Chapter 52

Chapter 52

◎First Watch◎

Several large ships sailed smoothly on the river. In the early morning, a morning mist rose, seemingly blocking the rising sun. Looking out through the window, the rolling river flowed away with the waves. Huiyin had boarded the ship before dawn, and now her neck and back ached. She turned to Li Cheng and said, "I don't know why you're in such a hurry?"

"I'll be relieved if we return early," Li Cheng said happily.

"Relieved about what? My neck is very sore," Huiyin sighed in frustration. In one night, he had personally overseen the packing, even waking Jing'er who was still in dreamland.

Li Cheng obediently said, "Let me give you a massage."

"Don't use too much force," Huiyin said, rubbing her neck.

It was comforting to have someone give a massage. She always felt like she had been given a new life since leaving Jianye. Li Cheng couldn't resist kissing her unpowdered face, feeling blissful even when Huiyin glared at him.

Being able to be with her husband and son alone made Huiyin very happy, though the connections she had built in Jianye would likely be severed. But she didn't regret it too much. Life was about gaining and losing. If one were too greedy, even the heavens would become jealous.

"The web of my hand, I need a massage there," Huiyin said, extending her hand to Li Cheng.

Without a word, Li Cheng rubbed the web of her hand. Huiyin smiled as she gently touched his face.

This time, Li Cheng also suggested that Grand Dowager Wu come along, but she preferred to stay with Wei Imperial Consort, so Li Cheng didn't insist. He didn't know what changes awaited them in Xuzhou, but for now, she was very happy.

While she was living comfortably, Deyin wasn't faring as well. She could sense that Li Heng was becoming increasingly cold towards her, and she didn't even know why.

Elder Madame Xu had submitted her token, but without a summons from the palace, she couldn't enter freely. Madame Ji certainly wouldn't go out of her way for Deyin, the Crown Princess. In her view, the Da Ye dynasty's court was already showing signs of decline, and the throne might change hands in the future. There was no need to deal with the Empress.

Deyin was happy that her father's position had been elevated, but her own status remained unchanged.

"Lianzhi, what's wrong? Didn't I ask you to send a box of pastries to the Crown Princess?" Deyin said, not wanting to kick a person when they're down, still maintaining a respectful facade towards Crown Princess Lu Xiao.

Lianzhi replied, "You mean well, but the Crown Prince has forbidden anyone from sending things into the Crown Princess's palace. The servant has no way around it."

Deyin frowned in confusion. "Are all the members of the Lu family dead? Why would the Crown Prince imprison the Crown Princess? They should have just exiled her to a cold palace. After all, the Crown Princess hasn't done anything wrong. She's just a simple person."

"If you don't understand, how could I possibly know?" Lianzhi said with a smile.

Deyin sighed and rubbed her stomach. "You know, when I was at my parents' home, my health was much better than my second sister's. But after getting married, my menstruation became irregular. It's been over three years since the marriage, and my belly is still empty."

"This servant doesn't understand big principles, but there's a saying that good things come to those who wait. Perhaps when you become the Crown Princess and give birth to a child, that will be real good fortune."

These words were very comforting to Deyin, and she quickly had Lianzhi and Yunzhi distribute the pastries. She, too, perked up again.

But just as Deyin's pastries weren't delivered, Empress He sent something over. Empress He could not tolerate the idea of the Lu family's daughter remaining in the position of Crown Princess. Since Li Heng couldn't bring himself to act decisively, she took matters into her own hands.

The bowl of poisonous soup was delivered, but Li Heng's people disposed of it.

Li Heng thought this situation couldn't continue. His original intention was to protect Lu Xiao, but keeping her as Crown Princess only invited further danger. He decisively requested the next day to depose the Crown Princess and move Lu Xiao to a separate palace.

Lu Xiao had originally been waiting for news of her family's safety, but what she got instead was the news of her deposition. In a neglected palace where fallen nobles are confined, a tiger that has fallen to a plain is bullied by dogs. Although some guards protected her by Li Heng's orders, Empress He also sent word to Lu Xiao that all her family members were dead.

Only then did Lu Xiao realize that everything had been a lie. He hadn't spared her family; he had killed them all.

It was so tragic. How could someone who claimed to love her still have the audacity to speak of affection after destroying her entire family?

Lu Xiao felt as though life had lost all meaning. She had always been the type to feel uncomfortable for half a day if pricked by a needle while sewing, but now, she felt that death was the only way out. Li Heng already had a virtuous woman by his side. Zheng Deyin had never mocked her during her lowest moments and was favored by Li Heng, unlike her useless self.

The next day, when De Yin awoke, she learned that Lu Xiao had passed away.

"She reportedly ingested gold and died in excruciating pain," Lianzhi reported. "The Empress ordered a hasty burial, but the Crown Prince personally went to the cold palace."

