Cui Yunchu had no time to think about what happened after Tang Qingwan went to the Fengluan Palace, because right in front of her was something that gave her a bigger headache.
"Yunfeng." Prince An had just taken a step forward when Cui Yunfeng immediately stepped in front of Cui Yunchu, looking as if she was ready to fight for her life at any moment.
"..." Cui Yunchu nudged her.
In broad daylight, under a clear sky, and in the imperial palace, there was no need to be so jumpy.
Seeing Cui Yunfeng's intense reaction, Xiao Yi's eyes darkened slightly. "You don't look well. Did you not rest well these past two days?"
Cui Yunfeng didn't speak, just stared at him fixedly, her gaze making Xiao Yi quite uneasy.
Xiao Yi's gaze was too intimidating, making Cui Yunchu, who was standing behind Cui Yunfeng, feel quite uncomfortable as well.
Neither of them spoke, just stood facing each other, looking at one another, a strange and cold atmosphere silently spreading.
Cui Yunchu looked at one, then the other, feeling only oppressed.
Like a lonely, neglected child, standing there helplessly.
"Yunfeng," she tugged at Cui Yunfeng's sleeve.
After all, they were in the imperial palace, on the Xiao family's turf, so they should keep a low profile.
"With such an expression, Your Highness Prince An, do you want to attack me too?" Cui Yunfeng held Cui Yunchu's hand, her voice very cold.
Xiao Yi slightly clenched his hand, the back of which still bore the dark bruises left from beating Lord Liu earlier.
After saying that, without waiting for Xiao Yi to speak, she pulled Cui Yunchu along and continued walking towards Consort Liang's sleeping quarters.
Consort Liang, hearing that Cui Yunfeng had arrived, immediately had someone invite them in, looking behind her.
After a long while, Xiao Yi slowly walked over, his face as dark and gloomy as if his wife had cheated on him.
Consort Liang: They had a fight.
Her guess was indeed correct.
Consort Liang even began to reflect on whether she had eaten something she shouldn't have when she was pregnant with Xiao Yi, otherwise how could the son she gave birth to seem like he was missing half a brain.
No wonder she always dreamed of being kicked by a donkey during her pregnancy; it turned out he was a stubborn donkey.
Consort Liang sighed. No matter how much she complained in her heart, she could only help her rebellious son.
"Yunfeng, come, sit beside me."
After Cui Yunfeng and Cui Yunchu paid their respects, they stepped up the stairs and sat beside Consort Liang. She was very well-behaved.
Consort Liang glanced at Cui Yunchu, then looked again.
Although she had heard a lot about this eldest Miss Cui, she hadn't seen her much.
Consort Liang held Cui Yunfeng's hand and praised Cui Yunchu profusely.
Especially saying that she was quite talented.
Cui Yunchu was stunned.
Talented? Where did that come from? But seeing Consort Liang's subtle smile, Cui Yunchu suddenly understood something.
It was nine times out of ten the love poems she had written to Xiao Yi in the past.
Consort Liang was teasing her.
Cui Yunchu smiled rather awkwardly.
But in the hall, apart from Consort Liang, who was trying hard to liven up the atmosphere, and the carefree Cui Yunchu, the rest of them really couldn't bring themselves to smile.
Xiao Yi's gaze never left Cui Yunfeng.
Cui Yunfeng only kept her head lowered, making it impossible to see her expression or what she was thinking.
Cui Yunchu's awkwardness also infected Consort Liang. Looking at the two who were seemingly in harmony but actually at odds, it was truly a thorny situation.
She didn't know if it was her son taking a wife or her taking a wife. Where was there a son so useless that his old mother had to step in?
"Yunfeng, the day after tomorrow is my birthday. Since you're here, stay for a couple of days. Your eldest sister can keep you company, and you can return to the manor after my birthday."
"Yes." Cui Yunfeng nodded in agreement.
"If you lack anything in the hall, just instruct Lady Zhao. Treat this as your own home; from now on, we'll all be one family."
Consort Liang held Cui Yunfeng's hand. She subconsciously wanted to pull it back, but after moving slightly, she finally suppressed the urge.
Consort Liang said a lot more, and Cui Yunfeng agreed to everything, all very obediently.
If one were to say she was unhappy, she didn't show it at all; if one were to say she was happy, it was truly forced.
"Lady Zhao, take the two young ladies to rest in the hall for a while."
Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng immediately stood up and left with Lady Zhao.
Xiao Yi got up and was about to follow right away.
"You stop right there."
Xiao Yi stopped in his tracks. Consort Liang stepped down the stairs in two or three strides, her finger almost poking him in the face. "Can you be of some use? Go flip through the history books and see which prince in any dynasty has ever been as useless as you when taking a wife."
"I am, after all, one of the Four Consorts, from a prestigious family, not some petty household, yet I've fallen to this state with you."
Consort Liang flicked her sleeve and snorted coldly.
Xiao Yi didn't speak, his head slightly lowered, listening to Consort Liang's complaints.
If it were in the past, with that mouth of his, he would have made Consort Liang so angry she'd want to hang herself. But today he was very quiet, a silence that made Consort Liang's heart ache.
"Alright, don't worry. Even if I have to drink poison and leave a dying wish, I'll help you marry her."
"Thank you, Mother Consort."
Consort Liang frowned. "For these two days, just behave yourself. Don't go wandering in front of her, lest you cause more trouble."
Xiao Yi agreed, but standing in the courtyard, he still couldn't resist going to the palace where Cui Yunfeng was staying.
That was the place where Cui Yunfeng lived when she was a child. Over the years, there had always been someone dedicated to cleaning it.
