Chapter 36

Chapter 36

After the meal, Li Cheng returned to the mansion with Grand Dowager Wu. They arrived quickly, and Li Cheng hurried forward to support Grand Dowager Wu. However, Grand Dowager Wu and Huiyin had long been at odds, despite maintaining the facade of a harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship in the past. Ever since Grand Dowager Wu had made Huiyin kneel, Huiyin had stopped coming to greet her every morning and evening, only showing up to go through the motions.

So, when they returned, Grand Dowager Wu deliberately did not inform Huiyin of their arrival, wanting to show Li Cheng how disobedient she was.

But she miscalculated. Upon returning, Li Cheng didn’t pay any attention to this and simply said, "She didn’t come over because she must be taking care of the child. Grandmother, let me see you to your room first, then I’ll go check on them."

Grand Dowager Wu had a lot to say but could only respond with, "Alright."

She thought it was best not to go herself, to avoid getting involved in any mess.

Unexpectedly, she was wrong. As soon as Li Cheng returned, he rushed to the main courtyard, taking the steps two at a time. He didn’t understand why, after just over a month of not seeing her, he had been thinking about her day and night. Now, standing in front of her door, he hesitated, feeling nervous about seeing her again.

Huiyin had just gotten up from the bed, having napped after tiring from reading. When she saw someone at the door, she thought she was mistaken.

"Prince..." she said, extremely delighted.

Li Cheng was immediately pleased by her joy, but then Huiyin’s expression changed, and she turned and walked back into the room. Li Cheng quickly followed her, and the servants scattered like startled birds.

He could tell she was upset and quickly said, "I’ve been thinking about you. I rushed back as fast as I could."

"Thinking of me? I bet you’re here to scold me. I’ve already heard that the Grand Dowager asked you to come back to scold me. If you lay a finger on me, I swear I’ll go back to Jizhou," Huiyin said firmly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Li Cheng laughed. "Nonsense, I came back specifically to see you. Also, I’ll be staying in Jianye from now on. Prince of Wei told me that it would be convenient for me to travel between here and Xuzhou."

Hearing this, Huiyin felt troubled. She had only wanted Li Cheng to come back to help deal with Grand Dowager Wu, not to give up his military power.

So, she said anxiously, "Is Prince of Wei asking someone else to reap the rewards of your hard work? You’ve worked so hard to get Xuzhou in order, and now you’re just going to hand it over?"

Li Cheng placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down. "No, it’s still under my control. It’s quite fast to travel by boat from Jianye to Xuzhou. Don’t worry. It’ll be the same as before. I’ll come back to Jianye whenever I have time."

Only then did Huiyin feel relieved, but she thought that being under Prince of Wei’s watchful eye wasn’t necessarily a good thing. However, saying that would be stirring up trouble, so she just happily said, "Come on, let’s go see our son."

"He can see me anytime. What’s important is you. When I’m not by your side, has anyone been bullying you?" Li Cheng asked.

Huiyin hesitated for a moment and shook her head. "No, no one has bullied me. Oh, there’s just one thing. Lady Xie wanted me to give her a letter of introduction to Jizhou, but I didn’t dare take responsibility, so I didn’t give it to her."

"That’s why. If she doesn’t get a letter from Prince of Wei, I won’t send anyone to escort her either. She’s related to Prince of Wei through marriage, and Xie Jiuyi and I are close friends," Li Cheng explained with a smile.

Huiyin let out a sigh of relief. "But I don’t have a good relationship with them. I don’t have many friends here."

In fact, Huiyin didn’t care much about friends. When dealing with men, she knew one trick that always worked: if he likes you and cares about you, he’ll always have your best interests at heart.

"Aren’t I your friend? Besides, friends are rare and precious. You’re so young and of such high status that most people can’t be your friend. When I’m not here, you’re always so formal and don’t go out much. If you want to host flower or tea parties, I fully support you," Li Cheng said with concern.

Huiyin shook her head. "With Grandmother managing the household, it’s not proper for me to host such events."

Li Cheng took her hand, looking surprised. "Grandmother is still managing the household? She’s so old; she should be sharing the burden with you."

