Chapter 67

Chapter 67

◎Combined Chapter◎

After Pei Shuo's family settled down, he got up early every morning to practice boxing and swordplay, and also taught Heng'er and Jing'er. Meanwhile, Xin Shi would come over to chat with Huiyin, and they felt much more at ease.

Huiyin also wrote letters to inform Li Cheng about her arrangements for her brother's family, and they waited for a reply.

Meanwhile, the spies from the Crown Prince's side were delighted upon discovering this. Pei Shuo, son of Pei Ye, was a renowned cavalry soldier and had been taught by Zheng Fang for many years. He was a valiant warrior and considered a formidable general of Jizhou. Now, due to his failure in suppressing bandits, he had gone missing, which was a relief.

Perhaps due to his good mood, the Crown Prince greeted De Yin with a smile, which surprised her greatly. "I pay my respects to the Crown Prince," said De Yin.

Li Heng helped De Yin to her feet. He had his own measure of judgment when it came to people. As for Madame Ji in front of him, like all the women in the harem, a smile from him would make the palace ladies happy for days.

But did they truly like him? No, what they liked was the Crown Prince. If someone else were sitting in the Crown Prince's seat, they would love that person just the same.

"I've been busy lately and haven't visited the palace. How is your health? I heard you caught a cold a few days ago," Li Heng casually asked.

De Yin smiled and replied, "I was slightly unwell, but I’m feeling much better now. Thank you for coming to see me, Crown Prince."

When De Yin first married into the family, Li Heng had been so affectionate and attentive, always knowing exactly what to say. But now, they struggled to find words for each other.

De Yin had become increasingly numb, and many things no longer resonated with her. She couldn’t be as natural as when she first entered the palace. Now, whenever Li Heng came to her quarters, she was anxious, afraid that a single wrong word would bring trouble to the servants.

In truth, she suspected that Yunzhi’s betrayal was somehow connected to Lianzhi, who had always been close to her.

Li Heng, of course, found it boring as well. Moreover, De Yin was getting older and seemed to have become numb, which made him feel disinterested.

Even when they ate together, the food tasted like nothing to her.

Fortunately, when she cautiously requested to have elder Madame Xu come to visit, Li Heng surprisingly agreed. This was the only comforting thing for her.

Upon seeing De Yin, elder Madame Xu first scolded Madame Ji and her children thoroughly. "Let me tell you, it’s clear they’re not your own flesh and blood—Pei Shuo ran off, and now your father and brother’s relationship isn’t what it used to be."

"He left? Could it be that he went to join the Prince of Huaiyin?" De Yin guessed immediately.

In her previous life, Pei Shuo had helped the Crown Prince conquer territories because of Huiyin's marriage, and he eventually died for it.

Madame Xu thought to herself that this was an internal family matter. Even Madame Ji and Zheng Fang had only discussed it privately with her, telling her not to spread it as it might shake the morale of the troops. How did De Yin know?

But seeing De Yin's expression, Madame Xu couldn’t hide it anymore. "Yes, he went to the state of Xuzhou. Not to mention, although Li Cheng took advantage of Prince Wei's death to occupy his land, what can he possibly achieve? He used to rely on Prince Wei and actually thought these achievements were his own."

"Grandmother, do you mean that Li Cheng didn’t support Prince Wei's son?" De Yin remembered that in her previous life, Li Cheng had been very loyal to Prince Wei and had died for him.

Why was this life so different?

Madame Xu understood this point as well. "Prince Wei was only his uncle, not his lord. Now, with Prince Wei’s son being young, would anyone be willing to assist their younger brother? Even Pei Shuo wouldn’t want to assist Henger, and he had been raised by your father. The Prince of Huaiyin and Prince Wei are even more distant."

What could De Yin say? In her previous life, she had thought the same, but she couldn’t speak in front of Li Cheng. Moreover, Li Cheng doted on Yin Lijun, whose father was just a low-ranking recorder. Her sister, Yin Lifang, had the luck to give birth to Prince Wei's son but still remained submissive to Li Cheng.

"Grandmother, does the Prince of Huaiyin have any concubines?" De Yin suddenly asked.

