Just returned from hometown, uploaded immediately, another chapter later

  Cheng Yaojin saw Changsun Chong and said with a grin: "I say, Chong young fellow, why didn't you help me keep an eye on those several brothers?"

  Chang Sun Chong thought for a thousand times, never expecting that Cheng Yaojin, this old rascal, would say such things. He said: Your son can't control the thing in his pants, and got our Chang Sun family's daughter-in-law pregnant. I hadn't even had time to find a matchmaker yet, when unexpectedly, Cheng the old witch took the initiative and turned the tables on me!

  "Haha......" Du Ruhui's bright and cheerful laughter came from afar, sounding like he was in a great mood.

  Cheng Yaojin did not receive the news of Du's family mourning, knowing that old Du Ruhui had not died yet, but he never thought that he could still walk in front of him so lightly.

  Cheng Yaojin couldn't believe it and pointed at Du Ruhui, saying dryly, "Old Du, you're not dead yet?"

  Du Ruhui, although a scholar, had been immersed in the officialdom for many years and had seen all sorts of situations. Moreover, having served in the same dynasty for so long, he was extremely familiar with Cheng Yaojin's tactless words. He smiled and said: "Haha, let Brother Cheng be disappointed! Old Du hasn't died yet!"

  "Haha, great, now brothers can work together in the imperial court again." Although Cheng Yaojin was not good with his mouth, he was straightforward and frank, always speaking directly, so he had relatively good relationships with others in the imperial court.

  "As for brother, it's also what I think. For your family's son, I almost got beaten up by the girl's family. You must handle this matter properly and absolutely cannot bully men or cheat women." Du Ruhui smiled with a hint of amusement at the corner of his mouth, like an old fox, watching how Cheng Yaojin would handle this matter.

  "Chancellor Du, why must you say such things? Does the Cheng family only know how to bully people with their power?" Cui's heart was burning with anger upon hearing Du Ruhui's words.

  Cheng Yaojin's eyes rolled around, and he thought through the twists and turns inside. He smiled: "Our old Cheng family are all people with a sense of responsibility, we have to take charge. If it's our Cheng family's person, naturally we won't let them go unmanaged. It's just that there's a problem with blood relations, so I'm being cautious. So I plan to let Chu Liang take that girl as a concubine. If after the blood test confirms she's our Cheng family's child, we'll immediately make her legitimate."

  Du Ruhui couldn't help but admire Cheng Yaojin. If it were him, he wouldn't be able to tolerate his son marrying a peasant girl. After all, they came from different worlds and weren't well-matched. The two of them differed too much and didn't have any common topics to discuss. As time went on, problems would definitely arise. It wasn't good fortune, but rather it would bring harm to the woman.

  Cheng Yaojin sighed and said, "Once things are settled here, I'll enter the palace to plead for punishment. After all, my family has many sons - if the eldest and second eldest won't do, then there's the third, fourth, or fifth. Qinghe Princess is still young, so there's plenty of room for choice."

  Du Ruhui nodded his head, what Old Cheng said wasn't a bad idea after all.

  "Alright, Old Du, you're a kind person, so see this through to the end. Please go to the Yang's and convey our thoughts. As long as they're not being deceitful, we, the Cheng family, won't mistreat their daughter." Cheng Yaojin saw Du Ruhui as a ready-made matchmaker.

  Cui's family was a bit impatient with Du Ruhui just now, but thinking that Du Ruhui's body is not good, they didn't want to tire her out because of their family matters.

  "Sir, Lord Du's safety is at stake!" Cui reminded him in a low voice.

  "Yes, Old Du! If the Emperor knew I'd let you overwork, he wouldn't forgive me!" Cheng Yaojin knew that his second brother's marriage might not truly anger Li Er, but if he let Du Ruhui collapse from exhaustion, Li Er would beat him with fifty military clubs even if he didn't eat him alive.

  Du Ruhui smiled slightly and waved his hand, saying: "I'm fine, nothing's wrong. It was an urgent matter just now, and I've already represented you to persuade them to leave. Now I'll run another errand to pass on the message for you."

  Seeing Du Ruhui's complexion was good and his footsteps were light, he thought that this small matter should not have exhausted Du Ruhui.

  "Rush, nephew, my brother's wife and I have arrived in a hurry, what do we need to prepare? Can you help us get things ready?" Cheng Yaojin said shamelessly. His son had already taken half of the kitchen's ingredients today, his son was taking a concubine, why should he provide anything?!

