"When I was young, I used to do the same, but later... I realized that those who could say such things simply didn't care whether that person lived or died."
Cui Yunchu let out a cold laugh. "Because they don't care about that person's pain, they can speak of it so lightly."
She had shown her wounds thousands of times to the people she cared about, telling them that she hurt, that she was sad.
The first time, their hearts would ache for her, though not much. The second time, they would pity her. By the third time, it was just annoyance.
They would blame her for being narrow-minded, for always dwelling on the past.
They would blame her for not being as magnanimous and upright as her sisters.
And why was that? A delicate flower growing in the sunlight, receiving endless doting, without being tainted by a speck of mud—what reason did it have not to be upright?
She wanted to be jealous, wanted to harbor resentment, but later she realized that although her blood relatives didn't dote on her, in the end, she still had them.
The delicate flower was truly raised well, making people unable to resist liking her.
Who doesn't like a good person?
Cui Yunchu turned her head to look at Shen Xiabai. The coldness had entirely faded, leaving only a faint smile on her beautiful face. "I haven't committed murder or arson, I haven't harmed anyone's life, and I am not steeped in evil. As far as I'm concerned, that already makes me a good person."
Shen Xiabai lowered his eyes and silently poured her a cup of Nü'er Hong wine, handing it over. "There is no tea. This wine isn't strong; you can drink a little to ease yourself."
The woman's face was calm, but her eyes were like dead ashes. Shen Xiabai oversaw the Department of Penalties and had seen many people marching toward their deaths.
Their expressions were somewhat similar to the look in Cui Yunchu's eyes at this moment.
For no apparent reason, his heart clenched with a pang of pain.
Cui Yunchu didn't take the cup. Instead, she suddenly leaned over, getting close to Shen Xiabai, and stared into his eyes. "Is the scent of powder on my body still strong?"
"..." Shen Xiabai quickly averted his gaze, shoved the cup into her hand, and lowered his head without speaking.
"Lord Shen."
Shen Xiabai raised his eyes to glance at her, then immediately looked away, giving a soft "Mm."
The tips of his ears were burning, and his heartbeat quickened for no reason.
"Your heart aches for me, doesn't it?"
Shen Xiabai was slightly taken aback, his ears burning hot at an incredibly fast speed. "You are a young lady, do you not know any shame?"
When he looked up at Cui Yunchu, he seemed to catch a glimpse of profound depth in her eyes, but it vanished in a flash, like an illusion. By the time he tried to see clearly again, only a sly smile remained in the woman's eyes.
"Do you read storybooks?"
"I grew up reading them." Cui Yunchu took a sip of wine and continued, "My mother, you see, was a brothel woman. She treasured those storybooks about love and romance just as much as martial artists value secret martial arts manuals."
"She left me a massive trunk full of them. Consider it... the dowry she left for me."
Among aristocratic officials, such obscene materials were considered utterly disgraceful—let alone using them as a dowry, even looking at them or being slightly associated with them was a huge embarrassment.
Yet Cui Yunchu spoke of it so casually.
Before today, Shen Xiabai couldn't say he understood Cui Yunchu at all. He remained silent, just quietly listening.
"I finished reading that whole trunk. There were tales of poor scholars and wealthy young ladies, as well as noble heirs and peasant girls, and even..." She shot Shen Xiabai a sidelong glance, smirking wickedly.
"Men and women from feuding families who, after going through untold hardships and various obstacles, finally formed a good marriage."
Shen Xiabai originally thought he was going to hear about a young lady's various hardships, never expecting the tone to suddenly shift.
Especially when paired with the shifty, mischievous look Cui Yunchu cast his way.
"..."
How could he have forgotten? She was not a normal woman. Her mind was full of a chaotic, unconstrained mess; how could she ever say anything proper?
Seeing his face darken, Cui Yunchu immediately said, "I'm just joking, don't get angry."
This place was very remote. If she got chopped into eight pieces here, even Cui Yunfeng wouldn't be able to find her corpse.
Hmm... more likely, she wouldn't have the time or even remember to look for her.
"I'm answering your question. Didn't you ask me why I'm short on money?"
"Because my concubine mother's status was low, she had nothing to leave me for a dowry. My grandmother takes pity on me and rewards me with some things. Then there's my cousin, Cui Yunfeng. Although I am Yunfeng's elder sister, she basically yields to me in everything and has given me a lot of jewelry."
She finished a cup and asked Shen Xiabai again, "I saved up all that jewelry, treating it as the dowry my mother left me. I had originally saved quite a lot, but suddenly I realized that in other people's dowries, jewelry is merely an embellishment; they also have shops, mansions, and estates."
"I scrounged and pinched pennies for so long, and I can't even compare to a fraction of theirs. Tell me, isn't it hilarious?"
She drank a second cup, her face already a bit flushed. "I made you spend money tonight, Lord Shen. I'm sorry, but my silver has to be saved to buy my dowry; I can't bear to spend it."
She rambled on and said a lot more. Perhaps spurred on by the wine, she was no longer so restrained.
"Give me another cup. This Nü'er Hong is indeed quite good; drinking it makes me feel refreshed."
More importantly, it was expensive. Drinking one cup was like earning several taels of silver.
Shen Xiabai looked at her slightly flushed face and didn't move. "You've had a bit too much."
