Chapter 53

Chapter 53

◎Second Update◎

After Huiyin and Li Cheng left Jianye, Grand Dowager Wu moved in with Wei Imperial Consort again. Prince Wei was indeed respectful toward both imperial consorts, which greatly satisfied Grand Dowager Wu. Life in the Huaiyin Mansion had not been easy. Most of the household fawned over Princess Zheng, and her grandson hardly ever listened to anyone but her. She had felt utterly powerless.

Now, Grand Dowager Wu felt like she was truly alive again. Early in the morning, Consorts Yin and Xu had personally prepared meals, and Princess Wei served her soup. This was the kind of treatment the grand dowager had longed for.

"Old sister, Jing'er's mother is good at making fish slices, and Zhi'er's mother excels at making pastries. They may not be as skilled as the chefs, but it's still their heartfelt effort," Wei Imperial Consort said tactfully.

Grand Dowager Wu felt even more self-pity. Her son wasn’t close to her, and her grandson was drifting away. She failed to notice that Wei Imperial Consort was very kind to the two secondary consorts and even quite considerate to Princess Wei.

After Consort Yin served the two imperial consorts, she left with Princess Wei and the others. Usually, they would stay to chat, but with Grand Dowager Wu there, it seemed the two old sisters had much to discuss, so they excused themselves.

Normally, Consort Yin would sit with Princess Wei for a while, but lately, she hadn’t. The Prince of Huaiyin had refused to take the Huo family’s daughter as a concubine, which embarrassed the Huo family. Princess Wei was feeling uneasy, so it wasn’t appropriate for her to visit.

Back in her own courtyard, she picked up her needlework when she heard that her younger sister, Yin Liyi, had come to visit. She quickly had tea and snacks prepared, knowing what her sister would say.

As expected, Yin Liyi entered and said with a smile, "I heard the Huo girl didn’t marry into the Huaiyin Mansion. That’s wonderful."

Consort Yin was speechless. "How can you say that? The Huo family is furious. But they are subjects, and the Little Prince has a noble status, so they can’t say anything. Behind his back, they say Princess Zheng is jealous."

"They aren’t wrong. Princess Zheng did use underhanded tactics against Xun Rou, a young lady. Sis, I know you never speak ill of others, but virtue is a woman’s most important asset. To use thugs to ruin someone’s chastity—if someone did that to my daughter, it would destroy her life. Karma will catch up with her eventually."

Consort Yin wondered if her sister was truly upset about this incident. She didn’t think so. It was more about how they had grown up and lost the bond they once had. When they were young, her sister had been the liveliest, with all the boys surrounding her. Consort Wu had been very kind to them, but those days were long gone.

Looking at her sister, she said, "You’ve come all this way. Let’s not talk about these things."

Yin Liyi was taken aback and looked at Consort Yin in confusion. "Sis, aren’t you jealous? The Little Prince refused to take a concubine because of her?"

"What are you talking about?" Consort Yin had found it incredible when she first heard. In a time when taking concubines was as common as drinking water, it would have been beneficial for Li Cheng to take the talented and beautiful Huo girl. But later, she realized how naive she had been. The Huo family was Princess Wei’s natal family, and Prince Wei had been urging Li Cheng to bring the Huo girl to Xuzhou. Was there an intention to monitor him?

She couldn’t share these thoughts with her sister, who wasn’t good at keeping secrets.

So, she sternly warned Yin Liyi, "Mind your own business. Don’t always think about the Little Prince. Don’t you worry about your husband getting jealous?"

"Sis, I was just kidding. Don’t be mad. By the way, the eldest princess is marrying into the Wei family. Although the wedding is in a few years, my husband said it’s good for you." Yin Liyi still cared about her nephew’s status.

According to the rules, the eldest legitimate son should be the heir. Li Jing was the rightful heir, but Prince Wei was indecisive, which was frustrating.

Consort Yin smiled. "It’s fine. If the prince tries to bypass Jing to make Zhi the heir, there will be great resistance. The officials in Jiangnan won’t allow it, and he can’t do anything about it."

With the patriarchal system on her side and her son-in-law and the Little Prince supporting her, seeing Xu Consort flattering Princess Zheng was pointless. It was clear the one who truly made decisions in the Huaiyin Mansion was still the Little Prince.

Yin Liyi was completely relieved. A month later, she saw Princess Wei preparing rich silk and jewelry to send to Xuzhou. The relationship between Prince Wei and Prince Huaiyin was still strong. Now that Zheng Fang had made a blunder by trying to seize Qingzhou, the Zheng family and the Little Prince were on the verge of a fallout—exactly what Prince Wei needed to get Qingzhou back.

To be honest, Huiyin also found this situation perplexing. She had been in Jianye for so long without any issues, but as soon as she arrived in Xuzhou, Qingzhou was in urgent danger.

