Chapter 37
◎Two chapters in one◎
Li Cheng's rectification certainly cannot be attributed to Concubine Wu's housekeeper who messed up the situation. What he said to the outside world was that the servants in the palace blackmailed and deceived the Concubine, and he used these reasons to deal with all the people.
Although it is said that if the water is too clear, there will be no fish, but on the other hand, if the greedy are not eliminated, they will harm the non-greedy. These corrupt people, who doesn't want to drag others into the water so that they can cover their mouths.
After clearing out so many people at once, Li Cheng asked someone to transfer the personnel from Xuzhou over, leaving only half of them to guard the palace. He had brought almost all the important things with him this time.
Because Concubine Wu was slapped in the face for her subordinates' greed, she could not go out again, so she just kept fasting and chanted Buddhist scriptures at home. Huiyin helped build a Buddhist temple and converted a secluded house into a nunnery for the royal palace. She invited several nuns to liven up the palace and told others that she discussed Buddhism with Concubine Wu.
All these cost only about 1,000 taels of silver, but I also gained a good reputation. This is better than visiting the emperor every morning and evening. After all, it was real money spent, and no one could say anything.
She also said that some servants from Xuzhou were coming over, including Mama Chao and Yunhui. However, Huiyin had almost arranged the staff here, and she was unwilling to use Mama Chao and Yunhui, so she had to apologize to them first and said, "Yunhui, the housekeeper here didn't know you were coming, but we had already prepared people. The only place is that the newly renovated Wo Xue An is short of a housekeeper."
Mother Chao complained for her daughter: "My little princess, this is not appropriate."
Huiyin smiled and said, "Mom, I am doing this for your own good. I don't know how the money manager and the four major account offices got involved in the fraud. I thought you were the young prince's wet nurse, so I put the matter aside. The prince won't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes. I will transfer the wet sister to a quieter place. I will talk to you later when the prince's anger has subsided."
Afraid that they would not believe it, Huiyin said to Nan's mother, "Bring over the signed pledge that Qian Guanshi said, and then bring over the private account that his nephew kept for verification."
Mother Chao didn't know that Jianye had undergone a major change. She saw Huiyin take out the evidence and show it to Yunhui on the spot. It doesn't matter. Mother Chao can't read, but Yunhui can.
Yun Hui picked up the entries on the account book and looked at the fingerprints of the money manager. It said that the money for the young prince's lamp oil was one hundred taels, of which less than two taels were spent, and ninety-eight taels were just as a filial respect to Mother Chao. This was just one item, not to mention the many items below.
In fact, Yun Hui knew very well that no one could withstand scrutiny. If someone wanted to get hold of you, they could easily find faults and even use her and her daughter to sell themselves to Li Cheng.
Apparently, Yun Hui understood current affairs better than Mother Chao, and immediately said, "We will do whatever the little princess says."
"What am I saying? I saved your lives." Huiyin didn't mind these things. She didn't like to fight against factions. She also admitted that Yunhui was indeed capable of doing things and was fair and impartial, so she gave her a chance. But this person not only met with Yin Liyi privately in Xuzhou and slandered her behind her back, but even worse, she received a letter from Xuzhou, and she painted her eyebrows, eyes and powdered her eyes to seduce the little prince.
Adding up all these things together, if they still don't deal with you, do you really think Zheng Huiyin is a dead person?
Mother Chao almost fell to the ground. Huiyin looked at her coldly: "If you want to make trouble, go ahead, but don't lose face for the rest of your life."
In the past, Mother Chao was never afraid of Huiyin no matter what, because she was a wet nurse, and there were people like the Concubine Dowager in the palace, and the Princess was just a young wife from outside. But now she was defeated.
After dealing with Madam Chao and Yun Hui's daughter, she promoted Nanny Fan's son to be the second manager. Nanny Fan became more and more open with Huiyin about everything she knew.
Even the lady Liu who had come up with the evil idea before was reported by Nanny Fan, and Huiyin dealt with her directly.
