Many people had secretly guessed which family’s daughter would be lucky enough to be second prince’s wife, but some people speculated differently. Yang family had produced one Empress and one Empress Dowager. Would they produce another future Empress?
There was no girl of the right age in the Yang family. But Yang family’s eldest daughter, who was also Empress Yang’s elder sister, had a daughter named Dou Xiyin, whose age was just suitable with the second prince. However, some people had a different opinion. Yang family had already had two empresses in succession. No matter how soft the Emperor’s temper was, he would never let another Yang family woman be the second prince’s main wife. Therefore, under such an analysist, other women had a higher winning rate.
There was no shortage of high officials and noble clans in the capital, and there was definitely no lack of ambitious people. Many people had been educating their daughters since childhood, trying to be contrarian and harboring the ambition to replace Yang family as the next imperial father-in-law.
However, no matter what those opportunists thought, Yang family certainly preferred their own niece to outsiders. Moreover, Dou Xiyin and the second prince were maternal cousins, and the girl was often summoned to the palace by Empress Yang and Empress Dowager Yang. She had plenty of opportunities to get along with the second prince, and her starting point was obviously much higher than other candidates.
Dou Xiyin was extremely proud of this fact. Every time she attended any social events, she always flaunted her close relationship with the second prince. The young misses who secretly competed with Dou Xiyin were all fuming inside, but there was nothing they could do.
Now, whether it was Dou Xiyin or other ambitious young misses, all had found their plan torn into nothing. The Crown Prince, whom everyone assumed to be dead, returned after so many years, and even the position of his Crown Princess also fell onto Cheng Yujin. Cheng Yujin could guess how many precious porcelains in the capital were smashed into pieces following the announcement of her engagement with Li Chengjing.
Of course Cheng Yujin knew Dou Xiyin. The capital was big, but no one didn’t know about the Yang family’s niece. However, Cheng Yujin and Dou Xiyin were not familiar with each other. Every time Dou Xiyin went out, she was always the center of attention. Her circle was full of daughters of so-called high-ranking and famous families, each with a strong sense of superiority.
Cheng Yujin was never the one who worked for nothing. Since she never thought that she would have any intersection with Dou Xiyin, she naturally never bothered to waste energy to integrate into their circle. But now, she had become the quasi crown princess, which happened to block Dou Xiyin’s way. In the future, she and Dou Xiyin’s circle would surely have many frictions.
However, to say it bluntly, Dou Xiyin was just a tool. Dou Xiyin, daughter of an ordinary third-rank military officer, dared to act so arrogantly was because of the powerful Yang family towering behind her. In the end, Dou Xiyin was just an extra, and Cheng Yujin’s true opponents were Empress Dowager Yang and Empress Yang.
A future stepmother-in-law suspected of killing her mother-in-law, and a powerful stepgrandmother-in-law who supported the said stepmother-in-law. Cheng Yujin sighed in silence. It seemed that after marriage, she would have a long way to go.
But every trade had its own loss and gain. At this point, even if Cheng Yujin were allowed to trade the Crown Princess position with a relaxed and easy marriage, she wouldn’t do it. Every family had its difficulty. Just because a household was small and insignificant didn’t mean that the in-laws would be easy to serve. Since the situation would be the same everywhere, it was better to take the high-risk, high-return one. Plan carefully, and strive to win the immeasurable power and benefits. In Cheng Yujin’s opinion, this transaction was worth it.
Moreover, Li Chengjing returned directly as Cheng Yuanjing. He didn’t conceal his former identity, and as a result, the Cheng family was firmly tied to the Crown Prince’s faction regardless of whether they liked it or not. If the Crown Prince won in the end, they would be okay, but if the Crown Prince lost, what awaiting Cheng family was the annihilation of the whole clan. Instead of pinning her hopes on others, Cheng Yujin preferred to go to the battlefield herself.
Cheng Yujin suddenly was full of fighting spirit, which wiped out the sluggishness from her body. Since she was very young, she had always maintained a detailed plan for her future. She would make her name at the age of twelve and became the role model of her peers at fourteen. By relying on her fame, she would marry a rich and powerful husband, which gave her a leap for the second half of her life. After that, she would become a model daughter-in-law and then a model matriarch. Every step and every stage was well-planned and well-rehearsed, like a fabricated perfect illusion.
Before Huo Changyuan canceled their engagement, Cheng Yujin’s progress was very much in line with her life plan. Afterward, although there were some small errors in the middle, she made proper adjustments and changed her target into another potential candidate. Who ever thought that she would suddenly become the Crown Princess? This accomplishment clearly overdid even her greatest ambition.
Cheng Yujin didn’t have the slightest rejection of her new identity. On the contrary, she couldn’t wait to start her life as the Crown Princess. Lian Qiao and Du Ruo were standing on the side, seeing their Miss’ change from a total daze into sudden vigor. They were taken aback and tentatively asked: “Miss, what’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing, I’m fine.” Cheng Yujin stood up. “I never took a stroll in this house. I want to take a look.”
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