As he was lost in thought, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Yu Feng helped Shen Xiabai dismount.
After supporting him back to the courtyard and onto the bed, Yu Feng couldn't help but say, "Master, this servant thinks the Dowager Shen has a point. Perhaps you should just tell Eldest Miss Cui directly."
"Shut up."
Shen Xiabai clutched the embroidered quilt, his eyes slightly closed.
He couldn't bring himself to coerce anyone.
And her answer—she had already given it to him, both in the past and today.
The way she had set him up was so decisive and clean. What more was there for him to say or ask?
Just then, a knock came at the door, and a servant walked in. "Lord, the Prince An's residence has sent an invitation, saying that in three days it will be the Princess An's birthday, and they request your presence to join the festivities."
Yu Feng frowned. "With the Master seriously injured, how can he attend?"
The servant replied, "This servant said the same thing, but the steward of Prince An's residence insisted that this servant hand the invitation to the Lord, saying that his Highness the Prince declared that as long as the Lord is still breathing, he will surely come."
Yu Feng was speechless.
The word 'speechless' was practically written across his face as he turned back to look at Shen Xiabai, whose complexion was still pale.
Indeed. The Princess An was the Second Miss Cui of the Cui family, and Eldest Miss Cui would certainly attend. His Master's weak spot had truly been exploited.
From the moment the servant mentioned the words 'Prince An', Shen Xiabai's eyes had narrowed slightly, a cold sharpness emanating from his angular profile.
"Where are the letters we brought out of the prison?"
Yu Feng replied, "They're all in the study. Does the Master need this servant to fetch them now?"
Shen Xiabai shook his head.
He had suddenly recalled the 'surprise' Prince An had mentioned.
As it stood, he found both Prince An and the Crown Prince very displeasing to the eye.
"Master, should we go?" Yu Feng asked.
Shen Xiabai lay face-down on the bed, closing his eyes, and said nothing.
The servant and Yu Feng exchanged glances, then quietly withdrew.
...
Cui Yunchu waited for three days, but the invitation from Prince An's residence never arrived—not even a messenger came to deliver news.
On the day before the birthday banquet, Cui Yunchu propped her chin on her hand, staring off into space.
Nanny Zhang complained, "For all the trouble the young lady went to, Prince An's residence couldn't even send word. This old servant has heard that the residence invited other officials' family members. This Second Miss Cui, now the Princess An, certainly puts on airs. She can't even be bothered with her own sister."
Cui Yunchu looked up, fixing her gaze on Nanny Zhang. "Nanny Zhang, can you think before you open your mouth?"
Nanny Zhang felt wronged.
Was she wrong? The young lady was kind and treated everyone well, but looking at the entire Cui household, who truly treated her well?
Nanny Zhang was fuming, and Xing'er's expression was equally grim.
Cui Yunchu, however, was not one to wallow in gloom or be restrained by melancholy. "If they don't invite me, so what? It's not like I don't have legs. I'll just go on my own."
That damned Xiao Yi—if she didn't make him sleep in the study from now on, then Cui Yunchu was utterly useless.
She didn't think for a moment that Cui Yunfeng wouldn't invite her. More likely than not, it was that scoundrel's doing.
"Just you wait and see," Cui Yunchu said with a sinister grin.
But an instant later, her expression drooped, and she grew downcast.
The Dowager Shen's words kept lingering in her mind, vexing her.
The next morning, Cui Yunchu dressed neatly, ready to go uninvited.
She first went to the Pine Crane Garden and exchanged a few brief words with Old Madam Cui. Just as she was about to leave, a servant from Prime Minister Cui arrived, saying that he wished to see her.
Cui Yunchu blinked, stunned for a moment.
Cui Qingyuan only showed up when she hadn’t done anything wrong; if he appeared because of her, it meant she was about to kneel in the ancestral hall.
Cui Yunchu frowned and glanced at Old Madam Cui, racking her brain to recall what she had done lately and what mistake she might have made.
“Go on now,” Old Madam Cui said softly. “Your father wants to see you. I think he just wants to talk.”
Old Madam Cui believed that the estrangement between Cui Yunchu and her father, Cui Qingyuan, was due to a lack of contact. If they spent more time together, father and daughter would surely grow close.
