Cui Yunchu arrived at the small courtyard the palace maid had mentioned.
The courtyard was somewhat remote. At a glance, it looked quite desolate, passing only as clean and tidy, which was completely out of place with the red silk hanging high everywhere else in the Crown Prince's estate.
However, the courtyard was quite lively at the moment. Maids and older servant women were bustling about, busy moving things. Cui Yunchu's gaze fell on the main room.
Getting closer, she could faintly hear the sound of things being smashed and someone throwing a tantrum inside.
Tsk, no wonder she's so short, with such a huge temper.
Standing in the shadows, clutching the item the palace maid had given her, she pondered the possibility of Liu Wanting inviting her in for a seat.
Zero possibility.
In other words, even if Liu Wanting let her in, the chances of drugging her unnoticed and ensuring she drank it...
Were even less possible.
Cui Yunchu squeezed the hairpin in her sleeve and sighed. "This is a tough job. The pay is too low."
As she was agonizing over this, the old servant woman guarding the door suddenly spotted her. Her old eyes immediately narrowed, and she marched over in a few strides.
Cui Yunchu was speechless.
"Eldest Miss Cui." Upon confirming it was Cui Yunchu, the old woman's triangular eyes immediately slanted upward. Annoyed and increasingly vigilant, she asked, "This is the courtyard of my lady, the Secondary Consort. What are you doing here?"
Cui Yunchu replied righteously, "My cousin is the Crown Princess. Is there anywhere I can't go? I was just taking a casual stroll. I was wondering why such a remote courtyard had so many people coming and going. So this is where the Secondary Consort resides."
The old woman had long experienced Cui Yunchu's sharp tongue and thick skin. On this joyous day, she had no patience to bicker with her.
More importantly, she felt she was no match for her.
Swallowing her anger, the old woman said, "If Eldest Miss Cui has finished her stroll, please leave quickly. Otherwise, if my lady sees you, she will throw another fit."
How could she do that? Cui Yunchu stood on her tiptoes to peek into the courtyard, but the old woman immediately blocked her view.
She wanted to say something more, but the old woman had already turned back into the courtyard and shut the door with extreme caution and vigilance.
Cui Yunchu saw her covering her highly swollen face, glaring at her venomously.
"..."
Cui Yunchu frowned and squatted on the ground in frustration.
If she couldn't get in, what about the task her cousin had given her?
Cui Yunchu's mind raced as she watched the many servants of the Crown Prince's estate bustling about.
As if suddenly remembering something, she abruptly stood up, turned around, and headed toward the garden.
She couldn't get in, but someone else could.
Chen Jiuhe, who was a step behind, only saw Cui Yunchu's retreating back. He furrowed his brows and had no choice but to continue following her.
Cui Yunchu arrived at the garden, specifically picking the most hidden spots, and called out, "Cui Yunfeng, Cui Yunfeng."
If there was no response, she moved right on to the next spot.
She searched every corner of the garden but couldn't find Cui Yunfeng and Prince An. She couldn't help but frown.
"Where are they?"
The front hall and the main gardens were full of guests attending the wedding, so the two definitely wouldn't go there. But if they weren't in this garden, where could they be?
Cui Yunchu retraced her steps and happened to run into the little palace maid who had handed her the paper packet earlier. Since she was one of their own, Cui Yunchu immediately stopped her.
"Eldest Miss," the little palace maid bowed respectfully.
"Do you know which place in the Crown Prince's estate is the most hidden and suitable for a secret rendezvous?"
"???" The little palace maid was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Cui Yunchu.
Everyone in the capital had heard of Eldest Miss Cui's style of doing things. The little palace maid seemed reluctant to speak, but feeling very conflicted, she advised in a low voice, "Eldest Miss, there are many guests present today, and the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince will be returning soon..."
Of course Cui Yunchu knew that; otherwise, she wouldn't be in such a hurry. Her palms were sweating from clutching the paper packet.
"So, where exactly is it?"
The little palace maid was rendered speechless. After a long while, she pointed to a certain direction. "There is a waterside pavilion over there. Usually, no one goes there."
Cui Yunchu let out an "Oh," turned around, and walked away. The little palace maid hurriedly followed, "Eldest Miss, you... you..."
She stuttered "you" for a long time, and Cui Yunchu couldn't help but look back at her. "Are you stuttering?"
The little palace maid replied, "...This servant just wanted to say that if Eldest Miss has taken a liking to any young master, you can ask the Crown Princess to arrange it for you."
Cui Yunchu immediately understood what she was thinking and waved her hand casually. "You misunderstood."
She didn't stop walking, and neither did the little palace maid. Believing she couldn't persuade her otherwise, the maid took a step back and said, "There are many people and mixed eyes today. Let this servant keep watch for you."
Keep watch for her? Let her have a secret rendezvous?
Cui Yunchu paused, raised an eyebrow at the little palace maid, and found it somewhat amusing. "You don't need to follow me. I have proper business to attend to."
