Cui Yunchu followed Yun'er into the Prince of An's residence. As she reached the hanging flower archway, Cui Yunfeng's voice rang out, "Elder Sister, Elder Sister!"
Cui Yunchu looked up and saw Cui Yunfeng on the corridor, dressed in luxurious embroidered robes, rushing toward her like a bird. Four maids and matrons behind her hastily advised, "Your Highness, please slow down, watch your step!"
They tended to her like a baby.
Cui Yunchu let out a long breath, stepped forward a few paces, and caught Cui Yunfeng's rushing figure. "What is it? Looks like you haven't seen me for ten years."
Cui Yunfeng linked her arm with hers, leaning close. "A day apart feels like three autumns, doesn't it?"
Cui Yunfeng tugged her along, and the group paraded back to the main courtyard.
Cui Yunchu glanced back at the roomful of servants. It was almost as if they were waiting for someone to speak for Cui Yunfeng, even needing tea fed into her mouth.
"Send them all out," Cui Yunchu said. "I'm getting jealous."
What a pity she hadn't secured the Prince of An for herself. But then again, she thought, it could have gone either way—after all, he married Yunfeng. If it had been her, it might have ended in another bloody mess.
She didn't even have time for revenge. Cui Yunchu clicked her tongue and sighed again.
Envy was practically written on her face. "Oh, Feng'er, you really are living the good life now."
Cui Yunfeng replied, "What's mine is yours, Elder Sister. I won't forget you."
Cui Yunchu raised an eyebrow. "Has the Prince of An handed over the household affairs to you? Grandmother and Father are very worried, afraid you have no real power and are living poorly."
A shadow of sadness immediately fell over Cui Yunfeng's face. "Elder Sister, I miss Grandmother and Father too. Please tell them I'm doing very well at the Prince of An's residence. Everything here runs under my command."
Hearing this, Cui Yunchu grinned ear to ear. "Really? Then when I leave later, take me to the Prince of An's treasury to broaden my horizons."
She nudged Cui Yunfeng with her elbow.
"That's nothing—piece of cake," Cui Yunfeng promised readily.
She had completely forgotten Cui Yunchu's true nature.
The sisters chatted about this and that, the atmosphere cheerful. The gloom that had weighed on Cui Yunfeng for the past two or three days was entirely lifted by Cui Yunchu's visit.
"I was afraid no one from the Cui family would come see me."
"Don't worry," Cui Yunchu patted her shoulder. "I'll come often from now on."
Cui Yunfeng poured her a cup of tea. Cui Yunchu held the warm, smooth white jade cup, her eyes gleaming. "Feng'er, that guy sure treats you well."
Cui Yunfeng said, "Marriage isn't so bad, actually. Apart from not being able to see family often, you can do whatever you want, boundless, with no one to control you. It's pretty comfortable to throw my weight around."
Cui Yunchu bit into a pastry, eyeing the arrogance at the corners of her sister's brows and eyes.
"Elder Sister, you should get married soon too! Then no one can control us—we can do whatever we please."
No more kneeling in the ancestral hall either.
Cui Yunchu snorted. "Don't try to fool me."
Households like the Prince of An's were rare. Consort Liang was in the palace, free from a mother-in-law's authority, and her husband was devoted. Naturally, life went smoothly.
People's fates were worlds apart.
Take their cousin, for example—both married into royal families, but their lives were completely different.
Cui Yunchu continued, "You married into the Prince of An's household as the boss. But most women who marry become more like servants—serving in-laws above, getting along with sisters-in-law below, and if they land an awful husband, it's a total disaster."
Cui Yunfeng frowned. "Elder Sister, you're so clever—why can't you find a good man? Like Lord Shen, who did so much for you..."
Her words caught halfway. She stopped abruptly.
The room suddenly fell into a heavy silence.
After a long moment, Cui Yunchu spoke. "That's why I'm not worthy."
She deserved it.
"Elder Sister, don't say that." Cui Yunfeng was a little regretful. "It doesn't matter who you choose, as long as you don't marry the emperor. You can stir up trouble in any household. I'm the Princess of An—I'll have your back. If anyone dares bully you, I'll come to your place every few days and make them kneel and serve me tea. If they still make trouble, we'll take them down together."
Cui Yunchu was speechless.
"Don't be afraid," Cui Yunfeng pressed on. "If we kill someone, Xiao Yi will take the responsibility."
