Chapter 31
◎Two chapters in one◎
At the beginning of autumn, the air was already chilly in the morning and evening. Looking around, there were already many large and small boats moored on the shore, densely packed like a chessboard with clear longitude and latitude. The adults had some sadness on their faces, but for the three-month-old baby, it was the first time for him to go out, and he smiled silently in his cradle.
While helping Li Cheng to straighten his collar to cover the kiss mark, Huiyin glanced at Yin Liyi not far away and whispered, "Then I will leave with Jing'er first. You have to be careful. The prince shot and injured Governor Xie with a poisoned arrow. If he really can't hold on, I'm afraid you will have to lead the troops there. Be sure to wear armor."
Li Cheng followed her gaze, feeling very reluctant to let her go.
"Go back." Huiyin waved to him while holding the child.
Not far away, Yin Liyi was also about to board the ship. Xie Jiuyi was shot with a poisonous arrow. It was said that Yin Liyi wanted to go to the front line to take care of the wounded, or Li Cheng was afraid that Qingzhou would be lost and Xuzhou would suffer, so he asked her to go back to Jianye with him.
Knowing that she could not go to Qingzhou, Yin Liyi's face was filled with disappointment.
Xue Huanhuan advised: "After you return to Jianye, at least take care of your daughter first and wait for Governor Xie to recover. Will there be no time for you two to be together in the future?"
So Yin Liyi had no choice but to go back on the same boat with Huiyin.
This time when they went to Jianye, Huiyin packed almost all of her dowry, except for the heavy items. There were also a lot of belongings that she and Li Cheng had saved, and Li Cheng asked her to bring them back. These things alone filled three boats, not counting the other boat they used for living.
Of course, the biggest and best location is where Huiyin lives with her children, so the place where Yin Liyi lives is a bit out of the way.
Less than an hour later, the sun came out and Yin Liyi couldn't stand it anymore. Her maid Qiaozhen couldn't help but say, "It's too sunny. I don't know how the palace arranged it. Why don't I go and talk to the little princess. This is too outrageous."
"Don't go. It's so troublesome to change places. Didn't you hear what they said just now? They said the house on the west side is bigger and we have more people with us, so it's best to live here. What else can I say?" Yin Liyi just felt that she really wanted to be good friends with Li Cheng's wife. Even if they couldn't be good friends, there was no need to play these little tricks. But Zheng Shi really did these little tricks. She pretended to be kind and righteous to herself in front of Li Cheng, but she targeted her as soon as she got on the boat.
In fact, Huiyin didn't have so many thoughts. As the Princess of Huaiyin, she should live in the best place. This was natural to her. Yin Liyi just took her back. Even if her sister was the Second Princess of Yin, so what? Now if she really showed weakness in Jianye, then Concubine Wei, Concubine Wu, or even the Princess of Wei could control her.
How can one show the compassion of a bodhisattva without taking drastic measures?
Furthermore, she was not targeting Yin Liyi, she was just doing her job.
Is it targeting just because you don't lick it?
Nan Mama told Huiyin what the servant guarding the west had said. Huiyin pouted, "I thought she would really ride a horse to Qingzhou, or find someone to take her to Qingzhou, but she just went back to Jianye obediently. What does she have to do with me? Why is she complaining about me? If she doesn't like it, why did she take my boat?"
"That's what I said too. She was acting secretly with Yunhui before. Mother Chao and Yunhui are staying in the palace this time, and I'm worried." Mother Nan didn't know before that Yunhui was given to Li Cheng by Prince Wu as a concubine. Later, after she found out, she often kept an eye on Yunhui and discovered many problems.
Huiyin held out her hand to stop her from saying anything more: "Don't be so nervous. I left my two concubines to take care of the internal affairs, and I left Fugui to guard the house. How dare she take the position herself?"
Nan's mother smiled and said, "If fighting for power and profit is a small matter, I'm afraid of what the little prince will do..."
"He was snatched away so easily, which means he is not worthy of my true love." Huiyin thought cheerfully.
The love between men and women does not actually account for a very large proportion in a person's life. It is just a very small flame. People have other emotions in life. It doesn't matter if they have no emotions at all, as they still have themselves.
