Chapter 56
◎Two chapters in one◎
"Zhan'er, your brother is so generous that he gives you such a beloved toy." Huiyin said to her little son in the cradle, shaking a rattle.
Jing'er stood on tiptoe and said, "Mom, why is my brother so small? He only knows how to sleep."
Huiyin smiled and said, "You also grew up from such a small age. You are already three years old. I have talked to your father and asked him to hire a teacher for you. In the future, you don't have to ask your mother to accompany you during the day. Just focus on studying."
Although Jing'er is young, she is very eloquent: "My son is not even three years old yet."
"Okay, then come and play with your mother. I'll take you to the garden later, but you are not allowed to catch bees and insects. Otherwise, if you get bitten, your father will blame me." Huiyin tapped her son's little nose.
Not to mention how Jing'er ran around the garden picking flowers, Huiyin was exhausted after a while, and the child was finally tired too. The nurse quickly carried Jing'er down, and Huiyin rubbed her waist and said, "My energy is running out. I used to be able to ride a horse and run in circles, but now I can't do it anymore."
After that, he looked at Nan's mother and said, "Nurse, you are old now. You don't have to follow me all the time."
Nan's mother smiled and said, "Don't feel bad for me. I can't sit still. If you ask me to sit every day, I won't be able to do it."
Huiyin said thoughtfully, "I have been living without a fixed place before. Now I have settled down in Xuzhou. The prince treats me very well. I have given birth to a prince and even a second child. But the maids around me have nowhere to go. Mother, if I ask them, they will definitely say that they all want to stay with me, but girls cannot be kept at home when they grow up. You should first ask them what kind of person they want to marry? Then I will call a matchmaker, or you can help me."
In short, we cannot delay their happiness. Of course, if they really don't want to get married, they can stay with us, and the palace will take care of their old age and funeral. It all depends on each person's wish.
Nan's mother only praised Huiyin for her kindness, but Huiyin said, "What kind of kindness do you mean by kindness? It's just putting yourself in someone else's shoes."
The four maids had completely different ideas about getting married. All four of them followed Huiyin from Jizhou and usually they each had their own duties and had a good relationship. When Nan Mama asked them about it, they gathered together to talk about it.
Fu Gui was the first to speak: "I grew up with the young lady. Now I manage the household for the young lady. To be honest, it's not necessarily that I am better than others. It's because the young lady trusts me. That's why I don't want to go out, and I don't want to get married. There's nothing good about getting married."
"Fugui, this is a matter of your life." Le Yun, who usually doesn't talk much, spoke up. She is the oldest among the four maids and usually doesn't ask about other people's private affairs.
Fu Gui said seriously, "Sister Le Yun, I am speaking from the heart. We have never suffered from wars and chaos following the princess, and our lives have been good. We wear fur jackets and cotton skirts in winter, and light gauze in summer, and there is ice. How can we live like this after we leave. Besides, we are all gone, and those little girls are all new here. I am not bragging, I really hope for the princess and I am loyal to her."
She was unwilling to move because, to be frank, she was not born in a wealthy family and had suffered poverty when she was a child, so she really didn't want to be poor anymore.
Le Yun sighed: "It's good that you have thought it through. Since Nan's mother told me, my mother has found a marriage for me."
Le Yun is in her early twenties this year. She is a housewife and obeys her master in everything. She has a gentle appearance and a quiet personality. She is also the eldest maid of the princess. Once the news spreads, the doorstep will be trampled.
Everyone asked who it was, and Le Yun shyly said it was a doctor named Huang in the palace. Although he was young, he was an excellent medical skill. The most important thing was that her mother had been sick once before, and Doctor Huang was very attentive and considerate.
Qiu Feng smiled and said, "So it's him. He's a good match for my sister. I heard that Doctor Huang is quite wealthy. If my sister marries him, she'll be a legitimate wife."
Everyone was joking around, and Qiu Feng said, "Like Fu Gui, I also want to stay in the mansion and marry in the mansion."
Dong Shun helped out with some advice: "It's good for you to marry into the palace. To be honest, we have never been treated unfairly when working for the princess."