Huiyin fell silent, and Li Cheng understood. It was Grand Dowager Wu’s issue. As she grew older, her grip on power became tighter. The corruption below was just a reflection of the leadership above. Grand Dowager Wu held onto the household management not just for money but for power, to remain superior.

Li Cheng didn’t agree with this. The Huaiyin Mansion should rightfully be controlled by the Princess of Huaiyin. These so-called dowagers were no longer funded by the court. Their expenses were covered by their own descendants. The reason the income from Xuzhou is low is that more than half of it goes to Jianye. They had to support Grand Dowager Wu and couldn’t be stingy. With the wealth inherited from his father, the Prince of Wu, and his mother from the prestigious Boling Cui family, Li Cheng had more than enough resources. He was still a commandery prince.

As Huiyin pointed out, if they could cut down on these expenses, they could put the money toward future military needs.

Although he is the nephew of the Prince of Wei, in a way, the Prince of Wu ranks second. The Prince of Wei is the youngest son of the late emperor. If the future emperor doesn't succeed or the crown prince can't control the situation, he, as royal blood, might still have a chance.

Before, when he had no son, it was different. Now that he has a wife and child, his thoughts have naturally changed.

Huiyin, having understood Li Cheng's words, knew her husband was a man of his word. With that in mind, she began to unbutton his clothes, "You rushed over so hurriedly, don't you miss me even a little?"

…

As for Grand Dowager Wu, she had someone wait at Huiyin's place for news. Of course, Nanny Fan wouldn't go. She knew all too well that getting involved in such matters never led to anything good. In the past, she had charged into battles only to end up being blamed. Grand Dowager Wu would just curse and complain, but in the end, there was no real benefit, not even extra rewards for herself.

This time, Liu Niang was sent to gather information. Liu Niang stood at the door for a long time. Although she couldn't hear what was being said inside, the fact that the servants had brought water in three times was telling enough.

Some servants, quite perceptive of the situation, like Nanny Fan, knew that although they were tied to Grand Dowager Wu, Princess Zheng was the legitimate princess and would eventually take charge of the household. It was better to make a good connection with her. On the other hand, there were servants like Liu Niang, who hoped to stir up discord between Grand Dowager Wu and Huiyin and profit from it.

So, when she returned to report to Grand Dowager Wu, she painted a vivid picture: "I saw the Little Prince storm in angrily, and then, for some reason, they started bringing water inside."

Grand Dowager Wu slammed the table, "Truly, lust clouds judgment."

Nanny Fan lowered her eyes, not wanting to speak, when Liu Niang added, "The Little Prince's travel gear was almost all brought back by Manager Qiao. It looks like he might be staying for a long time. You can't afford to be careless."

"I understand," said Grand Dowager Wu, feeling helpless. She wondered if her letter hadn't reached her grandson. If so, she would have to tell him in person later.

Liu Niang smiled again, "Actually, if you have no other way, I have another idea."

Grand Dowager Wu looked at her, "Oh, do tell."

Liu Niang then whispered into Grand Dowager Wu's ear. Nanny Fan didn’t hear what was said, but not hearing it was probably for the best; it meant she wouldn’t have to deal with it.

After spending the afternoon in playful intimacy, when Huiyin and Li Cheng got up, Li Cheng looked refreshed, while Huiyin's face was flushed. It must be said, Li Cheng was quite impressive in every way.

"It's almost time for dinner with Grand Dowager Wu. I need to attend to her. If you hadn't come today, there would have been a feast to welcome you." Huiyin fastened her clothes.

Li Cheng smiled and helped her up, "Let's go together. Don't worry, with me here, you'll still be in charge of the household."

Huiyin shook her head, "No, don't offend your grandmother for my sake. It wouldn't be good to be labeled as unfilial."

"It won't happen. She will still need to rely on me in the future. Even now, the reason why the Wei Imperial Consort and others here show her respect is because of me." Li Cheng was very clear-headed. He was filial, but not blindly so.

Huiyin then said to Li Cheng, "These household matters are trivial. I actually have something important to discuss with you. Last time, the gift you sent to Second Imperial Consort Yin was quite generous, right? But when I visited their residence, I found out that the person most favored by the Prince of Wei is actually Second Imperial Consort Xu. The eldest son of Second Imperial Consort Yin hasn't been granted the title of crown prince yet."

