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.
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. 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. 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."
Ji smiled slightly and said, "You don't know that Madam Cui has an unusual background. She is from the Li family of Longxi, the same family name as the royal family of this dynasty, and her family background is also not bad."
"I don't think it matters whether the child is born legitimately or illegitimately. The most important thing is that the person is a good person." Huiyin used to value these things, but now she feels that if a person has a righteous heart, it is better than anything else.
But then again, there is still a slight difference in status, just like Huiyin and Deyin, their status is not that different, but she has brothers, Deyin doesn't, so her words are not effective. If it is a legitimate child, the mother is the mistress, and the brother may be the future head of the family, so the weight is different.
After returning from his eldest brother's house, Jing'er was clamoring for his mother. Huiyin played with her son for the whole afternoon. It was dark when Li Cheng came back.
Li Cheng strode in, with one corner of his clothes tied around his waist, looking even more refreshed.
Huiyin stood up, rolled out a handkerchief and handed it to him: "Why are you back so late? Where did you all go today?"
Li Cheng wiped his face and couldn't help but smile: "I went to see your Jizhou Army. I also agreed to let my soldiers compete with the Jizhou Army. My father-in-law also agreed."
"That's great. My father would love to have someone like you by his side all the time. But he also has a bad side, which is that he is not mentally strong and can be easily influenced by others. You are his son-in-law, a man of both civil and military talents, so don't be too formal." Huiyin also hopes that they can get along well for a long time.
Zheng Fang is not a bad person. He has been criticized for killing Lu Ji for many years because people think he is frivolous, cunning and fickle, and forgets his principles when he sees profit. But in such a big world, who is truly worthy of loyalty?
Even though the King of Wei had occupied a lot of the King of Wu's land, Li Cheng didn't dare to say anything?
Before Li Cheng came to Huiyin's parents' home, he thought the Zheng family would be very wary of him. He didn't expect everyone to be so frank with him. He coughed lightly and said, "They are not shy with me."
Huiyin nodded: "That's good. I just asked my mother, and she said that my brother is going to get married in half a month. We can just attend the Emperor's birthday celebration and my brother's wedding, and then go back."
Actually, it’s been a while. Huiyin doesn’t know if Li Cheng would agree?
Unexpectedly, Li Cheng agreed immediately: "Okay."
"But is everything alright in Xuzhou?" Huiyin asked.
Li Cheng was certainly a little worried, but if he really killed Lu Wei now, his prestige would increase greatly in the future, and he would not have to worry about others replacing him. This was what he was planning now, and he even found that his father-in-law had the same intention.
So, he comforted Huiyin: "It's okay, don't worry, just enjoy the happiness of family life with your parents."
Huiyin nodded.
Ji was full of energy and was planning to eat something casually in the evening, but she had no idea that she had prepared a small banquet, and Huiyin and Li Cheng were coming to enjoy it. There was also music at home, and everyone was having a happy meal together.
But to Madam Xu, these were like mockery. Luo couldn't help but say, "In fact, the second young lady has also sent someone to deliver supplements. You might as well go out and meet them. So what? Do they dare to disrespect you?"
Madam Xu glanced out the window and said, "I heard that Prince Huaiyin treats the second girl very well?"
"Yes, he came specially to pick us up in the evening, and brought many gifts for everyone among us. Even I got the best fabric in Jiangnan, let alone others?" Luo Ma also felt it was a pity. If the eldest daughter had married the Prince of Huaiyin, she would probably have had both sons and daughters.
Madam Xu decided not to pretend to be sick anymore. She was going to see whether the Prince of Huaiyin was really good or just pretending to be good.
So, the next day, Huiyin and his wife met Luo, who was by Mrs. Xu's side. She said that her old lady was in good health and wanted to see her great-grandson.
Huiyin smiled and said, "I wanted to pay my respects to Grandmother the day I came back, but I was afraid of disturbing her illness. Now that Grandmother is well again, I will go with Prince Wang to pay my respects to her."
After she finished speaking, she saw that Nan's mother looked embarrassed: "Princess, how can you and the prince go to pay respects in person?"
"She's my own grandmother, why are you putting on airs?" Huiyin shook her head.
When Luo Lao heard this, she was surprised that she and the lady dowager had forgotten that this was not an ordinary lady who had passed away, but a prince and princess, and there was a difference between the monarch and his subjects.
She said quickly: "Although the princess is approachable, our lady also said that the rules must not be forgotten. She will come to see the young master in person in a while."
Huiyin did not refuse anymore. As soon as Luo left, Li Cheng became angry.
No wonder Huiyin said that Madam Xu was cunning. She was still arrogant even after returning home. She didn't know how to bully Huiyin at home before. He had to meet this Madam properly.
Because of what Luo had said, Madam Xu realized that she had broken the rules. Although she was not convinced, she still came here in the name of seeing Jing'er, and of course she didn't want to perform the formalities. Huiyin didn't really want her elder to kneel down, so she hurried forward and helped Madam Xu up herself: "Grandma, why do you have to perform such a formality? You are my elder, this is absolutely not allowed."
