Chapter 209: Jun Jun Yiyi Leaves Her Home

With only one day left before her wedding, Jun Jun Yiyi did not wish to stir up trouble at this juncture; she only wanted to smoothly marry into Prince Yi Wang Fu. As long as she bore Prince Yi's child, the position of principal wife of Prince Yi Wang Fu would sooner or later be hers; she would deal with these people slowly.

The neighboring Jun residence had lost a son, and even the New Year passed in silence.

On the fifth day, Jun Jun Zijin and He Ling'er emerged from the laboratory. Having just finished lunch, Fei Ying's face was red from holding back his laughter; he spoke mysteriously, saying that the Second Imperial Prince, Quan Quan Qiming, had sent New Year gifts to the Jun residence, and the gifts were quite bizarre.

Jun Jun Zijin understood; after all, it was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. Even if Quan Quan Qiming was unwilling, he could not let the matter become too embarrassing on the surface.

He Ling'er pulled Jun Jun Zijin out to watch the spectacle, wondering exactly what was so bizarre that it made Fei Ying laugh like that.

As soon as the Second Imperial Prince's New Year gifts arrived, Jun Jun Zhidie and her husband, Xiang Xiang Junzheng, were overjoyed.

This was the first time gifts had been carried to the door since Jun Jun Zhidie and the Second Imperial Prince became engaged.

The two cheap girls next door, even Jun Jun Yiyi, had received betrothal gifts from their future husbands; let alone Jun Jun Zijin, who had received gifts until her hands went soft.

Finally, it was her daughter Jun Zhidie's turn to receive gifts; how could she not be happy?

Li Shi wrapped a new headscarf, dressed Jun Jun Zhidie up, and the three of them went out to welcome the guests at the main gate of the Jun residence.

Qingyu had lost her child and her health had not been good since; she was now standing under the corridor, gazing out.

The sun shone warmly on the front of the Jun residence as Li Shi raised her voice and shouted:

"Our Jun Zhidie is truly promising; look, the Second Imperial Prince has sent New Year gifts. Look at the neighbors; the eldest daughter is getting married tomorrow, yet there is no excitement. Tsk tsk tsk, indeed, a concubine-born daughter is just a concubine-born daughter; how can she compare to my Jun Zhidie?"

Qingyu rolled her eyes; yesterday, the palace had sent rewards to Lady Lady Qingping, and who was it that had hidden in the courtyard cursing all day?

As soon as Li Shi raised her loud voice, the neighbors all knew and came out one after another to watch the spectacle.

The front of the Jun residence, originally quiet, instantly became lively.

In a short while, the gift-bearing procession arrived. Seeing that the masters had come out to welcome them at the gate, the Eunuch simply began chanting the gift list at the entrance:

"One hundred taels of silver, two chickens, two ducks, two fish, twenty jin of pork, one pig head, one pig trotter, two jin of sand sugar, two jin of white wine."

Little did they know, after the Eunuch had chanted only two items, his voice, which had originally been so high-pitched it could pierce the clouds, seemed to have its throat strangled, growing quieter and quieter; his face also flushed red, like an overripe tomato about to burst.

As soon as the gift list was chanted, the Eunuch acted as if he were holding not a list but a red-hot iron; he quickly extended his hand to pass the list to Xiang Xiang Junzheng, who stood stunned in place, and said in a bad mood:

"My Lord Jun, catch it!"

Li Shi and Jun Jun Zhidie stood aside, their eyes wide as saucers, looking at each other, their expressions as if to say:

"What is all this? Is this treating us like beggars?"

Xiang Xiang Junzheng felt as if his brain were blocked by a lump of paste; it took him a long time to find his voice before he asked dully:

"Is that all?"

The Eunuch glared:

"What does My Lord Jun mean? Are the New Year gifts from Qiwangdian not in accordance with propriety?"

