Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapters 113 - 114

Ch 113 – A Long Way

The weather was getting colder day by day, and in a blink of an eye, the leaves in the Forbidden City were turning yellow. As the autumn wind blew, the trees gradually became sparser, and the gaps between branches looked very wide against the red wall background.

After another month, the first snow fell in the capital. Red walls and white tiles — the winter made the palace even more solemn and silent, and so were its residence.

Cheng Yujin clad in fur collar jacket. The sky was getting dark. Having been reading the small writings for a long time, she felt somewhat dizzy. Cheng Yujin put down the booklet in her hands, rested her eyes, and asked, "What time is it?"

"Replying to the Crown Princess. It is the hour of the rooster."

"Already the hour of the rooster." Cheng Yujin turned to look out the window and muttered to herself, "His Highness should be back anytime soon."

Lian Qiao was coming in to light the lamp. When she heard this, she commented: "Now that His Highness is receiving more and more responsibility in the court, he returns late every day. Fortunately, Crown Princess takes good care of Crown Prince. Otherwise, His Highness will be too tired and get thin of overwork."

Cheng Yujin glanced at the servant girl coolly: "If you don't speak, no one will think you are mute."

Du Ruo was serving next to Cheng Yujin and burst into laughter. After failing to flatter, Lian Qiao was not at all deterred. She made a face at Du Ruo and came to laugh as if nothing happened: "Crown Princess, you have been reading the gift list all afternoon. Reading in the dark is not good for your eyes. You might as well take a rest and loosen your body a bit."

Cheng Yujin shook her head, "There's not much left. Other jobs are still waiting tomorrow, so we should finish what should be finished today."

Lian Qiao knew that she could not persuade Cheng Yujin, so she didn't say more. As Lian Qiao quickly tidied the table, she changed the topic: "This servant has slipped her tongue. Crown Princess is very thoughtful and naturally will listen if the suggestion makes sense. Now, who doesn't know that Crown Princess is very virtuous and capable? Both inside and outside the palace, no one can say anything bad about you. This servant even heard that the madams outside the palace make Crown Princess the standard for teaching their daughters."

Hearing this, Du Ruo commented lightly: "What's surprising with that? Crown Princess has long been the model young miss in the capital even before she left the boudoir."

"This is not the same." Lian Qiao said in a hasty tone, "In the past, high-ranking madams used Crown Princess as the standard for choosing daughters-in-law, but they now used her as a model for their own daughters. How can this be the same?"

Seeing the two servant girls join together to make her happy, Cheng Yujin couldn't help but smile. The gloominess from the afternoon was swept away. "Alright. Both of you really have a glib tongue. Even parrots cannot be compared to you. Be quiet a bit."

Although Lian Qiao and Du Ruo deliberately chose their words to make Cheng Yujin happy, they were right about one thing. The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace indeed had an excellent reputation among imperial subjects. When it came to the inner palace or outer court, many people unanimously praised the couple's virtue.

Cheng Yujin and Li Chengjing both came into light suddenly, with no prior achievements, no name, and no allies. Li Chengjing was still better than Cheng Yujin, as he returned to his status half a year earlier. However, the foundation Li Chengjing could build in merely half a year was still too shallow to overpower the Second Prince's more than ten years momentum.