Chapter 70

Chapter 70

◎First Watch◎

It is said that since Li Cheng went on his expedition, there had been no news from the front. However, they did receive word about Cao Ping’s sister, who had just married and should now be called the Second Young Madam Xie. When she returned home to visit her parents, she had prepared lavish gifts to formally pay her respects to Princess Huiyin.

Huiyin had only met her a few times before. Now, seeing her rosy cheeks, which seemed to glow with health and youth, Huiyin knew she was doing well in her new marriage. Huiyin bestowed upon her two boxes of palace-made silk flowers and a white jade crown.

The Second Young Madam Xie rose and curtseyed, saying, "Your Highness has shown me great kindness, which I can never repay."

The Second Young Master Xie Jiuyi, whom she married, was a bit of a womanizer but knew his limits and showed great respect to his legitimate wife. The Xie family was well-known among the elite of Wu Prefecture. His sister-in-law, Madam Qian, was greedy and would casually give her gold-inlaid skirts and embroidered handkerchiefs, which pleased Madam Qian. Everything was harmonious in this Xie family. Unlike in her previous household, where she had to offer warmth to their coldness every day, this was much better. That Yin Shi couldn’t even speak properly, was petty, yet somehow managed to be a respected main wife and was praised by others.

Truly undeserving of her position.

Looking at the current Princess of Huaiyin in front of her, regardless of her appearance, her speech and conduct were of the highest caliber, and her gifts were exquisite and grand. She was a woman of her word.

Huiyin smiled and said, "As long as you and your husband are harmonious, that’s more important than anything."

She didn’t pry into the relationship between the Second Young Master Xie and his wife. After all, every couple has their own way of living. Even the most loving couples can start to doubt each other if outsiders say something. Huiyin had met Madam Qian, the sister-in-law of the Second Young Madam Xie. She was straightforward and honest, wearing her heart on her sleeve, like her dissatisfaction with her husband’s spending in brothels and entertaining friends.

Yet, she genuinely hoped her brother-in-law would be more ambitious and even wanted to request an official position for him.

Other sisters-in-law wouldn’t help a concubine’s son, but Madam Qian was a good person.

When a woman marries, her husband is one part, but most of her life is spent dealing with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. For example, Huiyin lived comfortably because she didn’t have a mother-in-law above her, though Grand Dowager Wu had given her a hard time before. If one encountered a wicked mother-in-law and cunning sisters-in-law, life would be difficult. It was hard to separate from the family, so one had to endure, and the virtue of filial piety could be suffocating.

After drinking a cup of tea, the Second Young Madam Xie bid farewell and left to return to her husband. Naturally, the Cao family slaughtered chickens and oxen to entertain their daughter and son-in-law. Inside the house, Mrs. Cao asked her daughter, "How is the Xie family? Is your sister-in-law and mother-in-law doing well?"

The Second Young Madam Xie smiled and said, "Mother, rest assured, my mother-in-law doesn’t manage things anymore. It’s my elder sister-in-law who is in charge. She is not a bad person and hasn’t tried to undermine me. It’s much better than in my previous family, where I had to smile at their indifference every day. That Yin Shi didn’t even know how to speak properly, was petty, yet managed to be a main wife and was praised everywhere. Forget about them. Now, in this family, my husband is a soft and gentle person. Before I entered the household, the concubine who served in his room was sent away by his elder sister-in-law."

Mrs. Cao clasped her hands together and said, "Amen, this is good news."

"Yes, I was worried there would be someone in his room, so I prepared some gifts, but unexpectedly, the person in his room was sent away. Even the one who served in his study wasn’t kept. I think since I’ve endured such difficult days before, it’s much better now. Mother, let’s not talk about these things anymore. Whatever the future holds, it’s already better than before." Although there were some dissatisfactions with the Second Young Master Xie, one couldn’t expect everything to go smoothly in life. Thinking this way made things easier.