Mother Nan was relieved to see that Huiyin understood the situation.
On the boat, she had more time to spend with Jing'er, but many of the people who came with Huiyin were from the north, and some of them felt dizzy and nauseous because it was their first time on a boat. It is said that after Yin Liyi found out, she asked Qiaozhen, who was beside her, to make a sour and vinegar fish dish to relieve the symptoms of nausea and dizziness, and many people really got better.
Huiyin asked someone to invite Yin Liyi over to thank him: "Thank you so much. Many of us northerners have suffered from water sickness. I don't know what to do."
"It's just a small matter, don't worry about it." Yin Liyi said with a smile.
"You can't say that. Who knows how many people will just stand by and watch. You are a kind-hearted person, and everyone knows that." Huiyin said.
Yin Liyi disliked Huiyin, not because Huiyin really targeted her, but because she felt that she and this person were not compatible, mainly because of their different personalities. She thought that she was a person who stood up for the weak and was passionate, at least she was a person of great affection and loyalty, but Zheng was not such a person, she was a person of great power and shrewdness.
Therefore, when Huiyin gave her the candied dried fruits, she strongly refused, "I don't need them, I already brought these."
Huiyin said, "Then I won't send it off, so you won't be unable to finish it."
After Yin Liyi left, Huiyin asked Nan's mother to tell the kitchen to make more of Yin Liyi's favorite food. She wanted to repay the favor no matter what.
Therefore, Yin Liyi would have an extra tonic soup every day, either stewed chicken with fish maw, or bird's nest porridge with rock sugar, or even stewed ginseng soup with old hen. She couldn't drink these tonics, so she let the people around her drink them all.
Qiaozhen said, "Are you worried about your aunt? From what I've seen, your aunt has been through a lot of battles, so she will be fine."
"How can he be okay after being wounded by a poisonous arrow?" Yin Liyi was very sad.
But Qiaozhen said, "Madam, don't worry. I think it will be even more helpful if the young prince helps us. Didn't the young prince promise you that he would help our aunt?"
Yin Liyi pursed her lips and said, "It was easy to deal with this matter before. After all, I know the young prince. Although he has a sharp tongue, he is very loyal. But now, just because he allowed Zheng to drive away so many old people in the palace, even the fat steward He who often made delicious food for me, and the loud but kind steward Zhong were almost all driven away by her. Brother Cheng didn't say a word. Do you think he hasn't changed?"
"Really? Why does the young prince listen to what Zheng says so much?" Qiaozhen couldn't understand.
Yin Liyi shook her head: "Maybe it's because of the Zheng family. The Zheng family is located in Jizhou. If the young prince offends the Zheng family, Jizhou will join the war, which is no joke."
The boat arrived at Jianye in just two or three days, but no one came to meet them on the shore. Huiyin knew what was going on, so she called the steward and said, "Go to greet Concubine Wu first and tell her that we are here. If she is not here, ask the steward in the palace to help us transport our things."
But Yin Liyi couldn't wait any longer. She only had seven or eight boxes of things, so she could just let her servant carry them down.
Huiyin did not want to keep her: "We have a lot of things at home, I will wait for someone to come before leaving. So, in this chaotic time, I will not keep you here, I will talk to you next time."
"Don't bother me. I'm very familiar with Jianye." Yin Liyi left in a hurry.
Jianye is another new place. Huiyin looked at Yin Liyi's back and suddenly remembered something. Yin Liyi was still like this because Xie Jiuyi was only injured by the poisoned arrow. What if Xie Jiuyi was gone? Although she shouldn't think about others like this, if that happened, where would Yin Liyi go?
The steward had been gone for half an hour and still hadn't come back. Nan's mother said anxiously, "What...what is he doing? They asked us to come over so badly, but now that we're here, no one is here to pick us up. This is too much of an insult."
Huiyin smiled and said, "It's okay. Tell the boatman that if no one comes to pick us up, we'll turn the boat around and go back. It seems that it will be difficult for grandma to arrange for us here. I understand all this."
One should not be too cautious in life. She was reluctant to leave Li Cheng in the first place, and now she feels even better.
