Chapter 84

On the day of the triplets’ full-month banquet, the Changle Marquis Mansion was bustling with extraordinary noise and excitement. The entrance of the mansion was tightly packed with horse carriages that were either magnificent or understatedly luxurious.

Cheng Ruyi had casually pinned her beautiful hair up, inserting a jade hairpin askew, and paired it with a peach-pink gold-embroidered skirt set. It was simple, elegant, yet dignified.

The rules of the Changle Marquis Mansion had always been rather casual and freewheeling. Prince Rong knew Cheng Ruyi’s temperament and would not constrain her, let alone Rong Mo, who completely doted on her. Thus, Cheng Ruyi did not display even a shred of the restraint expected of a married woman; she remained as unrestrained and high-spirited as always.

The triplets’ full-month banquet was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but the moment she thought about so many people coming to eat her out of house and home—and not even coming for the sake of her babies—Cheng Ruyi couldn’t bring herself to be happy.

“Moxiang, I went to the mountain range yesterday and hunted some wild game. Instruct the main kitchen to make all the dishes today out of meat—fresh meat…”

Didn’t they want to eat a free meal?

She would let them eat their fill. On such a hot day, everywhere one looked would be meat, meat, meat… the entire courtyard would be overflowing with the greasy aroma of flesh. Let’s see if they still have any appetite to eat then, hmph!

In any case, she could personally finish whatever leftovers they couldn’t manage. It would successfully disgust this crowd of freeloading officials while ensuring no food went to waste—killing two birds with one stone! Cheng Ruyi gave herself a thumbs-up for her own cleverness.

Moxiang’s lips twitched. “…Please rest assured, Miss. This servant long ago instructed the chefs in the kitchen that all the dishes served today must be piping hot, heavy fish and meat dishes.”

Her lady’s method was truly quite wicked. Clearly, the vegetables in the mansion were growing exceptionally well, just like chives that could be harvested batch after batch. On such a sweltering day, everyone’s appetite was generally poor, so people usually prepared appetizing small dishes, cold salads, and the like. Yet her lady chose to do the exact opposite, treating the ministers who came to attend the young masters’ full-month banquet with massive portions of heavy fish and meat.

It appeared these people had truly infuriated her lady.

“Well done!” Cheng Ruyi cast an appreciative glance at Moxiang. She could already imagine the unsightly expressions on the ministers’ faces when they saw basins upon basins of meat served up, and she couldn’t help but smile triumphantly.

When Rong Susu, who was responsible for hosting the female guests inside the mansion, learned of her daughter’s ‘revenge,’ her forehead was covered in black lines. Finally, under the hopeful gaze of the head steward, she waved her hand grandly.

“My daughter’s meaning is my meaning!”

In her heart, however, she was thoroughly amused. Her daughter was truly too sharp. Only then did the steward withdraw with peace of mind. To the steward, the ministers and their families who came to attend the young masters’ full-month banquet were all people whose true intentions lay elsewhere, so there was no need to be polite to them. Treating them to heavy fish and meat during such a year of natural disaster was already a VIP-level reception. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it!

Rong Mo, the Changle Marquis, and the others all quickly learned of Cheng Ruyi’s petty calculation. Rong Mo lost his smile, his face full of indulgence, while the Changle Marquis burst into loud laughter.

His daughter did well; his daughter did fantastic! How had he not thought of such an excellent method himself?

A tremendous number of people came to attend the triplets’ full-month banquet this time, each possessing an esteemed status, bringing civil officials and military generals together in one hall. With more people came more noise. The families of those ministers were all hosted by Rong Susu, leaving the rest to the Changle Marquis, Prince Rong, and Rong Mo. Rong Ting and Luo Fei also helped greet the arrivals.

When Cheng Ruyi brought out the highly anticipated triplets to make their appearance, everyone’s attention was instantly captured by the three fair and plump babies. Only the gazes of the unmarried noble ladies lingered upon Cheng Ruyi, containing a faint trace of jealousy amidst their envy.

Cheng Ruyi was already stunningly beautiful, and after giving birth, she had added a few hints of enchanting charm, thoroughly overshadowing the female guests present. Even a few women who took pride in their own beauty could only sigh in self-deprecation.

Wang Ying lowered her voice beside her to tease, “Cousin, you are about to become the public enemy of all the noble ladies.”

Cheng Ruyi glanced at those eyes that harbored underlying hostility, replying with complete indifference, “What public enemy? What do the thoughts of other people have to do with me?”

“They truly have nothing better to do. You envy me, I envy you—what kind of meaning is there in living a life like that?”

Wang Ying smiled. Not knowing what she had recalled, she said wistfully, “Indeed, there’s no meaning in it. It’s just that when someone is unfortunate or not happy enough themselves, seeing others happy and joyful will always breed jealousy. Jealousy is a demon; it always drives people to do things that are irreversible or cause lifelong regret.”

