Chapter 29

Chapter 29

◎Combined Double Chapters◎

After Jiang Bipbo's matter was settled, Huiyin arranged for her to stay in the Huaiyin Mansion for a day before making further arrangements. Jiang Bipbo, who had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions that day, followed the maid down.

As soon as she left, it was announced that Yin Liyi had arrived.

Huiyin rubbed her waist. "What could she want? Could she be here to ask about Lord Xie? But these military matters cannot be discussed right now. Prince, I'm a bit tired, I'll take my leave first. Please entertain her."

"No, a man and a woman cannot be alone together." Li Cheng quickly stood up and bowed to Huiyin. "I must trouble my wife."

Only then was Yin Liyi invited in. She had indeed come to inquire about Xie Jiuyi’s situation.

Li Cheng pondered for a moment. "These military matters cannot be discussed. Rest assured, if there are any major changes, I will definitely inform you."

Yin Liyi was quite understanding. "It's my fault. I must also thank the little prince and the young princess."

Hearing this, Huiyin thought Yin Liyi would leave immediately, but instead, she brought up Jiang Bipbo's situation. "Little prince, I think Miss Jiang's matter is of great importance. If that lecher Huo Qi gets his hands on her, it would be like a sheep falling into the mouth of a tiger. Only you have the power to help her in this world."

Of course, Yin Liyi did not know that Jiang Bipbo's matter had already been resolved. She just wanted to speak up for the poor girl. Women were indeed not easy, and if Xie Jiuyi were here, she would definitely try to find a way with her husband. But now, with her husband away, if she could persuade Li Cheng to help Jiang Bipbo, it would be the best outcome.

Li Cheng smiled. "How can I help her? This matter still relies on the princess."

Huiyin felt that this wasn’t really Yin Liyi’s business to meddle in. What she said was somewhat generous at Huiyin's expense.

Upon hearing that it was Huiyin who helped, Yin Liyi asked how she did it. Huiyin, feeling that Yin Liyi was overstepping, merely smiled and said, "I thought it would not be good for the little prince to confront the Huo family directly, so I decided to recognize her as my foster sister. This is a better solution."

Yin Liyi was taken aback and quickly admitted her mistake. "It's my fault."

"You meant well." Huiyin shook her head, indicating it was fine.

The conversation between the two women wasn’t entirely genuine. Ever since Yin Liyi learned that Huiyin had dismissed the old servants of the Huaiyin Mansion and was now meddling in its affairs, she felt that Huiyin lacked human touch. The old servants of the Huaiyin Mansion had once risked their lives for Li Cheng, and it seemed too heartless.

Seeing that there was nothing left to talk about, Yin Liyi, feeling a bit awkward, took her leave first.

As soon as Yin Liyi left, Huiyin stretched out her hand for someone to help her back to her room. Li Cheng followed behind and personally helped her massage her waist. His hands were neither too light nor too heavy, just enough to hit the sore spots, causing Huiyin to sigh in relief.

"Feels good, right?" Li Cheng said.

Huiyin nodded. "Yes, by the way, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming up soon. I've prepared gifts for everyone, even your wet nurse, Granny Chao. Please help me check and give me some pointers."

At first, everything needed Li Cheng's approval, and he did provide some guidance. But after realizing that Huiyin's preparations were more appropriate, he quickly said, "Just prepare everything. Hand it over to Manager Qiao. You should stress less. You're due next month, so you need to take care of your health."

"Of course, I'll take care of myself." Huiyin touched her belly, pushing away any negative thoughts.

The next day, she personally assigned ten personal guards to Jiang Bipbo and wrote a personal letter to the Prince of Wei, sending Jiang Bipbo off.

Nanny Nan was puzzled. "Young princess, you have done a great favor for her. Why didn't you see her off yourself?"

"When you do a good deed, don’t expect anything in return. Those who are grateful will remember even a small favor with great appreciation. Besides, helping her was also for my own sake." Huiyin believed that if she did something good, she shouldn't expect anything in return. Otherwise, it would be a waste of emotional effort to help someone.

