Cheng Yujin stood up: “I never took a stroll in this house. I want to take a look.”
Although Cheng Yujin had been staying in this courtyard for ten days, she almost never went out, let alone wandering around the other parts of the house. This was the Crown Prince’s private residence; what did it have to do with her? She didn’t want to walk outside and accidentally bump into something that she shouldn’t see.
But now Cheng Yujin’s perspective had changed. This was the Crown Prince’s private residence, which would be a part of their future marital property. Of course Cheng Yujin needed to know the general situation of this place.
Seeing Cheng Yujin wanted to go out, Lian Qiao and Du Ruo were startled: “Miss, why do you suddenly want to go out for a stroll? It’s windy outside, and your illness hasn’t yet healed. What if the cold wind aggravates your illness?”
“No, my illness has completely healed.” Although Cheng Yujin’s complexion was still a little pale, her eyes were bright, and the gloom on her face was gone. She looked completely different from the sickly patient a few days ago. Lian Qiao and Du Ruo didn’t know what was going on, but Cheng Yujin wanted to go out, and they could only wrap her with a cloak, a warm jacket, and a hand warmer.
Nothing could stop Cheng Yujin’s enthusiasm for money. Not even illness, let alone just the cold wind. The courtyard’s servants had been serving Cheng Yujin during her recovery from illness. Hearing that she wanted to go out for a stroll, they all racked their brains to guard against every risk. In the end, a group of palace eunuchs in disguise came out with an idea to erect several heavy brocade curtains, creating a barrier to block the wind for Cheng Yujin.
When Cheng Yujin saw it, she was stunned speechless.
These palace eunuchs were truly the professionals among the professionals. Their methods to please their masters were unmatched.
Cheng Yujin walked through the roofed corridor that connected two inner courtyards, silently assessing its value. Lian Qiao saw that their Miss didn’t seem to be taking a simple stroll, but more like touring the house. Although she was puzzled, she slowly felt relieved.
Lian Qiao was originally frightened. She thought that their Miss was irritated and wanted to use the cold wind to soothe her mood, even disregarding the winter’s temperature and her own health. Today’s wind was so strong; it was not good to stay outside for long.
The eunuchs pretending to be servant boys saw that the Crown Princess didn’t seem to be in the mood to admire the garden, so they had no choice but to put down the curtains in regret. Cheng Yujin was still full of energy. After observing the two inner courtyards, she was still not tired. She glanced towards the front yard, hesitating.
The observant little eunuch saw her movement and immediately stepped forward to ask, “Miss, why did you stop?”
Cheng Yujin hadn’t yet been conferred and thus still couldn’t be called Crown Princess. However, these eunuchs were not stupid. The imperial edict had been announced, and this person was the future mistress of the Eastern Palace. If they didn’t take advantage of the chance to please the Crown Prince in advance, wouldn’t they be a fool?
Cheng Yujin asked: “I haven’t seen the front yard yet. Is it alright for me to go?”
“Why not?” The little eunuch answered with a flattering smile, “This whole residence is yours. Miss can go wherever you want.”
Cheng Yujin raised an eyebrow. According to this person, this house had been passed under her name? The next moment, Cheng Yujin got it. She and Li Chengjing were previously uncle and niece in names. It was no problem for her to stay in her uncle’s residence to recuperate, but now she obviously couldn’t.
The separation of gender was very strict. Even engaged couples waiting to get married still had to maintain a proper distance. Now, one of them was the Crown Prince, and the other was a quasi Crown Princess. She and Li Chengjing couldn’t afford any stain on their reputations, so Li Chengjing simply gave the whole residence to her. This way, Cheng Yujin was staying in her own private residence, and others couldn’t point her a fault.
Cheng Yujin really envied this kind of extravagant. A three-entry courtyard1 in a good location in the capital city was given away without a second thought. At the same time, she was being confirmed that the Crown Prince really owned a lot of private properties.
Although Cheng Yujin was smiling, her eyes narrowed slightly.
Now that the eunuch had said so, Cheng Yujin walked towards the front yard without hesitation. There was a strict separation between the front and inner yard, and women generally could only stop at the second gate separating the two areas. But now the entire house was hers, Cheng Yujin no longer needed to worry about such triviality. To be prudent, she didn’t enter the front study or the building where the main bedroom was. She just wandered around the corridor, silently measuring the size of the house.
Oh, of course, she also tried to calculate the price it could be sold for.
This residence was close to the most prosperous main street, a first-class location. In this area, houses were always in short supply. Moreover, this was a luxurious three-entry courtyard. Cheng Yujin silently calculated in her mind when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
At the same time, there were voices of people greetings: “Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince. Long live to Your Highness.”
Cheng Yujin paused her steps and slowly turned around, just in time to collide with the eyes of the incoming man.
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Three-entry courtyard (三进庭院): A type of traditional Chinese residence.