Only a simple-minded person like her cousin could be this happy. Back when she chose the Heir Rong Mo, he had been someone living under someone else’s roof with paralyzed legs, and everyone was waiting to watch her cousin become a laughingstock. Who could have imagined he would possess such a prominent background? Those who envied her cousin now had never reflected on how they once mocked her choice; they only saw that her cousin married well and was pampered in the palm of her husband’s hand, causing jealousy to grow in their hearts. Some even thought about ruining her happiness.

Cheng Ruyi nodded in agreement with her cousin-in-law’s lament. Watching the noble ladies scramble to stuff gifts onto the triplets—all kinds of longevity locks engraved with auspicious phrases, bracelets… and most importantly, they were all gold, gold! Cheng Ruyi’s eyes literally flashed with the symbols for gold.

Her depressed mood was instantly wiped clean, turning bright and sunny, as she enthusiastically joined the ranks of praising her own babies.

“My babies are the easiest to take care of!”

“My babies are the best; they never throw tantrums!”

“My babies have grown so well…”

“My babies are the smartest…”

“My babies…”

The noble ladies were utterly bewildered: “…” Their minds were entirely filled with Cheng Ruyi’s “my babies this, my babies that…” They had never seen someone so un-modest who openly praised their own children to such an extent. Was it really alright to play cards so completely against the rules?

Rong Susu watched her daughter endlessly praise the little grandchildren, her brows and eyes completely crinkled with amusement.

While Cheng Ruyi was busy highly praising the babies on her side, on the other end, Rong Mo, the Changle Marquis, and the others were looking speechlessly at a crowd of high-ranking, powerful ministers and imperial clan members who were currently touring the fruit trees in the mansion. The trees were heavy with fruit, and the fragrance was intoxicating, causing everyone to salivate.

“Changle Marquis, the grapes in your mansion are quite excellent. Send a basket to my residence when I leave later. Now that I’ve grown old, this is my only remaining fondness…” The Left Prime Minister, that old fox, stared directly at the large, dark grapes in the vineyard, his face full of wistful emotion.

“No way! I want to save them for my grandchildren to eat!” The Changle Marquis was furious. This old fellow, the Left Prime Minister, actually wanted to eat and take it with him? No chance.

Left Prime Minister: “…”

At this moment, the Marquis of Jian’an walked over with his hands behind his back, delivering a sharp lecture to the Changle Marquis the moment he arrived: “Cheng Zeyuan, where are your manners? It’s just a few grapes, it’s not like it’s some rare commodity.”

The Changle Marquis sneered. “Since it isn’t your property, you don’t feel the heartache! Cheng Zejing, don’t use the things in my mansion to do favors for others. When I say I won’t give them, I won’t give them!”

The Left Prime Minister, that old fox, smiled as he watched the two brothers face off.

“These grapes look as though they share a predestined bond with me. As people grow old, they always like to reminisce about the events of their youth. The Princess and I formed our bond precisely over a string of grapes. Changle Marquis, give me a basket of grapes when I leave later. My Princess loves eating this kind of large, dark grape the most. Every year, I have people deliver a basket of fresh grapes to the Princess. Originally, I thought I wouldn’t be able to eat them this year, but it seems Heaven has not treated me poorly…” An old Prince from the royal clan put on a performance of a man deeply devoted to his elderly spouse.

Everyone: “…”

They had initially thought the Left Prime Minister was shameless, but they hadn’t expected this old Prince to be even more shameless. Forming a bond over a string of grapes… truly shameless. Anyone present with a bit of age knew that this old Prince had been incredibly promiscuous in his youth, disliking the properly wedded old Princess and humiliating her for the sake of a courtesan. The Left Prime Minister thoroughly admitted defeat before the old Prince.

The corners of Rong Mo’s mouth twitched repeatedly. Was it truly necessary? To invent so many excuses just for a bit of fruit, especially this old Prince with an extremely high generation ranking in the clan—claiming that the grapes shared a bond with him… he was simply the definition of shamelessness.

With the old Prince acting as a representative, the remaining heavy ministers, Marquises, and Princes all spoke up to demand grapes, using a myriad of bizarre excuses.

The Changle Marquis was enraged. A bunch of shameless old bastards, all wanting to take advantage of him. But remembering his daughter’s ‘revenge,’ he couldn’t help but chuckle secretly.

When the crowd saw the Changle Marquis’s shifting expressions end in a secret chuckle, their hearts skipped a beat. This reckless Changle Marquis wouldn’t be plotting some kind of trick, would he?

