88 Chapter 88
◎Two chapters in one◎
Cui Xun had two sons, Cui Dalang and Cui Erlang, both born to his first wife, Li. Cui Erlang worked in Taicang for a few years and was quite diligent. Cui Dalang also made great contributions when Li Cheng attacked Wei Duo and was considered an effective internal supporter.
But does Li Cheng really trust them? No.
At least for now, they need to maintain harmony on the surface. He will also reward his mother's family for the sake of his mother's face. Otherwise, it would be a bit unreasonable to posthumously reward his father and mother but not the Cui family.
In such an occasion, no one dared to get drunk. They all ate a fewfuls before talking. The men went to the front hall to answer, and the women followed Huiyin to the Linde Hall. Madam Cui had entered the palace mouth once before, but she came and left in a hurry, and she was afraid that her etiquette would be wrong.
Only now, as a lady of the duke, although she could not stay in the Linde Hall to admire it, she could still leisurely look at the surrounding environment. Although the new dynasty had just been established, the Linde Hall was extremely gorgeous, truly magnificent, rich and elegant, with expensive calligraphy and paintings, antiques, and dazzling, but not so dazzling.
The palace maids quickly brought the tea, and Mrs. Cui took a sip. It was top-grade tribute tea with a really pure taste.
I only heard the Queen ask, "Is this the daughter of my second cousin? She is so pretty."
Mrs. Cui cheered up and replied, "Yes, she is Erlang's daughter, she is ten years old this year. Her mother died last year, so she was raised by me."
"Ten years old is not young anymore. Although he lost his mother, with your teaching, it is no wonder that he seems to be well-behaved." Huiyin said.
When you don't know what to talk about with others, usually start with the children.
As expected, after hearing these words, Madam Cui was very pleased and felt sorry: "Your Majesty, you don't know how many families have abandoned their eldest daughters because of their deceased wives. I am old now and I don't know how many days I can still take care of her. If her father remarries, it would be better to have someone to take care of her."
Cui Dalang's wife, Grandma Cui, also understood what was going on and said, "We met the wife of Mr. Guo a few days ago. We heard that you were the matchmaker for the marriage. You are such a harmonious family. It makes people envious just by looking at you."
The implication was that she wanted her to arrange a marriage. Huiyin thought that if Deyin and she were not enemies and they had a good sisterly relationship before, it would be a good thing for Deyin to marry into the Cui family under her control.
Neither the widow nor the widower will despise the other, and the two families are now of equal status and are still relatives.
But just like in her previous life, she also took good care of Deyin. After Deyin was reborn, the first thing he did was to snatch the kiss. It would have been fine if she just snatched the kiss herself, but she also wanted to block her way. This was too much.
Apart from Que Deyin, Huiyin didn't know much about the others, because although she had been alone in the palace for the past few years, it was very different from Xuzhou. When she was in Xuzhou, she had to build relationships here and there and often had to help others deal with matters big and small, but after becoming the empress, she was the last to build cliques.
One should not let others see one's bias in one's conduct and should be fair and peaceful. This is actually in line with Huiyin's wishes. She doesn't like to meddle in other people's family affairs. Everyone has their own fate, so why should she interfere?
Therefore, Huiyin just smiled and said, "Everyone's marriage is destined. If you say so now, you may bring a new mistress with you when you enter the palace next time."
Everyone just laughed, and then Madam Cui became concerned about the crown prince and the second prince: "I wonder how the two princes are doing? We have been thinking about them all the time."
"They still have to go to school. His Majesty is very strict in their education. Except for a few important days in a year and their own birthdays, they are not allowed to rest." Huiyin said.
Mrs. Cui said awkwardly: "That's too strict."
This time, Mrs. Cui found that the queen was different from before. Many years ago, the queen had returned to her parents' home to visit her relatives and visited their house. Although she was a little sharp at that time, her attitude was still very good. Now she was completely like the queen, and her words were not polite, which made Mrs. Cui a little uncomfortable.
Huiyin thought, I am the queen with real power, not someone who is controlled by others. If you have to consider other people's faces before speaking, how about giving you the throne of queen?
This is what happened to Huiyin, and this is also what Li Cheng did to his uncle and two cousins. It's not that he was putting on airs, but his airs were there. Without Cui Dalangjun, he would have won, but it would have taken some twists and turns. And he was able to win people's hearts gradually, which was his own ability.
Therefore, the relationship between them is that of a ruler and his subjects.
The Cui family is a noble family. When the previous emperor was alive, the family grew stronger. Later, when the previous emperor was sick and weak, the military leaders who occupied various places took over the family. It can be said that any powerful family seems to be a little high and mighty, but Li Cheng does not like to use these people. These people did have capital in the past.