Qiu Feng naturally had her own cleverness. With Fu Gui above her head, even if she became a housekeeper, she would not be able to make any progress for a while. It would be better for her to be a nanny after getting married. If she could go to the deceased young master's place, that would be the best. If not, she could go to the second young master's place.
What are you going to do outside? Just like Fugui said, merchants are profit-oriented and have no rules, and soldiers are likely to die in battle, so it is better to stay in the mansion.
Dongshun is the youngest and the least anxious.
After hearing what Nan Mama said, Huiyin first called Le Yun's mother over and gave her two hundred taels of silver, eight pieces of colorful silk, a headdress, and a folding screen. Le Yun was very grateful, especially for the mahogany folding screen with eight treasures. If there were guests in the future, she could put it out to add brilliance, which was something that could not be bought with any amount of money.
After Le Yun got married in a grand ceremony, she became pregnant within a month. Huiyin also gave her a set of bathtub, stroller, cradle and walker that Jing'er had used before. Le Yun came in specially to thank Huiyin for her kindness.
"The princess is so kind to me." Le Yun knew that this was a great honor. The reason why the princess gave her gifts repeatedly was to tell the Huang family that she supported her.
Huiyin smiled and said, "This is your mother's home. If you want to come back anytime in the future, just tell Mother Nan."
Now that Le Yun has become Madam Huang, it is very difficult for her to enter the second gate, especially since Hui Yin is very strict and no one is allowed to enter without the right card. If someone is found out, the punishment will be severe. Therefore, after hearing what Hui Yin said, she knelt down to thank him.
But she also thought for Huiyin: "Now that I am married, are you satisfied with the people serving you?"
Huiyin shook her head and said, "Of course, they are not as accommodating as you. You have been with me since you were little. If I cough, you all know what I want. Those little girls are far behind. But even so, I can't always delay you. You see, although the little prince and I are not in love, we are husband also and wife who respect each other. You are all young girls, and you have to have seven emotions and six desires. You can't always be restricted by me."
Le Yun was even more moved.
Huiyin was not very good at moving others. To be honest, she did this just to let the people around her see her good side. Leyun had served her since she was a child, and she loved her, but she hoped for her well-being and would not interfere too much in other people's family affairs in the future.
It seems that they are treating her too well now. In the future, if Le Yun really asks her for help and she thinks it is unreasonable or she cannot do it against her conscience, she might hate them at that time. Instead of that, there is no need to be too enthusiastic. Just let the Huang family know the reason.
While the master and servant were talking, they heard that Madam Miao had arrived, so Le Yun took his leave.
Madam Mo came to tell Huiyin the good news: "Last time you asked me to ask about the person who made the snacks. Today I found a cook who can prepare snacks for all seasons and banquets. Even the summer snacks and drinks are made very authentically."
"Since she is the one you recommended, I won't try her cooking skills, but do you know her background?" Huiyin asked.
Mrs. Miao explained everything in detail.
These were all household chores. After Huiyin had finished handling them all, she yawned. Li Cheng, who had just come in, saw her. She quickly covered her mouth and pointed at him, saying, "Forget everything you just saw."
Li Cheng smiled and shook his head: "I heard that you married off the maidservant by your side. Are you short of people?"
"What's the matter? Does anyone introduce you to me?" Huiyin asked.
Li Cheng held her shoulders and sat down: "I think that although you usually bring guards with you when you go out, there is still a difference between men and women. If you rest in the house, if someone sneaks in and takes you away, the guards outside can't enter the second door, it will be difficult to be discovered. Therefore, I want to send two maids with martial arts skills to be by your side, to serve you on weekdays and to protect you when you are in danger."
"That's great, of course. You've thought it through very carefully. But did they come here voluntarily?" Huiyin asked.
Li Chengze whispered, "They were originally my spies, but later they were both injured, so I asked them to withdraw. But don't worry, they just can't perform higher tasks, but they have martial arts skills."
In this case, Huiyin agreed to accept it, and Li Cheng said that he would let the two men come to the mansion in two days.
Husbands and wives usually finish talking about things before they talk about private matters, just like Li Cheng said now: "I heard that the prince is going to marry Wei Duo's concubine as his concubine, and he also wants Wei Liangdi and your sister to make whoever gives birth to an heir first the prince crown's consort."