But she also found out from Lady Liu that she had suggested to Concubine Wu, which was to let Li Cheng marry the girl from the Huo family, the younger sister of the King of Wei's wife. This was really hard to refuse. Although Li Cheng and the King of Wei were of different generations, it didn't matter to the Huo family. Being a concubine would also give her status and could promote the relationship between the King of Wei and Li Cheng.
"I plan to hold a flower banquet when the first snow falls. When the green plum blossoms bloom, it will be more elegant." Huiyin decided to put these things aside and actively expand her network in Jianye.
In the past, when she relied on men's connections or men to succeed, she was always afraid that someone would say she was not pure. Later, she figured it out. Why did Li Cheng stand up for her? In addition to liking her, he also recognized her ability and talent, which was also her own ability. Besides, men are much tougher than women when it comes to eating gigolos.
To put it bluntly, there are many people whose talents are not worthy of their positions. At least she is one of those who has the talents to match her position.
Li Cheng said: "That's great, you can arrange it."
"Well, our Jing'er is half a year old in the blink of an eye, and you have been here for two months. I wonder if we can celebrate the New Year in Jianye this year?" Huiyin asked.
Li Cheng smiled and said, "It's not up to me to decide. I'll be at your house whenever I'm free. By the way, the weather is getting colder, and Uncle Wei is going to go hunting. You ladies can go out and relax with us then."
Huiyin was also happy to hear this. She also heard about this matter when she went to pay her respects to Concubine Dowager Wei and Princess Wei.
Princess Wei smiled and said, "We thought that since you came from the north, you must be good at riding a horse. We Jiangzuo women are also good at sword dancing. We can have fun together then."
"Although I am in Jizhou, my horse riding skills are average. I just want to ask Auntie Wang what we should bring with us?" Huiyin felt that since Concubine Wu began to "concentrate on worshiping Buddha", her relationship with the Prince of Wei's Mansion had taken a step forward.
They used to be very familiar with Concubine Wu, and even now they praise Concubine Wu in front of me. Do they really not know who Concubine Wu is? No, she is a purely malicious person. Don't think that only the lords and aunts at the entrance of the village like to add fuel to the fire and kill people with borrowed knives. The noble princesses and royal family are all frivolous. Once the skin is torn off, everyone is the same.
Huiyin once had great respect for the so-called Empress and the Eastern Palace, but later she felt that it was nothing special. After people begin to disenchant with authority, they will start to judge it again with an objective eye.
Princess Wei talked about a lot of things. Concubine Wei asked about Concubine Wu's situation: "How is my elder sister these days? She never comes, and I miss her a lot."
"When the family holds a banquet, you and the princess will definitely be invited to attend, and then you can meet our princess dowager. She is now discussing Buddhism with several nuns in Wo Xue An all day long, and even our little prince rarely sees her." Huiyin said.
Concubine Wei knew that she was making up a lie. Concubine Wu was full of resentment when she was in the palace. She couldn't keep her mouth shut and couldn't stand not talking for a day. Now she was devoted to studying Buddhism. This was nonsense. But she couldn't expose it. No matter what Concubine Wu said, she was from the Huaiyin Palace.
So, Concubine Wei just said, "Okay."
Huiyin paid her respects to Concubine Wei and went to sit alone with Princess Wei. Princess Wei's eldest daughter, Princess Jianjia, was writing beside her. Although she was young, she was very proud of herself because she was the daughter of the first wife. This was not to say that she was bad. When Huiyin judged a person, she would first look at the environment she was in. Except for a few people who were not affected by the environment at all, most other people were almost shaped by the environment around them.
The Princess of Wei looks like a lady of wealth, but she must be anxious inside. After all, without a child, the position of Crown Prince will fall to someone else, so the eldest princess is so sensitive.
It's not that Huiyin likes to judge others, but she feels that knowing yourself and knowing your enemy will help you win every battle. These people are both enemies and friends, so you have to observe others more.
"Sister-in-law." Princess Jianjia came over and saluted.
Huiyin smiled and pulled her hand, saying, "I haven't seen you for a few days. I think you are getting better and better. I heard from your mother that you are studying the Four Books now. That's great. Reading can make you wise. I also brought some Yulutuan and Touhuaci from our house. You can come and rest for a while while you are writing and have some snacks."