Especially since she relied on favors, recommendations, and a huge network of contacts, the emperor's decrees could not be disseminated.
But now the civil officials can be selected through imperial examinations, and these people are all disciples of the emperor. Military generals also have military examinations. Moreover, Li Cheng attaches great importance to law-abiding officials, and has a better impression of those who have strong ability to do things.
The era when you could hold a high position and enjoy a good salary just because you were born into a good family is over.
Cui Erlang worked in Taicang for three years. Li Cheng said, "You are already nobles now. If you really want to do practical things, wait for the selection of the Ministry of Personnel. As long as your evaluation is excellent, you will have your own benefits."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Cui Erlang knew how Li Cheng handled things. Even Your Majesty's two uncles had to be thorough and do more than others to have a chance of promotion, let alone him.
Li Cheng smiled and said, "You are not just another person, you are my relative, so you must be more diligent and not rely on your status to act."
Cui Erlang even said he didn't dare.
It is also said that after this warning, the Cui family members all behaved themselves, and Cui Xun organized all qualified members of the Cui family to take the imperial examination in order to produce more talents.
This time, people from the Cui, Xin, and Xie families came to participate in the imperial examinations. In addition, there were candidates from all over the country, and academies were opened one after another. This was also Li Cheng's intention, to let everyone in the world focus on studying, so that the military power can be completely in his hands. Although he is the emperor now, everyone has his own troops and private armies. In the long run, if these people are dissatisfied with him, they can unite and rebel at any time.
It is also said that Cui Xun had a nephew who was thirty years old and passed the imperial examination. Cui Erlang also participated in this special examination, but still did not rank well. However, he was not discouraged and planned to come again in three years.
Li Cheng was very happy to have selected many candidates who suited his taste. He came back and talked about it with Huiyin for a long time.
Huiyin felt sorry for him instead: "Now that the world has just been at peace, you should take a break. I only feel sorry for your health. Human energy is limited. The emperor is also a human being. I know you will definitely be angry when I say this, but I still want to say that our relationship is different from others. Those other people say nice things, but they don't really care about you."
"I know, I know. I know what kind of person you are. I have been doing so well because of your care." Li Cheng had no grudges at all.
Huiyin smiled and said, "At least you understand what I mean. By the way, I seem to be pregnant."
"Really?" Li Cheng almost jumped up.
Huiyin hurriedly said, "Calm down, you are the emperor now."
Li Cheng sat down with his big hands Huiyin's belly and touched his forehead: "You ride horses all year round and you can hit the target with one shot. Huiyin, are you hoping this baby will be a boy or a protecting girl?"
"I'm fine with it, whether it's a boy or a girl." Huiyin stroked her belly, not feeling much.
She already had two sons, and her health was not very good when she was at home. Giving birth was not very difficult for her, but it was very harmful to her body. After finally recovering, she got pregnant again. She was actually a little nervous, not as ecstatic as others.
Seeing Huiyin like this, Li Cheng knew that she had not been in good health in the two years since he left, and often had trouble sleeping and eating. Now that she was pregnant, she must be very worried.
"Huiyin, don't take care of me all the time. I'm fine. It's you who is pregnant. Do you want to bring your mother into the palace to accompany you? That way I'll feel at ease." Li Cheng hugged her and whispered.
Huiyin said, "My mother will be fine if she stays in the palace for a few days. She has children and grandchildren, and I can't ruin her family life."
According to Li Cheng, it is really rare to find someone like Huiyin in the world who sees things so clearly, never oversteps the line, and is able to restrain herself. She may be lazy about small things, such as taking a nap, but she is absolutely decisive about big things.
Even her own mother knew very well that it was not a good thing for Ji to live in the palace all year round.
But the more this happened, the more Li Cheng loved her: "My parents died early. You know you are always jealous of others. If you can join your mother, I will be happy to see it."
"Your words really hurt my heart, so I'll listen to you. Then call my mother over and let my two sons have dinner together, so we can have some fun."
The couple loved each other, but when the news of Huiyin's pregnancy spread, the Zheng family was so happy, but the emperor called Ji to the palace again. Ji was packing her bag, and she said to Cui Yuehuan, "I'll leave the house to you."
"Don't worry, ma'am. Everything is fine at home. Just leave it to me." Cui Yuehuan said.
Ji and Zheng Fang were an old married couple. She just kept nagging: "You are not young anymore. Don't drink and smoke all the time. What will happen if you continue like this? When I said one more word at home, you didn't like it. Now you are going to have another grandson. In the future, you will still have to rely on you as a grandfather."
Just like all men who are afraid of their wives' nagging, Zheng Fang said impatiently, "I told you to go to the palace, but you keep nagging. A person's life span is determined by heaven. My father didn't drink alcohol, ate little meat, and took care of himself all his life, but he died early. My grandfather didn't have any taboos at all, but he lived to be seventy."