The prince had always wanted Zheng Fang to help him kill Lu Wei, but Zheng Fang escaped unscathed. Now he is the only one in power. Although the Xizhou army was defeated, he still has a firm control over the Jizhou base camp and the capital.
It is not easy for Wei Duo to enter the capital, not to mention that Wei Duo also wants to seize Jingzhou now. Now there is the King of Wei, Wei Duo and Zhao Hong. In the previous life, Li Heng deliberately let Zheng Fang go south after ascending the throne, and wanted to marry Wei Duo's daughter as the crown princess. In this life, Zheng Fang killed Lu Wei and got himself out of it. Zheng Fang got the benefit behind the scenes, and did not let Lu Wei and He Guojiu's old subordinates seek revenge on him, so he still retains a certain strength.
"The prince is using his old tricks again." Huiyin understood clearly.
Li Cheng frowned: "What does this mean?"
Thinking back to the past, she felt that the military and national affairs were nothing more than a casual use of the situation: "In fact, the prince had put a lot of thought into marrying the daughter of our Zheng family. He first saved my sister and then saved me, hoping that we would each be devoted to him. In this way, no matter which daughter married him, he could marry into the Zheng family. He deliberately said that my sister would be the crown princess, and later he hooked up with Miss Lu. He deliberately used a knife to kill whichever side was more powerful."
"Do you mean that you have been provoked by him?" Li Cheng really didn't imagine Li Heng to be so shameless.
When he married the daughter of the Zheng family, he was half-forced. The prince is really...
Huiyin nodded: "Yes, do you think I'm joking? I'm afraid this will cause another bloody storm."
It is unknown what kind of person Wei Duo's daughter is. If she is a smart person, Zheng Deyin might face a strong opponent. Li Heng is very good at creating an imbalance among several women and let them fight each other.
Li Cheng was confused: "What can a woman decide? Your father may not listen to your sister unless he follows the trend. Wei Duo is a master of military strategy. Even my uncle wants to marry her. Your father may not be his opponent. The prince thinks this way. I feel that he thinks too simply."
"This woman is just an instigator, just like the King of Wei specially sent Concubine Yin. If you also want to fight, then her coming is just in time. If you don't want to fight, she will return empty-handed." Fenghuo Xi Zhuhou didn't know if it was true, let alone the men.
Li Cheng was somewhat disdainful: "I still think this method is too extreme."
**
East Palace
Deyin's life has been difficult recently. She has been married for three years, but she is no longer as favored as before. First, there was a pregnant concubine, and soon there will be another Wei Liangdi of similar status. Looking in the mirror, she is 22 years old this year. She is not young, but there is a spot as big as a fingernail on her cheekbone. Others can't see it, but she is very concerned about it.
"Give me the powder that Princess Huaiyin sent from Jiangnan to cover myself up." Suddenly, everything seemed to be going out of the script of the previous life.
She was not pregnant, and Li Heng's love for her gradually faded, unlike her sister who made very good arrangements for her until the last moment.
For a moment, she was at a loss.
Yunzhi came in with a cup of Pu'er tea and said, "Liang Di, you gave that powder to the new Qian Liangyuan last time."
"I forgot. I shouldn't have given it to her. If I had given it to her, I'm afraid she would have thought it was poisonous." Deyin had her reasons for saying this. This woman who had just entered the East Palace was too cautious. She only got a little closer, and Qian Liangyuan trembled all over. It was said that she had thrown away the cakes she had given her.
Lian Zhi was also very angry: "Who said it wasn't true? She harbors evil intentions no matter who she is. Really. Liang Di is of nobler birth than her and is more favored than her. If she gives birth to a child in the future, who would care about her child?"
Lianzhi was furious, but he didn't expect Li Heng to appear at the door. Deyin was startled and quickly calmed down and said, "Why did the prince come here without telling me?"
She was afraid that the prince would blame Lian Zhi and Yun Zhi, so she hurriedly asked them to go downstairs to make tea: "Go and make a cup of the prince's favorite pine and loquat tea."