"Etiquette should not be abandoned. Princess, you are too polite." Madam Xu has never liked Huiyin. She knows that she is just pretending to be like this to her. If she really respects her, why would she put on airs?
Mrs. Xu was also straightforward and said in a friendly manner, "I felt unwell when you first came back, and I was afraid that I would pass my illness on to you."
Li Cheng smiled and said, "It is filial piety to visit you every morning and evening, but we came back in a hurry, and we brought dust with us along the way. We are afraid that we may infect you with disease."
Apparently, Madam Xu began to notice Li Cheng. She originally thought that Crown Prince Li Heng was extremely handsome, noble and elegant, and few people had such a good-looking appearance as the crown prince. She did not expect that Li Cheng had such a good-looking appearance, a heroic demeanor, clear eyebrows, and was eloquent. Although he grew up in the south of the Yangtze River, he spoke Mandarin very well.
It would have been great if Deyin had listened to me and married Prince Huaiyin. Look at that fat boy, how cute he is!
Pulling her thoughts back to her original state, Madam Xu began to reminisce: "I heard that your maternal uncle's family is the Qinghe Cui family?"
Li Cheng smiled and said, "The young prince's uncle is none other than General Cui Xun of Boling."
Huiyin heard Li Cheng call himself "Little Wang" when talking to Madam Xu, and "Little Son-in-law" when talking to his mother Ji. There is a big difference between them, but you can't say that it is wrong for him to be arrogant, because he is the prince.
"Oh, so it's his family. What a coincidence, your brother-in-law is going to marry the daughter of the eldest wife of Qinghe. This is also a close relationship. It seems that your uncle also has a daughter, who later married into the Zhang family." In order to show that she knew a lot, Mrs. Xu began to talk about relatives.
Li Cheng nodded: "My home is far away, and I haven't been to visit for several years since my father and mother passed away. I don't know what's going on in my uncle's family. This time I plan to bring the princess to visit my uncle's house." It's not that Li Cheng didn't write to his uncle after the death of King Wu and his wife, but Cui Xun always made excuses and didn't dare to ask him to take the lead. He was unwilling to even make the trip. Li Cheng was isolated and helpless at that time, and was indifferent to his uncle.
He couldn't tell these things to outsiders because his uncle wrote to him many times after Xuzhou was captured.
Thinking back to when his mother was alive, she often said that she was raised by her uncle and aunt, Li Cheng had no choice but to give up.
When Mrs. Xu heard this, she changed her mind and said, "Just ask the family to prepare some gifts for the wedding."
Despite all the gossips of these parents, Li Cheng didn't think there was any big problem with Madam Xu. Anyway, as long as everyone appeared to be friendly, it would be fine. As long as she didn't lose her temper, he would treat her normally.
I didn't expect that Madam Xu couldn't hold back. She glanced at Huiyin first, then smiled and said, "My second granddaughter has been naughty since she was a child. If she offends you, please don't mind it. Just tell me."
"Don't worry, the princess has a gentle and virtuous personality. She is extremely kind to me and the subjects in her fiefdom, and is very loved." Li Cheng was of course speaking well of Huiyin. He was not stupid. Could it be that by speaking ill of his wife, he could highlight his own good qualities?
Madam Xu smiled and said, "Yes, my granddaughter has been lovable since she was a child. There was even a young man who wanted her so much that he wanted her to die for him. I told her parents that this child was so smart and lovely that she couldn't just marry someone off. It just so happened that my family, the Xu family from Donghai, came to our Jizhou, which led to your match made in heaven."
Li Cheng had actually spoken of this matter to Huiyin a long time ago. It was said that some people at that time scolded her for being a femme fatale, which was also the reason why Huiyin rarely went out to socialize afterwards.
It was obvious that she was the one who was loved for no reason and she just did not respond to that person, but she was scolded like that.
If Li Cheng had only known Madam Xu from Huiyin before, now when he heard her mention her, he narrowed his eyes and said, "You old thing, you are so shameless. I'm polite to you, but you become so weird."
Huiyin was also very angry. As the saying goes, family disgrace should not be made public. Although Madam Xu was cold and indifferent to them at home before, she was never like that outside. She was just worried that Madam Xu would say bad things about her to Li Cheng in private. She didn't expect that in front of her, she would say something like she was causing others to suffer death. It was obvious that she said it on purpose in front of Li Cheng to make Li Cheng think that she was a fickle person.
However, Luo, who was standing next to Madam Xu, knew that Madam Xu was too angry. The Marquis and his wife didn't care about the life or death of the eldest daughter. The second daughter Guining was still putting on airs and deliberately harassing the old man. It was obvious that she was here to challenge him, so Madam Xu was forced to fight back. After all, everyone in this family was surnamed Ji, and Ji attacked Concubine Liang and deliberately prevented the Marquis from helping the eldest daughter.
If Prince Huaiyin could recognize the true character of the second young lady sooner, it would be a heavy blow to the Ji family.
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. 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!"
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