Chapter 24

Chapter 24

◎Lady Xie◎

After the Winter Solstice, Li Cheng stayed for only one more day before he had to depart for Huai and Si to train the troops. Before leaving, he instructed Huiyin, “The other families in Xuzhou are fine, but the Grand Dowager of the Xue family is an exception. She was a daughter of the imperial clan, the daughter of the Prince of Xin, and honored as the County Lady of Linchuan. I received an invitation from the Xue family yesterday, so please go on my behalf and bring a generous gift.”

“Yes, I will. You take care as well, it's cold and the northern wind is fierce,” Huiyin replied, also reluctant to see him go.

Li Cheng gently touched her face, “You don’t need to wake up early every day, just rest well.”

Though he came and went quickly, it was reassuring that he still made time to see her.

Speaking of the Xue family, Huiyin had met them once before at their mansion. They were extremely respectful toward her. This time, when Li Cheng returned, they visited again, showing an excessive level of respect, likely trying to curry favor with him.

However, before the Grand Dowager Xue’s birthday, Xuzhou city had already started to buzz with excitement. Huaiyin Mansion also welcomed new guests—the wife of Xie Jiuyi, the Prefect of Huaihai, came to visit.

Chief Steward Guo Qishan introduced, “The Xie family, originally from Chen County, has been established here for many years. It was with their help that the Prince of Wei was able to successfully establish himself in the Jiangnan region. Lady Xie is also the younger sister of Lady Yin, the consort of the Prince of Wei.”

Huiyin had previously reviewed the gift records and noted that the most generous gifts to Huaiyin Mansion over the years came from the Xie family and the Prince of Wei’s Mansion. Although Lady Yin was not the principal consort, she held a high position for giving birth to the Prince of Wei’s eldest son.

As Huiyin was thinking about how to make small talk with Lady Xie, she didn’t notice the hesitant expression of Chief Steward Guo.

Since the master of Huaiyin Mansion was not present, Huiyin had the chief steward entertain the male guests while she personally received the female guests. Nanny Nan also advised, “Lady Xie is not only the prefect’s wife but also the full sister of Lady Yin, the consort of the Prince of Wei. We must not neglect her.”

“That’s exactly what I thought. It’s just that the Little Prince is not in the mansion, and I’m not very familiar with these relationships, so I’m really afraid of offending someone,” Huiyin said, feeling helpless.

The challenge was that, without her husband around, she couldn’t consult him on important matters.

Huiyin hadn’t been back to Jianye yet, and she had already met fewer people. Once she returned to Jianye, there would be the Grand Dowager Wu of the Prince of Wei, the Princess of the Wei family, and many other imperial relatives and officials—truly a multitude.

Some people harbored grudges against the Zheng family, so Huiyin felt pressured to conceive quickly. She knew that next year would be turbulent, and having a child would strengthen her position.

Thinking of this, she instructed Dong Shun, “The fresh fruits stored in the ice cellar can be brought out—green plums, hard pears, cherries, ganzi, and grapes must be served. Also, prepare a platter with lychees, pomelos, loquats, and purple pears.”

The purple pears were precious and hard to come by, not to mention the lychees. Some of these fruits, Huiyin herself couldn’t bear to eat.

Fresh fruits in winter are especially precious, and rare delicacies like ice-preserved sturgeon and abalone should be used to honor our guests.

Fugui asked, “What kind of tea should we serve? We’ve just received premium dried fruits, melon seeds, and other fine dried goods in the mansion, which are excellent for brewing tea.”

“No, just use plain tea. Mixed tea is a commoner’s way of drinking tea. I personally enjoy it, but we can’t be so casual when we have guests,” Huiyin replied.

Upon hearing this, Fugui complied. These maids used to only need to serve their mistress when they were in the Marquis of Zhaojie’s residence. Now, in the prince’s mansion, they also had to help the young lady manage the household. Each of the four senior maids had specific duties, and their future roles would depend on how well they performed before marriage.

Fugui, in particular, had ambitions. She wanted to become the head stewardess, so she had to ensure everything was handled perfectly.

Huiyin felt as if she were preparing for a crucial battle. It wasn’t that she feared them, but she was concerned about inadvertently offending someone. After all, Li Cheng was still relying on the support of the Prince of Wei. She couldn’t afford to overlook anyone.

Soon, she met Lady Xie, who was completely different from what she had imagined. Lady Xie was about the same age as her, with a striking appearance—graceful and elegant, her hair styled high and adorned with elaborate hairpins, giving off an aura of humility while making others feel at ease.

“Your Highness,” Lady Xie greeted respectfully.

“Lady Xie, no need for such formality,” Huiyin replied with a smile.

Lady Xie was momentarily taken aback. She had only heard that Li Cheng had married but didn’t know that his wife was so beautiful. The only word she could think of to describe her was “peerless beauty,” like Daji—a phrase used to depict an enchanting and seductive appearance.

Her beauty was so striking that it could leave others speechless, yet Lady Zheng remained humble. Instead, she complimented Lady Xie, “I see that Lady Xie has an elegant demeanor and graceful movements, with a celestial appearance. It’s truly an honor to have you in our humble abode.”

“Your Highness is too kind. I’ve often heard that the beauties of Yan and Zhao are unparalleled, with jade-like beauty. Now that I’ve met Your Highness, I know this to be true,” Lady Xie complimented in return.

Huiyin waved her hand. "Please, no need for formalities. Please, come with me to the small hall for a conversation."

They were not very familiar with each other, but Lady Xie was quite candid. "I am extremely close friends with the granddaughter of the Grand Lady Xue. Her grandmother had helped me a great deal in the past, and the Xue family has been a family friend of my husband's for generations, which is why we rushed over from Luanzhou."

"I see. My prince returned just a few days ago during the Winter Solstice and instructed me to attend the Grand Lady Xue's birthday celebration. However, I don't know them well. Now that you're here, I have someone to talk to. Why don't you and your family stay at our mansion for a while?" Huiyin said with a smile.

As they exchanged pleasantries, the maids filed in. Lady Xie glanced lightly around and saw the rare fruits and luxurious snacks, nodding to herself in approval. It was reassuring to see that there was a capable mistress managing the mansion. It seemed Li Cheng had moved on from his past and settled into his role, which was good for everyone.

Seeing that Lady Xie was straightforward, Huiyin began to probe for information. "When did you and Lord Xie first meet my husband? I first married into this family, and the Prince was always away training troops. I'm always afraid that I might unknowingly offend someone due to my ignorance of these relationships."

Lady Xie shared quite a bit, mostly about how her maternal family, the Yin family, was in the fiefdom of the Prince of Wu, and that they had grown up together.

"When we were very young, we both studied under a famous scholar in Wu. Your prince was about three years older than me, and I was just three at the time. Cheng Brother was so picky. We all ate the scholar's meals, but he refused. We all took afternoon naps together, but he wouldn't sleep. He was always criticizing us. The first day he saw the characters I wrote, he told the scholar to expel me, saying that a person like me was a crow and could never become a phoenix. But I didn't give up. Can you imagine how harsh he could be? But now, I've heard that the two of you are a loving couple, and I suppose he has changed a lot because of you. You two must have a deep bond." Lady Xie genuinely hoped that her senior prince would be happy.

However, her words weighed heavily on Huiyin's heart. Could it be that Lady Xie was the one Li Cheng truly loved?

If that was the case, then Lady Xie was like a more refined version of Lu Xiao. She was warm, kind, and capable—someone more difficult to deal with than a villain. Someone like Xun Rou, who often made mistakes, was easier to handle. But how does one handle a genuinely good-hearted person?