Chapter 57

Chapter 57

In Jianye, Yin Lifang was also deeply worried about her mother and younger sister. Her cousin, Yin Lijun, was about to get married, and with her marriage approaching, Yin Lifang’s mother remembered that they had a talented and handsome cousin from her maternal family in Yuzhou. Taking the opportunity of her uncle’s grandson’s first birthday, she decided to return to Yuzhou. Little did they know that Yuzhou and Xuzhou would soon be at war. The situation was unexpected and dangerous.

As the saying goes, "In times of war, a letter from home is priceless." As a Cifei, Yin Lifang understood that even the Princess Wei would find it challenging to visit her parents' home, let alone sending a letter to the frontlines.

The Princess Wei tried to comfort her, saying, "I believe the Yin family has a deep connection with the Little Prince. Your younger sister married Xie Jiuyi, who is sworn brothers with the Little Prince. He wouldn't ignore them in times of danger."

In the Princess Wei's view, there was no need to worry. The Prince of Huaiyin was a subordinate of the Prince of Wei, and the Yin family was related to the Prince of Wei by marriage. Even if the Prince of Huaiyin had no personal connection with Yin Cifei, he should still do his utmost for the sake of the Prince of Wei. Especially considering that Yin Cifei's son might become the heir in the future, a person even Li Cheng couldn't afford to offend.

There seemed to be a rift between Li Cheng and the Prince of Wei, which the Princess Wei had subtly noticed, leading to a slight change in her attitude towards Li Cheng.

Yin Cifei, lost in her worries, had no time to consider the Princess Wei’s attitude.

When she was young, her mother had been particularly good to her. Unlike her younger sister, she lacked beauty and a pleasing personality. In the Prince of Wu’s Mansion, everyone praised her for being honest and thoughtful, but only her mother understood that her maturity was a result of difficult circumstances.

It was her mother's kindness that led her to adopt her cousin and raise her as her own daughter, treating her as if she were born of her own flesh.

Of course, this trip to Yuzhou was also meant to help Yin Liyi relax. Her brother-in-law had taken a concubine of merchant background, which had caused Yin Liyi great distress. Even though her brother-in-law wrote to say he had never touched Cao Shi, she didn't believe him and became upset instead. Initially, Madame Xie had been indifferent to Cao Shi, but she was good at handling people. Despite her rich dowry, Cao Shi often sent delicate and elegant gifts, which didn't cause any aversion. Sometimes, she even sent handmade needlework.

Madame Xie refused Cao Shi's gifts at first, citing her status as a concubine, but Cao Shi continued to send them. She even copied Buddhist scriptures and made shoes for Madame Xie. Then, when Yin Liyi's eldest daughter fell into the water, Cao Shi jumped in and saved her, after which Madame Xie could no longer maintain her cold attitude towards her.

Yin Liyi observed these changes with anxiety, feeling helpless to alter the situation. Honestly speaking, Cao Shi didn't engage in any overt acts of favor-seeking. She called Yin Liyi "sister" respectfully, was filial to Madame Xie, and treated Yin Liyi with proper etiquette. She even took good care of Yin Liyi's children.

Perhaps it was because she was too good.

In Yin Liyi's eyes, a concubine seeking favor should do so with the man, which Cao Shi didn't. She hadn't consummated her marriage and didn't run around trying to attract Xie Jiuyi's attention. Even if she had, Xie Jiuyi was in the army and wouldn't have noticed.

However, the change in Madame Xie's attitude made Yin Liyi fear that Xie Jiuyi would eventually be swayed away from her. She became unhappy, and her mother’s trip to Yuzhou was intended to help her daughter relax.

Unexpectedly, they had terrible luck. They hadn't anticipated that both sides would be at war when they arrived in Yuzhou.

Compared to Yin Cifei's worries, Madame Xie had also been fretting for a long time. After years of being her daughter-in-law, Yin Liyi, who was straightforward and warm-hearted, was well-liked by Madame Xie's relatives. So, although Madame Xie had initially given Cao Shi a hard time, she slowly realized that Cao Shi wasn't trying to cause trouble. However, she didn't change her attitude towards Yin Liyi. They didn't expect Yin Liyi to face such difficulties during this trip.

Despite Madame Xie's complaints about Yin Liyi, Cao Shi showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, she said, "Madame, there's no need to worry. I believe my sister is blessed and will be safe."

