44 Chapter 44
◎Two chapters in one◎
Huiyin was awakened by the sound of birds and children. She didn't expect that it was already bright outside. When she sat up, she didn't even know where she was.
Fu Guizheng and Qiu Feng were sitting on an embroidery stool not far away, dividing the threads. When they heard the noise, they hurried over.
"What time is it now?" Huiyin yawned after she said this. She leaned back on the pillow and finally had a sound sleep.
Fu Gui said, "To answer the princess, it is almost noon now. The Marquis has taken the young prince to inspect the army. I am afraid they will not be back at noon. Please have lunch with the Marquis' wife."
Huiyin nodded. Her father had been able to hold on until now entirely because of his past foundation, which was why the two daughters had placed their bets on both sides. Especially in recent years, her father had been indulging in sensual pleasures and was no longer the same as before. After all, her elder brother's surname was Pei, and her father had not trained him as an heir. Her younger brother was too young, so there was a lack of successors in the family.
For example, Li Cheng's army used the latest type of catapult. When they were fighting bandits before, some bandits shot arrows at them, but they were all destroyed by the catapult. After all, Li Cheng was young and studious, and he was probably sure that the fighting power of the King of Wei's army was far superior to his own.
But she couldn't say these words out loud yet. After getting dressed, she went to talk to Ji. Ji said, "You are the princess now. We are the only ones who come to pay respects to you. How can you come here?"
"Mom, we are all at home, why bother about these things? Besides, my daughter sleeps until noon, why are you afraid of people gossiping about her?" Huiyin leaned on Ji's shoulder and acted coquettishly.
Ji smiled and said, "We have finally come back, so it is reasonable to sleep a little longer. It is not a big deal. Who would say anything to you? Who dares to say anything?"
The mother and daughter smiled at each other, as if they were both deliberately forgetting about Madam Xu. She claimed to be ill, and Huiyin sent some supplements to her. Anyway, no one cared about her.
The feelings between people are developed through interactions. Madam Xu and Huiyin had no feelings for each other at all, so there was no question of any friendship between the grandfather and the granddaughter. Just like Concubine Wu, after the death of Li Cheng's parents, the grandfather and the granddaughter had some feelings for each other, but she tolerated the greed of her servants and treated herself harshly, all out of selfish desires, which made Li Cheng very disappointed in her.
The mother and daughter were eating lunch at the same table, and Ji said, "Your father seems to like your aunt very much. He talks about ancient and modern times and his heroic deeds in the past, but he also seems to have some inferiority complex."
It’s not that Zheng Fang is inferior, it’s that he is old and unable to do it, but he still has to struggle on.
"Mother, my husband is a wise and brave man in the King of Wei's army. He is very smart and usually lives and eats with the soldiers, which makes him more prestigious. If father or brothers encounter any problems in the future, don't be afraid to trouble us." Huiyin certainly wouldn't say who would risk their lives for whom right away.
Even after her mother took power in her previous life, the threat from Wei Duo still existed, her father was still afraid, and her position as queen mother was actually in jeopardy.
Now that she has calmed down, Huiyin certainly hopes that her family can be self-reliant and strong, but if that doesn't work, she will have to find a backer as soon as possible. Lu Wei and He Guojiu are not easy to deal with. Li Cheng is a capable person. If he can make up his mind when the time comes, the Zheng family can be saved.
Ji was very pleased to hear her daughter say this: "You are the only one who always thinks of us. Unlike your elder sister, who asked your father to kill Lu Wei today and asked your father to take her back tomorrow. She is not very capable herself, but she is good at manipulating others."
"As children, of course we have to share more of the worries of our parents. By the way, I heard that Lu Wei came in and abused his power, which made Uncle He very unhappy. Is this true?" Huiyin asked after taking a sip of tea.
Ji sneered, "This is a truth that everyone knows. Besides, Dong Yu Niang was given to the prince by Empress He. As the saying goes, one should look at the face of the Buddha instead of the monk. But Lu Wei dared to do this. The prince doted on the princess for a while, but I heard that he has been very cold to her recently. He can only resist on these matters."
