Chapter 9

Chapter 9

◎Digging a Hole◎

Granny Chao hadn’t slept all night, deeply worried. She spoke to Nanny Fan, "The Little Prince is injured, and they called for water twice. I don’t know what to say."

Originally, Granny Chao had no intention of informing everyone, because if Nanny Fan knew, then Grand Dowager Wu would know.

The Grand Dowager is the grandmother of the Little Prince. Ever since the Prince of Wu and the Princess passed away, the Grand Dowager has been the only relative of the Little Prince. Now, she resides in Jianye and usually stays with the Empress Dowager of the Prince of Wei.

But this new Princess Zheng has overstepped. If she didn’t know about the Little Prince’s shoulder injury initially, surely she must have noticed during their intimate moments? Granny Chao had thought she was a compassionate person, but it seems she’s more of an enchantress.

Nanny Fan, however, laughed and said, "Granny Chao, the Little Prince's private matters are none of your concern. They are newlyweds; saying too much might backfire."

Hearing Nanny Fan say this, Granny Chao thought to herself that of course, this is what you'd wish for. If the Grand Dowager could catch some fault of the new Princess, she might be able to place the Grand Dowager’s niece, Xun Rou, by the Little Prince's side.

This marriage of the Little Prince was a purely political union to ally with the Marquis of Jizhou. Otherwise, the Grand Dowager had wanted to marry her niece, Xun Rou, to him.

Xun Rou had been by the Grand Dowager’s side since she was seven. Back when the Princess of Wu was alive, she had wanted to marry her niece, Miss Cui, to him, but after the Princess passed away, the topic was never brought up again. If not for the Prince of Wei arranging this marriage with the Prince of Huaiyin, Li Cheng might have married Xun Rou.

However, Granny Chao and the others were different. Their livelihoods were tied to the Little Prince, so they had to be more concerned.

Princess De Yin in the Eastern Palace was also quite pleased at this moment. The Crown Prince had bestowed silks and treasures upon her, while the Crown Princess received very little. Today, the Crown Prince said he would come to see her again, making her feel that she had made the right choice.

Lianzhi and Yunzhi were also happy. Lianzhi said, "The kitchen has sent over your ginseng soup first, and Xiao Luzi said you can just tell the kitchen whatever you'd like to eat."

Yunzhi added, "Miss, once you bear the Crown Prince’s first grandson, the Eastern Palace will truly be bustling."

The first grandson—in her past life, her younger sister Huiyin became Empress Dowager by giving birth to a son. Speaking of Huiyin, she asked the servants, "By this time, the second miss should have been married off to Xuzhou, right?"

Lianzhi nodded, "Your servant estimates that she should have arrived by now."

"Miss, the Prince of Huaiyin was originally supposed to marry you, but the second miss took the chance," Yunzhi quickly added.

De Yin smiled without saying a word. She would never forget how, in her past life, after marrying, she was neglected for many days and ridiculed everywhere. To make matters worse, Li Cheng returned injured, and Granny Chao secretly advised her not to consummate the marriage, as the Empress Dowager might scold her for being like Daji or Mo Xi, which would harm the Little Prince’s recovery. De Yin had listened.

During Li Cheng's recovery, she began managing the mansion but was framed and could not defend herself. She was sent to Jianye.

That place was like a den of dragons and tigers, and Li Cheng, a man who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, had no feelings for her, unlike Li Heng, who doted on her exclusively. She would have to endure this marriage. No, she couldn’t think like that. Although Ji had committed many evil deeds, Huiyin had done nothing wrong.

Back in the bridal chamber, Li Cheng, hearing Princess Huiyin’s words, said, "I naturally see you as my wife."

Huiyin knew they weren’t very familiar yet, so expecting vows of eternal love immediately was unrealistic, but she needed to express her stance. Seeing that Li Cheng’s response was just a formality, she didn’t press further and simply said, "Then let’s rest early."

The dragon and phoenix candles had to burn all night and couldn’t be extinguished, so Huiyin had trouble sleeping due to the light. But because she had been through so much that day, she was exhausted and, despite the light, fell asleep quickly.

When she woke up the next morning, Li Cheng was no longer beside her. She rang the bell to summon the servants to assist her with her hair and makeup.

Unexpectedly, Granny Chao also entered, her expression unpleasant. Huiyin looked at her, unsure of what was happening, but she didn’t need to ask and simply pretended not to know. If she humbly sought advice, she might be manipulated.

Granny Chao saw the several maids surrounding Princess Zheng as they styled her hair and applied her makeup. Granny Chao still maintained some respect for the Princess. Once Huiyin’s makeup was nearly complete, Granny Chao finally said, "Young Princess, I have something to discuss with you."

Huiyin pretended to understand and frowned slightly, "I noticed you seemed hesitant to speak earlier. Do you have something to say?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I have an important matter to discuss with you," Granny Chao emphasized the word “important.”

"Then please, do tell," Huiyin replied, dismissing the servants. Once they were alone, she said, "What is it that you need, Granny? Please, have a seat."

Granny Chao smiled and said, "The Young Princess has come from afar. Ideally, the wedding should have taken place in Jianye so you could meet the Grand Dowager Wu and the Prince of Wei and other relatives. However, the Little Prince is stationed in Xuzhou, so it has been quite an inconvenience for you."

"Mother, that's just a figure of speech. As the saying goes, 'a woman must follow her man, wherever he leads.' Don't worry, I don't feel wronged at all," Huiyin said with a smile, knowing that Granny Chao was being courteous before getting to the main issue.

As expected, Granny Chao praised her, "It's truly reassuring for us old servants of the Little Prince to have such an understanding princess." But then her tone shifted, "However, the Little Prince is currently injured and needs quiet rest. We can't have both of you crowded in here, can we? This way, neither of you will sleep well."

Granny Chao thought she had already spoken quite tactfully.

Huiyin frowned and said, "Indeed, I feel deeply sorry seeing the Little Prince's shoulder injury. Why don't you go and speak to the Little Prince? He can choose where he wants to stay. I have no objections. Actually, I told him yesterday that I would sleep on the pallet and let him sleep on the bed."

"How can I possibly say that to the Little Prince?" Granny Chao immediately rejected the idea.

Huiyin thought to herself, if she's so good at talking, why doesn't she talk to Li Cheng directly? It's not that Li Cheng can't move on his own; why should his wife, who has only known him for one night, refuse him entry?

Therefore, Huiyin directly threw the issue back to Granny Chao. Let her deal with the unpleasant task. Don't take me for a fool.

Granny Chao looked at Huiyin and realized this was a tricky situation. As a wet nurse, she shouldn’t meddle in the private affairs of the Little Prince and the young princess.

What if the Little Prince wants to be intimate with his wife?

Huiyin smiled and said, "Granny Chao, let’s settle it this way. You go and speak to the Little Prince. By the way, the other day, since we weren’t officially wed, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to give you a reward. Today, I’ve specially prepared a generous gift for you."

Granny Chao looked at Huiyin and thought, this young princess is quite shrewd.