Chapter 138 With the ambition and courage of a leopard, Hitara left without even eating...
Xitala left without even eating, leaving Cheng Qianyue sitting there, her mind unsettled.
Before leaving, Lady Hitara earnestly advised, "If you have that will, even if there's a flood ahead, your family will follow you to safety. But if you don't have that will, then you might as well take this opportunity to abandon these unrealistic dreams." She sighed deeply, slightly dejected, and said, "In my younger years, I also thought about striving for advancement with all my might, but advancement isn't something you can achieve just by wanting it. Don't forget that we still have the Emperor above us. If the Emperor wants you to advance, then you'll achieve twice the results with half the effort. But if the Emperor doesn't want you to advance, the more you stand out, the worse your fate will be. This is a truth I've learned my whole life."
To be honest, how could Cheng Qianyue not understand what Lady Xitala was saying? And ever since Yinreng became emperor, she had constantly reminded herself of this. She just hadn't expected that before she herself could even become arrogant, Cheng Yexing would already be so. But the problem was, when did her brother become so frivolous? Could it be that he thought the new emperor, having been on the throne for over a year, hadn't yet established a crown prince because he was dissatisfied with the eldest prince?
In Cheng Qianyue's eyes, the Emperor didn't appoint a Crown Prince because he wasn't even considering appointing a second master. Who do you think sits on the dragon throne? It's the Emperor, and the Emperor is meant to be everyone's sole master. Think back to when Yinreng was Crown Prince; why did Kangxi treat the Eastern Palace so erratically? Wasn't it precisely because of this? This mentality of having only one person to command the world is probably the same for any emperor. Therefore, daring to plot against the Crown Prince at this time is tantamount to courting death!
Cheng Qianyue couldn't just stand by and watch her own brother head down a dead end. She had to wake him up, or at least beat him awake. If she didn't extinguish his arrogance, she wouldn't be the Noble Consort Yi!
But there's a problem right now: she can summon Xitala and Yulu, but she can't directly summon a man from outside the family. So she needs to think of a reason to call Cheng Yexing over to pay his respects. Cheng Qianyue thought and thought, and then she realized, "Hongyan's birthday is coming soon, so I'll take this opportunity to call Cheng Yexing in."
June 16th was Hongyan's birthday. The date was quite coincidental, as the 15th of each month was a day of rest for the princes and grandsons who were studying. Having a day off on the first day and another day off on his birthday made it practically a festival. Moreover, during the previous emperor's reign, Hongyan's birthday celebrations were simpler, just a meal with his family. But now that Yinreng had ascended the throne, Hongyan's birthday could be celebrated more grandly. Cheng Qianyue specially requested an imperial decree granting Hongyan and his study companions half a day off to celebrate together. Taking this opportunity, she also sent word that Cheng Yexing should bring the two younger members of the Cheng family along.
Hongyan's birthday banquet was held at Canghui Pavilion, which is located by the lake and is relatively cool for dining in this weather. In addition, there are many shady trees and pavilions nearby, making it convenient for them to enjoy the scenery and play.
When Cheng Qianyue arrived, Hongyan was shooting at targets under the shade of a tree with Hongshi and others from Fourth Master's family. Her brother, Cheng Yexing, was standing next to her demonstrating. A moment later, with a "whoosh," Cheng Yexing shot an arrow that hit the bullseye from a great distance, and the surrounding children all expressed their admiration.
Cheng Qianyue coughed lightly and walked over. Hongyan and the others saw her and quickly bowed to greet her. Cheng Qianyue smiled and said, "You don't seem to mind the heat coming out like this? There's an ice basin in the pavilion, isn't there? It's so refreshing there."
Hongyan figured his mother might have something to say to his uncle, so he said, "I was talking to you about the war earlier, and you wanted to show us your skills, which is why you came out. But now that the sun is up, I'll take some people to the pavilion to fish. I saw a really big carp there just now."
Cheng Qianyue took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat: "Okay, then go ahead. Take more people with you, so they don't fall into the water. Especially your younger cousin and cousin-in-law, they are younger than you, so take good care of them. Also, since you finally have an extra day off, treat your cousins well."
"Son understands." Hongyan replied with a smile, beckoning to everyone around him, and the group headed towards the lakeside pavilion in a grand procession.
