Chapter 29
◎Two chapters in one◎
Jiang Bibo's matter was settled. Huiyin asked her to stay in the palace for a day before making arrangements. Jiang Bibo's mood was very up and down today, so she followed the maid downstairs.
As soon as she left, someone outside said that Yin Liyi was coming.
Huiyin rubbed her waist: "What is she doing here? Could it be that she is here to find out about Governor Xie? But how can such military information be leaked now? Prince, I am a little tired, so I will go down first. You can talk to her."
"No, a single man and a single woman cannot stay in the same room." Li Cheng stood up quickly and bowed to Huiyin again: "I still have to trouble Madam."
Only then was Yin Liyi invited in. Yin Liyi did come to ask about Xie Jiuyi's situation.
Li Cheng hesitated for a moment and said, "We cannot spy on military intelligence nowadays. Don't worry, if there is any major change, I will definitely tell you."
Yin Liyi was quite understanding: "It's my fault. I have to thank the little prince and princess."
Hearing her say this, Huiyin thought she would leave immediately, but she asked about Jiang Bibo: "Little Prince, I think Miss Jiang is in a serious situation. If she is seduced by Huo Qi, that pervert, she will be in danger. You are the only one in the world who can help her."
Yin Liyi of course didn't know that Jiang Bibo's problem had been solved in a moment. She just wanted to say something for the poor woman. It was really not easy for the woman. If Xie Jiuyi was here, she would definitely work with her husband to find a solution. But now that her husband was not here, it would be great if she could help Jiang Bibo persuade Li Cheng.
Li Cheng smiled and said, "How can I help her? This matter still depends on the princess."
But Huiyin had a subtle feeling in her heart. These things should not be handled by Yin Liyi, and they have nothing to do with her. She was a little generous to others when she said these words.
Yin Liyi heard that it was Huiyin who helped, so she asked her how. Huiyin thought that she was meddling too much, so she just smiled and said, "I thought it would be bad for our little prince to break up with the Huo family, so I just took her in as my sister. This is better than that."
Yin Liyi was stunned by these words and quickly admitted her mistake: "It's my fault."
"You mean well." Huiyin shook her head to show that she didn't care.
The two women were not really sincere in their conversation. Yin Liyi felt that Huiyin was not very considerate and asked Huaiyin Palace to change the world. You have to know that the old man who followed Huaiyin Palace in the past had gone through life and death for Li Cheng. This was too inhumane.
But seeing that the three of them were silent, Yin Liyi felt a little awkward for a moment, so she left first.
As soon as Huiyin left, she held out her hand and asked someone to help her back to her room. Li Cheng followed her and massaged her waist himself. His hands were neither too light nor too heavy, just enough to press those sore spots, allowing Huiyin to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you comfortable?" Li Cheng asked.
Huiyin nodded: "It's comfortable. Hey, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. I have prepared gifts for all places, even for your wet nurse, Mama Chao. Please help me take a look and give me some advice later."
At first, Li Cheng had to review everything, and he did give some pointers, but later he realized Huiyin was more prepared, so he quickly said, "Just prepare it for you, and hand it over to Manager Qiao to prepare it. You don't have to worry too much, because you're going to give birth next month, so you need to take care of yourself."
"Of course, I will pay attention to my body." Huiyin touched her belly and shook off the bad influences.
The next day, she personally assigned ten personal soldiers to Jiang Bibo, wrote a personal letter to the King of Wei, and asked someone to escort Jiang Bibo out.
Mother Nan was puzzled: "Little Princess, what you did was a great favor to her, why don't you go out yourself?"
"Don't expect anything in return for a favor. Those who are willing to repay will remember to repay you even if you don't tell them. Those who are ungrateful won't remember your kindness even if you help them many times. Besides, I help her for my own good." Huiyin felt that if she did something good, she shouldn't expect anything in return, or she shouldn't waste her time and energy helping others.
