Ch 136 - Full Month Ceremony
When the New Year came, Cheng Yujin's one-month confinement was over, and she was finally allowed to go outside for a short time. The time coincided not only with the New Year's Grand Assembly but also the twins' full month ceremony - both demanding Cheng Yujin's attendance.
Early in the morning, Cheng Yujin was ready to change her children's clothes. She deliberately woke up earlier than usual and said to Li Chengjing, "I cannot find my hairpin. Can you go to the dresser and fetch me the gold-plated hairpin with sapphire inlay?"
Li Chengjing dutifully went to the dresser and began to look for the said hairpin. Cheng Yujin's jewelry was numerous, and just the ones she normally used already occupied several cases. Li Chengjing was not as familiar with them, and it took him a long time to finally find the hairpin. When Li Chengjing returned, he found that Cheng Yujin had picked up their daughter and was putting the child into her New Year's clothes.
Li Chengjing was speechless: "Did you deliberately send me away so you could change Mingyue's clothes? Why are you so childish?"
Cheng Yujin paid Li Chengjing no attention. In a short time, she had already put Mingyue into her cotton-padded jacket. Wrapped in red festive clothes, Mingyue's white and chubby limbs were as cute as lotus roots. The little baby didn't understand that today was the New Year, let alone that her mother was changing her clothes to see many people. Mingyue thought Mother was playing with her, so she waved her fists and laughed heartily.
Facing Mingyue's smile, Cheng Yujin's heart almost melted into puddles. Cheng Yujin and Li Chengjing had agreed that one person would change one child's clothes, but Cheng Yujin broke the rule and grabbed the head start, leaving Li Chengjing with no choice but to pick up Mingqian and change his clothes with clumsy manners.
After Cheng Yujin finished changing Mingyue's clothes, she wiped the drool from her daughter's mouth before turning to the father and son pair. Seeing Li Chengjing was still struggling with Mingqian's buttons, she couldn't help interjecting, "Should I do it?"
"No." Li Chengjing looked calm, but his tone was very firm. "What's so difficult about this? I can do it."
Cheng Yujin hesitated, but in the end, she couldn't bear to hurt Li Chengjing's pride as a father. In front of his wife and daughter, how could Li Chengjing, the dignified and capable crown prince, admit that he didn't know how to put on his son's clothes? Li Chengjing struggled for a long time, taking Mingqian through many trials and errors before he successfully dressed the little boy. Li Chengjing let out a sigh of relief secretly, and when he looked up again, he found that Cheng Yujin and Mingyue had been watching him this entire time. Two pairs of beautiful eyes, one big and one small, were staring at him with a smile.
Li Chengjing's heart suddenly melted. He held Mingqian in one hand and Cheng Yujin and Mingyue in the other, embracing his entire world in his arms.
"If only mother sees me today and knows that you have given birth to two beautiful and lovely children for me, she surely will be able to rest in peace." Li Chengjing's voice was very soft.
Cheng Yujin was stunned. She slowly looked up at Li Chengjing and whispered, "Your Highness..."
"I'm fine." Li Chengjing shook his head, "Just a sudden burst of emotion, I think. In fact, it has been so long, and I can no longer remember what my mother looked like."
Cheng Yujin looked at Li Chengjing quietly, waiting for his next words as she gave him silent comfort. Li Chengjing never called Empress Yang 'Mother' and always called her with the title Empress. In this world, there was only one person he called 'Mother.'
The former Kang Wangfei and the later Empress Zhong - the woman who met an untimely end.
"All my impressions of her seem to be related to a sick bed. My memory before the age of two is very sparse. I only remember when a Mama took me to a room full of medicinal smells. She pointed to the sick woman on the bed and told me she was my Mother Empress. Mother was already very sick then, and I was not in good health either. The gloomy palace and the never-ceasing smell of medicines are all my memories about her."
Li Chengjing rarely mentioned Empress Zhong. He didn't speak, so Cheng Yujin also never asked. It was rare that he suddenly mentioned his mother today. Cheng Yujin quietly listened to his reminiscence, "Then what?"
