39 Chapter 39

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After returning from the hunting trip, Li Cheng went back to Xuzhou for inspection and would come back at the winter solstice. Huiyin personally cooked beef ramen and a sumptuous banquet, just to do it for her husband.

She was not a person who would lose her temper. Her son had been named the crown prince, and almost all of Li Cheng's property of two hundred thousand taels was under her management. On weekdays, there was no one else around except her, and he would accompany her whenever he was free. Even though she didn't quite believe why Li Cheng helped Yin Lifang so much just out of guilt, her idea was not to get angry or break off relations, but to improve herself.

Therefore, she said with a smile: "I see that Jianye has developed trade and there are many shops, but I am not interested in opening other shops, and I don't have the talent in that area. It's better to open a barbecue and ramen restaurant. I like both of them. I can eat them when I miss home."

Li Cheng certainly had no objection to opening a small shop. He even asked, "Isn't this a little too trivial?"

"Why bother? I can only wear a hat that fits my head." Huiyin certainly had an idea. It was from Hu Jiaojiao's idea of ​​supporting a rice shop with 100 dan of rice that she thought that she could actually build a communication base hidden in the city.

A small yakiniku ramen shop, who would doubt it?

However, since Jianye, Xuzhou, Qingzhou, and even Jizhou as well as the capital were all open, it would be very convenient to deliver news.

She would not tell Li Cheng about these plans first, but Li Cheng confessed a lot to her: "You will be in charge of the accounts of our mansion in the future. Don't worry about grandma. She is getting along well with the nuns now and has someone to accompany her every day. I will go to Xuzhou to see what is going on in Qingzhou. I always feel that the wind will not stop even if the tree wants to be still. You don't know that Uncle Wei is still upset about losing Qingzhou."

Land has to be seized, and no one will give it to you obediently. Huiyin understands this principle. She even knows that in her previous life, when Li Heng went to Xuzhou, he fought against Li Cheng's soldiers, causing countless casualties. If Li Heng was not her own brother, he would have died long ago.

But Li Cheng had been fighting for several years and was shot by an arrow. I heard that he was poisoned to death while continuing to move north.

Huiyin had to make plans for her now: "I know, but you have to think about yourself. The people of Concubine Guo's family are all mediocre in talent, but they are either the Grand Marshal or the Three Dukes. You have many soldiers and enough food, but you are only the commander of the navy. It's not that we are selfish, but we have too many people and we have to think about ourselves."

"I understand." Li Cheng said with a smile.

Seeing that he was not disgusted by her words as before, Huiyin felt relieved and said to him, "Then I will personally take you out later."

Li Cheng was eating noodles and nodding.

As soon as Li Cheng left, Huiyin started to prepare for a noodle shop. She used flour shipped from the north, which she directly took from her dowry warehouse. The shop was opened in a busy city, in a small place, and the name of the shop was very simple, just called "Zhang Laosan Ramen Shop".

The only difference is that the tables in this store are small square tables in the front, which are all second-hand ones, and the tables in the back are charcoal tables for barbecue, which means that this store also serves barbecue. The prices are also good and cheap. Even the wine is only two or three cents a cup, which is definitely affordable for everyone.

At first, everyone was just curious about someone standing in front of a stove making ramen, but after trying it, they found it delicious, and the business here gradually became popular.

Seeing that business was picking up, Huiyin started to hold flower banquets. She had participated in many flower banquets, poetry banquets and elegant gatherings in the capital, but she had never organized one herself. In her previous life, she had been trapped in the East Palace. Later, she became the empress dowager, let alone entertaining people herself.

Now that the first snow has fallen, she invites guests to a "Plum Blossom Snow Banquet". Guests do not need to bring gifts, but only need to wear plum blossom clothes or headdresses.

Most people would just send the invitation directly, but in the case of Princess Wei, Huiyin went there in person.

Princess Wei was very happy to see Huiyin. After reading the contents of the flower scroll, she said happily, "Don't worry, I will definitely bring Jianjia with me to support you."

"Oh, this couldn't be better. I'm a newcomer here and I don't know anything." Huiyin said happily.

Princess Wei asked again: "Did you only send me the invitation?"

Huiyin thought for a moment and said, "I came here in person. Other families, such as the Huo family and the Lu family, sent invitations to them."

Princess Wei smiled and pointed at Huiyin: "Didn't you notice that someone was left out?"

"Auntie Wang, please be generous with your advice?" Huiyin really didn't feel that she had missed anyone. The last time she came back from the hunting trip, several ladies came to visit her, and she only invited people she was familiar with.

Princess Wei asked, "You didn't invite Concubine Yin and Concubine Xu?"

When Huiyin heard this, she patted her head and said, "I thought that since my aunt is the mistress of the palace, I could just tell her. It's my fault now."

Princess Wei was very pleased to hear this. She was indeed still the mistress of the Prince of Wei's mansion and had the final say. The status of the two concubines could not be compared with hers, but they just said that Huiyin was not doing her job with all her heart.

Huiyin also admitted her mistake obediently.