Nan's mother brought the bird's nest porridge and couldn't help but say, "You are so kind."
Huiyin laughed and said, "You don't understand."
The Jiang family needs Li Cheng as a protective umbrella. Li Cheng sometimes needs the army and the Jiang family's money. There is no need to mention any feelings when it comes to interests.
Mother Nan really didn't understand all this. She just felt that her young lady thought too thoroughly about everything. People who were too thorough needed someone with extremely abundant emotions, so that the two of them could complement each other. But the little prince was in such a high position, how could he be too emotional?
She also said that Jiang Bibo took the letter from Huiyin and brought ten personal soldiers from the Zheng family, so she felt safe. However, Nanny Lin beside her said, "Miss, you said that the little princess helped us so much, but she didn't seem to have a mentality of giving favors, nor did she take credit for herself."
Jiang Bibo said, "No wonder people say that you should marry a woman of equal status. Zheng is a noblewoman, the daughter of the Grand Commander of Jizhou, so she has the confidence. It seems that we should make more friends with her in the future."
Nanny Lin nodded: "Only those who are truly capable can be so quiet and help with just a flick of the finger. Anyway, she is the one who makes the decisions at the Huaiyin Palace now. If we have any good gifts in the future, we can just give them to the little princess."
"I think so too, not to mention that she is nominally my sister." Jiang Bibo is good at business and has a unique vision. Don't look at how Madam Xie slammed the table. If she really wanted to help, why didn't she ask her sister Yin Cifei, but instead asked her to find Li Cheng.
After Jiang Bibo returned to Jianye, Huo Qi came to her house and saw that she was accompanied by soldiers from Jizhou. Jiang Bibo even delivered a letter to the King of Wei, and only then did Huo Qi stop.
This is a story for later. A month later, Huiyin received the Jiang family's shipload of high-quality silks, tiger-head hats, and gold and silver utensils. She put them in the warehouse and waited until the child was born to arrange them carefully.
Xie Jiuyi and Li Heng fought in Qingzhou, more than a month had passed. The southern troops had been able to fight Ma Kui before, but it was difficult for them to fight the cavalry brought by Li Heng.
When the war was at its climax, Lu Xiao of the Eastern Palace received a gift from the front line. The eunuch was also very good at speaking: "Crown Princess, this is specially sent to you by our Crown Prince."
Lu Xiao glanced at Deyin. She thought these were for Deyin, but unexpectedly they were for her. Zheng Deyin's face turned pale in an instant, and she could only smile to hide her embarrassment.
This reminded her of the day when she came back from Jizhou. Li Heng comforted her that everything was fine, but in fact he was still disappointed in her. All this was because her father was unwilling to help her. If he had helped her, how could she have ended up like this? In her previous life, when Li Heng attacked Qingzhou, her elder brother Pei Shuo followed him to the battle, not to mention when he attacked Xuzhou later and Zheng Wuheng was shot by random arrows. Why didn't he help her? Her father was biased.
She has given out rewards at all times and has never been harsh on her in-laws. Will she not promote my father and brothers when she comes to power?
Seeing the people in the Crown Princess' Palace happy, Zheng Deyin stroked her belly. It was really strange. Why was she so favored, but her belly was not doing well? Was there something wrong with her belly? In her previous life, Huiyin was a concubine of the Crown Prince and she got pregnant. She also got pregnant when she married Li Cheng. It was really unfair.
Thinking back to when she was at home, Huiyin often stayed up late to cool off, and her menstrual period was endless. Unlike me, I didn't feel any pain during my menstrual period every month. How come she is pregnant now? I am not.
Lianzhi saw Deyin was worried, and advised: "Liang Di, the Crown Princess is only in trouble because she is the principal wife, so the Crown Prince is just trying to give her face. Look here, the jewelry on your dressing table is almost all given by the Crown Prince himself."
"But I have let the prince down." Deyin felt very guilty.
