Chapter 34

◎Two chapters in one◎

Nanny Fan had always tacitly accepted that Huiyin was a person who loved to fight for power, but unexpectedly, after she came to Jianye, she had been taking care of the children and even stayed at home. The servants said that the little princess was calm and behaved in a disciplined manner, and that the courtyard was in order. Even now, when she was going to the Huo family, she sent someone to ask about the travel carriage and the list of gifts she had sent before.

Because Concubine Wu got angry again for some reason, she stayed in her room and refused to go out for the past few days. When Concubine Wei sent someone to pick her up to play, she said she was not feeling well.

Nanny Fan brought in some snacks. Seeing that Concubine Wu looked depressed, she smiled and said, "The kitchen has made some new snacks and asked me to give them to you to try."

Concubine Wu said, "You are old now and don't like to eat these anymore. You can let the young girls do the work of serving tea and water. Why do you have to come here in person?"

But Nanny Fan knew that if she really took too much, she would not be able to stand firm in front of Concubine Wu. So she smiled and said, "I am happy to serve it to the Concubine, and it is what I should do. I would not trust others to do it."

This was a soothing remark, and Concubine Wu liked it. She was a fussy person. She said she didn't want to have any snacks, but when the snack was served, she took half of it and put it in her mouth, complaining: "There is too much icing sugar, and the texture is not soft enough. Last time, I told her that the topping didn't need to be made with acacia honey and osmanthus honey, but she added osmanthus honey."

Even though the food on a plate is almost the same, he is always so picky and never praises others.

Nanny Fan said, "I will definitely give them a lecture. This Wang sister-in-law who makes snacks has no progress."

After Concubine Wu finished her snack and went to her morning prayers, Nanny Fan came out. Seeing Sister Wang smiling, she stopped her and said, "You seem so happy, but what good news has happened to you?"

"It was the young princess who said that I made good snacks and rewarded me with a hundred coins. Actually, the reward was nothing. It's just that the master is a good person, so we should receive fewer honors." In fact, Wang's wife was being subtle. The young princess heard that she had a daughter who was in poor health and could not do heavy work, and she could not fit in the position of the dowager princess. The young princess also said that she was short of a third-rank maid. Wang's wife was naturally overjoyed.

But I can't tell all this to Madam Fan, because secrets can only lead to failure.

Nanny Fan saw the clues and compared the actions of Zheng and Concubine Wu, and she had an idea in her mind. Although Concubine Wu is still the same as before, there has never been a comparison before. Concubine Wu is the only master in the mansion, but now that the little princess has come, it is not surprising for her to pull a few people with her status.

The former Concubine Wu was younger and quite shrewd, but now she is older and more. She had Xun Rou before, but now she is completely confused. However, she only cares about the money on the account and demands a frightening amount of money.

Since she was going to the Huo family, Huiyin had to ask someone to prepare a birthday gift. The chief steward of Jianye was the concubine of Concubine Wu, who was not really a concubine. When she entered the palace, she was not allowed to bring even maids. These people were promoted by her after Princess Wu passed away. In fact, it was clear without seeing. Seeing that Concubine Wu's people were lavishly bribed in Xuzhou, it was known that they would not be honest and upright in Jianye, and they might be even more corrupt.

But now is not the time to expose them. No matter what we do, we have to consider the right time, right place and right people.

"Is this the gift list from before? Why is it so thin?" Huiyin frowned.

Manager Qian smiled and said, "Originally, we in Jianye sent gifts to various places, but then the young prince said he sent them directly from Xuzhou, so we don't have any here..."

"I see. But since I'm here this time, I'll send it from here. For Old Lady Huo's birthday, just longevity noodles, longevity peaches and a walking stick are not enough. Do you have any satin with the Three Friends of the Cold in the storehouse? That's tribute satin, use it to reward respectability." Huiyin said.

Manager Qian said in embarrassment: "Little Princess, I'm not trying to evade the question. The Concubine Dowager seemed to have mentioned who she gave it to before."

This is not what I meant. The tributes were quite a lot, and I don't usually give rewards to random people.

Huiyin had no choice but to say, "Then take it from me. It can't be too shabby. The Huo family is not an ordinary family. If the gift is too small, it will lose the face of our Huaiyin Palace."