Not to mention the Cao family entertaining their son-in-law, it was said that Xin Shi was pregnant. Huiyin saw that her niece needed to study and was worried that Xin Shi might not be able to take care of her. So, she took the initiative to bring her niece, Huanjie, to the Huaiyin Mansion to play.

Nanny Nan looked at Huanjie’s appearance and couldn’t help but say to Huiyin, "Look how much the young miss resembles our Madam."

The Madam referred to was Madame Ji. Huiyin looked and also thought they looked alike, but she worried and said, "I wonder how my father and brother are doing on the battlefield? My mother must be worried at home."

Nanny Nan said, "Since the Prince (of Huaiyin) has personally led the troops, everything will be fine."

Not only was there no problem, but when Li Cheng (Prince of Huaiyin) saw his father-in-law and brother-in-law come to pledge allegiance, with maps, troops, and supplies presented, Li Cheng still pretended to decline, saying, "As your son-in-law, I should be helping you, Father-in-law, and Brother-in-law. How can I take these from you? If I do, won’t people think of me as a petty person?"

Zheng Fang had a fleeting thought that if his son-in-law truly came to help him, wouldn’t he be able to regain control of this region in the future? But when he looked at his stepson Pei Shuo and saw him give a signal, he bowed and said, "Since ancient times, a son-in-law is considered half a son. Now, with Shi Chong, under the Crown Prince’s orders, leading 100,000 elite troops into Jizhou, my son and I are at a loss. If my lord does not accept us, we will have no choice but to surrender."

Thus, Li Cheng personally dismounted and helped up the Zheng father and son, and they discussed matters together.

In fact, after last year’s famine in Jizhou, the Zheng family’s grain was running low. Zheng Fang’s resolve was not firm, and although Zheng Wuheng had ambitions, he was unable to help.

The news that the Zheng father and son were offering Jizhou to Li Cheng quickly spread. Needless to say how furious Li Heng was when he heard this, Xie Jiuyi was also shocked.

"Zheng Fang actually surrendered to Li Cheng? Did you hear that correctly?" Xie Jiuyi slapped the table, finding it unbelievable.

The spy said, "It’s already spread. Shi Chong from Xizhou, under the Crown Prince’s orders, led 100,000 elite troops into Jizhou. The Zheng father and son directly sought help from the Prince of Huaiyin. The Prince of Huaiyin sent troops, and Zheng Fang pledged allegiance to him."

……

After discussing with his advisors for a long time, Xie Jiuyi returned, exhausted. Yin Liyi was reading a storybook and immediately asked upon seeing him, "So, it seems the Prince of Huaiyin has reclaimed Jizhou?"

"Shi Chong is coming on strong, but it's not certain that he can really take over. However, Zheng Fang has been managing Jizhou for many years. If he switches sides, the two families fighting against Shi Chong might just have a chance to win," Xie Jiuyi remarked.

Yin Liyi thought, "Li Cheng's luck is really good. The Zheng family even gave him their land. Who would dare to fight him now? I have to hand it to him."

Initially, Yin Liyi wasn't optimistic about Li Cheng. She thought he had mostly relied on Prince Wei to rise to power, and after Prince Wei's death, he had been eager to divide the family property. But now, it seems he had been preparing for this for a long time.

"Do you think he's preying on a family with no male heirs?" Yin Liyi asked.

Xie Jiuyi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Since marrying Princess Zheng, Li Cheng has clearly been targeting Jizhou. When you attacked Qingzhou, Prince Wei was still around, and Zheng Fang was his father-in-law. The two families had marital ties, yet the Zheng family stood by and did nothing. Now, Li Cheng and the Zheng family have divided Qingzhou between them. When we attacked Yanzhou, Zheng Fang's stepson came over, and now they've secured the land of Jizhou," Yin Liyi speculated.

