"It's dawn."
Cui Yunchu gazed at the small window above the ancestral hall and murmured softly, "I've... survived another time. I, Cui Yunchu, am truly indestructible."
After saying this, she actually curled her lips and let out a soft chuckle.
The sound startled Cui Yunfeng, who had fallen asleep leaning against her. She lifted her head, looking momentarily dazed, before slowly sitting up.
Something slipped off her body. She looked down and saw it was actually Cui Yunchu's outer robe.
Cui Yunfeng snapped her head back to look at Cui Yunchu, only to realize that her eldest sister was already so cold her lips had turned purple and her face was pale and ashen.
"Eldest Sister," she hurriedly draped the outer robe back over Cui Yunchu, tears quickly gathering in her eyes. "Why did you do this? The ancestral hall is so cold. If you give me your clothes, you will fall ill."
Cui Yunchu smiled, though her teeth were chattering. "Clothes aren't worth much money. If it were gold or jewelry, I definitely wouldn't give it to you."
"When I, Cui Yunchu, am good to anyone, I only do things that cost me nothing."
She would absolutely never do something like loving someone so desperately that it would cost her her life.
Cui Yunfeng hugged her tightly, choking back sobs, not knowing what to say.
Cui Yunchu squirmed uncomfortably. "Are you wailing at a funeral?"
Cui Yunfeng immediately let go of her. "Eldest Sister, my heart aches so much. I... I regret it a little."
"..."
Cui Yunchu's mouth twitched. "If I had the strength right now, I would definitely kick you to death."
"Stop howling and go knock on the door. If you wait any longer, you'll really be wailing at my funeral."
Cui Yunchu's head was spinning heavily, and her entire body was shivering from the cold. She was very familiar with this feeling—she had a fever.
In the days after her concubine mother passed away, she had spent most of her time in such a feverish daze.
Cui Yunchu curled up on the ground, her eyelids barely able to stay open. "It's better to be a bad person. Being a good person always comes with a price."
Cui Yunfeng banged on the door with all her might, but there was no response. She slapped it until her hands turned red. After a long while, a woman's voice drifted in from outside. "Second Miss, there's no word from the Master yet. This old servant has already sent someone to ask. Please wait a bit longer."
Cui Yunfeng glanced back at Cui Yunchu, who clearly couldn't hold on much longer, and roared at the door, "Eldest Sister is sick! Open the door quickly!"
"Second Miss, please just wait. This old servant dares not act without permission."
Cui Yunfeng's eyes turned red. "I said Eldest Sister is sick! Did you not hear me?"
The older servant woman fell silent for a few breaths before saying in a low voice, "Every time the Eldest Miss is punished, she gets sick. The Master gave special instructions long ago not to let anyone out without permission."
Cui Yunfeng was stunned.
What did that mean?
How could their father refuse to let them out when he knew Eldest Sister was sick?
After only a moment's daze, Cui Yunfeng understood. Eldest Sister had always loved to play-act since childhood, so the older servant woman outside assumed she was faking it this time too.
It seemed that in the past, Eldest Sister frequently used this method to escape punishment.
Cui Yunfeng's nose stung, and she suddenly remembered her grandmother's words: Eldest Sister was different from her.
She never lied, because she never had to experience these things.
Eldest Sister's behavior was simply forced out of her, time and time again.
"I told you to open the door!" Cui Yunfeng practically screamed. "Eldest Sister is gravely ill. If anything happens to her, I will sell you off!"
She threw herself against the door, slamming into it until her arms and body ached terribly, yet she didn't stop.
The young ladies of the Cui family were always known for being generous and gentle. For the words "sell you off" to come from Cui Yunfeng's mouth meant she was truly furious.
The person outside was clearly a bit apprehensive and slowly pulled the door open just a crack. "Second Miss, please don't make things difficult for this old servant. Eldest Miss will be fine."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cui Yunfeng punched the woman's poking head.
The older woman cried out in pain and immediately stumbled back, allowing Cui Yunfeng to seize the opportunity to push the door wide open.
"Second Miss, the Master will definitely punish this old servant if he finds out." The older woman still tried to block her, but Cui Yunfeng pulled out her hairpin. Her eyes were full of tears, but her voice was incredibly fierce.
"Get lost! If you dare block me again, I'll take your life."
This was the most vicious sentence Cui Yunfeng had ever spoken in her entire life.
Even when dealing with the servants in the estate on normal days, she was always extremely gentle.
Cui Yunfeng threw down the hairpin, lifted her skirts, and ran back into the ancestral hall to help Cui Yunchu up from the ground. "Eldest Sister, I'll take you back."
Cui Yunchu's consciousness was already somewhat hazy.
