Nanny Li sighed and then said, "Old Madam Cui, these past two days, there have been quite a few rumors in the capital about Cousin. This old servant is worried..."
In three days, it will be the grand wedding.
Old Madam Cui restrained her expression, raised her eyes, and looked at Nanny Li. "Are you talking about the outside rumors saying she is fishing for fame, using the excuse of offering sacrifices to her mother to win the Crown Prince's pity, and that she stayed at Anshan Temple with the Crown Prince for two days without returning?"
Nanny Li nodded.
The matter of Cui Yunchu falling off a cliff with a man had not spread, so outsiders did not know the whole story and inevitably spoke nonsense.
Old Madam Cui shook her head and said, "It is exactly because others do not know, but the Crown Prince does, that those who gossip behind her back are at a disadvantage and will not gain the upper hand."
"Qingwan has her own ideas about this matter; you don't need to pay it any mind."
At this time, the more the Liu family jumps around making a fuss, the better. The Crown Prince, who knows the inside story, will have his own judgment.
"This matter might not be entirely unrelated to Qingwan."
Watching from the sidelines while adding fuel to the Liu family's fire is Qingwan's usual style of doing things.
"Does Old Madam Cui mean that the rumors were started by Cousin?"
Old Madam Cui did not speak, her gaze darkening. "Her mother passed away when she was young. It is truly not easy for Qingwan to have grown into the person she is today."
She herself did not know those underhanded schemes of the inner courtyard, let alone teach them to Tang Qingwan.
Nanny Li said, "It is still the Grand Tutor's credit."
Her eyes reddened slightly. "The Grand Tutor has deep affection and righteousness toward our lady, so naturally, he values Cousin. From a young age, he hired retired momos from the palace to teach her, all so that Cousin could survive in that man-eating palace."
Mentioning her daughter who passed away early, Old Madam Cui's eyes also reddened slightly. "You are right. Although that girl had a short life, she did not have a bad fate. Meeting the Tang family was her blessing."
...
Chu Courtyard.
Cui Yunchu had recovered some of her vitality these past few days, and the time she spent awake was growing longer. However, her high fever kept returning, so, afraid of passing the sickness to Old Madam Cui, she stayed cooped up in her room and never went out.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" She poked her head out from the quilt, looked at Cui Yunfeng, who was sitting at her dressing table looking listless, and pouted as she asked.
Cui Yunfeng turned her head to glance at her, then withdrew her gaze without saying a word.
Cui Yunchu continued to say a few more words to her, but Cui Yunfeng acted as if she hadn't heard anything.
Cui Yunchu rolled over, lay flat, and stared at the top of the bed canopy, saying, "Even if you don't say it, I already know. Did Grandmother mention Top Scholar Zhou to you again?"
"How did you know?"
Cui Yunchu curled her lips. "Thinking about it for even an extra quarter of an hour would be an insult to my brain."
Wasn't it written clearly all over that face?
Cui Yunfeng stood up and walked toward Cui Yunchu. "Eldest Sister, when you fell off the cliff this time, Xiao Yi was the first to find you. He put in a lot of effort."
"Yes, I am grateful to him."
"So the problem you were worried about at the beginning doesn't exist. He won't do anything to our Cui and Tang families. Eldest Sister, seeing as he did his absolute best, could you put in a few good words for me in front of Grandmother? Help us, please?"
Cui Yunchu looked sideways at Cui Yunfeng with some confusion. "What do you mean? You don't want to marry Zhou Yuanmo anymore?"
Cui Yunfeng pursed her lips. "I never wanted to in the first place."
She had merely been persuaded by everyone appealing to her emotions and reasoning with her. But later, the more she thought about it, the more unwilling she became.
Cui Yunchu scratched her head and said nothing.
This matter was difficult, very difficult indeed.
"I'm afraid Grandmother won't let go of this easily. After all... Cousin is already in a very difficult situation, unless..."
"Unless what?" Cui Yunfeng asked immediately.
Cui Yunchu looked at Cui Yunfeng's impatient little face, shook her head, and didn't dare to continue.
"Eldest Sister, just help me this once. Hurry and tell me."
Cui Yunchu, endlessly pestered as her sleeve was tugged, had no choice but to say, "Unless you fall out with the Cui family and let everyone in the capital know that you have severed ties with the Cui family. Only then will it not affect Cousin."
Cui Yunfeng's hands paused. She stared blankly at Cui Yunchu, her eyes quickly turning red as tears fell.
Cui Yunchu threw her hands up. "I said I shouldn't tell you, but you insisted. Now that I've said it, you can't accept it."
The room fell into a long silence. Neither of them spoke again.
Cui Yunfeng pouted, looking pitiful as if she was on the verge of crying. She lowered her head and muttered softly, "How did it get this serious?"
Cui Yunchu said dismissively, "If Prince An is sincere toward you, he won't mind. If he is unhappy about it, it means he is only after the Cui family's power, and he wouldn't be worth you doing all this."
Cui Yunfeng had never doubted Xiao Yi's feelings for her, but asking her to sever ties with the Cui family to marry him was something she found hard to accept.
"Cousin is getting married in three days. You don't have much time left to consider."
If she wanted to marry him, this was the only way. Cui Yunchu was also very conflicted in her heart. She didn't want Cui Yunfeng to get caught up in the princes' battle for the throne, and she especially didn't want her to repeat the trajectory of her past life.
With Zhou Yuanmo's personality, running into Prince An would probably be like a fire on Mount Kunlun—a dead end.
Cui Yunfeng curled up and sat silently beside Cui Yunchu.
Xing'er pushed the door open and entered the room. "Miss, Second Miss, the young lady of the Chen family has come to visit you."
Cui Yunchu was stunned upon hearing this.
Chen Miaohe? Hadn't the matter of her marriage with the Chen family already been made crystal clear? Why was she here again?
Xing'er continued, "The Chen family's young lady said that the Chen family was disrespectful in the past, but she genuinely likes you, Miss, and wants to make friends with you."
With things said to this extent, how could Cui Yunchu avoid seeing her? "Invite her in."