Nü'er Hong was a strong wine; even men couldn't easily drink a lot of it. The reason Shen Xiabai bought it was probably because Cui Yunchu had said it was expensive and she had never tasted it before.
"I'll be fine after a nap. It's such an expensive thing, it would be a waste not to drink more."
When Shen Xiabai refused to give it, she went up to snatch it, and the two began to pull and tug at each other...
Not far behind them, Yu Feng poked his head out, watching with great amusement.
There was a breeze in the evening. Blown by the wind, Cui Yunchu's face grew even redder, her eyes more glazed. "You surnamed Shen, are you going to give it to me or not?"
"I bought this, how can you just snatch it?" Shen Xiabai frowned, though it wasn't the first time he had experienced Cui Yunchu's thick skin and unreasonableness.
"Fine." Cui Yunchu grinned, grabbed his wrist, and bit down on it.
Shen Xiabai didn't feel pain, but shock.
It was like a sudden clap of thunder striking his mind.
That fragrance drilled into his nose so brazenly for the first time, so close, mingled with the softness of the woman's lips and teeth, making the sharp pain on his wrist seem less obvious.
Cui Yunchu raised her eyes and actually curved them into a smile at him.
Immediately after, she bit down a bit harder until there was a taste of blood in her mouth, only then finally letting go.
But it only made the man frown. His reaction left Cui Yunchu very dissatisfied.
However, looking down at the clear teeth marks and the seeping red on Shen Xiabai's wrist, Cui Yunchu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Did it hurt?
Compared to that sword strike?
She raised her eyes, looked grinningly at Shen Xiabai's gloomy face, and then her eyelids began to fight each other. Evidently, the wine had gone to her head, and she was heavily drunk.
Her body fell backward. Shen Xiabai caught her subconsciously. There was even a smear of crimson left at the corner of the woman's mouth.
He gripped the back of her neck, gritting his teeth. "Are you a dog?"
Standing far away, Yu Feng also thought to himself: What's wrong with this Eldest Miss Cui? She acts like she's sick in the head, just opening her mouth and biting people.
It was getting late. Yu Feng wanted to step forward and ask if they should return to the manor, but seeing the young lady slumped against his master, he felt it would be inappropriate.
The fireworks were still going on. Shen Xiabai watched silently, his body not moving an inch, while the young lady leaning on his shoulder had a serene expression on her face.
A burning pain radiated from his wrist, and blood dripped down his fingertips onto the ground. Shen Xiabai merely glanced at it, wiped it with a handkerchief, and paid it no more mind.
He dared not move, not even to turn his head. His entire body was incredibly stiff, especially his neck, where the woman's breath fanned against his skin. The heat of it made his forehead break out in a sweat.
Time slowly ticked by. The bustling yet peaceful street suddenly broke into a commotion, with commoners surging toward the same direction in twos and threes.
Shen Xiabai watched, his eyes filled with a dark, profound depth.
Yu Feng stepped forward, sweeping away his previous frivolous demeanor, and said in a deep voice, I suspect... something has happened.
Shen Xiabai gave a faint hum of acknowledgment before finally shifting his gaze to look at the girl resting on his shoulder.
With picturesque features and skin as white and smooth as creamy jade, her beauty was indeed undeniably genuine.
Go find Prince An and the Crown Prince. It is time to return to the estate.
...
Up in the high tower, Cui Yunfeng leaned against the man's chest, gazing at the fireworks continuously blooming in the sky. Smiling as beautifully as a flower, she murmured, If only we could always be like this, just like today. How wonderful that would be.
Xiao Yi's gaze was incredibly soft. If you like it, I will set them off for you to watch every single day.
Every day? If I watch them all the time, there will eventually come a day when I grow tired of them.
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow. Are you talking about the fireworks, or the person?
He tickled Cui Yunfeng's stomach, and she immediately dodged with a laugh. I was just joking.
Is that so? Xiao Yi, however, refused to let her off, and the two began to laugh and play around.
Joyful laughter filled the entire tower, and blissful smiles radiated from both their faces.
Only when he was with Cui Yunfeng would Xiao Yi act so unrestrained and carefree.
He wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, pulling her flush against him.
Cui Yunfeng looked at him with a smile. Xiao Yi, you must not forget the vows you once swore to me.
Xiao Yi rested his forehead against hers, his peach-blossom eyes filled with absolute infatuation. Whatever you say goes. I will listen to everything you say.
His gaze fell upon the woman's cherry lips as he leaned in slightly. Cui Yunfeng's face grew hot, her heart beating rapidly.
Fireworks bloomed above their heads, brightly illuminating the high tower and the two figures locked in a kiss.
A sudden commotion drifted up from downstairs. Cui Yunfeng hurriedly pushed Xiao Yi away, her face burning as red as blood. We... have not yet exchanged betrothal gifts.
Xiao Yi smiled casually. It is only a matter of time. You are mine in the end, and you cannot run away.
Cui Yunfeng cast her gaze downstairs and immediately furrowed her brows. What is happening down there? Why is everyone running toward Wangyue Pavilion?
Just then, Eunuch Liu ascended the high tower. Your Highness, it is getting late. We should return. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent someone with a message saying that he and the Crown Princess have already returned to the Crown Prince's estate.
Given Tang Qingwan's intelligence, how could Xiao Chen possibly let her stay out for long?
