Chapter 30

Chapter 30

◎Update◎

Sitting the month can be quite draining, but Huiyin knows how to prioritize. While she loves her child deeply, she doesn’t hold the baby all the time like most women do. She understands that only by taking care of her own body can she better protect her child.

The baby currently stays in the annex room next to the main bedroom. When the baby is quiet and not fussy, he is brought into the birthing room to sleep in a cradle.

Huiyin’s quarters are very quiet. When she is not sleeping, she is lost in thought, and she doesn’t like to see outsiders, as meeting people is the most tiring for her.

Of course, Yin Liyi was also kept outside. Nanny Nan smiled and said, "I understand your good intentions in coming to visit, but it's enough that your thoughtfulness was shown. Our Princess went through a lot to give birth to the young heir. She cannot be exposed to any wind."

In fact, Nanny Nan knew that guests might not genuinely wish to visit the postpartum woman; it was usually just a formality.

However, Yin Liyi was unusually enthusiastic. She asked again, "Nanny Nan, is the princess wrapped with postpartum bandages?"

"Yes, our Princess is recovering well, so the doctors and female physicians said it’s fine to bind her." Nanny Nan said this as if it were obvious.

Yin Liyi, of course, had no real intention of visiting the postpartum woman. Older folks believe it’s bad luck to visit a woman sitting the month because the period is considered sensitive, and if someone bumped into her, they would be unlucky. But she wasn’t superstitious about these things; her main concern was avoiding catching a chill during the postpartum period.

Therefore, Yin Liyi just smiled and said, "I had someone weave a silk quilt. It’s just right for the young heir to use. Don’t be fooled by how light it is, like a cicada’s wing; it’s very warm."

"Oh, then this old servant must thank you on behalf of the princess." Nanny Nan had never really liked Yin Liyi. It wasn’t for any particular reason, but she felt that Yin Liyi lacked boundaries, calling the "young prince" "Cheng Brother" in front of the Princess.

Of course, Lady Xie wasn’t a bad person. She seemed quite enthusiastic, but still, no matter how good she was, it had nothing to do with their family.

Yin Liyi didn’t think she had any issues herself. She believed she had already been very careful to avoid suspicion. In the past, she, her elder sister, and Xue Huanhuan were friends with the young prince. Although their statuses were different, they treated each other as friends. Later, when she learned that Li Cheng was married, she only met with Princess Zheng whenever she visited, even though her relationship with Princess Zheng was quite average.

After inviting Yin Liyi inside, Nanny Nan called Yun Hui to keep her company. She wasn’t familiar with Yin Liyi and didn’t want to interact too much with her.

In fact, Yun Hui didn’t want to reveal her relationship with Yin Liyi. But once, when Princess Zheng was chatting with Yin Liyi about her, she mentioned their relationship. It seemed that Yin Liyi’s intention was to make Huiyin afraid to touch her because of Yun Hui’s connection. But for Yun Hui, she didn’t like that.

However, she was very clear that Yin Liyi didn’t have any malicious intent. Yun Hui quickly came to serve tea and snacks. To avoid being overheard, they went to a side room next to a small pavilion to talk.

"Yun Hui, you are often by the prince’s side. Do you know how things are at the frontlines?" Yin Liyi was most concerned about her husband’s situation.

Yun Hui shook her head. "Those matters, the young prince would only discuss with the Princess. As servants, we wouldn’t know anything. We can’t inquire about external matters, but if there’s even a word, I won’t tell others; I will definitely tell you."

Yin Liyi put her palms together and said, "Thank you so much. By the way, I prepared a basket of honey oranges, a basket of pomegranates, and half a basket of lychees. The lychees are rare, so you must try them."

Lychees weren’t really rare. When Yun Hui was managing Li Cheng’s quarters, since Li Cheng didn’t like sweets, she either ate them herself or distributed them.

Now, as the chief servant, she didn’t have such good treatment. Seeing Yin Liyi give them to her, she was very happy.

Due to the ongoing war at the frontlines, Huiyin proactively requested that the third-day and full-month ceremonies be simplified, or even not held. They could have a grand celebration when the child turned one year old.

