Chapter 55

Chapter 55

◎Second Watch◎

It was Lady Xue who brought it up, and only then did Huiyin learn of it. Presumably, Lady Xue thought that Li Cheng had a good relationship with Xie Jiuyi and that she was also close to Yin Liyi, so she spoke in front of her.

"Lord Xie has now taken in Miss Cao, the sister of Cao Ping. You know, I haven't met the other merchants, but I have met Miss Cao. She is truly proficient in everything from music to chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is talented, gentle, and beautiful."

Even Lady Xue, who was still part of Yin Liyi's camp, praised her. It seemed that Miss Cao was indeed remarkable. Huiyin listened for a long time, and after seeing off Lady Xue, Nanny Nan sighed, "This old servant had previously said how good Lord Xie was to Lady Xie. Lady Xie is truly a simpleton with good fortune. I didn't expect Lord Xie to start taking concubines."

Huiyin smiled, "It's effortless for him to obtain grain supplies. I'm actually puzzled as to why people are saying he's neglecting her now. This is truly biting the hand that feeds them. Forget it, let's not discuss other people's matters. I'm increasingly realizing the importance of grain supplies. Although Xuzhou has fertile fields, if there are constant battles, even the prince won't be able to sustain it."

In fact, through this matter, what Huiyin truly considered was the issue of grain supplies. While having a meal, she asked Li Cheng, "Although I shouldn't pry into the military's grain supplies, it's crucial. I think we have more estate lands than ordinary people and nobles. In the future, we should be more frugal with our household expenses. I'll set aside a place specifically for storing grain as a precaution."

"Is that what you're thinking about?" Li Cheng almost laughed out loud.

He thought his wife might mock Yin Liyi, especially since they had quarreled before. He knew Yin Liyi's temperament well. To put it bluntly, wasn't it Xie Jiuyi who spoiled her, making her arrogant? Surprisingly, Huiyin's first priority was to stockpile grain for the household. She truly didn't complain about her environment but instead took action.

Huiyin explained, "When we see others' misfortunes, we shouldn't gloat, or it will come back to haunt us. I'm fortunate, and you, my husband, are steadfast. But other men seek power and position, which is also understandable. As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought down by a single coin. Although I have disagreements with Yin Liyi, truthfully, I've forgotten those unpleasant moments because I'm so happy living in Xuzhou. It's not that I'm particularly magnanimous, but we have more important things to do."

After saying this, she begged Li Cheng to explain more about what constitutes grain supplies.

It turned out that grain supplies included not only food and fodder but also cooking utensils, tents, clothes, armor, weapons, medicine, and all other heavy materials. As for the staple crops, the central plains mainly used sorghum and wheat, while the south primarily used rice with sorghum and wheat as supplements.

Li Cheng was very knowledgeable about these matters, having started from the bottom in the battlefield. "The food carried by one of our logistics camps is enough to supply 10,000 troops for three days. Each soldier consumes about two to three jin of rice per day. To put it this way, an army of 12,500 needs 90,000 shi of rice annually."

"From what you say, your troops must be well-fed," Huiyin calculated.

90,000 shi of rice, or about 9 million jin. That's quite a lot.

Li Cheng smiled, "If soldiers aren't well-fed, how can they fight? Now that I'm in charge of Qingzhou, with low taxes and convenient commerce, I'm relieved."

"Last time, everyone said the melons and fruits of Qingzhou were excellent, and they gave me a lot," Huiyin had a goal in mind. She had to store at least that much grain for Li Cheng. If there wasn't enough grain, she'd make up for it with fruits. In short, she had to try to reach 90,000 shi no matter what.

Just like the fruits she kept in the ice cellar, which were only served when guests came.

To achieve this, Huiyin consulted agricultural books. The books said that among the staple crops, only sorghum could withstand aging. Upon hearing that sorghum was cheap, she bought a lot, some directly from tenants, which she personally inspected.

Millet, on the other hand, was not easy to store. It was drought-resistant and could withstand extremely cold places, but Xuzhou was still relatively humid.

In any case, during the period when Huiyin was stockpiling grain, Li Cheng was almost afraid of her questions and would run away when he saw her.

However, he didn't stop his wife. It was better for her to have something to do than to be bored.

During this time, Huiyin also got to know the large and small grain merchants within Xuzhou. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to deal with these people directly. This was when Manager Qiao's role became evident.

Actually, with Li Cheng's rank, there was an annual supply of two million shi of grain. Originally, he would give half to the Prince of Wei, but now he kept almost all of it for himself, using it not only for household expenses but also for the army and the taxes in Xuzhou. This year, he was unwilling to hand it over.

The couple each had their own plans, and De Yin in the Eastern Palace was also scheming. She had longed for the position of Crown Princess for a long time, and now that Lu Xiao had passed away, it should be her turn.

However, her father had just been defeated in the West Region and had retreated to the capital, so she couldn't rush to ask her family for help.

In her past life, her father and the crown prince were allies, and the crown prince trusted him deeply. Her sister's favor was largely due to the Zheng family's influence. But now, it seemed that Empress He had opinions about her, let alone the princess. Originally, they had been on good terms, but now they looked at her with disdain, as if she had caused Lu Xiao's death. How could she have been disrespectful to Lu Xiao when she was most favored before? Let alone now?

Thinking of this, she felt a slight pain in her lower abdomen. If only she could bear a child.

But she wasn’t pregnant, yet she saw the Crown Prince return with a woman who was heavily pregnant. De Yin was taken aback, "Who is this woman?"

Lianzhi finally came back after a while and said, "This woman is said to be from Princess Xinning's mansion."

"That servant girl, no wonder she turned her back on me, she was secretly harboring someone." De Yin knew that Princess Xinning had a good relationship with Lu Xiao, and she also had a good rapport with Princess Xinning. I didn’t expect her to betray me like this.

Princess Xinning was Empress He’s adopted daughter and usually appeared righteous. However, it now seemed she was nothing more than a matchmaker. Li Heng had been devastated by Lu Xiao’s death a few months earlier. Later, he was taken by his sister, Princess Xinning, to relax, where he became enamored with a dancer who then became pregnant. He didn’t look down on her because of her lowly status, and at his age having no heir raised suspicions among the court officials.

Similarly, Yin Liyi also received Cao Ping’s sister. Although Cao Ping’s sister was not heavily pregnant and was rather coldly treated, she still put on a smile and called Yin Liyi "sister" repeatedly.

Yin Liyi, usually lively and straightforward, thought she was different from someone like Princess Zheng. She even believed Xie Jiuyi had his reasons for marrying Cao Ping’s sister as a temporary solution. However, seeing how quickly Cao Ping’s sister made herself at home, she realized she couldn’t get rid of her so easily.