Rebirth of the Duke's Daughter and the Little Imperial Uncle

Chapter 66 Cheng Ying's Dejected Mood

Time flies, and two days have passed in the blink of an eye. Today is He Mingwen's wedding day. That morning, the sun shone brightly, a gentle breeze caressed the face, and the air was filled with a festive atmosphere. Liu Xiaoyu, dressed in a magnificent bright red wedding gown, stood quietly in the bedroom, excitedly awaiting He Mingwen's arrival. Not long after, He Mingwen arrived outside the mansion on a tall horse. He was handsome, dashing, and debonair, a sight to behold.

The entire wedding ceremony was meticulously arranged by the Ministry of Rites according to the most basic standards for a prince, with each step solemn and grand. Liu Xiaoyu was quickly helped into the bridal sedan chair, and accompanied by cheerful suona music, she was slowly carried away from the Liu residence and headed towards the prince's residence. Sitting in the sedan chair, Liu Xiaoyu was filled with joy and anticipation. She thought to herself, "Now that I'm a prince's consort, what does it matter how high Qin Yaoyao's seniority is? At least now she has to bow and greet me. I've finally trampled her underfoot!" Thinking of this, Liu Xiaoyu couldn't help but smile triumphantly.

The bridal sedan chair arrived at the prince's residence quickly, where a large number of guests had already gathered, creating a lively atmosphere. After He Mingwen and Liu Xiaoyu swiftly completed the wedding ceremony, Liu Xiaoyu was led into the bridal chamber to wait. He Mingwen, on the other hand, stayed outside to warmly entertain the guests who had come to offer their congratulations.

Everyone toasted and congratulated He Mingwen, creating a lively atmosphere. At this moment, Cheng Ying stepped out from the crowd, intending to chat with He Mingfeng. However, as she reached the door, she was surprised to find He Mingfeng standing with the beautiful woman she had met before. The two were chatting happily; the woman seemed to have said something amusing, which made He Mingfeng laugh heartily, gently stroking her hair. The woman's smile was as radiant as spring flowers, beautiful and captivating, like a magnificent painting.

Cheng Ying was conflicted, unsure whether she should approach He Mingfeng, but ultimately lacked the courage. She chose to run away, afraid of the unknown consequences. Noticing her daughter's distress, Cheng's mother decided to take her away early. After He Mingfeng finished chatting with his cousin Ning Xiaoran, he began searching for Cheng Ying. However, when he encountered Qin Yaoyao and He Yanxi, he asked Qin Yaoyao if she had seen Cheng Ying, but Qin Yaoyao told him that Cheng Ying had visited him recently. He Mingfeng found this strange, as he knew nothing about it. Qin Yaoyao also felt something was amiss and said she would ask her mother. After a while, she returned and told He Mingfeng that Cheng Ying had left early.

Upon hearing this, He Mingfeng left dejectedly, thinking to himself, "Has Aying still not fallen in love with me? Well, there are so many outstanding people around her, how could she like someone like me who is useless and only likes money!" He Yanxi and Qin Yaoyao exchanged a glance and also left.

As night fell, the guests gradually departed. Inside, Liu Xiaoyu was almost asleep when she vaguely heard a noise outside, instantly waking her. Just then, the door opened, and He Mingwen swayed in, abruptly pulling back the veil. He Mingwen grabbed Liu Xiaoyu's chin and said, "You ruined my plans!" With that, he pinned her down and began to vent his lust. Soon, the room was filled with Liu Xiaoyu's pleas for mercy and her sobs.

After leaving, Cheng Ying returned to the mansion with her mother. Once inside, she locked herself in her room and lay on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. No matter who knocked, she wouldn't open the door, much to the worry of her mother, father, and brothers. "Ying'er, what's wrong? Don't scare your mother!" her mother cried anxiously, her voice filled with concern and unease. However, the room remained silent, save for the faint sound of sobbing.

"Ying'er, tell your mother what's wrong. Don't keep it to yourself. I know you're sad, but if you keep isolating yourself, it will harm your health," Cheng's mother said with heartache, her eyes full of worry.

Hearing her mother's concerned words, Cheng Ying forced back her tears and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Mom, I'm really fine, I'm just a little tired and want to rest for a while. You should go back first, don't worry about me."

