Observing that her son could grasp the concept of war, Yin Hui continued, “Just yesterday, people from the Jin Kingdom in the northeast of Yandi tried to snatch things from us again. So, your grandfather and father hurriedly led soldiers to confront them. Since your grandfather is not at home, we won’t be having the dragon boat race this year. We an watch it next year, okay?”
Xiao Heng, now less concerned about the dragon boat race, furrowed his brow and asked, “Grandfather and father have gone?”
Yin Hui nodded.
Xiao Heng declared, “I’m going too!”
He was confident in his ability to defend himself, recounting how he could fend off people and even push away Sister Zhuang when she tried to take things from him.
Yin Hui smiled and explained, “The people from the Jin Kingdom come on big horses, so we need those who can ride horses to confront them. Xoap Heng, you’re still young, so you can go when you grow up.”
Xiao Heng pouted, expressing his dissatisfaction.
Yin Hui took his little hand and placed it in her arms, reassuring him, “You stay at home to protect me and your younger sibling. When your father comes back, he will praise you for being great.”
Curious, Xiao Heng asked, “When will father come back?”
Yin Hui pretended to ponder and then replied, “Maybe when your younger brother or sister is about to come out, your father will come back.”
The battle with the Jin Kingdom was short-lived, as their military strength was significantly inferior. Even the generals of the Qin and Jin lands only needed to line up to guard against the Xiongnu, and they successfully repelled them with the strength of the Yan.
While Xiao Heng came to understand, he still appeared unhappy.
King Yan went to the border to fight, leading to increased security throughout Pingcheng. Patrols were reinforced at every city gate. In King Yan’s mansion, Yin Hui consciously refrained from going out during this time. Even if she wanted to, Princess Xu would not allow it, and the same applied to Guo Fangfei and Wei Ying.
Life in the palace continued as usual. The women in the west harem. who missed King Yan, and those in the east harem, like Xu Qingwan and Ji Xianxian, whose husbands served as palace errands, were not significantly affected. This was especially true for Ji Xianxian.
One day, Ji Xianxian brought Si Lang and Sister Zhuang to Chengxin Hall to have a conversation with Yin Hui.
As Ji Xianxian entered from outside, she stood by the ice cauldron to cool off for a moment before expressing her regret to Yin Hui, “It’s a pity that the second sister is married; otherwise, you and I, along with the second and third sisters, could have played cards together.”
Despite Wei Shan’s absence, there was still Xu Qingwan, but she never participated in any poker games. In her eyes, playing poker wasn’t a serious pastime.
Yin Hui, who liked to engage in card games, responded leisurely, “Even if the second sister were here, I wouldn’t be in the mood to play cards.”
Ji Xianxian smiled and asked, “Are you worried about the third master?”
Yin Hui replied, “If it were the second master, wouldn’t you miss him?”
At the mention of Wei Yan, Ji Xianxian’s glamorous expression turned somber. With her father-in-law absent from the palace, there was no one to stop Wei Yan’s extravagant behavior. Since he went to the battlefield, that troublesome Wei Yan had gotten involved with an dancer from Lichun. Ji Xianxian initially remained unaware, but thanks to the steward of Lichun, who broke the news, she reported it to Princess Xu. In response, Princess Xu directly instructed the steward to send the dancer to Changyuan Hall.
This incident occurred just a day earlier. Ji Xianxian and Wei Yan had a major conflict. If not for the people around them, Ji Xianxian would have scratched Wei Yan’s face.
Recognizing that family matters shouldn’t be made public, Ji Xianxian decided to speak about it before the news spread throughout the palace, anticipating inquiries from her sisters-in-law. Pouring out her bitterness to Yin Hui, she expressed her dissatisfaction and disdain for Wei Yan in eloquent terms. Ji Xianxian, being no ordinary woman, berated people gracefully, comparing the dancer to a wildflower in the ditch flaunting its head and Wei Yan to a bee buzzing around aimlessly.
Yin Hui listened quietly, handing a cup of tea to Ji Xianxian while asking softly, “So, what do you plan to do? Are you really considering making that dancer a concubine?”
Ji Xianxian responded with a touch of spite, “Since she likes dancing, I’ll make her dance for me every day and see how long those legs can endure.”
Worried that Yin Hui might find her too harsh, Ji Xianxian quickly added, “She was the one who hooked up with the second master behind my back first. Treating her this way is like killing two birds with one stone, preventing others from trying to seduce the second master. Si Lang’s biological mother, Concubine Liu, is honest and reliable. I treat her respectfully, as you can see from how well I treat Si Lang. Recently, I haven’t spent much time with Er Lang compared to Si Lang.”
Yin Hui understood the reality. Er Lang had studies, and Ji Xianxian couldn’t spend much time with him. As for Si Lang, Ji Xianxian’s idea of “accompanying” him was simply taking him out for a walk and conveniently handing him over to the wet nurse when needed.
“Second sister-in-law is fair; I know it all,” Yin Hui smiled and praised Ji Xianxian.
Ji Xianxian, feeling a bit sour, remarked, “It’s better for you; there are no such bad things around you. I’m kind enough to share my experience, but you don’t need it.”
Yin Hui, understanding Ji Xianxian’s underlying feelings, responded, “Don’t say that, second sister-in-law. Just teach me. I may not need it now, but who can guarantee the future? No matter how beautiful we are, we will all age and fade. I dare not guarantee that the third master will never take concubines for the rest of his life.”
With a realization about Wen Ruyue and the potential for others, Yin Hui admitted that, looking back, the confrontation with Wei Luo that night was unnecessary. If given a chance, she would have handled the matter of taking concubines differently.
Seeing Yin Hui’s genuine interest in learning, rather than using the opportunity to flaunt the third master’s exclusivity, Ji Xianxian found Yin Hui even more pleasing. As they continued drinking tea, Ji Xianxian shared endless stories about the complexities of wives and concubines, drawing from the experiences of the Ji family in the capital and the gossip from other families.