Li Cheng paused as he helped her up, "But the eldest son is still the eldest son."

Huiyin smiled, "I think if the crown prince isn't decided, people's hearts will be unsettled. My lord, I know you've always been loyal to the Prince of Wei. But with the world in turmoil, it's not just heroes who shape the times; it's also the times that shape heroes. Lü Wei is arrogant and self-centered, seeing no one else. The He family is the same. My father is brave but lacks strategy. The only truly capable person is Wei Duo. My lord, why not rise with the tide?"

"Nonsense, we're not discussing this again," Li Cheng's expression changed.

Huiyin thought that any man, especially one who commands troops, like Li Cheng, who is quite strategic and capable, would be tempted, even if he didn't want to admit his desires for now. So, she didn't push further and just smiled, "Alright, alright, I won't say any more."

After they went out, they first visited Jing'er. Seeing his chubby little hand, Li Cheng's heart softened even more. Jing'er was awake and a cheerful child. When Li Cheng held his hand, he giggled.

Hearing the child's laughter lifted the adults' spirits.

When they went to see Grand Dowager Wu, she wouldn't directly criticize Huiyin in front of her. Huiyin also stood up attentively to serve her. As a former Empress Dowager, having to serve this muddled old woman, she was unwilling in her heart, but there was no other way unless she truly took power herself.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Grand Dowager Wu didn't expect Li Cheng to come over first.

The day before, although she saw that Li Cheng and Princess Zheng didn’t exchange many words, the affection between them was clear from their shared tender looks. She had wanted to secretly speak ill of Princess Zheng to Li Cheng, but his decision to stay in Jianye had distracted her.

"Greetings, Grandmother," Li Cheng smiled.

Grand Dowager Wu looked at him lovingly. "You've been travel-weary; you should take care of yourself. Why did you come so early this morning?"

Li Cheng replied, "My wife was supposed to come, but I have something to discuss with you. As I mentioned yesterday, I plan to settle in Jianye from now on, so I intend to host a banquet at the estate for Uncle Wei Wang and others as a way to thank them for taking care of you, Grandmother, all these years."

"That is only proper," Grand Dowager Wu said with a smile.

Li Cheng continued, "Although Princess Zheng is young, she has been excellent at managing the household affairs in Xuzhou for me. Yesterday, I saw that you are still in charge of the household. I scolded her for it. You are getting on in years, and she is still young and inexperienced. How can I let you, at your age, continue to manage things for me?"

Grand Dowager Wu stiffened and pointed at Li Cheng. "You! Are you trying to force me to hand over the household management?"

In truth, since his parents had passed away, Li Cheng had spent most of his time outside dealing with affairs and had never really interacted much with Grand Dowager Wu. He thought he had been tactful, perhaps even more so than when speaking to his wife. He hadn't expected Grand Dowager Wu's reaction to be so baffling.

"Grandmother, what are you saying? Is it you who wants to keep the household management? Then it is my fault." Li Cheng thought that even if people had such thoughts in their hearts, they shouldn't say them out loud. After all, even those who are chosen to be emperor go through the ritual of declining the honor three times before accepting.

But he still knelt down to go through the motions.

Grand Dowager Wu also realized she had overreacted and helped Li Cheng to his feet. "Of course, I am not clinging to this household management, but your wife is too young. It's hard for her to gain respect. I didn't say this before, but she isn't just disrespectful to me. The issue is that she even quarreled with the Huo family over a merchant's daughter. She has also been disrespectful to Wei Imperial Consort, speaking sharply. In short, as long as she is around, everyone is unhappy. How can I not hold things together?"

Li Cheng, however, thought of his wife. Although she often spoke humbly, her demeanor was far from ordinary. Indeed, she had even encouraged him to seize power. She was no ordinary woman. He had scolded her on the surface, but in his heart, he was in turmoil.

She was no ordinary woman, but Huiyin was very reasonable. How could she be portrayed as a troublemaker? It's like trying to explain snow to someone who has never seen it.

