Chapter 41

Chapter 41

◎Update◎

"Yunzhi, He Guogu has sincerely invited everyone to the capital to crusade against Lü Wei. Now, you will go in my place to capture the traitor. I grant you two thousand troops and you will act on my orders. However, you’ll need to find your own way through Qingzhou," said the Prince of Wei, looking at his nephew, Li Cheng.

Li Cheng clasped his fist. "I accept the order."

The Prince of Wei discussed more official matters before his expression softened from seriousness to gentleness. "You, ah, you... I could have trusted Xie Jiuyi with this, but you insisted on going with your wife to visit her family. The Prince of Wu, my second brother, has only you as his son. With the current unstable situation, I'm genuinely worried."

His concerns were valid, but Li Cheng had his own thoughts. What was the point of building a career if not to secure a better future for his wife and children? Now that he was married, his wife was truly someone he cherished. How could he not fulfill her wishes? Moreover, he often served under the Prince of Wei, and it was difficult to stretch his wings.

Like last time, when Qingzhou was occupied, he believed that if it had been him, he would have performed better than Xie Jiuyi.

But he couldn't voice these thoughts, as it would be seen as questioning the Prince of Wei. Even though the Prince of Wu's territory had been largely taken by the Prince of Wei, he couldn't show any discontent.

As people grow older, they tend to shatter some once-beautiful memories, and their thoughts change accordingly.

Coming back to his senses, Huiyin had already started packing. The little Jing'er in her arms looked at him with wide, dark eyes. Li Cheng smiled and hugged his son. "Naughty boy, you eat and sleep all day long. Just like your mother, you're like a little piglet."

"Don't say that about Jing'er," Huiyin, who was ironing clothes, scolded immediately.

Li Cheng frowned. "But you've said it yourself before? How come you can say it and I can't?"

Huiyin smiled. "Because when I say it, he doesn't get mad. If you say it, you should be careful. He especially loves to scratch people now."

"C'mon, he's just a little kid. Why are you getting so worked up over this?" Li Cheng found his son irresistibly cute.

Just as he finished speaking, Jing'er swiped at his face. Fortunately, Li Cheng reacted quickly and dodged. "You little rascal, really..."

Huiyin laughed uncontrollably. "I told you. You need to help him break this bad habit."

Li Cheng held their son's hand and said to Huiyin, "He's still so young, he can't understand words yet. How can you expect him to change? He'll be better in a few days."

"That won't do. Like when I slapped his hand after he scratched me, he didn't dare continue. Even though he can't understand words yet, he can see our actions," Huiyin wasn't one to coddle her child.

Li Cheng was extremely lenient with his son. "No, Jing'er will change on his own in the future."

"You're just spoiling him," Huiyin was speechless.

For lunch, Huiyin had many of Li Cheng's favorite dishes prepared. They had been married for almost two years, and she had come to understand his tastes fairly well. He had the palate of a child, liking dishes like Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish and Braised Pork Ribs—either sweet and sour or strongly flavored—but he would never admit to liking them after finishing the meal.

She smiled as she noticed Li Cheng going back for more of the Squirrel-shaped Mandarin Fish.

"Why are you only eating the light stuff?" In fact, Li Cheng was also paying attention to Huiyin.

Huiyin replied, "You don't know, after attending so many banquets and flower parties recently, even though I've been trying to control myself, I've gained quite a bit of weight. So, I need to be more careful now."

Southern women were generally slender and delicate, while Huiyin, being tall, often stood out like a crane among chickens. Even standing next to Li Cheng, she couldn't appear as delicate and dependent.

Now, with her face looking even rounder, she felt strong enough to take down a tiger.

Li Cheng looked his wife up and down, finding her incredibly beautiful, like a ripe peach ready to be savored. For some reason, he blushed slightly. "I think it's quite nice like this."

It was just a simple sentence, but upon seeing his gaze, Huiyin quickly turned her head away.

They finished the meal in silence, and then it was mentioned that Xie Jiuyi had arrived. Li Cheng immediately got up to go to the front hall, and Huiyin changed her clothes to meet Yin Liyi.

"You're expecting, why did you come here yourself?" Huiyin smiled.

Yin Liyi rubbed her belly and said, "At this stage, the baby is stable, and I wish I could go out for a walk. My mother-in-law doesn't allow me to go out and always tells me to rest and recuperate. I'm really bored to death."