Speaking of which, Deyin has learned to be versatile and manage household affairs in the palace over the past few years. Of course, she knows that it is wrong to talk about the master behind his back, but she relies on the prince's favor and thinks that he will not care about it for the sake of the Zheng family.
He had no idea that Li Heng had lost his temper this time. He just said coldly, "Whoever was talking about Zhao Liangyuan behind her back just now, please stand up. It is the palace's rules. How can a servant talk about the master?"
Lianzhi felt a chill on her body and her blood boiled. She had said that just now because she was Deyin's dowry and they shared the same hatred for the enemy. However, she had never expected that the prince would personally grab her by the braid. She did not have the courage to admit it and just lowered her head without saying a word.
Unexpectedly, Li Heng looked at Deyin and said, "Dear Concubine Zheng, you are familiar with the rules of the palace. You can tell us."
Deyin was also frightened. She had never seen the prince with such an expression before. He looked intimidating without being angry, as if he had a natural sense of oppression. She stammered a few times before saying, "The servants who talked about the master will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane."
"Well, it seems that you understand this principle and know what to do." Li Heng glanced at Lian Zhi.
Just as Deyin was begging for mercy, she saw the eunuch behind the prince quietly cover Lianzhi's mouth and drag him out. It took only a moment, and Deyin was so frightened that she was stunned.
When she was in charge of the entire Eastern Palace, she punished those disobedient servants by having them dragged down and beaten with sticks. However, these people were outsiders and had nothing to do with her. Lian Zhi was her dowry. She usually cared about her, but now she was dragged down like a dead dog.
Li Heng seemed to be afraid that she would plead for mercy, and he said with a smile: "Soon, Wei will be married, and she can't compare to the affection between you and me. You are an old man in my East Palace, and you have a lot of experience. If you don't teach this poor girl a lesson, she will harm you in the future. I heard it now, but it will be bad if others hear it in the future."
Deyin had just been complaining about Zhao Liangyuan, fearing that Li Heng would drag her out again. Now that she saw that he only punished Lianzhi, she breathed a sigh of relief. She also thought that after Lianzhi was finished beating him, she would send him the best medicine for the golden sore.
Unexpectedly, before the medicine was delivered, Yunzhi came in crying and said, "Liang Di, Lianzhi was beaten to death."
"What?" Deyin couldn't believe it.
Yunzhi said, "Lianzhi had worked up many nights to make that flower skirt for you, and yesterday she caught a cold, but these damned people were too harsh on her."
Lianzhi, who was always lively, was dead. Deyin felt a chill all over her body. She even wondered if Li Heng had deliberately ordered such heavy beatings, otherwise it would not be justified. She had ordered people to beat her with a stick before, but no one died.
Deyin opened his mouth and said in a hoarse voice: "Yunzhi, open my box, take the money and let them help with the burial."
For some reason, Deyin started to tremble all over.
The death of a slave was a small matter and would not be reported to the Zheng family. The Zheng family could not be unhappy about Wei Duo's daughter marrying Li Heng because Zheng Fang could not deal with Wei Duo at this stage.
"Wei Duo has been eyeing the land of Jizhou for a long time. I'm afraid he will attack us in the future." Zheng Fang was still a little worried. Jizhou was the territory he had managed for ten years. He would not give it up if asked to.
He had to discuss these important matters with Ji. Ji looked at him and said, "Last time, did you really not know about the incident at Jiahu Pass in Qingzhou? Fortunately, your son-in-law calmed it down and made a big thing small. If a fight really broke out, how would you let Huiyin live?"
Zheng Fang felt guilty: "It was an accidental discharge of the gun. It's all because of Lu Wei's subordinates who were there before."
"My daughter has written to me, saying that my son-in-law is very strict in military management and is extraordinary. If a fight really comes, we may not be his match." Ji is of course willing to let Zheng Fang unify the world, but in everything you have to consider whether you have the ability to do so. Zheng Fang is also a strong-looking man with a weak heart. If a powerful character really attacks him, he may not be able to hold on.
