horses in the garden."
Running horses at this time?
Cheng Qianyue was a little speechless and said, "It's so hot outside, let's get two umbrellas and take them over." Lin Quan'an nodded and went out. When Cheng Qianyue turned around again, she saw Xitala staring at her with a very complicated expression.
Cheng Qianyue: "...Mother, why are you looking at me like that?" she said, a little scared.
Xitala couldn't help but sigh. With Cheng Qianyue's personality, she truly couldn't bear to leave her!
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