74 Chapter 74

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Xie Jiuyi had never expected that Wei Duo would play such a shady trick. The couple had planned it out. They let Yin Liyi live in the Prince of Wei's mansion with the children, pretending that Yin Lifang and others were there, and everything was normal. They also sent heavy troops to guard the place.

The bad thing is that Yin Liyi thought she was not in any danger. She had been pretending for a long time in the Prince of Wei's mansion and couldn't stand it anymore. She usually went to teahouses, listened to operas, or bought some snacks from outside when she was in Jianye. She didn't have any prejudice against family background, she just loved street snacks.

She wanted to go out, but Xie Jiuyi advised her not to go out, so she had to call a peddler over. Little did she know that the peddler was actually a fake person, so she was knocked unconscious and taken away.

Yin Liyi was so upset after entering the palace for the second time that she wanted to laugh. She really had bad luck. She didn't know what the old thief Wei Duo would threaten her with. She just hoped that Xie Jiuyi would not agree.

However, Xie Jiuyi also found it difficult to make a choice. Originally, not all of his troops obeyed him. If he withdrew his troops for his wife, he would definitely be criticized in the future. But if he did not withdraw his troops, his wife might die.

Unfortunately, everyone below disagreed. Someone said, "Why don't we secretly send someone to rescue the lady? Instead of fighting openly, we can let the old man Wei know that you don't care about the lady, and he won't do anything to her."

"Yes, I remember the last time my wife was arrested in Yuzhou, didn't the young prince do the same thing? The less you care, the more room you have."

Nowadays, people in Wei still call Li Cheng "Little Prince".

Xie Jiuyi used to blame Li Cheng, after all, he didn't care about his wife's life or death at all, but now, he is still the same.

Wei Duo was well aware of the principle that a soldier never tires of seeking revenge. He had long since found out that Xie Jiuyi had gone against his family in order to marry Yin Liyi, which showed that he was deeply in love with her. This reminded him of the story of Shen Gong Wu Chen and Xia Ji, a woman who had ruined several countries.

Of course, he had also met Yin Liyi once. She was indeed good-looking and very pretty, but she was also very fiery.

But he also knew that if he kept Xie Jiuyi hanging like this, it would be fine. But if he really took over, they would become mortal enemies. He didn't want to see a united Xie family army. Thinking of this, Wei Duo personally selected the troops, and he was eager for Xie Jiuyi to attack.

Xie Jiuyi and Wei Duo were fighting fiercely, with no intention of stopping. Yin Liyi knew it but she no longer blamed Li Cheng as much as before. She knew very well that if Xie Jiuyi really abandoned the city and fled just for a woman like her, that would be heartless and unrighteous!

Li Cheng was unaware of her double standards, because he had expected Xie Jiuyi to continue her attack without being affected by Yin Liyi.

Huiyin was not happy: "After you rescued her, Yin stayed at my house for a few days. Although she didn't show it too clearly in front of me, I could see that she still felt that you were not conscientious. Isn't her husband the same now? In fact, I have never understood why Yin Liyi has such high expectations of you?"

If we talk about Yin Lifang, that's fine. Li Cheng did give her generous gifts, saved her son, and they were once married. But what does that have to do with Yin Liyi?

She really doesn't understand.

Li Cheng was a person who wanted to get to the bottom of things. He thought for a long time before saying, "She came to my house when she was little. My mother treated the Yin sisters well because of Yin Lifang. Later, didn't the King of Wei let me be his housekeeper? At that time, because of our acquaintance, I thought I was going to marry Yin Lifang, so I took care of her a little. I thought maybe she regarded me as a good person who gave without regrets. In this world, everyone has very high expectations for good people. As long as you do something wrong, you will be blamed. But if you are a bad person, and occasionally do a good thing, many people will remember your kindness."

Huiyin thought what he said made sense, but couldn't help laughing: "Actually there is another possibility, she may think that letting you do things for her can highlight her personal charm."

There is a type of woman who is like this, who likes to send others to do things to prove her charm.

Although it was wrong to say that behind people's backs, she remembered that her family had many complaints about Li Cheng's rescue last time, and Huiyin had nothing good to say about them either.

But Li Cheng almost vomited after hearing this. Huiyin saw that he was not feeling well and quickly poured him a cup of tea: "What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to get you some of your favorite lychee drink?"

"I was maliciously targeted. Don't worry, I'm fine." Li Cheng really felt like dying after hearing these words. He felt uncomfortable when he thought that he was being used by a fool.

Huiyin patted him on the back and said, "Don't say anything mean. She is actually quite pitiful. Forget it. Let's not talk about them. Your cousin Cui Erlang has sent several invitations. Do you want to see them or not?"

