3 Chapter 3

◎Husband Swapping (Part 2)◎

"Everything was fine, how come the marriage arrangement came down from the palace? Didn't you say you were going to thank your father?" Ji personally served a cup of tea to her husband Zheng Fang. Her husband didn't mention this when he sent Madam Xu's grandparents to the capital. Presumably, this was decided in the capital.

Zheng Fang took a sip of hot tea before saying, "What can we do? The eldest girl said that the prince personally went into the water to rescue her, and the empress said that she liked her very much. But the eldest girl originally wanted to be the crown princess. I just asked the eunuchs and found out that the crown prince's wife is Prime Minister Lu's daughter. It's a pity for us."

Ji thought that the prince had saved the eldest girl, and then the second girl. Now that the eldest girl was the prince's concubine, there was no need to mention the matter of her own daughter. Anyway, only the two little girls beside Huiyin knew about it at that time.

"The prince is a royal descendant. If he can achieve great things, the eldest daughter will at least be a concubine in the future. This is very good." Ji did not want to say anything more. After all, the eldest daughter was not her child.

The couple had just exchanged a few words when Madam Xu sent someone to say, "The old lady said that the second young lady had just recovered from a serious illness and needed to warm up her body. She asked Madam to accompany the second young lady to the Xuelang Manor to soak in the hot springs in the next few days."

Xuelang Manor was originally given to Zheng Fang as a gift to Madam Xu when he conquered Jizhou. In previous years, Madam Xu only brought her eldest daughter with her, but today she specially sent someone to talk about it.

Ji smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, old lady."

She didn't think the old lady had good intentions. They were all thousand-year-old foxes. It was obvious that this move was an attempt to send them away, mother and daughter. Ji was not willing to accept it.

But even though they agreed verbally, the Ji family had also been tortured over the years.

Zheng Fang didn't understand what she meant, so he just asked Ji: "Is Huiyin feeling better? I'll go see her later."

"She just woke up and was exposed to cold wind. How can she be well? I think she still has a fever. She needs to be taken care of."

Ji was originally the daughter of a general in Pingyang County. Her father was the General of the Fu Army. She was originally married to Pei Ye of Hedong County and gave birth to Pei Shuo. Later, when Pei Shuo went out of the city to meet the enemy, someone suddenly attacked from behind. It was the pregnant Ji who rode a horse and led several teams of horses to protect Pei's army and rescue her husband Pei Ye. But the baby in her belly was miscarried. The doctor said that she could not have children. She had a very good relationship with Pei Ye at the time, and naturally felt that she had given a lot, so she asked Pei Ye not to take concubines in the future. Anyway, she already had a son, Pei Shuo. Unexpectedly, Pei Ye took five or six concubines outside. In a fit of anger, Ji took her dowry and son and divorced her husband.

After she married Zheng Fang, she always thought she was infertile. Unexpectedly, she gave birth to Huiyin a few months later. She thought it was a medical miracle.

She was originally excluded in the Zheng family, but she was able to gain a firm foothold after giving birth to Huiyin and her brother.

Outsiders naturally cannot understand the hardships involved, so she is particularly concerned about her daughter.

Although Zheng Fang also had concubines, he and Ji had a very close relationship. Although they were married later in life, more than ten years had passed. Now the most important thing was her daughter's marriage, so she said tactfully: "It is said that after adversity comes good times. Now that the eldest daughter has been chosen by a noble, I wonder what will happen to our Hui Niang?"

"Don't worry, I will carefully choose a good son-in-law." Zheng Fang said with a smile.

Zheng Fang was born in a poor family. He was originally a lieutenant under Gannan Governor Lu Ji. Later, he made great achievements and was reused by Lu Ji. Later, Lu Ji went to Beijing to cause chaos. Zheng Fang was captured by Lu Wei and killed Lu Ji. It can be said that his promotion was entirely based on his own strength. He had no background. Even Mrs. Xu, known as the Xu family of Donghai, was just a flatterer.

Madam Xu didn't think so. She asked someone to bring a bowl of almond milk to Deyin and said, "This milk is very nourishing. Your uncle will come to Jizhou from Jiangnan in a few days. How can you not see him when you are sick?"

"Uncle is coming?" Zheng Deyin was very happy.

Madam Xu smiled and said, "The letter came last month. I calculated the date and I'm afraid it will arrive in the next few days."

"That would be great. My mother would be very happy if she knew. Grandmother, please bring my mother back one day." Zheng Deyin's biological mother, Xu, was practicing as a nun in a nunnery not far from Jizhou. She usually went there to visit her, but this time her uncle came from Huainan, and she wanted to bring her mother back.

Luo, who was beside Madam Xu, smiled and said, "My dear, Madam Xu has just asked someone to invite Ji's mother and daughter to Xuelang Manor for this very matter."

"Grandma..." Zheng Deyin was very moved.

