Cui Yunchu crouched down and opened the wooden chest.
Popular romance novels filled half the space. Some were brand new, while others had yellowed with age, their corners curled and frayed.
These were the things Concubine Zhou had left for her.
Cui Yunchu trusted her mother implicitly. She had committed these novels to memory, knowing them even better than she knew the Four Books and Five Classics.
While other mothers left behind jewelry, silks, or deeds to estates and manors, her mother had left her dozens of "secret techniques" on how to marry into a high-ranking family.
A faint smile touched Cui Yunchu’s lips as she slowly brushed her hand over the books. "Move them all to the storage room next door. Let them stay there... forever."
Xing'er looked at her in surprise. "Miss, are you giving them all up? There are over a dozen new ones you haven't even read yet."
Cui Yunchu hadn't thrown them away because she couldn't bear to part with them; she wanted to keep a piece of her mother’s legacy as a form of solace.
"Yes," she replied softly. "And tomorrow, go out and buy copies of the Four Books, the Five Classics, and the Book of Rites."
Xing'er was even more bewildered now.
Cui Yunchu knew her own worth. She was unwilling—and unable—to walk the same path she had in her past life. Her only choice now was to go with the flow and become the person the world expected her to be: a dignified, gentle, and well-mannered young lady of a noble house.
Though, given her current reputation, that would be an uphill battle.
Xing'er carried the chest out, only to run into Cui Yunfeng and her maids on the covered walkway.
Cui Yunfeng’s gaze immediately landed on the chest in Xing'er's arms.
"Second Miss." Xing'er immediately tried to turn and leave.
"Stop right there." As soon as Cui Yunfeng spoke, the maids behind her stepped forward to block Xing'er’s path.
"Why are you acting so suspiciously? What’s in that chest? Show me."
Xing'er naturally refused. "Second Miss, these are just some of the Eldest Miss's favorite things."
Hearing this, Cui Yunfeng became even more relentless. After all, Cui Yunchu’s talent for stirring up trouble was legendary.
Recalling the warning her cousin had given her earlier, Cui Yunfeng’s brow furrowed. "Is she up to her old tricks again?"
She knew she shouldn't have held out hope. She had thought that since Yunchu had been so quiet these past two days, she might have actually changed her ways.
Cui Yunfeng’s two maids stepped forward, using brute force to snatch the chest away and pull it open. Dozens of books spilled onto the ground with a loud clatter. The wind caught the pages, flipping them open.
Cui Yunfeng stared blankly at the explicit words and the scandalous illustrations revealed on the pages. Her face slowly turned a shade of livid green.
"Second Miss, these are all old things. The Eldest Miss ordered me to move them to the small storehouse."
The books were covered in marks from being read repeatedly. Cui Yunfeng sneered, her face pale with anger. "Old things? So I suppose she’s bought new ones now? No wonder my elder sister is such a disgrace; it turns out she learned it all from these filthy things."
"It's not like that!" Xing'er scrambled to pick up the books, but she was pinned down by Cui Yunfeng’s maids.
"Clean up all this filth and follow me to the Pine and Crane Pavilion."
She was going to tell Grandmother.
"Second Miss!" Xing'er’s face went white with terror.
If the Old Madam found out, the Eldest Miss would surely be punished.
In the Pine and Crane Pavilion, Prime Minister Cui had just returned from his government office when he was summoned.
Old Madam Cui immediately sent Nanny Li to the small kitchen to fetch a bowl of nourishing medicinal soup for him.
"The affairs of the court are busy, but you must look after your health," Old Madam Cui said, looking at her son with maternal concern.
"Years ago, I told you to take a second wife, but you refused. Now you are all alone, without anyone by your side to care for you. It breaks my heart."
"You needn't worry, Mother. I can look after myself."
The man was in his forties, with a straight back and a dignified countenance. His official robes shimmered faintly under the candlelight. His features were sharp, and his speech occasionally betrayed a deep, intimidating authority.
Cui Yunchu had not inherited a single trace of his piercing gaze.
Nanny Li brought the medicinal soup and served it to Prime Minister Cui. Once he had finished, Old Madam Cui spoke again. "I assume you've heard about what happened at the Princess Royal’s banquet today?"
"I have heard some rumors."
As the Prime Minister, there was little that could be kept from him—especially when it involved his own family.
"What is your take on it?"
Prime Minister Cui replied, "It is an established fact that the Emperor is wary of our Cui clan and the Tang clan. The Liu family is nothing more than a pawn the Emperor is propping up to suppress our two houses."
Ultimately, the Emperor feared that if a daughter of Madam Tang, née Cui, ascended to the position of Empress, the consort's family would monopolize power. To put it bluntly, if Tang Qingwan gave birth to the Crown Prince’s eldest son, the empire would fall entirely under the shadow of the Tang and Cui families.
"By the way, how is Qingwan?" Prime Minister Cui asked. "The girl is clever, but she grew up with the Crown Prince. Their bond is deep; she must be feeling quite distressed."
Old Madam Cui shook her head but did not answer his question directly. Instead, she asked, "Is there really no room for negotiation in this matter?"
