Chapter 174: Cheng Qi

Chapter 174: Cheng Qi

Cheng Qi?

That name rings a bell.

Lu Lingyun’s mind raced, and she remembered a name—Cheng Yunqi!

"Your name is Cheng Qi, with the 'Qi' from Qilin?" Lu Lingyun asked.

"Yes."

It must be him!

The foster son of the Cheng family from the previous life!

In the previous life, when Cheng Yunshuo eloped with Xing Dairong, the Cheng family immediately fell into decline. Later, it was heard that the Marquis's Mansion had adopted a child from a collateral branch to inherit the title. By the time Lu Lingyun returned to the Imperial City, this foster son was in charge of the Marquis's Mansion.

This foster son was steady and reliable. With the influence of the Marquis's Mansion, he started as a city guard and later became a brigadier general in the imperial court, gaining much favor. He restored some of the Marquisate’s lost prestige, ensuring that the Ningyang Marquisate continued.

The foster son was named Cheng Yunqi.

Lu Lingyun remained calm and carefully inquired about Cheng Qi's family situation.

She learned that the frontier had suffered a great disaster. A snowstorm at the beginning of the year affected their area, and there had been several small skirmishes. His father, a brigadier general in charge of 500 men, was killed in action. Their land became a war zone, and after a riot, both the land and family were gone. Only he and his younger sister survived, escaping the devastation. Now, they had nowhere to go in the frontier and had traveled a long way to seek refuge with their main family in the Imperial City.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lingyun was fully certain that Cheng Qi was the foster son from the previous life.

He was a promising descendant of the Cheng family, no wonder Lord Marquis and Lady Qin favored him and took him in as a foster son.

However, in this life, since Cheng Yunshuo didn't elope, there was no chance for him to become the foster son of the Marquis's Mansion.

"Your hometown has been through such hardships, and we didn't even know," Lu Lingyun said after much thought.

"Sister-in-law, we didn't want to trouble you. Life is not easy for you in the Imperial City either. If I were on my own, I could have made a living out there, but my younger sister is too young," Cheng Qi said, glancing at the six or seven-year-old Cheng Hui beside him. "She can't survive if she follows me, so I had no choice but to come and ask for your help."

Cheng Qi's generation was distant relatives of the Cheng family.

Strictly speaking, they were only clansmen of the same lineage.

There had been no contact, and even the ancestral graves were now separate, with the Cheng family no longer burying their dead together in the frontier but opening a new site in the Imperial City. They hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Therefore, it was understandable that Cheng Qi, a man, felt embarrassed to show up unannounced.

"Little uncle, there's no need to say that," Lu Lingyun said kindly. "We all share the Cheng family name, so we are family. When a family is in trouble, we should help each other. For now, you and your sister can stay here. I'll speak with our parents-in-law, and we'll figure out the rest once they arrive."

Hearing this, Cheng Qi looked at Lu Lingyun gratefully. "Thank you, sister-in-law!"

Cheng Hui also looked up with curious, watery eyes and followed suit. "Thank you, sister-in-law."

"You’re such a good girl," Lu Lingyun said affectionately, patting Cheng Hui's head. She then looked at Xia Mei. "Xia Mei, I want you to take care of young miss Cheng Hui for the next two days and give her a good bath."

"Yes, young mistress!" Xia Mei, who was three years older than Cheng Hui, nodded in agreement.

Lu Lingyun settled the two of them. Since Cheng Qi was a man from outside the family, they were temporarily housed in the guest rooms of the outer courtyard.

"The inner courtyard is reserved for the women of the household, so please feel free to stay in the guest rooms for now, until our parents-in-law return. Then we'll discuss further arrangements," Lu Lingyun said politely.

"Just having a roof over our heads is enough," Cheng Qi said, feeling even more grateful towards Lu Lingyun.

At that moment, a servant announced from outside the door.

"Young mistress, Miss Shaojing is here."

"Shaojing is here again, quick, please show her in," Lu Lingyun said with a smile.

"Sister-in-law, I'm here again. I hope I'm not bothering you!" Qin Shaojing's clear, bell-like voice rang out before she even entered.

Cheng Qi, who was standing in front of Lu Lingyun, turned his head and saw Qin Shaojing approaching in a light yellow gauze dress, her jade ornaments tinkling as she radiated an aura of nobility.

Qin Shaojing was stunningly beautiful, her privileged upbringing having cultivated an air of refinement. She looked like a fairy from a painting, surrounded by maids, descending gracefully from the heavens.

Cheng Qi was instantly entranced.

Qin Shaojing hadn't noticed him at first, but upon realizing there was someone else standing beside Lu Lingyun, she immediately furrowed her brow. "Who's this beggar?"

Cheng Qi snapped out of his trance. As the fairy-like figure stood before him, he looked down at his own dirty, tattered shoes with two toes sticking out. Having walked all the way from the border, he felt, for the first time, that he really did look like a beggar.

The Cheng family branch in the border region wasn't actually weak. His family, a military household, owned hundreds of acres of land, and his father, a guerrilla general commanding five hundred men, held a position of respect. With relatives in the Imperial City bearing noble titles, they were considered a prominent family in that area.

But at that moment, being called a beggar, he felt a deep-seated sense of shame and inadequacy.

Lu Lingyun quickly interjected, "Shaojing, this is a distant relative from the Cheng family, Cheng Qi, a clansman of the same generation as Yunshuo."

After Lu Lingyun's explanation, Qin Shaojing withdrew her gaze but offered no apology. She simply glanced at him and then sat down in silence.

Cheng Qi, with his head slightly bowed, said, "Sister-in-law, we'll take our leave."

"Yes, Xia Mei, show them to the guest room."

"Yes."

Xia Mei escorted the two of them away. After they were out of sight, Qin Shaojing waved her hand to dispel the smell, a look of disgust on her face. "What is that awful smell? Does the Cheng family have such poor relatives?"

"They're from the border," Lu Lingyun said with a smile. "Their family suffered a disaster there and have come to find a place to stay."

"I knew it was some distant relative we barely know. It's truly remarkable how some people, when they have a wealthy relative, will go to great lengths to get close, without any sense of shame," Qin Shaojing remarked.

Lu Lingyun offered no reply, merely smiling as she poured Qin Shaojing another cup of tea using the black Jian ware that Qin Shaojing had given her previously.

Seeing that Lu Lingyun was using this Jian ware, Qin Shaojing's eyes lit up. "Sister-in-law, you've started using it, haven't you?"

"Yes," Lu Lingyun nodded.

Qin Shaojing played with the Jian ware, which was filled eight-tenths full. "This Jian ware needs good tea to maintain it; the more it's used, the brighter and more beautiful it becomes."

She set down the tea cup and looked at Lu Lingyun with sparkling eyes. "By the way, sister-in-law, I've obtained a new treasure that I think suits you and have brought it especially to gift to you."

She turned to her maid and said, "Bring it out."

The maid presented a beautiful box. When opened, inside was a white porcelain vase, slightly larger than a palm, with vividly painted small birds. The craftsmanship and materials were exquisite.

"This is a tribute from the palace, given to me by the Lady of Nanping. But I already have too many small items and don't have space to display them all. I thought of you, sister-in-law, as your table could use such a vase for flowers."

Qin Shaojing placed the delicate porcelain vase on Lu Lingyun’s table and gestured to the maid, who then brought over a branch of roses.