"They are all nonsense. I am too lazy to talk to you anymore. I have to talk to the empress and let her criticize you." Ji did not argue with him and just smiled.
Zheng Fang remembered that his daughter had always spoken to him in such a profound and righteous way, so he quickly said, "Please don't talk nonsense. It's not easy for the queen to get pregnant with this baby, so you should say something that the queen likes to hear."
Ji pointed at him and said, "You old fellow, are you scared now?"
Zheng Fang was still going to argue, but he didn't care. He had grown older these years and always felt that his life was like a dream. When he was the governor of Jizhou, he often felt that life was hard to endure. Now life was really getting better, and time passed especially fast. Sometimes he felt that he was still in Xuzhou, but found himself in the capital.
But seeing that Ji was still nagging, she couldn't help but say, "Don't really treat the palace as your own home. The queen is pregnant, and many people want to take advantage of it. Don't get involved. The queen has her own ideas."
Ji was stunned: "You think too much."
Zheng Fang yawned: "Just treat it as nonsense."
Ji continued to pack her things and went into the palace. Let's not talk about what happened when she entered the palace. After Ji left, a message came from Xuzhou saying that Xu had died, and she was wearing red clothes before she died.
This was full of deep resentment, and Deyin felt terrified when she heard it. Madam Xu cried, "Your mother is so miserable. She is doing wedding clothes for others in vain."
Deyin, who was sitting below, had been feeling much better these days, but she still felt suffocated when she heard the news of Xu's death. She was even a little bit incredulous: "Why? Why is this happening? Grandma, tell me this is not true."
Madam Xu called someone over again and asked her in detail. The person was the maid who served Xu. She knew that Madam Xu and Xu had a good relationship, so she told her everything: "Since everyone returned to the capital, our Madam has been in a bad mood. There were also people in the nunnery who bullied Madam. Madam said that there must be someone who instructed her to do so. She often muttered to herself and cursed. Later, it was Qiuyan who served Madam. Qiuyan eloped with someone again, which made Madam angry again. Recently, she has been having nightmares, saying something about letting a wolf into the house. A few days ago, she asked me to help her find a red cloth, and Madam...she hanged herself in that..."
"It's all my fault for being unfilial." Deyin couldn't stop her tears from falling.
If she were as powerful as Huiyin today, her mother would have been granted a first-class imperial title long ago. Her mother would certainly be like Ji now, treating the palace as her own home.
It's all her fault. If she had been more motivated, her mother wouldn't have committed suicide.
It's all her fault.
Mrs. Xu was no longer in the mood to care about Deyin, as she was feeling very sad. Cui Yuehuan, on the other hand, went to the upper room several times, as she couldn't let anything happen to the old lady. She also blamed Mrs. Xu for being so restless.
She was finally released that time, which was actually an opportunity for her, but she still teamed up with Madam Xu to cause trouble, thinking that she was the mistress of the house, and had no idea of the situation. She was able to keep her life because she was the daughter of the Ji family, but she always wanted to dig into their walls. Even so, she was still allowed to live in the nunnery.
Just like Dong, she was also a wise person. Her son was randomly betrothed to a member of Xin's family. From her perspective, she was of course angry, sad, and even aggrieved, because since she entered the mansion, although she was favored, she did everything for Xin. But Xin played such a trick and thought she was very smart.
Little did they know that the more this happened, the more public opinion and Pei Shuo would sympathize with Dong. Even Ji personally delivered tonic to Dong last time and no longer cared about Xin.
Your inner house is your inner house's business. If Mrs. Dong offended you, the elders would have handled it for you. But you played with Pei Shuo's son, how could he not be angry.
Similarly, Xu had actually been divorced, and the daughter she gave birth to was not as good as others. She could either ask for leave or remarry, which would not allow her to live in peace. So what was wrong with waiting for the old man to come out and letting the mother and daughter live together?
The situation is already gone, so we need to see the situation clearly.
Over the years, Cui Yuehuan is no longer the little girl who gets angry easily. She has gradually dealt with people from all over the place and has become more mature through experience.
When Zheng Wuheng came back, she had just returned from the upper room and told him about this.
"It's really weird for her to do this. No one in our family wants to kill her." Zheng Wuheng was puzzled.
Cui Yuehuan said, "The Xu family thought that Yin's mother and son were rare treasures, and later caused chaos among the old subordinates of the King of Wei, so they were killed as a warning to others. The emperor did not blame her, and it was for her own good that we kept her. Besides, there is a saying that goes, "If you are willing to gamble, you must accept the loss."
Zheng Wuheng looked at her and said, "I didn't expect you to have made so much progress these days. You look more and more like my sister."