She held her belly and asked Li Cheng, "I always find this matter difficult to understand. I know my father’s character; he wouldn’t dare to use force lightly, knowing your strength. As the saying goes, military force is an inauspicious tool, only to be used when there is no other choice. He isn’t insane."

Was her father being arrogant? Huiyin didn’t think so. She needed to find out.

Li Cheng thought the same. "When I was younger, I would have just attacked anyone. But now, I want to investigate. Your father suddenly taking control of so many troops—these people may not be loyal, and they might be deliberately causing trouble."

"Yes, as long as you have a plan," Huiyin agreed.

If Huiyin had appealed to Li Cheng based on their family ties, saying, 'That’s my father, don’t attack him,' he might not have listened. But by analyzing the situation and pointing out that Zheng Fang was already overwhelmed and fighting on two fronts, which was highly impractical, Li Cheng could listen and find it reasonable.

Life was truly unpredictable. She had been in Jianye for so long without any incidents, but as soon as she arrived in Xuzhou, Qingzhou was in danger.

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, since you are so understanding and have my best interests at heart, I will definitely not let you down."

"This is our private conversation, but you should still focus on the bigger picture. I will also write to my brother to inquire about the true situation." Huiyin understood clearly that her status depended on Li Cheng.

Even if her father were to become emperor, at most she would be a princess, and her children would still take their father's surname. She would remain an outsider with no power. But if she were to become empress, or even Empress Dowager, she would be the highest-ranking person.

Before, she didn't know what Li Cheng was thinking, but now she was increasingly certain. Of course, she needed to stand by his side.

After they had discussed it, Li Cheng ordered the soldiers guarding Jiahui Pass to remain restrained and only defend.

This move greatly displeased the Prince of Wei. In his opinion, regardless of whether Zheng Fang was sincere or not about fighting, they should strike while he was vulnerable. What was Li Cheng doing?

Xie Jiuyi lowered his eyes and said, "Perhaps the Little Prince finds this matter very strange and wants to investigate. After all, the Zheng family is related to him by marriage."

As a friend, this shouldn't be said, but as an adviser, it was necessary to speak up. From a man's perspective, he could understand that the Zheng family was the natal family of the young princess. However, from the Jiangnan standpoint, if he had the strength, he should aim to expand into Jizhou.

The Prince of Wei was very satisfied with Xie Jiuyi. "You're right. I believe Zheng Fang isn't the type, but he is too sentimental."

"How about this, you go to Xuzhou personally and persuade him to attack directly."

However, Xie Jiuyi shook his head. "My lord, I still need to guard Bohai. I failed there before in Qingzhou. If I go, Yunzhi might think I'm acting out of a desire for revenge."

The Prince of Wei then suddenly thought of someone.

**

The weather was starting to get hot. After dinner, Jing'er and Huiyin had a meal together. Li Cheng took his son for a long walk in the garden and came back.

"After taking your son for a walk to help him digest, he's already hungry again," Li Cheng said with a helpless smile.

Huiyin smiled. "Luckily, I have a small pastry prepared for myself to eat at night. I'll give it to him instead."

Jing'er took it and started eating. While he ate politely, Huiyin noticed the rough skin around his nails and said to Li Cheng, "Your son is very strong. I saw him playing with those small toys. I couldn't even put them together, but he just pressed them together with his hands."

The couple often referred to Jing'er as "your son" when talking to each other.

Li Cheng wasn't particularly concerned about the border skirmish at Jiahui Pass. In his view, it was clear that Pei Shuo had intentions to defect to his side. Zheng Fang was easily influenced, and if he were to rise in power, perhaps he could persuade his father-in-law to defect to him. Otherwise, both Qing and Xu states were already under his personal control. Last time, Xie Jiuyi led the Prince of Wei's troops. Now, asking his men to confront his own father-in-law was not something Li Cheng was ready to do.

Moreover, if Zheng Fang were to suffer a defeat in Xiliang, he might not have the strength to fight again. If he chose to defect, that would be even more advantageous.

Rushing into war would only cause trouble for him.

However, Li Cheng still needed to closely monitor the situation. So, he went to his study, only to find Hua Gan, a trusted confidant of the Prince of Wei, visiting. Of course, Hua Gan was there to urge Li Cheng to send his troops immediately.

Li Cheng said, "Currently, it's just a small skirmish at Jiahui Pass and not a situation where we need to be on high alert. Please tell the prince that the situation at Jiahui Pass has already stabilized. I have sent a letter to Zheng Fang in Jizhou to ask if it was his order or if it was the subordinates acting on their own. This place was originally under the Lü family's control. Perhaps he is trying to sow discord between the two sides. Please ask the prince to wait a little longer."

Hua Gan thought to himself that, as expected, he couldn't persuade Li Cheng. Fortunately, he had brought someone else. With a clap of his hands, a person in black wearing a hood entered, and Li Cheng looked up.

It was none other than her!