So Li Cheng changed his approach. "Huiyin is, after all, the Princess of Huaiyin. As you said, she doesn't know many people, so she might have social issues. I thought that having you host flower and tea parties at home to broaden her social circle would help."

Grand Dowager Wu hadn't expected her grandson to be so considerate of Princess Zheng. Every word he said seemed to defend her and work in her favor. She wanted to bring up the idea that Nanny Liu had suggested, but she decided to keep quiet until things were more settled.

She simply said, "You've just returned, and now you want to host another banquet? I don't understand these things, so I'll leave it to Steward Qian to handle."

Li Cheng returned in defeat and told Huiyin about it. Huiyin consoled him, "This is only natural. Why do you think people strive to reach the top? It's because they don't want to be controlled by others. If the person in charge is reasonable and broad-minded, it's fine. But if they are mediocre and still like to give orders, who would willingly stay under them?"

"You're quite bold to say such things. No matter what, we must respect our grandmother," Li Cheng said, lacking conviction.

Huiyin stood up. "Fine, I won't say anything more."

Before, the two of them would only talk about love, as they were alone in Xuzhou without any conflicts. Now, with his elders and external matters involved, these were crucial points of adjustment for the couple.

Seeing Huiyin like this, Li Cheng thought back to their time in Xuzhou. He remembered how she hadn't gotten upset when he revised the entire gift list, but now her temper seemed a bit sharper, though what she said made sense.

"Don't. If you don't tell me the truth, who will?" Li Cheng said with a smile.

Huiyin knew he was still young, only in his early twenties, and couldn't yet believe in the dream of uniting the world. Moreover, Li Cheng's execution was strong, indicating he was a pragmatic person. He always did what he could and never reached for things beyond his grasp.

Therefore, Huiyin said, "Don't try to get the household management for me. If Grandmother doesn't want me to manage it, I won't. I'm serious. As long as we can be together, I'm happy."

"No, I said I would help you get it back, and I will. Because I like you, I want to give you all the good things. Liking someone shouldn't mean letting them suffer." Li Cheng disagreed with Huiyin.

Liking someone shouldn't mean letting them suffer.

He suddenly stood up and rushed out. Nanny Nan came in from outside, confused. "Princess, Little Prince..."

"Let him be," Huiyin thought. Grand Dowager Wu was not always clear-headed and struggled to distinguish right from wrong or close from distant. Li Cheng had a tendency to be insistent.

Sure enough, soon after, Qiū Fēng ran over. "Princess, Little Prince has asked Steward Qian to report the accounts, and he has also summoned the four head accountants. It seems he is going to audit the books."

Huiyin tapped the table. "Here it comes." She didn't want to provoke Li Cheng unnecessarily. Grand Dowager Wu thought she could suppress others with her seniority, but she was mistaken. Li Cheng was not someone to be underestimated.

On the other side, Grand Dowager Wu was still doing her morning prayers when several servants rushed in to alert her. She stood up and said, "What's happening? Is he questioning my trustworthiness?"

The servants were just kowtowing, which made Grand Dowager Wu so upset that she sent Nanny Fan to relay a message. Nanny Fan was cursing inwardly, "Why do they only come to me when there’s trouble? Never for anything good!"

But as a servant, what could she do? She could only go and deliver the message.

Li Cheng, however, smiled and said, "Grandmother, what are you talking about? I am the Prince of Huaiyin, so of course I will look into the accounts of Huaiyin Mansion. There's no need for you to worry. I'm just here to check on the situation of the mansion. As the saying goes, the man takes care of external affairs while the woman manages internal affairs. How could I not check?"

Nanny Fan had no choice but to return and report Li Cheng's words to Grand Dowager Wu.

Grand Dowager Wu wanted to scold him again, but she found herself helpless. What could she possibly scold Li Cheng for? He was her backbone. If he really wasn't up to par, even the fiefdom of Huaiyin might be lost. Wouldn't she then be living under someone else's roof? Moreover, this mansion indeed belonged to Li Cheng.

Li Cheng was certainly not just eating the rice of idleness. From a young age, he had learned how to manage the Prince of Wu's Mansion alongside the Prince of Wu. Later, when he joined the Prince of Wei, the first task the Prince of Wei assigned him was not to lead troops but to manage the Prince of Wei’s Mansion.