Li Cheng didn’t understand. "Even though there’s a war front, our son was born. Isn’t that a huge celebration? Why can’t we have a grand celebration?"

Huiyin smiled. "I was fortunate to give birth safely and to have delivered the heir. That is already a great blessing. As for those formalities, why should we care about them? It’s the substance that matters. Besides, children are not easy to raise. We can’t let others have their eyes on him."

"Alright, but do we really need to do this?" Li Cheng still wanted to have a grand celebration. He had even thought about where to arrange the banquet.

Huiyin nodded. "Just listen to me. We can have a grand celebration for the first birthday. Don’t we, as parents, love our child? The more we love him, the more we hope he will be safe and sound. You don’t know, when my sister-in-law was in confinement, people came to visit her every day, so she couldn’t get proper rest. Look at me; I don’t move unless necessary, and the female physicians said I’m recovering quickly."

Li Cheng nodded. "Alright, I’ll listen to you."

Huiyin held his hand. "How have things been at the frontlines these past few days? Has there been any need for you to go support?"

"It’s only been a short while. The armies need to arrive first, then they’ll set up their forces. The Crown Prince passed through Jizhou, bringing He family soldiers. I heard that the Crown Prince brought the Crown Princess to the frontlines, and the Lü family also sent the left wing to support." Li Cheng had originally thought that Lü Wei wouldn’t get involved.

Huiyin thought to herself that in the previous life, it was the Zheng family who helped, allowing Li Heng to advance with great momentum. Now, since Li Heng couldn't persuade the Zheng family, he was trying to make a deal with the devil, deliberately favoring the Crown Princess to get the Lü family to send troops.

Lü Wei was cunning and ruthless. It was probably because Lü Xiao was pregnant that he was willing to make a move. Only if Lü Xiao had a son could they truly control the emperor and command the vassals.

These were all speculations. The key issue was whether Li Cheng would choose to confront the situation head-on.

Thus, Huiyin asked, "Can Lord Xie succeed? If not, wouldn't it mean our Xuzhou has to send troops? Little Prince, I'm not trying to stir up trouble, but I see you training the navy day and night and often patrolling the city. If Lord Xie can't hold out, you might find yourself facing the Crown Prince and the Lü family. Perhaps even my family might turn against you."

"As the saying goes, 'He who does not plan for the future will find trouble at his door.' You're so smart; why would you need my reminder? But as a couple, we're in this together. Who could be closer to us? So, don't think I'm nagging."

Hearing this, Li Cheng felt only warmth and certainly wouldn't think she was nagging. He said, "Some of those advisors are close to me, but there are few capable ones. Some people are simply not worth discussing matters with. It's you, Huiyin, with your intelligence and quick wit, who complements my shortcomings. I'm delighted about that."

Huiyin made her point and stopped: "If that's the case, why did it take you half a month to come see me after I said I liked you a little? Just because I like you, does that mean you can ignore me?"

Li Cheng thought she would talk about something else and had even sat up straighter, but when he heard Huiyin's words, he immediately looked away.

"No, I didn't."

"You did, you just did that..." Huiyin was very dissatisfied.

Li Cheng smiled: "Sometimes I'm just teasing you."

Seeing that he didn't say much, Huiyin didn't ask further, yawned, and felt like sleeping again. She had never slept so much in her life.

Coming out of the main room, Li Cheng went outside for some fresh air and suddenly felt a bit relieved that there was no need for a celebration. He stood with his hands behind his back and saw Yin Liyi gracefully approaching.

"Cheng Brother."

"Lady Xie."

Yin Liyi was just about to leave when she saw Li Cheng. She immediately came over and said, "I came specially to deliver a silk quilt for the young prince. I won't disturb the young princess for long."

Since Li Cheng witnessed Huiyin giving birth in the delivery room, he had looked through many medical books and couldn't help but say, "Yes, she's currently weak, and if you go in to pay respects, she'll have to get up, which is quite troublesome."

