Cui Yunfeng raised an eyebrow. "How could it be nonsense? You said it yourself yesterday while you were unconscious, Big Sister, and you even shouted Father's name at the top of your lungs."
"How is that possible? Stop talking nonsense." Cui Yunchu waved her hand, not believing it for a second. Was she the type of person to start spewing nonsense after getting drunk?
...
But last night... she wasn't drunk.
Cui Yunchu looked toward Xing'er.
When she was sick, she indeed had a habit of doing that to give herself emotional support.
Xing'er looked embarrassed. "Well... Miss, why don't you go apologize to the Master once you recover? You've just gotten better, and with Old Madam Cui protecting you, he probably won't hold it against you."
Cui Yunchu's face darkened inch by inch. "What terrible things are you saying now?"
She turned her head back to Cui Yunfeng, dropped her stiff smile, and said gloomily, "So, you went and tattled to Father about what I said? You ungrateful wretch, Cui Yunfeng."
Cui Yunfeng: "..."
"Is it possible that Father was actually there?"
Hearing this, Cui Yunchu suddenly burst into laughter. "What kind of fairy tale is that? Why would he come to see me? It's not like I was dead."
She was somewhat certain that Cui Yunfeng was lying to her, but then she saw Xing'er's awful expression and the way Cui Yunfeng was looking at her as if she were a pitiful bug...
Cui Yunchu's smile slowly froze.
"No, why did he come at all? Why then of all times?"
Cui Yunfeng replied, "Grandmother lost her temper and dragged him here."
"..."
Cui Yunfeng continued, "After hearing you call him Cui Qingyuan and demanding your husband beat him with a board, he flicked his sleeves and stormed off furiously. You're probably half-dead by now."
Cui Yunchu knelt on the bed, threw her head back, and cried, "Oh my God!" before pulling the brocade quilt over her head. "It's fine. I'll finish off the other half myself."
The room fell into a brief silence, leaving only the sound of Cui Yunchu's sighs.
"Don't be afraid, Big Sister. You are still sick; Father won't hold it against you."
Cui Yunchu poked her head out and looked at Cui Yunfeng pitifully. "Really?"
Cui Yunfeng nodded. "In the past, when you cursed Grandmother as an old immortal, she didn't punish you either."
"..."
Cui Yunchu gritted her teeth. "Cui Yunfeng, I want to kick you to death."
Xing'er, however, came up with a good idea. "Miss, today is Cousin Miss's first visit home after her wedding. Why don't you go along and hide out for a bit?"
Cui Yunchu's eyes lit up upon hearing this. She quickly scrambled out of the covers. Cui Yunfeng hurriedly grabbed her. "No way, you haven't recovered yet. The doctor specifically ordered that you can't go anywhere."
Cui Yunchu forcefully broke free from her grasp. "I think you just want me to die here."
"Xing'er, quick, help me dress and do my makeup."
Unable to stop her, Cui Yunfeng could only watch as Cui Yunchu jumped out of bed and dashed to the dressing table.
She had been looking deathly ill just a moment ago, who knew where she suddenly got all this energy.
"Yunfeng, send someone to Songhe Courtyard and tell Grandmother to wait for us."
Cui Yunfeng fell silent, and after a moment, she said, "Father forbade me from leaving the house."
Cui Yunchu took a moment to glance at Cui Yunfeng. "What do you mean? Did you kneel in the ancestral hall for nothing? Did I curse him out for nothing?"
Cui Yunfeng hung her head and let out a slightly hoarse "Mhm." "Father said he would finalize my marriage with Top Scholar Zhou as soon as possible."
Two days of fussing, all for nothing.
Cui Yunchu frowned. "Then what do you plan to do?"
"Are you going to the Crown Prince's estate?" Cui Yunfeng asked.
Cui Yunchu nodded. "Of course I have to go. Otherwise, with Grandmother gone and Father having his day off today, staying in the manor would be asking for death."
With Father's strict authority, he would definitely come to settle the score with her.
"Then I'm going too."
...
When Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng arrived at Songhe Courtyard, Old Madam Cui had already finished getting ready to head to the Crown Prince's estate. Seeing the two of them, Old Madam Cui was not surprised in the slightest.
"Yunchu, why aren't you resting properly? Why did you come here?"
Cui Yunchu spent a good moment brewing her emotions before throwing herself into Old Madam Cui's arms. "Grandmother, Yunchu missed you so much. I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime."
"What nonsense are you saying?" Remembering how Cui Yunchu had called out for her grandmother while dizzy with illness, Old Madam Cui's heart ached terribly.
"It's Grandmother's fault. I was negligent and didn't protect you well. There, there." Old Madam Cui hugged Cui Yunchu and comforted her softly, shedding tears as she recalled the girl's fragility the day before.
"Grandmother's good granddaughter."
Cui Yunchu blinked and continued, "I want to accompany Grandmother to the Crown Prince's estate. I don't want to be apart from you for even a moment."
Hearing this, Old Madam Cui's tears vanished. She lowered her eyes and gave her a sidelong glance. "Do you want to accompany me, or are you afraid of your father accompanying you?"
She had been seen through...
Cui Yunchu hugged Old Madam Cui's waist tightly and refused to let go.