  "Today, the second brother of the Cheng family has already taken two pig legs from the kitchen and sent two chickens to the Yang family. As for the process of taking a concubine, I don't know either, you'd better ask someone else!" Chang Sun muttered, when their Chang Sun's estate became part of the Cheng family's."

  "Your father is a big miser, and you are just a little miser!" Cheng Yaojin said with gritted teeth, taking out 50 taels of silver from his pocket, "Is that enough?"

  Chang Sun Chong took it without hesitation and smiled, saying, "That little nephew is quite bold."

  Chang Sun Chong took someone else's money and asked the old servant at home for details, then had things prepared to be given to Cheng Chu Liang as a gift for taking a concubine.

  Yang Damao had previously speculated that Cheng Chuliang was a spoiled rich kid, but he never expected that Cheng Chuliang was the son of General Cheng Yaojin, a favorite of the Tang Emperor. Yang Damao, who was originally furious, is now trembling with fear, not excitement, wondering if General Cheng would kill his entire family.

  Yang Dama was frightened and fearful until Du Ruhui brought the dowry prepared by Changsun Wuji, explained his intentions, and finally calmed down. The Cheng family's concerns were reasonable, and it was also reasonable to wait until they confirmed that their daughter was pregnant before making her a legitimate wife. A great merit of the Tang Dynasty could do this much, and it was considered a benevolent and virtuous family. What more could one ask for?

  Although she was a concubine, as long as her daughter's belly was promising and gave birth to a son, even if she wasn't promoted to be the legitimate wife, her life wouldn't be bad afterwards.

  With the betrothal gifts from the Cheng family, plus the things that Cheng Chuliang had brought over from the Zhangsun family, the Yang family was able to live a life of luxury. Everyone in the household was well-fed and content, eating fragrant rice, big chunks of pork, and tender chicken meat. The whole family was so satisfied with their meals that they were all licking their lips. Originally, because of Yang Cuifang's premarital pregnancy, the family had been shamed, but now everyone in the household was fawning over her.

  Within half a month, Cheng Chuliang took Yang Cuifeng as his concubine. To avoid future trouble, she first lived in the Changsun family's villa, where she learned etiquette while pregnant, so that after giving birth and verifying the child's parentage with a blood test, he could make her his official wife.

  Cheng Chulang died, and he was so stingy that he didn't even want to spend a single penny. Instead, he bought all sorts of strange things to give to his fairy sister Yang Cuifang. He often went to the kitchen of Zhang Sun's house to take chicken, fish, meat, and eggs as gifts for his wife and unborn child to nourish their bodies. Although they didn't have any romantic dates under the flowers or moonlight, they would often meet in the late afternoon, hold hands, and steal a kiss!

  Cheng Yaojin severely beat the five brothers of the Cheng family and took his wife to the palace to apologize to Empress Li Er, Longsun. Li Er was indeed very angry and fined Cheng Yaojin one year's salary, which was twice as much as expected, making Cheng Yaojin very resentful. However, despite being angry, Li Er would not change her mind about winning over these meritorious officials, so she immediately changed the engagement letter and finalized the marriage between Princess Qinghe and Cheng Yaojin's third son, Cheng Chubiao, rather than just a verbal agreement with the second son of the Cheng family, which had caused such a big joke.

  The trouble caused by Cheng Chulang has finally come to an end after all the fuss.

  Chang Sun Chong has been in the fields for some time, and the rice ears in the paddy field have already grown for over a dozen days. The rice ears change every day, becoming more and more plump and heavy, bending the rice stalks into curves, which is very pleasing to see.

  Now it's not just Zhangsun Chong who goes to the fields every day to inspect, but also Du Ruhui from next door, who comes daily. He has been captivated by the prosperity of the rice paddies, where each grain is plump and heavy, as if a single grain could yield half a catty - nothing else looks this good.

  Du Ru Hui thought of pulling them out several times to see why these grains were bigger than ordinary ones, but in order not to waste the seeds, she could only endure it and watch all day without touching.

  Li Er didn't have time to come over, but he often received secret letters, and his heart was itching with impatience. To be on the safe side, he had already added sixteen guards to keep a close watch on the rice paddies in Kyoto. Except for the dozen or so people who were specifically responsible for taking care of the rice paddies on the estate, no one else was allowed to approach.