Cui Yunchu let out a dry laugh. "Xiao Yi is so lucky to have you."
Trouble fell from the sky right into his lap. If she had known Yunfeng's fighting spirit was this strong, she should have let her marry the Prince of An in the first place. Then the Prince wouldn't have had time to scheme for the throne—just managing his own household would have been beyond him.
"Isn't this what husbands are for?" Cui Yunfeng said with total entitlement. "He protects me, I protect you. We'll throw our weight around together."
Cui Yunchu poked Cui Yunfeng's forehead with her finger. "Yunfeng, you've only been sleeping with the Prince of An for a few nights, and you've already gone bad. You keep talking about killing people and bullying others to get your way."
"Everything I do is for you!" Cui Yunfeng's face turned bright red. "You're not even married yet—how can you say such inappropriate things!"
"Then what else should I say? I'm here today on behalf of your maternal family. Isn't it my job to ask about all this? Are you and the Prince of An... getting along?"
Cui Yunfeng stuffed a piece of pastry into Cui Yunchu's mouth. "Eat more, keep your mouth busy."
The sisters looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter. Cui Yunfeng leaned against Cui Yunchu and abruptly changed the subject. "Do you know? Yesterday, the Gu family teamed up with the imperial censors to petition the emperor for Lord Shen's execution."
Cui Yunchu paused in chewing the pastry and lowered her gaze slightly. "And then? Did the emperor agree?"
"Of course not. At the same time the Gu family submitted their petition, many other officials stepped forward to list Gu Xuan's crimes: harassing daughters of officials, forcing common women, even taking another man's wife. Each charge deserved punishment beyond measure."
Cui Yunchu hummed in acknowledgment and slowly swallowed the pastry.
Cui Yunfeng continued, "But even though Gu Xuan deserved to die, he was still a relative of the emperor. Lord Shen killing him without following the law is hard to justify. The Gu family and the Empress Dowager won't let it go, and with the Crown Prince and Xiao Yi pressing hard because of Brother's situation, the court is in chaos now. I bet even the emperor can't sleep peacefully these days."
Cui Yunfeng lifted her head to look at Cui Yunchu, admiration shining in her eyes. "Elder Sister, the emperor is cornered with no allies. Brother will definitely be able to come back soon."
Cui Yunchu responded calmly, "Don't get your hopes up too early. Plenty of people in the capital hold empty titles. If he can't secure real power, even if Brother returns, he won't do much for our situation."
Cui Yunfeng lay back down, fiddling with her sleeves dismissively. "What's so hard about that? Let the Crown Prince and Xiao Yi figure it out. If they can't even manage a measly position for him, what good are they?"
At worst, one was the heir and the other was a prince.
Cui Yunchu looked down at her carefree, entitled sister.
This was the woman Xiao Yi had given his heart to.
"Either his mind is addled, or he owes you a fortune in a past life," she muttered.
Cui Yunfeng hugged Cui Yunchu’s arm and giggled, her voice brimming with delight.
Having shed the gloom she carried in the Cui residence, she no longer wavered or agonized, wasting her emotions. “Elder Sister,” she said, “these past days, I’ve truly been happy. If you ever meet someone who captures your heart, you might consider marriage—become his whole world, and in that world of his, do as you please, reign and rule.”
She wished for her elder sister’s happiness. Though the Cui residence had been good, she knew—that was only true for her. Her elder sister didn’t like it there.
She hoped that in the future, no one could easily punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall or copy scriptures. She wanted to be able to flaunt her spirit freely in other places.
Cui Yunchu stared blankly, her gaze fixed on the pastries laid out on the table, her hand absently stroking Cui Yunfeng’s hair. “There are so few people who truly like me,” she said. “In the future, I’m afraid I won’t meet anyone.”
The one who could regard her as his very life—perhaps such a person had yet to appear.
“I’m different from you,” she continued. “For anyone to love me, the price they’d have to pay is too great. No one dares.”
Cui Yunchu felt that no one would ever see her as their life, as their entire world. She was like a thornbush, covered in spikes—just drawing near would leave anyone drenched in blood.
It was like how no one could love a soul hidden beneath an ugly exterior.
And above all, the one who might stir her heart was the most wrong person of all.
Cui Yunfeng frowned. “That’s only because those people have never truly understood you, Elder Sister. If they did, everyone would love you.”