Huiyin thought so too, but she said, "Big sister, have you found out anything from being with the prince? The He family's arrangements, and the prince——"
"All she thinks about is pampering and love. How could she think so much? She doesn't consider what the family is like or what we are like. Yet, she wants us to always put her first?" Ji was speechless.
Xu is still alive now, and she is also dreaming of a long-term dream in the temple. She wants to turn her life around with the help of her daughter, and she is not stupid.
After dinner, she heard that Xin was coming. She specially invited Huiyin to go to listen to opera. Huiyin certainly would not offend her sister-in-law. After all, Xin was busy running around yesterday, and the two of them got along well before.
When Pei Shuo got married, Ji gave him a house in Tonglingfang. Later, Xin opened up the house next door last year, making the house even bigger. Xin specially built a theater here. At this moment, she was talking about it.
"We have invited the Sixi Troupe. Princess, you haven't been to Jizhou for two years. Why don't you listen to our local Jizhou opera? The movements are very beautiful." Xin introduced.
Huiyin nodded slightly.
She was definitely the focus today. The guests invited by Xin were people from her natal family and local noble ladies. Among them was a young lady. In a trance, she even thought she saw Yin Liyi.
I only heard Xin introduce: "This Madam Zhang is from the Cui family of Boling."
The Zhang and Cui families, local aristocratic families in Hebei, were both quite prestigious and often intermarried. Although Huiyin did not know this Madam Zhang, she was sure that the person invited by Xin would not be bad.
Madam Zhang came over to greet her, and Huiyin smiled and gave her a helping hand: "Madam, why are you being so polite?"
In fact, Huiyin is not particularly good at socializing. If we talk about socializing, Deyin is better than her. She can make friends with others quickly, knows what flowers to wear in different occasions, what to say in different occasions, and how to play games. Huiyin used to be very jealous of Deyin. But now she can handle it easily, because these so-called socializing are nothing without matching strength.
If you have ability, even if you say something nonsense, there will be people praising you.
Just like now, she said that she didn’t understand opera, but everyone was not tired of talking to her about opera, and even took pride in talking to her about opera.
Xin's mother, Old Lady Xin, and Ji also said, "Our princess has passed away. I wonder if our family will have the opportunity to entertain her. If the princess can come, it will be a great honor for our family."
Ji explained, "They will go to the capital in a few days to celebrate the emperor's birthday. I'm afraid they won't stay long. I also told you that your family members are counting on you to come back so that we can have some fun together. But the prince and princess are busy, and we can't delay their important event."
Mrs. Xin immediately understood that one of them didn't really want to go, and the other didn't really want to invite them, but both sides went down the steps.
On the table were the snacks, tea and wine that Huiyin had enjoyed in the past. Although she didn't like alcohol, she loved to drink iced grape juice or wine. After she finished a glass of wine, the servants behind her immediately refilled it. Huiyin drank another half cup. Seeing that the play was almost over, she went to see her nephew Gu Ge'er. This child looked very much like Xin's, more than half a year older than Jing'er, but much thinner.
In fact, it is normal for Gu Ge'er to be like this. Jing'er was born too strong, which is unusual for a baby.
Ji looked at her grandson and sighed, "Look at how thin Gu Ge'er is. He also had diarrhea before and has not been well for several days. He even has a hole in his head. I don't know how your sister-in-law takes care of him."
"Mom, what mother in the world would deliberately abuse her own child? It's normal for children to get bumps and bruises. Even though our Jing'er came back with me from such a long distance, I still can't bear it." Huiyin pinched her nephew's little hand.
She came over specifically to give her nephew a set of gifts, including the four treasures of the study, a longevity lock, gold and silver bracelets, and a box of exquisite toys, including clay toys, kites, nine-ring puzzles, clay balls, etc. She even brought over two carts of exquisite soft satin for the children to wear.
