Chapter 23

Chapter 23

◎Game of Wits◎

As the first light of dawn broke, Huiyin opened her eyes and realized she was nestled in Li Cheng's arms, her whole body slick with sweat. He felt like a furnace, and though Huiyin wanted to kiss him, she held back, remembering she hadn't freshened up yet.

Li Cheng, having been in the military for many years, was a light sleeper. He sensed Huiyin had woken up and immediately looked at her.

At that moment, Huiyin's raven-black hair cascaded smoothly over her shoulders. Her skin was fair and soft, like tofu, but dark circles under her eyes marred her complexion from sleeping late. Yet, this did not diminish her beauty; instead, it gave her a certain alluring, disheveled charm.

"I told you to read less last night, but you wouldn't listen. You even asked me to play the qin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) to entertain you. Look at those dark circles. You're so naughty," Li Cheng said, gently scraping her nose.

Huiyin rubbed her belly and replied, "I still feel like a child myself, even though I've just gotten married. But now I'm a mother. To be honest, every morning when I wake up, I'm reminded that I'm carrying a child. I can't move much, can't catch a breeze, and I can't even wash my hair or bathe freely. I know all women go through this during pregnancy, but I just feel uncomfortable. It's frustrating."

Hearing this, Li Cheng became unexpectedly eloquent. "How could you be the same as other women? You've always been pampered and are my wife, Li Cheng's wife. How could you be compared to others? I do keep you in my heart."

"Yunzhi (Li Cheng's courtesy name), even though you don't say it, I know you came back mostly for me," Huiyin said quietly.

Li Cheng kissed her hand. "Yes, I do miss you."

With that thought, he quickly got up. "I'll have someone bring breakfast over. We'll eat together."

"No, I should get up. Let's have our meal in the small hall. We can have the brazier (a portable heater) set up first," Huiyin said as she prepared to rise.

Li Cheng looked outside. "It's too windy and snowy. Let's eat on the daybed. I'll carry you to the daybed and set up the table. We'll eat together."

Huiyin blushed. "No, no. If you weren't here, I might be lazy, but now that you're back, people will talk if I act this way."

Even at home, although her mother doted on her, her upbringing was strict, and such indulgence wasn't allowed.

But Li Cheng said, "Why get up? It's too cold. If I don't say anything, who dares to say anything about you? Just stay here. I'll carry you to the daybed."

He was very strong and easily lifted Huiyin, who wasn't particularly light. Nestled on the daybed, Huiyin felt both familiar and strange with him. He doted on her, though he rarely admitted it. He was straightforward in his speech and sometimes liked to debate, but he never argued with her.

She had breakfast on the daybed—lamb broth with noodles. After finishing the bowl, she felt like she would gain several pounds (jin is a Chinese weight measure).

Normally, she didn't deliberately eat less, but she only ate a small portion. After the first three months of pregnancy, her appetite had improved, but if the baby was over-nourished, it could lead to a difficult birth. Giving birth was important, but her own life mattered more.

Seeing her finish, Li Cheng seemed a bit troubled and asked, "What's wrong? Was the food not to your liking? You told me yesterday that walnuts (considered nutritious for pregnant women) were good for you."

He rarely showed concern for others because if you cared too much, people might think you were too invested and start acting superior.

"I ate too much this morning. I need to get up and move around a bit. Also, I have something to discuss with you. I forgot to mention it yesterday," Huiyin said, then rang the bell to call someone in to help her dress.

She then mentioned that she had already written to her family about her pregnancy. "My mother loves me dearly. I wonder if she'll send something over. Also, if my brother or younger brother comes, should I inform you?"

Li Cheng immediately replied, "If your brothers come, send me a letter, and I'll take them to meet the Prince of Wei."

"That's great. But they might not come. By saying this, I know how to handle it," Huiyin said.

Li Cheng thought to himself that she really did keep him in her heart. She even discussed her brothers visiting with him, listening to his opinion on everything. This made him very happy.

"We should keep them for an extended stay," he said.

"Yes," Huiyin replied, equally pleased.

At this stage, they were still being polite to each other, but Li Cheng's personality was starting to show. For example, during lunch, Huiyin casually mentioned a murder case in Xuzhou. It turned out that the only daughter of the local wealthy Xiao family had married the judicial officer of the prefecture, who came from a poor family. Their relationship was strained, and one day he slapped her. She then wanted to marry one of the judicial officer's friends, leading to their divorce. The divorce was finalized, and the young lady remarried. However, her new husband died, and his family accused her of causing his death.

