56 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 also husband 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 crown prince'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 retained 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."
“你的意思是你也被他招惹過嗎？”李澄還真沒想象李珩如此無恥。
當年娶鄭氏女，他都是半被強迫的，太子這真的是……
徽音點頭：“對啊，你以為我是開玩笑的嗎？此番恐怕又是要掀起腥風血雨。”
衛铎之女不知道是什麽樣的人，如果是個聰明人，鄭德音恐怕迎來一個強大的對手，李珩很會在幾個女人中間制造不平衡，讓她們互相厮殺。
李澄很不明白：“女子又能決定什麽？你父親未必會聽你姐姐的做什麽，除非是順勢而為。衛铎用兵如神，連我王叔都要和她結親，你父親也未必是他的對手。太子這麽想，感覺他想的也太簡單了。”
“這女人只是個引子，就像魏王特地派殷次妃，恰好你本意也是想打的，那麽她來就是恰逢其會，若你本意不願意打，她來也是無功而返。”烽火戲諸侯都不知道是不是真的，何況是男人。
李澄有些不屑：“這種手段我還是覺得太突破下限了。”
**
東宮
德音的日子近來難過起來，她嫁過來三年，寵愛不複往昔，前有懷孕的姬妾，馬上又要來一個和她身份差不多的衛良娣。對着鏡子看，她今年二十二了，原本年紀不大，可是顴骨上有指甲蓋大的斑，旁人看不到，她自己卻極為在意。
“把淮陰王妃從江南送過來的粉拿來我遮遮。”突如其來，所有的事情似乎都不照着前世的劇本走了。
她沒有懷孕，李珩對她的寵愛逐漸稀薄，不似妹妹在李珩最後一刻都對她安排的極好。
一時之間，她六神無主起來。
雲枝端了一盞普洱茶進來：“良娣，那粉您上次送給新來的錢良媛了。”
“我倒是忘記了，早知道就不給她了，給她了，恐怕她也覺得我給的東西有毒。”德音這麽說也是其來有自，實在是這位剛進東宮的女人警惕的過度了。她只是稍稍靠近，那錢良媛就渾身發抖，她送去的糕點聽說也是讓她丢了出來。
連枝也氣的很：“誰說不是呢，她當誰都包藏禍心，真是的。良娣比她出身高貴，比她得寵，日後若是産子，她那個孩子誰稀罕啊。”
連枝是一時氣急，卻沒想到李珩正出現在門口，德音吓了一跳，連忙穩住心神道：“太子怎麽不說一聲就來了。”
她還怕太子怪罪連枝雲枝，忙讓她二人下去沏茶：“你們去沏一盞太子最愛的松蘿茶來。”
說起來德音這幾年在宮中，已經算是學會了八面玲珑，管家理事，當然知道背後議論主子不對，但她仗着太子寵愛，也覺得他會看在鄭家的份上不會計較。
哪裏知曉李珩這次發作了，他只冷冷的道：“方才誰在背後議論趙良媛，站出來，宮裏的規矩，奴婢怎麽能議論主子。”
連枝覺得身上一涼，血氣上湧，她方才那麽說也是因為她是德音的陪嫁，同仇敵忾，卻沒想到被太子親自抓住小辮子，她也沒有勇氣承認，只低着頭不發一言。
沒想到李珩卻看向德音：“鄭良娣，你素來熟悉宮中的規矩，你來說。”
德音也被吓着了，她何曾見過太子露出這樣的神色，不怒而威，似天然壓迫感，她嗫嚅了幾下才道：“下人議論主子，杖責二十。”
“嗯，看來你很懂這個道理，知道怎麽做了。”李珩看了一眼連枝。
德音正要求情，就見太子身後的內侍悄無聲息的捂了連枝的嘴，把人拖了出去，前後不過一息的功夫，把德音都吓傻了。
她管整個東宮的時候，對那些不聽話的刁奴懲治，也是讓人拖下去打板子，但是這些人都是外人，和她無關，連枝卻是她的陪嫁。平日多關心她，此時卻被拖死狗這樣的拖下去了。
李珩似乎怕她求情，還言笑晏晏道：“不日，衛氏就要進門，她比不了你我的情分。你是我東宮的老人了，資歷又深，像這等貧嘴貧舌的丫頭，不吃教訓，将來還要禍害你。如今還是我聽到了，他日，若是旁人聽到，就不好了。”