Nanny Nan brought some bird's nest porridge and couldn't help but say, "Your heart is too kind."

Huiyin smiled. "You don't understand."

The Jiang family needed Li Cheng's protection for military support, and sometimes Li Cheng needed the Jiang family's money. When it came to interests, you couldn't talk about feelings.

Nanny Nan really didn't understand these things. She felt that her young mistress overthought everything. People who thought too much needed someone with extreme emotions to complement them. But how could someone in such a high position, like the little prince, afford to be overly emotional?

Jiang Bibo, holding the letter given by Huiyin and accompanied by the ten soldiers provided by the Zheng family, finally felt a sense of security. However, the old nanny Lin beside her said, "Miss, you said the young princess has helped us so much, but she doesn’t seem to have the attitude of bestowing a favor, nor does she take credit for it."

Jiang Bibo replied, "It’s no wonder people say that marrying into a family of equal social standing is important. Zheng is of noble birth, the daughter of the Grand Commander of Jizhou, and has the confidence to act this way. It seems we should cultivate a closer relationship with her in the future."

Lin nodded and said, "People with real ability act quietly without making a fuss. With a simple gesture, they can help. Anyway, the Huaiyin Mansion is now under her control. In the future, when we have gifts to give, we should present them to the young princess."

"I was thinking the same. Moreover, she is nominally my foster sister," Jiang Bibo added. She was good at business and had a keen eye. Despite the fact that Lady Xie threw a fit, if she really wanted to help, why didn’t she ask her sister, the secondary consort Yin, to speak? Instead, she kept telling Jiang Bibo to seek help from Li Cheng.

After Jiang Bibo returned to Jianye, Huo Qi came to visit her. Seeing that she was accompanied by soldiers from Jizhou and that Jiang Bibo had even sent a letter to the Prince of Wei, Huo Qi finally backed off.

This is a story for another time. After more than a month, Huiyin received fine silks and a tiger-head hat, along with gold and silver utensils, all sent by the Jiang family via boat. She stored them in the warehouse, planning to organize everything properly after the child was born.

Xie Jiuyi and Li Heng have been fighting in Qingzhou for more than a month now. The southern soldiers had previously handled Ma Kui well, but they found it difficult to deal with the cavalry brought by Li Heng.

In the midst of the stalemate, Lü Xiao from the Eastern Palace received a gift sent from the frontlines. The young eunuch was quite tactful as he said, "Crown Princess, this is specially sent by the Crown Prince for you."

Lü Xiao glanced at Deyin. She thought the gift was for Deyin, but it turned out to be for her. Zheng Deyin’s face turned pale for a moment, and she could only awkwardly smile to hide her embarrassment.

This reminded her of the time when she returned from Jizhou. Although Li Heng comforted her with words, he was actually disappointed. It was all because her father wouldn’t help her. If he had, how could she have ended up in this situation? In her previous life, she remembered that when Li Heng attacked Qingzhou, Pei Shuo, her elder brother, accompanied him. Not to mention later, when Xuzhou was attacked, Zheng Wuheng was shot by a volley of arrows. Why didn’t they help her? Her father was clearly partial.

She gave gifts on every holiday and never mistreated her natal family. Didn’t she plan to promote her father and brothers once she rose to power?

Seeing the joy in the Eastern Palace, Zheng Deyin touched her belly and wondered why, despite being so favored, her belly was not cooperating. Was there a problem with her belly? It was unfair. In her previous life, Huiyin, who had been a concubine to the Crown Prince, conceived a child, and even after marrying Li Cheng, she conceived again. Why couldn’t she?

Recalling her time at home, Huiyin often stayed up late and craved cold drinks. Her menstruation was prolonged and irregular, unlike her own, which came every month without any pain. How could she conceive now?