When Xin came in, she saw her mother-in-law Ji holding the child and her sister-in-law looking at Gu Ge'er lovingly. She felt warm in her heart. She didn't expect that her sister-in-law would still think about her son after coming from such a long distance. In fact, Xin was also thinking long-term. Jizhou would still belong to Zheng Wuheng in the future. Now Pei Shuo was just holding it on behalf of Zheng Wuheng. In the future, the elder brother would have to listen to the younger brother, and her husband might not be willing to accept it.
The world is so big, and all the forces are divided. They either go to the crown prince, the king of Wei, Wei Duo, or He Guojiu, or even military leaders like Lu Wei. Xin wanted her younger sister to marry the king of Huaiyin, who seemed to be very favored. The king of Huaiyin spoke eloquently at the banquet yesterday, and he was very brave. He led two thousand soldiers and horses and was able to pass through Qingzhou without fear. This kind of heroism is not something that ordinary people can do.
Not only does she have a hero, but she is also her brother-in-law. Her younger sister-in-law married far away, and that is still the old lady's family's territory. She can live like a fish in water. It is not impossible for her husband to surrender to the King of Huaiyin. In this way, Ji will not be too angry.
Therefore, Xin guessed that this was the reason why her husband took the trouble to welcome his sister and brother-in-law.
Therefore, Xin became more enthusiastic about Huiyin. Huiyin could not help but guess that she had been waiting for Li Cheng to really take power so that she could recruit him with good reason.
But now I am weak and cannot really guarantee anything to my mother's family. I can only take it step by step. Otherwise, there are too many variables and I can't draw a conclusion.
So Huiyin only mentioned some trivial matters: "Hey, sister-in-law, that Mrs. Zhang is the daughter of Cui. Is she from the same family as my brother's fiancée?"
