Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapter 118: To Hide Defects (II)

At first, Old Madam Cheng was not very optimistic about Cheng Yujin’s marriage. When two calm and rational people were put together, no one would take the initiative to show emotions to the other. It was better to put a charming and innocent woman next to the Crown Prince, who surely would please him more. After all, men didn’t like women who were too smart. Like Huo Changyuan and Cheng Yumo, one was a formidable man, and the other was an innocent woman who knew nothing of the world. The man was the absolute authority, and the woman was relying wholeheartedly on the man, which was doing good for their relationship.

But who would have thought that the final result would be quite different?

Facts proved that smart people could live well anywhere. Two smart people put together only ended up twice as good. The so-called excellent men did not like smart and capable wives was merely a self-comfort of stupid people.

Cheng Yujin and the Crown Prince were very close to each other, and it was said that they had never quarreled once during their half a year of marriage. In contrast, Cheng Yumo couldn’t handle the difficult mother-in-law and insisted on relying on Huo Changyuan wholeheartedly, while Huo Changyuan himself too disdainful to understand the woman’s mind. It was like the relationship between a tree and a vine. No matter how weak the vine was, when she tightly wrapped herself around the tree, the tree would end up suffocating to death. Up to now, one was complaining that her husband had a change of heart and no longer cared about her like before the marriage, while the other secretly disliked his wife for being too clingy and dependant.

And they were still in front of the elders of the Cheng family. Since Huo Changyuan entered the hall, he had greeted Old Madam Cheng, Qingfu Junzhu, and Ruan-shi, bowed to Cheng Yujin respectfully, and treated the children of the Cheng and Xu family very kindly and patiently. He was a filial son-in-law, a respectful subject, and a gentle brother-in-law, but only towards his wife had he never said a word of greeting or showed a moment’s concern.

Compared with Li Chengjing’s attention to Cheng Yujin, Huo Changyuan’s performance was too indifferent. Cheng Yumo was clearly his wife, but he treated her worse than a stranger.

Old Madam Cheng sighed deeply. When Cheng Yumo got married, her eyes were bright and full of bravery, feeling that she was different from other women in the world. But in the end, she was just one of the countless similar women.

On the contrary, Cheng Yujin, who everyone unanimously thought to be too rigid, proved with practical actions that a truly capable person could do well wherever they were.

…

After the meal, the men went out for a chat, while Old Madam Cheng brought her daughters-in-law and granddaughters to the inner hall to have a chat. Old Madam Cheng looked at Cheng Yujin, her lips moved several times, and she finally asked tentatively: “Crown Princess, is there good news recently?”

Cheng Yujin was used to this question, so she was very calm when answering: “Your Highness said that children are fated, so there is no need to hurry.”

Old Madam Cheng hesitated. She wanted to probe more, but didn’t dare to force Cheng Yujin too much. Right after Cheng Yujin was bestowed the imperial marriage, they had the idea of tying Cheng Yujin to the family with filial piety. However, after Cheng Yujin showed a cold face to Qingfu Junzhu and Ruan-shi, no one in the Cheng family dared to annoy her again. Cheng Yujin was now Yichun Marquis Manor’s only hope. Since Old Madam Cheng knew that Cheng Yujin had no feelings towards her natal family, how could she still dare to offend this golden Bodhisattva?

As Cheng Yujin said, someone asking for help should show the attitude befitting of one. Old Madam Cheng immediately understood what Cheng Yujin meant. Even after their daughter became the Crown Princess, the Cheng family continued to live in a low-key manner, never to strive for progress or to cause trouble for Cheng Yujin. In a nutshell, they behaved very self-awarely.

In fact, there is nothing to be dissatisfied with. As long as the Cheng family did not seek death, they could continue living this comfortable life. Cheng Yuanxian, who was used to a pampered life, was extremely satisfied.

If Cheng Yujin gave birth to the eldest imperial grandson soon, it would be even more perfect. Truly an honor far beyond Cheng Yuanxian’s wildest dream.

Old Madam Cheng was a little anxious about Cheng Yujin’s answer, but she didn’t dare urge. Cheng Yujin had said so; what else can Old Madam Cheng say? In the end, she could only respond: “Crown Princess is right. Children and grandchildren are all fated, and they will come naturally.”

After Old Madam Cheng finished speaking, she looked at Cheng Yumo. Unlike with Cheng Yujin, the Old Madam had no scruple and said very bluntly: “Second Lady, you too. Although you accidentally lost your child, outsiders don’t know the inside story. Now that the Marquis has no concubines, you should try to conceive again as soon as possible. You used to be spoiled by your mother, but your in-laws are different from your natal family, and no one will be willing to cater to you. Now that you are married, you must get a hold of yourself. Regardless of gender, the first child is extremely important. Only after you have a child will you really get a firm foothold in your husband’s family.”

Cheng Yumo blushed weakly upon Old Madam Cheng’s words. She lowered her head and responded with a very small voice.

Cheng Yujin knew that she was also in a similar situation, so she lowered her eyes and said nothing. At the Cheng family manor, she could act confident and unhurried, but when she returned to the palace and no outsiders were around, Cheng Yujin sighed at her personal servant girls.

Cheng Yujin couldn’t help touching her lower abdomen. Although she claimed that “children are fated” today, in fact, neither the palace nor the court would give them time to wait for fate. Both Cheng Yujin and Li Chengjing were facing enormous pressure, but after half a year, there was still no movement in her stomach.

Obviously, Li Chengjing did that deed frequently. Now Cheng Yujin didn’t even need to refer to her previous life experience to tell that Li Chengjing’s frequency was very, very high.

Could it be that the high frequency might affect the probability of pregnancy? Cheng Yujin touched her flat abdomen and thought very seriously. Perhaps, a lower frequency was actually more conducive to pregnancy?

When Li Chengjing returned to the palace, he saw Cheng Yujin sitting on the luohan couch. Her long eyelashes were drooping, thinking about something very seriously.

Li Chengjing sat opposite her and asked, “Is there something in your mind? Why look so serious?”

Cheng Yujin glanced at Li Chengjing. Although she still didn’t say anything, Li Chengjing suddenly had a bad hunch.

Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Cheng Yujin say, “Your Highness, this consort just thought of a Zen principle.”

When Cheng Yujin spoke, she never finished it in one breath. She had this habit of moving around in circles and spoke of high-sounding reasons of the world’s philosophy before finally allowing herself to get to the point. Li Chengjing sighed and said, “It’s rare for you to talk about Zen principles. Alright, I will listen.”

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