Chapter 98

Chapter 98

◎Heavenly Empress◎

Ever since Li Cheng got married, Huiyin knew that he was someone with a strong sense of duty and efficiency. Such people are very suitable to be efficient ministers dedicated to handling affairs. But he ended up becoming an emperor. As an emperor, one must balance the overall situation, not be hasty, and remain inscrutable. One cannot let others know what you're going to do.

So, whenever he felt anxious and unsure, he would turn to Huiyin. Huiyin would personally make a bowl of lotus seed soup for him, have the attendants leave, and keep only the couple in the room.

Generally, she would read books, do some embroidery, or just sleep. In any case, she wouldn’t ask too much or bother Li Cheng.

What Li Cheng needed was precisely such an environment. If Huiyin asked a few more questions or was too cautious, it would only annoy him. However, now that Huiyin was sound asleep, he didn’t have to worry about her emotions at all.

At the Empress Dowager’s, there were constant probes, endless questions, and attempts to benefit the Xun family. In the Duanning Hall, the servants liked to snoop around, and he wasn’t sure if anyone close to him had been bribed.

Huiyin, on the other hand, was sound asleep. She was on her period and needed more rest. On usual days, she was either meeting someone or attending various palace banquets and managing palace affairs. She was very busy, so when she had time, it was best to rest.

When she woke up, she noticed that Li Cheng's forehead was sweating. She was startled, "What's wrong with you? You rested in the Duanning Hall last night. I don’t even know if I slept well?"

Li Cheng gently brushed away her hand, "It's nothing, just anxious."

"Yes, in the past, during years of war, everyone was only concerned about unifying the world. Now that you are the ruler of the world, you want to govern the country well. However, you spent many years by the Wei King's side before you made a name for yourself. Now that you are the emperor, it's the same. You need to proceed step by step and not be too hasty. You’re too stressed out right now. Don’t eat lamb soup tonight, have mung bean snow water instead," Huiyin said.

"Alright, I was just thinking about having some cold stuff, but they kept advising me against it."

"Of course, they are cautious because you are of great value now. Even though I advise you, I am not without fear."

If Li Cheng ate something bad, the person who gave it to him would be blamed.

But Huiyin knew that he was too hot and bothered, and ordinary advice would certainly be ineffective.

So, in the afternoon, there really was mung bean snow water. Li Cheng drank two bowls one after another. Huiyin had been worried about his stomach, but fortunately, he was fine, and she felt relieved.

This went on for two months until good news came from the capital region. The previously hidden estate fields were all distributed to the common people. Li Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Especially the Wang Guihua family they had stayed with, who reportedly received six acres of land. Even Jing'er and Zhan'er were happy about this news.

Li Cheng wasn’t so anxious anymore. He needed to accompany Huiyin and the children for a lake outing, rowing on the lake, feeling the breeze, reminiscing about the past, which felt like a lifetime ago.

"Lu Xiao and I hugged this fake mountain. The former crown prince rescued us. He was quite clever, saving my elder sister on one side and us on the other," Huiyin shook her head.

Li Cheng, however, said, "If I liked someone, I could never deliberately be cold to them. Even if I had to pretend, I couldn’t do it."

These words struck a chord with Huiyin. "I feel the same way. When you met me and saw me as your wife, I knew you were the one for me."

Speaking of the past, Li Cheng added, "That Zhang Laosan’s noodle shop of yours is opening more and more branches. When we have time next year, we’ll go out and eat together. I was planning to take you there last time, but something happened."

"State affairs come first. Other things don’t matter to me," she leaned on his shoulder.

In fact, their married life was very simple. In the past, when they were in Xuzhou, she needed to help him manage his subordinates, but now Huiyin didn’t need to do that anymore. The freedom to be herself came from her husband.

Becoming an emperor doesn’t mean one can act recklessly. The higher the position, the greater the responsibility.

Li Cheng, at a young age, was already a dragon among men, yet he still had moments of sleeplessness and loss of appetite.

After the lake outing, the whole family was in a good mood. This was why Li Cheng loved Huiyin so much. She was truly understanding. For example, when everyone else didn’t want him to eat cold stuff, she would take the risk and let him have it because only she knew her own body best.

"The betrothal gifts for Prince Yuzhang have already been exchanged, and the wedding will take place next year," Huiyin looked at Li Cheng and said.

