Chapter 78

Chapter 78

◎Combining Two Chapters◎

Zheng Fang personally reported that the Xu family had repeatedly incited the Prince of Yuzhang to secretly encroach on the Prince of Huaiyin's territory, distorting the Prince of Huaiyin's true intentions. He requested that Li Cheng impose punishment.

Li Cheng thought that last time, he hadn't made a strong enough example of them. Originally, he had taken in the Prince of Yuzhang, and if the prince were to truly ascend the throne in the future, granting some fiefdoms to Li Jing would be sufficient. However, his goodwill didn't mean he would treat him as a fool. Prince Wei hadn't become emperor yet, but already people were trying to force him to pledge loyalty.

"Someone, take Xu Shao to the water prison and place him under strict guard. No one is to come out without my orders. His son's position shall also be revoked."

After giving the order, he felt that Zheng Fang was indeed quite insightful. No wonder Lü Wei had favored him in the past.

Despite being related by marriage, Zheng Fang didn't show any favoritism and even exposed the Xu family's actions. Li Cheng shook his head and continued to inspect the rations and military supplies.

Strangely enough, Yin Lifang had been fawning over Grand Dowager Wu, who had generally liked her. But today, when Yin Lifang came over, Grand Dowager Wu didn't give her a pleasant face. Not only that, but she also made sarcastic remarks, causing Yin Lifang great embarrassment.

Huiyin saw Yin Lifang come out dejectedly and didn't understand why. After entering to pay her respects, she heard Grand Dowager Wu say, "I say that Yin Lifang is just a concubine; she's not even the principal wife of Prince Wei. When Prince Wei was alive, he didn't give extra favors to Cheng'er. This Xuzhou was taken by Cheng'er himself. Why should you treat Yin Lifang with such courtesy? You can be nice to people, but don't expect them to be nice back."

"What's going on?" Huiyin didn't understand.

Grand Dowager Wu naturally wouldn't say it outright, and it wasn't until Madame Ji came over that Huiyin learned that Zheng Fang had passed the information to Grand Dowager Wu through someone close to her.

The original words supposedly said that Yin Lifang had come with her son to deliberately seize territory. Grand Dowager Wu, being a widow raising her son, could tolerate many people liking her grandson, but she wouldn't allow anyone to encroach on his territory, hence her unfriendly attitude toward Yin Lifang.

Huiyin couldn't help but ask, "Mother, even though that's the case, it took me a long time to gain the trust of those around Grand Dowager Wu. Where did Father find this person?"

"I heard that during a drinking session, someone introduced a fortuneteller who is very accurate and often interacts with Grand Dowager Wu. It's likely that person was entrusted." Madame Ji said.

Huiyin smiled, "Grand Dowager Wu has always been quite superstitious. So that's how it is. Please thank Father on my behalf this time."

Madame Ji neither agreed nor disagreed, "It's what should be done."

Her father could sometimes be unreliable, but at other times, he did things that were quite unexpected, making him hard to evaluate.

Yin Lifang, on the other hand, suspected that Huiyin was behind this. The lifeline she could now grasp was only Li Cheng. Grand Dowager Wu had clearly liked him before, and Li Cheng had also treated them mother and son with courtesy. Suddenly, he deliberately made things difficult for those who were good to Li Jing and threw the Xu family into the water prison. Even Grand Dowager Wu was unfriendly to her today.

She didn't understand.

Qiaozhen had to comfort her, "Your Highness, it's okay. We're only staying here for a few days. It's better not to flatter."

"That's true, but..."

Without the support of Grand Dowager Wu, Yin Lifang naturally found it difficult to navigate the inner household. Even though Huiyin wouldn't reduce her allowance or target her, everyone in the Prince of Huaiyin's mansion had eyes. If you weren't favored by the masters, the servants wouldn't respect you either.

If it were Huiyin, she would remain silent, read more books to settle down, and wait for a better future. She might even find a temple to wait until the Prince of Yuzhang achieved something and then have her brought out.

But clearly, Yin Lifang wasn't that kind of person. She had been able to hold her ground because she had given birth to the eldest son, and even Lady Huo had to rely on her son. Now, being anxious and out of touch with both internal and external matters made her uneasy, worrying that someone would harm her every day.