Xin smiled and said, "It seems that they are all from the Qinghe branch, but that Madam Zhang is a concubine's daughter, and the one our brother is going to marry is the legitimate Madam Cui's daughter."
紀氏微微一笑：“你不知道這崔夫人來歷很不一般，她出自隴西李氏，和本朝皇室同姓，家世亦是不俗。”
“正出庶出我看沒什麽關系，最主要的是要人好。”徽音以前也看重這些，到如今她只覺得若是人心正，比什麽都強。
但話說回來，地位還是有些微差別的，就像徽音和德音，地位沒有太大差別，但是她有兄弟，德音沒有，說話就不好使。如果是嫡出的，母親是主母，兄弟可能是未來家主，分量也就不同。
從大哥家中回去後，璟兒正吵着要母親，徽音又陪兒子玩了一下午，天擦黑，才見李澄回來。
李澄大踏步走了進來，一邊的衣角紮在腰間，顯得愈發神清氣爽的。
徽音站起來擰了個帕子遞給他：“怎麽這麽晚回來？今兒你們幾個都去哪兒了？”
李澄一抹臉，忍不住笑道：“去看了看你們冀州軍，我還約定了讓我的兵士和冀州軍比武瞧瞧，岳父也同意呢。”
“這可太好了，我爹就巴不得你這樣的人常伴左右，但他也有個不好的地方，就是心智不堅定，很容易被人左右，你是他女婿，文武兼備，可別見外了。”徽音也是希望他們都能長久的相處好。
要說鄭放也算不上壞人，殺陸霁被人诟病多年，無非就是覺得他輕狡反複，見利忘義，但天下之大，又有誰是真正值得效忠的呢？
就連魏王還不是占據吳王不少土地，李澄也什麽都不敢說？
李澄在來徽音娘家之前，會覺得鄭家人對他肯定非常防備的，沒想到大家都對他這般坦誠以見，他輕咳了一下：“他們沒和我見外。”
徽音點頭：“這就好，我方才問了我娘，她說弟弟在半個月之後準備成婚，我們正好參加完皇上的萬壽節和我弟弟的親事，然後回去。”
其實這也有點久了，徽音不知道李澄能不能同意？
沒想到李澄一口應承下來：“可以。”
“但是徐州那邊無事嗎？”徽音問起。
李澄心中當然有些擔心，但是現在如果他真的誅殺呂威了，日後威望大增，不愁別人取代。現在他打算的也是如此，甚至發現岳父也有此意。
所以，他安撫徽音：“無事，你放心吧，好好地和你爹娘共享天倫之樂。”
徽音颔首。
紀氏的精力旺盛，晚上本來準備随意吃一些，哪裏知曉她又準備的小宴，徽音和李澄又過去用，家中還有絲竹之樂，大家一起用飯，倒是快活。
可這些聽在徐太夫人的耳中就如同嘲笑她似的，羅媪不免道：“其實二小姐也差人送了補品過來，您不妨出去和他們見面，那又如何？她們難道還敢不敬着您。”
徐太夫人往窗外看了一眼：“我聽說淮陰王對二丫頭很好？”
“是啊，晚上還特地過來接，又帶着許多禮物送給我們上上下下的人，就連奴婢這裏都得了江南最上等的布料，更何況是別人？”羅媪也暗自覺得可惜，若是大小姐嫁給淮陰王，恐怕早就兒女雙全了。
徐太夫人就決定不再裝病了，她準備看看這位淮陰王到底是真好還是假好。
于是，徽音夫妻在次日就見到了徐太夫人身邊的羅媪，說是她老人家身體大好了，想見見重孫子雲雲。
徽音笑道：“原本回來那日就想給祖母請安，但是又怕驚擾祖母的病，如今祖母竟然大好，我便和王爺一起給祖母請安去。”
她這一說完，就見南媽媽面有難色：“王妃，您和王爺怎麽能親自去請安呢？”
“自家祖母，還胡亂擺什麽架子。”徽音搖頭。
羅媪一聽，驚詫自己和太夫人竟然忘記了，人家不是普通的姑奶奶歸寧，那是王爺和王妃，君臣有別。
她連忙道：“王妃雖然平易近人，但是我們太夫人也說規矩不能忘，過會子，她親自過來看小世子。”
徽音就沒有再推辭了，等羅媪一走，李澄愠怒。
也難怪徽音說徐太夫人刁鑽的，王妃歸寧都還擺架子，以前在家中還不知道怎麽欺負徽音呢？他得好好會會這位太夫人。
因為有羅媪帶話，徐太夫人也意識到自己竟然壞了規矩，心中雖然不服氣，但還是打着看璟兒的名義過來，行禮當然是不想行的。徽音也沒想真的要自家長輩跪下，連忙上前親自扶起徐太夫人：“祖母何必行此大禮，您是我長輩，這萬萬不可。”
“禮不可廢，王妃客氣了。”徐太夫人素來就不喜歡徽音，知道她對自己這樣，不過是假意裝樣子罷了，若真的敬重她，又何必擺架子呢？
這徐太夫人也不含糊，狀似親昵道：“你們剛一回來我就身子不舒服，就是怕把病氣過給你們。”
李澄笑道：“晨昏定省原本是孝道，只是我們匆匆回來，一路上亦是帶着風塵之氣，也怕過了病氣給您。”
顯然徐太夫人開始注意到李澄，她原本以為太子李珩就已經是英俊無雙了，貴氣中帶着儒雅，幾乎很少人有太子那樣的相貌，沒想到李澄卻是這般的好相貌，英姿灑落，眉宇清揚，且談吐伶俐，雖然長在江南，但是一口官話說的非常好。
若是德音聽自己的嫁給淮陰王倒好了，瞧瞧那胖小子，生的多可愛啊！