She asked Mother Nan to open the western storehouse, which was filled with her dowry and the proceeds of the palace. She not only took out the tribute silk from the Three Friends of Sui Han, but also prepared a pair of glass vases with purple flowers on a green background, and a mutton-fat jade Buddha's hand on a rosewood base. Only then was Huiyin satisfied.

No matter what, regarding Jiang Bibo's incident, Huo Qi did not do anything evil for her sake.

Giving a heavier gift is also a way to establish good karma. Huo Qi is not the only one in the Huo family. Besides, as a trader would say, the gifts Jiang Bibo has given in these few times are already more expensive than these.

When Manager Qian saw these birthday gifts, he couldn't help but nod in his heart. This really showed the grandeur of the Prince's Mansion. Don't just say that everyone is showing off. Only when you have the capital to show off will everyone be willing to follow you and know that you have the power.

Huiyin heaved a sigh of relief only after the birthday ceremony was ready.

Unfortunately, Yin Liyi came to visit. She really had something urgent to do. When she saw Huiyin, she felt like she had found her savior: "Little Princess, I really have something to ask of you this time. You must agree to it."

"I don't know what's the matter? You come to me for help." Huiyin was puzzled.

Yin Liyi continued, "I want to go to Qingzhou to take care of my husband, but the King of Wei said I can go, but there is chaos ahead. If the pass I got is for Qingzhou, it would be bad if I get caught on the way. So we want to take a detour and choose Jizhou as our destination. You are the daughter of the Grand Commander of Jizhou, so I am begging you, right?"

So this was her idea. Yin Liyi was different from Jiang Bibo. She helped Jiang Bibo to save people, but now she was helping Yin Liyi, which might harm others and even backfire on her.

"The journey to Qingzhou is long, and it's difficult for me to go back. How can I help you? Don't you know that when I got married here, I was almost robbed on the way." Huiyin declined politely.

Yin Liyi was not willing to give up: "Little Princess, I actually need a handwritten letter from you."

"Madam Xie, how can my handwritten letter compare to the one from the King of Wei? Even I wanted to send a holiday gift back this year but I couldn't ask anyone to do so because of the war." Huiyin shook her head.

Yin Liyi felt that Huiyin was too difficult to talk to, while Huiyin felt that they were putting the risk on her and going to Qingzhou under her name. If something happened to Yin Liyi, wouldn't that be trouble for her?

Seeing that she still disagreed, Yin Liyi had no choice but to pay respects to Concubine Wu. Her request was simple: if Huiyin's request didn't work, she would let Li Cheng's troops escort her there. The King of Wei said that he could send someone to escort her there, but he couldn't mobilize many people, and there was a military camp ahead, so as a prince, he couldn't disrupt the military order.

Therefore, after paying her respects to Concubine Wu, Yin Liyi resolutely left.

Nan's mother had never liked Yin Liyi, and when she saw her leaving, she said, "I think she is the troublemaker. You said she couldn't get the King of Wei, so she went to ask the young prince for help?"

Huiyin smiled and said, "Then let her beg?"

"But if something happened on the way, the little prince is not to be blamed," explained Nan's mother.

Huiyin said coldly, "That's his business. He is so weak-willed even on such a small matter. He will probably fail at every step in the future. Yin Liyi looks like a rough-and-tumble person, like a headless fly. It would be better for her to send a miracle doctor to the frontline than to go there herself. Is she a doctor?"

Let's not talk about Yin Liyi. After Huiyin got dressed, she went to the Huo family to celebrate the birthday.

Old Lady Huo first heard others report birthday gifts, and when she arrived at the Huaiyin Palace, she found that the gifts were extremely heavy. Old Lady Huo couldn't help but say, "It's different when there's a mistress in the house."

Madam Huo was the mother of Princess Wei. She smiled and said, "That's true. The gifts we gave before were also generous, but not as heavy as this one."

"We can't pick on the gifts from the princes." Old Lady Huo would not allow anyone to say anything.

Madam Huo nodded her head in agreement, but the joy on the two of them could not be concealed. After all, this time it was old lady Huo's birthday, and the Princess of Wei was going back to her parents' home to celebrate. This was a great honor, so how could the Huo family not be smiling.

