Chapter 85

Chapter 85

◎Combined Chapter◎

In the morning, after organizing some palace affairs, Huiyin felt exhausted and in pain. She truly couldn't compare to some women who had exceptionally good health. The last time a lady visited the palace, she mentioned how her energy levels actually improved after giving birth. Even now, at over sixty years of age, she remained radiant and more vigorous than younger people.

However, Huiyin could not manage such feats. She definitely needed some rest. Around noon, feeling too lazy to have a proper meal, she had a few light snacks. It wasn't until after she woke up from her nap that she felt more comfortable.

The people serving her had also grown accustomed to this routine. Almost everyone would take a nap at noon. Nanny Nan brought over some needlework, Ling Lu prepared tea for everyone, and Huiyin read a book by the side.

After finishing the book, it suddenly occurred to her, "It seems my eldest brother has had another son."

Fugui smiled. "You have so much on your mind, my lady. Just yesterday, you sent me to the Pei family to check on things."

"I forgot because things have been so busy lately," Huiyin said.

Currently, her elder brother had two sons and a daughter. As for the boys, it was fine, but Huiyin had been thinking about arranging a marriage for Xianjie. She intended to marry Xianjie to Guo Zhao's eldest son, Guo Xing. This would be a union of old and new court officials.

Besides, Xianjie was sensible, and Guo Xing was a very prudent child. Their marriage might not be filled with passionate love, but it would be stable and good, which was better than many others.

However, it wasn't just about what she thought was good. She also had to consider whether her brother and sister-in-law agreed.

Marriage was about creating harmony between two families, not creating enmity.

It was also said that after giving birth to her son, Dong Shi needed more care due to postpartum bleeding, but her brows and eyes had relaxed. Although she had been married several times, she finally wed into the Pei family. Her husband was handsome, of high rank, and powerful, and she had even borne him a son. For her, life had reached a state of perfection.

Thus, she had someone donate five hundred taels to a temple as a charitable donation.

She wasn’t asking for anything else; she just wanted her future to be peaceful, which was more important than anything.

Pei Shuo understood Dong Shi's actions well. When he had needed financial and human resources the most, Dong Shi had helped him without hesitation, which was a great favor to him. All she needed was a place to stay, which he could easily provide.

This time, because Pei Shuo was the queen's brother and a General of the Flying Cavalry, a position much higher than the Jizhou Colonel, his home was bustling with activity. Seeing this, Xin Shi couldn't help but feel sour.

However, the relationship between a husband and wife largely depended on the power behind them. The Xin family, which had some reputation in Jizhou, was now insignificant in the newly established dynasty. So, although Xin Shi was sharp-tongued and had some difficult days, she eventually let it go.

Moreover, from her cold observation, Dong Shi was a gentle and obedient person. She even pushed Pei Shuo to visit Huiyin. Whether she was hiding malice or deliberately flattering, it was hard to say. But if she resorted to harsh measures against Dong Shi now, she might be seen as jealous. If Pei Shuo disliked her because of that, her life would become difficult.

This was why, despite her sour feelings, she still made sure the third-day ceremony for Dong Shi's son, Jian Ge, was grand, treating him as if he were her own son.

When Madame Ji saw this scene, she spoke to her son Pei Shuo about his wife. "Your wife is virtuous. You should treat her kindly."

"Don't worry, mother. I will never mistreat Xin Shi," Pei Shuo replied. Xin Shi was his first wife, the mother of his children. How could he mistreat her?

Madame Ji smiled. "That's good, that's good."

After finishing this topic, the mother and son moved on to discuss the completion of the Yuzhang Prince's Mansion. Pei Shuo's other task of staying in the capital was to monitor the Yuzhang Prince's Mansion.