思緒拉回，徐太夫人開始敘舊：“我聽說你母舅家是清河崔氏？”
李澄笑道：“小王的舅父正是上将軍博陵崔訓。”
徽音聽到李澄和徐太夫人說話自稱小王，和母親紀氏說話，他自稱小婿，這其中差別還是挺大的，但你也不能說人家擺架子不對，人家本來就是王爺。
“哦，原來是他家，也真巧，你小舅子要娶的便是清河大房的女兒。這說起來，也是親上加親了，你舅父仿佛也有個女兒，後來嫁到張家去了。”徐太夫人為了顯示自己懂許多，開始敘親戚關系。
李澄點頭：“家中離的遠，自從父王母妃去世，已經有好幾年沒走動了。倒是不知曉舅父家中的事情，這回打算帶着王妃也去舅父家看看。”要說李澄在吳王夫妻去世之後，也不是沒給舅父來信的，這崔訓總是推三阻四的，根本不敢真的棒他出頭，跑一趟都不願意，李澄那時孤立無援，也對這位舅舅淡淡的。
這些事情，他也沒法和外人說，因為打下徐州之後，舅父還屢次來信。
想起母妃在世時，常常說她是舅父舅母撫養長大的，李澄也沒法子做絕。
徐太夫人一聽，又繞了回來：“就讓家裏準備些賀禮過去就好了。”
這些家長裏短，李澄還沒覺得徐太夫人有什麽大問題，反正大家面上和氣就好了，只要她不發昏，自己也正常相待。
就是沒想到徐太夫人哪裏忍得住，她先看了徽音一眼，又笑道：“我這二孫女，自小就是個頑皮的性子，若是她冒犯了王爺，王爺千萬別在意，只管告訴我便是。”
“您老放心，王妃性情溫柔賢淑，無論是對我還是對封地上的臣民都極好，很受愛戴。”李澄當然是說徽音的好話，他又不傻，說自己妻子的壞話，難道就能凸顯出自己的好了？
徐太夫人笑眯眯的：“是啊，我這位孫女自小就讨人喜歡，當年還有年輕的公子為了她要死要活的，我就和她爹娘說，這孩子這般伶俐可人，不能随便嫁了，正巧啊，我娘家，也就是東海徐家過來我們冀州，這才促成了你們的天作之合。”
李澄其實早就挺徽音說起過這件事情，據說當時還有人罵她是紅顏禍水，這也是後來徽音很少出去交際的緣故。
明明是她被人無緣無故的愛慕，她只是沒有回應那個人而已，卻被人罵成那樣。
李澄之前若只是從徽音嘴裏了解徐太夫人，現在聽她提起，眯了眯眼，老東西，真是給臉不要臉，對你客氣三分，你還陰陽怪氣起來。
徽音也很生氣，俗話說家醜不可外揚，以前徐太夫人雖然在家對她們生疏冷漠，但是在外面從來沒有這般，她只是擔心徐太夫人私下和李澄說她壞話，沒想到當着自己的面，她老人家就說什麽自己害別人要生要死這樣的話，明顯就是故意在李澄面前說的，讓李澄覺得她水性楊花。
站在徐太夫人身邊的羅媪，卻是知曉太夫人是太氣了，侯爺和夫人都不管大小姐的死活，二小姐歸寧還擺架子，故意折騰老人，明顯就是來打擂臺的，故而徐太夫人才被迫這般還擊，畢竟這個家上上下下都姓紀了，紀氏上手打良娣，故意不讓侯爺幫大姑娘。
若是讓淮陰王早日認清楚二姑娘平素為人，那對紀氏也是一重打擊。
Unexpectedly, Li Cheng laughed in anger: "You are wrong. This matter has nothing to do with the Xu family in Donghai. I have inquired many times and found out that the princess is the most beautiful woman in Jizhou. She is also talented and valued by women. That's why I asked Uncle Wei to propose marriage to me. At that time, my family also said that there were two girls waiting to be married in your family, but I liked Huiyin the most and I always wanted to marry her. I didn't expect that God would treat me well and make my dream come true. I married the girl I always loved."
As soon as these words came out, Huiyin's heart was instantly filled with honey, as if the sweetness reached her heart. Looking at Madam Xu whose face turned blue and white, she secretly said, "You deserve it. Now people are scolding your beloved granddaughter!"