Spring in Nanjing

Chapter 589: Interlude The Silence of the Dragon

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It means going to see the scriptures drying, but actually it means going to the temple to play.

Whether it was the women of the Pengcheng Marquis's mansion or Cheng Xiao and the others, they all readily agreed. Especially Cheng Xiao, the Cheng Jing incident was over, and the Cheng and Yuan families seemed to be fine, and they had returned to their former laughter and warmth, but everyone knew that this was just a surface calm, and something might happen one day to crush the relationship between the two families into powder. Even their words and actions were a bit of whitewashing, and this happened to be her husband's family, where she would live for the rest of her life, so it was as uncomfortable as it could be.

Zhou Shaojin's invitation gave her an excuse to go out and get some fresh air.

Everyone was happily discussing which temple to go to to see the scriptures.

An imperial decree came down from the palace, ordering the Fourth Prince to go to Xinyang to be established as a vassal. The Emperor asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to check the date, and found that the second day of June was an auspicious day, so he allowed the Fourth Prince to set off on that day.

At most, there are only twenty days left, and the Fourth Prince has already established his palace for more than ten years. How can so many things be packed up in just twenty days

The Fourth Prince asked someone to plead with the Emperor, wanting to set off after mid-July, but the Emperor rejected his request and ordered the commander of the Imperial Guard, Han Ding, to send people to help the Fourth Prince pack his luggage.

But Han Ding didn't dare to urge the Fourth Prince.

He came to Cheng Shao anxiously to discuss the matter and asked Cheng Shao if he had any solution.

Ever since they had worked together for the Crown Prince, they both felt that the other was a very reliable person. Although they didn't see each other often, they felt that the other was someone they could trust when they were in trouble.

Cheng Shao laughed when he heard this and said, "The emperor only wants the fourth prince to go to his fiefdom, not to move. You guys should hurry up and pack up the things that the fourth prince and the princess usually use, and then set off for Xinyang on the second day of June. As for the family property, you can help to slowly pack it up and seal it up."

This way both sides can benefit.

Han Ding's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he laughed and teased Cheng Shao: "Scholars are still the best! We who come from martial arts backgrounds really can't come up with such an idea."

Cheng Shao smiled slightly.

Mrs. Chang asked the maid to bring in some fruit.

Han Ding asked Chang: "How is my sister-in-law?"

Chang once worked in the Qianqing Palace, and he had met Chang before.

"Not bad." Cheng Shao smiled, thinking that apart from staying with Old Madam Guo at Chaoyang Gate, Chang usually stayed at home reading and writing and taking care of his two great-grandchildren. It was rare for him to have a place to go, so after seeing Han Ding off, he went to Chang's place.

Chang was planning to keep Han Ding for dinner, but Han Ding just talked to Cheng Shao for a few words and then left.

Seeing Cheng Shao, she couldn't help but ask, "But what happened? Commander Han drank a few sips of tea and left."

Cheng Shao told Chang about the fourth prince.

Chang sighed and said, "I don't know what the emperor is thinking. If the fourth prince had gone to his fiefdom earlier..." Having said that, she looked panicked and stopped talking.

Cheng Shao's heart was moved, and he said, "You also know about the Crown Prince's affairs?"

Seeing that there was no one around and Cheng Shao was someone she trusted the most, Chang couldn't help but lower her voice and said, "How could you not know? Things in the palace are often hard to hide from the upper echelons, and I work in the Qianqing Palace. Let alone the Crown Prince's affairs, we also knew about Dai's affairs a long time ago. Of course, if the Fourth Prince hadn't praised Dai in front of the Queen Mother, Dai would have been given to the Seventh Prince. How could this case come about?"

Cheng Shao sneered and said, "I am stupid."

Chang was embarrassed and said, "It's not that you are stupid, Master, it's just that you haven't thought about how dark the palace is."

Cheng Shao thought for a moment and said, "It's not easy for you to leave the palace smoothly."

He looked serious and solemn, and one could tell that he was speaking from the bottom of his heart.

Chang's eyes were slightly sore, and she murmured, "It's not that simple! It's just a struggle to survive."

Cheng Shao nodded.

Thinking about those memories, I'm afraid they weren't good ones. Thinking about the purpose of my visit, I changed the subject and said, "I usually stay in the Imperial Academy, and occasionally the Emperor will call me into the palace when I have a day off. It's lonely for you to be alone with two children at home. If you have nothing to do, go to Chaoyang Gate more often. I think Silang's wife has a good temper, and she seems to be happy for you to go. She should be a good companion. If you think it's inconvenient to go there often, you can also go and play with your former sisters."

She has been in the palace for so many years, it is impossible that she does not have a favorite palace maid.

But no one was as lucky as her to marry a man like Cheng Shao as his successor. Most of them became foster nannies or adopted nephews from their mother's side. No matter the former or the latter, they were all ordinary people. Chang was afraid that Cheng Shao would despise them, so she only went to see them twice when she was out of the palace. After that, she did not go to look for them. Those who could stay in the palace until they were released were all spirits, so they naturally would not come to look for her and cause trouble for her.

Chang was both surprised and excited, but she also felt that Cheng Shao was just that kind of person and he did not let her down.

