18 Chapter 18

◎Mid-Autumn Festival◎

"It's late at night, don't you want to rest?" Li Cheng leaned on the bed and said suggestively.

Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he will go to Huaishui for naval training, so he won't have time. The couple must seize the time to spend more time together.

Although Huiyin defeated Xun Rou, she did not feel very happy. She turned her head and looked at him: "Cousin Xun has been staying in your house for many years. She has been preparing to be your fiancée. It's a pity to think about it."

Li Cheng didn't expect her to be so sentimental. He originally thought that she would be happy with her own actions. No one wants to be considered a heartless person. He looked at Huiyin and said, "I don't want to lie to you. If I really want to marry someone, let alone the daughter of an official, I would also want to marry her even if she is an orphan."

"You mean you don't like her?" Huiyin asked.

"As a sister and a relative, I like them. After all, we grew up together. Later, when I went to live with my uncle, the King of Wei, they followed me without hesitation. I am very grateful. But when it comes to marrying a wife, I really didn't consider her. She is a good person, and she is the great-niece of my grandmother. But I don't like her just because she is good." Li Cheng's meaning was very clear.

Li Cheng was actually very merciful in his words. Xun Rou was still very young back then, but she had been ambiguous with him many times. The reason why he built a mansion in Xuzhou was that he was unwilling to return to Jianye.

Even Concubine Wu had specially brought him tonic soup, thrown him a handkerchief, and deliberately made eye contact with him. She had used every possible means.

Huiyin was satisfied when she heard him say that: "I'm really happy that you think so. There was a man who claimed to have fallen in love with me at first sight and threatened me with death to marry him. Even my father was almost moved, saying that he was also a heroic man with a good family background. But I just feel that the more you threaten me with someone I don't like, the less I want to marry him."

Li Cheng never thought that they, who hated being threatened and arranged by others, would actually become husband and wife in the end, and it was a blind marriage. The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

Now that the misunderstanding was resolved, Huiyin's anger also disappeared. She could not help but give an excuse and said, "I just got married this year, and I didn't send any holiday gifts to my parents' home. Let's prepare some and go there together tomorrow during the New Year."

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Okay, I'll also send one to the Donggong where your sister married, and one to your brother."

As the saying goes, lovebirds are in love, so happy.

On the other side, Zheng Deyin had just been favored by the prince. This time, the prince asked her to host the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the East Palace. She had to show her best skills and not let others look down on her.

But she felt very sorry for the Crown Princess Lu Xiao, so when she and Li Heng were lying on the bed, she couldn't help but say: "Today, the needlework bureau made a beautiful magenta dress. I think it would be best for the Crown Princess to wear, so I sent it to the Crown Princess. Although I will be in charge of it tomorrow, I will also be working for the Crown Princess. I only wish that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess can give birth to a grandson soon, so that I will be happy in my heart."

Of course, these words were not meant. Li Heng grew up in the palace and understood these tricks very well. Zheng Deyin repeatedly used retreat as a means of advancement to obtain these rights while also having to be a good person.

But Li Heng still praised: "You have a good idea, but I just want to have a child with you."

Zheng Deyin couldn't help but say shyly, "Your Highness, it would be bad if outsiders heard this."

"What did you hear?" Li Heng was flirting, but he felt that Zheng Deyin was too dull in bed. He actually had no interest in it, but thinking about provoking the Zheng family to fight against the Lu family, he couldn't help but do it again, and talked about the frustrating things in the court. When Zheng Deyin heard that the prince was controlled by Lu Wei, he was silently sad in his heart.

So when Madam Xu came to the palace to pay her respects the next day, Zheng Deyin told her about her difficulties: "The prince is now depressed and frustrated, but he is very good to me. Grandmother, can you let my father help the prince?"

Madam Xu stroked her hand and asked, "Is the prince really good to you?"

"Yes, the prince comes to the harem for more than twenty days a month, and twenty of them are spent with me. He is indifferent to the Crown Princess, and even beat her once because of Lu Wei. But the Crown Princess is also tough and slapped the prince a few times." Zheng Deyin was still frightened after hearing what he heard.

Hearing this, Madam Xu hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I will try my best to convince your father, but Lu's power is deeply rooted and it is not so easy to deal with."

Zheng Deyin sighed: "If I had a mother and a brother, there would be no need to worry about my grandmother worrying about her granddaughter at such an old age. This is also unfilial of the granddaughter."

Madam Xu actually thought so too. Zheng Fang had no brothers and came from a poor family. The person he trusted most now was Pei Shuo, the eldest son of the Ji family. But was he willing to risk his life for her?

Compared to Zheng Deyin's secret worries, Huiyin was happily preparing for the festival. No matter what, she had to have a child first. Whether it was a daughter or a son, she had to have one first, otherwise her family members were not fools. If you want your father to use so many people to help you, you must first make him feel that it is worth it.