Watching this made Cui Yunfeng scratch her head.
She wanted to go too, but how could she convince Grandmother to go against Father's orders?
Old Madam Cui looked at Cui Yunfeng anxiously scratching her head beside them and couldn't help but laugh.
"Very well. Your uncle is a man and it's inappropriate for him to enter the Crown Prince's inner courtyard. Today, the two of you will accompany me."
"Yes!" Cui Yunfeng immediately smiled. The two sisters supported Old Madam Cui on either side and helped her into the carriage.
Seeing that they were accompanying the old madam, the servant guarding the manor gates did not stop them.
On the way to the Crown Prince's estate, Old Madam Cui's mood was a bit low. Cui Yunfeng asked, "Grandmother, are you worried about Cousin?"
Old Madam Cui nodded. She glanced at the two sisters and told them about the events that had occurred in recent days.
"Nowadays, the Emperor highly favors the Liu family, and your father has displeased the Emperor because of it. I don't know if this has implicated your cousin, or if the Crown Prince will..."
Would he cold-shoulder Qingwan because of the Emperor's favor? That woman from the Liu family was no pushover either; who knew if Qingwan was being bullied.
Cui Yunchu, however, was not worried in the slightest. "Grandmother is overthinking. Cousin is very capable; she'll be fine."
She remembered what Old Madam Shen had said that day, but after thinking about it, she decided not to tell Old Madam Cui, fearing she wouldn't be able to explain it.
Old Madam Cui remained deeply worried. The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Crown Prince's estate, and someone immediately came forward to welcome them.
It was Tang Qingwan's maid, who was now considered a female official, Mo'er. "This servant greets Old Madam and the two Misses. The Crown Princess has been waiting for a long time. Please follow this servant inside."
Mo'er's face was full of joy.
Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng had been to the Crown Prince's estate before, so they were quite familiar with the way. The main courtyard where Tang Qingwan lived wasn't far; it took about a quarter of an hour to get there.
As soon as they stepped out of the corridor, they saw Tang Qingwan looking around at the entrance of the main courtyard. Seeing them approach, a smile appeared on her face, but her eyes grew slightly teary.
"Maternal Grandmother, Yunchu, Yunfeng."
Old Madam Cui bowed. "This official's wife greets the Crown Princess."
Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng immediately followed suit and bowed.
Tang Qingwan helped Old Madam Cui up. "Maternal Grandmother, there are no outsiders in my courtyard. There is no need for such formalities."
Old Madam Cui replied, "Proper etiquette must not be discarded."
Her gaze remained fixed on Tang Qingwan, looking her up and down, left and right. "Good, you haven't lost weight, just looking a bit haggard. Did you not rest well?"
Tang Qingwan was dressed in a magnificent palace gown, exuding an indescribable sense of nobility and elegance. Her hair was adorned with golden hairpins, a unique honor reserved for the Crown Princess.
In the past, this was what Cui Yunchu had dreamed of. But now, looking at Tang Qingwan's haggard face beneath her luxurious clothes, Cui Yunchu felt not a single trace of envy in her heart.
The wealth and glory she desired was to do nothing every day, just eating, drinking, and sleeping on a mountain of gold and silver, rather than being like her older cousin—constantly scheming and risking her life with the slightest misstep.
Mo'er opened her mouth to say something, but was silenced by a single look from Tang Qingwan. "Rest assured, Grandmother. I am just a little unaccustomed to the sudden change of environment. I will be fine after a few days of adjustment."
The group was invited into the main courtyard of the Crown Princess. Old Madam Cui instructed Nanny Li to hand over the gifts they had brought one by one to Mo'er to be put away.
Tang Qingwan looked at those items, her eyes growing moist. "Grandmother, when I got married, you already added a lot to my dowry. Besides, Yunchu and Yunfeng are not yet married. You should save some dowry for them and stop worrying about me."
Cui Yunchu's eyes were fixed on the valuable items that Nanny Li took out one by one, staring wide-eyed.
She nodded, fully agreeing with Tang Qingwan's words.
She was already the Crown Princess; the entire storehouse of the Crown Prince's estate belonged to her.
Old Madam Cui, however, said, "The Crown Prince's estate is not like an ordinary household. Having money by your side makes things easier to handle."
Old Madam Cui was quite a remarkable figure in her youth. Over the years, she had accumulated many precious items, some of which were priceless treasures that couldn't be bought with money.
She had never been stingy with her younger generation.
Moreover, on the day of the bride's return visit, her maiden family needed to support her and keep up appearances.
As the items were carried away one by one under Mo'er's instructions, Cui Yunchu couldn't tear her gaze away for a long time.
Cui Yunfeng nudged her. "You're drooling."
Cui Yunchu wiped her mouth with her sleeve before pretending to casually withdraw her gaze and look at Tang Qingwan.
Power and status truly nourished a person; it was exactly like this.
The current Tang Qingwan gave her an even greater sense of majesty and unattainability.
Once everyone in the room had retreated, Old Madam Cui finally asked, "Does His Highness the Crown Prince treat you well?"
Tang Qingwan nodded. "His Highness is considerate. On the second day of our marriage, he handed over the management of the entire estate, both inside and out, to me."
