Chapter Forty-Four "Causing Loss of Life" Part Two

  "Your Majesty wants to form an alliance with our Cheng family, anyway my father has five sons and can't marry me off, so it's just as well that Pu is cheap. He's thirteen this year and matches the princess in age. Besides, those royal princesses are all as thin as bean sprouts, looking at them makes one uncomfortable, let alone marrying one back home to be a wife. All skin and bones, not comfortable to hold." Cheng Chuliang chattered on like an old hen, speaking with twisted logic that sounded reasonable upon careful consideration.

  Cheng Yaojin, who lived in Chang'an, let out a few sneezes, threw down the pen he was using to write an official document, stuck his index finger into his nostril, rummaged around for half a day, and pulled out two sticky, black boogers. With a flick of his fingers, they flew out the window.

  "Achoo! Achoo!" Having cleared his nostrils, Cheng Yaojin let out a few more sneezes.

  "Who's thinking of me?" Cheng Yaojin stretched his waist and muttered to himself.

  Outside, Cheng's family steward, Cheng Fu, rode a horse and hastily arrived at the gate of the Golden Armor Guard. He cupped his hands and said: "I am the steward of General Cheng, my lady has an urgent matter, please ask our master to return home quickly."

  The guard had seen General Cheng's steward a few times before and quickly went in to report.

  Cheng Yaojin was startled, and since the five kids went to Zhangsun's house, his home became extremely quiet, unlike before when it was chaotic with chickens flying and dogs jumping, smoke and fire everywhere, and constant fighting sounds.

  "Cheng Fu, what's wrong with your wife?" Cheng Yaojin asked hastily. Although his wife was usually fierce, they had also been passionate when they were young, otherwise they wouldn't have had five children. A lifetime of only having one old wife showed that Cheng Yaojin was still a good man.

  Cheng Fu gasped for breath and said: "It's not the mistress, it's the young master who has encountered trouble."

  Recently, Chang'an City has been very quiet, and most of the young masters have gone to the Zhangsun family's villa. Without any gossip or entertainment, everyone's days are passing by very uninterestingly. Now that it's said that the son of the Cheng family had an accident, they all slowed down their movements, perked up their ears, wanting to hear the gossip about the Cheng brothers.

  Cheng Fu almost forgot that this was a workplace and hastily added: "Master, you'd better take leave quickly, the mistress is waiting for you at home!"

  Cheng Yaojin also realized that this was not a place for conversation, so he hastily bid farewell and rode his horse back home.

  Madam Cheng paced back and forth in the main hall, occasionally stamping her feet and clapping her hands in anger.

  Cheng Yaojin strode in with large steps and asked loudly: "Milady, what's so urgent?"

  Madam Cheng saw Cheng Yaojin as if she had seen the master of her heart, and she hugged him tightly, leaning on his chest, sobbing and crying uncontrollably.

  Cheng Yaojin's mind was preoccupied, and he couldn't even remember when his wife, Cui Shi, had last thrown herself into his arms. He patted her back gently and asked in a soft voice, "Shuyue, what's going on with the kids? Have they gotten into trouble again?"

  Choi choked with sobs and said intermittently: "Someone's been killed!"

  Cheng Yaojin furrowed his brow, several sons although not talented, but doing things is not without measure, how can they beat someone to death!

  "Chu Liang has gotten the daughter of Zhangsun's household pregnant, and now they've already found out about it at the Zhangsun household." Cui Shi said with a sob, what can be done about this? Previously, Empress Zhangsun had mentioned to her that she wanted to betroth Qinghe Princess to Chu Liang, although it was just verbal, but still...

  It's just getting a big belly, not killing anyone, that's great!

  What? Did Chulian get the daughter of Zhangjia Village pregnant? Cheng Yaojin was stunned, he knew that Erlang Chulian only practiced martial arts all day long, even if he flirted with girls, it was always his elder brother who took him along, drinking and eating meat, never having real dealings with women. As far as he knew, he was still a virgin. Now suddenly saying that Chulian got someone pregnant, Cheng Yaojin found it hard to believe.

  "My dear, don't cry anymore, it hurts my heart!" Cheng Yaojin's heart ached as his wife cried, and he stretched out his rough, calloused hand to gently wipe away her tears. "A cart will always find its way before reaching the mountain, there will be a solution."

  Madam Cheng cried and felt a bit relieved, saying: "Old master, what about the Emperor, the Empress?"

  "It's nothing, to be honest, at most I'll just have my salary deducted for half a year. The emperor wants to form an alliance with our family through marriage, which of his sons doesn't work out, there are still three more below, let them choose as they please." Cheng Yaojin thought this wasn't a big deal, if the emperor was a petty person, he would have died eight or ten times already.

