Cui Yunchu lowered her gaze and glanced at the sleeve she was gripping tightly.
No matter how insignificant she, Cui Yunchu, might be, she was still the daughter of the Prime Minister.
A treacherous bitch?
She lifted her foot and kicked out. "Who are you calling a bitch? How bold of you to insult the daughter of an official! Today, even if your Side Consort comes, she won't be able to save you, you old hag."
The old maidservant cried, "This old servant didn't say 'bitch'."
Cui Yunchu demanded, "Who can prove that?"
Cui Yunfeng and Mo'er finally made themselves useful. They stood up together and nodded. "We both heard it. It was definitely 'bitch'."
Cui Yunfeng thought to herself: Eldest Sister has sacrificed a lot today.
The old maidservant stammered, "...You... you are going too far." Her eyes reddened. She believed she had never seen such shameless people in her entire life.
But even though she shouted until her voice was hoarse, surprisingly, no one approached.
Cui Yunchu said, "Come, go with me to see the Crown Princess. We'll have a good talk about this today."
"This old servant won't go! I want to see her Ladyship the Side Consort."
Amidst another round of pulling and tugging, a soft chuckle suddenly rang out from somewhere unknown.
The laughter was deep, seemingly carrying endless suppression. It slipped out only because it couldn't be held back, but in just an instant, it was immediately withdrawn.
Cui Yunfeng was very alert. She immediately stood up straight. "Who, who is there?"
Could it be that the Crown Prince had returned? If he saw this... it wouldn't be good for her cousin.
They all looked up.
Before long, at the corner of the veranda, three men slowly appeared.
They were dressed in luxurious clothes and possessed an outstanding aura. Just the imposing manner surrounding them was enough to make one timid and shudder.
The old maidservant and Mo'er immediately knelt down to pay their respects. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Highness Prince An, Lord Shen."
Cui Yunfeng also bowed, but Cui Yunchu seemed to have forgotten to react, staring blankly at the three of them.
She had always liked beautiful things. These three walking together were truly a magnificent sight. A thought suddenly crossed her mind: if in her past life she had taken all three of them...
Then dying wouldn't have been in vain.
Good looks and power were what Cui Yunchu pursued all her life.
However, her gaze truly disturbed the others.
The Crown Prince's footsteps noticeably paused, seemingly unwilling to walk over. Prince An frowned even more tightly, his face full of disgust.
The two were all too familiar with Cui Yunchu's undisguised, naked gaze. Rather than watching this drama, they wished they could just disappear on the spot.
"Lord Shen, you were the one who laughed. You go."
The two of them simultaneously looked at Shen Xiabai, who was a step behind.
For some reason, Shen Xiabai looked visibly displeased. "Your Highnesses have noble statuses. How would this humble official dare to walk ahead of you?"
The three of them stood on the veranda, yielding to each other just like that.
Cui Yunchu finally managed to withdraw her gaze from that beautiful scenery. She silently recited a few lines of a heart-clearing mantra. Beauty leads people astray; she must not be greedy.
She shouldn't forget the pain just because the scar had healed.
At this time, without the burning heat of her gaze, the three men on the veranda finally continued to walk over slowly.
Cui Yunchu kept feeling that there was a gaze resting on her, but when she looked up, she couldn't catch it.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince, the old maidservant immediately started complaining. "Your Highness, Eldest Miss Cui has a glib tongue and was disrespectful to the item bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress. I hope Your Highness will seek justice for the Side Consort."
The Crown Prince looked at Cui Yunchu.
Mmm...
He didn't want to argue with her.
Publicly, she was Qingwan's cousin. He felt guilty in his heart, so he naturally favored Qingwan. Privately, this girl... was truly a hot potato.
He gave a look to the eunuch behind him.
This time it was the eunuch's turn to feel helpless. Was this kind of thing something a servant like him could interfere with?
But the Crown Prince had already looked away, glancing around, obviously not wanting to waste words. His meaning was very clear, so the eunuch could only bite the bullet and step forward.