When Huiyin came to the Huo family, she lifted the curtain and took a look. There was a colorful pavilion and lanterns at the door of the Huo family, which looked very grand. The housekeeper Liu, who followed her out, said, "Little Princess, the old lady of the Huo family is usually very compassionate to the poor and the weak, and she is not usually so high-profile. This is her birthday celebration, so it is very lively. It is said that the Princess of Wei is going to visit her relatives to celebrate her birthday."

Huiyin nodded slightly, and when the car stopped, the women of the Huo family were already waiting to pay their respects.

"Get up quickly. Why do you have to perform such a grand ceremony? Old birthday star, I didn't talk to you much last time in Zhaoming Palace. Today we should be closer." She stepped forward and personally helped Old Madam Huo up.

The last time Old Lady Huo saw Huiyin, she felt that she was neither humble nor overbearing. It was obvious that Concubine Wu was no match for her. She seemed to be intimidating, but today she spoke in a tactful and thoughtful manner. As an old and experienced person, she dared not show any such thoughts on her face. She only said, "It's good that the young princess doesn't mind that I am too old and nagging."

Huiyin pursed her lips and smiled.

The other people in the Huo family saw that she was young, didn't talk much, and seemed extremely dignified, so they didn't dare to pry into her and were a little more afraid.

This is exactly what Huiyin wanted. When she was young, she was very lively and spoke to everyone without reservation. Later, she found that her sincerity towards others made others know her clearly in an instant, and they lost interest in her.

Furthermore, if people are too familiar with each other, it is difficult to talk to each other, but if they are not too familiar with each other, they can talk without any scruples.

As soon as they sat down, Madam Huo said to Huiyin, "I heard that Madam Xie wanted to ask you for help? Only in this way can she go to Qingzhou."

"Well, he did go to my house, but how could I help him?" Huiyin smiled and shook her head.

Madam Huo and Old Lady Huo looked at each other in surprise. You know, Xie Jiuyi and his wife have a good relationship with Li Cheng, and both Xie Jiuyi and Li Cheng are the right-hand men of the King of Wei. Why does Zheng seem to have some conflicts with Madam Xie?

But they wouldn't be stupid enough to ask.

Old Lady Huo asked the two younger sisters of the Princess of Wei to come out to meet the guests. They were both girls in their teens. Huiyin took off her white jade bracelet and gave it to the two girls. She also praised them, saying, "As expected of the sisters of the Princess of Wei, their demeanor is different from others."

The two girls from the Huo family stood there smiling, their behavior graceful and elegant.

"I wonder if the two girls have already been promised to someone?" Huiyin asked.

Old Lady Huo smiled and said, "Not yet. You two are still very young."

Huiyin said, "They are all good girls. Your family is high-ranking, so you will definitely marry the man of your dreams."

Everyone said a few words casually, and then said that the Princess of Wei had returned, and everyone stood up to greet her again. In this way, everyone took their seats, with the Princess of Wei and Huiyin sitting at the east and west tables, followed by the various marquises, and finally the old lady Huo and others.

The Huo family’s banquet was of course excellent. Some of the dishes were refreshing and tasty, without any of the greasy feeling that you would normally have at a banquet.

In fact, Huiyin came here today to see what the Huo family thinks about her saving Jiang Bibo. The actions of the women in the back house still depend on the actions of the men in the front. Now that the Princess of Wei is here, she is waiting.

After the banquet, Second Madam Huo brought a script and ordered a play for Princess Wei and Huiyin respectively. While watching the play, Princess Wei was talking to Huiyin: "Are you all right? When you are free, please come to our house and pay your respects to our Concubine Dowager. She is thinking about Old Concubine Dowager Wu and you."

Huiyin made a few polite remarks.

Princess Wei then asked, "Have you ever visited Jianye?"

"Not really. When I came here, my child was not feeling well and I had to take care of him at home. How could I have the leisure to go out and play? I wonder where Aunt Wang usually goes to play?" Huiyin blew away the tea foam.

Princess Wei smiled and said, "People of our status don't go out often. We used to hang out in Cheng Garden. It's very big, with a horse farm and a garden. The garden took ten years to build and is extremely beautiful. Later, I heard that it was bought by a salt merchant named Jiang, so we didn't go there anymore."