These heavy ministers of the court exchanged looks, then glanced at the clusters of dark grapes hanging heavily from the branches all over the courtyard. With a unified mind, they directly reached out to pluck a cluster to taste. These grapes were exceptionally clean and could be eaten without even being washed. Even if the Changle Marquis was stingy and refused to give them away, they wouldn’t feel any regret if they ate them now.

Sure enough, they were delicious and juicy, filling the mouth with the sweet, aromatic flavor of grapes. They tasted even better than tribute grapes. Just like the honey peaches, after eating them, one felt completely relaxed and refreshed. An old Prince whose health wasn’t very good felt his entire being become energized after eating the grapes. His eyes blazed with light as he stared at the vineyard, wishing he could pluck them all and move them back to his residence.

Good stuff, it was all good stuff!

“Delicious, simply too delicious. Having lived to this age, this old man has never eaten such delicious grapes…” An elderly Marquis squinted his eyes as he ate, his face full of enjoyment.

These shameless ministers actually dared to directly pluck and eat the grapes… The Changle Marquis’s face turned thoroughly black. “You bastards, stop right now!” After speaking, he immediately stepped forward to stop them, but who knew these old fellows would be so slippery? They ordered their servants to block the Changle Marquis.

The Changle Marquis jumped in anger. Watching the clusters of grapes rapidly diminish, his eyes turned red. “Robbers, robbers… a bunch of robbers!”

Not a single person paid attention to the furious Changle Marquis; it was better to just eat the grapes. These grapes were clean and delicious; whoever stopped would be a fool. Not only did they not stop, but they quickly plucked several more clusters.

Rong Mo watched this group of people continuously stuffing grapes into their mouths without even spitting out the skins, the corners of his eyes twitching. Anyone who didn’t know better would think this was a pack of refugees who had been starving for several months. Where was their dignity? Had it all been eaten?

Luo Fei was utterly dumbfounded: “…”

“The Emperor arrives!”

A sharp voice echoed out, and those who were plucking grapes with great fluidness couldn’t help but display expressions of regret. The Emperor had arrived at a truly inopportune moment. These people each cradled several clusters of grapes as they went to greet the palanquin.

Looking at the section of the vineyard that had been emptied out, the Changle Marquis felt immense heartache. Both he and Susu loved eating these grapes; to lose so many all at once, how could he not feel distressed? “Abominable, a bunch of old bastards!” If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t resort to violence, he would have thrashed this group of punchable fellows long ago.

When the Emperor saw the grapes cradled in the hands of these ministers, and then saw the Changle Marquis’s gnashing teeth and resentful expression, he couldn’t help but chuckle. The fruits in this Changle Marquis Mansion were truly too alluring. These fruits were indeed delicious; the imperial physicians said that regular consumption could prolong life. The Changle Marquis Mansion was truly a blessed land of feng shui. Even he, the Emperor, envied and felt jealous of the Changle Marquis’s good fortune.

The protagonists of the full-month banquet were the triplets.

The Emperor, clad in his dragon robes, gazed at the triplets lying side by side with their limbs flailing about. With a smile, he ordered someone to read aloud the imperial edict bestowing names. This generation belonged to the ‘Yong’ character ranking.

The Eldest Baby was named Chu Yongyao, the Second Baby was named Chu Yongsi, and the Third Baby was named Chu Yongle, with the title of County Princess Qingcheng bestowed upon her. The Third Baby was a girl, and logically she shouldn’t have been placed in the ‘Yong’ character ranking, but she rode on the coattails of being a triplet, entering the Emperor’s favor and obtaining this unique and extraordinary honor.

The envious gazes directed at Cheng Ruyi by everyone present were close to burning a hole through her, especially from the princes and princesses who had accompanied the Emperor.

Feeling not the slightest bit honored, Cheng Ruyi grumbled in a low voice to Rong Mo, “The Emperor has so many children and grandchildren of his own, yet he still has to snatch away the naming rights of my babies. This is too much.”

Rong Mo nodded in shared sentiment, whispering back in agreement, “Indeed it is too much. Next time we give birth to a few more, we will name them ourselves.”

The Marchioness of Jian’an looked at Rong Susu, who was smiling like a flower and remained stunningly beautiful despite being close to forty years old. Her gaze was incredibly complex; the sister-in-law she used to look down upon was now experiencing boundless glory. She felt rather uncomfortable in her heart.

“Ruyi girl, which one is the eldest?” The Emperor looked at Cheng Ruyi with a smile.

Cheng Ruyi replied with reluctance, “The one on your left is the eldest, his nickname is Eldest Baby.”

Upon hearing this, the Emperor bent down to pick up Eldest Baby. This little fellow didn’t throw a tantrum; his dark, grape-like eyes were exceptionally beautiful. With his tiny face turned toward him, the Emperor felt a sensation that this little guy was looking at him, and laughed, “This little guy has grown so well, one look and you can tell he’s an intelligent one.”