That night, she even had a nightmare where Jianjia stood by her bed and shouted, "Lady Yin, how could you leave by yourself? We are so miserable..."

Yin Lifang woke up drenched in sweat, her heart pounding.

However, no one cared about this anymore. Huiyin was preparing Li Cheng's war supplies. Originally, she didn't understand these things, but now she was quite proficient.

"This is the longest time you've stayed at home. I've packed the breastplate, alum, poisons, antidotes, and some ready-made prescriptions for injuries. Stay focused on the battlefield and don't worry about home." Huiyin said.

Li Cheng nodded, pulled Huiyin into a tight embrace, and then strode out, ready for battle.

Yuwendang, who has always been by Li Cheng's side, will accompany him. Additionally, there were Pei Shuo and Zheng Wuheng's brothers, who were fierce in battle and utterly loyal to him. Besides them, there were the generals he had trained over the years.

In the army, he didn’t play favorites; promotions were based solely on military merit, unlike Prince Wei, who made his preferences too obvious.

The carriage behind held the Prince of Yuzhang. When Li Cheng took him to the battlefield, it wasn’t to send him to his death, but to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the situation and causing trouble. Although Li Cheng figured an eleven-year-old boy should already be skilled with a bow and horse, Li Jing was neither his child nor his brother, so he didn’t bother saying anything unpleasant.

After Li Cheng and the others left, the women became more idle. Ji Shi often came over with Cui Yuehuan to play card games, and Xin Shi occasionally joined them. If she wasn’t feeling well, she would send either Madame Miao or another lady in her place.

On this day, Xin Shi did come. As the weather turned cooler, she wore a brocade jacket with pearls sewn along the collar and lapel. Huiyin smiled and said, "These pearls look nice."

Cui Yuehuan quickly added, "My lady, these were given by Madame Dong."

"So it was her." Huiyin thought that if Xin Shi really disliked Madame Dong, she shouldn’t accept these things, just as Huiyin wouldn’t even look at the chests brought by Yin Shi.

You hate people for stealing your husband, yet you still covet their gifts. Isn’t that hypocritical?

Xin Shi couldn’t read Huiyin’s expression, and seeing her as usual, she thought that the princess probably didn’t even recognize Madame Dong. This put her at ease.

Huiyin wasn’t about to lecture Xin Shi over this. They were grown-ups, after all, and no one likes being lectured.

Everyone continued playing cards. Cui Yuehuan felt a little embarrassed for speaking out of turn, and Huiyin found it rather amusing. This brother and sister-in-law were both straightforward, wearing their likes and dislikes on their faces.

But this could easily cause resentment. If she ran into someone with a big heart, it wouldn’t be an issue, but if someone with ill intentions noticed, it could lead to enmity.

Now, Xin Shi was seething with resentment toward Cui Yuehuan. The moment she got into the carriage, she vented to her trusted servant, "Did you see how she went out of her way to embarrass me in front of the princess today?"

"Just let it go, my lady. She’s only been married a few years and is still in the honeymoon phase, thinking she’s as extraordinary as Chang'e descended from the heavens." The servant could only comfort her this way.

Xin Shi smiled faintly. "Forget it. Her good days will come to an end soon enough. With all that tongue-wagging, the princess will eventually grow tired of her."

"Indeed, you can see the princess keeps her cool and hides her true feelings. She probably doesn’t care about that Yin woman at all. It’s said she dislikes people like the Second Madam, who are noisy and flustered." The servant remarked with feeling.

Before, when the princess was still in her maiden home, people often compared her with the eldest young lady. They always said the eldest was suitable for the household, while the second young lady had a somewhat peculiar temperament.

The so-called peculiarity didn’t refer to strange behavior, but rather that she was different from ordinary people. Her eyes were sharp, her actions decisive, and she always kept her word. Her way of dealing with people often went against the grain of society.

However, she was indeed very beautiful. It was said that someone had committed suicide for her, and she didn’t feel guilty. Instead, she said that such a fragile person, if not loved by someone, would resort to suicide. In the future, whenever something displeased him, would he use these things to manipulate others?