Huiyin pointed at her and said, "This just shows how much you and your husband are in love. Wherever General Xie goes, you follow. We’re all so envious of you."

This was the first time Huiyin had teased her, and Yin Liyi felt a bit flustered. "Stop making fun of me. It's not about being in love. I just can't let my guard down with him."

"Last time, thankfully you went to pick him up. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't dare to." Huiyin flattered her a bit, and she was in a good mood since they were about to go to Jizhou.

Yin Liyi believed that a couple should be honest and supportive of each other, unlike the political marriage between the Little Prince and Princess Zheng, who each did their own thing.

But no matter what she said, it felt inappropriate, so she shifted to the safer topic of their child. "With such a long journey ahead, what about Jing'er?"

"Jing'er will be taken back to meet his maternal grandfather and grandmother. We'll do our best to take care of him." The main reason was that Huiyin didn't trust leaving the child with Grand Dowager Wu.

Huiyin's health had been good recently, except for one day when she ate too late and too greasily, which caused her to have diarrhea. Other than that, she had been in good shape and was well-prepared, so she wasn't very afraid.

Huiyin didn't know what Xie Jiuyi had discussed with Li Cheng, but she assumed it was some military matters. After all, they were passing through Qingzhou to go to Xuzhou, and Xie Jiuyi was very familiar with the terrain of Qingzhou.

She had also asked Lady Gao, the wife of the young master of the Lu family, to help her keep an eye on the tea plantation's harvest. As for Zhang Lao San's noodle shop, she had quietly provided financial support.

The couple bid farewell to Grand Dowager Wu. Although she disagreed, her opinion was no longer important, and neither Li Cheng nor Huiyin would listen to her.

When Li Cheng and Huiyin passed through Qingzhou, they couldn't go as themselves but had to disguise themselves as merchants, carrying goods from the south to sell in the capital.

In these times, only merchants could travel freely between the north and south, as they followed profits. Whether it was large or small warlords, they all needed food supplies to recruit soldiers, which was why Hu Qi was willing to marry Jiang Bipbo, and why Huiyin had intervened. Including the Cui family's daughter that her younger brother might marry in the future, she was from a prominent local family, to gain support.

Of the 2,000 soldiers who followed, 1,000 went by a small path, and the other 1,000 disguised themselves as servants.

Li Cheng became a merchant with the Cui surname, taking his wife back to her parents' home while also conducting some business in the capital. They couldn’t dress as they had before. Huiyin changed into ordinary Hangzhou clothes, removed all the palace-made jewelry from her head, only combed a yuanbao bun, inserted two three-pronged gold hairpins, and wore a gold-inlaid jade ring before nodding in satisfaction.

"You're dressed too plainly." Li Cheng felt that his wife should dress nicely for the visit to her parents' home. He thought she looked a bit shabby now.

Huiyin smiled and said, "You're already wearing a square hat, and yet you say this. Master Cui, let's go. Oh, and please tell the soldiers not to drink untreated water. If they really need to, put alum in it. I've already prepared the alum, so have your personal guards distribute it to them."

Li Cheng said to her, "You're really a chip off the old block, coming from a military family. I don't remember these details."

"Of course you don't. I learned the importance of alum the year my father led his troops to battle. Many people drank water from a small ditch and ended up with malaria or diarrhea during battle. That's when we realized the importance of alum." Huiyin took the opportunity to show off a bit.

Li Cheng had arranged everything else meticulously. This was the first time Huiyin had seen such a detail-oriented man. He delegated even the most trivial matters one by one. Since the fabrics from the south were of high quality, they decided to disguise themselves as fabric merchants. He loaded the carriages with expensive and fashionable fabrics and even researched the origin of the fabrics.

He even brewed tea for Huiyin in the carriage and said with a smile, "I modified this carriage myself. It doesn't need to be luxurious, but it's very comfortable. Look, you can take a nap here, and you can pour water directly through this tube. These are minor details, but important ones. The most important thing is that the carriage rides very smoothly. You can rest here, and when you wake up, I'll sleep."

"Okay." Now that the carriage had entered Qingzhou, where Lü Wei and He Guoguo's people were stationed, these people weren't easy to deal with.

Huiyin sipped the tea, savoring its fragrance, and looked at him with a tilted head. "How do you know how to do everything? I really admire that about you."