Zheng Fang entered from outside and joined the conversation. "The Yuzhang Prince is finished. The group from the Wei King's territory, now leaderless, has split. Some have joined Wei Duo, and most have joined the emperor. The emperor is currently fighting Wei Duo on the frontlines. As the emperor of the Da Ye dynasty, many secretly side with him. But what does the Prince of Yuzhang have? He is merely a teenager, unskilled in archery and horsemanship, and barely literate. Even if he's a bit clever, can he really turn the world upside down? To play the part of a pig to catch the tiger, you still need to be a tiger."

"Father, I understand what you mean, but my sister has told me to pay close attention. I dare not neglect it." After witnessing his sister's handling of spies and how much weight her words carried, Pei Shuo's heart naturally leaned towards his sister.

Zheng Fang wasn't as open with his stepson as he was with Zheng Wuheng. He only sighed softly. "The emperor is not here right now, so it's natural that your sister is concerned. But if she becomes too concerned, the emperor might not like it."

He still held traditional male views. Pei Shuo wasn't without worry either, but after thinking about it, he smiled. "You don't know. The emperor hastily named the crown prince to secure my sister's position. Perhaps he needs her to be stronger to help protect the imperial throne for the crown prince."

Zheng Fang's mind immediately wandered. Yes, all his talk was based on the assumption that the emperor would return. But if the emperor didn't come back, with Huiyin's abilities and talent, she could indeed take charge. As the grandfather of the crown prince, he would certainly be heavily relied upon.

"Cough, cough, Father, what are you thinking about?" Pei Shuo poured wine for Zheng Fang.

Zheng Fang raised his cup and took a few small sips. "No, not really. Just that you have so much on your plate, it must be exhausting."

Pei Shuo smiled. "Why speak such words? Assigning tasks to me shows you trust me."

For Pei Shuo, this was actually a good thing. While fighting wars outside could lead to merits, with Yuwendang around, no one could surpass his achievements. Being able to help his sister in the capital and earn some favor with his nephew was more valuable than anything else. People feared being idle; a day or two of leisure was fine, but over time, one would fall behind.

Meanwhile, when it was mentioned that Yuzhang Prince's Mansion had been completed, Huiyin went to the Empress Dowager's palace and spoke to Princess Wei and Yin Lifang. "I plan to select an auspicious date for you to move in."

Princess Wei was delighted. "We must thank the Emperor and Empress for their care." Yin Lifang also added a few words.

Huiyin was pleased to see this, as she knew that while Princess Wei and Yin Lifang could maintain a temporary calm in the Empress Dowager's presence, it would be difficult once they left the palace.

Therefore, Huiyin wouldn't let them off so easily but pretended to be troubled. "However, I must first complain to both of you. With the new dynasty just starting and the Emperor away at war, the allowances might be limited. Please bear with us."

With the war outside, even the palace had to live frugally, let alone those outside the palace. Given the current situation, it was already good for the Yuzhang Prince to be accommodated.

Moreover, when under a low eave, one has to bow their head. This principle left Princess Wei and Yin Lifang without a rebuttal.

They would move to Yuzhang Prince's Mansion on a certain auspicious day after the Beginning of Spring.

Huiyin's maternal family, the Zheng family, along with the Pei family, Yuwendang's family, and the Guo family, specially came to congratulate them on their new home. Cui Yuehua, returning with Madame Ji, remarked, "Looking from the outside, Yuzhang Prince's Mansion seems quite grand, but inside it feels too delicate and not spacious enough."

Madame Ji smiled. "There aren’t many spacious places available for him. This mansion is beautifully built and suits him well. Compared to those sent to the imperial mausoleum, they are already in a good position."

Cui Yuehua nodded. "You're right."

Madame Ji smiled again. "With both the official mother and birth mother of the Yuzhang Prince living together, there could be trouble ahead."

"In the palace, they seem to be doing well," said Cui Yuehua.

"That’s because they’re under the Empress Dowager’s protection. The Empress Dowager isn’t someone who can quell troubles, but the Empress is different. If they keep causing trouble, they might never get out of the palace," said Madame Ji, feeling proud of her daughter.

