Cui Yunchu was not a quiet soul. Her little mouth had barely stopped moving all afternoon. Cui Yunfeng would occasionally chime in with a sentence or two, while Tang Qingwan simply watched the two sisters with a smile, seemingly in an excellent mood.
Perhaps influenced by the three young ladies, the Crown Prince, Prince An, and Shen Xiabai all temporarily set aside their various struggles and preoccupations, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation.
The card game lasted until the middle of the afternoon, yet everyone still felt a bit reluctant to see it end.
Cui Yunchu, however, was thrilled. She stretched out both hands and waved them in the air. Your Highness Prince An, Your Highness the Crown Prince, hurry up, hurry up, time to settle the bill!
The Crown Prince found it rather amusing. Do you think I would actually renege on a debt?
Xiao Yi shot the Crown Prince a sidelong glance.
Tang Qingwan had given him a few favorable looks, and now he was getting carried away again, actually daring to smile at Cui Yunchu. Was he not afraid she would get the wrong idea and refuse to leave his manor?
Cui Yunchu, naturally, had no idea what Xiao Yi was thinking.
Like Prince An, the Crown Prince had lost five rounds in total. Between the two of them, that meant ten sets of jewelry. Just thinking about it made Cui Yunchu beam so widely her face almost hurt.
Your Highness Prince An...
Xiao Yi said, Tomorrow, I will have someone deliver them to your manor.
Tomorrow? How could Cui Yunchu possibly wait that long? In a little while, I will have my maid go to the Prince An estate to fetch them. You can have Eunuch Liu head back too, just to notify your manor's steward.
...
Tang Qingwan and Cui Yunfeng both chuckled softly in unison.
Tang Qingwan said, He will not run away. Why are you in such a rush?
Cui Yunchu pursed her lips.
I have never seen so much gold, silver, and jewelry in my entire life.
The others burst into laughter, but Shen Xiabai, sitting to the side, furrowed his brows and cast a sidelong glance at Cui Yunchu.
She was, after all, the dignified daughter of the Prime Minister.
His gaze landed on her hair bun. The ornaments she wore were no different from Cui Yunfeng's, showing not the slightest hint of financial strain.
Xiao Yi did not waste words either. He dispatched Eunuch Liu, who was by his side, to take Cui Yunchu's maid, Xing'er, back to his manor to retrieve the items.
Before they left, Cui Yunchu pulled Xing'er aside and muttered a whole string of instructions. Tang Qingwan, Cui Yunfeng, and the other two were far away and could barely hear a thing, but Shen Xiabai heard everything.
Pick the heavy ones. It does not matter if they are a bit ugly, but they must be solid gold. Also, get a kingfisher feather set...
Xing'er nodded repeatedly, like a little chicken pecking at rice.
Shen Xiabai sat before the chessboard, slightly raising his eyes to look at the master and servant who conversed without any attempt to hide. As if sensing his gaze, Cui Yunchu looked up at him, her face not showing a single trace of embarrassment.
Go on quickly, I will wait for you here at the Crown Prince's manor.
Xing'er nodded and dragged Eunuch Liu away. Not long after, Eunuch Liu's groans drifted back, My old arms and legs cannot run that fast. The Prince An estate is not going to run away. What are you running so fast for, you silly girl?
It truly was a case of like master, like servant.
What for? Naturally, it was because ever since Xing'er had started serving Cui Yunchu, she had never seen so much jewelry. Now that her young lady had struck it rich, perhaps she could bask in some of the glory too.
In the pavilion, the Crown Prince ordered the servants to clear away the leaf cards and serve fruits and pastries.
On one side sat the Crown Prince and Tang Qingwan, and on the other sat Xiao Yi and Cui Yunfeng, affectionately peeling fruits for one another.
With the card game over, Shen Xiabai also returned to sit by the chessboard. His expression remained as cold as usual, as if nothing had just happened.
Cui Yunchu was smiling so hard that wrinkles were about to form on her face. She sat alone in a corner, waiting for the steward of the Crown Prince's manor to fetch her things.
Her smile was genuine, radiant, and utterly joyous, even more cheerful than the two men who were deeply entrenched in romance.
Holding his wine cup, Shen Xiabai turned his head to watch the young woman in the corner of the pavilion, his eyes deep and profound.
Her happiness seemed so easy to achieve, so easily satisfied.
It was not about the grand schemes, pros and cons, or heirs like Tang Qingwan, nor was it about family, love, and choices like Cui Yunfeng.
Without realizing it, Shen Xiabai's own lips curled into a faint smile.
But what he did not know was that often, the more one appeared this way, the more fickle their heart truly was.
Since no one paid attention to Cui Yunchu, she just sat there being silly and happy on her own. At a time like this, she would not go ruin the mood for the Crown Prince and Prince An, nor would she feel envious or jealous.
It did not take long for the steward of the Crown Prince's manor to arrive with a few servants. Eldest Miss Cui, this old servant has selected everything according to your requests. Please take a look and see if you are satisfied.
Cui Yunchu stood up and swept her gaze over the trays held by the servants, her facial features scrunching together in absolute delight. Satisfied, very satisfied.
The steward of the Crown Prince's manor actually felt a slight shiver at Cui Yunchu's intense smile. If he were not already a man with one foot in the grave, he might have gotten some wild ideas.
If there are no issues, this old servant will have them packed into chests and loaded onto your carriage first.
Cui Yunchu clasped her hands together into a fist against her chest, her eyes so gentle they could drip water. Then I will have to trouble you, Steward.
Hehe... it is no trouble, no trouble at all. The old steward took the servants and left with hurried steps.
The four people in the pavilion were solely focused on their romantic sweet nothings and cared little for those trivial items.
With no one to share her joy, Cui Yunchu set her sights on Shen Xiabai, who was playing chess against himself.
Sensing her intent, Shen Xiabai immediately withdrew his attention and lowered his eyes to the chessboard.
Cui Yunchu sat down opposite him. Thank you for today.
Finally, a decent human sentence came out of her mouth. It was likely all thanks to those jewelry sets.
Without even lifting his head, Shen Xiabai let out a faint Mhm from his throat.
Cui Yunchu rested her arms on the table, cupping her chin as she looked at the chess game. Do not worry, I keep my word. Ninety percent for me, ten percent for you. Later, I will have someone deliver your share to your carriage.
Ninety percent for her, ten percent for him? Keeps her word?
How could she link those two phrases together with such a clear conscience?
But he was not worried anyway. That little bit of stuff was completely inconsequential to him.
He glanced at Cui Yunchu and gave another Mhm, too lazy to waste unnecessary breath on her.
Seeing how agreeable he was, Cui Yunchu immediately lamented in her heart: I gave him too much.
Lord Shen, do you have a woman you fancy?
Her sudden question made Shen Xiabai freeze, and the chess piece in his hand clattered onto the table.
The sound was not quiet, causing even the four people in the pavilion to turn their heads. Shen Xiabai maintained an indifferent expression, bending over to pick up the pieces one by one in silence.
Cui Yunchu, however, kept pressing him. I am asking you a question! Do you have one or not?
