Prince An and the Crown Prince remained silent. The supervising censor beside them said, "Lord Shen being able to keep his life this time is already the emperor and empress dowager's mercy. How could he be spared punishment on someone else's behalf?"
Cui Yunchu spoke up like a shrew, "Did he kill your son? Neither the Crown Prince nor Prince An has spoken yet—why are you in such a hurry?"
"..."
The censor's face turned pale and red. "Eldest Miss Cui, you can't just say things recklessly."
"What, have I hit a nerve? Feeling guilty?"
Gu Xuan was the only son of the Gu family, the empress dowager's nephew. To mix up the Gu family bloodline meant his life was over.
The censor slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Eldest Miss Cui, as a woman, the Court of Judicial Review is no place for you to be."
Had she not been the prime minister's daughter, he would have thrown her out long ago. As a woman, speaking such filth.
"What do you want to do about it?" Cui Yunchu glared at him. "The Crown Prince as my brother-in-law and Prince An as my sister's husband brought me here. Do you think you can throw me out? Try touching me—do you think the Crown Prince and Prince An would allow it?"
The Crown Prince: "..."
Prince An: "..."
In truth, they wouldn't have minded much.
But one was a brother-in-law, the other a husband to her sister—neither dared to speak. The censor's face flushed red with rage, but he dared not say another word.
Shen Xiabai forced out the words, "Continue."
...
Silence fell over everyone.
The thirty strokes of the cane finished quickly, yet to Cui Yunchu, it felt like an eternity.
It was agonizing. She stood there, replaying over and over the pain of blades piercing flesh, hardening her heart.
After the thirty strokes, Shen Xiabai hung his head slightly, as if unconscious. Shen Zilan rushed forward quickly, helping him down from the chair.
"Uncle."
Shen Xiabai's face was ashen, as though every ounce of vitality had been drained from him. He looked more frail and pathetic than ever before.
He lifted his eyes, and for the first time that day, his gaze fell on Cui Yunchu—just once, then he looked away.
Chen Miaohe also stepped forward. "Eldest Miss Cui brought a physician. Let Lord Shen have his wounds treated first."
Outside, a light rain had begun to fall, pattering down.
Shen Xiabai rested his hand on Shen Zilan's wrist, while Yu Feng supported him on the other side. He staggered to his feet. "Return to the manor."
Cui Yunchu had already summoned the physician, but hearing Shen Xiabai's words, she pressed her lips together and her body stiffened.
Chen Miaohe wasn't truly foolish; she could clearly see something was wrong and didn't dare speak again.
The Crown Prince and Prince An remained seated, neither moving.
Shen Zilan and Yu Feng helped Shen Xiabai into the rain. Cui Yunchu looked up, watching the man's blood-stained white robes, his back still straight, and suddenly chased after him.
Yu Feng stopped in his tracks. Shen Zilan frowned and halted as well.
They all stood in the drizzle.
Cui Yunchu wanted to say something, but had nothing to say. She opened her mouth, but in the end, not a single word came out.
Shen Xiabai lowered his gaze, looking at her vivid features, his voice very soft. "Seventy zhang, to settle the debt of abandoning you at the foot of the Anshan Temple cliff that day. Eldest Miss Cui, are you satisfied?"
Cui Yunchu's fingertips were icy cold. She didn't lift her head, her gaze fixed on the third button of Shen Xiabai's collar.
Was that what he thought? That this was her revenge.
Shen Xiabai staggered, and Cui Yunchu instinctively reached out to support him, but he had already turned around, walking with difficulty toward the carriage.
Shen Zilan immediately stepped forward to help him.
Chen Miaohe glanced at Cui Yunchu, bid her farewell, and hastily followed.
The fine rain continued, blurring people's vision, chilling them to the bone, damp and yet not thorough enough.
Footsteps sounded from behind, and the Crown Prince's warm voice came, "It's raining, cousin. Best return to the manor quickly, lest you catch cold. Qingwan would worry."
Prince An added, "Crocodile tears. Eldest Miss Cui certainly has a way about her."
Cui Yunchu could be chillingly ruthless, yet she always managed to act in ways that led others to misunderstand.
And that was the most tormenting thing of all. Xiao Yi felt deeply for Shen Xiabai—resentful for him, yet also sympathetic.
Feelings like this—hesitant, hot and cold, ambiguous and unclear—were what most shattered the spirit.
Just when you thought she was cold and heartless, forcing yourself to steel your heart, she would occasionally tempt you, making it seem like she cared, stirring your unwillingness and your desire to draw close. But then she'd turn around and give you a cut without any hesitation.