Li Cheng had no time to pay attention to Cui Erlang before. His relationship with his uncle's family was ordinary. But even Huiyin was asking, after all, they were relatives. He said, "Okay, I'll take the time to invite him over to sit down."

"Well, you can arrange these yourself. Also, have all the people who passed the imperial examinations been dismissed from their official positions?" Huiyin asked.

In the past, she had been very tactful and didn't ask about these outside matters, for fear that Li Cheng would be jealous if she asked too much. But now, they are connected inside and out as husband and wife, so there is nothing to be jealous about these things.

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll have someone bring the manuscript to you."

Naturally, Li Cheng also had his own plans for these children of wealthy families who had their own resources. When he met Cui Erlang, he told him about his plan: "What do you want to do after you fail the exam, Zhiqing (Cui Erlang's courtesy name)?"

Although Li Cheng was his cousin, Cui Erlang dared not be presumptuous. He straightened up and said, "I have been studying hard at home, preparing for the imperial examination next year."

Li Cheng smiled and nodded: "The Qin Oath says: If you see a virtuous person but cannot promote him, or promote him but cannot lead him, this is fate."

As soon as these words were spoken, Cui Erlang's eyes lit up. This meant that if one saw a talented person but did not recommend him, or if one recommended him but did not make use of him, that would be disrespectful. This obviously meant that Cui Erlang should be made use of.

"Everything depends on the prince's orders." Cui Erlang said.

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Of the fifty candidates who passed the imperial examination, twenty will stay with me, and the remaining thirty will go to various prefectures to take up official positions. As far as I know, Taicang County already has a county magistrate, and is in need of a county magistrate. I wonder if you would mind giving up?"

Cui Erlang thought about it and realized that Taicang belonged to Wu County, a first-class wealthy place, so there was nothing wrong with it. Therefore, he quickly stood up and thanked him.

Li Cheng instructed again: "I let you go because I value your talent and I also want to see how capable you are. If it is feasible, there is no need for the imperial examination. I will use you."

Being a deputy is the most challenging thing. If you do a good job, the credit may be taken away by the higher-ups. If you do a bad job, you may be blamed. However, most people who do things are second-in-command.

He values ​​talent, but he also values ​​personal ability more.

Children of aristocratic families like Cui Erlang are influenced by the knowledge of their elders in officialdom and daily life. If they can be tempered, they will definitely be talents.

Now Jizhou where Cui Erlang was located had already been returned to Li Cheng. Seeing that Li Cheng had almost spoken his true feelings, he immediately became very proud.

The same is true of Mrs. Miao's son. He took the military examination and failed it, but it was a pity for him that he was ranked 51st. The top 50 were either arranged to serve under the various governors or in the various armies. These people had already been arranged. Therefore, Li Cheng arranged for Miao Xiaolang to go to Hejian Prefecture in Jizhou to serve as a judicial officer.

Such children of noble families did not hold high official positions. Cui Erlang was the county magistrate, an eighth-rank official, and the judicial officer was a ninth-rank official. They all had their own family staff.

Mrs. Miao originally felt that her son was a pity, but now that he was appointed to the post in Hejian Prefecture, she hurried to the mansion to express her gratitude: "Amitabha, my son has been granted an official position, and I am relieved at last."

"Yes, the prince also said that it was a pity for Young Master Miao, so when he learned that there was a vacancy in Hejian Prefecture, he quickly sent him there. Jizhou is a new province, and among the nine major counties, Hejian Prefecture is one of the best. Let the young man work hard and achieve good results." Huiyin said.

Now, all the old subordinates are no longer wanted. The newcomers must bring a new look. Li Cheng likes to use young people and does not like to use those sophisticated and smooth old people.

Mrs. Miao smiled and said, "Yes, it's all thanks to you, otherwise how would you remember our little boy?"

"Don't say that. This is just my own ability." Huiyin said.

It is also said that after Cui Erlang got the official position, he was no longer depressed and regained his former spirit. Although Cui Yuehuan disliked the low-ranking official position, Cui Erlang was more knowledgeable than his sister.

Those who have never been officials hear that the eighth and ninth ranks are all small officials, but when it is their turn to be an official, to be honest, it is good to be an official. Nowadays, it is no longer the era when the nobles are the most powerful. The nobles and the poor coexist. If the nobles have no ambition, they will become poor in just a few generations.

Just like people who have never made money think that one hundred dollars a month is not much, but if they really start to make money, it is not easy to earn a few hundred coins a month.

Therefore, Cui Erlang said: "I didn't win, so do I still have to be appointed as a governor?"