How is it worth it? For example, if she has no son, it means that it is useless to help her son-in-law, because the son-in-law is likely to raise a son born to another woman.

After all, her father was a local lord with troops in Jizhou. How could he mobilize them easily?

The table was filled with snacks, dried fruits, fresh fruits, moon cakes, etc. Huiyin raised her glass and drank with Li Cheng: "As the saying goes, when the flowers bloom and the moon is full, people are reunited. We are finally reunited as husband and wife, so this is worth celebrating."

Li Cheng raised his glass and clinked it with hers: "Princess, please."

The wine was finished. Today, Li Cheng specially called all the subordinates who had not returned home to come over. Huiyin then left the table tactfully: "I will take my leave first."

Li Cheng was very satisfied with her in this respect. She did not have an overly strong curiosity and was very sensible in her dealings with others.

He continued to greet the generals. These were his brothers who had been with him through thick and thin. To put it bluntly, these were the ones who would risk their lives for him. As the saying goes, brothers are like limbs and women are like clothes, so he naturally had to take good care of them.

But even though I thought this in my heart, I don’t know why I still felt guilty when I thought of my wife.

After three rounds of drinks, the soldiers tactfully took their leave, as they had to set off again tomorrow.

Li Cheng was also a little tipsy. After he walked into the second gate, the servants and attendants all left. Men were not allowed to walk around freely inside the second gate, so Li Cheng walked in front by himself.

When he walked around the rockery, he unexpectedly saw a person appearing in front of him. Under the bright moonlight, he looked closely and found that it was Xun Rou.

Xun Rou waited here for a long time. It was an August night and usually a bit hot, but after staying here for a long time, she still felt the night was as cool as water.

"Cousin..."

"What are you doing here, cousin?" Li Cheng turned sideways and asked her.

Xun Rou was about to cry: "Cousin, did you listen to your cousin's wife and want to chase me away? Ask yourself, how have I treated you over the years? He knows it in his heart. My great-aunt had promised me to you, and I also considered you my husband. Everyone in Jianye knows it, so I came here from a distance of hundreds of miles. Does my cousin really want to abandon me? I am willing to be your concubine and serve you and your cousin's wife."

She saw that it was difficult to become the main wife. It would be fine if Zheng Huiyin returned to Jianye, but she happened to be with her cousin. Although she came later, she was full of seductive skills and was very scheming, making her difficult to deal with.

She actually placed koi in the lake today, preparing for a good omen, but it was ruined by her. This woman is really unusual.

In this case, you might as well ask for the position of concubine.

Li Cheng lowered his eyes: "Cousin, how can I let you be my concubine..."

"Why not? Everyone in the world knows that I have been your woman for a long time. How can I have the face to marry someone else?" Xun Rou wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

Li Cheng took a step back and pointed at her, saying, "Speak clearly. You only came to my house because my grandmother took pity on you. How can everyone in the world know that you are my woman? I have been either in mourning or fighting in the past few years. When have I ever had any contact with you?"

Xun Rou was stunned for a moment, then continued, "Before the princess died, I copied the scriptures with her blood and dug out her flesh for medicine. Cousin, you won't deny this, right?"

"Your father's official position, your mother's Anji acupuncture point, and the money owed by your Xun family, aren't these paid back by me? Besides, I didn't ask you to copy scriptures with your blood or even dig out your flesh as a medicine guide. That's not what a normal doctor would say. I advised you not to do that at the time. Doing these things is completely useless. If you really listen to me, why don't you persuade my grandmother not to ask those alchemists to come and talk nonsense?" Li Cheng is a person who can argue with you for a whole day and a night if you argue with him about right and wrong.

He usually liked Wang Chong the most, and Wang Chong was a famous atheist.

He didn't believe any of this.

Xun Rou had never known that Li Cheng actually thought this way. She tilted her head in disbelief: "Cousin, how can you say that to me? I'm doing this for your mother's good. I'm also helping you run the family business—"

"Forget about managing the family business. For those people you sent over, I multiplied the price of an egg by sixty times and put them in my account. You charged ten cents for a fight and only one or two ounces of salt to me. This is not managing the family business for me, this is cheating a rat, right? I mean, I'm the only legitimate master in our Prince's Mansion, but the money is getting more and more. I can use the remaining money to recruit soldiers and buy horses." Li Cheng's anger also came up.

Xun Rou naturally followed the habit she had when Princess Wu was around. She would not expose them at that time. Moreover, since she was in charge of the family business, she had to win over the people under Concubine Wu and was willing to give them some benefits so that everyone would praise her.

But this is not something she can change alone, as she is not a legitimate princess.

But Li Cheng was too heartless. She was also angry: "Cousin, I am doing this for your own good. Why do you say this to me?"

…

Just as Huiyin finished bathing and changing her clothes, she heard someone outside shouting, "Little Princess, something bad has happened. The young prince and Miss Xun are arguing."

What the hell? Can a man and a woman still quarrel?