At that time, they already felt the princess was extraordinary. However, since coming to Xuzhou, although she rarely saw the Prince of Huaiyin in the rear court, whenever they saw the couple together, they felt the princess had completely changed. She became gentle and charming, and with her outstanding appearance, sometimes tender like water, sometimes coquettish and lovely, it was clear she was living a good life, with a harmonious marriage.

A prince without concubines or even a bedmate, completely devoted to her, was as rare as a precious gem.

Moreover, the princess was also quite capable. It was said that she was in charge of procuring military supplies in the rear. She wasn’t someone who particularly liked socializing, but she managed to bring together all the noble families in Xuzhou. No one knew exactly how she did it.

After discussing for a while, Xin Shi and her servant could only advise themselves to let go and wait for another day, as there was nothing they could do about Cui Yuehuan.

When she returned home, Madame Dong and the other two concubines came to serve her. Xin Shi was indifferent. She knew that if she really caused trouble for Madame Dong, Pei Shuo wouldn’t actually divorce her. But doing so would weaken the bond between the couple.

Moreover, within the borders of Xuzhou, the prince had once said that even servants' deaths must be examined by the authorities and not disposed of privately.

"Madam," Madame Dong was very obedient.

Xin Shi waved her hand. "I’m tired too. Sisters, go and rest. Ziying, the princess sent several boxes of fruit-filled pastries for me to bring back. You all can share them."

Everyone received a share, even Madame Dong. The maid serving Madame Dong, Wunier, said, "My lady, the fruit-filled pastries from the princess's small kitchen are famous in Xuzhou. Many high-ranking officials in Xuzhou consider it an honor to eat them."

Wunier, a maid given to Madame Dong by Pei Shuo, was the daughter of his wet nurse. She had previously served in the study, and later Pei Shuo unintentionally took her in, specifically assigning Wunier to serve Madame Dong. Madame Dong originally had two attendants and brought two young servants with her, but they didn’t know much about the Zheng family. Only Wunier was knowledgeable about these matters.

"In that case, you should put them away carefully and bring them out when guests come," Madame Dong said, cherishing them.

Wunier smiled and agreed.

Dong Shi had seen many valuable things while by Lü Wei's side, so she had quite a bit of standing with Yu Dalaoye. However, it was a different story in the Pei family. Pei Shuo held a high position, and his two younger sisters were both married into the royal family, talented and insightful. She admired him greatly.

But now that Pei Shuo was gone, life felt much harder.

It was said that after the card game today, Huiyin got up and went to lie on the daybed in the inner room. Playing cards could be tiring, and lying down felt more comfortable.

Of course, lying down also made one easily dizzy.

Fortunately, before long, Jing'er and Zhan'er came, and with the children around, having meals together was much more enjoyable. Today, there was Eight-Treasure Duck and Black Bean Duck on the table, both of which the children loved. Jing'er had just finished a riding and archery lesson and was famished.

"Mom, the duck meat isn't the best part of the Eight-Treasure Duck—it's the glutinous rice and shrimp that really stand out," Jing'er said as he scooped up a big bite of rice.

This wasn't a banquet for guests, just the three of them eating, with dishes they each loved. Jing'er ate by himself without needing anyone to serve him.

Zhan'er said, "I love chicken legs like Father."

"Then this big chicken leg is yours," Huiyin said, grateful that both her children were not picky eaters. Yesterday, she saw that Guge was very picky, refusing to eat anything with scallions, ginger, garlic, or even a bit of fat, and even disliked the crystal trotters.

Before they finished eating, Nanny Nan came in and said, "Your Highness, it seems that Yin Lifang is unwell."

"Get a doctor to see her and make sure to keep records of her condition," Huiyin said. It was no surprise that Yin Lifang was sick. After a long journey, the women were weak and not accustomed to the local water. It was normal, but records were needed in case someone tried to cause trouble.

An hour later, Huiyin heard that Yin Lifang's illness was just many dreams and night sweats, and that she needed rest.

Huiyin nodded. "Make sure she rests well."

In the past, when she was in the Prince of Wei’s Mansion, Yin Lifang always felt she had to endure and wished to quickly support her son to become the future prince so she wouldn't have to compete with other concubines and her son would be safe.

