71 Chapter 71

◎Second update◎

When Huiyin learned that her father and brother had taken refuge with Li Cheng and brought their families over, she sent for Xin to come and discuss their resettlement with her.

"In theory, my mother and her family live in the palace to accompany me, which is what I want, but the Madam and Madam Xu are all here. My sister-in-law also knows about the family affairs. Our old concubine is not happy with me. If something goes wrong, it will be bad."

Xin came from Jizhou and was taken care of by Huiyin. Her daughter was also raised by her sister-in-law. It was reasonable for her not to worry about her. She said, "Our master is very filial. If he knew that our parents were coming, he would not allow them to move out. But the madam is not our relative and she always dislikes us. The family next door to me, an orphan and a widow, lived in such a big garden. Yesterday they told me that they wanted to sell it out. I think it would be better to buy their house. I will pay for it."

Huiyin laughed and said, "How can we let my sister-in-law pay for it? They are orphans and widows, so let's just forget about it. If we let them give it up, it will seem like we are bullying them. I will send Manager Qiao to find a large house with five entrances and a garden. This way, it will be like our home, and they will be comfortable there."

Dad has handed over Jizhou to Li Cheng, so what if she buys a house and gives it to them?

Xin thought that the girl was too cautious and refused to let anyone say anything. In fact, the widow and orphan were eager to sell the house as soon as possible, but when she heard that they were an orphan and a widow, she would rather look for another place than buy someone else's house.

But on second thought, it was precisely because of her carefulness and understanding that the prince loved her so much. Not to mention when there was no one in the room, even when he went out to drink and invited some singers, my husband said that the prince only listened to them singing and gave them some money, and never joked with these people.

"Since the princess said so, let's do it this way." Xin didn't say much.

But she couldn't completely stop worrying about her younger sister-in-law, because Zheng Wuheng's wife Cui would be here soon. She was Li Cheng's cousin, and her second brother and younger sister-in-law had the same father and mother, so their relationship was even closer. She felt at ease with her proximity to her, but she would be of no use in the future.

So, after she finished her tea, she smiled and said, "Since my mother-in-law and the others are coming soon, then Sister Xian should just follow me back."

After returning, Xin sent pear blossom fragrance. Huiyin knew that this was what her mother liked to order. There were also two sets of clothes woven with gold silk, which were probably given to Cui. As for Madam Xu and Xu, she did not say much.

Manager Qiao found a mansion within three days. He only spread the news and others heard that the princess bought it for her family, so they wanted to sell it. Some wanted to give it to her as a gift, and of course there were also some short-sighted people who wanted to ask for a high price.

Huiyin went out in a carriage to look around and she found a house she liked. The price was five thousand taels of silver. Huiyin added two hundred taels more and asked them to leave their furniture behind so that she could buy the whole house.

Nan's mother didn't understand: "Princess, even though you were afraid that the Madam and the Concubine would deliberately cause trouble, why didn't you invite them to the palace from the beginning? Is that a good idea? Even Grandma Pei has been entertained in the palace."

"You don't know that the Xu family of Donghai was originally the King of Wei's people. After the King of Wei passed away, they returned to Xuzhou. We don't know whether they are really here or are deliberately lurking to find out some news. If my grandmother and that Xu family live in the palace, the Xu family will surely come to our door, and we can't refuse to receive them. If we think they are plotting something, it will be bad." Huiyin said.

Mother Nan didn't think about this. She was probably still thinking about the relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law.

It is also said that before Qingming Festival, Ji's group first arrived at the house given by Huiyin, and Nan Mama personally welcomed them in: "I heard that the old lady and the ladies were coming, so I bought this house for you. The good thing about this house is that the flowers and plants in the garden are very well tended, the tree gate is in the center, the window lattices of the main room are exquisitely carved, and the furniture is complete. After the ladies have finished washing up, they can go to the palace where there will be a welcoming banquet waiting for you."

"It's so great that the princess still remembers us after all these things." Ji said Amitabha. She thought her daughter was very considerate. Now that they lived in a separate household, she was still the mistress of the house and felt much more comfortable.

Nan's mother said affectionately, "The princess has specially sent a servant to serve you. We will go together when the time comes."

But when the group entered the house, Madam Xu was of high rank and lived in the best courtyard in the east. There were five small houses in the main courtyard, three side rooms in the east, and a back room. The steward smiled and said, "The princess said that this place is warm in winter and cool in summer. It is a great place. Let Madam Xu live in the back room. This way, you will have someone to talk to here."

Mrs. Xu came into the inner room to rest and saw that the bed and furniture were all complete, with a few clothes stacked in the closet, a huanghuali chest of drawers, a rosewood bed, and many treasures in the Duobao Pavilion, so she couldn't find anything to complain about. Only the back room where Xu lived was a small three-room room with a small mahogany furniture that looked bright, but was not a good item.

There was a servant girl named Qiuyan beside her. She was always cunning. Seeing Xu's unhappy face, she just said, "She doesn't take the lady seriously. I just went to Madam Ji's yard. There were lush flowers and trees, rare treasures and animals, not to mention that a group of people sent jade plates and pearl curtains. I'm afraid your place is slightly better than the one where Madam Ji's mother lives."