The last time Zheng Fang was able to escape and divert the disaster to the east, leaving no one to blame, was all thanks to Li Cheng's strategy. He had thought countless times how great it would be if his son-in-law was not a member of the royal family but one of his subordinates, who would definitely be able to become his advisor.
Now, he could only say: "He is quite nice."
Ji rolled her eyes at her husband and thought that if the daughter of the Wei family could enter the Eastern Palace, Deyin would have a hard time. Look, when Deyin was favored before, the old lady could enter the Eastern Palace quickly by handing in a badge, but now no one has summoned her for several months, and she sulks in the house every day.
Li Cheng, who was praised by Zheng Fang as a good person, went to the battlefield. Yuzhou, which was next to Xuzhou, thought that the King of Wei was attacking Jingzhou and even wanted to send people to test it. Li Cheng personally led his troops to the battlefield.
Before he left, he sent over the two maids who knew martial arts. Huiyin saw that they were well dressed, had slim but strong waists, and spoke in a proper manner. They were not the type to make noises or be too rude, so she nodded secretly. She also heard their names, one was Lingjiu and the other was Linglu, and she thought they sounded nice and didn't need to be changed, so she handed them over to Qiufeng for training.
Qiufeng had agreed to marry someone now. She still wanted to work in the palace, so Nan Mama arranged a good marriage for her. Huiyin's dowry, Madam Liu, had a son of similar age and appearance. Liu Dalang was in charge of Huiyin's daily travels and some of her businesses. After Qiufeng married him, the couple still worked in the palace.
Now, Qiufeng has to train her well before she dares to let her go and get married.
She is different from Le Yun. Although Le Yun is a doctor who married into the mansion and looks like a decent lady, her future life is probably far worse than hers. In a chaotic world, people are worse than dogs in peace. No matter how wealthy the Huang family is, they can only enjoy some delicious food from time to time. Their life is not really easy.
But she kept these words in her heart. After all, everyone has their own pursuits, but the job still needs to be done well.
Loyalty alone is useless; you also need ability.
The eagle and deer were also smart and alert. They had learned most of the trick in ten days. When Huiyin saw them offering her the Queshe, she couldn't help but smile and said, "This is the one I like to drink on weekdays."
Lingjiu and Linglu became her personal maids.
It was the day when the Miao family was getting married. Huiyin had a good relationship with Mrs. Miao, so of course they had to give her face to attend the wedding. Unexpectedly, she met Xue Huanhuan at this occasion. She remembered that this person seemed to be Yin Liyi's close friend. When she saw Huiyin, she hurried over to greet her and wanted to talk to her, which made Huiyin confused.
"Is there something wrong with you?" Huiyin was puzzled.
Xue Huanhuan said, "Little Princess, I heard that the young prince is at war with Yuzhou. Maybe you don't know that Li Yi, or Madam Xie, has gone to Yuzhou to visit relatives with her mother, Madam Yin. Madam Yin's family is in Yuzhou. Now that the war has started, I'm worried that something might happen to them."
Since Xie Jiuyi married Cao last time, Huiyin has been paying attention to who wins and who loses in the battle between Xie Jiuyi and Zhao Hong, but has not paid attention to Yin Liyi anymore, and she doesn't even know about these things. Xue Huanhuan and Yin Liyi have a really good relationship, and she is really worried.
Huiyin comforted her and said, "Don't worry, I will write a letter now, and I will deliver it to the young prince's personal soldiers when they arrive."
In fact, she certainly wouldn't send a letter casually. When the two sides were at war, who would care about the Yin family's mother and daughter? They were really something. Even when Huiyin wanted to go back to her parents' home, Li Cheng brought thousands of soldiers with him. These two dared to go home in a territory that was not the King of Wei's. They were really brave.
When Xue Huanhuan saw Huiyin agreed, he immediately thanked her profusely.
Huiyin thought about Xie Jiuyi being poisoned during the last expedition. Yin Liyi was really worried anyway. A woman went everywhere to ask people to pick her up, and now she was in prison, and Xie Jiuyi was nowhere to be found. Moreover, if someone threatened Li Cheng with the Yin family mother and daughter, they were relatives of the King of Wei after all, and were also friends of Li Cheng when he was a child. How would Li Cheng deal with it?
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