Chapter 3

Chapter 3

◎Exchanging Husbands (Part 2)◎

"Why did a marriage edict suddenly come down from the palace? Didn't they say they were going to express gratitude?" Ji Shi personally served a cup of tea to her husband, Zheng Fang. He hadn't mentioned any of this when he accompanied Grandmother Xu and her grandchildren to the capital, so it must have been decided there.

Zheng Fang sipped the hot tea before saying, "What can we do? The eldest girl said that the Crown Prince personally rescued her from the water and that the Empress also expressed her fondness for her. However, the eldest girl was initially supposed to be the Crown Princess. I just inquired from the eunuchs, and it turns out that the Crown Prince's official wife is Prime Minister Lu's daughter. What a pity."

Ji Shi thought that since the eldest girl was already the Crown Prince's concubine, there was no need to bring up her daughter's situation anymore. Only the two young maids by Huiyin's side knew about it.

"The Crown Prince is of royal lineage, and if he accomplishes great things, the eldest girl will become a high-ranking consort in the future. This is for the best," Ji Shi thought, not wanting to say more. After all, the eldest girl wasn't her own.

As the couple exchanged a few words, they heard someone sent by Grandmother Xu saying, "The old lady said that the second girl has just recovered from a serious illness and needs to warm her body. She requests that you accompany the second girl to Xuelang Manor for a few days to enjoy the hot springs."

Xuelang Manor was specially dedicated to Grandmother Xu when Zheng Fang conquered Jizhou. In previous years, Grandmother Xu only took the eldest girl there, but today she specifically sent someone to say this.

Ji Shi smiled and said, "Thank you for the old lady's kindness."

She didn't really think it was out of kindness. Having the experience of a thousand-year-old fox, this move was clearly intended to send them away. Ji Shi was not willing to go.

But she agreed verbally for now. Ji Shi had been through a lot over the years.

Zheng Fang didn't grasp the underlying meaning and only asked Ji Shi, "Is Huiyin feeling better? I'll go see her in a little while."

"She just woke up and went out in the cold air. How could she possibly be better? I think she still has a fever and needs to recuperate."

Ji Shi, originally a daughter of a military family from Pingyang County, was the daughter of a Deputy Military Commander. She was first married to Pei Ye of Hedong County and gave birth to Pei Shuo. Later, when Pei Shuo went out to meet the enemy, someone attacked from the rear. It was Ji Shi, who was pregnant, who led several squads of soldiers to protect the Pei army and rescued her husband. However, she miscarried the child, and the doctor said she could no longer bear children. At that time, she and Pei Ye had a very good relationship, so she made him promise not to take any concubines since they already had a son, Pei Shuo. Unexpectedly, Pei Ye took five or six concubines. In a fit of anger, Ji Shi divorced Pei Ye, taking her dowry and son with her.

After marrying Zheng Fang, she believed she couldn't have children, but a few months later, she gave birth to Huiyin. She considered it a medical miracle.

Initially ostracized in the Zheng family, she only gained a foothold because she gave birth to Huiyin and her brother.

The hardships she endured were beyond the understanding of outsiders, so she was particularly concerned about her daughter.

Although Zheng Fang had concubines, his relationship with Ji Shi was strong. They had been a couple for over a decade. Now, the most important thing was their daughter's marriage prospects. Ji Shi tactfully said, "They say that after misfortune comes good fortune. Now that the eldest girl has been chosen by a noble, I wonder what will happen to Huiyin?"

"Don't worry, I'll carefully select a good husband for her," Zheng Fang said with a smile.

Zheng Fang, originally from a poor family, was once a captain under Lu Ji, the prefect of Gannan. After repeatedly distinguishing himself in battle, he was highly regarded by Lu Ji. Later, when Lu Ji went to the capital to seize political power, Zheng Fang was drawn in by Lü Wei and killed Lu Ji. His promotions were entirely due to his own abilities, and he had no background. Even Grandmother Xu, known as the Xu family of Donghai, was merely seeking influence.

Grandmother Xu, however, didn't see it that way. She had someone serve a bowl of almond milk to De Yin, saying, "This milk is very nourishing. Your uncle will come to Jizhou from the Jiangnan region in a few days. It wouldn't do for him to see you looking sick."

"Uncle is coming?" Zheng Deyin was very pleased.

Grandmother Xu smiled and said, "He wrote last month. I've calculated the days, and he should arrive in a few days."

"That's wonderful. My mother will definitely be happy too, Grandmother. Please bring my mother back on that day." De Yin's biological mother, Xu Shi, was living in a nunnery near Jizhou and usually visited her. But this time, since her uncle was coming from Huainan, she wanted to bring her mother back.

The old lady's servant, Aunt Luo, by Grandmother Xu's side, smiled and said, "Miss, the old lady has already arranged for Ji Shi and her daughter to go to Xuelang Manor for this very reason."

"Grandmother..." Zheng Deyin was moved.