"Eldest Miss Cui, regarding this old maid's slander... bah, accusation, what is your explanation?"
"It wasn't me," Cui Yunchu said, extremely arrogantly.
She had accurately predicted the Crown Prince's bias. On major matters of right and wrong, there might be difficulties where he had to act against his will, but for a mere flower... if they had the ability, they should go find her cousin.
The old maidservant said, "Eldest Miss Cui, a person shouldn't tell barefaced lies."
"Everyone says Side Consort Liu is deeply doted on by His Highness the Crown Prince. Seeing it today, it really is true. Even a mere servant dares to speak insolently to the Crown Princess's maternal younger cousin."
This interjection was truly a bit abrupt.
Everyone present, countless pairs of eyes, all looked towards the person who made the sound.
Shen Xiabai, who was standing at the back, immediately became the center of attention. Even the space around him seemed to empty out instantly, making him the main character.
"..."
He immediately looked away, coughed lightly, and stood with his hands behind his back, saying, "I am merely discussing the matter as it stands."
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow. "No one said you had hidden motives."
"..."
It was just that the scene of her being surrounded and questioned by everyone made him unconsciously think of many things.
Like the cliff, like that time at the Cui residence when she was pestered by the Wang family's son, or like when she was made to kneel in the ancestral hall, and that smiling little face asked the question... "Do you regret it?"
That day, he had watched her for a long time, trying to find reluctance, heartbreak, or sadness on her face, but there was none. That sorrow did not show on her face.
Yet every movement she made, and even every step she took, revealed a sense of bitterness and desolation.
...
Cui Yunchu thought to herself, the sun had really risen from the west today.
Being stirred up like this, the Crown Prince's gaze also became a bit sterner.
With the situation as it was, him giving Liu Wanting the honors she deserved had already damaged his affection for Qingwan. How could he let her people humiliate the Cui family's young lady like this?
"Insolent! Is this how Side Consort Liu taught you to speak to your masters?"
The old maidservant had the illusion of returning to the day of the grand wedding. That feeling of being isolated and helpless, of being squeezed out by everyone, came back again.
She raised her head, as if the gazes of everyone in front of her had turned into knives, stabbing at her one by one.
"This old servant... this old servant..."
In an unwinnable battle, even breathing was a mistake.
What else could she say?
But wait until she went back to her Ladyship the Side Consort; she would have plenty to say. Her Ladyship the Side Consort would definitely slap the girl's mouth non-stop.
This peony was Her Ladyship's most beloved item, her spiritual sustenance.
"Your Highness, when this old servant came, I saw with my own eyes Second Miss Cui holding the peony flower, and there is still mud on Eldest Miss Cui's shoes."
Wasn't that nonsense?
Of course, the Crown Prince knew what kind of person Cui Yunchu was. It went without saying that Cui Yunchu did it.
But...
Cui Yunchu spoke up. She curtsied, her extremely well-behaved and proper appearance making even the Crown Prince a little uncomfortable. "Your Highness, this subject's daughter has already explained just now."
"That flower was indeed in my sister's hands, but it was Prince An who picked it and gave it to my sister. It has nothing to do with us sisters."
Cui Yunfeng really wanted to cover Cui Yunchu's mouth.
Xiao Yi was standing right here. He had just arrived. Wasn't she telling a barefaced lie?
The three men all fell silent. Six eyes looked at Cui Yunchu, unable to tell if it was disgust, helplessness, or some other emotion.
Moreover, the Crown Prince couldn't expose her.
Cui Yunfeng pinched the flower and grimaced at Xiao Yi several times. It was beyond awkward.
Of everyone, Cui Yunchu was the most calm and composed.
Then there was Shen Xiabai. He cast a sidelong glance at Cui Yunchu, remaining silent, too lazy to speak.
He couldn't blame himself for never gaining the upper hand in verbal arguments. From now on, he should just use his hands if possible, and not his mouth.
A glib tongue and a scheming villain—there was no better example than this.