本來德音方才就在抱怨趙良媛，生怕李珩再把她扯出來，現在見他只罰了連枝，松了一口氣，還想着等連枝打完了，她送最好的金瘡藥去。
沒想到藥還未送到，雲枝帶着哭腔進來道：“良娣，連枝她被打死了。”
“什麽？”德音不可置信。
雲枝道：“連枝本來為了替您做那條百花裙，熬了好幾個大夜，昨日又患了風寒，偏偏這群天殺的下手太重了。”
素來鮮活的連枝死了，德音身上一陣發涼，她甚至猜想是不是李珩故意讓人下這麽重的手，要不然說不過去，她之前讓人打板子，也沒有打死人的。
張了張口，德音聲音有些沙啞：“雲枝，開我的匣子，拿錢讓他們幫忙收殓了吧。”
不知怎麽，德音身上陣陣發抖。
死了一個奴婢的小事，也不會傳到鄭家去，鄭家對衛铎之女要嫁給李珩也無法不滿，因為現階段，鄭放也對付不了衛铎。
“冀州之地，衛铎眼饞許久了，恐怕日後他要打過來啊。”鄭放還有些微擔心，冀州是他經營十年的地盤，要他讓出去，他不會讓的。
他這些大事也只有和紀氏商量了，紀氏聽聞看着他道：“上回，青州嘉浒關那兒的事兒你是真的不知道嗎？還好是女婿平息了，大事化小小事化了，若是真的打起來，你讓徽音怎麽做人。”
鄭放有些心虛：“一時擦槍走火，都怪以前那裏是呂威的部下。”
“女兒來過信了，信上說女婿治軍嚴謹，非同一般，若是真的打起來，咱們未必是對手。”紀氏當然也願意鄭放能夠一統天下，可凡事也得看看你自己有沒有這個能力，鄭放也是個色厲內荏的，真有厲害角色打過來，他未必能撐住。
上次鄭放能夠脫身，禍水東引，讓人無話可說，也都是靠李澄之計策，他無數次想若女婿不是宗室，而是他部下該多好，絕對能成為謀臣。
現在，他也只能道：“他人還怪好的。”
紀氏白了丈夫一眼，又想衛家女兒入主東宮，德音恐怕日子會難過了。瞧，以前德音受寵的時候，老太太遞了牌子很快就能進東宮，現在這都好幾個月了也沒人召見，天天在屋裏生悶氣。
被鄭放誇獎人還怪好的李澄卻出征了，徐州隔壁的豫州以為魏王在攻打荊州，竟然想派人過來試探，李澄親自帶兵出征了。
他在臨走之前，還把那兩個會功夫的侍女送了來，徽音見她二人穿戴利索，腰肢纖細卻有力，回話卻頗有規矩，不是那等咋咋呼呼太過粗魯的人，暗自點頭。她又聽二人名字，一個叫靈鹫，另一個叫靈鹿，覺得好聽不必改，這兩人都交給秋豐調教。
秋豐如今也許了人家，她是還想在王府當差的，索性南媽媽替她一門好親事，徽音的陪嫁柳娘子就有個兒子年貌相當。那柳大郎管着徽音平日出行，還有她手裏的一些生意，秋豐嫁給他之後，照樣兩口子都在王府當值。
如今，秋豐得把人調教好了，才敢放手出去嫁人。
她和樂雲不同，樂雲雖說是嫁到府裏的太醫，看起來是平頭正臉的夫人，但将來的日子恐怕差她一大截。亂世人不如太平犬，那姓黃家家境再殷實都只能說平日三不五時嘗得些葷腥，日子哪裏真的好過。
但這些話，她放在心裏，畢竟每個人都有每個人的追求，但差事還是得做好。
光靠忠心沒用的，還得有能力才行。
靈鹫和靈鹿也聰明機警，一旬的功夫就學的七七八八了，徽音見她們送上雀舌，忍不住笑道：“這是我平日愛喝的那口。”
靈鹫和靈鹿就這麽成了她的貼身侍婢。
這日正是缪家嫁女兒，徽音和缪夫人關系不錯，當然要給她這個面子去參加婚禮。不曾想在這個場合遇到了薛歡歡，她還記得這位仿佛是殷麗儀的手帕交，她見着徽音了連忙過來行禮，又要借一步說話，弄的徽音是丈二和尚摸不着頭腦。
“你是有什麽事情嗎？”徽音不解。
薛歡歡道：“小王妃，我聽說小王爺正和豫州開戰，可能你不知道麗儀，也就是謝夫人她随她母親殷夫人去豫州探親了，殷夫人的娘家就是在豫州，現在開戰了，我怕她們有事啊。”
自從上次謝九儀納了曹氏之後，徽音頂多關注謝九儀和趙鴻打仗誰輸誰贏，倒是沒有再關注殷麗儀了，甚至都不知道這些事情。薛歡歡和殷麗儀關系是真好，是真的很擔心。
徽音則安撫她道：“你放心，我這就寫信，等小王爺的親兵來了，我就送過去。”
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?