Li Cheng simply said, "I admit I have some intelligence, but the main reason is that I'm the heir of the Prince of Wu. Since I was young, my father invited great scholars to teach me. Others can't compare to that."

"No, that's not it. You lost your father at a young age but can command a state's military. Although you joined the Prince of Wei, you've become his right-hand man. Whether it's military affairs or managing household matters, you really can do everything and do it better than others. I'm truly proud of you." Huiyin said sincerely.

Li Cheng was pleased, "Thank you for the compliment."

Huiyin knew he was confident, but in front of her, he might seem a bit unpredictable, so he didn’t dare to praise himself. But she genuinely thought he was remarkable. He lived with great integrity and was always true to his heart.

The couple exchanged a glance, and then Li Cheng pulled her into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder. "Those few days when you wouldn’t let me near you, I've been so uncomfortable."

As a couple, Huiyin didn't shy away from these matters and whispered, "Wait until we check into the inn."

Since they were currently disguised as merchants, they couldn't stay at official post stations, but they could still stay at inns. Though inns were often crowded with all sorts of people, they could still rent the best rooms and stay in comfort.

Li Cheng's eyes lit up. "Excellent!"

After entering the city, to avoid drawing attention, Li Cheng had half of their group check into another inn. He, Huiyin, and Jing'er stayed at the Yuelai Inn, west of Qingzhou. They couldn’t book out the entire inn since a few people were already staying there. After settling everyone, the couple took a bath and, exhausted from the journey, fell into a deep sleep together.

The next day, Li Cheng made a list and sent people to prepare some dry rations, but before they returned, the inn was surrounded.

Huiyin, who was getting dressed, frowned. "Could it be that they’ve discovered us? But no, so many merchants entered the city together yesterday, all dressed the same way. How could they single us out?"

"Don’t panic. Get up, keep Jing'er close, and I’ll go take a look. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you," Li Cheng said confidently.

It turned out the inn was surrounded because of a murder—a man and a woman had been found dead.

Li Cheng explained to Huiyin, "Although Lü Wei's men control this area now, the county magistrate here is diligent and cares for the people. He’s well-loved by the locals. He defended the city of Qingzhou, so he treats the people under his care well. It has nothing to do with us."

"Hmm," Huiyin nodded inwardly.

Unfortunately, Magistrate Feng came to investigate the case in person and decided to question everyone staying at the inn. Huiyin, who always stayed calm in crises, comforted the wet nurses and servants, and double-checked their cover story with them.

The dead man was a merchant from the Western Regions, and the woman was a Taoist nun. Their rooms were next to each other, but they were unrelated—the nun was on her way to the Qingfeng Temple in the Jiangnan region, while the merchant from the Western Regions had bought raw silk and tea in Jiangnan and was returning home.

When Magistrate Feng questioned Li Cheng and Huiyin, his eyes lit up. He didn’t expect to find such distinguished individuals here. The man, though only around twenty years old, carried himself with the grace of a high-ranking official. His handsome appearance was striking. His wife, though a merchant’s wife, was stunningly beautiful, not coquettish but with an extraordinary demeanor.

"We are silk merchants from Jiangnan, delivering goods to the capital and accompanying my wife on her homecoming visit. We’re passing through this place and didn’t expect to encounter such a matter. Magistrate Feng, we are on our way to the White Pagoda Temple in the capital and hope to offer incense. Please, grant us passage," Li Cheng said, cupping his hands respectfully.

After Li Cheng finished, he looked at Huiyin. She sighed softly. "We never expected this to happen. My husband, when we reach the White Pagoda Temple in the capital, let’s go offer some incense."

Magistrate Feng shook his head. "It doesn’t seem right. Your demeanor doesn’t quite match that of merchants. Although your travel permits are in order, your bearing suggests otherwise."

Li Cheng was about to explain when Huiyin, quicker on the uptake, spoke first. "If you can see through us, then I’ll explain. My husband and I were betrothed in our mothers' wombs. We come from aristocratic families, but his family fell into ruin because of his family’s financial situation, and he became a merchant. My parents wanted to break off the engagement, but I believe a gentleman should keep his word. How could we abandon him just because of his family’s situation? So, I defied my parents and married him, even though it meant being disowned by my family. Fortunately, my husband has earned some money and revived our family, so now we wish to return home in triumph."

"I see. If you’re from aristocratic families, that makes sense," Magistrate Feng said, though he suspected there was more to their story. Having met countless people, he found Huiyin’s tearful eyes and her tone of having endured hardships convincing. He believed her and even admired her integrity.