Seeing Deyin’s distress, Lianzhi, her maid, advised, "Liangdi, the Crown Princess is only given face because she is the empress. The ornaments on your dressing table are almost all personally given by the Crown Prince."

"But I have let the Crown Prince down," Deyin said with deep remorse.

Lianzhi pursed her lips and said, "Actually, I think you should wait until you are pregnant before making any plans. If you give birth to a grandson, Marquis and the others will definitely help."

Deyin nodded. She then looked out the window and said, "By now, my second younger sister is probably about to give birth. But as a liangdi, I cannot send anything to Xuzhou. I wonder if my second younger sister will have a boy or a girl. If it’s a boy, he will be better off than me."

"Liangdi, giving birth is such a gamble. Moreover, whether the child can be raised successfully is another matter. Xuzhou is not as good as the capital," Lianzhi thought to herself.

Deyin looked at her maid and said, "Don’t talk nonsense. How can you speak like that? Huiyin is my sister."

Lianzhi fell silent.

Meanwhile, Huiyin was indeed about to give birth. Her due date had passed, and she was getting a bit anxious. After taking a walk outside, her labor suddenly started, and Li Cheng, without pausing to catch his breath, carried her into the main room.

The midwife quickly entered and, seeing Li Cheng there, was startled. "Young Prince, men shouldn’t be here. We are enough to handle this."

Seeing Huiyin in pain on the bed, Li Cheng said, "I’ll stay here for peace of mind. The young princess has no family here. Only I can give her peace of mind."

Especially in the last month of pregnancy, he had even seen Huiyin having nightmares.

The midwife couldn’t persuade Li Cheng, and it was Huiyin who told the midwife, "Don’t worry about the young prince. Just focus on my baby’s position. He is here to protect me."

The midwife was also helpless with this couple. They were too inseparable.

Huiyin didn’t expect Li Cheng to come in and accompany her. Though she felt a bit grateful in her heart, she could only keep that gratitude in her heart for now.

…

The main room was in chaos. Granny Chao was fiercely cracking melon seeds, and when Yun Hui came in, seeing the floor covered in seed shells, she quickly said, "Mother, don’t crack these melon seeds into the gift baskets."

After the Princess Zheng gave birth, although they, as servants, couldn’t offer any expensive gifts, they still needed to show their sincerity.

Granny Chao said unhappily, "She wouldn't care about our gift, would she? She'll just give it to the people around her. This is just a formality."

"But what if they inspect it? We can't let them find any weak points. Mother, you should know that once the young prince is born, her position will be even more secure," said Yun Hui.

Granny Chao sneered, "New king, new rules. Of course, I know that. By the way, you said those silks were sent by Lady Xie, a full eight pieces of figured satin. Her gesture is quite grand."

Yun Hui smiled, "She’s afraid that I might also be sent away by Zheng, so she sent me gifts. As you know, she’s always been kind-hearted."

"That's true. Back then, Princess Zheng liked her too, but her status was too low at the time. A recorder's daughter—if not for our Princess taking pity on her, how could they have come to study at the mansion?" Granny Chao remarked.

The servants in this large household all carried a sense of superiority, treating the titles and glory of their masters as if they were their own. Even though she was just a servant, Granny Chao still criticized others' family backgrounds.

Yun Hui added, "But she’s also trying to get on our good side, probably to gather more information in the future. After all, Lord Xie is at the frontlines now."

"I don't understand these war matters, but that Ma Kui in Qingzhou often plunders here and there; he had it coming," Granny Chao opined, thinking she knew better.

Yun Hui stopped her mother from continuing, thinking that if Zheng gave birth to a daughter, Grand Dowager Wu would definitely send a woman over. It wasn't out of concern for the offspring, but because she saw an opportunity.

This was the perfect chance. She could even use it to her advantage with Wei Imperial Consort and the Prince of Wei.

The sun had set.