Unexpectedly, after the Prince of Wei died, her troubles only worsened. Living under someone else's roof and constantly worrying about others' moods was something she had never experienced before.

Yes, Zheng Huiyin was indeed well-provided for, but she wasn't particularly close to anyone. The servants didn't dare to go too far because she managed the household well and dealt with matters fairly.

Qiaozhen brought the medicine and said, "My lady, please drink some medicine and rest."

The bitter smell made Yin Lifang uncomfortable. She said, "Do you think Prince of Huaiyin will win this battle? I'm really worried about Jing'er."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll win," Qiaozhen said, trying to reassure her.

If Li Cheng also lost, what would happen to them?

Yin Lifang's unnecessary worries made her fall asleep after taking the medicine. She had come to Li Cheng with her son, leaving Dong Shi and her daughter behind, thinking that with the Dong family's support, they would be fine. But she didn't know why she dreamt of Jianjia.

...

The constant stream of medicine for Yin Lifang annoyed Grand Dowager Wu. Being of advanced age, she disliked hearing words like "illness" or "death" and couldn't bear the smell of medicine.

Therefore, she insisted on moving Yin Lifang away, and Huiyin had no choice but to set aside a courtyard in the west for Yin Lifang to live in separately.

Fugui couldn't help but say, "Previously, the Dowager always praised this Yin Fei. Now, it seems she is not that great."

"She was praised to make me look bad. After all, it doesn't cost anything to praise someone. But now that Yin Lifang is no longer useful, of course, they're turning against her," Huiyin said.

After saying that, she couldn't help but think that if something happened to Li Cheng, it would be the same for her and her sons, even with her father and brothers. Truly controlling the world would still be difficult.

The front lines were, of course, very tense. This time, Wei Duo had not only brought his own troops, but the Crown Prince had also come with Shi Chong. The Crown Prince knew that if Wei Duo won, he might be deposed, and if Li Cheng won, he might even usurp the throne.

After all, Wei Duo was an outsider, while Li Cheng was the son of the King of Wu.

When Li Cheng heard that the Crown Prince had arrived, he clapped his hands and laughed. "This is perfect."

It’s best to take them all out at once.

It was also said that the crown prince’s expedition delighted De Yin the most. The person who had oppressed her was gone, and Consort Wei had finally calmed down. Yunzhi had given birth to a son this time, and with her improved status, she wouldn’t bother her anymore.

Without the crown prince, the palace was very quiet.

But the food wasn’t as good as it used to be. The palace maids were full of complaints, and De Yin thought to herself that even a tiger that has fallen from power could still be bullied by dogs.

In the previous life, the crown prince had barely survived thanks to Zheng Wuheng. He had later managed to hold his own against Li Cheng. It was uncertain whether it would be the same this time.

Xu Huiyin also received a letter from Li Cheng. The handwriting was rushed, with loops and hooks, suggesting it was written quickly. In her previous life, Li Cheng had attacked Xuzhou, and Huiyin had been very surprised at how difficult it had been for him, so much so that even her younger brother had nearly perished there.

Now, the situation had completely reversed. Li Cheng was leading her brothers to fight the crown prince and Wei Duo.

The vicissitudes of life were truly unpredictable.

Her elder sister believed that Huiyin became Empress in her previous life because she married the right man. However, she didn’t realize that one also needed to rely on their own efforts.

Meanwhile, Li Heng had also brought his troops. Wei Duo didn’t like the crown prince and felt that he was doing this deliberately. He had tried to drive him away several times, but he wouldn’t leave.

"What do you think the crown prince is coming for?"

"Probably to deal with Li Cheng. Last time, Shi Chong was defeated, and that petty man incited the crown prince to come."

Wei Duo stroked his beard and said, "I think the crown prince wants to reap the benefits of our conflict. Look, we've been fighting for a month, and only now does he come."

The advisors around couldn’t help but find it amusing. Why try to profit from others’ conflicts when he could just focus on being a proper crown prince in the capital?

Li Heng didn’t want to be a puppet crown prince anymore, so he had to seize power and intimidate those around him.

