Putting aside other things, Cui Yunchu was extremely interested in Dowager Shen's phrase "suffering in silence," and her eyes lit up.
But it was only for a moment. Shen Xiabai was the son of the woman before her; why would she help her?
Because of those rumors and gossip?
Cui Yunchu subconsciously turned her gaze to Shen Xiabai standing nearby, and her cousin's words inexplicably surfaced in her mind.
Taking down the Shen family, wouldn't that be satisfying?
Assisting her cousin, her father, and the grudge of that sword strike from her previous life...
The thought lasted only a moment before Cui Yunchu immediately suppressed it.
Dowager Shen said, "No rush. When there's a chance, you can come sit at my manor. It is getting late, so I will head back first."
Cui Yunchu nodded and very politely curtsied in return.
Dowager Shen smiled, "Mhm, this child has truly excellent manners."
"..."
"..."
To the side, Shen Xiabai's expression was wooden, his eyes even looking a bit dazed, emitting a faint, peaceful sort of madness.
Cui Yunchu said, "Thank you for the praise, Dowager Shen."
The two of them were completely thick-skinned, getting along extremely well.
Dowager Shen took a few steps, paused, and turned back. "Right, please send my regards to your grandmother."
Cui Yunchu nodded.
"Oh, there is one more thing." Dowager Shen stepped closer and lowered her voice. Shen Xiabai narrowed his eyes, watching his mother look around furtively like a thief, and silently leaned in to listen.
"I will tell you a secret. When Side Consort Liu entered the palace just now, she actually came to complain. She said that in the days since their wedding, the Crown Prince has not set foot in her room, and she wanted the Empress to seek justice for her."
Shen Xiabai, "..."
He stiffly turned his head to look at his mother, a vein twitching at his temple, and straightened his body with a wooden face.
It was as if he had wasted his ears.
Being so cautious, yet it was just to gossip. How did he not know his mother was like this...
Gossip might be dismissed by men, but for women, it was quite different.
Cui Yunchu's eyes instantly lit up, and even her gaze toward Dowager Shen grew a bit fervent. "Really?"
Dowager Shen nodded. "How could it be fake? I just came out of the Empress's palace and heard it with my own ears."
"She was just putting on a false show of strength earlier."
Cui Yunchu smiled radiantly like a blooming flower.
Dowager Shen also smiled. "Her situation isn't good either, so it's not worth your anger."
In Cui Yunchu's mind, however, all she could think of was Tang Qingwan.
Liu Wanting's poor situation meant that her cousin's plotting over those days had been effective. Her cousin was now like a fish in water in the Crown Prince's estate, holding the upper hand.
Shen Xiabai had no words to describe his feelings at this moment and directly took hold of Dowager Shen's arm. "Mother, let's go."
His mother had always been gentle, reasonable, and well-educated. When had she ever gossiped about someone behind their back like this, let alone in the palace?
Dowager Shen was soft and delicate, smiling as she walked and occasionally looking back at Cui Yunchu.
"Such a beautiful girl."
Meanwhile, Cui Yunchu stood on the palace path, rubbing her chin in deep thought, her mind completely detached from the departing mother and son.
After getting into the carriage, Dowager Shen's face was still full of smiles.
In Shen Xiabai's memory, his mother had always seemed like this. Even when his father was alive and they were at odds, she remained very calm and dignified.
"You, you just don't know how to please women. Look, I only said a few words, and she immediately became cheerful."
"...Mother, are you referring to gossiping about Liu Wanting falling out of favor?"
Dowager Shen nodded. "She just had an argument with Side Consort Liu. Knowing this, she must feel relieved."
"..."
Shen Xiabai's lips pressed into a straight line as he leaned back and directly closed his eyes.
His entire being exuded a deep sense of powerlessness, and his chiseled face clearly displayed the words: nothing to say.
Dowager Shen was uncharacteristically talkative and said quite a lot. When Shen Xiabai didn't utter a single word in response, Dowager Shen frowned. "Did you hear anything I said?"
"I told you, today was purely an accident. What Zilan told you is utter nonsense. You don't need to take it to heart, much less do anything. She is a daughter of the Cui family and will absolutely never step foot into the Shen family."
Come over to sit? Absolutely impossible.
Dowager Shen furrowed her brows, a little angry. "According to you, it was all an accident?"
"Yes."
"There are so many women and so many men in the capital. Why was it specifically your accident? Why not someone else's?"
"Cui Yunchu..." Shen Xiabai wanted to say that rumors and gossip about her accidents were all over the capital.
But he just mentioned her name and slowly fell silent.
Young Master Wang was an accident. And Zilan, she had indeed never provoked him.
Public is public, private is private. He shouldn't be like those people, slandering and gossiping about a weak woman, nor did he care to.
Or perhaps now that he was involved, he clearly understood the injustice suffered by the wronged.
"What about Cui Yunchu? Why did you stop talking?"
"Nothing." Shen Xiabai looked away. "Anyway, I've explained it. If I say there is nothing, then there is nothing."
"Fine." Dowager Shen glared at him sideways. "Matters of the heart require mutual consent. If you say no, then no. I have nothing to say. But you are not the only son in the Shen family. Whether that girl enters the Shen family or not is not up to you alone."
"Zilan has begged me several times to make the decision for him. If he can truly make a name for himself in the officialdom and insists on breaking off his engagement with the Chen family, I will grant his wish and personally go to the Cui family to propose."
"Mother," Shen Xiabai's face turned dark and cold, his voice rising slightly.
"She is a daughter of the Cui family. Do you know what you are saying?"
Dowager Shen frowned. "Of course I know. Xiabai, what happened back then..."
She stopped abruptly halfway through. "Anyway, I have said long ago that the old grudge between the Shen and Cui families has already vanished. You shouldn't sink deeper into it and refuse to let go."
Nor should you delay your own marriage because of it.
Shen Xiabai suddenly laughed lowly. "Vanished? You say it so easily, Mother. Could it be that because you and Father were on bad terms, you bear no resentment at all and can so calmly discuss marriage with our enemy?"
When the news of his father's death came back then, he clearly remembered that his mother hadn't shed a single tear.
"How presumptuous!" Dowager Shen was furious. She quickly slapped Shen Xiabai across the face, her eyes rapidly turning red.
But she used very little force.
Yes, even when his mother lost her temper, she was still so gentle and weak.
"I raised you for over a decade, and this is how you think of me?"
Shen Xiabai lowered his head, feeling somewhat ashamed. "It was my momentary impulse; I spoke without thinking."
Dowager Shen was very angry, but ultimately couldn't bear to say anything harsh, her tears flowing endlessly.
"I know you and your father had a deep bond, and you miss your older brother even more. But everything must follow rules and ethics. Back then, it was the Shen family who was at fault first."
Shen Xiabai said, "But Father was willing to disperse half of the family fortune to help the common people, and the imperial court pardoned his crimes."
His father was ambitious, but not a cruel or ruthless person, and his teachings to him were the same. The Shen family could have nothing; they could give away all their wealth.
But why couldn't they spare their lives?
Dowager Shen closed her eyes. "Xiabai, Mother knows it has not been easy for you to shoulder the heavy burdens of the Shen family since you were young. I simply do not want you to live with regrets in the future."
Shen Xiabai remained silent. He picked up a fruit from a small side table, peeled it, and handed it to Dowager Shen.
"I have taken all of Mother's teachings to heart. I will never become a treacherous villain and disgrace the reputation of the Shen family."
"When it comes to your character, of course Mother trusts you. I am only worried..."
She was worried that he would throw away his entire life for the sake of an old grudge.