Li Cheng had been sitting in the birthing chamber for half an hour. He watched as Huiyin was helped up. The once radiant wife was now unrecognizable. Her hair ornaments had been removed, and her formerly finest silk sleeping gown was now wrinkled. She was drenched in sweat.

Behind his wife stood a maid named Fugui, supporting her.

Li Cheng, however, said, "I've seen others give birth lying down. Why does the princess have to stand? Is this right?"

The midwife, busy as she was, took a moment to reply, "My lord, giving birth in an upright position makes it easier for the child to be born and reduces the risk of infection. The princess's pregnancy has been good; her water hasn't broken yet, and the baby's position is correct, suitable for this kind of delivery. If the baby's position were wrong or the delivery too fast, there could be severe bleeding."

Li Cheng found it painful just listening; this childbirth was truly a trial.

"Huiyin, I'm here, don't worry—just focus on giving birth."

"Just shut up," Huiyin shot back.

Huiyin clung to the ropes, knowing why the midwife insisted on her giving birth standing up. This method could speed up the delivery, but it also increased the risk of severe bleeding if the midwife was too rough or the delivery too fast.

Childbirth was a matter of life and death.

She had heard stories of women giving birth in the fields and getting right back to work. Those who spoke of it so lightly clearly didn't see women as human beings.

"Ginseng slice, bring a ginseng slice for the princess to suck on," the midwife called out.

Li Cheng saw Nanny Nan appear out of nowhere with the ginseng slice. Huiyin took it in her mouth, holding the ropes tightly at both ends. Fugui seemed to be losing strength, so Li Cheng quickly went to help support her.

The people around were silent...

The midwife wiped the sweat from her forehead, relieved that men, with their greater strength, were there. Still, there were no male midwives, so she boldly directed Li Cheng, "Please keep the princess steady, my lord. If she slips, all our efforts could be wasted."

"Alright, alright," Li Cheng quickly stood behind Huiyin.

Huiyin suddenly felt stable, as if a mountain was behind her. She could lean back slightly without any issue.

"Ah..." Huiyin tried to sink her weight downward, but her legs had gone numb, and she was losing focus. The ginseng slice she had been sucking on was spat out.

Li Cheng thought battle wasn't this slow or painful; he empathized deeply. His wife was so strong. When she had cut her hand on a book page, she stopped the bleeding and applied medicine without blinking an eye, even though she was in so much pain she could barely hold herself up. He couldn’t bear to see her suffer like this.

The experienced midwife said to Li Cheng, "Young Prince, please give her more encouragement."

Give her more encouragement? The words he usually spoke were hard to say at the moment, so he could only say, "Huiyin, your eighteenth birthday is right around the corner. Just give it one more push, and then it will be the three of us celebrating your birthday."

Huiyin didn’t really consider this place her home, but upon hearing Li Cheng's words, she began to long for it. Her legs felt wet, and the midwife immediately said, "Her water has broken, quickly bring the ginseng soup."

This was a soup prepared by stewing an old ginseng root for three hours. Huiyin drank it all in one go.

Following the midwife's instructions on breathing and how to push, she did everything as directed.

Fortunately, Li Cheng was by her side the whole time. With one final push, it felt like something slipped out. The midwife quickly cut the umbilical cord and patted the baby, who let out a cry that shook the heavens.

Huiyin leaned on Li Cheng, who carried her to the bed. In her previous life in the Eastern Palace, there had been immense pressure to give birth to a son. She had even prepared a backup plan: if she couldn’t deliver, a male baby would be brought in to secure the Zheng family’s status.

Now, married to Li Cheng, there was no such immediate pressure, so it didn’t matter what she gave birth to, because Li Cheng was with her through the childbirth.

"Congratulations, Young Prince, the princess has given birth to a son," the midwife said.

Li Cheng glanced at Huiyin on the bed. Seeing her sweat and tears congealed together, her hair in strands, he thought she was incredibly beautiful, truly a mother now. He whispered in her ear, "Did you hear that? We have a son."

"Yes," Huiyin felt relieved.

