Chapter 21

Chapter 21

◎The Unattainable White Moonlight◎

Li Cheng enforced strict military discipline, and even during the training of the naval forces, he never drank alcohol. Being young and newly in charge of military affairs, he had to ensure that no one could criticize him.

However, his wife was an exception. Sometimes, he looked forward to festival gifts because it meant Huiyin would write him a letter and send some delicious food. Her letters weren’t long, but each word conveyed her deep concern. At the same time, she was very considerate. If there was nothing important, she would never write to him, fearing that she might disturb him.

Today, he only received a family letter, without any gifts. After Li Cheng opened the letter, he was stunned.

She was pregnant!

Li Cheng finally felt the reality of starting a family. Before, the idea of marriage was just about having a wife, and he wasn’t sure if she was truly devoted to him. He always felt he wasn’t ready, but now, unexpectedly, he was going to have a child connected to him by blood.

The letter mentioned that she suffered from severe morning sickness, but eating plum fruits had helped alleviate it. It also said that she might not be able to fully attend to Xun Rou…

After putting down the letter, Li Cheng thought of Xun Rou’s plea. She had begged him, saying that if she returned, the Grand Dowager would likely vent her anger on her. She mentioned how, although the Grand Dowager seemed kind to her, she was always testing her. He had refused to let her become a secondary consort, but it wasn’t right to send her away after just one month.

So, he agreed to let Xun Rou stay in the mansion. After all, the mansion was managed by Huiyin, so it should be fine. He hadn’t expected that now, with his wife pregnant, it really wasn’t appropriate to keep Xun Rou anymore.

These were secondary concerns. The most important thing was that he was going to be a father. His wife was quite beautiful, and he was quite handsome himself. Their child would surely be stunning!

Veteran followers like Yuwendang congratulated Li Cheng. The birth of an heir would solidify the position of the Prince of Huaiyin’s lineage.

Compared to Li Cheng’s joy, the Huaiyin Mansion was less enthusiastic. Some of the servants were old retainers, either people from Grand Dowager Wu or the former servants of Princess Cui. Granny Chao was unhappy. She crossed her legs and said to Yun Hui, “If the young princess gives birth to an heir, we won’t even have a place to stand.”

Currently, Nanny Nan, the mother of Princess Zheng, was helping manage the inner affairs of the second gate, directly liaising with Manager Zhong. The attendants she brought with her were gradually encroaching on the positions that these old servants had held.

Yun Hui advised, “Mother, don’t you think it’s good that the prince is nostalgic and hasn’t asked you to move out? He even lets me stay here as a manager. Isn’t that enough?”

At the end, she smiled slightly.

“With you being so indifferent to fame and fortune, I don’t know what to say,” Granny Chao said helplessly.

Yun Hui shook her head. “Then you should say nothing, and I’ll handle it.”

Granny Chao added, “That Miss Xun wanted to send you away before. Now, she’s practically under house arrest and can’t even leave the courtyard. It’s only fitting…”

Yun Hui smiled without responding.

Although Xun Rou was making a fuss about leaving, she was delicate and frail, so how could she possibly venture out on her own? Without the insignia of Huaiyin Mansion or a travel permit, she couldn’t even leave the mansion, let alone the city of Xuzhou.

However, that day, Huiyin, stroking her belly, smiled and said, “Send Miss Xun to Lady Miao’s residence. Today, the refuge for the displaced people is completed. She’s always capable. Oh, and send Yun Hui too. She’s very reliable.”

Xun Rou, annoyed to see Yun Hui sitting with her in the carriage, wished even more that Meixiang could deliver the message. However, Meixiang was in another carriage and couldn’t get off.

When they arrived at Lady Miao’s place, Yun Hui said, “Miss Xun, let me help you out of the carriage.”

Xun Rou still harbored a glimmer of hope that she could secretly pass a message when she went to the restroom. However, as soon as she stepped out of the carriage, the displaced people who had been kneeling there rushed towards her, holding sacks.

…

That morning, Huiyin had pigeon soup, which had been filtered several times to make it fresh and delicious. She asked Nanny Nan, “Did you send the letter to my mother? Has our person delivered it?”

“You can trust me. The letter has already been sent back,” Nanny Nan said with a smile.

Huiyin sighed with relief. “This is my first pregnancy, and the prince’s mother has passed away. There’s no one to consult about these matters of childbirth. If the pregnancy hadn’t stabilized by the third month, I wouldn’t have wanted to tell anyone.”

As the mistress and servant were talking, someone came in and said, “Young princess, something’s wrong. Miss Xun was taken away by the displaced people in a sack. Those were bandits from the woods, and it took a while before she was rescued. Incidentally, Yun Hui led the rescue and was injured in the process.”

Huiyin pretended to be furious. "I ordered you to follow her and take excellent care of her. How could this have happened? Someone, go get a doctor to attend to her. And make sure to send someone to check on Yun Hui as well."

In reality, when Xun Rou was returned, she had no physical injuries. However, in broad daylight, she had been abducted by male civilians and came back in disarray, her clothes disheveled. Everyone feared the worst had befallen her.