According to Huiyin's guess, it definitely wouldn't be Madame Xiao who committed the crime: "As far as I know, Madame Xiao and her new husband, Wang Maocai, were deeply in love and only got together after much difficulty with their divorce. How could she have killed her new husband? I'm certain that the Wang family, who never approved of their son marrying a woman who had been married before, is now blaming the woman after their son died."

However, Li Cheng said, "That pair of contemptible people got what was coming to them."

"How can you say that? Although a woman is expected to remain faithful to one husband, if a couple has no affection for each other and the husband even beats his wife, divorce is not out of the question. I even heard that this military magistrate embezzled funds and made the Xiao family pay for it. As for Wang Maocai and his wife, they weren't really on the same path either; it's said that all his assets were given to his first wife before he married Madame Xiao, which shows that their love was quite strong." When Huiyin was young and studied "Nü De" (Women's Virtue) and "Nü Jie" (Women's Admonitions), she always felt that her teacher was subtly criticizing her mother, Madame Ji, which made her feel ashamed. Even hearing the term 'fickle' made her fear it might implicate her mother.

But as she grew older, she realized how difficult life was for women. Marriages were blind, arranged by parents, and perhaps the person you married wasn't suitable at all. So why couldn't you choose someone else?

As she said this, seeing Li Cheng's face turn ashen, she wisely fell silent.

Li Cheng, however, was deeply shocked. He found that although Princess Zheng rarely left the mansion according to the servants, she was not easy to control and seemed different from other women. She didn't agree with the idea of being faithful to one husband and even scoffed at the traditional virtues of women.

Men liked a bit of a challenge. If you were too gentle and obedient, it wasn't as exciting. She wouldn't unconditionally obey just because you were her husband.

After this conversation, the atmosphere between them became somewhat tense, despite previously getting along well.

Nanny Nan quietly said to Huiyin, "Young princess, why talk about this? It's hard enough for the Little Prince to come back home; no man likes to hear his wife mention divorce."

"Mother, you don't understand. Men like a bit of a challenge. If you're too gentle and virtuous, it's not appealing. Don't worry, even though he's upset with me now, he'll eventually start to worry about me." Huiyin said with a slow smile.

Nanny Nan nodded inwardly but still felt a little worried.

Huiyin, however, had no such concerns. Because Li Cheng loved to get to the bottom of things and had strong execution, such a person was highly competitive.

The couple used to often dine together, but tonight Li Cheng said he had matters outside and wouldn't be coming back. Since Huiyin had eaten a lot in the morning and had chestnuts and snacks in the afternoon, she was quite happy to eat less in the evening when he wasn't around.

Nanny Nan, who was devoted to Huiyin, couldn't help but say, "Maybe you should skip the snacks tomorrow. If you eat too many, you won't want to eat your meals."

"I know, I just can't control my cravings. But I need to control myself, even if it's hard." Huiyin said with a smile.

In the evening, she ate a small bowl of rice, a plate of vegetables, and a plate of lean meat, giving the rest of the dishes to the servants and maids. She also walked around the small hall ten times to help digestion, which made her feel much more comfortable.

Li Cheng deliberately came back late; he was upset but couldn't express it or say anything harsh to his wife. From his perspective, he naturally hoped his wife would be of one mind with him and remain utterly loyal. However, although she treated him well on the surface, unintentional remarks revealed her true thoughts.

If she found her husband lacking, it was natural for her to leave, and she could even abandon her husband for someone she liked.

With Huiyin's beauty and capabilities, she was a rare woman in the world, decisive and unconstrained in her actions. If such a woman were to remarry, she would likely thrive, just like her mother, Madame Zheng. Back then, Madame Zheng was the wife of Pei Ye, the Duke of Gaoping Commandery. When Pei Ye took a concubine, Madame Zheng decisively chose to divorce him and later married Zheng Fang.

With a mother like hers, it was no surprise that Huiyin was different from other women.

He must make Princess Zheng truly love and depend on him so much that she couldn't live without him. With this thought in mind, he lifted the curtain and entered.

Huiyin was an avid reader; she loved books as much as life itself. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and immediately stood up when she saw Li Cheng enter, saying, "Have you eaten? I heard you had matters outside this evening, so I ate first."

Li Cheng sat down and said, with apparent "understanding," "Don't worry about me. Right now, the baby in your belly and you are far more important than I am."

"Why would you say that? You're very important to me too. I've always been concerned about you. I was worried you hadn't eaten well, so I had the kitchen prepare some food for you." Huiyin said with a smile.

Li Cheng had been thinking a lot about how to gain her obedience and loyalty, but this simple concern made him instantly happy: "You've been thinking of me? Actually, I haven't eaten yet, I didn't want to trouble you."

Huiyin found it strange; it wasn't as if she was doing the cooking herself. It was just a matter of instructing the kitchen staff, so what trouble was there?