Less than three minutes after the word spread downwards, someone came saying that the palace had sent someone over. The person sent was none other than Nanny Fan who had come earlier. Nanny Fan hurriedly paid her respects and added that today Concubine Wu was listening to an opera at Concubine Wei's place.
The old concubines' lives were all about listening to operas, playing cards, eating and drinking. These expenses were paid by Li Cheng after the death of King Wu. These old people were very careful with their money and would not spend it easily.
Huiyin smiled and said, "I just don't want to disturb the old concubine. You don't know how much our little prince is reluctant to part with the prince. I can't do anything about it."
Nanny Fan thought that it would have been great if she had brought Zheng to Jianye earlier. Now that she has given birth to a son and has established herself on a firm footing, she has the confidence to challenge the emperor.
There are many alleys in Jianye, unlike the wide roads in the north, where horses are often used. Most of the carriages here are mules, and those with horses are poor horses. Huiyin said to Nan's mother, "Let them display the ceremonial procession. They don't have to display the whole thing, half of it will do."
Nan Mama left in response, and Huiyin said to Fan Mama, "Mama, please follow me to the carriage and tell me about Jianye's customs and practices."
"Yes." Nanny Fan couldn't help but think that the little princess was making such a big fuss. No wonder she even drove Xun Rou away.
People like Nanny Fan followed Concubine Wu, so they were of course wary of Zheng. But as soon as she got on the carriage, Zheng was completely different from her previous dignified and majestic self, and directly gave her a pair of purses.
"Madame Fan, this is my reward to you. You have worked hard in taking care of the old empress dowager for so many years. I don't know what to give you, so this pair of purses contains some gold cakes and silver ingots." Huiyin handed it to her with a smile.
Nanny Fan was even more afraid that Huiyin was setting this up, so she quickly said, "Little Princess, you should not accept a reward without merit. It would be bad if the Concubine Dowager knew that I had received your money. It is my duty to serve you."
Huiyin smiled and said, "It's not that I haven't done anything for nothing. I rewarded you when I got married, and it's been more than a year. This year has been a year of changes. Our palace has a little prince, but I have never dealt with the concubine. I have to trouble Nanny to take care of me."
If it was an ordinary young wife, Nanny Fan would not care if she flattered him like this, and would not even say anything if she took the money but did not do anything. But it was not easy to take Zheng's money! Just because she tolerated those corrupt servants at first, and finally got rid of them all, it was clear how she was.
Besides, she has the little prince in her hands. Look how white and plump he is.
But Concubine Wu was different. Even after her son died, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren might not listen to her.
Madam Fan pretended to refuse several times, but finally accepted it, saying, "I feel so guilty about this."
"Don't mention this. In the past, Madam and I just had different stances. But in the future, Madam can take advantage of the situation. This is also human nature." Huiyin smiled.
Nanny Fan was afraid that Huiyin was setting a trap, but now from what she said, she felt that this person really understood human nature. It is human nature to be a fence-sitter, and they are afraid that others will say that if you are unfaithful once, you will never be trusted again. However, Zheng said that when I am in an advantageous position, I will not despise you if you rely on me, and I will not blame you if you rely on others when I am out of power.
"I understand." said Nanny Fan.
Huiyin looked ahead and saw the baby moved a little, then changed position and handed the baby to the wet nurse. She said to Nanny Fan, "I'll stop. These wet nurses need to feed the baby. There are some taboos about eating and drinking. I'll have to trouble you later."
This matter was too small for Aunt Fan, and she agreed immediately.
Afterwards, Huiyin closed her eyes and rested without saying a word.
The more this happened, the more unfathomable Nanny Fan felt, and she dared not say anything more. From time to time, she thought that although Concubine Wu was strong, she was also an old woman in her sixties. Even if she lived another ten or twenty years, she would probably not be able to take charge as she got older. She was a little moved by the olive branch extended by the young princess, but she could not show it now.
Even though the little princess said to take advantage of the situation, if you change too quickly, people will look down on you.
If Xuzhou is a place that military strategists must fight for, then Jianye is definitely the most prosperous place in the world. Huiyin heard the shouts one after another and knew that it was bustling with people. No wonder even Zheng Wuheng was reluctant to leave Jianye after visiting it.