As she looked at Zheng Huiyin walking in, surrounded by servants, so radiant and majestic, Xun Rou glared, feeling as if she was blinded by Huiyin’s splendor.

Huiyin merely instructed those attending to Xun Rou, "You two must ensure Miss Xun is well cared for. If she is abducted again, I will hold you responsible."

Then she looked at Xun Rou and said, "The attendants who were supposed to protect you, including He Niangzi and Meixiang, failed in their duty. I have already punished them and sent them away. Rest assured, the Prince asked me to take care of you, and something like this will not happen again."

Xun Rou glared at her with venom, but Huiyin turned away without a second thought.

Late at night, when Xun Rou had no mood to sleep, she heard footsteps. To her surprise, it was Yun Hui. Yun Hui’s face still bore traces of a scrape. Xun Rou pointed at her and said, "Are you here to laugh at me?"

"Hahahaha," Yun Hui laughed.

The laughter echoed eerily in the quiet embroidery room.

"You, the noble Miss Xun, could have expelled me with just a hairpin, accusing me of having an affair. Now, you’ve become a joke in the entire Xuzhou city. Everyone says that you have been..." Yun Hui’s eyes flashed with resentment.

She had been by the Little Prince’s side for years, serving him since he was a child. He used to call her "Sister Yun Hui" all the time, as if she were family! She had watched him grow from a child to a handsome young man, and somewhere along the way, her heart had fallen for him. But she was falsely accused and expelled.

Her fiancé had also died, adding to her misfortune. She had been so kind to this new cousin, only to be framed by her. How could she accept this?

At that time, Xun Rou was so frail and unliked by the Grand Dowager Wu. It was Yun Hui who often told her what the Grand Dowager preferred, helping her gain favor.

Listening to Yun Hui, Xun Rou remembered a detail. When she told those men her identity, they let her go. But when Yun Hui "rescued" her, Xun Rou was pulling at her clothes, checking if anything was missing. In her panic, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now, she realized that the entire scene of being violated was staged by Yun Hui.

"It was you! You deliberately made others misunderstand me! I’m going to tell the Grand Dowager and my cousin!" Xun Rou stood up.

Yun Hui covered her mouth and laughed. "Go ahead and tell them. In everyone’s eyes, I’m the one who saved you, a great benefactor. As for you, you quarreled with the Prince, tried to frame the Princess, and now you have a tainted reputation. Xuzhou is not far from Jianye. When word of your reputation reaches the Grand Dowager Wu, how do you think she will view you?"

Xun Rou froze. She knew Yun Hui spoke the truth. The Grand Dowager liked her because she had been a constant companion, almost like a chief maid, managing the servants and taking care of tasks. But the Grand Dowager was also ruthless, as Xun Rou had witnessed.

Now, she had lost her influence. Li Cheng didn’t favor her, and Princess Zheng was smart enough to know what she had done. Even begging would be useless.

Seeing her like this, Yun Hui smiled and left. At the courtyard entrance, she stopped laughing and walked away with her back straight, just as she always had.

That night, Huiyin slept soundly. She used to suffer from insomnia, but ever since she was reborn and married Li Cheng, he had provided her with a sense of security, even if he didn’t love her. He always fulfilled her needs, and now she was pregnant so quickly.

Even if it isn’t an heir, they were still young, and it would happen eventually.

When she woke up in the morning, her favorite minced noodles were prepared in the kitchen. It was a pleasure for both body and mind. He Niangzi and He Guanshi had been sent away under a pretext, and now the kitchen was staffed by her own people, who knew what she liked to eat.

As she was enjoying her meal, someone reported outside, "Princess, Miss Xun is here."

Xun Rou wore a striking red dress, her dark hair contrasting sharply with the vibrant color, giving her an almost mad appearance.

"I’m here to say goodbye," she said to Huiyin.

Huiyin smiled. "You just had an incident yesterday, and now you want to leave? How will I explain this to the Prince?"

Xun Rou snorted. "Don’t worry, Cousin. I will write a letter to my cousin, saying that I miss my father and that I haven’t fulfilled my filial duties all these years."

"Very well, write it here. I can’t possibly stop you from fulfilling your filial duties. It would be best to write one to the Grand Dowager as well," Huiyin said.

Xun Rou sat down and wrote quickly. Huiyin reviewed both letters before saying, "I’ll arrange for someone to help you with the preparations."

Xun Rou sneered. "Cousin is truly thoughtful."

"As for who is truly thoughtful, we both know who that is," Huiyin said coldly.

Xun Rou didn’t dare to cause any trouble but looked at Huiyin and said, "Cousin, I admit defeat this time. I have nothing to say. We are both skilled in using schemes, our hearts not pure. But my cousin admires those who are innocent and kind. That person may not have high status or remarkable beauty, but he cherishes her innocence above all."

Huiyin laughed loudly. "He likes her so much, but he didn’t marry her. It’s not that impressive. You can’t provoke me. The strategies I use are not underhanded tricks but using the enemy’s own methods against them."