Chapter 110 Using Softness to Overcome Hardness When Yinreng received the report from outside...
Yinreng received the report from the servants after his afternoon nap. His eyes were sore from reading too many memorials that morning, so he had taken a short nap shortly after lunch. Now, upon getting up, he took a steaming hot towel brought to him by his servants and applied it to his face.
At this moment, Chen He whispered from the side, "Someone just came from Master Cheng's side and said that the Second Princess started crying and making a fuss, and Master Cheng couldn't stop her."
Yinreng took off the handkerchief, frowned, and asked, "Second Princess, are you crying and making a fuss? Do you know why?"
Chen He said, "It seems to be related to the third and fourth princes."
Could it be that the siblings had a falling out? Yinreng couldn't think of any other reason. However, the children had always gotten along very well; even if they had a quarrel, they would make up in no time. Why had it escalated so much today, to the point that their mother couldn't handle it and reported it to Yuqing Palace?
Yinreng could no longer sit still and immediately stood up, saying, "Go to Xiefang Palace."
Before long, Yinreng arrived at the west front courtyard. The eunuch guarding the gate knelt down and loudly proclaimed, "This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Yinreng strode past him and hurried into the house. Just as the attendant lifted the curtain to the entrance, he heard Moyaqi's sobbing. Entering the inner room, he saw Cheng Qianyue sitting there, utterly dejected, while Moyaqi beside her held a handkerchief and sobbed.
Cheng Qianyue looked at him as if she had seen a savior, her eyes pleading.
Yinreng looked at the mother and daughter and asked, "What's wrong?"
Moyaqi raised her head, revealing her red eyes, and said pitifully, "Father."
“Father is here. Tell Father what’s wrong. Why are you crying so hard?” Yinreng sat down next to Cheng Qianyue and asked Moya curiously.
Moyaqi sobbed, and instead of directly stating the reason, she went around in circles and asked, "Father, do you love your daughter?"
Yinreng smiled and answered decisively, "Of course, how could your father not love you? Tell me, what happened? Your father will definitely stand up for you."
Moyaqi smiled slightly beneath her handkerchief. "It's because both of my older brothers can go to the Imperial Study, but I can't. I begged my mother, but she wouldn't allow it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Qianyue pretended to be angry and said, "It's not that your mother doesn't allow it, it's just that there's no rule for a princess to go to the study. I explained a lot of reasons to you and you started making a fuss, crying for almost half an hour without stopping." She emphasized the length of time you cried.
Moyaqi raised her hand and wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. Soon, her eyes filled with tears again, which fell like pearls. With a sob in her voice, she asked Yinreng, "Father, is what Mother said true? I am your daughter, the granddaughter of the Imperial Grandfather. Why can't I go to the study to study?"
Yinreng was also in a dilemma for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Because you are a princess, a girl, according to etiquette, boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven. How about your father chooses a few knowledgeable and well-mannered nannies to teach you?"
Moyaqi snorted softly, "I'm not even seven years old yet, and I want to go to school outside like my brother."
Yinreng thought for a moment and then said, "If you go out to study, won't your mother be left alone in the courtyard? Will Moyaqi be able to bear to leave her mother?"
Oh no, they hadn't discussed this beforehand! Cheng Qianyue hurriedly looked at Mo Yaqi to see how she would answer. Fortunately, Mo Yaqi wasn't fooled and turned the tables on her: "Then how could Third Brother and Fourth Brother bear to let Mother go to school? If Father is going to say that, then Third Brother is the worst, because he moved to the east side a couple of years ago and only comes back to see Mother every few days!"
Cheng Qianyue immediately gave her daughter a mental thumbs-up for her answer, then winked at Moyaqi. Moyaqi saw this, stood up, ran to Yinreng, tilted her head back at a 45-degree angle, her face seemingly on the verge of tears, and tugged at Yinreng's sleeve, pleading, "Father, I want to go to school too. Last time you asked Fourth Brother if he was afraid of hardship or fatigue, and I answered you. I'm not afraid of hardship or fatigue either. Father, please, please let me go. Even if I go to school, we won't move, and I'll still live with Mother, okay?"
Yinreng seemed to soften his stance after being pleaded with by Moyaqi.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Qianyue immediately provoked him, putting on a stern face and saying, "Moyaqi, even if you do this, your father can't agree immediately, because your father can't make the decision on this matter; the Emperor's approval is required."
Moyaqi pursed her lips and said incredulously, "Is that so?" In her eyes, her mother and Amashi were omnipotent, how could they not agree to this?
As expected, Yinreng was stung by that gaze and immediately said, "Since you have this intention, then Father will definitely get it done for you." In the past two years, the Emperor seemed to have developed a sense of guilt towards the Crown Prince. If this matter could become a pretext for the Emperor to bestow favors, it would be good, so that the Emperor wouldn't continue to feel guilty and unhappy. Even if the Emperor didn't ultimately agree, he had other methods, such as converting a side hall of Yuqing Palace into a school for Moyaqi, and then finding a scholar from the Hanlin Academy to be her teacher, thus allowing her to study outside the palace.
Moyaqi was overjoyed to receive a positive answer. She immediately stopped crying, smiled, and showed her little teeth, saying happily, "Thank you, Father. I knew Father was the best to me."