The older servant woman on the ground paled in fright when she saw Cui Yunchu's condition. She hadn't expected the Eldest Miss to actually be sick. Once the two left, she immediately got up and sprinted toward Songhe Courtyard.
Xing'er and Yun'er were preparing food, discussing how to distract the older servant women and sneak it in to the two young ladies, when they saw Cui Yunfeng supporting a limping Cui Yunchu on their way back. They were instantly given a fright.
"Miss."
"Miss."
Cui Yunfeng ordered through her sobs, "Hurry and fetch a doctor! Hurry!"
Xing'er immediately sprinted out.
Cui Yunchu lay on the bed, pulling the blankets tight to wrap herself up, but she still felt freezing cold.
Cui Yunfeng dragged out all the quilts from the cabinet and piled them onto Cui Yunchu. "Eldest Sister, do you feel any better? The doctor will be here soon, just bear with it a little longer."
Cui Yunchu forced her eyelids open, glanced at Cui Yunfeng, and chuckled softly. "Your jewelry set is truly hard to earn."
Cui Yunfeng lowered her head, tears falling silently. "You're always like this. You clearly care about me, but you always use other things as an excuse."
These words acted like medicine, causing Cui Yunchu to jolt up from her dying state. She immediately sat halfway up and stared intently at Cui Yunfeng. "What do you mean? Are you trying to back out of your debt?"
Cui Yunfeng's jewelry set was very valuable. If she had a few more sets to convert into silver, she could buy a shop.
"..."
Cui Yunfeng froze for a moment, then pressed her back into the blankets. "Lie down quickly. Look at the time, and you're still thinking about all this nonsense."
Cui Yunchu closed her eyes. "I'm not dead yet. As long as I'm not dead, those things are the most important."
Cui Yunchu couldn't clearly hear what Cui Yunfeng said after that. She only felt incredibly miserable, wishing she could jump into a furnace to dispel the biting chill from her body.
Faintly, she seemed to hear many voices. The room was bustling. It sounded like her grandmother, and also, seemingly, her wretched concubine mother.
She mumbled for her mother twice,
which made Old Madam Cui, who was guarding the bedside, weep endlessly. "Cui Qingyuan, look at the good deed you've done."
She was furious, pointing her finger at Prime Minister Cui beside her. "I never realized before how ruthless you are. Do you want Yunchu's life?"
Prime Minister Cui had just returned from court. Before he even entered his courtyard, he was summoned by Old Madam Cui. Along the way, he was pushed, shoved, and furiously scolded without pause—a very long-lost childhood memory for him.
Prime Minister Cui furrowed his brows tightly. Only after being scolded harshly did he say, "Mother, your son merely made them kneel in the ancestral hall. There was no other punishment."
Besides, it wasn't Yunchu's first time kneeling there.
He hadn't given any instructions to deliberately make things difficult for Cui Yunchu. After all, she was his own biological daughter; what bad intentions could he harbor?
Yesterday, he was just too angry.
Old Madam Cui seemed not to hear him at all. Weeping, she scolded angrily, "If anything happens to my Yunchu, I am not done with you! You can go kneel in the ancestral hall too."
Prime Minister Cui remained silent. Like a reprimanded child, he stood alone to the side, enduring the resentful glares from Old Madam Cui and even Cui Yunfeng.
Cui Yunfeng said, "Grandmother, I told the servant woman guarding the ancestral hall that Big Sister was sick, but she actually said that Big Sister gets sick every time she kneels in the ancestral hall, and that the Master specifically ordered them to ignore her."
"..."
Prime Minister Cui's brows knitted tightly together as he looked at Cui Yunfeng.
Cui Yunfeng immediately hid in Old Madam Cui's embrace.
"Mother, Yunchu is mischievous and unruly. She has often faked illness in the past to escape punishment, which is why I gave such an order."
As they argued and defended themselves incessantly, Cui Yunchu, who was lying in bed, let out a low moan and unconsciously called out for her grandmother.
"Grandmother is here, Grandmother is here," Old Madam Cui hurriedly grasped Cui Yunchu's hand.
At this moment, she was filled with immense regret. She really should have come to check on the ancestral hall last night.
Cui Yunchu shivered, "I'm cold."
Old Madam Cui immediately sat at the head of the bed and held her, using her own body to warm the girl.
Cui Yunchu felt like she could not hold on any longer, so she began to mutter weakly to herself. She had always gotten through her punishments this way in the past, as if doing so would help her hold on just a little longer.
"I must... marry a powerful and influential husband," she said, her teeth chattering.
Old Madam Cui nodded, "Alright, alright, alright. Grandmother will definitely choose a wealthy and powerful man for Yunchu."