Grandmother Xu said, "It's not only for that. You're grown up now, and I have to talk to you. You're the only granddaughter in my heart. Ji Shi is scheming, and I don't want to deal with her daughter. Your uncle said that the Prince of Wei intends to propose marriage on behalf of his nephew, the Prince of Huaiyin, to your father for you. This marriage was originally yours, but now that you're betrothed to the Eastern Palace, you can't marry the Prince of Huaiyin. I'm afraid that if Ji Shi finds out about the proposal, she might do something underhanded, and our family will be disgraced."

Realizing this, Zheng Deyin thought that Huiyin had a marquis family, a mother, and brothers—everything she could want. In her previous life, Huiyin had been lucky to become the Empress Dowager. In this life, it might be better for her to marry within Jizhou, not leaving her hometown, living a peaceful life with an ordinary family. Many people would envy such a life. Besides, the Prince of Huaiyin had been at odds with her in her previous life, and they almost became enemies. It would be better for her sister not to marry him.

Thinking of this, De Yin felt a little relieved.

**

"You should continue to pretend to be sick for the next few days, understand?" Ji Shi tucked the blanket around Huiyin and said.

"Mother, I originally didn’t want to go out either. Who would want to go out in such harsh weather to rest and recover?" Huiyin smiled and said.

Ji Shi lightly pinched her daughter’s nose. "You little imp, I knew you’d figure it out. Although your grandmother has been keeping it a secret, your father told me last night. The Prince of Huaiyin wants to marry a daughter of the Zheng family as his consort. Since your elder sister has already been quickly married off, this proposal has now fallen onto you."

The Prince of Huaiyin? Huiyin remembered that he had also died young and had a very troubled relationship with her elder sister. It seemed Mother had mentioned that the Prince of Huaiyin had someone he admired.

She said, "Mother, the Prince of Huaiyin may not be such a good match. Don’t jump to conclusions."

But Ji Shi disagreed. "My dear child, your father rose from a humble background. He’s excellent in martial arts and leads troops brilliantly, but he lacks strategic thinking. He and Lü Wei have long been at odds, though they pretend to get along. However, we are not from one of those great families with our own private armies. If trouble arises, those people will scatter like chickens. The Prince of Huaiyin is descended from the Prince of Wu, who is the emperor’s brother. Prince Li Heng is merely a puppet crown prince. As the saying goes, when a brother dies, the younger takes over; when a father dies, the son succeeds. It’s possible that the Prince of Huaiyin could ascend..."

"Mother, isn’t Prince Wu also the emperor’s brother?" Huiyin asked with a smile.

Although Prince Wu also seemed to have died early in her previous life, everything felt like a new perception after her rebirth.

Still, the Prince of Huaiyin did seem like a good choice. Prince Wu was already married, and his son was only a few years old. It wouldn’t do to marry Prince Wu, would it?

Ji Shi’s thoughts were exactly what Huiyin had been thinking. "Prince Wu is already married. Unless I am willing to be a secondary wife, but how could I let my daughter be a concubine? I wouldn’t even do that myself."

"Mother, if Prince Wu seeks a marriage alliance with our family, it definitely won’t go as grandmother wishes," Huiyin said. She had originally considered the Wei family from Bozhou, but recalling her previous life, she knew the Wei family favored married women.

Ji Shi thought the same. The two of them just used the excuse of the cold weather and their incomplete recovery as reasons to stay. Elder Madame Xu hadn’t expected this mother-daughter duo to be so shrewd. She thought it wouldn’t matter much. If Elder Uncle Xu knew that the eldest daughter had been betrothed to the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, he definitely wouldn’t push for this marriage. After all, why would Uncle Xu want to see the daughter of his enemy, Ji Shi, marry into a high position?

But she was wrong. Upon learning that the eldest daughter had already been betrothed to the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, Uncle Xu immediately spoke to Zheng Fang at the welcome banquet. "The Prince of Wu has long admired General Zheng’s prowess and wishes to form a marital alliance with the Marquis. He would like to marry your second daughter, and in the future, both families can serve the court together."

Zheng Fang secretly thought that the Prince of Wu, having recently taken control of Yangzhou, was indeed a splendid match. He readily agreed.

When Elder Madame Xu learned of this, she couldn’t help but say to Uncle Xu, "I already told you that my granddaughter is betrothed to the crown prince. How can you now ask to marry Ji Shi’s daughter?"

Uncle Xu replied, "The Prince of Wu once told me that marrying the Zheng family’s elder daughter would be ideal, as it would bring us closer. But if the second daughter can also marry, then forming an alliance with the Zheng family will suffice."

Truthfully, as long as they could marry into the Zheng family, does it really matter who it is?

Elder Madame Xu was so angry she nearly fainted, and Zheng Deyin hurried to take care of her grandmother. Originally, she had been relieved that Huiyin wouldn’t have to marry the Prince of Huaiyin, thinking it would allow her to live a peaceful and healthy life. But fate was unkind. In her past life, she had lived a withered existence, and now it seemed Huiyin would experience the same.

However, Huiyin secretly thought that even if she married the Prince of Huaiyin, who’s to say she couldn’t become empress?

She never believed that a woman’s fate was tied to her husband. A good fate is something you earn yourself. She was determined to forge her own path to success.