A salt merchant with the surname Jiang? Huiyin was confused when she heard this. She put down her teacup and said, "Speaking of which, when I was in Xuzhou, I did know a girl with the surname Jiang. We got along very well and I took her as my sister. I wonder if Aunt Wang and I are from the same family?"

"I don't know about that." Princess Wei also stopped talking. She didn't want to offend Li Cheng and Zheng at the moment. Li Cheng, needless to say, was brave and reliable. Zheng was the daughter of Marquis Zhaojie of Jizhou and the Grand Commander, and had a very high status.

Huiyin immediately understood what Princess Wei meant. We in the Huo family will not pursue the matter for your sake, but please don't go too far in the future.

Outsiders who didn't know about these affairs would think that the two of them were having a very pleasant conversation.

Of course, Princess Wei had something to discuss with her family when she returned home. After the opera was over, Huiyin said goodbye, and the family sent the guests away and talked behind closed doors.

"The prince intends to make Concubine Xu's son the crown prince, but Concubine Yin's son is the eldest son. I would rather it was Concubine Yin's son, but the prince may not listen to me." Princess Wei said.

Old Madam Huo remained silent at first, while Madam Huo was a little anxious: "Then Princess, you can't let that Xu take advantage of the situation, can you? Concubine Yin is close to our family. Although she has been favored for a period of time, she has always followed your lead."

Old Lady Huo looked at Princess Wei and said, "The little princes are still young now, why are you so anxious? If you give birth to one, they will be nothing to you."

"Grandmother's comfort makes me feel a little relieved. A few days ago, I saw the Princess of Huaiyin get married for the first time and she made a big move, which really made me unable to sleep. The prince married me when he was fifteen years old. The prince is only three years older than the Prince of Huaiyin. We have been married for eleven years, but the prince has only two sons and one daughter. It's all my fault." Princess Wei took up a handkerchief and wiped her tears.

The Huo family members were busy comforting Princess Wei, who then said, "In the future, please persuade my second brother to be more restrained and work for the prince."

This is the Huo family. She must protect her mother's family in front of outsiders, but she also has to warn her mother's family members.

It is also said that after Huiyin learned of the Huo family's attitude, she made up her mind.

**

Yin Liyi quietly took a small boat to Xuzhou, and after arriving in Xuzhou three days later, she went straight to the Huaiyin Palace. Li Cheng certainly hadn't gone to Qingzhou at this time. As Huiyin said, most of the soldiers in Xuzhou were his. If they were all taken to Qingzhou, he would have no soldiers to use in the future.

At this time, he was told that Yin Liyi had come over. Li Cheng frowned and asked, "What is she doing here?"

Didn’t you go to Xuzhou with Huiyin before?

"Madam Xie said there is a handwritten letter from the King of Wei."

"Then let her in."

Seeing that Huiyin refused to help her, Yin Liyi wanted to come directly to Xuzhou. It was her sister Yin Lifang who suggested getting a handwritten letter from King Wei. Li Cheng would definitely obey King Wei's orders.

Therefore, when she came in, she handed the letter to Li Cheng without saying a word: "Please ask Master Xiao to arrange it for me."

Li Cheng raised his eyebrows: "I didn't expect the King of Wei to write a letter personally. You have the ability to let the King of Wei write for you, which is a great improvement over before."

"Brother Cheng, who are you looking down on?" Yin Liyi once again felt like she was being attacked.

Li Cheng shook his head: "Originally I definitely didn't want you to go to Qingzhou. The war was raging and no one knew what the future would be like. But you insisted on going, and you have the King of Wei's endorsement, so I will arrange some personnel for you."

Yin Liyi was a little surprised by Li Cheng's straightforwardness. She wanted to tell Huiyin that she was unwilling to help, but she didn't know why she kept silent, because she had a vague feeling that if she said that Zheng Shi was unwilling to help, Li Cheng might not be willing to help either. So, she thought about it and couldn't help but said, "Actually, I didn't expect the King of Wei to help me. It was my sister who told me."

"It turns out to be your sister." Li Cheng said and lowered his eyes.

Yin Liyi smiled and said, "Yes, my sister is smarter than me. I originally wanted to come here directly, but my sister said that you are a fair and impartial person. If there is no order from the King of Wei, you will definitely not arrange for me. My brain is indeed not as fast as my sister's. When I was a female official, my sister was smarter and more careful than me."