But he still had to ask the necessary questions. "What time did you check in? When did you turn off the lights?"

"We arrived at the inn around 3 PM. We wanted to book out the place because we had many people with us, but that wasn’t possible. We ate dinner around sunset and rested around 7 PM. We asked the innkeeper’s boy for water. Because we were so tired from the journey, we fell asleep. We stayed in the Heavenly Room to the east. We know nothing about the incident in the Earth Room. My servants and the innkeeper can vouch for us. They can all testify." Huiyin said calmly.

Magistrate Feng called the innkeeper over, who nodded hurriedly. "These guests are important patrons. We moved all the previous guests to the Earth Rooms because they wanted quiet."

Li Cheng realized Huiyin’s greatest strength was her clear mind and quick thinking. Some people had a certain charm, like Yin Liyi, who was a bit naive but could easily win people over. Then there were people like Princess Wei, who remained calm and steady like a mountain, or Yin Lifang, whose calmness allowed her to resolve issues effortlessly.

But Huiyin had always been patient with him, rarely contradicting him. He had never quite figured her out, but now he saw just how quick-witted she was.

Magistrate Feng might have sensed something unusual, but Huiyin’s teary-eyed expression moved him. They passed the inspection smoothly in Qingzhou.

Once they were outside, Li Cheng couldn’t help but ask, "How did you come up with that story on the spot? It sounded so convincing."

"Of course, from storybooks! Scholars love stories where noble ladies give up everything for them. I noticed that although the magistrate was a military official in charge of catching criminals, he spoke in a refined manner, so I just made up a story," Huiyin said with a mischievous smile.

Li Cheng laughed. "I owe you one, my dear."

Huiyin took his hand. "Actually, I think it’s because we look wealthy. A handsome man and a beautiful woman—most murders are either for love or money. We don’t have a motive for either."

"You clever thing," Li Cheng said, finding himself liking her more and more with each passing day.

Huiyin looked at him. "Just now, I thought you were going to stay behind and help Magistrate Feng."

Li Cheng chuckled. "I’m not the meddling type. Magistrate Feng is handling things well. Why should I interfere?"

"It’s hard to believe that the person who once listened to Yin Liyi complain about sparrows or how a mountain chicken can’t become a phoenix is the same person you are now. Back then, you thought everyone was clumsy. Now, you’re so open-minded, composed, and considerate of others," Huiyin said, gently touching his face.

Li Cheng chuckled softly, "After we got married, you worked so hard to write all those wedding gift lists, and I pointed out issues with each one. Yet you didn't complain at all and were actually very grateful that I helped you solve problems. I realized that if I were in your position, I would have been upset at first. But your attitude made me see my own limited perspective. In fact, capable people need to be even more open to others' opinions. You also taught me how to express myself. You share everything with me, encourage and praise me, and often commend me, which makes me feel comfortable opening up to you."

This was the first time they had such a heart-to-heart conversation as a couple. Though he appeared cold, he was actually very perceptive.

Huiyin leaned in his arms and said, "The first day we entered Qingzhou, we stumbled upon a murder case. Fortunately, this county magistrate is a reasonable person, but I always feel that things won’t be smooth sailing from now on."

"Are you losing heart?" Li Cheng looked at her.

Huiyin shook her head, "No, the greater the challenge, even if we fail, we can learn and grow from it. Otherwise, we'll end up like Ma Kui, who thought he could sit comfortably in Qingzhou, only to have it taken away from him. Through struggle, we truly come to understand our own limitations. So, don't worry, I and our son will stand by you."

The situation was uncertain, and war could break out at any moment. Whether it's today or tomorrow, death is inevitable. Even if we hide in Jianye for a few more years, could we really avoid a catastrophe in the future? If that's the case, it's better for us, as a couple, to spend more time together and for me to give you more confidence.

Li Cheng looked at his wife and smiled, "Don't worry, even if He Guoguo and Lü Wei's men really catch me, they won't be able to do anything to me. He Guoguo is waiting for everyone to join forces to defeat Lü Wei. Lü Wei surely knows this and, of course, needs to win him over."

But his wife was fearless, and she had indeed proven with her actions that she would never be a burden. Instead, she was clever and smart. It would be a waste for such a woman to stay confined within the inner chambers. She should step out and use her intelligence and wit to make a difference.