Chapter 49

Chapter 49

◎Merged Chapters◎

After the expansion of territory, Li Cheng had already stationed Yuwen Dang to guard Qingzhou, while Zheng Fang sent his stepson, Pei Shuo, to occupy the area north of Jiahui Pass. The two families, bound by marriage, coexisted peacefully without losing a single soldier. Huiyin was pleased for both her family and Li Cheng, knowing they had gained this land without a single battle.

Although there might be differences of opinion in the future that could lead to conflicts or even war, it didn't hinder her good mood at the moment.

Even if Li Cheng were to be unfaithful someday, that wouldn't change how much they loved each other now. If people only worried about the future and lost the joy of the present, it would be too pessimistic.

Li Cheng was also worried about leaving his wife and children in Jianye, fearing they might be taken hostage. So he discussed with Huiyin, "Perhaps I should take you back to Xuzhou. Although Xuzhou isn't as wealthy as Jianye, it's within my control."

"My lord, I truly want to return to Xuzhou with you, but I'm afraid of alerting our enemies prematurely. Now that you've taken control of Qing and Xu provinces, the Prince of Wei might see you as a threat. Even if I and Jinger go with you, what about your grandmother? She can't come with us, and staying here might put her at risk." Huiyin wanted to go but feared it might be too much, especially since Li Cheng hadn't fallen out with the Prince of Wei yet. In fact, on the surface, the Prince of Wei seemed quite supportive of him.

Li Cheng was startled and said, "It would have been better if you and our son hadn't come to Jianye back then."

Huiyin smiled and said, "Things were different then, and they're different now. I know you do everything for our family, but if something happens to you, how will we survive?"

"My wise wife, you are truly understanding. Alas, I will have to travel frequently between the two places in the future, which will be hard on you." Li Cheng took Huiyin's hand and said.

Huiyin shook her head, "Why should we say more? The Prince of Wei is hosting a banquet tonight, and we must attend. Let's not be late."

Li Cheng wondered whether this banquet would turn out to be a good one. In the past, he kept such thoughts hidden in his heart and didn't dare reveal them even to his subordinates, but now he spoke honestly to Huiyin.

Huiyin comforted him, "If you want to return to the uncle-nephew relationship, you would have to remain a servant without desires forever. But on the other hand, if you did that, who among your subordinates would follow you? Who would truly be loyal to you?"

When a person reaches a certain status, if they are unwilling to act, their subordinates will work hard for them but won't receive any benefits, which can easily lead to rebellion.

Even when I dealt with the troublesome servants in the Prince's mansion, I had to give extra monthly payments to keep the others calm.

"I think the same. Last time, the Prince of Wei bypassed me and sent Xie Jiuyi to attack Qingzhou, but he lost. Now, I've taken it without a fight, and my troops will be stationed there. If it were someone else, the Jizhou army might have been snatched away." Li Cheng didn't consider his father-in-law to be a man of his word.

However, now that Lü Wei and He Guoguo were finished, and the emperor's days were numbered, the crown prince was just a figurehead, and the future was still uncertain.

Zheng Fang had ambitions but lacked ability and strategy. The Zheng family's Jizhou army appeared strong but was actually rotten and demoralized inside.

But if these words were spoken, it would hurt his wife's dignity.

Huiyin actually knew in her heart that this was why Lü Wei didn't want to deal a fatal blow to Zheng Fang. Personally, Zheng Fang's martial prowess was unmatched, but his military discipline was lax, and his troops were disheartened. Zheng Fang listened to one thing today and another tomorrow.

Leaving that aside, Huiyin said to Li Cheng, "By the way, I have something else to tell you. Xu Cifei sent me a generous gift, and the other day when I went to pay my respects to Wei Imperial Consort Princess, she seemed to be waiting for me on purpose. What do you think this means?"

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Don't worry about it. It's just about the heir position. Last time, Li Jing accidentally fell into a well, and it was probably her doing. Now that the Prince of Wei has another son, Xu Cifei must be the most anxious to have her son confirmed as the heir."

