in2ebook Chapter 256 The Prince and Princess of Western Liang
Chapter 256 The Prince and Princess of Western Liang
After speaking with Princess Huizhen, Cheng Yan truly felt at ease and stopped caring about Princess Huizhen's messy affairs.
Worried about potential war in Xiliang over the next two years, he resigned from his position as Vice Minister of War and focused on being the Marquis of Pingxi, preparing to train troops. He began to shuttle between the city and the camp on weekdays.
The court assembly was held every three days for a small assembly and every five days for a large assembly. Generals like him, unless there was a major event, usually only needed to attend the large assembly every five days as usual. Therefore, apart from taking a break once every ten days, he could go home to rest after the large assembly if there was nothing else to do.
The problem was that going to the military camp was farther than going to the capital. It took him more than half an hour to ride there and back. He couldn't go home after 3 PM as usual. Many times, he didn't get back to the city until the city gates were about to close, and by the time he got home, it was almost dark.
Qin Yi felt sorry for him running around every day, so she had someone prepare a set of bedding and some changes of clothes for him to take to the military camp. If he was too busy, he could stay there.
However, unless he has a genuine emergency and cannot return, he does come back every day.
Time flies, and September has arrived.
As the heat of July fades and winter clothes are distributed in September, every household busies themselves with the task of making winter clothes, and the Pingxi Marquis's residence is no exception.
Qin Yizhen selected several styles that she and Cheng Yan liked, intending to make several new outfits for Cheng Yan. His previous clothes were all prepared by Steward Zhou. They weren't bad, and the materials were decent, but they were just wearable, and most of them were light blue.
Qin Yizhen took his measurements and made him several well-fitting outfits, two matching outfits with the prestigious title of Marquis of Pingxi, a few more casual outfits, and even more outfits for him to wear when going out to the camp.
In addition, she also selected a fox pelt to make a cloak for Empress Dowager Cheng.
Although Empress Dowager Cheng, with her status, has everything she could want, and even the best of everything, there's probably nothing here that she would even look at. As her children, we can only express our filial piety in this way and make her happy.
The cloak had only been embroidered with three phoenix tails when it was already mid-September. A sudden autumn rain came down, and the weather suddenly turned much colder, even showing signs of winter approaching.
Granny Gui had a brazier brought over, along with a bowl of warming soup. This soup was specially prepared by Chen Yinniang after consulting with Mr. Hu, with the addition of medicinal herbs. It was meant to replenish blood and energy in the autumn so that one wouldn't be so afraid of the cold in the winter.
It's truly a gentle tonic. In previous years, Qin Yizhen would always feel cold feet when sleeping at this time, but she doesn't feel it much now, just because of the medicinal herbs added, and the taste is really just so-so.
Qin Yizhen drank it once every three days for half a month, but she really couldn't stand it anymore.
"Take it, take it."
"Princess, you should drink some properly," Granny Gui advised kindly. "We need to get the town back on its feet first."
"It tastes weird," Qin Yizhen frowned.
"The taste is a bit strange, but at least it's not bitter, right? If you don't drink the soup properly, the Marquis will be angry if he finds out. You don't want the Marquis to be angry, do you?"
"Granny!" Qin Yizhen was really unhappy. "Whose nanny are you anyway? Why are you siding with him?!"
"As for me, I'm on the side of reason, not personal ties. If the princess drinks well, then I'll be her favorite. Otherwise, I'll naturally side with the Marquis."
As soon as Granny Gui said this, everyone in the room couldn't help but laugh.
Qin Yi had no choice but to drink it. She then instructed Granny Gui, "You and Granny Jin should also drink a bowl. Although you are still healthy now, as you get older, your body will not be as strong as when you were young."
"Alright, alright, I'll do as the princess says. There's still some on the stove."
In late September, the autumn wind was bleak and the weather was cold. The cloak prepared for Empress Dowager Cheng was ready. Qin Yizhen had it washed and dried again. After checking that there were no problems, she took it to Empress Dowager Cheng when she entered the palace on the first day of October.
Empress Dowager Cheng was indeed pleased.
She has everything, but what she cares about most is her closest relatives, and she is also very happy about the filial piety of the younger generation.
"If Huizhen were like you, how much less we would worry about her."
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever, and Princess Huizhen doesn't even keep things to herself. As a result, the news about her and Lu Yangyusheng has spread like wildfire throughout the Qin capital.
The two sometimes argued and sometimes made up.
Princess Huizhen couldn't bear to part with Lu Yangyusheng's good looks, and Lu Yangyusheng didn't want to give up his position as the princess's husband. However, Princess Huizhen only wanted to keep Lu Yangyusheng as her gigolo, and Lu Yangyusheng didn't want to face the prospect of his wife keeping a lover in the future, so he could only swallow his anger.
Qin Yizhen had also heard about this matter.
Qin Yizhen smiled and said, "Everyone has their own desired life. As the saying goes, one man's meat is another man's poison. Perhaps my sister thinks this kind of life is the best."
"In a few days, the new hostages and envoys from Xiliang will arrive," Empress Dowager Cheng suddenly said.
Qin Yizhen paused for a moment: "Hmm? A new hostage from Xiliang is coming. Who is it?"
"A prince and a princess have arrived. The sixth prince, Liang Xihuai, is the newly appointed Prince of Huai, and the ninth princess, Liang Xiyu."
"A princess?" Qin Yizhen was unaware of this. "A hostage can be a princess?"
"She's here to get married."
Qin Yizhen blinked: "Whom do you want to marry?"
“Ayan”.
Qin Yizhen: "?!"
"She's going to marry Cheng Yan?" Qin Yizhen's voice rose slightly. "Mother, you won't agree, will you? Cheng Yan won't agree, will he?"
"What, are you in a hurry?" Empress Dowager Cheng smiled. "You don't need to rush. Even if the princess of Xiliang wanted to marry Ayan, Dongqin would not agree."
Cheng Yan already commands a large army, and regardless of any concerns, no one in Eastern Qin wants him to marry a foreign princess.
Otherwise, if he wanted to rebel and coordinate an attack from within and without, the entire situation in Eastern Qin could change instantly.
“If the Princess of Xiliang has really come here to get married, and if we can reach an agreement, His Majesty’s harem is still empty, so we can give her a place.”
Qin Yizhen understood; they were going to force her into Emperor Jing'an's harem. She opened her mouth, "But Your Majesty..."
"His Majesty is an emperor. With every gain comes a loss. If he were to unify the world, there would be no worries within or outside the country. He could do whatever he wanted with his harem. But now, the court and his harem are the places where many things need to be balanced."
"Since she is a foreign princess, if we really want her to stay, the only option is to let her enter His Majesty's harem."
"I am not worried about this princess. What I am worried about is this Prince Huai. He seems to be interested in marrying the princess of Dongqin."
Qin Yizhen was genuinely shocked: "He wants to marry the princess of Eastern Qin? Does he want to marry my elder sister?"
"Perhaps." Empress Dowager Cheng's expression was calm. "The Prince of Huai's mother was just a palace maid. Since his birth, the mother and son have suffered all kinds of bullying. His mother was even murdered. He wants to use the power of Dong Qin to avenge his mother."
"What I'm thinking is, if one day Eastern Qin holds the bloodline of the Western Liang royal family in its hands, and Western Liang falls into chaos, could Eastern Qin take this opportunity to send troops to Western Liang?"