Yin Liyi was surprised to hear Li Cheng talking about such domestic matters.

"Little Prince, if Qingzhou can't hold out, Xuzhou will definitely have to help, right?" This was her biggest concern.

How could she not worry when her husband was on the front lines?

Li Cheng said, "We have to follow Prince of Wei's orders. But don't worry, if Xuzhou is asked to support, I will go all out to help."

"That's wonderful." Yin Liyi finally felt relieved. She was afraid that Li Cheng wouldn't give his full effort. She wasn't someone who maliciously speculated about others, but who would want to suffer losses to save someone else? When the time came, it would depend on whether the Prince of Wei's orders were truly followed.

Yin Liyi then mentioned that she would come to give a grand gift when the child turned a full month.

Unexpectedly, Li Cheng waved his hand: "The princess said that since the front lines are still at war, there's no need for a celebration. You should just stay home and wait. If anything happens, your husband will surely write to you."

Thinking of her husband, Yin Liyi felt a sweetness in her heart and left.

Actually, Yun Hui was not far away. Although she had a decent relationship with Yin Liyi, hearing Yin Liyi ask Li Cheng to send troops made her think Yin Liyi was quite inconsiderate. Who does she think she is, asking others to risk their lives for her?

She was anxious and decided not to associate with Yin Liyi anymore.

Suddenly, she went back and told Granny Chao, "In the future, don't accept things sent by the Xie family. She's the wife of the governor and the general. We're just servants. She might want things from us that we can't even give. In the future, she might even use this to threaten us."

In reality, she knew Yin Liyi wasn't that kind of person. At most, she just wanted to inquire about her husband, mainly to know if he was injured. Yin Liyi was usually quite careless and didn't have much else on her mind. But she was jealous that Yin Liyi casually asked, and Li Cheng agreed without hesitation.

Granny Chao always listened to her daughter on important matters. Seeing Yun Hui like this, she also said, "Alright, I understand. I'm just worried that the young princess might find something to use against us."

Yun Hui nodded.

Although the full moon celebration was not held in the mansion, the aristocratic families from Xuzhou had still sent many gifts. Huiyin was reviewing the gift list, and from the types of gifts, one could gauge the closeness of each family’s relationship with the Huaiyin Mansion.

Two young maids were combing her hair, as they couldn’t wash it, and her scalp was itchy. They had to relieve the itch by combing.

Among them, the Miao clan, though on good terms with her, had limited talent. The Xue family, after dividing the inheritance, no longer had the same vigor as before.

Life can change so unpredictably in just a year.

It seemed that her future return gifts would also need to be reduced accordingly.

The wet nurse entered from outside, carrying the baby. Huiyin saw that the baby had shed its red skin, revealing smooth and fair skin, with chubby cheeks.

The wet nurses flattered, “The heir is very strong when he nurses. He will surely be powerful and vigorous in the future. We all say he has the demeanor of the prince.”

“All I want is for him to be safe,” Huiyin said softly, her voice carrying no grand expectations. As they say, every child has their own destiny.

As they were talking and laughing, they heard that both Grand Dowager Wu and Wei Imperial Consort from Jianye had sent gifts for the three-day purification ritual. Grand Dowager Wu also sent a message saying that she missed her heir and asked Huiyin to bring the child to Jianye after one hundred days.

To Jianye?

Huiyin thought, what had to come finally did. Grand Dowager Wu had held back for so long, and this time, she even persuaded Wei Imperial Consort to make Huiyin return with the child.

Nanny Nan couldn’t help but say, “The child is only three months old. How can he endure such a grueling journey?”

“I know, but the weight of filial piety presses down on us. We have to go,” Huiyin sighed.

If she didn’t go now, and if Xie Jiuyi from Qingzhou won, it would be fine. But if he lost, and Xuzhou had to join the war, it wouldn’t be safe here anymore. They would still have to go eventually, and it would be more passive then.

Everyone fell silent, their moods heavy as they considered Huiyin’s words.

After finally settling everything in Xuzhou, now they had to go to Jianye. As they say, one mountain cannot have two tigers, and besides, Grand Dowager Wu was certainly not someone easy to deal with.