When people are anxious, they tend to be cautious.

Huiyin snorted coldly, "The Prince of Wei is still so young. What is she in such a hurry for? The future is still uncertain. Instead of this, she should urge her son to study and practice martial arts diligently. That way, even if power slips away, it can be easily regained. Even a commoner with a skill can live without worry."

Harming a child is no way to show strength. If she has the guts, she should go after the adults.

Either the Prince of Wei should decide to make her son the heir, or she should aim to become the Princess herself.

This perspective amused Li Cheng, "Since you already know, I won't say more."

He thought the Prince's mansion would not be peaceful either. Xu Cifei was becoming restless, and Wei Princess and Yin Lifang were not to be trifled with, not to mention the Prince of Wei's new favorite.

While the Prince's mansion was dealing with its own unrest, the Eastern Palace was undergoing significant changes. Lü Xiao was confined to her quarters by Empress He. Zheng Fang wasn't content to let his daughter remain just a Liangdi. When Lü Wei was alive, he had let it go, but now that Lü Wei was gone, how could he allow the Lü family to continue lording over the Zheng family?

The crown prince truly hated Lü Wei. He resented how Lü Wei had treated him like a puppet for years, constantly overstepping his bounds and disregarding his dignity. But at the same time, he also hated the Zheng family. During the Bingchen uprising, Zheng Fang, who was a Tiger Guard General at the time, was supposed to protect Xi Fei, but when the Rouran invaded, he fled with his men, leading to Xi Fei's suicide after being dishonored by the Rouran army.

For some reason, he found himself at Lady Lu Xiao's palace. Usually, he sneaked there late at night. As a child, he hadn’t been favored, but Lu Xiao, the daughter of Lu Wei, always had a bright, spring-like smile and had been the first to share pastries with him.

When Lu Xiao’s father passed away, she couldn’t observe the mourning rites, and her family was completely purged. There was nothing she could do.

Thanks to Grape’s reminder, she realized Li Heng had arrived, and a glimmer of hope sparked within her. "Crown Prince, I beg you, please let my family live. They are innocent."

Lu Xiao’s biggest worry had once been the strict rules of being Crown Princess. Other than that, she had no friends. However, the provisions in the Eastern Palace were sufficient, and when she ran out of money, her father and brothers would give her more. But now, everything had changed.

Prince Li Heng helped her to her feet. "Don’t kneel. Your father committed a capital crime. He hid a dragon robe—a crime too severe to pardon."

"I don’t dare to plead for my father, but my brother is innocent," Lu Xiao kowtowed and pleaded.

Mentioning her brother only fueled his anger, but he held it in because he still cared for Lu Xiao. With effort, he managed a smile. "Alright, I promise you."

Seeing Lu Xiao’s joy, Li Heng signaled Grape and helped her up. "There are some things even I can’t control."

Lu Xiao didn’t know her backing was gone and her status was shaky. She was just happy that Li Heng had saved her family. After comforting her, Li Heng arranged for his people to protect Lu Xiao once he left. Lu Xiao was innocent and naive, and now that Lü Wei was gone, many were ready to strike at her.

After leaving Lu Xiao, he went to Zheng Deyin. In truth, he didn’t like coming there, but he had no choice. Zheng Fang had now taken over parts of Lu and He’s troops, becoming even stronger. He still needed to win over the Zheng family.

De Yin seemed pleased. Elder Madame Xu had visited and mentioned that, with the Zheng family’s growing influence, her father intended to ask the Crown Prince to depose Lu Xiao and appoint De Yin as the new Crown Princess.

But she couldn’t appear too eager and only mentioned other things. "My father has brought in some fresh dried fruits. Please try them, Crown Prince."

Mentioning Zheng Fang made Li Heng hate this coward who betrayed him even more.

For now, he had to swallow his anger. "No need. I just finished eating. I came to inform you that I’m busy lately and need to nap in the study."