"Okay, you go back to your villa first. I will arrange the people today and you can set off tomorrow." Li Cheng has always been very executive in doing things.

It was already dusk when Yin Liyi arrived. It would be night by the time she returned home. It would be too fast to go directly to Qingzhou tomorrow morning.

But Li Cheng didn't want to ask any more questions, and just called Yuwen Dang to come over to make arrangements. Yuwen Dang said, "I heard that General Xie will be back soon, what else is Madam Xie going to do?"

"The King of Wei has agreed. What else can we say? Go and make the arrangements." Li Cheng waved his hand.

Yuwen Dang should be ordered to go down.

Afterwards, Li Cheng went to the study again. The counselor Jian Tan was there. Li Cheng said to Jian Tan, "The Crown Prince has won a great victory. The master asked me to wait and see and not send troops. But what if the King of Wei asks me to send troops?"

Jian Tan smiled and said, "Then you can make excuses by saying that there is not enough food and grass. Didn't we have a famine this year? That's a ready-made excuse."

"You are right, but the Lu and He families have never been on good terms. We may not lose if we attack from Xuzhou, right?" This is what Li Cheng thinks. When it is time to strike, strike. Although Li Heng won a great victory, in the long run, there will definitely be conflicts between the Lu and He families.

Jian Qin said, "As far as I know, the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace is pregnant. Think about it, if the Crown Princess gave birth to a son, wouldn't the Lu family support their grandson? Is there still a need for the Crown Prince? Without the Crown Prince to rely on, why would the He family allow this? In this case, you just need to wait patiently."

Li Cheng nodded: "Okay, now in addition to training the navy, I will also train the infantry in the future."

Jian Tan smiled and said, "Young Master, you have great ambitions."

…

Coming out of the study, Li Cheng returned to his room. Usually this was the liveliest place with Huiyin and Jing'er there, but now he was the only one left all alone.

Somehow, he couldn't stand it any longer and decided to go out for a walk.

I happened to meet Yun Hui. Yun Hui dressed up carefully today. She wanted to wear a widow's outfit before, but now she put on some light flowers and slightly painted her lips red.

Yun Hui saw Li Cheng glance at her, and she felt a little shy and embarrassed, "I was out just now..."

Li Cheng was thinking about the time when he was chased by someone during a military campaign and ended up in a nunnery. He was only sixteen at the time, and it was the first time he knew that nuns also did business behind closed doors, being nuns during the day and entertaining male guests at night, which was very sexy. He didn't want to think about Yun Hui, but she had always been like a dead tree before, but now she was dressed up, especially these days. Maybe she didn't want to leave the palace, but she had certain needs.

He even said it more tactfully: "Yun Hui, you don't have to stay with a widow. You are still young."

Yun Hui was delighted. She thought Li Cheng had finally noticed her. Now that Zheng had left, she had a great chance. She had started to dress up these days. She had never thought about staying with her previous fiancé for the rest of her life. She just didn't want to leave the palace. So she blushed and said, "What the little prince said is right. My mother also said that I don't have to stay with him forever. Her biggest hope in this life is to see me marry a good man."

"I think so too. You are still young, why waste your youth?" Li Cheng said with a smile.

Yun Hui pointed to her forehead and said, "Back then, the little prince was naughty and insisted on playing on the rockery, but was afraid to stand on it. In my attempt to save you, I dug a hole here, and I can never grow back properly." She said this of course to express her true feelings, so that Li Cheng would have the opportunity to accept her as his wife. By then, the matter would have been done and Zheng would be of no use. Otherwise, the war would not have been fought and Zheng would probably have come back.

Li Cheng thought that she remembered that it was because of this that Yun Hui was assigned to him as the head maid. Mother Chao was able to be the housekeeper for so many years. He heard Huiyin mention that Mother Chao's private property was probably much richer than those of the landlords outside. This was evident.

However, seeing Yun Hui bringing up the past, Li Cheng didn't care: "Yun Hui, you did your best in the past, so if you get married, I will definitely give you a generous gift, don't worry, but I don't know which family you are interested in? If it is a family with a higher background, I will help you match it up, and if it is a family with a lower background, I can also promise him a future in the future."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Hui's face turned pale and she was about to fall.