Jun Jun Zijin and He Ling'er simply could not hold back; with a "pfft," they burst out laughing. Bizarre, truly damn bizarre.

For an ordinary commoner family, such New Year gifts would absolutely be considered generous and in accordance with propriety.

But for the royal family, such gifts were so shabby it was indescribable.

The surrounding crowd was also stunned by the gift list and began to murmur quietly.

"How are the royal gifts even shabbier than the gifts commoners give when visiting relatives during the New Year?"

A sugar-coated hawthorn vendor, nearly dropping his skewers from the shock, said with a face full of confusion.

A woman holding a child nearby quickly chimed in:

"That's right; I thought the royal family would send mountains of gold and silver, but it's just this?"

A young man couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"Haha, if my family received such gifts, I would be too ashamed to accept them."

An elderly man in the crowd stroked his beard and said meaningfully:

"There must be some trickery behind this; royal matters are not something we can see through."

Everyone spoke one after another, their eyes full of curiosity and confusion, all guessing what secret lay behind these seemingly simple New Year gifts.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng wished he could find a hole to crawl into, but how dared he say another word? Although his heart was full of doubt and displeasure, he quickly accepted the gift list and asked cautiously:

"Eunuch, were these gifts prepared by Qiwangdian?"

Upon hearing this, the Eunuch nearly rolled his eyes to the sky and said in a bad mood, "Qiwangdian does not have the time for this; the New Year gifts were prepared by Consort De."

What a terrible task; he secretly groaned in his heart. This time, he would most likely receive no red envelope; even chanting the gift list had made him lose face, so how could he expect a good expression?

After the Eunuch finished speaking, he did not wait for a red envelope but turned and left.

Upon hearing that the gifts were prepared by Consort De, Xiang Xiang Junzheng's family of three was even more shocked and at a loss.

Jun Jun Zhidie looked unwilling and muttered:

"What is the logic? Do I not deserve better New Year gifts?"

She had originally thought with great joy that Qiwangdian would send her gold, silver, jewelry, brocade, and clothing, but she never expected these things; she felt these items had made her lose all face.

She no longer wanted to stay there; she glared fiercely at the onlookers, then turned and entered the courtyard.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng's family of three had rejoiced in vain, but thinking that the neighbors were marrying off their daughter tomorrow yet remained as quiet and serene as ever, no better off than them, their hearts found balance.

On the sixth day of the New Year, as the sky only just turned fish-belly white, the capital of Emperor Tianqi Kingdom was still immersed in the lazy atmosphere of the New Year, with debris from the firecrackers set off by children the night before scattered in the streets and alleys.

It should have been a lively and joyous day, yet the front of the Jun Fu exuded a coldness that clashed with this festive season.

Today was the day the eldest daughter of the Jun Fu, the Right Prime Minister of Emperor Tianqi Kingdom, was to leave her home for marriage.

In the past, when other girls married, the scene could be described as infinitely glorious.

Ten li of red dowry stretched from the street to the end of the alley, shimmering with light and color; gold and silver ornaments sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight, and bolts of silk and cloth extended like clouds.

But what of the eldest daughter of the Jun Fu? Looking around, there was not even a decent wedding procession.

According to custom, during the wedding procession, drums and music would thunder, suonas would play loudly, and the cheerful melody would pierce the clouds, announcing this joy to the world.

But at this moment, the front of the Jun Fu was deathly silent, with only the occasional sound of the door curtain fluttering in the wind.

The servants of the Jun Fu had lost their usual sharpness; one by one, they hung their heads and busied themselves in silence.

Some were moving dowry so simple it bordered on shabby: a few trunks, piled carelessly at the doorway.

Before leaving, Jun Jun Yiyi kowtowed three times before the Old Lady and Xiang Xiang Junzheng, saying only:

"Jun Yiyi bids farewell to Grandmother, bids farewell to Father."

The Old Lady and Xiang Xiang Junzheng spoke with indifferent, lukewarm words:

"Go."