In the courtyard, Nanny Li stood in the dim corridor and glanced at Cui Yunchu as she approached, her lips pursed slightly.
"Eldest Miss, the Old Madam said that it is cold today, so you should wear something thicker."
"." Cui Yunchu's legs felt even weaker when she heard this.
Prime Minister Cui was unusually strict with his eldest son, Cui Zike, but had always been quite lenient with her and Cui Yunfeng.
Even so, Cui Yunchu had been subjected to family punishments in her previous life that even Cui Zike had never experienced.
Just thinking of the taste of that whip lashing her back made Cui Yunchu's scalp tingle.
Silently arriving at the Pine Crane Garden, Nanny Li did not rush in, but stopped at the door and looked back at Cui Yunchu.
"Does Eldest Miss need a moment?"
"." The oppressive and stagnant atmosphere made Cui Yunchu's face pale. She was nervous, and every extra moment was torture.
"No need." It was going to be a knife whether she stuck her head out or pulled it back.
She lifted the bead curtain and walked in with a happy smile on her face, "Father, you're back..."
She walked all the way to Cui Yunfeng's side and fell to her knees with a thud, crisp and neat.
"......" Cui Yunfeng looked at her in astonishment, her mouth slightly open.
Cui Yunchu didn't look at her, still keeping her head up, looking at Prime Minister Cui with a smile.
Prime Minister Cui, "......"
The overwhelming anger was extinguished by three parts because of Cui Yunchu's series of reactions.
"You bastard, you..."
"Father." Cui Yunchu's long eyelashes were quickly covered with tears, as if she was extremely wronged and sad, "It's all Yunchu's fault. Yunchu is willing to be punished, but I beg Father not to get angry and hurt your body."
Prime Minister Cui's angry words that had been held back for a long time choked in his throat. "You are a lady of a noble family, a daughter of the Cui family. How can you... look at those filthy things? What kind of decency is this? If word gets out, do you still want your reputation? Where will our Cui family put its face?"
As he spoke, Prime Minister Cui's anger rose again.
After all, as a Prime Minister who was beneath one person and above ten thousand people, his sharp and solemn aura when he was angry was enough to make people tremble.
Cui Yunchu curled up on the ground like a fallen leaf in the wind, crying sadly, "What Father said is true. Yunchu has disgraced the Cui family. It's all because Yunchu doesn't have a mother from a noble family to teach her."
"It's all because Yunchu's concubine mother has a lowly status. What she taught Yunchu are all unrefined things, making Father lose face."
"......" Cui Yunfeng's mouth had not closed since Cui Yunchu spoke. Her eyes widened, shocked and a little speechless.
In the end, she simply looked at her sideways, but her expression was blank.
Prime Minister Cui did not answer for a long time, as if a surging spring was suddenly blocked, making him feel stifled, but he could not open the gate.
"Father." Cui Yunchu kowtowed heavily, "Beat Yunchu to death. If you beat Yunchu to death, the Cui family's reputation will not be disgraced by Yunchu."
Prime Minister Cui's hand in his sleeve tightened and loosened, loosened and tightened, and his voice sank. "Take back your little thoughts. As a father, I haven't even scolded you yet, and you're talking about life and death. Are you threatening me?"
Cui Yunchu's crying stopped abruptly, like a water gate being forcibly closed. "Yunchu doesn't dare. Yunchu is just sad that she has a bad fate. If Yunchu could have grown up by Grandmother's side since childhood like Second Sister, I think things would be different today."
She raised her head, her eyes red, "It's Yunchu who was raised narrow-mindedly. How could I blame Father?"
Concubine Mother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. The whip on my body hurts too much. I'm just speaking nonsense, speaking nonsense.
Meeting his eldest daughter's clear eyes, Prime Minister Cui felt guilty and ashamed after all.
"Cui Yunchu, don't think that I don't know your little tricks. As a lady of a noble family, how can you..."
Before Prime Minister Cui could finish his words, he let out a deep breath of foul air. "Forget it. Seeing that this is your first offense, I won't punish you heavily. Go kneel in the ancestral hall for a day and a night to reflect. If there's a next time, family law will serve you."
"Yes." Cui Yunchu immediately kowtowed.
Cui Yunfeng, who was standing beside her, curled her lips, leaned back, and sat down on her knees. "I really worried for nothing."
No, why did everyone in the mansion see her little thoughts clearly, but still tolerate her in every possible way?