Madame Xie, still dissatisfied, replied, "You make it sound so easy."

Even when Madame Xie spoke like this, Cao Shi remained calm and said, "Your servant has connections through my brother's business in Yuzhou and can help gather some information."

"Are you truly willing to help?" asked Madame Xie.

Cao Shi smiled and replied, "Why wouldn't I help? I am of humble origins from a merchant family. Frankly speaking, it's because of my sister's kind heart that I dared to marry into this family. If it were someone else less agreeable, I wouldn't even have a place to call home."

Madame Xie thought about it and realized that Yin Liyi was as pure as white paper, without any scheming heart. After all these years of managing the household, Yin Liyi hadn't even entertained thoughts of seizing power. If it had been someone like the Princess of Huaiyin, known for her beauty and cunning, she would have charmed the Little Prince from the start, even abandoning her own cousin and expelling the old servants of the Grand Dowager Wu, including Li Cheng's wet nurse.

If it had been the Princess of Huaiyin, Cao Shi might not have even been able to enter the door, and if she had, she would have been tormented until she ran away with her tail between her legs.

Thus, Madame Xie's impression of Cao Shi improved further, though she didn't show it outwardly.

Meanwhile, Li Cheng was busy deploying troops. He always ate and lived with his soldiers, never seeking special treatment. While Yuzhou had initiated the conflict, Li Cheng had thoroughly studied the region.

Yuzhou bordered Xuzhou, unlike Qingzhou, which was above Xuzhou and had Jizhou beside it. Yuzhou was located between Xuzhou and Jingzhou. If they could take Yuzhou, they could advance south to Jingzhou and form a pincer attack with Xie Jiuyi.

"Commander, our scouts report that the Yuzhou army might have set up an ambush at East Gorge."

Li Cheng paused for a moment, then said confidently, "Don't panic. Prepare our artillery and siege weapons. I'll personally lead the fight against them." He wasn't afraid of them.

Even before this, after Li Cheng had trained the navy, he searched everywhere for skilled craftsmen to forge weapons. He understood the principle that a craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do good work. However, these were expensive, and the costs all came out of his private funds. After his wife joined the household, she saved a considerable amount of silver each year, which he almost entirely invested into this endeavor.

If Yuzhou were to be conquered by him, he would possess Xuzhou, Yuzhou, and half of Qing Prefecture. Yuzhou was also a grain-producing region, so his territory would expand greatly. In the future, he might not need to rely on others, as these lands were fought for by his own men, every step of the way without relying on anyone else.

After speaking, Li Cheng donned his armor, mounted his horse, and touched the chest guard his wife had given him. She doted on him, worrying about him as if he were still a child.

Injuries in battle were inevitable, but Huiyin worried about him, and there was little he could do to reassure her. He could only wear the chest guard.

In fact, he originally had another chest guard, but it was considered too flashy and impractical, so he switched to a bronze one. This was also a gesture from his wife, a sweet burden, so to speak.

Zhang Song of Yuzhou was originally an officer under Lü Wei and served as the Yuzhou Governor. After Lü Wei's death, he started his own faction, and his first target was Li Cheng. To him, Li Cheng was of his grandson's generation and probably relied on the officers of his father, the Prince of Wu. He viewed Li Cheng as a mere youth.

Moreover, taking Xuzhou meant occupying a crucial stronghold. If the Prince of Wei and Zhao Hong weakened each other, he could move south and seize Jiangnan. Jiangnan was an excellent region, a first-class wealthy area.

However, Zhang Song had underestimated Li Cheng, who proved to be both shrewd and skilled in military tactics. After a couple of engagements, Zhang Song was defeated.

Li Cheng didn't just want to beat him; he aimed for Yuzhou's territory. So, when Zhang Song fled, thinking Li Cheng would stop, he actually continued to pursue.

"This fellow wants my Yuzhou," Zhang Song realized.

His advisor interrupted, "Inspector, Li Cheng may be young, but he is quite scheming in his actions. Our ambush was seen through."

Zhang Song stopped him, saying, "Fortunately, I was prepared. I didn't plan to use women as threats, but since I didn't expect to lose, bring the Yin family women here."

Previously, knowing that the Yin family women were in Yuzhou, Zhang Song had invited them to the Governor's mansion as a precaution.