Lian Zhi pursed her lips and said, "Actually, I think we should wait until you are pregnant, then make plans. If you give birth to a grandson, I'm afraid the Marquis and his family will definitely help."
Deyin nodded and looked out the window again: "I think my second sister is about to give birth, but I am just a concubine and cannot send things to Xuzhou. I don't know whether my second sister gave birth to a boy or a girl. If it is a boy, she will be better than me."
"Liang Di, it's very difficult to say about giving birth to a baby. Moreover, it's hard to say whether the child can be raised or not. Xuzhou is no match for the capital." Lianzhi said secretly.
Deyin glanced at her maid and said, "Don't talk nonsense. How can you say such things? Huiyin is my sister."
Lianzhi was silent.
On the other side, Huiyin was indeed about to give birth. The due date had arrived, but she had not yet started. Huiyin was a little anxious. She had just walked outside when her stomach started to move. It was Li Cheng who carried her into the main room without taking a breath.
The old lady came in quickly and was started to see Li Cheng here: "Little Prince, men can't stay here. We are enough here."
Li Cheng saw Huiyin lying on the bed in great pain. He glanced at Grandma Wen and said, "I will feel at ease here. The little princess has no relatives or friends here. Only when I am here will she feel at ease."
Especially in the first month before her birth, he even saw Huiyin having nightmares.
The old lady was unable to persuade Li Cheng, so Huiyin said to her, "Don't worry about the little prince. Just take good care of my fetal position. He is here to protect me."
Even the old lady couldn't do anything about this couple; they were too clingy.
Huiyin didn't expect Li Cheng to come in and accompany her. Although she was a little grateful in her heart, she could only keep the gratitude in her heart now.
…
The main room was in a state of bustle, and Mother Chao was eating melon seeds like crazy. When Yun Hui came in, she saw the melon seed shells all over the floor, and quickly said, "Mom, please don't eat these melon seed shells in the gift box."
When Zheng gave birth to a child, although the servants could not give her any expensive gifts, they still had to express their gratitude.
Mother Chao said unhappily, "How can she be interested in our gifts? They are just given to the people around her. This is just a token of appreciation."
"What if someone investigates? We must never let anyone get hold of anything. Mother, you should know that once the little princess gives birth to a prince, her position will be more secure." Yun Hui said.
Mother Chao curled her lips and said, "A new emperor appoints his own ministers. How could I not know this truth? By the way, those satins you said were given by Madam Xie. There are eight rolls of makeup satin. Her generosity is really huge."
Yun Hui smiled and said, "She was afraid that I would be sent away by Zheng, so she gave me the gift. You know, this person has always been kind-hearted."
"That's true. Princess Wu liked her very much back then. But her status was too low. If it weren't for our princess' pity, how could she let the daughter of a clerk come to the palace to study?" said Mother Chao.
The servants in this wealthy family all have a sense of superiority and regard the title and honor of their master's family as their own. Even though they are also slaves, they are picky about other people's family background.
Yun Hui added: "But she also wants to befriend us. Let's find out more about her in the future. After all, Governor Xie is at the front line now."
"I don't understand these wars, but Ma Kui from Qingzhou always plunders here and there, and he deserves it." Mother Chao boasted that she knew something.
Yun Hui didn't let her mother continue talking. She just thought that if Zheng gave birth to a girl this time, Concubine Wu would definitely send a girl. It was not that she cared too much about offspring, but she felt that there was an opportunity.
What a great opportunity this is. I can even speak in favor of her in front of the Queen Mother Wei and the King of Wei.
Look, the sun is setting.
Li Cheng had been sitting in the delivery room for half an hour, watching Huiyin being helped up. His wife, who used to be glamorous and beautiful, was no longer the same. All her hair ornaments had been taken off, and her originally finest silk pajamas were now wrinkled. Her head was covered with sweat.
Standing behind my wife was a maid named Fugui, who was supporting her from behind.