Madame Xu didn’t want her granddaughter to be upset and simply said, "It's common for men to have multiple wives. How could the Prince of Huaiyin not have any? I heard from your father not long ago that he was arranging for the daughter of the Recorder of Yanzhou to marry Li Cheng. She might even become an equal wife."

Hearing this, De Yin felt slightly relieved, thinking to herself that all men are the same.

But Madame Xu added, "How is Yunzhi doing?"

"The expected delivery date is early spring next year, but the prince is indifferent toward her, even more so than he was with the previous songstress." De Yin also found it strange—why was the prince favoring those from the lower classes, yet only doting on Wei Liangdi and me for a short time before losing interest?

Elder Madame Xu said, "In my opinion, Yunzhi is just a servant of our family. Even though she has climbed up, she can never become a phoenix. Now that she's given birth to a child, she is in no position to take care of it. You shouldn't be angry with her. When the prince is around, just let her make a fool of herself. The prince will take care of the child."

In Elder Madame Xu's view, if they didn't punish the servant who betrayed her mistress, how could De Yin manage the servants in the future? If Liangdi can't control her own household, won't everyone start rebelling?

While the grandmother and granddaughter were discussing this, on the other side of the story, Li Cheng returned less than three days after Huiyin's letter had been sent. With the help of Guo Zhao's forces from Yuzhou, they mounted a formidable show of strength. Meanwhile, the old man Song fled to Wei Duo's place with his daughter, allowing Li Cheng to occupy Yanzhou.

Upon returning, he said to Huiyin, "I anticipated Wei Duo would come to this old man's aid. There may be a fierce battle in the future."

Seeing that Li Cheng had returned dusty and tired, Huiyin first helped him bathe. The couple spoke privately in the bathhouse. For instance, when Huiyin heard that Pei Shuo had come to join them and brought a message, she wiped the water for him before saying, "What kind of bandits possess such things?"

Li Cheng closed his eyes to rest, enjoying his wife's service. After she finished speaking, he said, "There does seem to be something strange about this. Now that your brother has come to join me, I've long heard of his heroic reputation. Rest assured, I will put him to good use."

"Although he is my brother, this territory is yours, and it's up to you to decide how to use people. However, my husband is the best at recognizing talent. Don't show favoritism and disrupt the military's morale," Huiyin said.

This was a reasonable point. When Pei Shuo came to Xuzhou this time, he brought 300 personal soldiers from the Pei family. Huiyin had the clerk arrange for them to be properly settled outside the city. After Li Cheng finished bathing, he was about to handle these matters when Huiyin stopped him.

"Look at you, acting on a whim again. I've already prepared food and drinks; you should eat something first before attending to other matters," Huiyin said.

Li Cheng was pleased that even though Huiyin's brother had come to join them, she still prioritized him. Some women, influenced by their natal families, only favored their own relatives.

Pleased, he readily agreed.

Huiyin had prepared dishes that Li Cheng loved. She also accompanied him while he ate.

"These shrimp balls are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Paired with coriander soup, it's light yet flavorful. Try it," Huiyin said, placing a small bowl in front of him.

Li Cheng took a bite and, for some reason, laughed.

Huiyin was puzzled. "What are you laughing at?"

"I was just thinking, why do so many people think they can win me over with their beauty? They all seem to think that wine and women have no effect on me," Li Cheng said, glancing at Huiyin.

Huiyin understood that he was indirectly confessing to her. She didn't say anything sour and just smiled. "You are a hero, of course, you wouldn't be swayed by these things." Then she took his hand. "But I know you do this for me."

If not for her, why would he come up with such an excuse? Men generally wouldn't refuse such opportunities.

Whether it was her father or her previous husband, it was the same. Li Heng loved Lu Xiao, but after Lu Xiao died, there were still many women. She didn't want that kind of love.

After saying that, she looked at Li Cheng, who felt embarrassed and buried his head in his meal. However, the tips of his ears turned pink, betraying his emotions.

After finishing his meal, Li Cheng handed her a list. Huiyin took people to open the storeroom and checked the gold, silver, jewels, antiques, paintings, and boxes that Li Cheng had brought. There were large and small pearls, as well as jewelry, all of which she needed to catalog for making new jewelry during the New Year.

While she was busy, Li Cheng had already met with Pei Shuo. "Brother-in-law, please sit," Li Cheng said.