"I'll go see them when I'm free." As she spoke, she blinked her eyes and blinked back the tears that were about to fall from her eyes, saying, "But everyone has a family, so it's better for you to eat and drink here and have nothing to do all day." She expressed her gratitude implicitly, and then said, "A few days ago, Silang's wife asked me to go to the temple on the sixth day of June to read and dry scriptures, and she also said that she would bring the children with her. These days, everyone is discussing whether to go to Daxiangguo Temple or Zhetan Temple. Master, I'm also going to go to Chaoyangmen tomorrow. I heard that Dalang's wife is not feeling well. I want to ask Silang's wife and Erlang's wife what plans they have. I want to go with them to see them in the next two days!"

Chang had a good temper and was good at reading people's expressions. She got along well with the women in the Cheng family.

Cheng Shao was very relieved on this point.

After asking the accountant to give Chang three hundred taels of silver for pocket money, Cheng Shao went to the study.

But Cheng Shao's words were like a stone thrown into Chang's heart, causing ripples.

She decided to go and see her old sister who had entered the palace with her but became a nanny.

But she didn't expect that when she went there, she met her old sister and her goddaughter Fang, who was working in the Cining Palace, and came out of the palace to see her.

The three of them had a good time.

Not only did he drink, he also temporarily called a blind gentleman to read a passage from a book.

But they had stayed in the palace for too long, and this kind of lightness made them feel unable to let go.

Chang's elder sister laughed at herself and said, "We are used to being slaves. There is nothing we can do about it!"

These words left Chang and Fang silent for a long while.

Fang quickly changed the subject and said to Chang's elder sister, "Godmother, did you know that the Fourth Prince is going to be a vassal? I heard that the Empress Dowager was very unhappy when she found out, and asked the Emperor why the Third Prince stayed in the capital since the Fourth Prince was going to be a vassal. It is said that after the Fourth Prince left, the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince would also go to be vassal states."

They have all spent most of their lives in the palace, and they are more familiar with what is happening in the palace than what is happening outside.

Chang's elder sister laughed when she heard this and said, "Didn't the Empress Dowager urge us to choose a concubine for the Crown Prince? She likes to have many children and grandchildren. She was disgusted at the fact that the Crown Princess only gave birth to the Crown Prince. However, the Emperor will definitely be troubled again when he finds out."

The Crown Prince is only eleven years old this year, so it is impossible for him to get married.

Fang smiled and said, "That's right." As she spoke, her face slightly stiffened, and she whispered, "But the Fourth Prince's wife came to the palace yesterday and wanted to entrust a niece from her mother's family to the Empress Dowager... The Empress Dowager actually agreed and placed the niece next to Concubine Lin, asking Concubine Lin to teach her..."

Mrs. Chang and the old sisters were all moved.

Having said that, I have said everything that needs to be said.

The three of them talked about who entered the palace and when, where they worked now, who entered the palace and when, but now became the head maid in Kunning Palace, and other family gossip, and then they dispersed.

When Chang returned home, the maid told her that Cheng Chi had come over: "... he was talking to the second old master in the study!"

Although they are all nephews, Chang feels that Cheng Shao likes Cheng Chi more.

She personally carried the tea to the study.

Cheng Chi stood up and thanked her respectfully.

Chang knelt down quickly and closed the door for them.

But Cheng Chi's words still floated out: "Shi Kuan, who is beside the Fourth Prince, sent me a letter saying that he would stay to help the Fourth Prince pack his luggage and wanted to meet me before the Fourth Prince left..."

Did the Cheng family take sides

The emperor values the Cheng family so much, and Cheng Shao is not someone who has never seen the world, so why would he do this

Chang quickly left the study, and stood on the veranda, patting her chest and breathing heavily.

The setting sun illuminated the sky red for half the day. The lilies in the yard were blooming, exuding a rich fragrance, and it was as quiet as a painting.

This was the peace she had been seeking for half her life.

Cheng Shao's thin but gentle face emerged in Chang's mind.

She pursed her lips, beckoned the maid beside her and said, "Go in and call the second old master out, and tell him that I have something important to tell him."

The little maid responded "OK" without knowing the seriousness of the matter and went to the study happily.

After a while, Cheng Shao appeared on the veranda.

"What happened?" he asked with concern, without a trace of impatience between his brows.

This made Chang even more determined.

She whispered Fang's words to Cheng Shao.

Cheng Shao's expression suddenly became serious. He said, "Come with me. Si Lang must know about this! The Fourth Prince may not be able to deal with those elders directly, but he is very active with the nephews and nieces of these elders."

Chang breathed a sigh of relief.

It’s good that the Cheng family didn’t take the initiative to take sides.

She went to the study.

Cheng Chi didn't say anything for a long time after listening to Cheng Shao's words.

The atmosphere in the study was very depressing.

Chang also became a little nervous and said, "Maybe I guessed wrong... I'll go find out how old the Fourth Prince's wife's niece is. Maybe they just want her to stay in front of the Empress Dowager to fulfill her filial duty, so that if they stay in Xinyang for too long, the Empress Dowager will forget about them..."

"That's fine." Cheng Chi said, "But Auntie, please be careful and don't force yourself. If someone finds out something and gets you involved, it will be troublesome."

"I know." Chang smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, jokingly saying, "I'm not someone who can't speak."

Seeing that she was still in the mood to joke, Cheng Shao and Cheng Chi also breathed a sigh of relief.

Hey guys, today's update.

PS: There are only one or two chapters left before the story ends. I am so sad to see you all gone... ~~~~(>_