RPAGF Chapter 1067 Cousin Caiwei
Chapter 1067 Cousin Caiwei
With the strong support of the Yang family, Zhou Pu soon felt much more at ease, and his situation in the court was no longer as difficult and stagnant as before.
Because of this, he held Cui Rong in high regard, feeling that she was even more useful than he had imagined.
But Cui Rong knew in her heart that this was just a temporary measure. First, the lie couldn't be kept secret for long, and second, the Yang family wouldn't sit idly by and wait to be threatened by her. So before that, she had to have more power in her hands.
It's true that you only realize how little you have when you need it most. At times like this, Cui Rong would feel especially regretful that her father died too young. If Cui Ling could have lived for another ten years, no, even just five, her situation would have been much better.
After things calmed down in the court for the time being, the selection of concubines for the imperial harem was in full swing. Because the scope of the selection had been expanded this time, daughters from respectable families could also participate, so the total number of participants was much higher than before. Various miscellaneous matters took up a lot of Cui Rong's energy, and she was extremely annoyed. Her temper became even more eccentric and unpredictable than before.
It often made the palace servants who served them tremble with fear.
By the time the whole process is over, it will be deep winter, and the Lunar New Year will be just around the corner.
Many new people have joined the palace, and apart from the increased intrigue and backstabbing, nothing else seems to have changed.
Zhou Pu still frequented the alchemy room; even the most beautiful concubines were merely decorations to him, no longer arousing his interest whatsoever.
At this time, Xiaoyuer had almost finished his business trip south and was on his way back to the capital.
Upon receiving the news that her husband was coming home for the Chinese New Year, Ms. Li breathed a sigh of relief and was very happy. She knew that the trip must have gone well, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to return before the New Year.
Although she is strong and independent, she inevitably feels tired and lonely from time to time, raising two children alone at home with her husband not around and having to take care of three elders. It would be wonderful if Xiaoyuer could come back to celebrate the New Year with her, and she would have something to look forward to.
After hearing this, Zhang Ping'an was also relieved, feeling proud of his son.
He only has this one son, so no matter what happens, Xiaoyuer has to shoulder the burden alone.
So although Xiaoyuer seems to enjoy the love of the whole family, he also bears the responsibility and pressure alone. He often feels sorry for his son who has no one to share the burden, but he can't help but let go and let him grow up.
Fortunately, after this trip, there won't be many more trips required, and my son can rest at home for a while.
The family waited anxiously, sending servants to wait at the city gate and the dock every day. Finally, five days later, Little Fish returned.
Xiao Yu'er has clearly grown a lot since this trip. Although he's gotten a bit tanned, his eyes are sharper and more piercing, showing a manly spirit. Even after sitting on the boat for many days, he's still full of energy.
After getting off the carriage, he didn't need anyone's help; he nimbly lifted his clothes and jumped down.
"Little Fish!" Zhang Lao Er called out, his hand trembling as he leaned on his cane.
"My grandson is back!" Mrs. Xu was overjoyed. She rushed forward, grabbed her grandson's hand, looked him over from left to right, as if afraid something was wrong, and muttered, "Oh dear, he's gotten so thin."
Li was too embarrassed to call her husband by his name in public, so she secretly nudged her two sons, urging them to go forward and greet their father.
The two little ones were quick-witted; they ran over one after the other, hugged Xiaoyuer's legs on either side, and looked up, calling out in their clear voices, "Daddy, you're back! We missed you so much!"
"I...I want to the most, and I still listen to my mother. I can recite the Three Character Classic now," Xiao Zhangzhuo said, emphasizing it again. He was incredibly cute.
Xiaoyuer was very pleased to hear this. He smiled, bent down and pinched the two children's cheeks, then gently patted their heads and praised them, "You're so clever! Dad missed you too. Dad brought you some gifts this time. Let's see if you like them in a bit."
Then, looking ahead, he said, "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Madam, I'm back."
"Well, it's good that you're back. Come inside, and let the servants pack the rest of your luggage," Zhang Ping'an said gently, stroking his beard with his hands behind his back. He was not unmoved, but he still had to maintain the image of a strict father in public.
To everyone's surprise, Xiaoyuer raised his hand after hearing this, "Hey, wait a minute, I brought someone back with me, take a look who it is!"
After saying that, he turned around, lifted the carriage curtain, and offered his hands to gently help the other person out.
Zhang Ping'an and his companions were taken aback. There was someone else here? And judging from the looks of it, it was a woman?
After the others got off the car, they saw that it was indeed a woman. Judging from her skin condition, she was a young girl. She was wearing a veil so they couldn't see her face clearly, but they could vaguely sense that she was quite pretty.
Because of her seniority, Xu spoke without restraint. Before the young lady could even bow and introduce herself, Xu asked with some doubt, "Little Yu'er, whose daughter is this?"
It seems like they have a rather unusual relationship.
"Grandma, she's Caiwei's cousin. You haven't met her yet, have you?" Xiaoyuer explained with a smile, not keeping her in suspense.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, Uncle, Cousin, Caiwei greets you." The girl curtsied to everyone, her voice clear and melodious like a nightingale's, yet charming. Even without seeing her face clearly, one could tell she was a beauty.
“It’s Caiwei,” Zhang Ping’an frowned, but quickly recognized her, and his expression softened slightly.
She said, "The last time I saw you in Yangzhou, you were just a baby learning to speak. Now you've grown into a young lady. Let's go inside and talk."
After saying that, she glared at her son, as if she was about to settle scores with him later.
He wasn't stupid. Seeing how familiar his son and niece were, he knew their relationship was more than just cousins. Besides, bringing his still-young cousin from Yangzhou to Huainan was against etiquette.
I don't know what that brat and Sixth Sister said, but it seems that the thing that gave him a headache has still happened.
After sitting down in the main room, before anyone could ask any questions, Xiaoyuer took the initiative to talk about his trip. He only briefly mentioned his business trips in Lin'an and Yangzhou, and focused on his relationship with his cousin Caiwei.
"My sixth aunt and uncle have already agreed to my marriage with my cousin. Yangzhou and Huainan are not too far apart. My cousin has never met her maternal grandparents and uncles before. So I simply brought my cousin with me on my way back for the New Year. After the New Year, I will send someone to take her back and choose an auspicious day for the wedding."
There was a thunderclap on the ground.
Even though everyone had some idea of what was going on, the news still caught them completely off guard.
The others were alright, but Li was the one who was most affected. Bringing a woman back was nothing to her; it's a common problem for men, and she didn't care.
But bringing back my sixth aunt's cousin changed everything. I was going to marry her, and it was obvious that I couldn't let her be a concubine; she had to be my equal wife.
Her first thought was: what about her status as the legal wife? What about the status of her two children? How could she get rid of the other party?
She would never allow anyone to challenge her position as the matriarch of the family.