60 Chapter 60

◎First update◎

During the Dragon Boat Festival, the air was filled with steam. Not long after going out, my face was already covered with sweat. Huiyin was always plump and afraid of heat. Now that it was not yet the hottest time of the year, she asked someone to put out two basins of ice and asked someone to fan her. Only then did she feel cooler.

Li Cheng came in and saw that she was sweating profusely. He also took out his handkerchief to wipe her sweat, and pushed the maid aside. The servants also became interested. He couldn't help but say, "You are always overthinking, so you get headaches and can't sleep easily. Your Qi and blood are both deficient, so you are always like this with weak Yin and strong Fire."

"Who should I blame? It's you. If you were by my side, I wouldn't have to worry so much." Huiyin complained. She always felt that women should not be too sensible and swallow all the hardships.

Li Cheng thought so and pressed her temples again: "It's my fault, after all. I always leave you alone at home."

Huiyin stopped when she saw that things were going well: "You are doing this for me and the children. Let's stop talking and have dinner."

Soon the maids came in one after another, and the table was often filled with dishes including steamed eels in vinegar, braised yellow croaker, roast duck dishes, greasy salted duck eggs, boiled and mixed amaranth, and several colored soups, as well as various kinds of rice dumplings and glutinous rice cakes.

Huiyin pointed at the small dish beside her and said, "This is the appetizer I made. It's not greasy at all."

Li Cheng often eats banquets outside, and only when he comes home to eat home-cooked meals does he smile and say, "Home-cooked food still suits my taste. Those dishes outside are fine for one day, but after that, I can't eat them anymore."

"That's right. Outside, people treat you to the most expensive food, and you eat the same few dishes over and over again. Even dragon liver and pheasant marrow will make you tired of them. Although the dishes at home are not as good as those outside, they are all cooked to your taste, so they are naturally different." Huiyin handed him another glass of iced drink in a high-heeled pastel cup.

This is also why Li Cheng loves eating with Huiyin. They are both young people, and they won't be constantly advised to eat this or drink that. If he drinks that, is he still planning to live a hundred years? They both love to drink ice bead honey water when eating, especially when it's almost summer, and they can only whet their appetite after drinking a glass.

The two of them clinked glasses and enjoyed the drink to their heart's content.

After dinner, Li Cheng asked his sons to come over as usual. He was very pleased to see that Jing'er had already started learning to write big characters. He also said that precocity would be too taxing and that he should just let his sons find their normal way. But when he saw how adorable his youngest son was, he felt that all his hard work outside for so long was worth it.

He looked at his wife again and saw Huiyin yawning, as if tears were coming out. He felt even more proud in his heart, because as long as he was by his side, she would be sleepy all the time.

"Huiyin, take a rest for a while." he advised.

Huiyin waved her hands: "I have to take a shower first to get rid of the sweat on my body. I can't sleep too much. If I sleep too much during the day, I will definitely not be able to sleep at night."

Li Cheng wanted to stay with her for a while longer. Seeing that she always had her own things to do, he came up with an idea: "Wait a moment, I have something to tell you."

"What's the matter?" Huiyin was clean and felt a little sweaty and uncomfortable. Seeing that he had something to say, she hurriedly urged him to speak.

Li Cheng said: "Of course it's about Jianye. Come on, go wash up first. I'll talk to you when I'm free."

Sure enough, before he counted to three, he heard Huiyin sitting next to him say, "No need to wash, I just wiped it with a towel. My dear husband, I am free now."

Li Cheng curled his lips and hugged her and said, "You know that Jianye is very lively now. Xie Jiuyi is now in charge of all the affairs in Wei. But you know that Nanjun has just been conquered and needs people to tidy up. But before he went to Nanjun, he returned the Cao family that the King of Wei had given him. My spies reported that Yin Liyi really couldn't beat this Cao family."

"Speaking of which, General Xie is a good man. In fact, as long as a man is good to a woman, I think the woman doesn't need to be scheming at all." Huiyin also spoke from her feelings. Who doesn't want to be innocent, straightforward and lovely, and say whatever they want? It's because women are not allowed to do so.

Li Cheng held his wife's hand and said, "If you want me to say that I didn't agree from the beginning, wouldn't it be better? A man without credibility cannot stand. The Cao family may not dare to get angry now, but they may not be able to say it in the future. Use people to move forward, and don't use people to move backward. Originally, Xie Jiuyi was the uncle of Prince Yuzhang and held great power, which made many people in Wei dissatisfied."

This is what makes Li Cheng different from others. If he accepts, then he accepts. Just like what happened with Yin Lifang back then, he will always try to make it happen. If it doesn't work out, he will feel that he has wronged others and will definitely pay it back.

Huiyin said, "In fact, a loving couple will not tolerate others in the middle. I want to ask if you can find a good husband for the daughter of the Cao family after she was sent back?"

Li Cheng shook his head: "This is the problem. It's not easy to deal with. How can we find a marriage for her? What is a good one? Even a really good one wouldn't look down on a merchant girl. If we just find a marriage for her, I'm afraid the Cao family will complain."

"After all, this is the Xie family's private matter and has nothing to do with us." Huiyin was reluctant to talk about the disputes between wives and concubines.

Li Cheng said: "But the Cao family wants to vote for me..."

Huh? She looked at her husband and said, "I heard that the Cao family is as rich as Deng Tong, and they are richer than the Jiang family. They voted for you so quickly? It's really surprising."

