25 Chapter 25

◎Sister and brother reunion (including v-entry notice)◎

Governor Xie and his wife had another place to stay, so they said goodbye to Huiyin. Huiyin also took the opportunity to see the young Governor Huaihai. He was about two years older than Li Cheng, a very handsome man, and looked more mature. Li Cheng's eyes were always sparkling, and he unconsciously revealed a natural youthfulness. Governor Xie was much calmer.

"Manager Qiao, it's winter in Xuzhou now and charcoal is hard to buy. Please send some to Governor Xie and his wife for me." Huiyin said.

Manager Qiao quickly smiled and said, "Yes, I will arrange it right away."

It can be seen that Manager Qiao and Governor Xie and his wife are very familiar with each other, so they act a little more casually.

Huiyin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Wait, Manager Qiao, I want to ask you something."

Manager Qiao waited for Huiyin's question with his hands down, but when he saw Huiyin ponder for a moment, he said, "Forget it, go ahead and see what else they need."

Manager Qiao didn't understand what was going on, but left first.

Huiyin patted her belly and walked along the corridor, her mind full of thoughts. Wagging her tail to beg for mercy, begging for love from others, the illusion that it was won by humility was love, no, she would never agree with it.

She was still slightly affected by Xun Rou's words, but she couldn't be paranoid and must always believe in herself, Huiyin made a secret decision.

After calming down for a long time, she was able to talk and laugh freely at Mrs. Xue's birthday banquet three days later. Mrs. Xue's granddaughter married a former subordinate of Governor Xie, who now holds the rank of Captain of the Tunqi Army.

Mrs. Xue's nickname was Huanhuan. Mrs. Xue took Mrs. Xie's hand and said, "Liyi, my Huanhuan has always been so good to you, I am relieved. I am old now, I am afraid I can't take care of her for a long time."

Mrs. Xie's mother's surname was Yin and her name was Nuo Liyi. She was originally the daughter of a recorder under the King of Wei, and later married Xie Nuo as his wife. However, Huiyin found it very strange. The recorder was only a minor official of the seventh or eighth rank, and the Yin family was not a famous family. How could she marry the son of the prefect?

Just as I was thinking, I heard Yin Liyi say, "How can you say that, Madam? I was taken care of by Sister Xue back then. She is my best friend. Before I came, my mother even asked me to bring some of her favorite hazelnut cakes."

Xue Huanhuan was also moved by what she said and wiped away her tears: "More than five years have passed in the blink of an eye. I still remember that I was a female official beside Concubine Wei at that time. Li Yi was only twelve or thirteen years old. I had never seen such a simple girl, but she was ambitious and hardworking. She is the most hardworking girl I have ever seen."

Huiyin secretly thought that Yin Liyi was a female official under the Queen Mother Wei. It happened that Li Cheng's parents died five years ago, and he fled to the Prince of Wei, so he must also live in the Prince of Wei's mansion. What would it be like for childhood sweethearts to meet again after a long separation?

But when Mrs. Xue saw that Xue Huanhuan was talking nonstop, and fearing that Huiyin would be neglected, she hurriedly said, "Little Princess, you may not know, but when my granddaughter was a female official in the service of Concubine Wei, I wanted her to learn some rules. I often talked with your grandmother at that time. The little prince was not even twenty years old at that time, but he was very skilled in strategy and martial arts. He was always the vanguard of the King of Wei and was very brave."

Huiyin seemed to be interested and said with a smile: "When I was in Jizhou before, I often heard that the King of Huaiyin was very brave."

Madam Miao, who was present at the meeting, had caused Xun Rou's reputation to suffer because of the resettlement of refugees. Seeing that the little princess did not blame her but still respected her, she quickly said, "Little princess, I heard that your father was called the Flying General and has now been named Marquis Zhaojie and the Grand Commander of Jizhou. Your brother will come to our Xuzhou soon. I wonder what kind of person he is? I'm afraid the girls in Xuzhou want to see him."