Looking at Hongyan surrounded by his retinue, Cheng Yexing sighed, "He truly lives up to his title of Third Prince; he has the ability to give orders."
Cheng Qianyue said calmly, "Brother, come with me too. Don't join the kids' fun." She had some adult-only topics to discuss with him!
The group slowly arrived at Shufengyu, where Cheng Qianyue lived. The name sounded like an artificial hill, but it was actually a courtyard. The location was also good, as it was close to Qingxi Study to the north and Danning Residence to the south. Moreover, the lakeside was to the west, so the scenery was beautiful and it was cool.
Once inside, Cheng Qianyue's previously relaxed expression changed, becoming extremely gloomy. She sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed), placed her hand on the table, and said, "Brother, you've really grown up now; you're destined for great things."
Cheng Yexing was stunned by his younger sister's words. Hey, wasn't she fine just a moment ago? Why the sudden change in expression? He couldn't even sit still anymore and stood up to reply, "Why is Your Highness so angry all of a sudden?"
"You still know I'm the Empress?" Cheng Qianyue retorted sarcastically, "I thought that just because you're a Light Cavalry Commandant, you can make decisions for the Imperial Concubine and the Prince."
Cheng Yexing: ......this
For months, everyone outside had been praising him, but now his younger sister was saying it to his face, and he immediately felt embarrassed. After a long while, he wiped his face and said in a low voice, "Look at what you're saying. If I've done anything wrong, I'll kneel down and apologize to you, okay?"
"Oh, that sounds really aggrieved." Cheng Qianyue glared at him coldly, "I'm not even worthy of your kneeling?" As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Yexing lifted his robe. Cheng Qianyue breathed a sigh of relief. There were no outsiders in the room, so she couldn't really ask him to kowtow to her. She pursed her lips and said, "Stop with the act. Sit down properly."
Cheng Yexing had one knee on the ground, and the other leg was neither up nor down. Hearing Cheng Qianyue's words, he grinned, got up from the ground, and sat on the stool next to him.
After a long while, Cheng Qianyue lowered her eyes and said, "Mother has told me everything."
Cheng Yexing raised his head in surprise, and after a long while, he said in a deep voice, "I'm doing this for your and the Third Prince's own good."
Oh!
Cheng Qianyue raised an eyebrow and sneered, "If you really cared about me and the Third Prince, you wouldn't have done such a thing. Of course, what is the title of a mere Light Cavalry Captain? How can it compare to the proper brother-in-law of the Emperor?"
Cheng Yexing choked on his words: "Little sister, is this how you think of me?"
"Otherwise what?"
Cheng Yexing took a deep breath and said seriously, "If you ask me if I have any selfish motives, then yes, I do. But I dare say that compared to my own selfish motives, I really think we should also consider that position. It's okay if I'm inferior to others, but we can't let the Third Prince be inferior to others as well."
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Who is the Third Prince inferior to?" His father is the Emperor, his mother is a Consort, and he has several brothers and sisters. How could Hongyan be inferior? She took a breath and continued to retort, "And you really dare to say that. Where do you get the confidence? He has only been in power for a short time, and he is already being praised so much that he is not even worthy of respecting others."
"Little sister, I'm not talking nonsense!" Cheng Yexing said in a low voice. Their family was no longer the unknown family it once was. To put it bluntly, what did the eldest prince have? He was just the eldest son, wasn't he? Besides, the eldest prince's maternal family was nothing special; they only had the title of Light Cavalry Captain and the position of Bondservant Captain, right?
Moreover, Cheng Yexing still felt resentful about this. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he earned his position as a Light Cavalry Captain with his life. But the Li family, oh, they just casually inherited a title and became his equals. And then they had a hereditary bondservant captaincy, which could guarantee their descendants a lifetime of peace.
Hey, Cheng Yexing looks down on these families who have risen through the ranks! Although his son is still young, he himself is still young and can still rise in rank. His advisor has already discussed it with him, and with his current merits, he can definitely get a powerful official position, such as a deputy commander in the capital's patrol battalion, or even, if he plans to, become a vice minister in the Ministry of War.
By then, he would be an official outside the palace, and his younger sister would be the only Imperial Concubine in the palace, enjoying great favor and privilege. The Empress above them would have no sons, so why couldn't they advance further?!