Yinreng's expression immediately relaxed after being praised by her. Cheng Qianyue also felt relieved and reached out to poke Moyaqi's forehead: "Are you happy that your father agreed? You've been crying for so long, your face is dry and your collar is wet. Go back to your room, wash your face and change your clothes."
"Mmm!" Moyaqi nodded happily and flew away like a butterfly.
As soon as her daughter left, Cheng Qianyue smiled and praised Yinreng, saying, "Your Highness is truly resourceful." Then she eagerly got up to serve him tea and water. While Yinreng was drinking his tea, Cheng Qianyue said softly, "It's no wonder that Moya made this request. She and Hongchao are twins, and the two children have been inseparable since they were little. When Hongyan moved out a couple of years ago, she felt a little uncomfortable. Now that Hongchao is also going to study in the Imperial Study and will be moving out as well, she feels like she's been left behind by her two older brothers."
Yinreng thought to himself, "This is a good reason. I can mention it to the Emperor." But then he thought about what Cheng Qianyue meant. It seemed that she didn't think it was bad for Moyaqi to study outside? Upon further reflection, his previous argument about getting angry and reasoning with her fell apart.
Yinreng put down his teacup and glanced over with a half-smile.
Cheng Qianyue felt a little guilty under his gaze and lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him.
Seeing her evasive manner, Yinreng understood perfectly. He said slowly, "You've been using all sorts of schemes and tricks on me?"
Cheng Qianyue trembled upon hearing his words: This seemed quite serious. She quickly replied, "What are you saying, Your Highness?" Seeing that Yinreng didn't answer, Cheng Qianyue panicked a little and, mimicking Moyaqi's earlier pitiful expression, said, "It's true that Moyaqi wants to study outside, and it's also true that I want her to go." Her voice and head lowered slowly, "I just didn't know Your Highness's intentions, so I used a little trick..."
Yinreng pulled her closer to him, raised his hand and lightly tapped Cheng Qianyue's bottom twice. "In your eyes, am I just someone who can't distinguish right from wrong and is an unkind father?" The thought made Yinreng angry. Was he really that worthless in her eyes? They had been together for so many years, did she still have to test him like this?
Seeing that he was about to change the subject, Cheng Qianyue quickly tried to salvage the situation: "No, I know better than anyone how the master treats the children." Yinreng really is very good to the children, but she just wanted to give him a push in this matter, so she staged this whole thing.
But Yinreng agreed, and even knowing she was playing tricks, he didn't change his mind. Just thinking about it made Cheng Qianyue feel a surge of warmth in her heart. She reached out and cupped Yinreng's face, kissing him on the forehead, then his eyes, cheeks, and finally his lips.
Yinreng was almost driven to madness by her indiscriminate kisses. He grabbed her waist and placed her on his lap, and after a long while, he sighed and said, "I know many people in the world, but how many are true friends? If even you have to play tricks on me, then it really hurts my heart."
Cheng Qianyue was also a little regretful at this moment. She did not expect such a small matter to evoke his feelings. She raised her hand and stretched out three fingers to the sky and said, "My sincerity towards you is as clear as day. If there is any falsehood, then may the heavens strike me down..." Before she could say the words "struck by lightning," Yinreng covered her mouth.
Yinreng's brows furrowed instantly. "There are gods watching over us. All these years, and you still haven't been able to say a word without restraint!" But his expression quickly relaxed, and he said in a low voice, "I know how you've treated me." After a while, he raised his head again and asked, "Did you teach Moyaqi to cry like that just now?"
To be honest, he had never seen Moyaqi cry like that before. The usually lively and lovely child had suddenly become gentle and weak in her tears.
Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips shyly, "I taught her that. Well, there's a saying, 'Softness overcomes hardness,' right?" You can't just be so assertive when making demands. Besides, as the old saying goes, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and beautiful women can't resist the allure of a sour grapes stall. Anyone would treat a delicate girl with gentleness, let alone her own daughter who's crying. Wouldn't she give her whatever she wants?
Seeing that Yinreng's expression was the same as before, Cheng Qianyue quickly pulled her hand to her mouth and then lowered her head to continue her repentance.
Yinreng was completely speechless. He even thought that this incident wasn't entirely unforgivable, because she had gone to such lengths for Moyaqi and for the child. Thinking this, Yinreng slowly raised his hand and hugged her. As he hugged her, the phrase "softness overcomes hardness" popped into his mind.
I thought to myself, "To overcome the strong with the weak, and to overcome the rigid with the soft, the ancients were right."
The next day, after Yinreng left, Moyaqi came running over, beaming, and said, "Mother, I had the handkerchief from yesterday washed clean." This was something they had agreed upon; to make the performance convincing, they couldn't leave any trace. So, as soon as she returned to the west wing, she had someone wash and put away the handkerchief that had been soaked in ginger water.
Cheng Qianyue patted her head and said softly, "Then let's wait for your father's good news in the yard."
Moyaqi nodded in agreement, but after a short while she looked up and frowned, asking, "Mother, do you think Grandfather will agree?"
"Empress doesn't know either," Cheng Qianyue replied, patting her shoulder. "After all, the Emperor hasn't issued a decree yet. There might still be room for maneuver if he hasn't issued a decree." If the Emperor really makes a decision, then there's really nothing that can be done.
However, she also made up her mind that if Moyaqi really couldn't go out to study, she would teach her herself and let her two older brothers, Hongyan and Hongchao, teach her as well!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com