……

The entire mansion sprang into action. The Huaiyin Mansion had a new heir, born to the legitimate wife, which held special significance. Li Cheng gave double rewards to everyone in the mansion. Granny Chao also came over specially to congratulate them.

"Congratulations, Young Prince, on the joyous occasion of having a son," Granny Chao said.

Li Cheng quickly helped Granny Chao up. "Yes, the princess has really gone through a lot. A woman giving birth is truly the most painful thing in the world." He spoke from the heart, having experienced it firsthand.

Granny Chao thought that all women giving birth went through the same ordeal, but she didn’t dare say that. She just smiled awkwardly and said, "Yes, I remember when Princess Wu gave birth to you, there was severe bleeding. It was not easy. And you cried so much. It was me who held you day after day until things settled."

"Yes, you've worked hard, Granny," Li Cheng truly felt grateful to his wet nurse Granny Chao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept Yun Hui, a woman who was supposed to marry into another family, as the housekeeper. He even let Granny Chao manage the household affairs before. Even after Princess Zheng married into the family, he reviewed the gift lists for the four seasons and major festivals, giving very generous gifts.

Granny Chao wanted to talk more, but seeing Nanny Nan coming over, she stopped. Nanny Nan had never liked Granny Chao. Ever since her young lady married into the family, the servants were never scolded or beaten, and there was no leftover food forced upon them like Granny Chao used to do.

"Young Prince, the doctor has arrived. The princess asked me to request your presence," Nanny Nan said.

Li Cheng nodded. "Alright, I'll go there now."

Seeing Li Cheng leave in a hurry, Granny Chao pouted and muttered as she left.

Now, in the inner courtyard, she had no status at all. Without the Young Prince's word, she couldn’t even enter the main room.

The maids guarding the courtyard gate saw Granny Chao leave, and one said to the other, "That old hag is finally gone. When I was under her, I suffered a lot. During the festivals, I ate an extra piece of fried cake, and she had me stripped and beaten with twenty strokes. Thankfully, I survived. If she were still in charge, we would have been tortured to death."

"You can’t say that. Aunt Yun Hui is really quite kind. Ever since the young princess married into the family, has she ever beaten or scolded the servants? Last time, when my father was critically ill, the young princess happened to see it during her walk and had a doctor called for him. No one could be kinder than her. Even Fugui and Dongshun sisters in the courtyard always speak kindly. Who in the household doesn’t respect the young princess? Only Granny Chao seems unwilling to accept it."

The two maids, although they only guarded the courtyard gate and earned five hundred coins a month, found peace in the quiet and the kindness of their master. Aunt Yun Hui was indeed fair, often helping and assisting others.

The two maids thought that perhaps it was because the young princess was kind and charitable that she gave birth to a boy on her first try.

Meanwhile, Li Cheng led the doctor inside. The doctor felt the pulse through the curtain and said, "The new mother is a bit weak from the birth. After three days, start taking Shenghua Decoction, a traditional postpartum herbal remedy, but don’t use wine to prepare it as the medicinal properties are too strong. Take one dose a day for five days. Also, focus on regulating the spleen and stomach. Only when they are properly regulated can other tonics be absorbed. Codonopsis, astragalus, poria, or dried Job’s tears can be used with pig stomach or ribs to make a clear soup. After two weeks postpartum, use the restorative soup, which can strengthen bones and waist."

Li Cheng, with his good memory, noted everything down and had the steward give the doctor his fee.

After seeing the doctor out, he had the curtain lifted and went to hold Huiyin's hand. "The doctor said you’re mostly fine. You must rest well during your confinement. Tell me what you need, and I’ll make sure you get it."

Because she had just given birth, Huiyin was sweating all over. As Li Cheng spoke, he took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat.

For some reason, Huiyin, perhaps because Li Cheng had been with her throughout the childbirth, looked at him with tears in her eyes, as if she were seeing him for the first time. "I think... I might be starting to care for you."