"Then? Then she passed away of illness when I was just two. I cried so hard, until His Majesty took me to his palace and personally raised me under his knees. Later, someone proposed to establish another empress, but he refused. However, after the one-year mourning period for a wife ended, the Emperor still made Yang Miao his empress."
"Yang Miao is said to have a deep-rooted love for him, refusing to marry for years even as she turned eighteen. Later, she married into the palace as she wished. In her first year as Empress, someone gave her an idea, and she proposed to raise me personally. The Emperor refused and kept me by his side in Qianqing Palace. At the time, my health was not very good and I was also ill most of the year, so the Qianqing Palace was also full of bitter medicinal smell day in and day out."
As Li Chengjing recalled the past, a very light smile appeared on his lips, "Sometimes, I think he is really a contradictory person. He compromised with the Yang family's demands, but did not agree to let Yang Miao adopt me. Because people criticized me for being unlucky for being born on the fifth day of the fifth month, he took me personally by his side. We slept, ate, and did everything else together. He also personally taught me to read and write. When he was absent for the morning court, he didn't feel at ease leaving me alone in Qianqing Palace, so he ordered a recliner to be prepared next to his throne and let me play on it. Later, after I turned four and began to study, the recliner was changed into a small desk and chair. While he was dealing with governmental affairs, I sat by his side, practicing my writing."
From this point of view, the Emperor was a good father, but Li Chengjing's feelings for him had always been complicated. The Emperor clearly loved Li Chengjing, but when he was barely five years old, the Emperor compromised with the Yang family and let his five-year-old son leave the palace and go to a Taoist temple in the deep mountain under the excuse of recuperation.
Then, that incident happened.
Cheng Yujin sighed. Humans were the most difficult and complex beings, and a person's strengths were often also their fatal flaws.
Cheng Yujin sighed. Humans were the most difficult and complex beings, and a person's strengths were often also their fatal flaws.
The Emperor's temperament was peace-loving. He had been compromising throughout his life and wanted all sides to coexist peacefully. This had been the case when he was merely an unfavored prince, and remained the same even after he ascended the throne.
He was patient and gentle with Li Chengjing, but it was also this gentle personality of his that almost killed his young son. The Emperor didn't want a falling out with the Yang family, so he tried to compromise. As a result, Li Chengjing almost died in a man-made accident and had to live under an alias for the next fourteen years.
Through age, the most difficult entanglements have always happened within one's family. Cheng Yujin knew this was the knot between Li Chengjing and his father. She didn't try to solve the knot for Li Chengjing. Instead, she held his hand gently and offered him her silent support.
She was Li Chengjing's wife - no matter what decision he made, she would support him unconditionally.
Li Chengjing noticed that his emotions were out of control today. He quickly gathered himself and laughed in self-deprecation, "Look at me, already such an adult, yet still affected by the past. Very unbecoming."
"How come?" Cheng Yujin muttered softly. "Your Highness, then... are your maternal side of the family still alive?"
Li Chengjing seemed to fall into a trance for a moment, and he finally shook his head slowly: "I don't know either. I haven't heard from them for many years.
"My mother was originally the daughter of a small literati family. My maternal grandfather, Zhong Bi, was an upright official and was somewhat famous among the literati. Grandfather never took a concubine in his life, and, together with my grandmother, had only a son and a daughter. My mother was born somewhat late, so she was very much doted on both by her parents and elder brother, resulting in her docile and gentle temperament. It took a long time for His Majesty, the then Kang Wang, to finally take her back to the capital after Empress Dowager Yang summoned him. Despite being the Kang Wangfei, my mother wasn't granted status after she entered the palace, and she had to live in obscurity for quite some time as if she was just a mere concubine of Kang Wang. In the second month of the first year of Jianwu, a group of officials publicly proposed to the Emperor to establish another woman as an empress. The person they proposed was naturally the daughter of Senior Grand Secretary Yang, Yang Miao, who they claimed had fallen in love with the Emperor at first sight. The Emperor refused and spent six months fending off the Yang family's demand. In the end, the Yang family couldn't stand the pressure of public opinion, so they reluctantly took a step back and allowed the original Kang Wangfei to be crowned empress. And during those past six months, my mother was living in the palace without an identity, neither a wife nor a concubine. Her status was very embarrassing."