"Thank you, Mrs. Wang." Princess Jianjia looked happy.
Princess Wei asked her wet nurse to take her downstairs for some snacks, and then she said in a heartfelt manner: "I understand what happened in your mansion, but the Concubine Dowager has a good relationship with your Concubine Dowager, so I can't say anything."
This was a gesture of kindness to her. If Huiyin was really only nineteen years old, she would definitely be grateful, but now she just showed gratitude on the surface: "I have always known your feelings. I have already told our little prince about your kindness to me. He also said that when he was in the Prince of Wei's Mansion, everything depended on you to take care of him."
"It's nothing. Isn't it as it should be? I can't control what men do outside, but we women, especially the two of us who have such a close relationship, can't become unfamiliar and let outsiders laugh at us. To be honest, you see that I have medicine juice all over my body, I really envy you." Princess Wei was actually showing weakness. This method is the best way to narrow the distance between people. When you see people who are usually high and mighty complaining to you, of course you won't think it's fake.
I wonder what China will become in the future? But now, even if a woman is a princess, if she doesn't have a son, she seems inferior to others.
Huiyin could handle other matters perfunctorily, but she was helpless in this matter: "Auntie Wang, you are still young."
Princess Wei waved her hands and said, "If you could really give birth, you would have given birth a long time ago. Look how lucky you are. You gave birth as soon as you entered the house."
Huiyin said quickly, "This is not a blessing. People say that life is nothing more than bitterness before sweetness, or sweetness before bitterness. Auntie Wang is a princess, and she gave birth to such a sensible princess. As the saying goes, flowers bloom before fruits. She will definitely give birth to a little prince in the future. Don't worry."
"Now that you say that, I feel much more relieved." said Princess Wei.
The two chatted for a while, and then heard Su Ma, who was beside Princess Wei, come in and say, "Princess, the wife of Yin Lushi is here, and she wants to pay her respects."
Princess Wei explained to Huiyin, "This is Concubine Yin's mother. They live not far from us."
Huiyin was thinking that Concubine Yin had given birth to the eldest son of the King of Wei, so why was her father still just a recorder? She thought so and asked.
Nanny Su beside Princess Wei laughed and said, "What are you talking about, little princess? Our princess has already mentioned this to the prince, but it was Concubine Yin who firmly opposed it. She said that she knew her father's ability, and if it was too high, it would not be a blessing for him, but a hindrance. So, the prince only rewarded her family with some money, and so the Yin family bought the current house."
"So that's how it is." Huiyin thought that Concubine Yin Ci was a rare clear-headed person. She didn't look like the kind of person who would endure hardship without any hardship. It was very likely that Yin Lushi's ability was indeed limited.
This was exactly what she had thought. In her previous life, her father was a good general in military affairs, but he was brave but not strategic, and often found himself isolated and helpless. If she had not poisoned Li Heng in the end, Wei Duo would have targeted the Zheng family in the end.
After a while, a beautiful woman came in, and she brought with her a pretty little girl, who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a pretty face and graceful manners.
Nanny Su was introducing her in a low voice: "Madam Yin, this is our Princess Huaiyin."
Madam Yin said quickly, "I pay my respects to the princess and the little princess."
"Please stand up quickly. Hey, how could you bear to bring your niece here today?" Princess Wei was obviously very familiar with the Yin family.
Madam Yin sighed: "This child has been filial to her mother. Her father passed away long ago, and her only brother went to Donglai, so we took her in, and she is considered our daughter."
Princess Wei also said that the child's father was the daughter of Prince Wu, the eunuch Huiyin, who was once the companion of the lecturer. Huiyin asked Nan's mother to give her a pair of gold and silver ingots with crabapple blossoms, and said with concern: "Since we are old friends, please ask Madam Yin to bring the third girl to our house to talk in the future."
Madam Yin looked up at Huiyin and saw that she was wearing an apricot-yellow satin long gown with a cross-collar and red and white floral embroidery. She was charming and plump with a delicate appearance. She did not dare to look at her face and could only answer yes in a stammering voice.
However, Princess Wei saw that she was at a loss, so she let her leave after she paid her respects.