Princess Wei knew clearly that no matter how magnanimous Zheng was, she was probably still very jealous of Concubine Yin in her heart. Little did she know that Huiyin was thinking that Li Cheng must have liked Yin Lifang back then, otherwise why would he say goodbye to her and risk his life to save her son? The deeper the love, the deeper the guilt. But it might not be that she was deeply engraved in his heart. If he really liked her, he would have revealed his identity long ago.

Just like Li Cheng himself said that he loved her and would never let her suffer any grievances. At least if Li Cheng really cared about her, he would not have done that in front of King Wei. If King Wei suspected that they had an affair, Concubine Yin would suffer. However, Li Cheng wanted to use this matter to quickly cut ties.

If you don't know Li Cheng's personality, you will definitely think he is weird, but Huiyin thinks she knows him well enough. He is a man who does things as soon as he says they will be done. He is very decisive and has strong execution ability. He is definitely not a person who drags his feet.

After returning from the Prince of Wei's Palace, all the New Year's gifts from Jizhou were delivered this year. The person who came was my mother's confidant Tong Niangzi. She used to be a female soldier with her mother. Later, when Ji remarried, she also brought her husband and son with her.

It was she who taught Huiyin how to ride a horse when she was little. When she saw Tong Niangzi now, she was very affectionate and said, "Auntie Tong, please come in and sit down quickly. Didn't I write to you saying that you don't need to bring a holiday gift this year?"

The young lady smiled and said, "Madam is very concerned about you, especially after receiving your letter. But I just heard from Madam Nan that I think Madam will definitely be happy."

"That's just my momentary complaint. I'm afraid it was snowing heavily when you came?" Huiyin asked, holding her hand.

The young lady waved her hands: "It's not cold at all here even though it's snowing."

Huiyin waved her hands: "It's cold here, it's damp. It's cold outside and inside the house, and we can't heat the kang. I really want to take His Highness back with me someday and sleep on our kang. It's warmer there."

Lady Tong patted Huiyin's hand and said, "Hearing what you said, it is enough to prove that you and your aunt have a very good relationship." She then asked how the King of Wei treated them.

"The King of Wei is very good to us, there is nothing to say about it." Ren Ping Huiyin felt that the King of Wei was indeed a little indecisive in choosing a successor, but the gentry and civil and military officials here in Jiangnan were all sincerely convinced of him.

My husband also has a certain prestige, but it is difficult to surpass the King of Wei in the south of the Yangtze River now.

The young lady also brought a piece of news: "A servant in the East Palace is pregnant. Although she is of humble origin, she got pregnant before our eldest daughter. The lady and the master are very angry."

Reasoning from the time, it should be Dong Yu Niang, she was a difficult woman, and I had a hard time fighting her off in my previous life.

"I heard that this servant was given by the Empress. She is so lucky that she became pregnant not long after she got married. Now everyone in the Eastern Palace treasures her baby very much." Madam Tong sighed.

Huiyin thought that without her, Zheng Deyin and Lu Xiao would not be able to suppress Dong Yu Niang, and the only heir Li Heng wanted was to come out of Dong Yu Niang's belly. She was born in a humble family and had no power behind her, so Queen He could have a closer relationship with Li Heng.

But she couldn't tell them what she already knew in her previous life, so she could only say, "Since she can get pregnant, and the Crown Princess was also pregnant, maybe my elder sister is pregnant too."

"It's been several years since you got married, but there has been no movement. The Empress will not let the backyard of the Eastern Palace sit idle. Now she has given birth to a Dong, and it's unclear how many more there will be in the future. Madam said that it's a good thing that you gave birth to a little prince. You are so blessed." Madam Tong was also very good at speaking.

Huiyin smiled and shook her head: "This can't be called luck. No one is born lucky. It's just up to people."

In her previous life, Zheng Deyin often wrote to Li Cheng saying that she had someone in her heart. She often spent her days alone in an empty room, almost like a widow. She had many difficulties in this life, but this was not fate and she had to fight for it.

Because of the preparations for the flower banquet, Tong Niangzi could not stay long. She only said that Zheng Wuheng was going to get married this year, and Ji had already taken a fancy to a girl, who was also related to their royal palace.

"You also know that the most famous aristocratic family in our Jizhou is the Qinghe Cui family. The Qinghe Cui family is also the family of the young prince's maternal uncle. The girls in their family do not like luxury and are dignified and virtuous." Madam Tong was full of praise when she spoke of them.

Huiyin thought that people with strong personalities like her should be more dignified in public, because no one likes people who are different, do not like people who have ambitions, and do not like people who reveal their desires. She also showed some of her personalities when she had a child with Li Cheng and their relationship was good.

She had someone prepare a top-quality banquet and invited Lady Tong to drink. The two talked a lot about the Zheng family. Lady Tong wanted to leave the next day, saying that she couldn't stay at home and refused to stay. Huiyin had no choice but to prepare rich holiday gifts for them to take back.

Miss Tong came and went in a hurry, and Huiyin felt very lonely. In fact, she had not felt homesick for such a long time. After all, she was married and she was just a guest when she returned to her parents' home.

But as she watched the snow begin to fall outside, she suddenly missed home and even made a bold decision. She wanted to take Li Cheng back to her mother's home to visit her mother, as her mother missed her the most.