Although Cheng Ying tried hard to hide her inner pain, her mother could still sense her sorrow. Anxious and worried, she knocked on the door repeatedly, wanting to enter and comfort her daughter. However, no matter how they pleaded, Cheng Ying refused to open the door. Finally, left with no other option, Cheng's mother and the others silently departed.

After her mother left, Cheng Ying could no longer suppress her grief, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. She clutched the blanket tightly, buried her head in it, and sobbed softly.

"Is this how it ends for us?" Cheng Ying murmured to herself, her heart filled with endless pain. She recalled the time she had spent with He Mingfeng, those beautiful memories now becoming the heaviest burden in her heart.

“He Mingfeng, I finally understood my feelings for you, but why are you no longer by my side? You once said you would wait for me, wait for me to figure out my own feelings, but when I finally realized it, you chose to leave…” Cheng Ying cried, her tears soaking the quilt.

“He Mingfeng, you big liar! Why didn’t you wait for me a little longer? I was ready, willing to face all the storms of the future with you. If you give me another chance, I will cherish it and never let you go again. He Mingfeng, He Mingfeng…”

Cheng Ying didn't know how long she cried until she was completely exhausted and gradually drifted off to sleep. In her dream, she seemed to have returned to that familiar place, where He Mingfeng gently embraced her, softly telling her of his longing and love for her. But when she tried to reach out and touch him, she found that everything was so unattainable, beautiful yet unreal.

Mother Cheng led her family into the living room, sat on the sofa, and sighed deeply, a look of worry and helplessness on her face. Hearing his mother sigh, her third brother, Cheng Ang, asked with concern, "Mother, why are you sighing for no reason? What's wrong with my sister? Why does she look so unhappy?" Mother Cheng frowned and slowly said, "I don't know the specifics. But at the banquet, she seemed very emotional and told me she wanted to go home. I initially thought she might be feeling unwell, but judging from her current appearance, it doesn't seem like that's the case."

Second brother Cheng Xuan picked up the conversation, guessing, "Could something have happened at the banquet that made my sister unhappy? Otherwise, she wouldn't suddenly become like this, would she?" Eldest brother Cheng Yu pondered for a moment before offering his opinion: "In my opinion, this matter should be related to the Fifth Prince." Father Cheng anxiously interrupted their conversation, saying, "Let's not speculate wildly here. Xiao Cui has been following her all day; she must know what happened. Why don't we call Xiao Cui over and ask her?" Mother Cheng nodded in agreement and immediately ordered someone to bring Xiao Cui over. Xiao Cui entered the living room, first bowing to everyone, then standing aside awaiting instructions. Mother Cheng asked with concern, "How is Ying'er?" Xiao Cui replied, "Miss just had a good cry and is asleep now." Hearing Xiao Cui's words, Mother Cheng frowned, murmuring thoughtfully, "The Fifth Prince..." She turned to look at Xiao Cui, her eyes filled with concern, and softly asked, "Xiao Cui, what exactly happened today? Why is Ying'er suddenly so sad and upset? Did something happen at the banquet?"

Xiao Cui looked at Madam Cheng, nodded slightly, and replied in a heavy tone, "Yes, Madam. It is because of the Fifth Prince that Miss has become like this." Upon hearing this, Cheng Ang was immediately enraged. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, shouting, "What! The Fifth Prince dares to bully my sister! I'll go and confront him!" As he spoke, he was about to get up from his seat, but Cheng Xuan stopped him.

Cheng Xuan anxiously advised, "Don't act impulsively! We should understand the situation clearly before making a decision." Cheng's mother also quickly agreed, signaling Cheng Ang to calm down, and asked Xiao Cui to continue recounting what had happened.

Xiao Cui took a deep breath and slowly said, "After leaving the banquet, Miss originally intended to speak with the Fifth Prince. However, when she reached the door, she unexpectedly found the Fifth Prince standing side by side with a strange woman, the two chatting and laughing intimately. Miss witnessed this scene and was heartbroken, silently turning away. You should already know what happened afterward, Madam." After speaking, Xiao Cui lowered her head, her eyes slightly red, seemingly also feeling indignant for her mistress.