Cui Yuehua remembered the list she had submitted last time, where only one person was problematic, and the rest were fine. She went to the palace to apologize, but instead of blaming her, the Empress praised her for her efforts.

This experience made Cui Yuehua more composed, realizing there were always others more capable. She understood that work couldn't be done hastily and had since become more convinced of Huiyin's capabilities.

As for Yin Lifang and the others moving in for the first time, it was up to them to decide the arrangements, not the palace. In fact, their statuses were now quite equal. Although Princess Wei was the official wife, she wasn't the birth mother of the Yuzhang Prince. This was the Yuzhang Prince's mansion.

Naturally, Princess Wei wanted to live in the best courtyard, and Yin Lifang was willing to do so too. However, she wasn't Yin Liyi, who could endure much, so in front of the Yuzhang Prince, she said, "Jing’er, let's give the best courtyard to Princess Wei."

"Mother..." The Yuzhang Prince was naturally closer to his birth mother, and Princess Wei's kindness was only because she didn't have a son of her own.

Yin Lifang gently shook her head and said to Princess Wei, "Princess, you should live in the upper courtyard."

Appearing deeply wronged, Jianjia couldn't help but defend her mother. "My mother is the official wife and should live in the upper courtyard."

Upon hearing this, Princess Wei immediately sensed trouble. Though inwardly pleased, Yin Lifang humbly agreed, "Yes, yes, we will follow the arrangements of the Princess and the Lady."

The young Yuzhang Prince didn't grasp the complexities and resented that despite his status, his mother had to yield. Princess Wei tried to mediate but to no avail. The Yuzhang Prince and Yin Lifang had already developed a deep resentment towards her.

However, Princess Wei had her own considerations. Her daughter wasn't married yet, and she needed this status. Otherwise, if Yin Lifang truly became the mistress, it would be awkward for her to appear in public. Therefore, she couldn't back down.

On the very first day, reports of the disputes in Yuzhang Prince's Mansion were sent to Huiyin, who smiled. "Let them fight with each other. It's better than them uniting against others, which wouldn't be a good thing."

Fugui said, "Yes, neither of them is good. Before, Princess Wei even tried to marry off her sister to our Emperor, ignoring proper decorum. As for Second Consort Yin, she’s always scheming. Despite her small stature, she’s quite cunning."

"Although the Yuzhang Prince is still a child, he is the lord of a mansion. How he handles disputes within the mansion will be a true test of his wisdom. If there’s disharmony in the Yuzhang Prince’s Mansion, it’ll be bad for them but great for us. Since the Princess Wei has taken the main courtyard, in the future, when we send gifts, we’ll give the same to both Yin Lifang and the Princess Wei, treating them as equals."

"Didn’t the Wei Imperial Consort, the Prince of Wei’s mother, constantly stir up trouble with the Grand Dowager Wu? Once she left the Prince of Wei’s Mansion, the Grand Dowager Wu didn’t dare to cause trouble anymore, which shows where the problem lies. Huiyin isn’t someone who forgets past wounds just because they’ve healed."

"When it comes to retaliation, she doesn’t hold back."

However, as she stood up and walked to the window, seeing the pink buds on the peach tree outside, she murmured, "You’ve been gone for half a year now… why haven’t you come back yet…?"

Li Cheng was battling fiercely on the front lines. He knew Wei Duo would be tough, but he didn’t expect him to be this difficult to handle. The reason he had been able to defeat Wei Duo before was purely because Wei Duo didn’t understand his tactics. Now, however, Wei Duo seemed to know his moves all too well, which was no surprise since some of Wei Duo’s subordinates had previously served under Li Cheng.

These men had fought alongside Li Cheng before, so they were familiar with his tactics and knew his personality well.

Li Cheng’s personality was very straightforward, unlike Huiyin’s. Huiyin could tolerate people she disliked and would wait for years to strike back with a well-thought-out plan. But Li Cheng was very particular. When he first saw the gift list Huiyin drafted, he found it inappropriate and revised everything. Fortunately, Huiyin didn’t mind at all.