Li Cheng sighed, "In the blink of an eye, Jing'er is getting married too."

"Still Jing'er? Jing'er is not young anymore. Your son is about to reach the age to select a Crown Princess," Huiyin looked at him.

The couple never scrutinized their daughter-in-law's family background, because their son was already the Crown Prince, and their family wasn't like Li Heng's, who relied on marital alliances.

When such topics were brought up, the adults would always tease, but the children would feel shy. Even someone as mischievous as Jing'er would run away upon hearing such talk.

As expected, Zhan'er followed Huiyin's instructions to gauge his brother's thoughts. He only had free time at dusk since both brothers studied during the day, practiced archery and horseback riding in the afternoon, and Jing'er even attended political duties in the morning. It was only at dusk that they had some leisure time.

When Zhan'er arrived, Jing'er was still writing. He quickly bowed and greeted him: "Crown Prince brother, your younger brother comes to pay respects."

"Back to your usual antics, come over here. What brings you to see me today?" Jing'er had grown up with his brother and knew the Crown Prince title was his. His brother was talented and clever, not inferior to him, so he naturally had to show the demeanor of an elder brother.

Zhan'er said: "It's nothing much, just came to sit with you for a while. Today, Mother Queen took my sister to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and Ancestor kept us for a meal. I had nowhere else to go."

Jing'er smiled: "If you have nothing to do, why not practice calligraphy? Bring your homework, and we can work on it together."

"Don’t worry, brother, I’ve already finished my homework. I heard that Miss Yu Wen is getting married to our cousin, and Prince Yuezhang’s wedding is coming up soon. I was thinking if we could go out for some drinks?" Zhan'er, being clever, never went straight to the point when asking about something.

Talking about attending a wedding banquet, Jing'er declined: "Last time I went to Guo Xing's wedding, the groom ran off and is still at the border. I don't know when he'll be back. I'm too lazy to go anymore."

Zhan'er laughed as well: "True, but you’re not so young anymore. Last time, Mother Queen mentioned finding you a Crown Princess. She doesn’t feel comfortable asking you directly, so she asked me instead. How am I supposed to know what kind of person you like? You should tell me properly, so I can relay it to Mother Queen and prevent her from randomly picking someone you don't like."

"Did Mother Queen ask you to inquire?" Jing'er said.

Zhan'er gave a vague laugh and didn’t respond.

The two brothers looked at each other again, and Jing'er finally said: "Marriage is a significant matter, decided by parents and matchmakers. How could I possibly have any say?"

Seeing this, Zhan'er, being just a young boy, didn’t ask further.

Since Huiyin didn’t ask further, she didn’t pursue the matter. She didn’t think her son needed to marry too early. Li Cheng married at around twenty, which made him more mature. At fifteen, people were too prickly, always competing over things they didn’t like. A Crown Princess should be from a prominent family, otherwise, it wouldn’t be ideal.

However, Xun Jiying had been in the palace for a year or two and rarely saw the Crown Prince's face.

The Xun family didn’t know these details and merely thought that Xun Jiying being in the palace was an added assurance. The Empress Dowager also believed this, so she didn’t let Xun Jiying return home often. Besides, she needed someone to attend to her. Nanny Fan was getting old, and Huiyin, seeing that she couldn’t serve anymore, graciously allowed her to return home, which upset the Empress Dowager for a long time.

While Huiyin could manage Nanny Fan, she couldn’t control the Empress Dowager's insistence on keeping Xun Jiying for company.

As for the affairs of the previous dynasty, Li Cheng was exhausted. The Shengping Bureau had been neglected for a long time, and such trivial matters were not appropriate for her to bother her husband with anymore. Fortunately, she had family members like Madame Ji, who also came to the palace to keep her company.

Over the years, Madame Ji had been living in comfort, but age was catching up. Huiyin used to fear getting old, always feeling that once people aged, they would be disliked. However, her mother's vitality was enviable. She even told her: "Yesterday at home, I drank a large cup of wine and slept so soundly."

"Your health is even better than mine," Huiyin smiled, though she didn’t have the luxury of such leisure.

Madame Ji held her daughter's hand and said: "This is all thanks to your blessings. I believe you should also take good care of yourself, Your Highness. I see that despite your high position, you’ve become increasingly slender."

