"It's late—aren't you going to rest?" Li Cheng leaned against the bed, his words carrying a hint.Tomorrow after Mid-Autumn, he would be heading to Huai-Si to train the naval forces, and there would be no time for this afterward. Naturally, the couple wanted to seize every moment to be intimate.Though Huiyin had fended off Xun Rou, she didn't feel particularly pleased. She turned to look at him. "Has Cousin Xun been living in your household for years, already groomed to be your betrothed? Thinking about it, it does feel like a pity."Li Cheng hadn't expected her to grow so sentimental. He'd assumed she'd be pleased with his actions—no one likes being seen as heartless. He looked at Huiyin and said, "I won't lie to you. If I truly wanted to marry someone, it wouldn't matter if she were an official's daughter or even an orphan—I'd still want her.""So you're saying you don't like her?" Huiyin asked."As a sister and a family member, I do like her—after all, we grew up together. Later, when I threw in my lot with Uncle Prince Wei, they followed me without hesitation, and I'm deeply grateful for that. But as for marriage, I truly never considered her. She's a good person, and she's Grandmother's grandniece, but just because someone is good doesn't mean I love them." Li Cheng's meaning was clear enough.Li Cheng was actually being quite lenient with his words. Back then, when Xun Rou was still young, she'd repeatedly made advances toward him. The reason he'd built a separate residence in Xuzhou was precisely because he didn't want to return to Jianye.Consort Dowager Wu had even sent him tonic soup, tossed him a handkerchief, deliberately held his gaze—she'd tried every trick in the book.Hearing him say this, Huiyin was finally satisfied. "I'm really glad you think that way. Once, a man claimed he fell in love with me at first sight and threatened to kill himself if I wouldn't marry him. Even my father was almost swayed, saying he was a heroic man from a good family. But I just felt—the more someone I don't like threatens me, the less I want to marry them."Li Cheng hadn't expected that two people who hated being threatened or arranged would end up as husband and wife, and through an arranged marriage at that. The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.With the misunderstanding cleared, the lingering irritation in Huiyin's heart dissipated like smoke. She graciously offered an olive branch. "Since I married into your family this year, I didn't send festival gifts to my natal family. When the New Year comes around, I'll prepare them together."Li Cheng smiled. "Alright. We'll send one to your sister's household in the Eastern Palace too, and one to your brother's."As the saying goes, mandarin ducks entwine their necks—what bliss.On the other side, Zheng Deyin had just finished receiving the prince's favor. This time, the Crown Prince had tasked her with hosting the Mid-Autumn banquet in the Eastern Palace, and she was determined to showcase her finest skills so no one would look down on her.But toward Crown Princess Lü Xiao, she felt a pang of guilt. So when she lay in bed with Li Heng, she couldn't help but say, "Today the Embroidery Bureau made a beautiful bright red gown." I felt it would suit the Crown Princess best, so I sent it to her. Though I'll be managing things tomorrow, I'm only doing so on the Crown Princess's behalf. I only wish the Crown Prince and Crown Princess would soon welcome a grandson—then my heart would be truly glad."Those words were, of course, insincere. Li Heng had grown up in the palace and knew these tactics well—Zheng Deyin repeatedly retreated to advance, seizing power while still playing the good person.But Li Heng still praised her. "You think well. But I only want to have children with you."Zheng Deyin couldn't help but blush and say, "Your Highness, if outsiders were to hear such words, it would not be good.""Hear what?" Li Heng teased, but he felt that Zheng Deyin was truly too rigid in bed. He actually had little interest, but thinking that he still needed to stir up the Zheng family against the Lu family, he went at it once more, again speaking at length about the frustrations in court. When Zheng Deyin heard that the Crown Prince was being constrained by Lu Wei, she felt secretly distressed.So the next day, when Grand Dowager Xu came to the palace to pay her respects, Zheng Deyin confided her difficulties to her: "The Crown Prince is currently dejected and unfulfilled, but he treats me extremely well. Grandmother, could you ask Father to help the Crown Prince?"Grand Dowager Xu patted her hand. "Is the Crown Prince truly good to you?""Yes, in a month the Crown Prince comes to the inner palace over twenty days, and twenty of those days he comes to my chambers. He is indifferent to the Crown Princess—once, because of Lu Wei's influence, he even struck the Crown Princess. But the Crown Princess is fierce too; she slapped the Crown Prince several times in return." Zheng Deyin still felt a lingering fear just hearing about it.Upon hearing this, Grand Dowager Xu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I will try to persuade your father. But Lu Wei's power is deeply entrenched—he will not be easy to deal with."Zheng Deyin sighed. "If I had a mother and brothers, I wouldn't have to trouble Grandmother at such an advanced age to worry for her granddaughter. This is my unfilialness."Grand Dowager Xu actually thought the same. Zheng Fang had no brothers and came from a humble background; the person he trusted most now was still Madam Ji's eldest son, Pei Shuo. But would he be willing to risk his life for her?Compared to Zheng Deyin's private worries, Huiyin was joyfully preparing for the festival. No matter what, she had to have a child first. Whether a daughter or a son, she needed one to come first; otherwise, her family was not foolish—if she wanted her father to use so many of his troops to help her, she first had to make him feel it was worth it.How to make it worth it? For instance, if she had no son, it meant that helping her husband would be