In fact, the fiefdom of King Wu was a good place as good as Jianye. However, King Wu was weak when he was alive. King Wei and King Wu had a good relationship, so King Wu entrusted his fiefdom to King Wei. Of course, he had to entrust it to King Wei, so at least he could recognize him as his uncle and live in harmony with him.
On weekdays, Concubine Wu always stayed with Concubine Wei and lived in Zhaoming Palace, which was the palace of the King of Yue in the previous dynasty and was later converted into the Palace of the King of Wei.
Naturally, the King of Wei also gave the Huaiyin Palace to Li Cheng, but now they have to pay a visit to the King of Wei and several concubines before they can return to their own palaces.
The residence of Prince Wei may not be covered with flowers, but it is majestic, tall, solemn and serious.
They got off the carriage with a canopy at the gate, and took a sedan chair to go in. When they reached the second gate, they saw a group of maids dressed in silk and satin coming over. They all smiled and said, "The two concubines, the princess and the concubine have been waiting for you. They are so happy to see you here."
Huiyin smiled and said, "It's my fault. I should have come here earlier."
When they walked into the corridor and reached the third red gate on the east side, the nanny who was leading the way stopped. Huiyin looked up and saw the plaque here that read Zhaoming Palace. She guessed that this should be where Concubine Wei lived.
Two people who looked like female officials came out and welcomed Huiyin in. They were dressed differently from the other palace maids. Palace maids usually wore buns or hanging buns and wore green or red jackets, while female officials dressed the same as officials, wearing round-necked robes and black-winged hats. Last time, I heard from Yin Liyi and Xue Huanhuan that they were all female officials of Concubine Wei.
These people were probably not ordinary people, at least they were daughters of minor officials.
Huiyin nodded to the two female officials, folded her hands in front of her, looked straight ahead, and followed them in with a smile on her face. After entering the red gate, they passed through two ceremonial gates and saw a plaque with the words "Ci Ning An Kang" written in a vigorous and powerful hand, as if it was written by Li Cheng.
It is said that Li Cheng had helped King Wei manage his mansion five years ago, and he did a very good job of it, so I would not be surprised even if this word was written by him.
This is a place where Li Cheng had been before and is very familiar with it. Almost all the people living here are Li Cheng's family. The more familiar they are with Li Cheng, the better their impression of Li Cheng is, and the more critical they will be of themselves.
People are very subtle. Just like her sister-in-law Xin, she is also a smart and tactful person. When she first came into the family, her mother would also find fault with her.
After crossing the threshold, through the pearl curtain, one can see the woman inside, surrounded by pearls and jade. Then a young female voice is heard from inside: "Let Princess Huaiyin come in."
The palace maids standing on both sides quickly opened the curtain and pinned the pearl curtain to the silver hook that looked like a fairy crane. The people behind the curtain appeared one by one in Huiyin's eyes.
Sitting on the highest throne was a woman who was about forty years old. She looked at him and smiled. She was wearing a purple gauze robe. One could imagine what a beautiful woman she was when she was young.
This is the Queen Mother of Prince Wei. Huiyin has met all of these people before. Although Queen Mother Wu is over 60 years old, thin, with big eyes, and looks well-maintained, the wrinkles between her eyebrows are too deep, and it is obvious that she has a bad temper.
There were also Princess Huo of Wei, Princess Yin of Wei, and Princess Wei's mother, Lady Huo, and so on.
It was strange to say that Yin Liyi was very pretty, especially with a good figure, but the second concubine Yin was very ordinary. Although she was pretty, she was not comparable to Yin Liyi. On the contrary, Wei Wangfei Huo was pretty and radiant.
Not to mention Huiyin looking at them, they were also looking at Huiyin. They saw that Zheng was tall, a full head taller than the women in Jianye and Wudi, with a well-proportioned frame, smooth muscles and bones, and a beautiful face like a peach and plum, with proper manners.
Concubine Wei said to Huiyin, "I, your elder sister, have been looking forward to seeing you for a long time. I know how hard it has been for you. You won't blame us, will you?"