“Naturally, they all take after me.” Cheng Ruyi smiled triumphantly.

Emperor: “…”

At this exact moment, Eldest Baby suddenly unleashed a stream of urine right onto the dragon robes. The Emperor, who was cradling Eldest Baby, froze: “…” The ministers: “…”

Hehe, my Eldest Baby is truly amazing! Cheng Ruyi was overjoyed.

The Emperor caught a glimpse of that girl Cheng Ruyi’s schadenfreude-filled gaze, finding it both funny and annoying. He didn’t grow angry either, directly placing Eldest Baby back down, patting the faces of the remaining two little babies, and left with reluctance to change into civilian clothing before returning.

Once the auspicious hour arrived, the highly anticipated full-month banquet commenced. The Emperor sat in the seat of honor. Naturally, the Emperor’s meal was entirely different from everyone else’s below; it featured a highly reasonable balance of meat and vegetables, appetizing side dishes, cold salads, and post-meal fruit.

As for those ministers and their families who had prepared to eat a free meal, their faces turned entirely green the moment basins upon basins of greasy, heavy fish and meat were carried out. The entire gathering was thoroughly submerged in an ocean of meat fragrance; the tips of their noses, their hair, and even their clothes smelled entirely of roasted flesh.

“…”

Seeing this distinctive treatment, the Emperor felt immensely satisfied, and catching sight of the expressions on those ministers below, his mood became exceedingly pleasant. The Changle Marquis laughed very happily, boisterously and enthusiastically calling out to greet them.

“Everyone, don’t be polite! Eat as much as you can, rest assured, there is plenty to go around!”

That’ll teach you to pluck my grapes, hmph! My daughter is fantastic!

Prince Rong harbored a smile on his lips, observing everyone’s suffocating, unsightly expressions with great interest. His daughter-in-law truly knew how to play.

“Father is right, everyone please don’t be polite. These are all fresh meats—steamed, stir-fried, roasted, braised, boiled… there is bound to be a style that suits your appetite.” Cheng Ruyi’s smile was exceptionally brilliant.

Everyone: “…” Revolting is more like it!

“Are there no vegetables? I prefer eating vegetables!” an elegant noble lady asked with a beaming smile.

“Yes, yes, we all love eating vegetables.” The vegetables of the Changle Marquis Mansion were famously delicious; they had all come for the sake of the fruits and vegetables. Who wanted to eat this heavy, greasy fish and meat?

Cheng Ruyi widened her eyes, putting on an displeased expression, “Which household hosts a celebratory feast without heavy fish and meat? Can a low-class item like vegetables even be served on the table?”

Everyone: “…” Who said vegetables are low-class… drag him out and beat him to death!

“We are currently in a year of natural disaster. The commoners wish to eat meat but can’t, forced to gnaw on dried greens. I imagine everyone’s situation at home isn’t very good either, and you likely can’t manage to eat fresh meat. Therefore, I specially went to the mountain range and hunted some wild game to bring back. Food is expensive nowadays, so everyone must not waste it—try to eat as much as possible.”

“Accumulate blessings for your future generations.”

“Your Majesty, am I correct?” Cheng Ruyi spoke, intentionally dragging the Emperor into the water with her.

The Emperor was a black-bellied individual, nodding with a smile, “Ruyi girl is correct. One must not waste food. Everyone, don’t feel bad for the Changle Marquis—open your mouths and eat grandly, it would be best to eat the Changle Marquis into poverty!”

This girl truly knew how to spin a tale, even pulling out words like accumulating blessings for future generations. There was truly no one like her.

The moment the Emperor’s words left his mouth, everyone’s faces turned green. Who felt bad for the Changle Marquis? They were feeling bad for their own stomachs. The military generals’ expressions were slightly better; they preferred heavy fish and meat, but during this sweltering season, no matter how good their appetites were, they would still grow sick of it.

Cheng Ruyi felt exceptionally vindicated in her heart. Lusting after my fruits, and even lusting after my vegetables. No chance!

By the time the full-month banquet concluded, everyone felt like throwing up at the sight of meat, and a few even covered their mouths to leave the banquet hall on the spot.

When they were departing, Cheng Ruyi and her father, the Changle Marquis, discussed it briefly. To soothe their wounded spirits, upon leaving, each person was gifted exactly one single grape. They were all grapes that had been snatched back from the hands of that crowd of robbers earlier.

Holding a single grape with black faces as they departed, the crowd was driven nearly upside down with rage by the Changle Marquis, who was stingy to the absolute limit—especially those who had plucked the grapes themselves. Yet, they simply couldn’t bring themselves to throw it away.

Cheng Ruyi giggled. Let’s see if they still dare to come to her door to freeload off meals again!

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here