Back and forth between hope and despair. Live death.
The three Cui sisters—each with their own unique style, each with their own games.
Cui Yunchu had no mood to spar with Xiao Yi. She turned, gave a perfunctory bow to the two men, and headed for her own carriage.
She had come only on her grandmother's orders.
A move made; regrets are for later.
A trail of fresh blood snaked across the ground. The rain was too light to wash it away completely. Her embroidered shoes stepped onto the ground mixed with rain and blood, splashing droplets.
People weren't afraid of someone being utterly ruthless—what they feared most was someone not kind enough, yet not completely wicked either.
That was truly tormenting.
Xing'er looked at the listless, exhausted Cui Yunchu and suddenly asked, "Miss, do you regret it?"
"No," Cui Yunchu replied firmly.
She had never regretted it.
If given the chance to do it again, she would still act without hesitation. She could be sad, she could feel guilt.
But she would never allow anyone else to harm her.
"Xing'er, my clothes are wet. I'm cold." She curled into a ball, frowning slightly.
Xing'er quickly fetched a blanket and draped it over her.
Cui Yunchu rested her head against the wall of the carriage, her eyes half-closed.
In her mind, she recalled a conversation from that day with Cui Yunfeng:
What did it truly mean to love someone? Was being willing to give your life for them enough?
But a person like that—you might meet only one in a lifetime, and that would be a gift from the gods and buddhas.
"Miss, the way you treated Lord Shen—was it really because of that day at the foot of Anshan Temple, when Lord Shen abandoned you?" Xing'er quietly asked.
Cui Yunchu looked at her and didn't answer.
After a long moment, she said, "Tell me, between seeking revenge and having someone who loves you—how do you choose?"
Xing'er answered without hesitation, "Of course, the one who loves me."
Cui Yunchu shook her head. "No. If revenge is not taken, you will always remember, keep it in mind, hate. Forever, you will be unable to love."
...
Yu Feng's eyes were red as he drove the carriage carefully, dreading that any jolt might worsen the wounds of his master lying inside. The man who stood tall before Cui Yunchu had fainted as soon as he got into the carriage. His face was pale as paper, his breath faint.
Shen Zilan supported his uncle's body. "Uncle, hold on. We'll be back at the manor soon."
Chen Miaohe, sitting beside them, said, "I brought some medicine from home. Give it to Lord Shen first."
Shen Zilan took it with trembling hands and fed it to Shen Xiabai. In his memory, his uncle was skilled in strategy, brilliant at management, always clad in dark black brocade robes, with an outstanding, extraordinary presence—the backbone of the entire Shen family.
For more than a decade, Shen Zilan had relied on him to eat, drink, and enjoy life.
Before entering officialdom, he had never imagined the dangers his uncle faced alone in the imperial court.
Finding even some small merit in the Ministry of Personnel was already difficult enough—how much harder had it been for his uncle to support the entire family?
"If only I had been more useful," he thought, then he wouldn't have even been able to see the emperor, could only watch helplessly, unable to do a thing.
Chen Miaohe comforted him, "Actually, when you offered to bear the punishment in your uncle's place at the Court of Judicial Review earlier—that was already quite something."
At the very least, it sounded like something a man ought to say.
Not like back then, when he was the Young Master Shen who hid behind his family and indulged in pleasure.
The carriage fell silent for a moment, then Chen Miaohe suddenly asked, “Has Lord Shen and Eldest Miss Cui completely fallen out?”
Shen Zilan frowned slightly. Given the situation today, how could he have the energy to think about that?
“I don’t know.”
But judging from his uncle’s cold attitude, something must have happened between them.
“By the way, why did you come today?” Since they had already been honest about calling off the engagement, Chen Miaohe didn’t really need to make this trip.
Chen Miaohe said, “My mother told me to come.”
She didn’t dare admit that she and Shen Zilan had already agreed on the engagement being called off.
Chen Miaohe propped her chin on one hand. “I also brought Lord Shen some food and medicine for his injuries.”
Her gaze landed on Shen Xiabai, a flicker of fire dancing in her eyes.
Shen Zilan frowned and tightened his grip on Shen Xiabai’s arm as Chen Miaohe said, “How about I take care of Lord Shen for you?”
“Absolutely not,” Shen Zilan said coldly.
He knew exactly what Chen Miaohe was up to.
Chen Miaohe looked a little displeased. “Anyway, Lord Shen and Eldest Miss Cui have already split. Right now, he’s at his most vulnerable and needs comfort.”
It was the perfect time to seize the opportunity.
Finding a backup plan early was the only way to avoid her parents’ whips.