However, Li Cheng said, "I see that other people give birth while lying down, why does the princess want to give birth while standing? Is this right?"
The widow took time out of her busy schedule to answer: "To answer your question, the vertical position makes it easier to give birth and less prone to infection. The princess is pregnant in a good condition, her water hasn't broken yet, and the fetus is in the right position, which is suitable for this kind of delivery. If the fetus is not in the right position and the birth is too fast, it will easily cause heavy bleeding."
Li Cheng felt pain just by listening to it. Giving birth is really too painful.
"Huiyin, I'm here, always here, you can give birth without worry--"
"Shut up."
Huiyin was leaning on the cloth strip. She gave birth after her due date, so she could understand why the old lady asked her to do this, as it would make it easier for the baby to come out quickly.
Of course, this is also likely to cause heavy bleeding, especially if the woman is too rough or the birth happens too quickly.
Giving birth is a life-or-death experience.
In the past, she heard that people could give birth to a child while working in the fields and still have a job. She really thought that people who said such things definitely did not treat women as human beings.
"Ginseng slices, bring some ginseng slices for the princess to hold in her mouth." The old lady shouted.
Li Cheng saw Nan's mother coming out from somewhere and bringing over some ginseng slices. His wife put the slices in her mouth and held the two ends of the rope tightly with her hands. Fu Gui seemed to be exhausted, so he quickly ran over to help hold him up.
The people around me were dumb...
The midwife wiped the sweat off her forehead and was very relieved. After all, men are stronger. However, there were no male midwives. She also boldly called Li Cheng: "Little Prince, please support the little princess, otherwise if she slips, all our efforts will be wasted."
"Okay, okay." Li Cheng quickly stood behind Huiyin.
Huiyin suddenly felt that her back was stable, like a mountain, and it didn't matter much if she leaned back.
"Ah..." Huiyin tried hard to sink her center of gravity, but her legs were numb from standing. Her consciousness became a little fuzzy, and she spat out the ginseng slices she had just held in her mouth.
Li Cheng felt that even fighting was not so slow and painful. He could empathize with his wife because she was very strong. When her hand was scratched by the pages of a book, she stopped the bleeding and sprinkled medicine powder without blinking. She was in so much pain that she had no strength left but still insisted on holding on. He felt really distressed.
The old lady said to Li Cheng with great experience: "Young Prince, please encourage the young princess."
Encourage? It was hard to say what he usually said, so he could only say: "Huiyin, your eighteenth birthday is coming soon. If you work harder, then the three of us will celebrate your birthday."
Huiyin didn't think this place was her home, but after listening to Li Cheng's words, she began to yearn for it. Her legs were wet, and the old lady immediately said, "The water has broken. Send some ginseng soup over quickly."
This was a soup that had been specially stewed with an old ginseng for three hours. Huiyin drank it all in one gulp.
She followed the Venerable's instructions on how to breathe in and out and how to exert force.
Fortunately, Li Cheng was there with her the whole time. She finally tried hard and something seemed to slip out. The midwife quickly cut the umbilical cord and patted the baby, who cried loudly.
Huiyin leaned against Li Cheng, and Li Cheng carried her to the bed. In her previous life in the Eastern Palace, she was very eager to give birth to a son, and even made another preparation. If she couldn't give birth to a son, she would get a boy, so that the status of the entire Zheng family could be consolidated.
Marrying Li Cheng now doesn't feel urgent, so it doesn't matter what kind of child she has, because Li Cheng will be there with her when she gives birth.
"Congratulations, young prince. The princess has given birth to a little prince." said the old lady.
Li Cheng looked at Huiyin lying on the bed. She was covered in sweat and tears, and her hair was tangled. But he thought she was really beautiful and looked like a mother. He leaned close to her ear and said, "Did you hear that? We have a son now."
"Yeah." Huiyin felt relieved.