In the courtyard of the palace, there was also a swing set, built by Xiao Yi himself when he was young.
Sitting on the swing, she had promised to always stay by his side.
At this moment, sitting on the swing was a bored Cui Yunchu.
Cui Yunfeng was like she had lost her soul. Out of ten sentences spoken to her, she might not even respond to one, or she would just close her eyes and sleep.
In broad daylight, how could there be so much sleep? Cui Yunchu leaned diagonally on the swing, killing time.
She didn't dare to go too far away, either. Cui Yunfeng had been too quiet these past two days, eerily quiet.
Having suffered such a great shock, yet being so quiet, Cui Yunchu was really afraid she was holding in something big.
Cui Yunchu looked up and saw Xiao Yi standing outside the hall doors. She immediately put her toes on the ground and got off the swing.
"Yunfeng is asleep and told me to play by myself," she said, pointing at the swing.
That fellow Xiao Yi was like he was sick. She was afraid that if she didn't explain, he would go crazy.
After all, he kept a close eye on everything related to Cui Yunfeng.
Xiao Yi didn't speak, didn't even glance at Cui Yunchu, his gaze fixed straight at the window lattice of the sleeping quarters.
Like a statue.
At this time, a light rain suddenly began to patter down from the sky. Cui Yunchu raised her hand to cover her head, preparing to go back into the house, but felt it was inappropriate, so she looked back at Xiao Yi. "Are you not going in?"
Xiao Yi still didn't speak.
Cui Yunchu looked left and right. The window lattice was shut tight. Not to mention Cui Yunfeng, not even a single hair could be seen. She didn't know what he was looking at, standing there.
"If you're not going in, I am going in, okay?"
Knowing he wouldn't speak, but since they were on his mother's turf after all, Cui Yunchu was still very polite.
After saying that, she turned and went into the house.
In the main hall, Cui Yunfeng was huddled in a corner of the bed, her head slightly lowered, not knowing what she was thinking.
Cui Yunchu shook off the raindrops on her body and walked over. "Prince An is standing at the door."
"..."
No sound, no movement, as if she were a wooden figure.
"It's raining outside."
Cui Yunfeng just said "Hmm" and there was no more.
Cui Yunchu was scratching her head in anxiety. "Yunfeng, if worst comes to worst, let's just pretend. We're in the palace, after all. We came here fine, let's not end up not being able to go back."
Hearing this, Cui Yunfeng finally raised her eyes slightly and looked over. "Eldest Sister, does it still hurt?"
"??"
With just one sentence, Cui Yunfeng's tears fell once again. She threw herself at Cui Yunchu and hugged her waist tightly. "Does it still hurt, Big Sister?"
Cui Yunchu fell silent.
After a long while, she finally said, "It's been so long. Mine were just superficial wounds, it's not like I was crippled from the fall. If it still hurt, wouldn't I have kicked the bucket long ago?"
She gently stroked Cui Yunfeng's head. "It's alright. I've been used to bad luck since I was little. Ordinary misfortune can't take my life."
As long as it wasn't a sword through the chest, and she was given a little room to breathe, she could basically survive anything.
Wild grass that could sprout from the cracks in stones naturally possessed a tenacious vitality.
Cui Yunfeng didn't mention a single word about Xiao, nor did she even get up to glance out the window. For the entire night, she held Cui Yunchu and chattered endlessly.
The rain outside the window grew heavier and heavier. The rainwater fell on the ground and beat against the window lattice, making a loud noise, but she acted as if she couldn't hear it at all.
Cui Yunchu could still faintly make out Xiao Yi's silhouette.
On one hand, she wished the rain would drown him, but on the other hand, she was terrified that if he died, the two of them would be buried with him.
After all, he was a prince of the imperial blood.
"Big Sister, when you get married, I'll give you half of my dowry."
If it were in the past, Cui Yunchu would definitely be grinning from ear to ear with joy, but today...
"Yunfeng, why don't you go out and say a word to him, tell him to go back."
Cui Yunfeng began to list out in detail how many estates, shops, mansions, and jewels she had.
"Yunfeng,"
Cui Yunfeng raised her eyes. "Big Sister, close your eyes, it's time to sleep. We rested early today, and no palace servants came to report anything. Whatever happened outside, what does it have to do with us?"
Could they really do that?
Cui Yunchu slept with fear and trepidation.
Cui Yunfeng, however, truly slept soundly until dawn.
Early in the morning, the courtyard became busy. When Cui Yunfeng and Cui Yunchu got up under the attendance of the palace servants, the servants were still bustling in and out.
Cui Yunfeng asked, "Being so busy, are you preparing for Consort Liang's birthday celebration tomorrow?"
"..."
Wasn't that lying through her teeth?
Cui Yunchu: She had already seen Xiao Yi being carried away.
The palace servant doing their makeup and hair showed a moment of hesitation on her face.
Cui Yunfeng continued, "Her Highness's birthday is a major event and cannot be taken lightly. If there is anything I can help with, please don't hesitate to let me know."
The palace servant ultimately chose to remain silent.
After washing up and having their meal, Lady Zhao arrived in a hurry.
Cui Yunfeng looked no different from usual, just a bit more composed. "Auntie Zhao is here so early, did Her Highness have any instructions?"
Lady Zhao's complexion was clearly not very good, but she looked as if she didn't dare to show it. "It's His Highness. He developed a fever last night and is severely ill, yet he refuses to take his medicine. Her Highness would like to invite the Second Miss to go over."
"Alright." Cui Yunfeng agreed so readily that it left Cui Yunchu somewhat dumbfounded.