The advisor, clapping his hands in approval, said, "Inspector, your foresight is impressive."

Zhang Song also thought he had been wise.

Meanwhile, Lady Yin, along with her daughters Yin Liyi and Yin Lijun, was under house arrest. Lady Yin cried daily, saying, "I have brought you harm."

"Mother, don't say that. Who could have known this brute would pull such a stunt?" Yin Liyi, being more composed than her mother, was, after all, the sister-in-law of the Prince of Wei and the wife of Xie Jiuyi. If Zhang Song had truly intended to do something, he would have done it already instead of keeping them well-fed.

The youngest, Yin Lijun, had grown up under the guidance of her uncle and father. Despite encountering such a situation for the first time, she remained more composed than her aunt and older sister.

"Aunt, Second Elder Sister is correct. This brute is fighting Young Prince Wei. No matter what, Young Prince Wei won't ignore us," Yin Lijun thought more deeply.

Hearing this, Yin Liyi felt it made sense.

Lady Yin sighed heavily, hearing her daughters, "If I hadn't come to Yuzhou, everything would be fine."

"Aunt, if you hadn't come, they would have used our maternal family to threaten us. How could we have known someone intended to do evil?" Yin Lijun remained calm.

Seeing her younger cousin like this, Yin Liyi couldn't help but remark, "You always seem so quiet and reserved, delicate and refined, yet here you are showing such wisdom."

Yin Liyi remembered how, as children, Yin Lijun loved to play with her older sister, Lifang. They became more alike as they grew. Lijun, who as a child liked to dress in bright reds and greens, grew up to be like her sister, eschewing makeup and adornment. In her youthful prime, she wore a plain, dark blue vest, with only a single pearl on the clasp hinting at her noble status.

As they thought this, someone announced the return of the Governor to the mansion, and they looked at each other in surprise.

Meanwhile, Li Cheng aimed to take Yuzhou. His supplies were well-prepared and not just for show.

At that moment, a vanguard reported that Zhang Song had shot an arrow toward the gate, with a message that Lady Yin and Yin Liyi were in Zhang Song's hands. If Li Cheng knew what was good for him, he would retreat; otherwise, Zhang Song would not be polite.

Li Cheng, gripping the note, slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "Why did they go to Yuzhou when they were safe in Jianye?"

He had repeatedly advised Huiyin not to move around freely. Even in Xuzhou, she rarely ventured out, only visiting a few trusted locations. Even so, he had sent guards to protect his wife, fearing she might be taken hostage. He hadn’t anticipated that his own family ties would lead to this setback.

Yuwendang said, "Little Prince, Yu Prefecture is within easy reach. If we leave now, we might not get such a good opportunity again."

Every action needs a justifiable reason. Now that Zhang Song has made a foolish move, how can we pass up the chance to take over? Honestly, we’re all under Li Cheng’s command. Now that Li Cheng and the Prince of Wei are no longer as close, it might not be a bad idea to establish our own faction.

Li Cheng was clear in his mind, but there were things he couldn’t say directly. If he openly refused to help the Yin family, his men might see him as cold-hearted. Who would sincerely follow him then?

Hearing this, Li Cheng feigned anger. "This is indeed a good opportunity, but Lady Yin is related to the Prince of Wei by marriage. Besides, Lady Xie is General Xie’s wife. I can’t just ignore them."

Then, strategist Jian Tan stroked his goatee and said with a smile, "Little Prince, we need to save the Yin family, and we must fight this battle. Why don’t we demand he release the hostages first? If he refuses, we’ll attack."

"Good, the military advisor makes sense." Li Cheng’s eyes brightened.

If Zhang Song thought he could use the hostages to his advantage and refused to release them, Li Cheng could use that as an excuse to attack. But if Zhang Song released them, Li Cheng could still find a reason to attack. Either way, they were going to fight.

Soon, Zhang Song received a message from Li Cheng’s side, asking him to release the hostages first. Zhang Song huffed coldly, "Does he think I’m a fool? Of course, I won’t release them. Tell Li Cheng that if he attacks, I’ll kill the entire Yin family."

The Yin family women were beside themselves with worry. Zhang Song was still treating them well, fearing that any trouble would make the hostages useless, leaving him with no bargaining chips against Li Cheng.