Grandmother was like this, and Father was also like this.
Which lady of a noble family would act like a demon like this?
Then what was the point of all the etiquette, upbringing, and rules she had been taught since she was a child? In the end, they were no match for Cui Yunchu's hypocritical pretense of being pitiful and crying a few times?
So biased.
Cui Yunfeng glared at Cui Yunchu.
"You just wait, Cui Yunfeng." Cui Yunchu silently opened her lips to threaten.
Cui Yunfeng, "Father, Eldest Sister is threatening me."
Prime Minister Cui's gaze immediately shifted over. Cui Yunchu was still kneeling steadily as before, with a sad expression on her face.
On the other hand, Cui Yunfeng didn't look like she was kneeling properly.
"Yunfeng, what you did today was right in terms of reason, but in terms of emotion, Yunchu is your sibling, and you should love each other and support each other."
"Today you complained to the elders, intending to severely punish your eldest sister, and now you're stirring up trouble again. Do you know your mistake?"
"." Cui Yunfeng's eyes widened in disbelief, staring blankly at Prime Minister Cui.
"Not convinced?"
Cui Yunfeng pursed her lips tightly.
"For women, it may be a small matter, a squabble between sisters. If it were a man, it would not be the behavior of a gentleman, let alone the other party is your biological sister."
Cui Yunfeng's eyes instantly turned red, on the verge of crying.
But she didn't know how to act like Cui Yunchu. She didn't look pitiful at all, only resentful and stubborn.
"I punish you to go back and copy the Admonitions for Women once." After saying that, Prime Minister Cui flicked his sleeves and left.
Cui Yunfeng suddenly sat down on her knees, and tears fell uncontrollably like broken beads.
Why, why did she have to be punished too?
Father is just biased!!
She rubbed her tears hard with her sleeve, gradually sobbing as she cried.
She just didn't think she was wrong.
Besides, she didn't deliberately complain to Father. She didn't know that Father was in Grandmother's courtyard, and besides, earlier, she had planned to take all the blame on herself.
A handkerchief was silently handed over, and Cui Yunfeng looked up at Cui Yunchu with tear-blurred eyes.
She was very angry, but thinking that it was because of her that Father found out and made her kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment, she held back and pulled the handkerchief over forcefully.
"Father is just biased, and Grandmother is biased too. In other families, the legitimate daughter is respected, but they only dote on you."
Not to mention that the Cui family treated concubine-born daughters harshly like other families, but at least they should be treated equally.
Cui Yunchu didn't say a word.
Cui Yunfeng, "I'm just not as sweet-talking as you, with many petty tricks, and I don't like to pretend to be pitiful and weak."
Her mother died even earlier than Cui Yunchu's concubine mother. Why didn't they dote on her more?
And Cui Yunchu, even though what she did was wrong, why did she always get convenience and always please people?
"Eldest Miss." Nanny Li walked towards the two of them and bowed, "The Prime Minister ordered that during Eldest Miss's punishment of kneeling, she is not allowed to kneel on a cushion, drink water or eat, the door must be closed tightly, and no one is allowed to accompany her."
"."
Even Cui Yunfeng choked on her crying and looked up at Nanny Li.
Cui Yunchu: He must have realized after leaving the Pine Crane Garden that the punishment was too light.
She let out a long sigh and glanced sideways at Cui Yunfeng.
Cui Yunfeng also looked at her awkwardly.
Cui Yunchu reached out, gritted her teeth, and forcefully yanked her handkerchief from Cui Yunfeng's grasp. She stood up indignantly. "Cry yourself to death, then."
"I..." didn't mean to. The second half of the sentence caught in Cui Yunfeng's throat.
Cui Yunchu's figure had already disappeared.
A whole day and night, not even allowed to kneel on a cushion. The floor of the ancestral hall was so cold and hard, wouldn't her legs be completely crippled?
And she was forbidden from eating or drinking. Were they trying to starve her to death?
"Second Miss, let this old servant help you back to Maple Courtyard," Nanny Li said.
"Where is Grandmother?" Cui Yunfeng stood up. "Take me to see Grandmother."
"The old madam has already retired for the night."
Cui Yunfeng glanced at the sky. "It is still early. Why would Grandmother rest so soon? Nanny Li, go and speak to her. Ask Grandmother to plead for Eldest Sister."
Deep down, Cui Yunfeng knew that Old Madam Cui simply did not want to see her.