"Oh, what can I do?" Xu was not stupid. Although she was very aggressive with Madam Xu, she was just instigating them to make them uneasy. If she really wanted to make trouble, Ji would not be polite.

Qiuyan spat secretly before running out.

As for Ji, she loved clusters of flowers and was a person who preferred gatherings to separations. The table was covered with Sichuan embroidery curtains depicting the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, the bed was piled with embroidered quilts, and there were green vases inlaid on all four sides. Not far away, on the flower stand was a straw flower basket, filled with hibiscus, weeping crabapple, white peach, yellow rose, and crabapple. It was a scene of flowers as colorful as brocade, with luxuriant branches and leaves, and arranged in an orderly manner.

When Nan's mother saw Ji looking at the flower basket, she just smiled and said, "The princess herself arranged it and sent it here."

"How is the princess?" Ji asked hurriedly when she saw that there was no one in the room.

Nan's mother sighed, "You know that the prince is away fighting all year round. The Concubine Dowager even forced our princess to kneel down before. If only you came, the princess would definitely take you in. You know the temper of the Madam Dowager. If Concubine Dowager Wu finds something to say about us, how can our princess stay in the palace?"

Ji slapped her thigh and said, "Yes, I was so tired that I didn't think of this. If it were me, Xu wouldn't have to go. She's already been divorced. Why would she go there? Are you just going to give people gossip?"

Seeing that Ji had come to her senses, Nan's mother nodded and whispered, "I'm most afraid that the Xu family from Donghai is a spy. Madam Tai and Xu are both from the Xu family. Wait until the Xu family is not on guard."

Ji's face became serious.

Here, it is said that Huiyin invited Xin to accompany her, and also told Concubine Wu to invite her over when the time comes. When Concubine Wu learned that the Zheng family had given the land of Jizhou to Li Cheng, she packed up some treasures and prepared to give them away.

Originally, they all depended on the King of Wei. If her grandson really ascended to the throne in the future, and this dream came true, she would become the Grand Empress Dowager.

The most noble woman in the whole Daye, something she had never dared to imagine before.

By the time Ji and others came, it was already dusk. Cui was wearing a drooping crown and a brocade dress. She supported Ji, who was still a little dazed when she saw her daughter.

Huiyin started crying: "Mom, you are finally here."

Ji and Cui were both crying. Xin came over holding her belly to comfort her. Seeing that she was pregnant, Ji asked hurriedly, "Gu'er's mother, are you pregnant?"

"Yes, the baby was just born. Madam, have you seen your husband? He has repeatedly said that he is unfilial, and there is nothing we can do." Xin said while wiping her tears.

Ji shook her head: "How can a mother blame her own child?"

Huiyin was talking to Cui and exchanging a few words with Madam Xu, so as not to appear to be ignoring anyone.

"Let's go and greet the Toffee first, and then take our seats."

They all went to pay their respects to Concubine Wu first, and then Madam Xu, Ji and Cui entered the main hall and saw an old woman sitting on the upper seat. She was wearing a large-sleeved shawl with a jade shawl pendant at the bottom of her clothes. Her hair was done in a heart-shaped bun and a gold-studded phoenix hairpin was inserted in her hair. She looked extremely noble.

Concubine Wu smiled and said, "My dear relative, please don't be too polite."

Madam Xu bowed quickly and said, "I am sorry to bother you with my visit. Please forgive me, Madam Dowager."

The two of them exchanged some polite words, and then sat down as host and guest. Cui wanted to serve her mother-in-law and refused to sit down. Seeing Huiyin, she said, "You are the guest today, so you don't need to be served. Sit down."

Only then did Cui reluctantly sit down.

The banquet was full of discussions, but Mrs. Xu was not thinking about these things. Just now, Ji did not let Xu come over, so she chose to remain silent. The reason was that she could not quarrel with Ji and others over such a small matter.

If he asked Huiyin in private, she would definitely evade and would never agree. But if he asked in front of Concubine Wu, everything would be easy to say.

After the banquet, everyone rinsed their mouths and Concubine Wu spoke to everyone.

Madam Xu seemed to be very accommodating to Concubine Wu, who was about the same age as her. Both of them came from humble backgrounds but later became rich. They could talk about everything from Beijing to Xuzhou.

"The operas in Beijing nowadays are different from those we watched back then. The tones are much longer and the flourishes are gone..." Mrs. Xu laughed.

Concubine Wu also sighed: "Since my son went to the vassal state, I have not been back to the capital for many years."

When Madam Xu heard her mention going to the capital, she took the opportunity to put forward her own opinion: "You are so lucky. Prince Wu is filial and obedient, and Prince Huaiyin is extremely brave. Now everyone in the world is loyal to Prince Huaiyin. Even my granddaughter who married the prince as a concubine, I think the prince is not in charge. It would be great if she could be brought here as well. It would be a good opportunity for the world to see what it means that those who are righteous will have many supporters while those who are unrighteous will have few supporters."