Huiyin smiled and said, "My little brother is very young, and I originally thought it was my elder brother who came, but I never expected that my family wrote to say that it was him who came. When he comes, I will host a banquet for everyone."

Mrs. Miao was quick-witted, and others, such as Mrs. Xue of the Xue family, also came to their senses. Xuzhou was now in the hands of Li Cheng. They treated Yin Liyi with courtesy for the sake of the prefect Xie and the King of Wei, but forgot that the county officials were not as good as the current ones. Moreover, Zheng's father was Marquis Zhaoping. Although he was not from a noble family, he was quite under the care of Prime Minister Lu Ren.

Huiyin didn't want to be the center of attention, and she quickly gave the stage back to Madam Xue: "Our young prince specifically asked me to come and wish you a happy birthday, and also said that you and your grandmother had a very good relationship. In addition to those birthday gifts, I also have a copy of the Heart Sutra that I personally copied for you."

"Thank you, little princess." Madam Xue asked someone to take the book and flipped through it. Seeing the elegant handwriting like flowing clouds and running water, she couldn't help but nod.

She added, "I am pregnant, so it is inconvenient for me to stay for dinner. I will invite you all to come over when there is a chance in the future."

Madam Xue wanted to stand up and see her off, but was stopped by Huiyin.

After she left, Madam Xue said to the people around her: "This little princess never boasts. She is beautiful but also very generous. She is definitely not an ordinary person."

When Yin Liyi was a female official in the Prince of Wei's palace, she had met many people and could be considered to have seen countless people, but she could not see through Zheng. Xue Huanhuan also thought so. She said, "I heard from my mother that this Princess Zheng usually stayed at home, but in the Huaiyin Palace, she was almost the only one who obeyed her orders in just a few months. She was pregnant when she entered the palace, but she was able to hold back. Xun Rou was said to be..."

When Xue Huanhuan spoke the last few words, her tone was almost imperceptible.

Yin Liyi was shocked: "The method is so brutal."

"That's right. To be honest, you and I have nothing to do with the young prince now. Can you imagine how vicious and cruel the Prince of Huaiyin is? He actually rushed back to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Winter Solstice with her." When Xue Huanhuan was a female official in the Prince of Wei's Palace, the Prince of Wei was afraid that the Prince of Huaiyin would not be able to manage the palace, so he simply let him help manage the Prince of Wei's Palace. She used to be Li Cheng's subordinate. Yes, she admitted that Li Cheng was very capable, but the pressure of working under him was extraordinary.

Yin Liyi and her sister were also daughters of officials in the Prince of Wei's palace. They were old acquaintances of him, but he showed no mercy to them.

But this Zheng seemed to be very special. Thinking of this, she glanced at Yin Liyi again and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about others. Let me ask you, are you and your wife planning to go north?"

You should know that Xie Jiuyi was not only a governor, but also one of the most capable ministers under the King of Wei. There is a children's song in Jiangnan that goes: "Ambush on the road, guard the pass with Jiuyi, fight by the river with Li Lang."

This refers to Xie Jiuyi and Li Cheng. Jiangnan has been home to many talented people since ancient times, and Xie Jiuyi has a close relationship with the King of Wei, so he can be considered a conspirator. Going north must be for something big, Xue Huanhuan guessed secretly.

Yin Liyi smiled and said, "Your information is very accurate, but before that we have to meet with the King of Huaiyin to discuss it."

Xue Huanhuan was very sensible and did not ask any more questions, because she knew very well that the King of Wei wanted to take Qingzhou as soon as possible and to form an alliance with Zheng Fang of Jizhou, and also wanted Zheng Fang to remain a bystander.

A month after Mrs. Xue's birthday, Huiyin's belly got a little bigger. She took care of the household accounts and rested at home. Anyway, Li Cheng said he would come back for the New Year. It was only a few days away. The atmosphere of the New Year had already been in the house, and the lights were on and the place was very lively.

