[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world":3,"chapter-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-209":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Phoenix Returns to Rule the World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2353333,4602,"Chapter 209: Jun Yiyi Leaves the Boudoir","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-209",209,"\u003Cp>With only one day left until her marriage, Jun Yiyi did not want to cause trouble at this juncture; she only wished to successfully marry into the Prince Yi Residence. As long as she conceived Prince Yi’s child, the position of primary consort would be hers sooner or later, and she could slowly deal with these people then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jun residence next door had lost a son, so even the New Year passed in quietude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the fifth day of the New Year, Jun Ziqin and He Linger emerged from the laboratory. Just after finishing lunch, Feiying, who had been holding back laughter until his face turned red, mysteriously said that the Second Imperial Prince, Quan Qiming, had sent New Year’s gifts to the Jun residence, and the gifts were quite bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Ziqin understood; after all, it was a marriage decreed by the Emperor, so no matter how displeased Quan Qiming was, he could not afford to lose too much face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Linger pulled Jun Ziqin out to watch the excitement, wondering just how bizarre the gifts could be to make Feiying laugh like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the Second Imperial Prince’s New Year’s gifts arrived, Jun Zhidie and the couple Jun Zhengyuan were overjoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time gifts had been brought to their door since Jun Zhidie became betrothed to the Second Imperial Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two lowly wenches next door, and even Jun Yiyi, had received betrothal gifts from their future husbands, not to mention Jun Ziqin, who had received so many gifts her hands had grown soft from taking them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, it was her own daughter Zhidie receiving gifts; how could she not be happy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shi wrapped a new headscarf around her head, dressed Jun Zhidie up, and the family of three headed toward the main gate of the Jun residence to welcome them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingyu had suffered a miscarriage and her health had been poor ever since; she stood under the veranda watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun shone warmly in front of the Jun residence, and Li Shi shouted at the top of her lungs:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our Zhidie is truly promising; look, the Second Imperial Prince has sent New Year’s gifts. Look at the neighbors—the eldest girl is getting married tomorrow, and we haven't seen any excitement there. Tsk tsk tsk, it really is true: a concubine-born daughter is just a concubine-born daughter; how could she compare to our Zhidie?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingyu rolled her eyes. Yesterday, when the palace sent rewards to Princess Qingping, who was it that hid in the courtyard and cursed all day long?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Li Shi shouted with that loud voice of hers, the neighbors all knew, and they came out one after another to watch the spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previously quiet front of the Jun residence instantly became lively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the gift-bearing procession arrived. Seeing the hosts waiting at the door, the eunuch simply began to recite the gift list right there at the entrance:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"100 taels of silver, 2 chickens, 2 ducks, 2 fish, 20 catties of pork, one pig’s head, 1 pig’s trotter, 2 catties of granulated sugar, and 2 catties of white liquor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, the eunuch had only recited two items when his voice, which had been high-pitched enough to pierce the clouds, seemed to be throttled; it grew weaker and weaker, and his face turned a deep red, like a ripe tomato about to burst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the list was finished, the eunuch acted as if he were holding a red-hot branding iron rather than a gift list; he hurriedly shoved it into the hands of the stunned Jun Zhengyuan and said crossly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Jun, take it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shi and Jun Zhidie stood to the side, their eyes wide as saucers, looking at each other with expressions that seemed to say:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is all this? Isn't this just sending off a beggar?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhengyuan felt as if his brain were clogged with paste; it took him a long time to find his voice, and he asked blankly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch glared:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What does Master Jun mean by this? Is the Qi Prince’s New Year’s gift not in accordance with etiquette?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Ziqin and He Linger could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Bizarre—it was truly, damnably bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an ordinary commoner family, such New Year’s gifts would definitely be considered generous and in accordance with etiquette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But coming from the royal family, such gifts were so stingy it was beyond words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The surrounding crowd was also stunned by the list and began to whisper among themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How can royal gifts be even stingier than the gifts we commoners give when visiting relatives for the New Year?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man selling candied haws was so shocked he nearly dropped his wares, asking with a face full of confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A woman holding a child nearby quickly chimed in:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. I thought that when the royal family sent gifts, it would at least be mountains of gold and silver. It turns out to be just this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man couldn't help but laugh out loud:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, if my family received gifts like this, I’d be too embarrassed to accept them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An elderly man in the crowd stroked his beard and said meaningfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There might be some trick behind this. Royal matters are not things we can see through.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone spoke one after another, their eyes full of curiosity and confusion, all guessing what kind of secret lay behind these seemingly simple New Year’s gifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhengyuan wished he could find a hole to crawl into, but how could he dare to say a word? Although his heart was full of doubt and displeasure, he hurriedly accepted the list and asked cautiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eunuch, was the gift list prepared by the Qi Prince?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the eunuch rolled his eyes to the heavens and said crossly, \"The Qi Prince doesn't have the time for this; the New Year’s gifts were prepared by Consort De.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of errand was this? He complained to himself. There was a high probability he wouldn't get a red envelope this time, and even reciting the list had made him lose face; how could he possibly give a pleasant look?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the eunuch finished speaking, he didn't wait for a red envelope and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the family of three heard the gifts were prepared by Consort De, they were even more shocked and at a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zhidie looked unwilling and muttered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of logic is this? Do I not deserve better New Year’s gifts?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had been overjoyed, thinking the Qi Prince would send her gold and silver jewelry or silk fabrics, but she never expected these things. She felt these items had caused her to lose all her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't want to stay there any longer; she glared fiercely at the onlookers and turned to enter the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The family of three had experienced a joy that turned to nothing, but thinking that the neighbors were marrying off a daughter tomorrow and it was still deathly quiet there—no better than their own situation—they felt a sense of balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sixth day of the New Year, the horizon was just beginning to turn a pale white. The capital of the Tianqi Kingdom was still immersed in the lazy atmosphere of the New Year, with the remnants of children’s firecrackers from the night before still scattered in the streets and alleys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should have been a lively and joyous day, but the front of the Jun residence exuded a coldness that was completely out of place with the festive season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the day the eldest young lady of the Right Minister’s Jun residence was to be married off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, when other families’ daughters were married, the scene was one of boundless splendor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ten-mile-long red dowry procession would stretch from one end of the street to the other, shimmering with light; gold and silver ornaments would sparkle in the sun, and silk fabrics would stretch out like clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the eldest young lady of the Jun residence? Looking out, there wasn't even a decent wedding procession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to custom, when welcoming the bride, drums and music should be deafening, and the suona should be played loudly, the joyful melody piercing the heavens to announce this happiness to the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this moment, the front of the Jun residence was deathly silent, with only the occasional faint sound of the door curtain being stirred by the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servants of the Jun residence had lost their usual cleverness; they were all hanging their heads, working in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were moving the dowry, which was so simple it was pathetic—just a few chests and baskets piled casually at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before leaving, Jun Yiyi only knelt three times before the Old Madam and Jun Zhengming, saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yiyi bids farewell to Grandmother and Father.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Madam and Jun Zhengming replied in an indifferent, lukewarm tone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1496,"2026-06-21T03:35:40.407Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","8726a21548c15081e20e4ee535357e5d64867ab4c0e4d81a86beaed59c5d11a5","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-210","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-208",224,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-cover.jpg"]