  "That rural girl is not worthy of my son!" Mrs. Cui muttered to herself, convinced that the shameless woman had seduced her son.

  Cheng Yaojin thought of something else, a bloodline issue. He said: "First let Eldest Brother take her as his concubine. If the child she gives birth to resembles Eldest Brother or recognizes him after tasting his blood, then we can prove it's a true descendant of the Cheng family and make her legitimate. If not, humph! The door of our Cheng family isn't that easy to enter."

  Chui's family was unhappy, both the Chui and Cheng families were prominent clans, letting their son marry a peasant girl would be embarrassing for them to go out in public later on, lest they be ridiculed by others.

  "Madam, I know you're not pleased, but do you want your future grandsons and granddaughters to be bastards? Cheng Yaojin furrowed his brow, looking at neither the monk nor the Buddha. He had never taken a concubine in his life and didn't hope that his son would either, lest their home become chaotic and the children grow up neglected."

  Thinking of lovely grandsons or granddaughters, Cui fell silent. Eldest was supposed to get married this year, but the other party's grandfather passed away and had to observe mourning for a year, so they can only get married next year, and it will be at least two years before they can hold their grandchildren.

  "Let's go take a look at Er Er and that girl!" Cui Shi relaxed her stance; if her son didn't like it, then the girl could only be a concubine.

  Cheng Yaojin brought his wife Cui Shi, galloping on horseback, and rushed to the Zhangsun Chong's villa.

  Just now Cheng Chulian was still spirited and proud, but as soon as he heard that his parents were coming, he immediately became flustered, pretending to be dead in the house and not daring to come out.

  "Brother Chong, I'm begging you, save me!" Cheng Chuliang said shamelessly. "My dad might be okay with it, but my mom would never approve of Cuihua as my wife."

  "You've already gotten someone pregnant and now you're saying this isn't too late? You were so capable just a moment ago, how come you're being such a coward now!" Chang Sun Chu pulled on Cheng Chuliang's sleeve with a look of disdain.

  "You just help me this time, and in the future when my brother competes with you for women, I'll help you and not help my brother. How about that?" Cheng Chuliang shamelessly set conditions.

  After Zhang Sun Chong, I don't plan to go out and have fun anymore. Now there are no condoms, what if I get some kind of STD like syphilis or genital warts? Wouldn't that be a total loss!

  "Chong Xian-di, Cui Hua is someone from your village, you can't just ignore it!" Cheng Chu-liang saw that Zhang Chong was not taking the bait and quickly took an emotional approach. "My father-in-law is a tenant farmer of your family's estate, he has no merits but only hardships, you can't just abandon him to death! You should know that Cui Hua is carrying my son in her belly!"

  Chang Sun Chong didn't want to waste any more time with this guy and said: "Why don't you go ask your older brother for help?"

  "Our family's rule has always been that if one person does something wrong, all five brothers will be punished together. My eldest brother is definitely going to get a good scolding from my dad later, I don't want to bother him again." Cheng Chuliang knew that this time he had already implicated several of his brothers, and it wasn't right to continue bothering them, as he spoke, the seven-foot-tall man's eyes reddened.

  Chang Sun Chong couldn't stand the woman's tears, and even more so the man's tears. He said, "Alright, I'll do my best! Your father is not afraid of heaven or earth, he never listens to reason, maybe he'll even beat me up."

  "My dad appreciates you and won't take drastic measures!"

  "For the time being, you must stand firm to save Cuihua and her mother. You can be timid in front of me, but if you are timid in front of your father, it will only make him angrier. Now that you're about to become a father yourself, you need to take responsibility. Even if your father beats you, you can't cower and hide; how will you face your future son then?"

  Cheng Chuliang's face lit up as soon as he heard it, his heart burning with excitement. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, I'll go find my parents right now and have a clear talk with them!"

  "Stop right there, what you're saying won't solve anything and will only make your parents angrier."

  "How do you say it?"

  "And you, in front of your parents, especially your mother, don't show that you like and care for Cuihua too much..."

  "Why?" Cheng Chuliang was puzzled, didn't they just say they wanted him to confess earlier?

  Chang Sun didn't know how to explain the complicated mother-in-law relationship to Cheng Chu Liang, so he patted his forehead and said: "Think about it, your mom carried you for ten months and raised you big. Now you're making her angry for another woman, can she not think too much? You have to remember, the more you care about Cui Hua, the more your mom will dislike Cui Hua; if you show that you dislike Cui Hua in front of your mom, maybe she'll give Cui Hua a break.

  "Is this really true?"

  "More genuine than real gold! You slept with Cuihua, you should take responsibility and bravely admit it; accept any punishment. As for how to deal with Cuihua, you don't care, just let your parents make the decision!"

  "Is this okay?"

  "Guarantee it!"