"The Concubine Dowager is really too polite. When our Highness saw the letter from you and grandmother, he told me that he was very sad that he could not serve grandmother, so he sent me to bring Jing'er to serve grandmother as soon as possible. Jing'er is now three months old and has been doing well along the way." Huiyin bowed with a smile.
These were all elders, and she spoke to them very politely and humbly, without any impatience.
Concubine Wu was not very popular in the palace when she was young. In fact, her appearance was quite good among the crowd, but she was not favored. After she gave birth to Prince Wu, she was promoted from a talented woman to a concubine, and then she remained at the position of concubine.
She wouldn't let go of Jing'er once she saw her, and the wet nurses all felt embarrassed.
However, Huiyin was frightened when she saw her long nails. The women in the palace all had the habit of growing long nails, which meant that the fingers were slender, and also meant that the person was pampered.
Such long nails almost scratched the baby's face. As a mother, how could she not be anxious?
"This child is so cute, he looks just like our Cheng'er. Our Cheng'er was like this when he was a child." Concubine Wu had never raised a son of her own, nor a grandson, but now that she saw her great-grandson, she couldn't let go.
It was Concubine Wei who smiled and said, "Sister, you should leave the child to the wet nurse. We have too much makeup here, and children cannot stand the smell of it."
It seemed that Concubine Wei had helped Huiyin. Huiyin looked at her with gratitude, but she didn't take it seriously in her heart. If it weren't for Concubine Wei, she wouldn't have to come back. She had developed the habit of not trusting anyone's words in her previous life in the palace.
It was obvious that Concubine Wu was very reluctant to let her go. Huiyin smiled and said, "Grandma, your granddaughter-in-law will live in Jianye for a long time in the future and stay by your side. You will be able to see the child every day in the future."
After hearing this, Concubine Wu raised her eyelids. When she didn't see Jing'er, she just hated Zheng in her heart. Although she had never seen her, she killed her old servant and drove away her niece and granddaughter, which completely humiliated her. She could only confide these things to Concubine Wei, and asked Concubine Wei to help her grandson-in-law bring back her great-grandson. As long as she returned to Jianye, she would be in her hands.
In front of so many people, Concubine Wu couldn't possibly snatch her great-grandson here. She just smiled faintly and said, "I'm glad you have this intention."
Huiyin pursed her lips and smiled. She could sense that Concubine Wu's smile did not extend beyond her eyes.
Afterwards, Concubine Wei and Concubine Wu asked about Li Cheng's recent situation one after another, and seemed to be very concerned. Mrs. Huo explained, "Cheng's daughter-in-law, the two concubines watched Cheng grow up, so they are very concerned about him."
Huiyin smiled and said, "As the saying goes, if you raise a child for a hundred years, you will worry about him for ninety-nine years. Isn't that true? Our little prince usually follows orders to train troops in Huaishui. He rarely comes back. He only came back this year. Even if he comes back, he doesn't stay at home for long. Hey, didn't the little prince bring my brother to pay a special visit to the two concubines and Uncle Wei last year?"
It seems like we haven't seen each other for ten or eight years, even though it's only been a few months.
Concubine Wu's eyes suddenly became sharp. She felt that Huiyin had a bad temper and seemed disrespectful.
People in the deep palace, whether they are favored or not, live a very repressed life, so they will suddenly become sharp and sensitive. Just like now, when Concubine Wu heard this, she couldn't help but ask: "The weather has started to get colder recently. Have you prepared clothes and bedding in Xuzhou? Your little prince is usually very picky. The last time he came back, I saw that he had lost a lot of weight. I don't know how he lost weight?"
Is this the extent of the attack?
Huiyin smiled sweetly: "The young prince doesn't like extravagance, but he never tires of fine food. I know he is a bit picky, so I often cook for him. As long as he comes back, I will cook for him. So this time when he came back, what he regretted most was that he couldn't eat my food, but I said it didn't matter, and the most important thing was to show respect to my grandmother."
Concubine Wu originally wanted to say that she had not taken good care of Li Cheng, but she never thought that she had become a person who was inconsiderate to her grandson. How dare she talk to herself like this?
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