Chapter 64

Chapter 64

◎Second Update◎

Yanzhou had always been the most favorable passage northbound, and Li Cheng had long set his sights on it. Being young, he was eager to try. Huiyin knew nothing about the wars outside, but she said, "I won’t say much, but since the Cao family has sent grain, you should properly organize your troops for the war. But don’t forget, I’ve hidden a thousand bushels of grain in Hongruo Temple in Xuzhou. If you find yourself in dire straits, just take it. Here, this is the jade token."

Li Cheng had heard her mention preparing a thousand bushels of grain before and thought she was just talking, but he didn’t expect her to actually do it. Although it might not be needed, it was a pleasant surprise. "Thank you," he said.

"Between a couple, there’s no need to be so polite. As for the grain sent by the Cao family, let me remind you again, check if there’s any poison in it. And if this battle lasts until winter, have you prepared winter coats for the soldiers?" Huiyin modified her drawing with a stroke and felt it looked much better.

Seeing that Huiyin didn’t take any credit and spoke casually, Li Cheng was actually quite curious. "I always feel you’re someone who doesn’t seek rewards for your kindness. Why are you so magnanimous?"

Huiyin smiled at his words and said, "I’m not a saint, how could I be magnanimous? It’s just that I don’t help those I don’t want to. If it’s too troublesome, I won’t bother. To put it this way, if Jiang Bipbo wasn’t related to you and came to ask me for help on her own, I probably wouldn’t have helped. I’m not the kind of saint you think I am. Honestly, the truth isn’t always pleasant."

In the end, she just felt that this was her way of being. She would never help others when she herself was in trouble. But if she did help, she didn’t expect anything in return, as high expectations often led to greater disappointment.

Li Cheng suddenly ran over and hugged Huiyin. "I promise I won’t let you down. If I ever fail you, feel free to hold me accountable."

"Why would I hit you with your thick skin? You’re only good-looking because of your face." Moved by her husband’s words, Huiyin couldn’t help but caress his handsome face.

But Li Cheng wanted to express his determination. Seeing Huiyin’s gentleness made him even happier, and he lifted her up and spun her around until Huiyin felt dizzy and tapped his arm for him to stop.

What has come over him? He used to be a valiant and formidable young general, but now he seems to have lost his composure.

Li Cheng had always been overly eager to execute his plans. After marriage, he had become more steady. He had long intended to take Yanzhou, and now with a strong army, he was itching to make a move.

Of course, Li Cheng still needed to make preparations, during which Huiyin couldn’t help much, so she simply rested more. As Nanny Nan said, it wasn’t good to worry too much.

Her life was quite leisurely, while Yin Liyi was anxious like an ant on a hot pan. She was confiding in Xie Jiuyi, "I didn’t expect the Cao family to pull the ladder after climbing up, so despicable."

"This person was probably bought by the Prince of Huaiyin a long time ago to deceive me and make their move. Now, because of this, we almost lost Nanjun, which was a sure thing. If I hadn’t had a backup plan, I would have really been tricked by the Cao family." Xie Jiuyi was also angry. He had given many military business deals to the Cao family, but they had gone so far, thinking he was a fool. Fortunately, he discovered it in time.

Yin Liyi sighed, "Now the Cao family has fled to Xuzhou, and there’s nothing we can do. I keep wondering if it’s because of the Cao family woman—"

Xie Jiuyi interrupted, "No, the Cao family wouldn’t betray us because of a woman. A woman means nothing to them."

With such an exchange of interests, it was clear that the Cao family wouldn’t be so angry over a woman, especially since Li Cheng hadn’t taken a Cao family woman as a side consort.

"I’m afraid it’s because the Cao family saw that the young Prince of Yuzhang was too young and decided to switch allegiances."

His reasoning made sense to Yin Liyi, and she also thought that if only Li Cheng hadn’t tried to stand on his own, by now, the Wei territory could have rivaled Wei Duo’s. But there were no "ifs."

After being convinced by her husband, one day, Yin Liyi accidentally overheard Lady Xie complaining, "Actually, what’s wrong with taking a concubine? I find Cao Ping’s sister to be gentle and considerate, not someone who seeks favor. Why can’t she be tolerated?"

"Madam, please don’t let the mistress hear this," the servants advised.

Lady Xie lowered her voice, probably still complaining about Yin Liyi, which hurt her deeply. She thought, "That Zheng Huiyin, who is still a consort, doesn’t allow the young prince to take concubines. Why isn’t anyone saying anything now?"

Unfortunately, she couldn’t show her feelings. If she wasn’t careful, people outside would say she was jealous. Even her younger cousin, Yin Lijun, was so virtuous. After marrying in, when her monthly period came, she offered her maid to her husband. Even her sister didn’t care about these things, as if only she found it problematic.

In fact, Huiyin encountered a similar issue because the Yanzhou governor wanted to offer his daughter to avoid war. The daughter of the Yanzhou governor was renowned in Xuzhou for her beauty and exceptional embroidery skills, even creating paintings with her needlework, and was called a goddess by the people of Yanzhou.

Nanny Nan and others were frightened when they heard this and advised, "That Lady Huo was once associated with the Prince of Wei. If the young prince doesn’t take her, it’s fine. But the daughter of the Yanzhou Duke, who is like a goddess, if the young prince falls for her, what will happen to you? There’s a saying, when the benefits are significant enough, people will be tempted."