Xie Jiuyi didn't think Li Cheng had that much charm. "Princess Zheng has brothers. How can you say Li Cheng is preying on a family with no male heirs? I think Zheng Fang is most known for betraying others. Now, Li Cheng thinks he's gained an advantage, but as the saying goes, 'Xiao He brings success and Xiao He brings failure.'"

While Xie Jiuyi calmly judged others, he didn't know that Wei Duo, coveting the vast territories of Jingzhou and Yuzhang, saw them as ripe for the taking.

Suddenly, Wei Duo's army headed south, and Xie Jiuyi had no time to worry about Li Cheng. He felt as if a dark cloud had settled over the place. In the past, Prince Wei's forces had many talented people. He and Li Cheng could discuss matters together, but now he was fighting alone.

Once Xie Jiuyi left, Yin Liyi was called to Huaiyin Mansion by her sister. The two sisters often talked, and their days were peaceful.

Just as Yin Liyi was about to go to the back hall upon hearing someone crying, her sister quickly pulled her back. "What are you doing? There's no need to go. It's just Miss Huo crying over there."

"Why is she crying?" Yin Liyi had much less contact with Miss Huo recently.

Yin Lifang, who had once held great respect for Miss Huo, had grown impatient with her constant meddling. She tried not to say anything unkind, but even she couldn't bear it anymore. Looking at her younger sister, she said, "Wei Duo's army is almost here, and Miss Huo is still thinking about marrying her daughter to Wei Duo's son. I've tried everything to explain it to her. A princess, being of royal blood, can marry anyone. Why does it have to be the Wei family?"

These were matters she could only confide in her sister. Miss Huo was unyieldingly stubborn.

Not to mention Miss Huo, but wasn't Elder Madame Xu the same?

She had followed Madame Ji and Miss Cui, placing Xu Shi in a cramped carriage at the back. Xu Shi wept throughout the journey, but with the pursuers closing in, no one dared to turn back.

Upon hearing that her son had surrendered the land to Li Cheng, Xu Shi was even more distraught and scolded Madame Ji, "By doing this, you're pushing De Yin into a fire pit!"

"We have no other choice, Elder Madame," Madame Ji replied. She was used to being in charge and was now forced to seek refuge with her son-in-law. She didn't know what the future held and had to watch her daughter and son-in-law's faces. What about De Yin?

Xu Shi said, "If you really don't know, would you have let your husband lose all the land? How can I face the Zheng family ancestors in the afterlife..."

Miss Cui rolled her eyes inwardly. If they hadn't fled when Shi Chong attacked, they might have been captured and forced into servitude. Besides, Li Cheng was her cousin. She wasn't afraid after reaching Xuzhou. She believed that the rise of bandits in Jizhou was due to Shi Chong's machinations. That's why her father-in-law had fled. He had been deeply infiltrated.

But as a junior, she really couldn't say much.

In the past, Madame Ji wouldn't have been afraid of her, but now she was worried that arguing with the old lady might be overheard and cause trouble. She felt that traveling in the same carriage with her was the worst decision.

Fortunately, after passing Jiahui Pass, the inn had staff specially assigned to serve them. When Madame Ji and the others entered, the innkeeper's wife flattered them, "The prince ordered us to ensure the Marquis's wife and her companions were well cared for."

Only then was Madame Ji free from her mother-in-law. When Xu Shi and her niece reunited, they embraced and wept together.

Xu Shi had actually been quite resourceful in the past, but Madame Ji had been fortunate in bearing children first. Now that she had left the nunnery, she wasn't going back.

"Elder Madame Xu, going to Xuzhou might be good for us. My family is there, and with them, I have a support. You and I won't have to be bullied by Madame Ji anymore. Besides, Madame Ji's daughter is the prince's wife. She's afraid we'll expose her past, so she'll help us," Xu Shi said, feeling full of fight after bathing and changing clothes.

Elder Madame Xu sighed. "Since we are now relying on others, let's avoid causing unnecessary trouble. When the time comes, I'll beg Huiyin. I cannot abandon my sister in the Eastern Palace. After all, we're still family."