Huiyin said: "I'm not as round as before, but I'm actually feeling more energetic now. In the past, in Xuzhou, the Emperor was often not at home, and I had to manage everything inside and outside the house. Sometimes, I couldn’t have meals on time. When I did eat, I would eat a lot, which naturally made me put on weight."

Being in a high position has its own challenges, something Madame Ji understood very well.

Just like her son, when Zheng Wuheng was mentioned, Madame Ji would say: "Your brother is becoming more and more promising. Now he's helping the Emperor with official matters and volunteered to go to Jiangnan for a mission. He’s so young, and while he’s capable in war, handling civil official duties worries me."

"I’m worried too, but since he has the heart and energy, the Emperor can’t possibly stop him from contributing." Her brother Zheng Wuheng was passionate, and he was concerned that Jiangnan might rebel because of this matter, so he personally led people to handle it.

Additionally, one needs tasks to remain relevant in the Emperor's eyes. Without responsibilities, one risks being forgotten and ends up depending on ancestral connections. Pei Shuo was just a step too slow. He had intended to help the Emperor share his worries, but since his brother had already volunteered to go, he couldn’t go as well.

"These are civil official duties; why is Second Uncle going? It’s unclear if he can manage them effectively," Xin Shi said.

Pei Shuo and Zheng Wuheng were inseparable as brothers. He knew why his brother took on such a thankless task. He genuinely wanted to alleviate the Emperor’s concerns, but he worried that some people were only trying to curry favor by completing tasks, potentially offending others and causing future conflicts.

Therefore, he scolded Xin Shi, "Since you have so much free time, why don't you help Guge find a good marriage? Why bother with these matters? He has his reasons for doing so."

Xin Shi was naturally indignant. Back then, Pei Shuo was the first to pledge allegiance to the Emperor, while Zheng Wuheng went later. Yet, whenever there were titles or merits to be awarded, Zheng Wuheng received more. She couldn't complain much, as her husband would get angry if she did.

"Fine, I was wrong to say anything. I happen to be going out now," Xin Shi took the opportunity to meet Jiang Bibo.

Jiang Bibo had invited them several times. Xin Shi hadn't planned to go, but now she used this pretext to leave, bringing Xianjie along. Actually, the two children weren't as preoccupied with thoughts as the adults assumed.

When the sisters met, they were affectionate and chatted warmly. Xianjie pointed to the old lady behind her and said, "You still have so many servants at your place?"

"Indeed, it's like this wherever I go, and I can't do anything about it," Shi Jie said. Recently, she had been strictly controlled by these servants, and even her father, who usually doted on her, didn't help her.

Xin Shi also said to Jiang Bibo, "Has your heir sent any letters back? I think since Miss Yu Wen has already married into the Cui family, no one is gossiping about it anymore. You can't let him stay at the border forever. If he returns, with his appearance and status, he can marry again, and everyone can live in peace."

"My dear sister, do you think I haven't considered this? But after all, I'm not his birth mother. Everything depends on our lord," Jiang Bibo dared not wade into troubled waters.

Xin Shi laughed, "True, I spoke out of turn. By the way, I heard that your family has donated five hundred acres of land in Jiangnan?" This news had startled her a little.

Jiang Bibo smiled and confirmed it. After winning the battle, the Emperor redistributed the land. Guo Zhao received several good pieces, and naturally, during the war, he couldn't help but secure some benefits for himself. Unwilling to give these up, Jiang Bibo made this generous gesture, hoping that the Emperor would take it into account and perhaps overlook some matters in the future.

"You are indeed wealthy," Xin Shi's concerns were different from Jiang Bibo's. Ever since becoming a royal family, the Xin family couldn't interfere much with the affairs of the Pei and Zheng families, as the Empress had the final say.

Like how the Xin family had pledged a lot of land to Pei Shuo, much of which didn't require any taxes. Pei Shuo returned all of it, even at the cost of offending the Xin family, his in-laws.

But Xin Shi had no choice. The Empress's words carried more weight than hers, and even the Zheng family had to return a lot of land.

Whenever she said something, her family dared not defy her openly.

Jiang Bibo was guessing Xin Shi's intentions, seeing her beat around the bush, knowing she might have come casually. So she had more tea served, "Madam Pei, let's not talk about wealth. Others may not know my background, but you do. I was originally born to a merchant family and was fortunate enough to be noticed by the Empress, who married me well. If there's a chance, I naturally want to contribute..."