Madam Xu said, "It's not all for this. You're grown up now, so I have to tell you. You're the only granddaughter in my heart. Ji has bad intentions, and I don't want to get involved with her daughter. Your uncle said that the King of Wei intends to ask your father to marry you on behalf of his nephew, the King of Huaiyin. This marriage was originally yours, but now you've been promised to the East Palace, so naturally you can't marry the King of Huaiyin. I'm afraid that Ji will find out. If she sees that it's the King of Huaiyin who's proposing, and does something shameful again, our family will be disgraced."

So that's how it is. Zheng Deyin thought that Huiniang had everything, with her mother being a marquis and brothers. She was lucky in her previous life, and became the empress dowager and the mother of the world. It would be better for her to marry in Jizhou in this life, so that she would not be far away from her hometown, find an ordinary family to take care of her husband and children, and live a plain life. This is something that many people envy. Moreover, the King of Huaiyin had been at odds with her in her previous life, and the couple almost turned against each other. It would be a good thing for her sister not to marry.

Thinking of this, Deyin felt a little relieved.

**

"You have been pretending to be sick these days, did you hear me?" Ji tucked the quilt for Hui Niang and said.

Huiyin smiled and said, "Mother, I didn't want to go out either. Who wants to go out when it's so rainy? Grandmother, I think she wants to get us out of here. I think it's a good thing."

Ji scratched her daughter's nose and said, "You are so smart. You knew it as soon as you heard it. Although your grandmother kept it a secret, your father told me last night that the Prince of Huaiyin wanted to marry the daughter of the Zheng family as his princess. She married in such a hurry, so this marriage fell on your head."

Prince Huaiyin? Huiyin remembered that this person also died young, and it was said that he had a bad relationship with his elder sister. It seemed that she had heard Ji say that Prince Huaiyin originally had someone he loved.

She just said, "Mother, the Prince of Huaiyin may not be really good, don't believe everything you hear."

Ji said otherwise: "My dear child, your father came from a humble family and entered the government. He is a skilled martial artist and a first-rate commander of troops, but unfortunately he lacks strategy. He and Lu Wei have long been at odds with each other, but we are not the children of aristocratic families who have our own private troops. Once someone causes trouble, those people will scatter. The Prince of Huaiyin is the descendant of the Prince of Wu, who is the younger brother of the emperor, and Li Heng is a puppet prince. Since ancient times, the throne has been passed down from brother to brother, and from father to son. Who knows, it might be the Prince of Huaiyin's turn..."

"Mother, isn't Prince Wei also the emperor's younger brother?" Huiyin smiled and shook her head.

Although the King of Wei seemed to have died early in the previous life, after rebirth, everything was a new understanding.

But it seems that King Huaiyin is indeed a good choice, otherwise King Wei would have been married long ago, and King Wei's son is only a few years old now. He can't marry King Wei, right?

Ji's words were exactly what Huiyin was thinking: "The King of Wei has already married a wife. Unless I become his second wife, how can my daughter become his mistress? Even I don't want to be his mistress."

"Mother, the King of Wei wants to marry into my family, but he will definitely not fulfill my grandmother's wish." Huiyin originally considered the Wei family of Bozhou, but she remembered that she knew the good wives of the Wei family in her previous life.

Ji thought so too. Both mother and daughter just said it was too cold outside and they were not well yet. Mrs. Xu didn't expect the mother and daughter to be so mean. She thought it was okay. If Uncle Xu knew that the eldest daughter was promised to someone, he would definitely not make it happen. After all, Xu was forced to become a concubine because of Ji's plan. How could Uncle Xu see his enemy's daughter marrying up?

But she was wrong. When Uncle Xu heard that the eldest daughter had been married to the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, he immediately said to Zheng Fang at the welcoming banquet: "The King of Wei has always admired the talents and bravery of generals. He is willing to form an alliance with the Marquis and marry the general's second daughter. In the future, the two families will serve the court together."

Zheng Fang thought to himself that the King of Wei had recently taken control of Yangzhou, so this was indeed a very good marriage, so he agreed immediately.

Mrs. Xu knew about this, and she couldn't help but say to Uncle Xu who came, "I have already told you that your niece will marry the prince, why do you want to marry Ji's daughter?"

Little did they know that Uncle Xu said, "The King of Wei once told my nephew that the eldest daughter of the Zheng family is the eldest daughter, and it would be good if we could marry her to strengthen our relationship. But if the second daughter is also suitable, we only need to facilitate the marriage and form an alliance with the Zheng family."

Frankly speaking, as long as we can marry into the Zheng family, it's fine. Why bother about who it is?

Madam Xu was so angry that she fell backwards. Zheng Deyin then took care of her grandmother. She was originally very happy to know that Hui Niang did not have to marry Prince Huaiyin, and could finally live a peaceful and healthy life. However, she never expected that fate played a trick on her. In her previous life, she lived a life of poverty, and Hui Niang would probably have to experience the same in this life.

Little did she know, Huiyin secretly said to herself, even if she married the Prince of Huaiyin, she might still be able to be the mother of the country?

She never believed in the saying "marry a chicken and follow the chicken, marry a dog and follow the dog" or that life will be good no matter who you marry. Good life is earned by yourself. She just wants to make a successful path for herself.