De Yin was startled for a moment but immediately became docile. "Yes."

Grandmother was right. The more she wanted to become Crown Princess, the more composed she needed to remain. Looking at Huiyin, a county princess, she appeared radiant because she was the principal wife and mistress of the household. No matter how favored a Liangdi like herself was, there was still the Crown Princess above.

Li Heng had already seen the determination in De Yin’s eyes, and his face darkened. He would never let the Zheng family succeed, or else it would be another Lü Wei. No, Zheng Fang, once in power, might be even more arrogant.

At that moment, Huiyin also noticed Xu Cifei’s determination. She sat at the Wei King’s family banquet, where wine cups clinked and elegant figures mingled. Li Cheng was in the center, drunk and dancing with a sword, receiving applause from all sides.

Xu Cifei didn’t watch like the others but personally poured wine for Huiyin, saying with a bright smile, "This is Gaochang’s grape wine. I always like to warm it before drinking. Young Princess, please try."

Surprised by the gesture, Huiyin quickly protested, "Why would you pour wine for me? Let the servants handle it."

The more Huiyin dared not accept, the more attentive Xu Cifei became. "I’ve wanted to befriend Young Princess for a long time but was afraid you might disdain my status and dared not approach."

Her humble demeanor likely masked a significant request.

"Lady Xu is too polite. You are my elder. How could I dare to disdain?" Huiyin wasn’t foolish and wouldn’t let Xu Cifei get too close, or else outsiders might find it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood regarding their relationship.

Seeing that Huiyin didn’t drink and only watched the sword dance, appearing quite distant, Xu Cifei left disappointed. After she left, Huiyin picked up a piece of candied litchi and put it in her mouth. Though it wasn’t in season, it was still delicious.

Li Cheng was already dancing with such grace and vigor, moving like a dragon soaring through the air. Huiyin had never seen him so spirited and couldn’t help but smile at him. Sensing her gaze, Li Cheng turned and used his sword to offer her a cup of wine.

Everyone cheered, and even the Prince of Wei was intrigued. Huiyin accepted the wine and drank it in one gulp. Li Heng finished with a flourish of his sword, knelt before the Prince of Wei, and said, "Nephew won’t be in Jianye for the New Year. I ask Uncle to take care of my wife and children."

The Prince of Wei raised his cup and praised him.

After sitting down, a Hu dancer began a Hu spinning dance. Li Heng whispered to Huiyin, "When I’m not home, are you afraid?"

He actually wanted to keep his family close, where he could see them, to feel at ease. But his wife was right. Even if they all went, the Empress Dowager would still be in Jianye. If the Empress Dowager went too, it would be too obvious that she was being threatened, and he would still be controlled. It was better to create an illusion.

Huiyin frowned. "You know I’m not afraid during the day, but I’m scared sleeping alone at night."

"There are no ghosts in this world, don't be afraid," Li Cheng gently comforted her.

Huiyin whined, "I'm not afraid of ghosts. I'm afraid of people. When you're not at home, I always feel a cold wind at night. The mansion is so big, and I'm all alone. It scares me."

Li Cheng was speechless. "Then I guess you should come with me..."

"No." On this point, Huiyin was firm.

As the couple spoke, although outsiders didn't know what they were saying, from their expressions, it was clear that Li Cheng was coaxing Huiyin. Yin Liyi sat next to Yin Lifang and couldn't help interjecting, "Zheng Fang of Jizhou now occupies the area north of Jiahui Pass, and the western capital has also sent troops. His momentum is vast; no wonder even the Prince has to show her some deference."

Seeing her sister like this, Yin Lifang couldn't help but say, "What's gotten into you? Why do you care so much about the Zheng family? Whether they are good or bad has nothing to do with us. Now that you are Lady Xie, although your mother-in-law is in charge of the household and you don't have to worry about it, you can't be a shirker forever."

In Yin Lifang's opinion, the Prince of Wei might not necessarily like the Princess of Wei, but in certain situations, they still had to act like a loving couple. Isn't that the nature of marriage among the upper class? The relationship between husband and wife isn't based on love but on interests.