As he went through these account books, he couldn't help but wonder how confident the steward of Huaiyin Mansion must have been, thinking that no one would check the accounts. The books were a mess, with random scribbles.

He couldn't help but address Steward Qian, "My grandmother never hosts any banquets, and we don’t often exchange gifts or formal courtesies. So how is it that the silver I allocated has already shown a deficit? I need you to carefully recalculate the remaining silver."

Steward Qian, being a chief steward, first glanced at Li Cheng before trying to clear his name. "Little Prince, we didn't embezzle anything. Some of the remaining silver was handed over to the Dowager. This year, the Dowager donated 20,000 taels of silver to the four renowned temples."

"Wait, which four temples did you donate to, and when? I'll send someone to check on horseback right away. You'd better tell me the truth; otherwise, I won't spare you from punishment."

"Yes, it was to Datuo Temple, Puji Temple, Guanghong Temple, and Longkong Temple," replied Steward Qian. Although he had indeed embezzled a little here and there, it was only petty cash. He certainly hadn't taken any large sums.

Li Cheng first sent people to investigate, and then he had Steward Qian and several accountants lead him to check the mansion's storerooms. To his surprise, this year, the storeroom for rewards had only about one-third of its contents left.

"Tell me, where did all these things go? Don't try to deceive me, or I won't be polite."

Steward Qian had no choice but to kneel and confess the truth. He had embezzled 5,000 taels, and half of the items in the mansion's storeroom had been sold off by him. The other four accountants together had embezzled another 5,000 taels.

One of them even admitted to falsifying accounts, saying that out of the 5,000 taels donated to Puji Temple, 1,000 taels had been embezzled by him.

"Good, good, good. So, you're all a bunch of parasites. That's already 30,000 taels. And what about my rice allocations? When my father, the king, was enfeoffed in the Jiangnan region, he was granted 1,352 qing of reclaimed lakebed land and 10,000 qing of manor land. After my father passed away, 400 qing were allocated to my uncle, the Prince of Wei, and the rest was inherited by me. So why is it that now, there's only old rice left, and the new rice is so scarce? How have you been managing this household for me?"

Li Cheng was so enraged that he nearly unsheathed his sword and executed them right there.

Steward Qian was so scared that he soaked his pants in fear and collapsed on the floor. Normally, Li Cheng would have gagged him and taken him away for a beating, but since Grand Dowager Wu had been managing the household for several years, he decided to confront her directly instead. "Tell me the truth."

"Yes, it was the Dowager who ordered us to sell the items. She kept the old rice for the people in the mansion and reserved the new rice and the japonica rice from the imperial estate for herself. The rest was all sold because the Dowager was afraid it would get infested if left for too long." After saying this, Steward Qian lowered his head and remained silent.

Li Cheng sneered, "Since the Dowager is old, you're all shifting the blame onto her. Fine, say that in front of her. Come, bring the Dowager here."

If Grand Dowager Wu didn't care about her dignity, then he wouldn't spare her either.

The message quickly reached Grand Dowager Wu, who immediately became alarmed. "How could I possibly confront a servant? Family matters should be handled within the family… He should have beaten Steward Qian to death on the spot."

Nanny Fan also hurriedly asked, "What should we do, Dowager?"

"Say that I am unwell and unable to come. In the past, all household matters were entrusted to Steward Qian. I know nothing about anything else." After saying this, Grand Dowager Wu feigned weakness, looking like she might collapse at any moment.

Nanny Fan relayed Grand Dowager Wu's words to the messenger Li Cheng had sent. Even the servant couldn't help but show a hint of contempt in their eyes.

Within two days, Huaiyin Mansion had replaced all its staff. Li Cheng forced Steward Qian and several accountants to return all the embezzled silver from over the years. Even Grand Dowager Wu pretended that she had been saving the money for Li Cheng. Li Cheng then handed all the money over to Huiyin and put her in charge of the household again.

Looking at the room full of silver, Huiyin signaled for Li Cheng to calm down. "I understand now. Money and power go hand in hand with love. Take a seat and relax."