Mother Cheng nodded slightly in understanding, then said gently to Xiao Cui, "Okay, Xiao Cui, thank you for telling me all this. You should go back and take good care of Ying'er." Xiao Cui responded and then turned to leave, leaving Mother Cheng and the others lost in thought.

Cheng Ang frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It is indeed related to the Fifth Prince." His tone carried a hint of certainty.

Cheng Xuan then asked, "So, is it because of the Fifth Prince that my little sister is crying like this?" His voice revealed his concern.

Cheng Yu nodded in agreement, saying, "My little sister likes the Fifth Prince, so she can't stand seeing him being intimate with others." A hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

Looking at her eldest son, Cheng's mother asked in surprise, "You know about this?" Her expression was full of doubt.

Cheng Yu looked at his mother and nodded gently, indicating his acknowledgment.

Cheng's mother pressed on, asking, "When did you find out?" Her tone was filled with curiosity.

Cheng Yu replied, "I knew from the moment she asked me to let the Fifth Prince into the military camp. When have you ever seen my little sister beg us for anyone else?" His words revealed his understanding of his sister.

Everyone nodded in agreement. They realized that Cheng Yu was right; their younger sister never asked for favors easily, but this time she spoke up for the Fifth Prince, clearly because she had special feelings for him.

Cheng Yu turned to look at his mother and asked, "When did you find out, Mother?" He wanted to know about his mother's situation.

Mother Cheng replied, "I knew earlier than you. I sensed it when she returned from the other residence last month. She was in a very low mood at the time, and I guessed it might be related to the Fifth Prince." A look of worry appeared on her face.

Cheng Ang asked anxiously, "Then what should we do? Should we just let my little sister continue like this?" He was worried that his little sister's mood would not improve.

Madam Cheng sighed and said helplessly, "I know Ying'er needs time to figure out her own feelings, but I didn't expect it to take her so long. Now that the Fifth Prince has someone else by his side, we can't just ruin things for them!" Father Cheng frowned and said, "Wouldn't doing that make the Fifth Prince dislike Ying'er even more?"

Cheng Ang paced anxiously, "What about my little sister? Are we just going to let her stay so depressed?"

Cheng's mother sighed, "Well, there's nothing anyone can do about this. We can only wait for her to figure it out herself."

The family sat together, each with a worried expression.

Cheng Ying's sister-in-law suddenly had a bright idea: "That's right, I remember Yao Yao and Xiao Mei are very close. Why don't we invite Yao Yao over to keep Xiao Mei company? The two girls can have a heart-to-heart talk, and maybe Xiao Mei will be able to think things through a bit."

Second Sister-in-law chimed in, "Yes, that's a good idea. Yao Yao is a clever and resourceful girl with lots of ideas; maybe she really has a way to cheer up our little sister."

Mr. and Mrs. Cheng exchanged a glance and thought the suggestion was feasible, so they decided to send someone to invite Qin Yaoyao.

The next morning, Qin Yaoyao was hurriedly woken up by a servant before she was fully awake. It turned out that someone from the Cheng family had come, saying that Madam Cheng wanted to discuss something with her. Qin Yaoyao didn't dare to delay, so she quickly got up, washed, and followed the person to the front hall.

Upon entering the front hall, Qin Yaoyao saw Cheng's mother sitting there, looking somewhat anxious. She quickly stepped forward to greet her and inquired what had happened.

Cheng's mother took Qin Yaoyao's hand and told her about Cheng Ying's situation, asking her to go see Cheng Ying, talk to her, and comfort her.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yaoyao immediately agreed, saying she would go as soon as possible. Then, she and Cheng's mother boarded a carriage and headed towards the General's Mansion. Along the way, Qin Yaoyao secretly pondered how to help Cheng Ying emerge from her gloom and regain her former vitality. Qin Yaoyao arrived at Cheng Ying's room and gently knocked on the door: "Sister Ying, are you in there? It's me, Yaoyao, please open the door." Hearing Qin Yaoyao's voice, Cheng Ying got up and opened the door. Qin Yaoyao entered the room and immediately saw Cheng Ying sitting on the bed, covered with a thin blanket. She sat down beside the bed and gently lifted the blanket, only to see Cheng Ying tightly hugging her legs, burying her head deeply between her knees.