The Yanzhou governor said that if Li Cheng took her as his primary wife, they would offer Yanzhou without a fight.

"Nanny Nan, the Yanzhou governor must know that the prince treats me well and is deliberately setting a trap." Huiyin thought for a moment and found it interesting.

Even Empress He wouldn’t dare promise to marry a daughter of the Zheng family in exchange for Ji Province. Such situations were likely a classic 'beauty trap,' where a beautiful woman was used to manipulate or deceive someone into making a poor decision. If he didn’t take the Yanzhou lady, when soldiers died in battle, they might think he valued beauty over power, which would be detrimental to his rule. But if he did take the lady, there would be another problem. Zheng Fang might attack from Qing Province, and the beauty trap in Yanzhou could succeed, allowing them to not only repel Li Cheng but even take Qing Province to the south.

But if the seduction plan of Song's daughter from Yanzhou fails, and Yanzhou continues to fight.

No matter the choice, Yanzhou remains in an unassailable position, which is why it still holds a place among the contending lords. They are truly not to be underestimated.

Nanny Nan asked, her voice trembling, "What if the Prince falls for the trap?"

"Then what he'll be waiting for is my retribution," Huiyin wouldn't let him off.

Even though she had been serving Huiyin for years, Nanny Nan still shivered. Just moments ago, the couple was affectionate, but now they could turn on each other in an instant.

Yuwendang, who was following Li Cheng, couldn't help but say, "In my humble opinion, my lord, even if you marry the Song's daughter and then attack Yanzhou, it wouldn't be a problem. If you marry the Song's daughter and Yanzhou truly surrenders, we get the land for free. But if Yanzhou doesn't surrender, we'll just fight as planned."

To him, adding another wife wouldn't be a big deal for his lord.

Li Cheng turned to look at him, "Nonsense, we're taking Yanzhou not for a woman. The people of Yanzhou broke their word and aided the enemies during the Qingzhou rebellion. There's no need to mention this anymore."

Now that he had finally become independent, being independent meant making his own decisions. Did Yanzhou think he was a three-year-old child?

Yuwendang had always been loyal to Li Cheng, and as they continued their march, Governor Song, growing increasingly desperate, said, "How come he's completely unmoved by what I said?"

Governor Song had only one daughter late in life, who was exceptionally beautiful and had a unique fragrance, so he cherished her as his most prized possession. The areas around Yanzhou, like Yuzhou, had all been taken by Li Cheng. Seeing Li Cheng's fierce advance, Governor Song prepared for battle on one hand and tried to set Wei Duo and Li Cheng at odds with each other by offering his daughter's hand in marriage on the other.

Of course, if Li Cheng were willing to marry his daughter as his primary wife, being a descendant of the Wu King, he might have a chance to become the ruler of the world in the future, and Song would become the father-in-law of the emperor.

Unexpectedly, Li Cheng wasn't falling for it and didn't mention the marriage alliance at all, only continuing his relentless campaign to seize cities and territories. He wouldn't slow down.

Seeing this, Governor Song immediately sent another envoy. Seeing that Li Cheng was young and handsome, the envoy couldn't help but say, "Young Prince, out of respect for your prestige, I wish to offer my daughter to you. If you become my son-in-law, I'll give you Yanzhou. What harm is there in that?"

"Song old man, stop babbling. I welcome your surrender, but your troops must lay down their arms and vacate the area. As for you, thinking that little Yanzhou could make me abandon my wife and children, you're really courting death." Li Cheng snorted coldly.

Seeing that this young man was unmoved by any attempts to sway him, Governor Song immediately sent his son to fight Yuwendang for a few rounds. Li Cheng's army was mostly very young soldiers who had just conquered Yuzhou a few months ago and were eager to take Yanzhou and gain Li Cheng's favor.

In Li Cheng's eyes, it didn't matter whether you were from a noble family or not; he only cared about your abilities. Just look at Guo Zhao, who came from a humble background but became the governor of Yuzhou and even married the wealthy Jiang family's daughter, essentially getting land and money.

This time, Governor Song lost again, but he still hadn't given up. He used a large sum of money to bribe a persuader to come again, bringing a portrait of his daughter, the Song's daughter. Li Cheng looked at it and pointed to himself, saying to everyone, "I, Li Cheng, don't even have a concubine. Why don't I understand? Everyone wants to send me beautiful women? Do I look like someone obsessed with lust?"

In his own perception, he was incredibly wise and heroic. If they were going to try to bribe his advisors and generals, that would show some skill, but all they did was send beautiful women. What kind of terrible reputation did he have that made everyone think this way?

Advisor Jian Tan accidentally discovered this quirk of Li Cheng's, that he could be overly argumentative. He usually didn't show it, but he could get very serious about certain things. Right now, he wished he could drag Old Man Song out to argue until he’s blue in the face. It was clear that his fighting spirit was through the roof.

Jian Tan hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him, "My good lord, Governor Song is just being vulgar himself and thinks you are also a vulgar person. Please, my lord, don't bother with him."

"What you say makes sense, we'll continue advancing tomorrow," Li Cheng slammed the table, completely unwilling to waste any more time with Governor Song.

Huiyin's daughter: Our Lord has embarrassed himself in front of everyone.