However, before Li Cheng came back, his younger brother Zheng Wuheng arrived.

He came from Jizhou, accompanied by his father's counselor Zhuang Huai, and brought several fine horses and more than a dozen carriages of gifts prepared for the Huaiyin Palace and the King of Wei.

It was the first time for the young man to go out. He pretended to be calm and serious all the way. But when he saw his elder sister, he ran towards her with a smile as usual: "Sister."

"Heng'er." Huiyin has been in Xuzhou for half a year. She is often alone in the mansion and inevitably feels lonely. After she became pregnant, she became sentimental. Now that she sees her relatives, her joy is beyond words.

Zheng Wuheng saw that his sister had become more rosy-faced and dressed more elegantly in the six months since she got married. She looked more relaxed and at ease. She did not look haggard because she was far away from her family and hometown. He was relieved.

"Sister, where is your brother-in-law? Is he good to you?" This is the question that Zheng Wuheng cares about most.

Huiyin naturally wouldn't let her brother worry, so she said in a positive way: "Your brother-in-law treats me well. Although we are together less often than apart, he always rushes back to accompany me during the holidays. He will be back in a few days, and then you can meet him."

Zheng Wuheng breathed a sigh of relief: "I feel relieved that my brother-in-law treats my sister well. By the way, my parents asked me to bring letters to my hometown when I went south this time."

The two siblings entered the inner room. Huiyin read ten lines at a glance. Ji Shi, of course, first expressed her concern for her health in the letter, and then mentioned that Deyin seemed to want Madam Xu to persuade her father to rebel against Lu Wei. As for her father, he was also asking her how Xuzhou was, how Li Cheng was, and how the King of Wei was.

Huiyin looked at Zheng Wuheng and said, "Brother, you have to remember that no matter who persuades father to rebel against Lu Wei, father will not move."

Zheng Wuheng was puzzled: "Sister, Lu Wei used the emperor to control the princes and was disrespectful to the crown prince. The people of the world suffered greatly because of him. If father were to come out, wouldn't he be the one holding the reins?"

"You are wrong. During the Lu Ji Rebellion, after your father killed Lu Ji, he fled everywhere. Who helped him? Once Lu Wei died, your father's troops were depleted, and others would probably reap the benefits. Our Zheng family started from humble beginnings and finally gained a foothold in Jizhou. Now we cannot take a wrong step. Even your father may not believe what your brother-in-law says." Huiyin warned.

Zheng Wuheng remembered that his sister had clearly said that her brother-in-law treated her very well, but now she told his father not to listen to her brother-in-law. However, he always obeyed his sister's words, and when he saw that his sister had written the letter, he solemnly agreed.

Huiyin thought about her past life in the Eastern Palace. If she had not discovered the contraceptive pills, she would have secretly gotten pregnant, and her father would not have rebelled against Lu Wei in the end. She poisoned Li Heng and took the throne herself. But her brother was poisoned by a poisoned arrow instead of Li Heng, and her brother died. This was a pain she could not bear.

At that time, she thought Li Heng loved her sincerely and that she would become the empress in the future, so she asked her family to help her with all their money. But later it turned out like that. How could she dare to truly trust Li Cheng now?

What's more, there is a white moonlight Yin Liyi who looks like Li Cheng, who is lingering in Xuzhou City, seemingly waiting for his return, and she sends people to greet him from time to time. Although Huiyin also knows that Yin Liyi and her husband seem very happy and sweet now, she always feels that this woman seems to be too familiar with Li Cheng...

This is the feeling between Xun Rou and Li Cheng, a feeling that even cousins ​​who grew up together have never had.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard Manager Qiao say, "Little Princess, the little prince ordered his personal soldiers and servants to go back first, and he went straight to the residence of Governor Xie, saying that Governor Xie had something important to discuss with him."

Huiyin was stunned.

【Author’s words】

This article will be published on September 15th, with three updates on the same day.