The Prince of Wei could easily subdue Jiangnan, and the Huo family deserved some credit for that.

Reminded by her sister, Yin Liyi suddenly realized, "Cough, this really has nothing to do with me. You're right, sister."

Yin Liyi wore her emotions on her sleeve, and Yin Lifang thought that was why Xie Jiuyi liked her—because she was like a blank sheet of paper. But while it might seem cute when one was young, as one grew older, being so transparent would make people see her as a fool.

"Don't worry. In the future, no matter what happens, don't act impulsively," Yin Lifang said gently.

Yin Liyi nodded. "Rest assured, sister."

After a pause, she hesitated but still reminded her sister, "I see that Lady Xu is trying very hard to please that Zheng woman. It's probably because of the heir apparent. Sister, what should we do?"

Last time, although there was no evidence, everyone knew that it was definitely Lady Xu who did it. She didn’t avenge her nephew and allowed the enemy to run free, which was truly infuriating.

Yin Lifang glanced at her sister. "Don't worry, the Prince won't listen to her."

"Why?" Yin Liyi felt that men could change their hearts easily. Since Zheng was charming and lovely, even if the Prince had some genuine feelings for her sister, he might still be tempted.

Yin Lifang smiled, "Just trust me on this."

After enjoying the Hu Xuan Dance, it was time for the Lotus Picking Dance from Jiangnan. Huiyin felt a bit tired and a little warm, wanting to go out for some fresh air, so she told Li Cheng.

Li Cheng looked at her, "Make sure you come back soon."

"Okay." Her forehead was already dripping with sweat. As she went out, a cold breeze hit her, and she felt refreshed.

Wondering why she felt so warm today, perhaps she had worn too many clothes, Huiyin saw a stone bench and decided to sit down for a rest. It was close to the entrance and safe, and the wind wasn't too strong here.

As soon as she sat down, a round-faced maidservant approached her. "Little Princess, would you like me to bring some fruits and wine for you?"

"No need, I'll go back in a moment," Huiyin smiled.

Seeing how enthusiastic the maidservant was, Huiyin couldn't help but ask, "Did the Princess send you to attend to me?"

She shook her head, "No, it's because when the Prince was in charge of the Prince of Wei's Mansion, my father was in debt, and my mother was ill. The Prince gave us twenty taels of silver, which helped my family get back on their feet. Now both my parents are doing well, and I've become a senior maid here. My whole family is grateful to the Prince."

"That’s interesting. What was the Prince like back then?" Huiyin asked.

The round-faced maidservant smiled, "The Prince was quite young then. At first, the people in the mansion didn't respect him, but he managed to handle every task assigned by our Prince beautifully, proving them wrong. We all say that among men, the Prince was top-notch, and among women, Yin Cifei was the best."

"Yin Cifei is now the Yin Cifei, right?" Huiyin noticed.

The round-faced maidservant nodded, "Yes, that's her."

Feeling that her answer might not have been adequate, she shifted to another topic.

Inside the hall, Consort Xu entered with a pot of warm wine. By this time, the performance had ended, and Prince of Wei was discussing ancient and modern matters with Li Cheng, Xie Jiuyi, and others.

Prince of Wei, an accomplished artist, had a painting brought out for everyone to admire. He said to the group, "They say you can see different things depending on how you look at this painting. Come and take a look."

To Li Cheng's eye, what he saw was a horse, and he remarked with a smile, "This horse is as good as my Dawan steed..."

Xie Jiuyi, however, said, "How come it looks like a carriage from where I'm standing?"

Prince of Wei laughed heartily, "You see a horse and a carriage, but from where I stand, I see a beautiful woman."

"Uncle, are you daydreaming about another woman?" Li Cheng joked on purpose.

Prince of Wei pointed at Li Cheng, "You really don't hold back, do you?"

Princess Wei, feigning jealousy, added, "My Lord, what beautiful woman are you hiding?"