Look at the people around her cousin, how loyal they were, and then look at hers...
Cui Yunchu reflected on herself as she walked, wondering where exactly things had gone wrong.
Could it be that she was too poor and couldn't reward them often enough?
With a messy jumble of thoughts in her head, she had already arrived at the place the little palace maid had pointed out.
Beneath the waterside pavilion was a long and wide lake. A pavilion was built by the water, giving it quite a poetic and picturesque flavor.
The lake surface sparkled, and the scenery was extremely beautiful.
Cui Yunchu raised her head to look at the pavilion—no one. She looked down under the bridge—still no one.
Could they not be here either?
Pinching her voice, she stepped onto the waterside pavilion and called out Cui Yunfeng's name.
At the other end of the waterside pavilion, Cui Yunfeng lowered her eyes to look at the pastry Xiao Yi held to her lips and frowned. "Why does it sound like my eldest sister is calling me?"
Hearing the words "eldest sister," Xiao Yi's eyelids drooped. "Perhaps you heard wrong. I had Eunuch Liu guard the surroundings. If anyone was here, he would definitely come and report."
"Is that so?" Cui Yunfeng furrowed her brows. When Xiao Yi tried to speak to her, she immediately said, "Don't speak. Let me listen carefully."
Xiao Yi, "..."
His gaze imperceptibly shot a glance toward the bridge of the waterside pavilion.
Truly like a dog-skin plaster, a lingering ghost that won't go away.
"Yunfeng, isn't your eldest sister sick? Illnesses easily relapse in autumn. Next time, have her rest and recover properly at home, and don't let her come out."
If it had been anyone else, they might not have even kept their life stepping onto the bridge of the waterside pavilion.
Cui Yunfeng gave Xiao Yi a strange look. "My eldest sister's injuries healed a long time ago."
Xiao Yi smiled but said nothing. He swapped it for another pastry and held it to her lips. "This one is sweeter. Try it."
Cui Yunfeng took a small bite. "I gave that white cat a name. It's called Xiaobai."
Xiao Yi replied softly, "As long as you like it."
Cui Yunfeng nodded. "It's very good and obedient, it just eats a bit too much."
"Later, I'll have someone send you some of its favorite food."
The two of them went back and forth, speaking affectionately, as if the earlier sound had truly just been an auditory hallucination. Cui Yunfeng had already dismissed it as a mistake.
Xiao Yi looked at her tenderly. The thousands of dark and ruthless shadows in his eyes dissipated, leaving only Cui Yunfeng in his sight.
However, the occasional sounds reaching his ears made him slightly displeased.
Xiao Yi was a martial artist, so his senses were naturally sharper than Cui Yunfeng's. He raised his eyes and looked silently at a tree in mid-air, giving a meaningful look.
The tree branches immediately rustled, and a moment later, returned to stillness.
Cui Yunfeng noticed nothing. As she ate, she said, "There is something I want to ask for your help with."
"Mhm." Xiao Yi's expression remained unchanged. He continued feeding her pastries, full of patience.
"It is about my cousin," Cui Yunfeng said. She lowered her voice and leaned close to Xiao Yi, whispering to him for quite a while.
Xiao Yi's gaze fell on the soft crown of the girl's head, a smile lingering on his lips.
"Is that okay?" Cui Yunfeng asked when she finished, looking up at him with a face full of anticipation.
Xiao Yi nodded. "Since you are the one asking, I naturally will not refuse."
Cui Yunfeng immediately broke into a bright smile and vigorously shook the man's arm. "You are the best."
Xiao Yi chuckled. "That cousin of yours is quite formidable. She never lets go of any useful connections, repeatedly using you to manipulate me."
If it were not for Cui Yunfeng, let alone helping her, Xiao Yi would be considered polite just for not adding fuel to the fire.
Cui Yunfeng smiled, her cheeks flushing. "She is my cousin. Naturally, I want to help her if I can."
"Alright, whatever you say goes. It is but a small effort."
Cui Yunfeng looked at Xiao Yi, her eyes sparkling. The emotions swelling in her heart were almost impossible to suppress, and her nose tingled with the urge to cry.
On the other side, Cui Yunchu stepped onto the bridge. She was just about to head to the waterside pavilion on the opposite end when someone suddenly darted out from behind a tree, blocking her path.
Cui Yunchu looked at Eunuch Liu's heavily powdered face and almost let out a yelp of terror.
"Eldest Miss Cui," Eunuch Liu said as he bowed. "Are you looking for the Second Miss?"
Cui Yunchu ignored him, patting her chest over and over again to coax herself out of her fright.
"Just like your... master, you only know how to scare people." Normally, Cui Yunchu would have added a couple of unpleasant names to that sentence, but remembering that she would soon need to ask a favor of Prince An, she forced herself to drop it.
Eunuch Liu smiled, his face scrunching into deep wrinkles. "It is this old servant's fault for startling the Eldest Miss."