"The Crown Prince?" Indeed, the Crown Prince was a man who valued emotions deeply. Even though he had ordered the massacre of the Lu family, he did not take out his anger on a helpless woman.

However, Li Heng appeared to be in a frenzy as he held Lu Xiao's body. He truly did not expect that she would hang herself. She was such a naive and lovely woman who seemed unbeatable by any difficulties. He had anticipated that others might harm her, but he never imagined she would take her own life.

He had even planned to release her once he became emperor, rather than letting her remain confined in the cold palace indefinitely. With the Emperor's health declining and the He family losing influence, it was only a matter of time before he inherited the throne. Everything would be under his control then.

"Crown Prince, Zheng Taifu has arrived," the guards reminded him.

Li Heng returned to his senses. Ever since Lu Wei's death, Zheng Fang had been appointed as Taifu. Li Heng and Zheng Fang maintained a facade of harmony but were at odds in their hearts. Li Heng often stirred up trouble by provoking conflicts among the subordinates of the He and Lu families, deliberately keeping Zheng Fang busy. Zheng Fang underestimated him, considering him merely a puppet crown prince. However, though Li Heng despised Zheng Fang, he knew this arrogant and unpredictable man would ultimately fall into his trap.

For the moment, Li Heng put on a smile and exchanged polite words with Zheng Fang. Zheng Fang was about to request the court to promote some of his subordinates, and Li Heng agreed to everything. After all, with the Emperor's weakened condition, it was the Crown Prince who handled all the affairs and personnel arrangements in the palace.

Zheng Fang left feeling relieved, though he was also somewhat worn out. As the saying goes, one should wear a hat that fits their head. His position was still unstable, and he needed to transfer people from Jizhou. Fortunately, his son-in-law was nearby, which gave him some peace of mind. Otherwise, if he had to transfer troops from Jizhou, the Prince of Wei from Qingzhou might advance north, as everyone knew the Prince of Wei had ambitions and had previously seized Qingzhou.

If the Prince of Wei advanced north, Zheng Fang feared there might be a conflict even with his son-in-law.

Therefore, he had to consolidate his position first.

**

On the other side, upon arriving in Xuzhou, Huiyin felt a greater sense of familiarity compared to when she was in Jianye. The place was more spacious, and there were no troublesome matters or difficult people. If not for her growing belly, she would have rolled on the bed. Without thinking, she told Li Cheng about it.

Li Cheng pointed at Jing'er and said, "You say who your son takes after, I think he looks most like you. Look how freely he rolls around."

"Nonsense," Huiyin sat on the edge of the bed, fearing her son might fall off.

Sitting together as a family of three, Li Cheng felt particularly secure, without the constant worry of danger. Holding Huiyin's hand, he began discussing court matters. "The Crown Prince ordered the extermination of the Lu family. Lu's son had planned a rebellion but was caught by your father. The Crown Prince is truly ruthless; they say he didn't even spare newborn infants."

"If the grass is not uprooted, it will grow again with the spring breeze. But with the Crown Prince's ruthlessness, what about the Crown Princess?" Huiyin sighed. In her previous life and now, the Lu family met the same fate.

Li Cheng shook his head. "I don't know about that, but I think with the Lu family gone, good days are ahead for your sister."

Huiyin didn't believe it. "The Crown Prince harbors deep hatred for the Lu family. Could he not have resentment towards our Zheng family? As the Crown Prince, he desires the world, but your father's troops have been earned through years of battle and won't be easily handed over."

"You're right. I won't touch Qingzhou for now. But I can't guarantee the future," Li Cheng was honest. Everyone served their master, and there was nothing to be done about it.

While most women would urge their husbands to protect their natal families, Huiyin had a different perspective. She said, "You should do what you need to do. Mercy on the battlefield is cruelty to oneself."

In her previous life, her brothers and younger brother followed Li Heng. This time, she had always advised the Zheng family to protect themselves and had not asked them to do anything so far. By now, her father was probably feeling very arrogant and wouldn't listen to her anyway. Moreover, Li Cheng didn't yet have the ambition or power to challenge the Prince of Wei, who still loomed over them.

Holding her hand, Li Cheng said, "You are so wise; I don't know what to say."

"Don't think too much. For now, I need to focus on my pregnancy. Isn't it strange? When we're apart, there are so many things to talk about, but when we're together, I just feel so at ease that I want to sleep." Huiyin stretched lazily.

Li Cheng always found Huiyin very expressive, able to make even small things like sleeping sound interesting. He knew it sounded like imitating Dong Shi, but he still said, "The last time I returned to Jianye and was by your side, I also felt extremely sleepy and didn't know why."

Huiyin smiled. "I remember now; you slept so soundly. It's strange. Now that I think about it, I also slept soundly by your side. The reason must be that we are people who can entrust our lives to each other, so we can only sleep soundly next to each other without worrying about anything."

Seeing Li Cheng nod in agreement, Huiyin thought to herself, 'This man might be sold out by me and still help me count the money!'