However, Huiyin thought that even if she went to Jianye, she would still have to return to Xuzhou eventually. In the future, Li Cheng would come to fetch her back.

If she didn’t go now, it would give people something to gossip about. Moreover, in the future, Li Cheng might not necessarily stand by her side.

This news was shared with Li Cheng three days later when he came to visit. Huiyin said, “It will be hard on the child to go back to Jianye after one hundred days. But his great-grandmother wants to see her heir. How can I not go? Besides, since I married you, I haven’t returned to pay my respects to my grandmother. I’ve neglected my filial duties.”

“This… no, the child is too young. Absolutely not,” Li Cheng said, looking at the tiny bundle in the cradle, unable to let go of his worries.

Huiyin pursed her lips, “I feel the same. The child is too young. Even adults get seasick on a boat, let alone a small child.”

Since losing his parents, Li Cheng had grown closer to his grandmother. But with Xun Rou and now the child, he looked at Huiyin and said, “You’ve suffered.”

Huiyin shook her head, “What suffering? It’s nothing. I’m still by your side, aren’t I? But as her grandson, some things might not look good if they reach Prince of Wei’s ears.”

Li Cheng pulled Huiyin into his arms, “I understand.”

“But what if I miss you so much in Jianye that I can’t stop crying?” Huiyin sniffled.

Li Cheng couldn’t bear to part with his wife, “Then don’t go.”

Huiyin let out a soft laugh, though her eyes remained misty.

Li Cheng caressed her face, “Don’t worry, I’ll come to fetch you as soon as possible, and then we’ll be reunited as a couple.”

“Mm,” Huiyin sighed in relief, seeing his furrowed brows, she gently pressed her hand to smooth them out, “We haven’t even left yet.”

Just as their relationship was growing closer, the couple had to part, and Li Cheng felt a pang of sadness.

After finishing her confinement, Huiyin's health was not what it used to be. She wouldn’t force herself to drink tonics but tried to worry less about the things that used to trouble her.

Their son had been named Jing, a single character meaning "the brilliance of jade."

Manager Qiao brought the ledgers over. There were internal and external accounts for the household; the external accounts were managed by several stewards from the former Wu Mansion, while the internal accounts were mostly controlled by Huiyin's four main maids.

While she didn’t need to review every ledger herself, she made sure to have a general understanding of them.

Huiyin wasn’t one to nitpick over every detail or hold grudges, but if something was written in an overly obvious or blatant way, or if it treated her like a fool, she would definitely address it.

Reviewing these accounts required effort. Huiyin spent two hours every morning handling household affairs, visited her son around noon, reviewed the ledgers in the afternoon, and went to bed as soon as it got dark.

Over the past few days, with Li Cheng away, she was able to get some much-needed rest.

The mansion, however, was far from peaceful. Granny Chao was so excited about Huiyin’s trip to Jianye that she nearly leaped out of bed. She thought that once Princess Zheng left, she would have control over the mansion.

Strangely, they hadn’t seen Yin Liyi since Huiyin’s confinement ended.

After this busy period, half a month had already passed. When Li Cheng returned from outside, he mentioned that the fight in Qingzhou was intense. Xie Jiuyi, of course, was no ordinary person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so trusted by the Prince of Wei, who even gave his sister-in-law to him in marriage as a way to win him over.

Both the He and Lü families were helping Li Heng, but Xie Jiuyi, leading his own troops and the army given by the Prince of Wei, actually had more men.

In fact, Huiyin found it somewhat amusing. Whenever men used women, it was considered a strategy. But if a woman used a man, it was as if she was relying on someone else to rise in status.

"My prince, let's have our meal first," Huiyin said, pulling him to sit down.

Li Cheng smiled. "Look at me, I was so focused on talking about things outside that I forgot to ask how our little Jing is doing?"

Huiyin served him a bowl of soup. "He's doing very well. He's the most obedient child I've ever seen, not crying or causing much trouble. I have to manage the household, so I can only visit him for a limited time each day. As parents, we really feel sorry for him. In another two weeks, we’ll have to take him to Jianye, and I’m really worried..."