Now, Wei Duo was deliberately targeting this trait of his, making him win unhappily and lose unwillingly.

Zheng Wuheng, being the youngest, didn’t dare to offer suggestions. Yuwendang, on the other hand, was eager to win this battle in one go, because if they retreated, Wei Duo would advance.

They had to endure the hardship and find another solution.

"Your Majesty, there is a letter from the Empress." A guard reported from outside.

When Li Cheng was toiling on the frontlines, his greatest comfort was reading the letters from Huiyin. However, Huiyin was very considerate and would only write once in a long while. Previously, there were spies from Wei Duo among his men, and it was only after great effort that they were rooted out. At that time, he couldn’t even send letters back for fear of interception.

Now that these people had been dealt with, he could finally send letters openly.

The letter began by saying that she didn’t intend to disturb him, but she missed him terribly since he had been away for so long. She also mentioned that she had caught many of Wei Duo’s spies in the capital.

Reading this, Li Cheng grinned. Huiyin was truly clever.

She also wrote that the peach buds had appeared by the window, but she didn’t know if the flowers would bloom by the time she could see him...

Li Cheng was also in pain, longing to return to his wife. The couple had been spending little time together for many years. Luckily, at the end of the letter, Huiyin reminded him that tough times call for patience and calm.

She had even tucked an old silk handkerchief into the letter—something Li Cheng knew she often used. At that moment, Li Cheng blushed.

His anxious heart was soothed considerably. The next day, he personally rewarded the army and discussed with Guo Zhao, Yuwendang, and Zheng Wuheng in the tent. It was clear to all of them that Li Cheng seemed much more spirited.

"They either ambush our granary or try to bribe our people. There are a few useful men when fighting, but that’s because they know my tactics. This time, I need to devise a strategy that he cannot predict, with people he cannot foresee." After saying this, Li Cheng looked at Zheng Wuheng.

Although Zheng Wuheng had some experience, he was still like a new recruit among them. Seeing everyone’s eyes on him, he hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I don’t have any other ideas right now."

Li Cheng smiled and said, "Just speak your mind. Even if you’re wrong, I won’t blame you."

Encouraged by his brother-in-law, Zheng Wuheng spoke up, "I believe that old traitor Wei Duo loves land battles and prefers cunning tactics. If we don’t react to his moves and remain unmoved, what can he do to us?"

"What you said makes sense. But if we stay still, he’ll attack. We can’t retreat; instead, we need to raise the stakes." Li Cheng also came up with a good plan.

Both sides wanted to lure the enemy in, but it wasn’t going to be easy.

Wei Duo was currently trying to recruit Zhao Hong, but Zhao Hong wanted to surrender to Li Cheng. Li Cheng had initially planned to accept him but then thought of a better strategy.

However, Yuwendang said, "Won’t this be easy to turn a ruse into reality?"

"This is exactly a test. If Zhao Hong and Wei Duo join forces, we’ll let them win two battles and allow them to come from Pingshan. Then, we’ll flank them from behind." Li Cheng quickly devised a strategy.

It was a risky move, but they had no other choice.

After formulating the strategy, Li Cheng led his soldiers in daily training, working very hard. The grain supplies from several regions arrived in a timely manner. Zheng Wuheng trained alongside his brother-in-law without complaint. In this regard, the two brothers, Zheng Wuheng and Pei Shuo, were alike. Unlike Zheng Fang, who was indecisive and often changed his mind, the brothers were loyal and steadfast."

With the frontline so tense, the palace regained its calm after Princess Wei and Yin Lifang left.

However, Huiyin still couldn't fully relax, knowing that some of Wei Duo's spies remained undetected. What disappointed her most was that Yuwendang's daughter was to marry Guo Zhao's son. The two fathers had arranged the marriage on the battlefield.