Hearing this, Xin Shi comforted her instead.

Now, with the Emperor strictly investigating lands, the Zheng and Pei families, following Empress Huiyin's instructions, weren't particularly greedy. Zheng Wuheng proactively returned the lands, while Pei Shuo even quarreled with the Xin family over it. However, the Cui family was reported...

Li Cheng was very angry and said to Huiyin during a meal at Linde Hall, "These people have long hated my policy, so this time they remained still and brought out the Cui family. The Cui family isn't above reproach, thinking they are my in-laws and can allow others to pledge lands."

"Calm down, calm down, and sit. There's no need to blame yourself. This is a good chance to set an example," Huiyin smiled.

"There might also be the Xun family. I'm afraid even the Empress Dowager will come to make a fuss," Li Cheng held his forehead.

It's rare for people to give up wealth once it's in their pockets. The Zheng family wasn't short of money, had few family members, and Zheng Wuheng, young as he was, held a high position, so he needed to keep his reputation clean.

It’s been so long, yet people still don’t take the ban on hiding lands and pledging seriously.

Before Li Cheng could punish them, Madam Cui requested an audience, which Huiyin naturally refused. Not only were they not close to the Cui family, but it was also inconvenient to meet at this time.

Unable to get an audience, Madam Cui went to see Cui Yuehua herself. She couldn't help but say, "It's all our family's lands, not others. Since ancient times, relatives have protected each other. It's hard for your father to refuse."

"Mother, this matter is serious. Father is being foolish," Cui Yuehua urged.

Madam Cui wiped her tears, "These people have been targeting our family for a long time, planning to report us to the Emperor. If the Emperor judges according to the law, anyone hiding lands will be punished by law. Father could be exiled. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Having lived in glory all her life, it was infuriating to be reported at the end. If the Wu Princess Consort were still alive... But she died early, and the Xun family had little relationship with them. As for the Zheng family's daughter, her daughter was most afraid of the Empress and was always respectful, so she couldn't be counted on.

Seeing this, Cui Yuehua said, "You can't even see the Empress, so it's even harder for me to do so."

"You still have to speak up for our family," Madam Cui said.

Reluctantly, Cui Yuehua said, "I'll do my best."

Indeed, the Empress Dowager didn't bother with Cui Yuehua either, simply refusing to see her. Cui Yuehua went to Madame Ji, but Madame Ji pretended to be sick, making it clear that she didn’t want to get involved. Zheng Fang still had to go through the motions of serving medicine.

"There, take this. The Cui family is indeed too greedy, thinking they're extraordinary just because they're related to the royal family, and they don't even take the Emperor seriously." Now, Zheng Fang had become quite articulate.

Madame Ji shot her husband a glance, "And you're bringing this up? Weren't you unwilling back then too? It was Heng'er who rejected it."

Zheng Fang was infuriated by her remark and slammed the medicine on the table, "You're bringing up ancient history now, really?"

Madame Ji wasn't afraid of him. She had thought it through clearly. As their daughter said, their power and status all came from the Emperor. When the Emperor implemented any decree, they had to support it. It would be foolish to give up the Emperor's trust for a little immediate gain.

...

Outsiders believed the Cui family, being the Emperor's maternal uncle, was invincible, but in reality, Li Cheng wasn’t particularly close to the Cui family. Therefore, when Cui Xun’s concealed lands were discovered, Li Cheng announced in court that not only did the Cui family have to return the land, but Cui Xun would also be exiled for five years.

It was the Cui family’s eldest son who wrote a letter requesting to take his father's place in exile, and Li Cheng agreed. However, Cui Xun didn’t want to drag his son into this. Though he was old, he couldn’t bear such humiliation and ended up hanging himself.

This incident, while it frightened others, caused Li Cheng to collapse from a rush of blood.

He’d been losing sleep over the land issue, and now with this added stress, Huiyin was deeply concerned. Even if he recovered, he would need time to recuperate. While Li Cheng was recovering, he arranged for the Crown Prince to handle court affairs and granted Huiyin the title of Heavenly Empress, allowing her to listen to the court behind a curtain.

Huiyin felt an odd sense of déjà vu.