The frontlines were tense, so Huiyin didn’t have time to prepare for flower banquets. However, Zheng Fang continued to eat and drink as usual.

When he was in charge of Jizhou, he often couldn’t sleep. Now that the pressure was off, he had no stress. He took a nap at noon and yawned when he woke up.

Xu Shi was sent back to the nunnery. As for Elder Madame Xu, it was said that she had fallen ill from anger. Only then did he step forward to visit his mother.

Elder Madame Xu was on a hunger strike. With Li Cheng gone, she wanted Zheng Fang to release Xu Shi. If Zheng Fang refused, she wouldn’t drink a single drop of water.

"Is Elder Madame Xu still not eating?" Zheng Fang asked outside his mother's door.

Nanny Luo cried and said, "Yes, Marquis, I beg you, please agree to Elder Madame Xu's request."

Zheng Fang was also in a difficult position. "It was decided by the prince. As the saying goes, the state has its laws, and the family has its rules. How can I just go to the dungeon and release someone? Besides, I’ve just arrived and don’t even know where the dungeon is."

Upon hearing this, Elder Madame Xu, who was on a hunger strike, felt even more desperate. Her son not only wouldn’t save his sister but also betrayed her family. He was truly heartless.

At that moment, the tightly bolted door suddenly swung open. Elder Madame Xu, who hadn’t seen sunlight in days, lifted her head to see her ungrateful son walk in. She pointed at him and scolded, "You beast! When I gave birth to you, your father said this child would bring disaster to the family. It seems he was right."

"Mother, you used to praise me. Now you scold me." Zheng Fang knew it was pointless to talk to his mother. He didn’t want to waste his breath.

He shouted to the servants outside, "Bring the morning meal here. All the delicious food. I’ll eat with Elder Madame Xu."

Elder Madame Xu shouted that she wouldn’t eat.

Zheng Fang smirked. If you won’t eat, I will. Let’s see if I can’t tempt you.

Soon, one dish after another was brought to the table. Elder Madame Xu, who came from a humble background, loved braised pork the most. Zheng Fang shared her love for braised pork, so the first dish served was braised pork with quail eggs.

The braised pork was fragrant and melted in your mouth. Zheng Fang held a square piece of braised pork and said to Elder Madame Xu, "Mother, this braised pork is so authentic. We couldn't afford to eat it in the past. It was only after I became a registrar under Lu Ji that I could treat myself to a feast."

"Wow, it’s so tender, and these quail eggs are perfectly seasoned."

"No, I need to have a sip of wine, and with some side dishes, this squid is really delicious too."

Elder Madame Xu was already hungry, and hearing Zheng Fang chew crisply made her stomach growl even more. She couldn't help but scold Zheng Fang for being inconsiderate.

Zheng Fang seemed to understand what Elder Madame Xu was thinking and said, "You're punishing yourself just to spite us, but I'm the only one who truly cares about you. While you're here, I still have some regard for the Xu family. If you're not here, I won't need to care anymore. Oh, there's also sweet and sour pork; its flavor is different from our braised pork."

After finishing his meal, Zheng Fang bowed and left, clearly satisfied. Nanny Luo originally wanted to persuade Elder Madame Xu, thinking of asking someone to boil some rice porridge, but Elder Madame Xu sat up and said, "I want to eat braised pork. Only while I’m here can the Xu family try to keep things running smoothly. I can’t just die like this."

...

Elder Madame Xu finally ended her hunger strike, and Madame Ji recounted the story to Huiyin with a laugh.

"Grandmother is getting up there in age but still likes to stir things up," Huiyin shook her head.

Madame Ji laughed and said a few words, then naturally asked Huiyin about Pei Shuo and Zheng Wuheng again. Huiyin replied, "I received a letter from the prince a month ago from the front, but I don’t know how things are going now."

The conversation turned somber, as the outcome of the war was uncertain and depended on timing, location, and unity.

Madame Ji left feeling disheartened.

Three months later, Madame Ji visited Huiyin again, but the mother and daughter couldn’t muster any more jokes, unsure of what was happening at the front.

Just then, Fugui hurried in and said, "The prince has sent a letter, Your Highness."