Since Guo Xing was now engaged, he could no longer stay in the palace. Huiyin prepared many gifts for him to take back to his mansion. Jiang Bipbo had already prepared the mansion, eagerly awaiting Guo Xing's return. Every arrangement and decoration was personally overseen by her to ensure her stepson would be content.

When she married, Guo Xing was only seven and had been raised in the Huaiyin Mansion by the Empress. Now, five or six years had passed, and the child had grown into a young man. He even had a marriage proposal and would wed in two or three years. He had been granted the title of heir, so he could no longer be treated as an ordinary child.

Before returning to the mansion, Guo Xing had confided in the Crown Prince about getting along with his stepmother.

The Crown Prince, sounding like a small adult, reassured him, "What are you afraid of? I've heard my mother mention her. She's very capable and can manage several businesses on her own. Even if she were to make things difficult, I'm still here. And my mother will stand up for you. Don't be afraid."

Bringing her thoughts back, Jiang Bipbo was already quite excited but managed to hold herself back. "Good child, I've prepared a courtyard for you. If there's anything you don't like, just say so. Come, Shi Jie, come and greet your brother."

Guo Shi, Guo Zhao's beloved daughter, was cherished like a precious gem. Despite her young age, she was sensible and well-mannered. She quickly came forward to greet her brother.

Guo Xing breathed a sigh of relief.

Unknown to him, Xin Shi was quite pleased with the marriage between the Guo and Yuwendang families. Although the Empress had previously hinted at it, Xin Shi believed her daughter could also be a Crown Princess. However, this was just a thought in her heart.

After a few cups of wine, she revealed some of her intentions to Pei Shuo. "I really didn't expect the Yuwendang and Guo families to form a marriage alliance so quickly. I also thought highly of Guo Xing when we were in Xuzhou."

Pei Shuo took a sip of wine. "The Guo family is newly ennobled, and Guo Xing, as the heir and the Crown Prince's study companion, has a promising future. What a pity."

"Actually, there's no need to feel sorry. Our daughter's good days might still be ahead," Xin Shi said with a smile.

Pei Shuo was puzzled. "What do you mean? Are you eyeing a young man with a higher official rank and better prospects for our Xianjie?"

Xin Shi smiled but said nothing.

Pei Shuo thought for a moment. "The son of Yuwendang doesn't seem to be like his father. The grandson of Prime Minister Jian could be a match, and the Xun family wants to marry into our family, but they seem like mediocre and clingy people."

"You can aim a bit higher," Xin Shi suggested.

She thought her husband would guess, but instead, Pei Shuo said, "The Prince of Yuzhang? No, no, while the Prince of Yuzhang is a commandery prince, his family is complicated. These royal families will not have real power in the future. If our daughter were to marry into such a family, the rules would be strict, and it wouldn't be practical."

Xin Shi shook her head and wrote two characters on the table with wine. Pei Shuo quickly wiped it off, feeling his heart race. "Are you crazy? The Empress has no such intention."

"What if I'm just daydreaming? Our Xianjie is not lacking in any way. She's also the niece of the Empress, who adores her. The Empress loves our Xianjie so much." Xin Shi didn't think it was impossible.

Pei Shuo, however, said, "You're being blinded by all this splendor. If the frontline battle is victorious and His Majesty returns triumphant, the entire Da Ye dynasty will undergo a major reshuffle. If our daughter were to become the Crown Princess, how could the old ministers who followed the Emperor be content? Do you think it's a coincidence that the Guo family suddenly formed a marriage alliance with Yuwendang's family now? It's clear the Guo family wants to nip the possibility of Yuwendang's daughter becoming the Crown Princess in the bud."

Hearing this, Xin Shi understood. "Are you saying the Guo family intends to marry their daughter to the Crown Prince?"

Pei Shuo nodded. "I'm afraid that's exactly their plan. Lady Guo is the sworn sister of the Empress, and Guo Zhao, a man from a humble background, has risen to become a count. They are making careful plans step by step! So I say you're being blinded."