13 Chapter 13

◎With the support of Little Prince◎

"You are so awesome! It's been three times already. Fortunately, I am in good health." Huiyin leaned in Li Cheng's arms, still trembling slightly, and couldn't help but praise him.

She is comfortable when she is comfortable and doesn't like to pretend to be innocent and shy all the time. Can't women be happy?

Li Cheng felt that he and Huiyin were extremely polite to each other during the day, but at night, being in bed was like being on the ocean, with no scruples at all. She was beautiful and lovely, generous and resourceful, and if she was really sincere to him, then that would be perfect.

"princess……"

"My nickname is Huiyin. You can call me Huiniang or Huiyin." Huiyin didn't want to be so formal with him.

Li Cheng was a little choked, and he tried to call out: "Hui'er."

"You insist on saying something different from what I say, right?" Huiyin argued with him.

Li Cheng was also lively when he was young, but after his parents passed away one after another, he gradually stopped showing his emotions. Now, hearing Huiyin being so coquettish, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Are you so naughty at home?"

Huiyin smiled and nodded: "That's right, everyone says I'm funny and fun. Before my brother got married, we climbed trees together, but there were some mulberry trees on the tree that bit me and made me feel itchy and painful."

Li Cheng laughed out loud after hearing this: "I was naughty when I was little, but I was naughty in the sense that I pretended to be sick and skipped school. I used black ink to smear on my dark circles. I thought I did it perfectly, but in fact my father had already found out. My mother felt sorry for me and let me sleep a little longer to cover it up for me."

It seems that he was also brought up in love when he was young, otherwise he wouldn't smile when talking about his parents.

"In the blink of an eye, we have grown up, and you and I have formed our own little family. We may even have our own children in the future. I never thought that my fate would fall on you, and that you and I are so compatible." Huiyin said in a gentle and seductive tone.

At Li Cheng's age, most people would have been married long ago, but he married Zheng through a political marriage. Originally, he just wanted to fool her, as he just had to respect her as his legal wife. However, she gave him a big surprise.

Zheng was beautiful, with a look that could conquer a country or a city. She was smart and playful, upright, generous, and seemed to want to live a good life with him. She even stood up and looked at him and said, "If we have a child, would it be better for him to look like you or me?"

"I heard that a boy with feminine features means wealth, while a girl with masculine features means hard work, so whether it's a boy or a girl, it's best if it looks like you." Li Cheng said with a smile.

Huiyin didn't expect him to say that, and immediately painted a beautiful scene...

The next day, Manager Qiao brought the account books of various places. Several managers were sitting below. Huiyin first looked through the gift account, which was the most clear to see where Li Cheng had the closest dealings.

Li Cheng's gifts were mostly sent to the King of Wei. Huiyin looked up and asked, "I noticed that the gifts sent during the Cold Food Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival are different. The Dragon Boat Festival gifts are twice as much. Is there any special reason for this?"

Manager Qiao originally thought Huiyin would check the storeroom first, but she asked about the gift first, so he said, "May is the birthday of the Princess of Wei."

"I see." Princess Wei was his elder, so it was only natural that she should give him a larger gift.

Then Huiyin looked at the interpersonal relationships in Xuzhou and found that Yuwen Dang had received quite a lot of rewards. She made a mark and flipped through it again. She had a rough idea in her mind. Anyway, it was impossible for her to remember all of them at the moment.

After flipping through the gift list, there was also the household accounts, which were the monthly allowances for food, clothing, sewing, etc. for the whole mansion. She saw that the column for eggs was written as two cents each, "Are eggs in Xuzhou so expensive? In our Jizhou, eggs are only three cents each."

Steward He, who was in charge of the kitchen, stood up and said with a smile, "Princess, these eggs are different from other eggs. The eggs we bought are fed with the finest nourishing herbs, so they are naturally different."

"The young prince said that he will be training in the army and won't be back for a long time. Since I'm the only real master in the mansion, I can just buy the most ordinary eggs on weekdays. I don't need to eat them that well." Huiyin said with a smile.

But Manager He couldn't help but say: "Everything has its own rules..."

"Even if the palace wants to divide the concubines according to their ranks, they use silk and satin. I haven't heard of using eggs. What's more, I don't care, so why should you care?" Huiyin didn't expose her, but it didn't mean that she didn't know these details. An egg costs two cents, and two cents is two hundred coins. She is simply playing people for fools.

When Manager He saw that the new princess spoke fluently, he dared not say anything more and just nodded in agreement.

Huiyin pointed at the salt again and said, "Xuzhou is rich in salt, 90% of which is from wells and 10% is sea salt. In such a place, your salt is only worth one tael of silver per bucket. Manager He, the young prince told me that it is only ten coins per bucket? You are buying too expensively. The person selling the salt is not a relative of yours, right?"