"If it were before, I could have delayed it for you, but now the battlefield in Qingzhou might spread to Xuzhou. I think it will be safer for you to go to Jianye. As for the dowry you brought, there's no need to bring the bulkier items. Just leave them in the warehouse. But you should pack your cherished items. I'll prepare a few boats to send you there. Once it's safe, I'll come to fetch you," Li Cheng smiled.

Huiyin took a bite of the tender chicken strips and looked at Li Cheng. "You need to be careful yourself. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills are there, firewood will always be available. Don't be so headstrong at a young age. Always remember, you have a wife and child. If things really don't work out here, we can go to Jizhou and stay with my family."

Li Cheng laughed and shook his head. How could he possibly end up in such a dire situation?

"Just take care of yourself. I’ll make sure to protect both of you," he said.

Since they had decided to go to Jianye, arrangements had to be made in advance for the personnel who would be taken and those who would stay. Huiyin said, "Your wet nurse, Granny Chao, is willing to stay. I want Yun Hui to stay as well, so we can't separate the mother and child. The rest, like Manager Qiao, are experienced hands..."

Li Cheng didn’t have much of an opinion on this. To him, these matters were naturally managed by his wife, so he simply waved his chopsticks. "You decide."

After the meal, the couple went to visit their son and then went to the riding grounds for a horse ride together.

There was an open space in Huaiyin Mansion. Huiyin, supported by Li Cheng, mounted the horse. She smiled slightly. "Back in Jizhou, I used to go horseback riding whenever I was feeling down, and it always cheered me up."

Li Cheng, curious, asked, "What made you unhappy?"

"Actually, it's rare for me to be in a bad mood, but there's one thing that made me very angry. My cousin was a well-behaved and dutiful person who never did anything out of line and was very good to us. Unfortunately, because of this, she was targeted by a wealthy family. The man from that family was also quite handsome. He had a liking for a widow, but his family didn't agree. So, the adulterous couple came up with a bad idea. The man would first marry another woman, then divorce her to become a widower, making it seem natural for him to marry the widow. My cousin could only grieve in silence and later married out of state. What angered me the most was that the adulterous couple is still living happily together. If anyone were to ruin my life, I would make sure they beg for death," Huiyin narrowed her eyes.

In truth, she didn’t have such a cousin or this incident. She had only heard of such things happening to others, where the wronged woman ended up depressed and misunderstood for life.

If she were wronged and her enemies were still living happily, even as a ghost, she would not let them go.

Li Cheng had been listening attentively, but when he heard the last part, his heart skipped a beat, startled.

Seeing his reaction, Huiyin wasn’t sure if it was her contrasting demeanor that scared him or if he had a 'white moonlight' of his own. If it was the former, it was fine. But if it was the latter and he didn’t cut ties, she wouldn’t hold back in the future.

There is a veiled warning in these words.

Unexpectedly, Li Cheng was even more furious than Huiyin. "Can you believe there are men who act like this? They make all men look bad. If I like someone, even if she’s from a humble background or is a widow, I’d do everything I can to marry her. Even if I can’t marry her, I’d never hurt another woman. People like that are no better than animals."

"Oh, so who’s the lucky lady?" Huiyin asked, holding the reins of her horse, looking down at the man who was about to help her dismount.

In truth, Huiyin wasn’t one to make a scene, but she had a razor-sharp wit. Her words always hit the mark, leaving no room for escape.

Li Cheng sighed, looking at her. "My dear, just keeping up with you is enough to wear me out. How could I have room for anyone else in my heart? Sure, you only like me a little, but I’m completely head over heels for you."

Huiyin smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her down from the horse. "Glad you understand. And don’t forget to keep loving me like this, okay?"

Originally, Li Cheng had been most worried that Huiyin would be bullied by Grand Dowager Wu. Now, it seemed that Grand Dowager Wu might not even be a match for her. She handled him with ease, like it was second nature to her.