Huiyin continued to talk to her, while Madam Yin was talking happily to Yin Lifang. Yin Lifang took her cousin's hand and said, "Lijun, since you have come to our house, I will treat you as my own sister."
"Big sister." Yin Lijun had heard since she was a child that she looked like her cousin, so she naturally had a good impression of Yin Lifang.
Yin Lifang sensed that Madam Yin had something to say, so she sent someone to take Yin Lijun around the garden. Then Madam Yin said, "Just now, I saw the Princess of Huaiyin, and she gave Lijun a pair of ingots."
Yin Lifang paused for a moment and said, "Mom, forget about the past. He has a wife and a child now, and the couple's relationship is pretty good. Please don't mention it."
"That being said, the position of Princess Huaiyin was almost yours. It was just one step away. Princess Wu promised it herself. I was so happy at that time. It's a pity that Prince Wu and his wife died too early, and you were favored by Prince Wei." Madam Yin was full of regrets.
In fact, Madam Yin had always thought that Princess Wu liked the second daughter very much. After all, the second daughter was beautiful, lively, and could play well with boys, unlike the eldest daughter who was quiet and old-fashioned. Their family was just an official recorder, relying only on the friendship between the children when they were young. It was difficult for them to become concubines, but Princess Wu made them the principal wives.
Yin Lifang glanced around and said, "Mom, don't say it. What would the King of Wei think if he heard it? Besides, you can't tell Li Yi about this."
Madam Yin nodded. She knew that her eldest daughter was always a prudent person. It was obvious that Li Cheng had taken care of the second daughter because she was the eldest daughter. Unexpectedly, Li Yi misunderstood and liked Xie Jiuyi more, so she distanced herself from Li Cheng.
After the mother and daughter chatted for a while, Yin Lifang talked about what happened in the mansion: "The king favors Concubine Xu more. Originally, Concubine Xu and I got along well, but she saw that I gave birth to the eldest son and was very popular in the mansion, so she kept instigating me, and even Concubine Wei couldn't stand it anymore."
Mrs. Yin was heartbroken.
So, Yin Lifang talked about the upcoming hunting trip, and her son would go with her, so she had to make plans early. Concubine Xu was pressing her step by step. If her son inherited the position of princess in the future, how could she allow her son to exist?
**
Half a month later, Huiyin went hunting with Li Cheng. What she was most worried about was her son, so she left behind a few reliable confidants including Nan Mama and Fugui.
"Or I won't go. The child is too young. We just cleaned up the house. It would be bad if someone with ulterior motives took advantage of it." Whenever this happened, Huiyin wished that her parents' home was still here.
Li Cheng was still a little frightened after hearing what she said, but he still said, "Don't worry, I will keep some people in this mansion."
But the two were still a little worried. They looked at each other and Huiyin said, "Why not take the child with you? It's just one more carriage anyway, and it will only take a day or two to get there."
Rather than worrying about the children's long journey, the couple was more afraid of being poisoned. It would be fine if Concubine Wu was more reliable, but she was the most unreliable person. Li Cheng nodded in agreement.
"Our brother is almost seven months old. It's okay. He seldom sneezes." Huiyin couldn't bear to part with her son, so she took good care of him.
Li Cheng told her about the hunters: "Most of them are from the local noble families in Jianye. Although their status is not as high as yours, you know that these people have money and talent. I also need those people."
Huiyin hugged his arm and said, "I understand. You mean to ask me to control my temper? Got it."
"No, I mean, no matter who offends you, you don't have to be straightforward. You are a straightforward person." Li Cheng knew that his wife was a girl from the north. She was usually very straightforward and a little competitive. It was okay for her to be competitive in front of him, but in other places, some people would play tricks on others in private, even though they would not show it in public.
He remembered that Yin Liyi had been bullied before, and he discovered it accidentally. The methods used by those girls were no less skillful than those of the boys.
Huiyin tilted her head and looked at him: "Thank you, I understand."
After saying that, she hung a sachet for him: "Since I gave birth to Jing'er, I have been busy with household chores. I finally made a sachet, but it feels so rusty now."