"I just made a comment about the painting, and now you're all suspicious of me?" Prince of Wei said with a laugh, appearing carefree.

In truth, Prince of Wei could have any woman he wanted, so Princess Wei wasn't really jealous. Her real concern was whether she could still bear a child. She was still taking conception medicine, hoping that Prince of Wei would visit her more often.

"What I meant is that we all stand at different angles, seeing different things. The painting itself is not at fault."

Prince of Wei's words carried deep meaning. Li Cheng understood. Prince of Wei was implying that from Li Cheng's perspective, Xuzhou was conquered by him, and Qingzhou to the south was obtained through strategy. It was understandable that Li Cheng didn't want to share it with others, but Prince of Wei had his own stance. There were things he didn't want to do but had to.

This was exactly why Li Cheng had defected to Prince of Wei. This uncle was calm, far-sighted, and ambitious. If others knew of his ambitions, they would likely try to eliminate him. Yet, Prince of Wei was willing to maintain a superficial peace because he needed Li Cheng, and Li Cheng couldn't completely break away from him yet.

But Li Cheng couldn't respond immediately; that would be too obvious.

Xie Jiuyi also understood. He was surprised that Prince of Wei valued Li Cheng so much. It was clear that Prince of Wei was someone worthy of support. Pushing Li Cheng to rebel now would be unwise.

Li Cheng had already indicated his loyalty by leaving his family in Jianye. He was the only person under Prince of Wei who was both literate and martial.

At that moment, Huiyin entered. Seeing the subtle atmosphere, she didn't know what was happening but smiled and said, "I didn't expect such a cold night to have a bright moon."

Everyone began composing poems inspired by the moon. Xu Cifei even had moon cakes brought out. The moon cakes, filled with vegetables and meat, were surprisingly delicious. Prince of Wei clearly preferred savory, as he ate two moon cakes and left the sweet desserts untouched.

Recalling her visits to Princess Wei, who preferred sweets and rarely had such simple food, Huiyin realized that Xu Cifei's favor wasn't just by chance.

Li Cheng noticed Huiyin enjoying a moon cake and a tangerine, and couldn't resist teasing her, "You have a good appetite tonight?"

"I ate less in the evening, hoping to lose some weight, but after sitting for so long, I got hungry. The aroma of the moon cakes was too tempting," Huiyin wrinkled her nose.

Li Cheng laughed heartily but managed to contain himself in the formal setting.

Xu Cifei kept moving around, and hearing Huiyin's comment, she felt relieved. It wasn't in vain that she had people deliberately mention Li Cheng and Yin Lifang's past in front of Huiyin. Last time, Li Cheng had saved Li Jing. Without him, Li Jing would have died, and her son would have been the heir.

Princess Zheng was still young. A little provocation, and even if Li Cheng supported Yin Lifang, Princess Zheng wouldn't agree.

But as soon as they got into the carriage, Huiyin asked Li Cheng, "Did you once save a round-faced maid named Guo, giving her father money to repay debts and her mother money for medical treatment?"

Li Cheng, having a good memory, said, "There seems to be such a thing, why?"

"Why? That person turns kindness into enmity?" Huiyin snorted.

Li Cheng looked at her, "What are you talking about?"

"While I was outside getting some air, I met a senior maid who talked about how you helped their family and casually mentioned your past with Yin Lifang, trying to provoke my anger. Luckily, I'm composed enough and, having no secrets with you, didn't believe these nonsense." Huiyin was dismissive of such petty tactics.

Li Cheng held Huiyin, knowing who was behind the trick. "You say their methods aren't sophisticated, so why do they like doing this?"

Huiyin shook her head, "If we weren't so open with each other, these tactics could create a rift. If I lost my temper, it could drive us apart."

The key was that they had no secrets from each other and were very honest, which prevented anyone from sowing discord. If they were a couple filled with suspicion, it would be a different story.

Li Cheng felt incredibly fortunate to have married Huiyin.