"After Mother was made Empress, Empress Dowager Yang kept reprimanding her for being childless. Mother relented to her a lot and even showed respect to Yang Miao. It was not until the eighth month of the following year that she became pregnant after great difficulty. But then she accidentally fell during a flower-viewing banquet she attended under the Empress Dowager's invitation, nearly having a miscarriage as a result. For three months afterward, she spent her time lying in bed, not daring to walk around until her pregnancy reached the fifth month."
Cheng Yujin couldn't help but sigh. She was also a woman of the inner palace, and listening to Li Chengjing's story only raised countless doubts in her heart. Why did Empress Dowager Yang invite the stepdaughter-in-law she disliked for a flower-viewing banquet? And during this exact appointment, the pregnant Empress Zhong fell down and almost had a miscarriage. How could there be such a coincidence? It was almost certain that some malicious plan had taken effect.
"My mother's due date was originally in the sixth month, but on the fifth day of the fifth month, she suddenly started labor without reason and gave birth to me after a whole day of pain. Although we both survived, Mother's health became worse after that. She was becoming increasingly ill and passed away after only two years. Because of the delay in Mother's coronation, my maternal grandfather was furious and impeached Yang Fucheng several times in public. When Mother's health turned for the worse, grandfather's career was already in ruin, and he was demoted. Mother's death gave grandmother a heavy blow, and she soon fell ill and passed away in the same year. My grandfather was full of grief and anger, so he finally resigned and left the capital with my uncle. I tried to track their whereabouts, and got the news that grandfather had long passed away of illness on the road less than two years after. Uncle was harder to track, but later I found that he had moved to a small town in the southwest and settled there. He no longer serves as an official and now makes a living as a teacher."
Cheng Yujin sighed again. They were such a good family, and they ended up so tragically. After the Zhong family father and son left the capital, they should have resolved to cut themselves off from the power struggle in the capital. Yet Zhong Bi died soon after. It was said that he died of illness, but could it be that the Yang family was behind this? Li Chengjing's maternal uncle survived, but was forced to retire to a remote town and left the officialdom altogether. Was it also related to the Yang family's machination?
Cheng Yujin also learned that none of the concubines of the previous emperor who had offended Empress Dowager Yang ended up well, especially Noble Consort Lian, whose entire family perished with her and her son. However, even the concubines who had never offended Empress Dowager Yang were all assigned to guard the imperial mausoleum, subjected to a harsh and desolate life for the rest of their lives. It was somewhat understandable to treat enemies harshly and mercilessly, but Empress Dowager Yang spared no effort to torment even the concubines who never offended her. For what reason?
Empress Dowager Yang was too ruthless in her conduct and couldn't tolerate others at all. It was a small wonder that she even treated the five-year-old Li Chengjing so maliciously.
Cheng Yujin frowned for a while and then said tentatively, "Your Highness, you said that your mother's due date was originally in the sixth month, but she suddenly went into labor prematurely. All these years, Empress Dowager Yang has been using the matter of your birth date to claim that you are ominous and won't live long, and finally forced you to move to that Taoist temple. Could it be..."
Li Chengjing's eyes darkened, and the surrounding atmosphere turned heavy and suffocating. Even without him saying a word, Cheng Yujin already knew the answer.
The child in Cheng Yujin's arms suddenly burst into tears. Cheng Yujin hurriedly lowered her head and found that it was Mingqian making mischief again. The boy pinched his sister's arm, causing her to cry in pain. Cheng Yujin hurriedly separated the two children and soothed her wronged daughter. Li Mingqian's evil deeds were exposed in front of his parents, and this time, not even his father could bail him out of his crime. Li Chengjing gently hit Mingqian's hand and reprimanded, "You are the elder brother; why are you bullying your little sister?"
After the husband and wife finished dressing up their children, they also got changed before departing to attend the New Year's Grand Assembly. Today, Cheng Yujin was the star. The crowd's attention went wherever she went, overshadowing even Empress Yang's light.