Although Xie Jiuyi had divorced Cao's daughter, they had a quarrel so quickly that she was afraid it was a setup.

Li Cheng was a little proud at first. It was not because he was not careful, but because he had taken Qingzhou and Yuzhou, which made him feel that his strength had greatly increased. Naturally, he thought it was normal for someone to surrender to him. But seeing Huiyin's expression, he said, "What's the surprise?"

Huiyin glanced at him and said, "I know you are now a local tyrant, and it is normal for someone to surrender to you, but I am a person who thinks a lot and has multiple thoughts. You took back Wu County, and the taxation in Wei was reduced by at least half. I think everyone will think that you are just watching the fire from the other side of the river, waiting for Wei to fall into chaos, and then taking it down in one fell swoop. If you think so, then won't Xie Jiuyi think so? How can you allow others to sleep soundly beside you? You have never been good at actively calculating others, but what if others calculate you? Who knows whether the Cao family is sincere in surrendering to you."

The Cao family paid so much last time when the King of Wei attacked Jingzhou. Even if Xie Jiuyi returned his sister, he would probably make up for it with money and power. How could he possibly quarrel with the Cao family? If the Cao family really loved their daughter, how could they give her to someone else as a concubine?

Her advice was reasonable and didn't directly point out Li Cheng's arrogance. Li Cheng was enlightened after hearing it: "The words of a virtuous wife are as valuable as gold and jade."

Seeing that Li Cheng had listened, Huiyin smiled and said, "I know that if the Cao family surrenders, we will definitely have more food and fodder, but this matter is just icing on the cake. We already have enough in Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and Wujun. Why do we need him to flatter us? If he really wants to, you can accept him when you recover Jianye in the future."

Li Cheng nodded: "You are right."

If it was normal, Li Cheng would definitely find it strange, but now that he has successfully taken over several places, he is of course confident. Huiyin did not want to scold him, but seeing that he listened to what she said, she smiled and said, "I hope you don't mind my meddling."

"How could I dislike you? There are fewer people who dare to tell the truth to me nowadays. You are the only one who always tells me the truth." Li Cheng still felt a little embarrassed.

In fact, Huiyin's words to him were not completely negative, because Li Cheng would not tell her what to do casually, because he would put himself in her shoes.

Because of Huiyin's suggestion, Li Cheng discussed with the counselors after he went out. Seeing that Li Cheng remained unmoved despite such huge benefits, everyone felt that they had followed the right person.

However, Li Cheng did not rebuke the Cao family. He only said, "I am very happy that you, the Cao family, have come to me. You can do business in my territory. I have always advocated free trade. But you want to rebel against the Prince of Yuzhang and you have hatred towards the Xie family. I advise you not to go too far. I trust General Xie as a man, and he will not take advantage of you for nothing."

The head of the Cao family had heard of Li Cheng's name a long time ago. They all said he was kind and righteous. When he met him today, he found that it was true. He was also a very handsome man. He secretly admired him in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. He continued to say: "General Xie used my Cao family and then abandoned them. My sister almost wanted to commit suicide at home. I really don't want to join him. Please accept me, Your Majesty."

Seeing the Cao family's patriarch so anxious, Li Cheng smiled slightly and said, "This king welcomes everyone to give up the dark and join the light, but I am also doing this for your own good. Your sister is still young, and your Cao family is a wealthy family. There are many beautiful women in the world. Advise her not to be depressed. If she wants to marry a young talent, this king is willing to be the matchmaker himself."

The Cao family thought that Li Cheng was happy to meet the hunter, but they didn't expect that he would not accept the challenge at all.

Then someone brought tea, which meant to send the guests off. The head of the Cao family did not dare to stay any longer and left.

After he left, Li Cheng said to Yuwen Dang, "Send someone to secretly watch him and see where he goes."

After the head of the Cao family left Xuzhou, he immediately went to Jianye. Three days later, he disguised himself to see Xie Jiuyi. The spy immediately reported back. Li Cheng did not expect that Huiyin had guessed it. Xie Jiuyi seemed to know him very well and knew that he was in high spirits at the time. People are most likely to lose their composure when they are proud.

He immediately came back and said to Huiyin, "I didn't expect you to be right. The two families are working together to stage a show."

"How I wish this wasn't true. We would have an extra purse, and in my heart General Xie is a truly loyal person. But things didn't go as I wished." Huiyin didn't boast about how foresighted she was, after all, even the best horses make mistakes.

Li Cheng was glad that he did not get fooled. The Cao family was certainly not a high-profile family, but if he really used them to transport grain, and something went wrong, it would be troublesome. Things in the world often go wrong because of small people.

But seeing that Huiyin was kind-hearted and did not complain at all, he felt that his wife was truly the best in the world and that his father-in-law had benefited from a lot of trouble.

Huiyin was thinking about something when she saw Li Cheng twirling her earlobe, her face blushed slightly, and she looked away: "Young man in the blue sky, what are you doing?"

"You know what I'm doing. I was too tired yesterday and had other things to do. Can't we get closer today? It's better than you always saying that I don't have enough tricks." Li Cheng's eyes were fixed on his wife.

Huiyin pretended to cover her mouth: "You are such a fool. What if someone hears us? Those are private conversations in bed. Don't keep talking about them. Otherwise, go find someone else. I won't be friends with you anymore."

Li Cheng used to be a person who couldn't even spit out ivory, but now he said all kinds of corny words, just to make Huiyin's heart melt, so he carried his feather-light wife to the bed.

【Author’s words】

There will be another update tomorrow morning