"How dare I compare myself with the Empress? This is just my superficial opinion." Cui Yuehuan shook her head.
Zheng Wuheng looked up at the sky. He had heard his mother mention that she felt sorry for Deyin and wanted to find a good marriage for her. His sister told his mother not to be so kind. They were already in a hostile state. No matter what good you did, others would think it was bad. If it was the Ji family that lost the fight today, the one who would be frustrated would be the Ji family.
He was afraid that he would not even be able to be born. Thinking of this, Zheng Wuheng shuddered.
The palace was very warm. Today was the first day that Ji entered the palace, and Li Cheng came to accompany her. The table was full. Jing'er and Zhan'er were surrounding Ji, and Huiyin and her husband were sitting opposite Ji. Ji couldn't help but wipe away her tears.
"Mom, everything is fine, why are you crying?" Huiyin said with a smile.
Ji sighed: "I was thinking about the Empress's family being able to sit here together, and I was moved."
The daughter was alone in the palace, surrounded by strangers everywhere. She also had to protect her two sons, maintain the rear, and not let anyone notice any clues. It was not easy.
Huiyin's eyes became sore after hearing these words, but Li Cheng was really crying. He was away from home all year round and he and his wife were rarely together. In the end, he felt very sorry for her.
Huiyin was a tearful person, but she didn't expect her husband to really cry. She laughed and said, "My mother is old now, she definitely prefers to be together rather than to be apart. But we are together now, and we parted before because we are together for a long time now. It is obviously a very good thing, why are you still like this?"
Li Cheng realized that he had lost his composure and wiped his tears with a handkerchief. Ji, who was watching from the side, found it strange. The emperor seemed like a darling of the family, and his daughter seemed more like the head of the family.
But fortunately, after a while, the daughter seemed very attached to the emperor, and the emperor looked handsome and mighty.
"Mother, this is a new dish made by a chef recommended by the emperor. We all think it's delicious. You should try it too." Huiyin asked Jing'er to pick up some food for Ji.
Ji was very pleased, but she did not dare to really accept it. However, she was always happy in her heart.
When the banquet was over, the princes went to study, and the emperor went to work. Huiyin came in holding Ji's arm, still jumping up and down like she did when she was a child: "Mother, you should sleep with me tonight. The emperor will definitely rest in Duanming Palace and will not come over."
Ji touched her daughter and said, "You are pregnant already. We shouldn't sleep together. Don't make trouble."
"Mom, what are you talking about? Don't we know about this yet?" Huiyin only hated herself for letting the cat out of the bag.
Ji patted her hands, and they went into the house and sat down together, whispering, "Men don't care about these things. When they are in the mood, some will have sex. Women have to please men, so they have to hold back."
Huiyin was shocked when she heard this: "There is such a thing. If I were to say this, it would be absolutely impossible. My health would be in bad shape."
"My son, you have married well. Your aunt is the emperor, and she is more considerate to you than any other man. No one else has this blessing, not even me." When Ji said this at the end, she thought of her ex-husband Pei Ye. It was really good back then, and it was because he was so good that she was willing to do everything for him.
Unfortunately, the couple could never go back to the way they were. They loved each other too passionately, and their separation was so devastating.
Huiyin comforted her mother: "If you care too much about the results of things in the world, it will be boring. I think mother has gone through so much, and now she has finally got her reward. Ordinary people will always be depressed and frustrated if they experience happiness first and then suffering. If they suffer first and then enjoy happiness, then they will have happiness in the future."
Receiving her daughter's comfort, Ji felt relieved: "Every time I talk to you, I feel very happy. If I talk to your father, I always get angry."
"Daddy is a man who is unrestrained by nature. He will definitely live a long life. What's wrong with that?" Huiyin said with a smile.
After talking for a while, the mother and daughter felt sleepy. Huiyin went to the bed to rest, while Ji leaned on the couch.
In the evening, the Empress Dowager summoned Ji to talk again. When Ji came back, she said that the Empress Dowager had given her many gifts. Ji said, "The Empress Dowager has never given me such generous gifts before. I don't know why."
Huiyin laughed and said, "Mother, she is usually like a pixiu, not very generous to me and the emperor, at most she just rewards the Xun family during festivals. She is like my grandmother, always trying to pull up her family. Although Princess Jianjia is engaged to the Xun family, Prince Yuzhang is nothing, I'm afraid the Xun family is not very satisfied."
"The Xun family was only granted the title because of the relationship with the Empress Dowager. The children of the Xun family are far inferior to ours. Are they not satisfied with marrying the princess? What else do they want to do?" Ji really didn't understand.
Huiyin said, "I heard that the Xun family has a girl who is about the same age as our Jing'er, so it's naturally for this."
I really don't know why these people are so anxious when Jing'er is still so young...
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