Pei Shuo said to Li Cheng, "I wish to join my brother-in-law, but I'm afraid there are too many talented generals under you, and I—"

"Brother-in-law, why say this? I've heard of your talents. Most of my men are good at naval forces, but I lack cavalry. Your arrival is like timely rain for me," Li Cheng said happily.

Pei Shuo was very pleased and immediately knelt down. "From now on, I will follow my lord's commands."

Li Cheng had gained a capable general, but he was also concerned that his brother-in-law might become arrogant and disobedient in the future. Seeing Pei Shuo kneel and sincerely pledge his loyalty, they exchanged many heartfelt words. As a general from Jizhou, Pei Shuo knew a lot about Yanzhou and had many connections in the capital, which were precisely the information Li Cheng needed.

Immediately, Li Cheng granted a mansion to Pei Shuo and his wife. He also mentioned that he lacked a central commander and appointed Pei Shuo to the position, planning to introduce him to the other generals soon.

For someone like Pei Shuo, who had finally joined, the biggest concern was being sidelined. With Li Cheng's words, he felt reassured and believed he was valued, sharing many more heartfelt words with Li Cheng.

Now, the Prince of Huaiyin was no longer limited to just Xuzhou; he also had Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and half of Qingzhou. A capable minister must serve a worthy lord.

Xie Jiuyi was on the verge of losing Nanjun, which filled him with anxiety, when news arrived from Xuzhou that Li Cheng had taken Pei Shuo under his command.

Yin Liyi was confused. "Wasn't Pei Shuo doing well in Jizhou? Has his luck taken a turn for the worse?"

"It’s not hard to understand why," Xie Jiuyi replied. "He is the adopted son of Zheng Fang, and though he is highly regarded, he has always been overshadowed by his younger brother. Moreover, the Zheng family already has a daughter serving in the Eastern Palace. Now he has pledged his allegiance to the Prince of Huaiyin, likely seeing this as a valuable opportunity."

Yin Liyi asked, "What about Pei Shuo's abilities? Do you know?"

Xie Jiuyi said, "It is said that he is a brave and decisive man, loyal and reliable, as well as a formidable warrior."

"I never expected such a capable general to fall under his command," Yin Liyi said, feeling uneasy.

Xie Jiuyi laughed. "Do not be deceived by Li Cheng's recent conquest of Yanzhou. Trouble is coming for him. Wei Duo will not let him off."

"That I don't understand. He took Yuzhou without facing any significant opposition," Yin Liyi said.

Xie Jiuyi shook his head. "Wei Duo has ambitions to dominate the Central Plains. He already controls Bingzhou, Sili, Nanyang Commandery, Nanjun Commandery, and Xiangyang Commandery. He views Yanzhou as a piece of meat on the chopping block. Whether it's conquering Qingzhou, Jizhou, Xuzhou, or Yuzhou, Yanzhou is the key. But now, except for Jizhou, all the others have been taken by Li Cheng. And Jizhou is essentially his in-laws' territory. If Wei Duo loses Yanzhou, he loses his shield."

In truth, Yin Liyi wasn't very clear on the geographical maps, so when Xie Jiuyi said this, she simply responded, "If he cannot defend them, we will reclaim the lands he seized."

In their view, these lands were taken by Li Cheng when the King of Wei was still alive, so they considered them to belong to the King of Wei. Li Cheng had occupied them for too long and, seeing that the Prince of Yuzhang was still young, had simply held onto them.

Xie Jiuyi laughed. "It’s not skill to conquer; it’s skill to defend."

Once Pei Shuo received his title, the Crown Prince in the capital soon found out. He looked at De Yin, who was preparing tea, and said pointedly, "Why has your brother gone to serve the Prince of Huaiyin?"

De Yin had initially intended to mediate but, given her precarious position in the palace, she chose to distance herself. "This brother of mine was from my stepmother's side from a remarriage. I was never close to him since childhood. I truly don't know about this, Your Highness. But he is the full brother of my sister, who is the Princess of Huaiyin. Their bond is naturally stronger than with others. I often heard my grandmother say that he was frustrated and unfulfilled."

"By doing this, is he seeking a more worthy master and showing disdain for me?" Li Heng glanced at De Yin.

De Yin quickly knelt and began to kowtow repeatedly.