"That's not what I meant, sister. After all, our Cui family has a different relationship with the prince." Cui Yuehuan was also thinking that since they were double relatives, it would be wrong to give advantage to outsiders.

Cui Erlang said, "My aunt passed away and my father could not come to make decisions for the prince. The prince relied on himself to achieve what he has today. I am not as talented as my elder brother, so I can work in Taicang because of this relationship. Taicang was once a place where the Wu Kingdom stored grain and built warehouses. I am very happy that your brother is allowed to work there."

Cui Yuehuan suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."

"You should also be careful with your words. You were young at home before, and later you married the son of Marquis Zhaojie of Jizhou. You have a high status and many people flatter you. But this is the territory of Princess Huaiyin. If you say a wrong word and make others bear a grudge against you, you'd better be careful not to suffer the consequences. Don't think that you are speaking discreetly. You know, there is no wall that is impenetrable." Cui Erlang warned his sister.

Cui Yuehuan's family is not around. She is young, her husband is capable, and her mother-in-law loves her like her own daughter. Now, hearing her brother's words, it seems like she has been enlightened.

It is naturally better to have relatives around to give advice and help than others, and it seems that Huiyin is the same. Pei Shuo is now working in the Xuzhou camp, and he is now considered a useful person by Li Cheng, so every time he comes to the palace to talk to Li Cheng, he will go to the backyard to talk to Huiyin.

Just like now, Pei Shuo said: "I see your face is a little swollen, and your eyes are slightly dark. I guess you are hungry and can't sleep, so you stayed up late. Your health is more important than anything else, remember this, sister."

"What did my brother say?" Huiyin was still a little angry.

She was tall and strong, which was totally different from the slender girls in the south of the Yangtze River. So she wanted to lose weight, but to lose weight she had to eat less. If she ate less for dinner, she would not be able to sleep in bed.

When she was at home, Deyin and Madam Xu said that she was fat, and Huiyin even secretly lost weight, which Pei Shuo also knew.

Pei Shuo laughed and said, "I shouldn't have said this. After all, I am a man. But it's a waste of time for a person like my sister to worry about these things."

"It's because I sprained my waist and started eating as much as I wanted while lying in bed. I started to gain weight and can't even wear the clothes I wore last year." Huiyin complained.

Pei Shuo said: "The more this happens, the more you need to rest. This way you will have more energy. Otherwise, if you don't eat, your Qi and blood will be insufficient, and you will easily want to eat something to replenish it."

After the brother and sister finished talking, Huiyin also thanked Pei Shuo for his concern. Unexpectedly, a few days later, Pei Shuo specially sent a chef to help Huiyin prepare food.

"You won't be hungry, and you won't get fat either. I've already told the master about this, and I've checked the details. You can use it without worry." Pei Shuo said.

Huiyin said happily: "If it really comes true, I will thank my brother with a generous gift."

Pei Shuo shook his head: "Brother just hopes that you are healthy and well."

The breakfast that the chef brought was a kind of steamed bun made of mixed grains, the size of a palm, with two kinds of seasonal vegetables and a boiled egg. For lunch, there was half a bowl of rice, the same meat, all lean meat, and two kinds of seasonal vegetables. The dinner was the same as for lunch.

Li Cheng was gnawing on a leg of lamb and cut off a small piece with a dagger. He said, "How about it? Eat a piece."

"No, I have to control my mouth." Huiyin shook her head quickly, and then she said, "I'll make fried mutton with leather clips in the kitchen tomorrow."

Li Cheng sighed: "I told you not to be afraid and to go ride a horse. To be honest, I eat more than you, but I practice martial arts and archery every day, so no one says I'm fat."

Huiyin was speechless: "You are not only not fat, but you are very lean, without even a bit of fat."

In fact, Li Cheng thought Huiyin was already a beauty, but thinking of the many women who wanted to marry him, he thought his wife must be insecure, so he said: "But what I love most is your body. If you lose weight, you will really look ugly."

"Don't try to fool me with words. I don't care. I want to be as thin as before." She used to not eat at night, but after eating those dishes, she recovered a lot in just one month.

She saw that her jawline was much clearer, and was about to call Li Cheng over, but unexpectedly Li Cheng stepped in and said, "Guess what? Xie Jiuyi failed to defeat Wei Duo, but barely won the battle. Wei Duo also followed Zhang Song's example and put Yin Liyi in front of the horse, but Xie Jiuyi was her husband after all, and his flaws were exposed..."

【Author’s words】

I'll see if I have time tomorrow morning. If I do, I'll do the second update. My waist hurts so badly, so please bear with me.