"Mother, what should we do? This old rascal Zhang refuses to let us go." Yin Liyi was pacing anxiously.

Lady Yin was also at a loss. "Yes, even when the Little Prince asked him to release us, he didn’t."

The mother and daughter were secretly worried.

Huiyin saw Xue Huanhuan visit again and said, "The Little Prince hasn’t sent anyone back, and there’s nothing I can do."

In fact, this had nothing to do with her, but she couldn’t act like it didn’t concern her. If she refused to meet, it would be like directly breaking ties with the Xie family, which wasn’t the right time yet.

Xue Huanhuan suspected that Huiyin wasn’t trying her best and said, "If we had informed the Little Prince earlier, we could have made arrangements. General Xie also said so."

"In fact, it would be better if General Xie requested an urgent 800-li dispatch. In these times of war, how could my letters get through? Just think about it." Huiyin didn’t try to stop her from seeking other ways.

Xue Huanhuan said, "You’re right, I think the same."

In reality, Xie Jiuyi was currently fighting on the battlefield, and even the Prince of Wei had personally entered the fray. How could he have thought that Yin Liyi had gone to Yu Prefecture and would ask Li Cheng for help? Li Cheng was already fighting for Yu Prefecture, which was once a territory the Prince of Wei wanted. Xie Jiuyi wouldn’t give up the territory for a woman, but Li Cheng might, given his familial relationship with the Prince of Wei, unlike Xie Jiuyi, who was an outsider.

But since Li Cheng and Xie Jiuyi had a good relationship, he would definitely help.

Seeing that Xue Huanhuan didn’t say more, Huiyin said she was tired, and Xue Huanhuan took her leave. After she left, Nanny Nan and Fugui came in to speak. The two scolded the Yin family women, calling them troublemakers.

"Forget it, let’s not talk about him. I heard that the battle in Jing Prefecture is deadlocked, and even the Prince of Wei has entered the field." Huiyin thought about when she was the Empress Dowager in her previous life. The Prince of Wei seemed to have passed away, but she wasn’t sure exactly when.

Nanny Nan nodded. "Yes, wasn’t it what Jiang girl mentioned a few days ago? She’d rather adopt a child than remarry."

Huiyin understood. "Can you really find a man with backbone when looking for a husband? Jiang girl is a capable woman and naturally hopes to find a man who is both talented and good-looking. But if such a man exists, how could he be a son-in-law who marries into the family?"

In that case, it’s better not to marry.

But to be honest, adopting a child from someone else isn’t a long-term solution. An adopted child would grow up in ten years, and Jiang girl is only in her twenties. Once the child takes control of the family, there won’t be anything left for her. This is one of the greatest injustices in the world. Some men are stupid and dull, but as long as they are men, people think they are better than women.

Fugui said, "Princess, let’s put Jiang girl’s matter aside. Jiang girl sent salt to the front lines last time and said that the Little Prince had defeated Zhang Song soundly. If the Little Prince can take Yu Prefecture, I say, who cares about the Yin family’s life or death? It’s not like we told them to go."

"If you understand this, do you think the Little Prince doesn’t? Whether he saves them or not, he has his reasons." In Huiyin’s view, Xue Huanhuan was still asking about the whereabouts of the Yin family women, which meant they were likely in Zhang Song’s hands. Li Cheng’s rescue attempt was probably for the sake of the Prince of Wei. It wasn’t time to break ties yet; the timing wasn’t right. If he didn’t save them, he was preparing to establish his own faction.

But no matter which path Li Cheng chose, Huiyin didn’t think it was wrong.

However, she didn’t expect that while Li Cheng was demanding Zhang Song to hand over the hostages, he was also advancing step by step. The Yin family women had hope before, but now the three of them were tied up like rice dumplings, gagged, unable to even talk to each other.

Outside, Zhang Song was heard cursing, "Damn it, Li Cheng is impossible to deal with. He’s chasing me relentlessly and doesn’t even care about those Yin family women."

Lady Yin and Yin Lijun trembled with fear, but Yin Liyi was stunned. She remembered that Li Cheng had once gone to great lengths to save Li Jing, even risking his life. This time, although he demanded Zhang Song release the hostages, he seemed indifferent to the threat of killing them. She began to doubt whether Li Cheng even wanted to save them.