…
Then the whole palace was in action. The palace had a new heir, born to the first wife, which had a special meaning. Li Cheng gave double the bonus to everyone in the palace, and Mother Chao also came over to congratulate them.
"Congratulations, little prince. Congratulations, little prince, on having a son."
Li Cheng quickly helped Mother Chao up: "Yes, it's really not easy to be a princess. Giving birth is really the most painful thing in the world for a woman." He was speaking purely from his heart and had experienced it personally.
Mother Chao thought that giving birth is the same for all women in the world, but she dared not say such words out loud. She just smiled and said, "Yes, when Princess Wu gave birth to you, she had a heavy bleeding. It was not easy. You cried so hard at that time, but it was because I, your mother, held you day after day that you got better."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Mom." Li Cheng was indeed always grateful to his wet nurse, Mama Chao, otherwise he would not have kept Yun Hui as a housekeeper. In the past, he even let Mama Chao take care of the household affairs. He even read the gift lists for the four seasons and eight festivals after Zheng married into the family. The gifts she gave were very generous.
Mother Chao wanted to say a few more words, but when she saw Mother Nan coming over, Mother Nan had long disliked Mother Chao. She had already instigated the princess when she was newly married. What a jerk! Everyone served their own master. Since her daughter got married, the servants in the palace had never been scolded or beaten, and there would be no such thing as Mother Chao forcing people to eat spoiled food that they could not finish.
"Young Prince, the doctor is here. The young princess asked you to come over." Nan's mother said.
Li Cheng nodded: "Okay, I'll go over now."
Seeing Li Cheng leave in a hurry, Mother Chao curled her lips and left muttering.
Now she had no status at all in this inner courtyard. Without the young prince's permission, she couldn't even enter the main room.
The maid guarding the gate saw that Mother Chao had left, and said to her sisters, "That old woman is finally gone. I suffered a lot under her. During festivals, if I ate an extra piece of fried cake, she would take off my pants and beat me with twenty boards. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to survive. If she was still in charge of the family, we would have been tortured to death."
"You can't say that. Aunt Yunhui is a very good person. You are also okay. Now that the little princess has married, she has never scolded the servants. Last time my father was seriously ill, the little princess saw him while taking a walk, and she even called a doctor for my father. There is no one more amiable than her. Even Sister Fugui Dongshun in the courtyard has always been kind and gentle. Who in the family does not obey the little princess? Only Mother Chao will not give up."
Although the two maids were only guarding the gate and were paid 500 yuan a month, they had a quiet job and the young master was kind. Aunt Yunhui was a nice person, often helping this and that, and she was fair, but she might have pretended to have such a mother.
The two girls thought that this was probably because the little princess was kind to others and did good deeds, so she gave birth to a boy in her first pregnancy.
It is also said that Li Cheng led the doctor in and felt the pulse through the curtain. The doctor said: "The woman is just a little weak. After three days, she can start taking Shenghua Tang. Remember not to boil it with wine, as the medicinal properties are too strong. One dose a day, five doses are enough. The next step is to regulate the spleen and stomach. Only when the spleen and stomach are well regulated can other supplements be absorbed in the future. Dangshen, Chinese yam, Poria cocos, or Lentils and Lotus seeds are all fine. They can be boiled with pork tripe and spareribs to make a clear soup. After 20 days after the birth, use Shiquan Dabu Tang, which can strengthen the bones and waist."
Li Cheng had a good memory and had already written it down, and asked the steward to take the medical fee to the doctor.
After seeing the doctor off, he had the curtains lifted, and walked over to hold Huiyin's hand in person: "The doctor said that you are fine, you must take good care of yourself during the confinement period. If you want to eat anything, just tell me."
Huiyin was sweating all over because she had just given birth. As Li Cheng spoke, he took out a handkerchief and wiped her sweat.
Huiyin didn't know why, maybe because Li Cheng accompanied her throughout the birth, she looked at him with eyes full of love: "What should I do? I think I'm starting to like you a little bit."
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