After she had kowtowed enough, Li Heng said, "This matter has nothing to do with you, Concubine Liangdi. You may rise. I am aware of your father's loyalty."

However, De Yin found palace life increasingly unbearable. She resented that her family never helped her but instead left her trembling in fear in the palace, unlike Wei Liangdi's father, who served his lord faithfully.

As soon as she thought this, she was immediately contradicted. Just before the New Year festivities, Li Heng, following tradition, participated in ice games. He was an expert at ice games and saw this as an opportunity to find talented individuals.

However, Wei Duo intervened. "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, must not be distracted by trivial amusements."

"Chancellor, I only find these people interesting and keep them by my side," Li Heng said.

Wei Duo was very stubborn. "The Emperor has been ill for a long time. If the Crown Prince engages in too much frivolity, others might think you are being disrespectful to your father."

Li Heng returned, seething with anger, but he didn't dare to act against Wei Liangdi. De Yin wanted to speak her mind, but looking around, she saw that the palace maids were all sent by the palace and dared not say anything.

De Yin felt resentful. Why did Wei Duo treat Li Heng with such dominance, and why did Li Heng not dare to act against Wei Liangdi? She had been respectful and obedient to the Crown Prince, and her father was a loyal governor of Jizhou, yet she still fell out of favor with Li Heng.

Now, Li Heng treated her more like a servant. As she listened to congratulations being offered because Zhou Chenghui had given birth to a daughter, and the Crown Prince was very pleased, Empress He already intended to raise the child in her care.

Yunzhi, after giving birth to her daughter with great difficulty, recalled how not long ago, De Yin had deliberately asked her about a literary reference while reciting poetry with the Crown Prince. She didn't know the answer and made a fool of herself. She had feared that her daughter would be sent to De Yin, who was her former mistress. Having betrayed her, Yunzhi didn't know how De Yin would treat her child. Fortunately, the Empress was raising the child.

In ordinary families, when a grandmother raises her granddaughter, the granddaughter's status is elevated, or like Elder Madame Xu, who raised Zheng Deyin with such care that all the family assets were given to the granddaughter.

As a lowly person, having her daughter raised by the Empress meant that her daughter's future was limitless. As her mother, Yunzhi would also rise with her daughter.

While De Yin was frustrated and blaming everyone around her, Huiyin was extremely happy.

This year, she would celebrate the New Year with her brother. Her sister-in-law, Xin Shi, had a good relationship with her since they were close friends. Moreover, she wasn't the kind of petty sister-in-law who competed with her sister-in-law for her brother's affection. They all got along well.

"Sister-in-law, look, this is a pair of bronze flower vases that can hold famous paintings and calligraphy scrolls, perfect for my brother's study. And this display shelf, I find it extremely elegant—have someone take it away as well. This large fish-shaped bell can be placed in your room for decoration." Huiyin said with a smile, pointing out several items for Xin Shi to see.

After the new year, they would be moving into a new residence. The house had three courtyards and a small, elegant garden, but even close relatives could grow tired of each other if they stayed too long.

Xin Shi had initially thought that coming south was too rash. She was a meticulous and clever person, but her husband always had the final say at home, and she didn’t dare to contradict him. Now, seeing how kindly Li Cheng and his wife treated them, she was looking forward to moving into the new home.

Outside, Guguo'er and Xianjie'er were playing with Jing'er, Zhan'er, and Guo Zhao's son, Guo Xing. Guo Xing was intelligent and sensible, leading the younger ones in play with great control.

The sisters-in-law watched through the window as everyone was playing a traditional archery game in the hall, not running around wildly.

"Sister-in-law, I see that young master Guo from the Guo family is truly exceptional. He's only a few years older than Guguo'er but already so sensible," Xin Shi remarked.

Huiyin nodded. "Yes, this child is very steady. It's hard to believe he's only seven or eight years old. Sister-in-law, I have something important to discuss with you."

Xin Shi immediately became serious. "Please, Sister-in-law, do tell."

"There's no need to be so formal. What I mean is, since you've just arrived, people don’t know your character yet. Xuzhou is a key military region, and after recently parting ways with the Prince of Wei, there are many spies gathering intelligence. You need to keep the household in check. If there’s nothing else, bring the children over to play." Huiyin advised.