helping in vain, because her husband might well support a son born to another woman.Her father was, after all, a regional warlord commanding troops in Jizhou—how could he easily move his forces?The table was laden with pastries, dried fruits, fresh fruits, mooncakes, and more. Huiyin raised her cup and toasted lightly with Li Cheng: "As the saying goes, 'Blooming flowers, full moon, and family reunion'—we husband and wife have finally reunited, so this is worth celebrating."Li Cheng raised his cup and clinked it against hers. "Princess, cheers."The wine was drained in one gulp. Today, Li Cheng had specially summoned all the subordinates who had not gone home, and Huiyin tactfully rose from her seat. "I shall take my leave now."Li Cheng was very satisfied with this about her—she had no excessive curiosity and conducted herself with great propriety.He continued to entertain the various generals. These were brothers who had followed him through life-and-death struggles; to put it bluntly, these were men who would lay down their lives for him. As the saying goes, brothers are like limbs while women are like clothes—he naturally had to keep them well in his favor.But even as he thought this, for some reason, thinking of his wife made him feel a twinge of guilt.After several rounds of wine, the soldiers, being perceptive, took their leave, since they had to set out again the next day.Li Cheng was also slightly tipsy. When he reached the second gate, the servants and attendants all withdrew—within the second gate, men were not allowed to move about freely—so Li Cheng walked ahead by himself.As he rounded the rockery, unexpectedly, a figure appeared before him in the moonlight. Gazing intently, he saw that it was actually Xun Rou.Xun Rou had been waiting here for a long time. Though the August nights were usually still warm, staying out this long made the chill of the night seep into her bones."Cousin…""What are you doing here, cousin?" Li Cheng asked, turning slightly to face her.Xun Rou's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Cousin, are you sending me away because of what Cousin-in-law said? Ask yourself—after all these years, you know well how I've treated you. Grand-aunt long ago betrothed me to you, and in my heart, I already consider you my husband. Everyone in Jianye knows this, which is why I traveled hundreds of li to come here. Surely you won't abandon me? I… I'm willing to be a secondary consort, to serve you and Cousin-in-law."She could see that the position of principal consort was slipping from her grasp. If Zheng Huiyin had simply returned to Jianye, that would have been one thing—but here she was, right by her cousin's side. Though she had come later, she was full of seductive wiles and cunning schemes, making her a formidable opponent.She had even arranged for koi fish to be placed in the lake today, planning to stage an auspicious omen, but that woman had ruined that too. This woman was no ordinary person.Given all this, it was better to plead for the position of secondary consort.Li Cheng lowered his gaze. "Cousin, how could I make you a secondary consort…""Why not? Everyone in the world knows I've long been your woman. What face would I have to marry anyone else?" Xun Rou pressed her handkerchief to her eyes, weeping.Li Cheng took a step back and pointed at her. "Speak clearly. You only came to take refuge in my household back then, and it was my grandmother who, out of pity, decided to keep you. What do you mean 'everyone in the world knows you're my woman'? These past years, I've either been in mourning or at war—when exactly did we ever have any such involvement?"Xun Rou was momentarily stunned, then said, "Before the Princess Consort passed, I copied sutras in blood and offered my own flesh as medicine. Surely you won't deny that, cousin?""Your father's official position, your mother's Anji… and the debts your Xun family owed—didn't I pay all of those? Besides, no one ever asked you to copy sutras in blood, and using your flesh as medicine wasn't even something a proper physician recommended. I urged you at the time not to do such things. None of it served any purpose. If you truly listened to me, why didn't you stop my grandmother from summoning those charlatans to spout nonsense?" Li Cheng was the type who, if you argued with him about right and wrong, would debate you for a day and a night.His favorite thinker was Wang Chong, a famous atheist.He didn't believe any of that superstition.Xun Rou had never known Li Cheng harbored such thoughts. She tilted her head in disbelief. "Cousin, how can you say such things to me? Everything I did was for your mother's sake! I even helped you manage the household—""Don't bring up your household management," Li Cheng cut her off. "Those people you sent over charged me sixty times the price for a single egg, and your people recorded a dou of salt that costs ten wen as one liang on my account. That's not managing my household—that's a pack of rats gnawing at my granary! I've been wondering how, with me as the only legitimate master of this commandery estate, my expenses kept growing while my remaining silver could fund an entire army by now." His temper had flared up.Xun Rou had simply followed the habits established during Consort Wu's time. Back then, the consort never exposed such practices, and since Xun Rou was managing the household on her behalf, she naturally needed to curry favor with Consort Dowager Wu's people, allowing them some perks so they would sing her praises.But this wasn't something she could change on her own—she wasn't the legitimate princess consort after all.But Li Cheng is really too heartless! She got angry too: "Cousin, I'm doing this all for your own good! What gives you the right to say that about me?"…Huiyin had just finished bathing and changing clothes when she heard someone outside call out, "Little Princess, something terrible has happened! The Young Prince and Miss Xun are arguing with each other."What on earth? A man and a woman can actually get into a fight?
Chapter 18
Rebirth of the Empress