Since the birth of the dragon and phoenix twins, Empress Yang had lost a lot of faces and refused to even see Dou Xiyin. However, today's Grand Assembly was the imperial family's most important ceremony of the year, and being absent was not an option. Dou Xiyin put on a nonchalant attitude as she attended the ceremony under countless scrutinizing gazes. The guests greeted Dou Xiyin as usual, but their eyes were full of mockery, especially as they compared her with Cheng Yujin.
Dou Xiyin was extremely annoyed. What's even more hateful was the difference between herself and Cheng Yujin. People drove in endless flocks, as if they couldn't wait to have a word with the Crown Princess. The more attention Cheng Yujin received, the more hatred grew in Dou Xiyin's heart.
However, Cheng Yujin obviously had no time to pay attention to Dou Xiyin's mood - not that she cared anyway. An endless stream of people came to greet her one after another, especially after the Grand Assembly ended and the guests were free to move around.
Today was the first day of the new year and also the full month ceremony for Li Mingqian and Li Mingyue. The Emperor intended to use the twins to lift the public's mood. Last year was devastated by the floods and plagues, causing many bad rumors to spread among the people. The Emperor deliberately ordered for the twins' full month ceremony to be held together with the Grand Assembly on the first day of the new year, so that to welcome good fortune and get rid of bad luck.
Cheng Yujin had just given birth and couldn't stand for a long time, so she retreated to the side hall for a quick rest right after the Grand Assembly finished. There was still some time before the banquet began. Many female guests brought their family members to the side hall to greet the Crown Princess. When they saw the twins, they would inevitably let out lavish praises.
When one of the madams saw Li Mingqian and Li Mingyue, her eyes were twinkling with admiration: "Crown Princess is really lucky. Even putting aside the fact that they are dragon and phoenix twins, these children are truly adorable. Children are indeed a bundle of joy. This subject wife can only wish that my daughters-in-law will also add children to the family this year."
Cheng Yujin replied with a smile, "Marchioness is wise and kind, and your family is blessed. You surely will get your wish."
No one disliked receiving auspicious words in the New Year. The Marchioness smiled gratefully as she said again, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. Allow this subject wife will borrow your auspicious words. We heard that His Majesty greatly adores the little Junwang and the little Junzhu, and that he cannot wait to inquire about them every day. Unfortunately, it is winter now. Both the little Junwang and little Junzhu are still so young to be exposed to cold wind. Come summer, and you will be able to take them outside to bask in the sun. By then, I am sure the entire palace will be rushing to see the two highnesses and get enamored by their loveliness."
Hearing these flattering words, Cheng Yujin just pursed her lips and smiled without saying a word. These people's intention to please her was too blatant. It was no wonder, however, as even the blinds could see what future the Eastern Palace held. Anyone in the capital, as long as they were not out of their minds, knew that they should hurry up and curry favor with the future imperial couple.
Cheng Yujin glanced at the two children. There was undisguised tenderness in her eyes as she spoke of them, "As long as they are safe, I will ask nothing more."
The Marchioness stared at the Crown Princess. Her Highness was still very young in age and used to be well-known for her graceful demeanor. Now that she was a mother, there seemed to be a layer of soft aura on her, even more dazzling than the most lustrous pearl.
The Marchioness secretly envied Cheng Yujin. Whether a woman was doing well or not in her marriage life could be seen by observing her. Putting aside the matter of beauty, observing the subtle expression on a woman's face, the slight emotions in her eyes, and the small bearings of her every move could reveal her real feelings. People who lead a satisfying and comfortable life would naturally be more relaxed and surrounded by the aura of happiness. Just like the glaze on porcelain, this aura brightened their whole person.
But thinking again, there was nothing strange with that. The Crown Princess had a handsome husband who, despite his status and position, was always gentle and considerate to her. She also had a pair of lovely children, and there were no other women in the house. Such a blissful life - who wouldn't feel envy of her?
The Marchioness gradually shifted the topic and began asking about the other imperial members, "Why is Empress Dowager absent this year?"
Empress Dowager Yang contracted an illness last year and had never fully recovered. Her health had been on and off throughout the winter, and it was clear that her body was no longer as strong as before. The weather had been dry these few days, causing Empress Dowager Yang to fall ill again.