As for other social niceties, Huiyin didn’t need to instruct Xin Shi on those. Xin Shi’s entire life was tied to Pei Shuo. If Pei Shuo succeeded, she would benefit from his success, but Pei Shuo also needed to prove himself to Li Cheng with real talent.

Now that Li Cheng had given him an opportunity, it was up to Pei Shuo to establish himself.

Xin Shi pondered Huiyin's words and later relayed them to her husband. Pei Shuo responded, "When we move to the new house, we shouldn’t have too many servants, but none of them should be problematic. In the past, my father only managed Jizhou, which was already difficult for me. Now that the prince is waging campaigns, with such vast territories, how could I not give my all? I must go to Yanzhou. If we correspond, let’s not mention any military matters."

The couple discussed the matter, and Xin Shi added enviously, "The gifts my sister-in-law sent for the festivals were so abundant that you couldn’t even fit a hand in between them. She doesn’t seem to care about them at all, and everyone watches her closely. She seems more dignified than Empress He."

Pei Shuo liked hearing this. If his sister were to become empress one day, his future would be even brighter.

Aside from the lively New Year celebrations, after the new year, the Pei family moved into their new residence. Pei Shuo, following Li Cheng, trained soldiers outside. As a cavalryman from a martial family with years of experience, he was a formidable general under Li Cheng.

In early spring, Li Cheng prepared for a martial competition. Pei Shuo fought to a draw with Yuwendang, who was also exceptionally strategic, impressing Pei Shuo.

The men had their own world, and the women got along harmoniously. Xin Shi had seen Huiyin as someone who didn’t meddle in affairs at her natal home, being kind only to relatives and indifferent to others.

However, now, whether it was a wedding in the east or a childbirth in the west, if someone asked for her help, she would assist.

The noble ladies here seemed to revolve around her. Huiyin's status was even higher than Madame Ji's in Jizhou. It was known that her mother-in-law, Madame Ji, could make everyone watch their step when she got angry in Jizhou, but here, everyone trusted and relied on Huiyin, waiting for her decisions, which always left them convinced and satisfied.

Unexpectedly, by March, Wei Duo returned from the capital with an imperial decree to launch a military campaign against Li Cheng, and Li Cheng had to set out again.

"It's not even spring yet, and the seeds haven’t been sown. Last year's harvest was poor. When you leave, will the provisions be sufficient?" Huiyin asked.

Li Cheng shook his head. "It's not about that. Wei Duo is older than my father and rose from humble beginnings, rich in experience. This will be a tough battle. If we win, my prestige will greatly increase. If we lose, those around us might attack."

Huiyin smiled. "You have extraordinary talent. Once you were under others, but now you’re in charge. I trust you."

"Yes, I was a bit nervous at first. Even my father found him difficult to deal with. Now it’s my turn, and I must give it my all," Li Cheng said, his voice filled with both apprehension and joy.

Huiyin adjusted his armor for him. "I appreciate your decisiveness, unlike others who hesitate and miss opportunities. But sometimes, things work out better when handled slowly. Here, wear the chest protector properly."

"I'm off then," Li Cheng said, striding out; otherwise, a glance back would make him reluctant to leave his wife.

Pei Shuo was also going, full of ambition, while Xin Shi was nervous. Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, appearing confident, boosting the morale of the soldiers under him.

Meanwhile, in the Wei region, the Guo family had been dissatisfied since Xie Jiuyi took charge. Especially in Wu Prefecture, where the brothers used to collect taxes, they resented returning it to Li Cheng. Even before Xie Jiuyi issued orders, their scouts learned that Li Cheng was heading to Yanzhou for a major battle with Wei Duo and seized the opportunity to try and retake Wu Prefecture.

When the troops were dispatched, Xie Jiuyi panicked, and Yin Liyi, seeing his anxiety, asked, "What's wrong? Even if the Guo brothers take Wu Prefecture and become arrogant, isn’t it a good thing that they can really fight?"

Xie Jiuyi frowned. "You underestimate Li Cheng. I fear the brothers will suffer a significant loss."

"He's in Yanzhou now; how can he manage it?" Yin Liyi didn’t believe him.

Still in Yanzhou, Li Cheng smiled, thinking they were courting death. Wu Prefecture bordered Xuzhou, and for Huiyin's safety, he couldn’t allow them to attack easily.