Li Cheng took a look and saw that she used stone blue satin as the base, on which was embroidered rich peonies. The embroidery was very exquisite. The sachet was mainly blue, and the rope on the sachet was decorated with jade beads. It not only conveyed the meaning of wealth and glory, but also was elegant and refined.
"This sachet is embroidered so beautifully. Let me smell what's inside." He untied it and put it to his nose. It wasn't that pungent, refreshing scent, nor was it sandalwood. It actually smelled very good. It seemed to be made of jasmine, osmanthus, rose, mint, and incense. It had a fresh scent.
Huiyin explained: "Such a sachet is best used in a carriage. As you know, if you sit in a carriage for a long time, the smell inside will be unpleasant, so this sachet can remove the bad smell and stuffy air."
She is the type of person who would not do anything unless she had to, but would put her heart into whatever she did, especially making incense. She knew nothing about it at first, but later she was laughed at when she went out socializing, so she started to study it, and even started to learn medicinal cuisine because of her study of incense.
Li Cheng liked it even more when he heard it. When he saw Huiyin asked someone to bring flour, he was surprised and said, "Are you going to make me ramen? The same kind you made for me in Xuzhou."
Huiyin covered her mouth and laughed, "Why? Do you think I don't value you enough?"
Li Cheng lowered his head after hearing this: "I just feel that you don't like me as much as I like you."
"Don't worry about it. You and I are husband and wife. We have a lifetime to love each other. I think the kind of love that is madly in love at the beginning is fake."
A few words made Li Cheng happy again.
On the day of the trip, the sky was clear and the sun was bright. Jing'er's strength was getting stronger and stronger. Huiyin felt that she could not hold him. Fortunately, the road was wide and spacious. In one day, they arrived at the hunting place. The men on horseback could not help but charge into the battle formation, while the women went to rest first and then ride horses more easily later.
Today, Li Cheng was riding the Dayuan horse that Huiyin had sent him. He rushed into the woods early as if he had divine help. When the King of Wei saw him like this, he shouted "What a pleasure!"
Not knowing what Li Cheng gained today, Huiyin planned to put the child to bed and have a good sleep today, and then go out for some horse riding tomorrow. She hadn't ridden a horse for a long time.
After giving Jing'er a bath, the mother and son slept soundly on the bed.
When they got up, they just arrived at the door of the Princess of Wei, and heard that something happened here, and the eldest son of the King of Wei, Li Jing, was missing. The Princess of Wei and the Second Princess Yin were very anxious. When Yin Liyi saw Huiyin coming in, she asked, "Little Princess, have you seen Jing'er?"
"No, why are there so many people around him, and he is gone?" Huiyin even thought that the child might have gone out of play and hidden somewhere.
Concubine Yin Ci said, "He wanted to learn how to ride a horse, but I told him he was too young to ride, so he went to find Master Xie. Later, I couldn't find him anymore..."
As she was speaking, Concubine Yin covered her face and cried, and was about to go out crying to look for him.
But then someone came in noisily from outside. Huiyin saw that it was Prince Wei and Li Cheng who came in together. Before she could even greet them, Concubine Yin ran up to her and said, "Your Highness, Jing'er is missing. What should we do?"
Princess Wei also said anxiously: "Yes, we sent servants to search the entire manor just now but couldn't find it."
"Where did the child go missing? Don't worry, I will send someone to look for him." The King of Wei felt distressed when he heard this. Although he preferred Concubine Xu, he also loved Concubine Yin and his eldest son.
Just as the voice fell, a servant came to report: "The king, the princess, the second princess, the eldest prince fell into the crying well. The well is too deep, it seems to be a hundred meters deep, and it is covered with moss. No one dares to go down."
Huiyin thought that the child had fallen into the well, and was surrounded by moss. Even if she rescued the child, he would probably be in danger, not to mention that she might die. Who would be willing to take the risk?
Look, even the King of Wei hesitated.
His generals were sent to fight in the wars, not to mention that he also had his beloved son Li Dun. How could he possibly send out those generals who had real kung fu skills?
Just as I thought of this, I heard Li Cheng say, "Uncle Wang, Aunt Wang, there is no time to waste. I'll go."
Huiyin quickly looked at her husband. She didn't expect him to come forward at this time and be so anxious.
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