Quick Wear: The Development of a Pure Cannon Fodder

The news of the prince's recovery spread not only in the court and the capital, but the people talked more about Concubine Liu who was accompanying the prince. No one would keep secret what Doctor Li said that day, and soon everyone knew what Concubine Liu had done for the prince.

When the Crown Prince was seriously ill and it was unknown whether he could recover, Concubine Liu disregarded her own safety and went to take care of him without any protection, and even cut flesh and blood for the Crown Prince. This kind of true love is really rare!

When the current queen found out about it, she immediately ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to reward Concubine Liu with a lot of good things. She also publicly praised the children of the Liu family for their excellence, virtue, and noble character. But don't underestimate this praise. The Liu family's legitimate sons and daughters, illegitimate sons and daughters, as well as the sons and daughters who are related to the Liu family, all have their value increased because of this.

The emperor, fully aware of the situation, did not slap the queen in the face. He and the crown prince had orchestrated this incident, so how could he not know whether Concubine Liu had cut flesh and bled? The emperor thought that a proper reward would suffice.

But later, the emperor summoned Shao Lian to his study to discuss his experience in Qingcheng. He learned that Shao Lian had encountered an assassination attempt when he returned to Qingcheng. The danger and the injuries on Shao Lian's body made the emperor furious.

Shao Lian told him that if Yu Zinyin had not saved him, he would have died in that post station. It was also after he came back that he asked the imperial physician to check the poison on the blade. In the end, even the most powerful imperial physician Li could not find an antidote in the first time. Anyone who was poisoned would die suddenly if they did not get the antidote within three days.

So if Yu Zinyin hadn't coerced Yan Yue, Shao Lian might have really been in trouble.

Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately changed his mind and gave out more rewards than the empress had given. If Shao Lian had not planned for the future and said that Yu Zinyin did not seek credit for this, but only hoped that her father and mother would reward her with some ornaments, the emperor might have even promoted her to the rank of county lady.

Since he could not confer the title of county lady on Yu Zinyin and reward her properly, the emperor changed his mind. He praised the Liu family for their good upbringing in the court and promoted Liu's father's rank, allowing Liu's father to experience the "mother's honor depends on her son".

After leaving the court, Father Liu was so happy that he felt like he was floating in the air while walking. Facing the envy and compliments from the people around him, he did not become arrogant. After all, he was not a newcomer to the court. He waved his hands modestly like an experienced veteran and said that this was what his daughter should do and it was her job. His Majesty promoted his rank because he trusted him.

When the emperor heard this, no matter whether Liu's father was sincere or not, the emperor thought this man was good and did not regret promoting him in the court.

Liu's father was promoted from the sixth rank to the fifth rank when he was about to retire. This aroused his fighting spirit and reawakened his former passion. He felt much younger and stronger, and his hair became much darker. He went to court every day with a vigorous look, which made Liu's mother very happy.

Under such circumstances, no matter how dissatisfied Liu Ziyu was, she didn't dare to come out and spoil her father's mood. She only dared to go and complain to her mother, Liu Mu, hoping that Liu Mu could help her say a few good words about Cheng Ting in front of Liu's father. Otherwise, Cheng Ting would still be a small civil servant in the Imperial College doing miscellaneous tasks!

If it was said that Liu's mother had a lot of opinions about Cheng Ting before, and did not like Cheng Ting's current status that was a burden to her eldest daughter Liu Ziyu, then after her husband was promoted in middle age and her youngest daughter was favored by the prince, she completely looked down on Cheng Ting. It cannot be blamed that she looked down on Cheng Ting. It can only be said that Cheng Ting was too impulsive in the court that day. Liu's mother felt that Cheng Ting was not suitable to be an official, but only suitable to be a literati.

After hearing her eldest daughter's request that she go to Liu's father to plead for mercy, Liu's mother agreed on the surface, but secretly discussed with Liu's father to let Cheng Ting take the initiative to cancel the engagement. Although the fifth-rank official of the Liu family is not a very noble existence in the capital, after all, there are higher ranks and royal relatives above him, but he is much better than Cheng Ting, a small civil servant. Moreover, seeing that her daughter is so devoted, Liu's mother is afraid that if it goes on like this, her eldest daughter will really have to be with Cheng Ting. What should she do?

Father Liu, who had been happy, frowned upon hearing Mother Liu talk about this. He looked worried, and even his energy and spirit were much weaker than before. "I had thought that I would help Cheng Ting after this matter was settled, but I didn't expect that old man Li Song still had no intention of letting Cheng Ting go. The money I spent was enough to cover our expenses for three years, but it still couldn't change Cheng Ting's current situation. I'm afraid Cheng Ting really can't get up."

Mother Liu knew that Father Liu had spent money and connections to help Cheng Ting, but she hadn't expected Father Liu to spend so much money, only to find that it was completely useless! Even a stone hitting water makes a sound! Furthermore, that was three years of expenses for the Liu family.

Mother Liu really hated Cheng Ting now. She didn't care about Father Liu spending so much money and immediately said, "No! We can't go on like this. Is our daughter really going to be dragged down to death by Cheng Ting? Since the money has been spent, I won't ask him to pay it back. You go talk to Cheng Ting. If he still remembers the kindness of the Liu family hiring a mentor for him and knows what we have been doing for him behind his back, he should take the initiative to come to us and say that he is not worthy of our daughter! Take the initiative to cancel the engagement and save our Ziyu's reputation!"

Father Liu stroked his beard and sighed deeply, "I'll tell him."

Father Liu didn't think about whether his eldest daughter was happy or not. After all, the marriage of their children is decided by their parents. Father Liu really didn't care whether she was happy or not.

He believed this matter must be resolved. Cheng Ting was in an awkward position. As long as that old man, Li Song, and the other officials who had been "falsely accused" by Cheng Ting were still around, Cheng Ting would have no chance of success. How could the eldest daughter of the Liu family marry such a man? Wouldn't it be a joke?

Cheng Ting had anticipated the arrival of Liu's father. He did not feel ashamed or angry about the humiliation caused by Liu's father's ambiguous words. He was now prepared to be left out, but that did not mean the Liu family would face it with him. He also knew that he was not worthy of Liu Ziyu. He did not mention it before because Liu Ziyu repeatedly emphasized in the letter her expectation for him to be granted a title of nobility or a prime minister. He did not know where Liu Ziyu got the confidence from, thinking that he, who was only a small civil servant now, would be able to achieve the status of a nobility or a prime minister in the future. However, as long as he refuted it, Liu Ziyu would bombard him with countless letters.

This put him under great pressure, and he was unable to tell her that he wanted to break off the engagement.

Now that Father Liu had said this, Cheng Ting actually felt a little relieved.

Liu's father knew that Cheng Ting and Liu Ziyu were exchanging letters, but since they were an engaged couple after all, he, as a father, couldn't say anything. Liu's mother also couldn't check their letters, lest people say that Liu's mother was even trying to pry into her children's private affairs.

Therefore, Liu's father and mother were unaware of the pressure Liu Ziyu put on Cheng Ting. They thought that Liu Ziyu and Cheng Ting were expressing their longing for each other. Liu's father then suggested that since they were ready to cancel the engagement, the two should not exchange letters in the future to avoid misunderstandings.