Instead of calling for a fight, he directly proposed rectification and even brought Li Cheng out. Steward He immediately knelt down and pointed to the sky and swore: "Little Princess, I was confused for a moment. I will definitely rectify it in the future."

Huiyin smiled and said, "I'm new here, and I'll need your guidance in the future. Manager He is older and more experienced than me. Take a look at these account books yourself, and ask about the prices outside. Don't let the unscrupulous merchants cheat you out of your money without knowing it."

Manager He relaxed and hoped that the princess would not replace her. However, seeing that the princess only pointed it out lightly, she probably didn't want to make a big fuss, so he kowtowed immediately to express his gratitude.

But Huiyin flipped through them one by one. She did not check every detail, but only changed the few that were pointed out. She could figure out everything with her hands, and it was obvious that she had some real skills.

"Okay, you have handed over today's account book to me. It's getting late, so I'll leave the account book to you. You will settle the bill with me starting from today, and I will start to re-record tomorrow. As for the warehouse, I will go there to check it out myself after lunch." Huiyin waved her hand and asked them to leave.

At lunch, she changed her clothes, asked someone to invite Li Cheng over, and told him everything about the housekeeper's work today: "I didn't know you were eating eggs that cost two cents each. I thought if it were me, three cents would be fine. I'll cut these."

This is actually a secret complaint. When you are not in the palace, these people are in an uproar.

Li Cheng put down his chopsticks and said, "Is two yuan an egg expensive? Now, everyone in my family is either my mother's concubine or the old concubine's person. I've been away all the time, so I don't know this."

Huiyin smiled and said, "I've been eating it for a few days and I can't tell the difference. In Jizhou, eggs are three cents each, and if you buy more, the egg sellers will even deliver them to your door. I've eaten egg custard in the palace and at the princess's mansion, but I can't tell the difference. Anyway, when you're not at home, I'll eat it, so I don't have to be so expensive."

"How much does the food outside cost?" Li Cheng asked.

Huiyin said, "Prices vary from place to place. In the north, wheat is about 35 wen per bushel, and rice is 20 wen per bushel. I'm not sure about your situation here, but rice is grown more in the south, so it must be cheaper than rice in the north. For an ordinary family of three, the annual rice consumption should not exceed 15 dan, which is about 15 liang."

When she was at home, Huiyin would often help her mother Ji with the accounting. She had always been concerned about the prices in Jizhou and remembered them very clearly.

This is not the time to be falsely humble, you must show your abilities so that Li Cheng will trust you more. People's liking is only fleeting, but cooperative interests and even common goals can bring people closer together.

How could Li Cheng not know all this? As a general, he had to calculate the military supplies and fodder for the army in advance. But he also wanted to see if Huiyin really understood it. Now he saw that she spoke very clearly and was definitely not a weak woman in the family. But she was not the kind of person who would calculate the servants' money harshly, because she had not cut the servants' monthly wages yet.

"I see that the princess is also a daughter of a wealthy family. How do you know so much?" Li Cheng probed.

Huiyin smiled and said, "Although I am the daughter of a rich family, I still need to know how the family finances are. My mother often asks me to help with the accounting, so I remember all of this. It's a pity that I am showing off my skills in front of the young prince."

"Why show off your skills in front of an expert? I think you are really capable of doing the job. Just take charge of this company. You don't have to tell me everything." Li Cheng nodded.

This is exactly what Huiyin wanted to hear. She raised her thumb and said, "Young Prince is indeed able to take charge of a region at such a young age. It is true that trust the people you employ and do not employ them if you do not trust them."

Li Cheng smiled and shook his head.

With Li Cheng's words, she felt more confident when she checked the warehouse in the afternoon. The servants also saw it. Seeing that the little princess was counting the items herself, and that she knew a lot, such as how to maintain porcelain bottles and how to place screens, the servants did not dare to fool her.

Madam Fan was talking to Steward He: "She found some faults in your husband, but she didn't fire him. What does your husband say?"

The He family said: "What else can he say? He is as obedient as a quail, afraid that the little princess will accidentally dismiss him."

Nanny Fan cursed him secretly as a coward. Manager He was in charge of the kitchen and had a very bad temper. Even after being criticized so many times, he didn't react at all.

Therefore, Nanny Fan said, "Now it is just being roasted on the fire, and it may be abolished in the future."

The He family pursed their lips and said, "Mother Fan, we understand what you are saying, but the young prince fully supports the young princess. In the afternoon, the young prince accompanied the young princess to check the warehouse. Everyone saw it. As servants, we can't go against the young prince."

This is the truth. In the Huaiyin Palace, the appearance of the Huaiyin Prince represents everything. Although Manager He is the old concubine's man, the old concubine is already yesterday's news. Who dares to go against the new mistress who is favored and supported by the young prince?

When Nanny Fan was having a headache, she received a letter a few days later and immediately smiled happily. Miss Xun was about to come!