However, she still couldn’t believe that Li Cheng would abandon them. When they were children, although he called her “mud that couldn’t stick to the wall,” he never allowed the Princess of Wu to drive them out. Instead, he often sent them fine delicacies.

Finally, the Little Prince cornered Zhang Song at the edge of Yuzhou. Once he crossed this point, he would control all of Yuzhou.

On the battlefield, Zhang Song paraded the three of them in front of him. He had already realized that Li Cheng didn’t care about the Yin family at all. If he did, why would he push him so hard? Li Cheng wasn’t afraid of him killing the hostages.

“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll kill them,” Zhang Song warned.

Li Cheng laughed softly. “I don’t even know who these three people you’ve brought are. Do you think you can fool me, Zhang Song? Your time is up.”

Yin Liyi’s eyes widened, and just as she was about to speak, she realized her mouth was stuffed. She was Yin Liyi! Zhang Song had made her look so disheveled that no one could recognize her.

Zhang Song then said, “You scoundrel, you have the heart of a jackal. You don’t even recognize your own relatives, even though your uncle treated you with great kindness.” He signaled for the gag in Yin Liyi’s mouth to be removed, hoping to create distrust between Yin Liyi and Li Cheng, even if Li Cheng took Yuzhou, he would still face suspicion from the Prince of Wei.

Once the gag was removed, Yin Liyi immediately shouted, “Little Prince, I am Yin Liyi, the wife of Xie Jiuyi. We grew up together. It was Zhang Song who captured me!”

She looked at Li Cheng with hope, but he only sneered. “So, Zhang Song, at the end of your rope, you try to deceive me with this trick.”

“Is it really me?” Yin Liyi stomped her foot in anxiety.

Li Cheng remained unmoved. It was Yuwendang who spoke from the side. “Little Prince, she does seem to bear a passing resemblance to Lady Xie.”

“He probably found someone on purpose. People can’t be recognized clearly in situations like this. Don’t listen to this old fool’s nonsense. No more delays,” Li Cheng said, seemingly unconvinced, and prepared to attack.

Seeing that Li Cheng was serious, Zhang Song panicked. Li Cheng truly didn’t care about these people. After all, he might not have even seen his own female relatives in the inner quarters more than a few times.

“Wait, I’ll bring them closer so you can see clearly,” Zhang Song said, and ordered two strong soldiers to hold knives to the heads of the three women, forcing them forward.

At that moment, two arrows shot forward and struck the soldiers holding the Yin family hostage in the forehead. Zhang Song realized too late that he had fallen into Li Cheng’s trap. It was already too late, and he could only attempt a desperate escape.

Li Cheng sent a few men to escort the three women back to the nearest Xuzhou, while he pursued Zhang Song.

On the journey, Lady Yin, Yin Liyi, and Yin Lijun traveled together. Yin Liyi finally realized, “The Little Prince must have had this planned all along. I was terrified.”

“Second sister, didn’t you see it? If Zhang Song had killed us, the Little Prince wouldn’t have cared. Even though he pretended to save us in the end, he didn’t truly value us,” Yin Lijun saw the situation clearly. Zhang Song had intended to kill one of them to intimidate Li Cheng.

Yin Liyi refused to believe the worst of people. “Lijun, why do you have so many thoughts?”

Yin Lijun, seeing Yin Liyi like this, thought to herself, she really is oblivious, always happy and carefree. Even a concubine from a merchant family could upset her.

Meanwhile, Huiyin had Nanny Nan escort the three women to the guest rooms. She prepared a feast to welcome them and informed them of the arrangements to send them to Jianye by boat in the coming days, with everything scheduled clearly.

Yin Liyi had some grievances with Huiyin, but since Li Cheng had saved her, she decided to let it go for his sake. However, she wondered if the Prince of Wei would let Li Cheng grow stronger now that he had taken control of Yuzhou. Judging by Li Cheng’s haughty demeanor, not allowing the Prince of Wei’s people to touch Xuzhou, Qingzhou, or Yuzhou, he might have his own ambitions.

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Princess Zheng raise her cup to drink, and Yin Liyi quickly raised her own cup.

At that moment, a soldier rushed in and said, “Young Princess, something terrible has happened. The Prince of Wei has been killed on his way to attack Jingzhou.”

Huiyin was shocked. “What did you say?”

Yin Liyi was also stunned. The Prince of Wei had passed away. Would her nephew inherit the title?