Cheng Yujin explained: "The weather has been cold and dry recently. Her Majesty's body seems unable to bear the internal heat and fell ill as a result. She is in the Cining Palace now, recuperating, as we don't dare risk her health by asking her to attend the New Year's ceremony."
Hearing this, the Marchioness nodded in understanding, "Indeed, food at the end of the year tends to be on the heavier side with all the year-end banquets. All those fish, meat, and whatnot are surely too heavy for Her Majesty's body. On top of that, the earth dragon was burning day in and day out, so it was easy for internal heat to accumulate as a result. Thankfully, Her Majesty is an auspicious person. She will definitely be able to turn bad luck into good luck and get well soon."
Cheng Yujin just nodded with a smile. Speaking of Empress Dowager Yang, the Marchioness seemed to be reminded of interesting gossip, "Speaking of which, there are quite a number of people who seem to be embroiled with internal heat recently. It is said that the young master of the Yang family took a fancy to a commoner woman he saw on the street and took her as a concubine on the spot. The woman was unwilling, however, and made quite a ruckus in public."
There was only one young master in the Yang family. Yang Shoufu has two daughters and one son - Yang Yan, Yang Miao, and his only son Yang Shilong. Yang Shilong was lecherous and had many concubines, but he had only one single child - a son named Yang Xiaoyu. As the only child in the Yang family's third generation, Yang Xiaoyu had always been regarded as the family's lifeblood. Naturally, the elders spoiled him to no end. Even Empress Dowager Yang and Empress Yang valued Yang Xiaoyu very much and gave him rewards at every turn.
Growing up in such an environment, it was no wonder that Yang Xiaoyu became what he is now. He didn't inherit his father and grandfather's acumen in politics, but perfectly inherited all their bad traits instead, including the former's womanizing habits. In fact, Yang Xiaoyu was even worse than his father, as he was not only lustful but also liked to obtain women by force. Girls from respectable families, daughters of the officials, even commoner women - as long as they were beautiful, Yang Xiaoyu wouldn't hesitate to get his hands on them, and their reluctance and resistance only excited him even further.
In short, an extremely vile and horrible young man.
The topic of the Yang family was a sensitive one for Cheng Yujin, as it was easy for someone to catch her fault if she was even a bit careless. Therefore, she just replied nonchalantly to the Marchioness' words, stating that she wasn't aware of such an incident. The Marchioness also didn't mean to exchange trivial gossip with Cheng Yujin, and the reason she mentioned Yang Xiaoyu was no more than an effort to curry favor. The news had been passed, but the Crown Princess clearly didn't want to dwell on this topic, so the Marchioness naturally changed to another topic in haste.
The matter of Yang Xiaoyu didn't leave a lasting impression on Cheng Yujin. She was aware of the scandal, but didn't pay much attention. But no one thought that this matter still had a bigger follow-up, which caused a lot of commotion due to the horrible nature of the incident.
Yang Xiaoyu saw a beautiful girl when he was passing a street and harassed her on the spot. The girl endured the humiliation, refused firmly, and left. To her surprise, however, the man was persistent. After his repeated attempts to seduce her ended in vain, Yang Xiaoyu directly resorted to violence and ordered his men to bring the girl back to the Yang Manor.
The girl's older brother found out about it and hurriedly ran after Yang Xiaoyu to take his sister back. Yang Xiaoyu had been accustomed to being lawless. Seeing that someone dared to confront him, he immediately ordered his men to teach this ignorant guy a lesson. Unexpectedly, the older brother was a strong laborer. He managed to break through the siege of the Yang family's servants and punched Yang Xiaoyu a few times. How could Yang Xiaoyu, who never suffered the slightest grievance in his life, bear such a humiliation? His violent nature broke out, and he ordered the servants to hold the man in place as he personally used a chain whip to beat him. A chain whip was a lethal weapon made of iron and steel. In the end, the man ended up dead.
All of this happened on a busy street in broad daylight. When the people of the magistrate's office arrived at the scene, the woman's brother had already been whipped to death in the street.
The sinister nature and the bloody scene of this incident caused an uproar in the capital.