Hearing him mutter these things, Cheng Qianyue suddenly became furious, picked up her teacup, and smashed it down. "I think you've lost your mind!" Cheng Qianyue said incredulously, as if she had never met Cheng Yexing before. "Who is the First Prince? He was the eldest son who was highly praised when the late Emperor was alive. Who is Consort Ke? She is one of the Emperor's concubines. You're so bold as to dare to talk about them." She took a deep breath and said, "You look down on them, but how do you know that others look down on you, a country bumpkin with no background?"
Cheng Yexing only saw that the current head of the Li family inherited their title, but did they really acquire the title of the Li family outright? They earned it through merit. Besides, what were their ancestors striving for? Wasn't it all so that their descendants could have a good life? You can't look down on the Li family just because they don't have a leader now. If they had the chance, wouldn't they have risen to prominence in just a few years? Otherwise, how did Cheng Yexing get promoted? Furthermore, they are, after all, the maternal family of the eldest prince, bondservantes of the Upper Three Banners, and close servants of the emperor. It's none of anyone's business to criticize them.
Cheng Qianyue took a deep breath, not at all fooled by him, and instead asked him rebelliously, "Do you think the Emperor's time is coming to an end? Is that why you're so bold?"
Even Cheng Qianyue's fury just now couldn't make Cheng Yexing tremble as much as this one sentence. He suddenly raised his head, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
Cheng Qianyue scoffed: "The person who was just chattering away is now frightened by a few words. Serves them right. I'll tell you one thing: His Majesty is in his prime and has no intention of establishing a crown prince. Furthermore, you've been flattered and blinded by others, and don't think no one knows about the despicable things you've done. Someone has probably already secretly reported them to the Emperor. His Majesty doesn't lack servants, especially someone like you who is disloyal and sows discord between the Emperor and his sons. Think of Tuoheqi back then; if you want to die, go ahead and do it yourself, don't drag your whole family down with you!"
Cheng Yexing's head, which had been buzzing with enthusiasm for days, felt as if it had been doused with a bucket of cold water.
Cheng Qianyue clenched her fists and said fiercely, "If you've figured it out, then request an imperial decree to be transferred to a post outside the capital and take your whole family with you. If you haven't figured it out, then you might as well just stay here with your title for the rest of your life." With this kind of mentality of becoming arrogant just because someone praises you, you shouldn't be an official at all. Being an official will only bring trouble to your family.
Cheng Yexing wanted to say something more, but Cheng Qianyue didn't give him the chance at all. She called out to the outside, "Someone, please ask the Light Cavalry Commandant to leave the palace." Soon after, Ruoxia and the others came in from outside, bowing and inviting Cheng Yexing to leave.
Cheng Yexing rose from his seat and slowly knelt down, "This servant... kowtows to the Noble Consort..."
After a while, Ruoxia directed people to clean up the broken cups and saucers. Cheng Qianyue looked at the broken porcelain shards on the ground and belatedly realized that she had just lost her temper and smashed things. This was not good.
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, silently repeating in her heart: Don't get angry, don't get angry, anger will only make you sick and no one can take your place... Just then, Hongyan walked in from outside, and Cheng Qianyue looked up and asked him softly, "Are you done playing?"
Hongyan nodded: "I just had someone send my cousins and younger cousins out." He took the tea that Ruocai brought over and placed it on the kang table himself. "Did Uncle make you angry?" On the way back, he saw Cheng Yexing with a sullen face and his smile was particularly forced when he bowed to him. After arriving at his mother's place, he found that his mother's expression was also not good.
Cheng Qianyue took a sip of tea to clear her throat. "Your uncle did something stupid outside."
Hongyan smiled and said, "It seems that Mother has already spoken to Uncle. Uncle is a smart man, and I'm sure he'll figure it out. And even if he doesn't understand for a while, it doesn't matter, we'll be there to back him up, Mother, don't worry."
"How can I not worry? He did something stupid that could implicate your maternal family and even you." As she spoke, Cheng Qianyue's anger was about to flare up again. After a while, she looked at Hongyan and asked, "Hongyan, do you remember what your mother told you?"
Hongyan nodded: "Your son knows, Your son will obey Father Emperor in everything."
"Yes." Cheng Qianyue smiled slightly at him. "Your imperial father is meticulous and will arrange everything for you." So they don't need to do anything. The more they do, the more mistakes they will make. They just need to wait.
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