Cui Yunchu, however, had no desire to talk to him. He was rather intimidating.
She followed the servant to the front courtyard. “Eldest Miss, the Prime Minister is in the study.”
Cui Yunchu told Xing’er to wait outside, took a deep breath, and pushed open the study door.
Deep down, she was somewhat fearful of Prime Minister Cui.
Inside the study, Cui Qingyuan appeared to be handling official documents, not even lifting his head.
“Father, you sent for me?” Cui Yunchu bowed.
Cui Qingyuan gave a faint “mm” in acknowledgment. “I heard you’re going to Prince An’s residence.”
“Yes,” Cui Yunchu replied.
Cui Qingyuan finally set down his papers and slid a brocade box toward her. “Take this box with you.”
Cui Yunchu’s gaze lingered on the brocade box for a few moments. She curled her lips and lowered her eyes, responding with a simple “Alright.”
She stepped forward and picked up the box. It wasn’t heavy, but in her hands, it felt weighty, precious, and bitterly ironic.
Because that preciousness had never belonged to her.
“Is there anything else, Father? If not, I’ll take my leave.” Cui Yunchu’s expression was calm, maintaining the respect and decorum owed to an elder.
Prime Minister Cui looked at her and suddenly recalled that night when she had lain on the bed, cursing and yelling about finding a husband just to beat him to death.
“I heard your grandmother has allowed you to decide your own marriage?”
At these words, Cui Yunchu grew wary.
“Now that your cousin and Yunfeng are both married, is there anyone you have your eye on?”
Cui Yunchu kept her eyes down, her voice soft. “Not for now.”
“Marriage has always been a matter of parents’ command and matchmakers’ words. Your grandmother spoils you far too much. There’s no reason for a daughter to choose her own husband.”
Cui Yunchu frowned, displeased. Old Madam Cui was someone she cherished, and she hated hearing Cui Qingyuan speak of her that way.
She said, “Grandmother is old and no longer attends gatherings or occasions in the capital. She’s not familiar with the young men of the city, which is why she’s lenient with me about choosing a husband. Besides, I have few elders. Aside from Grandmother, there’s truly no one else to spoil me.”
Prime Minister Cui’s brow furrowed.
Was she accusing him of treating her poorly?
Cui Yunchu clutched the brocade box, her knuckles tightening.
Now, she didn’t even have the urge to confront him. That night’s humiliation was enough to leave her dampened for a lifetime.
“Don’t worry, Father. The birthday gift you sent will definitely reach Yunfeng,” she said.
Cui Yunchu curtsied and prepared to leave.
Prime Minister Cui added, “Regardless, marriage is not something to take lightly. That Lord Zhou Yuanmo is of good talent and appearance. If you get the chance, you might try getting to know him.”
Cui Yunchu wanted to ask: Did that man save your life or something?
If you like him so much, just marry him yourself. She wouldn’t mind having a stepmother, male or female, as long as the two of them could sleep together and live happily.
“Yunfeng says he’s ugly and dirt poor. Since Yunfeng doesn’t want him, neither do I,” she said.
Though Zhou Yuanmo wasn’t exceptionally handsome, he was far from ugly. Prime Minister Cui knew Cui Yunchu was just talking nonsense again.
But this time he did not scold her. Instead, he suddenly asked, "When is your birthday?"
Cui Yunchu whipped her head around to stare at him, her shock so undisguised it seemed a naked mockery of the very idea of a father.
"What do you like? Your father will give it to you."
"But my birthday has already passed."
...
Outside the Prince An residence, numerous carriages had already come to a halt. Cui Yunchu clutched a box in her hands, remaining silent throughout the journey.
Xing'er did her utmost to cheer her up, afraid she might bottle everything up and make herself ill. But her worries proved unfounded. From the moment Cui Yunchu jumped down from the carriage, she instantly regained her radiant spirit, as if the listless person slumped inside the carriage just moments before had never existed.
Today, Prince An's residence had invited many official families. After all, it was Cui Yunfeng's first birthday banquet since marrying into the imperial household. Xiao Yi had arranged it with great pomp, and even Consort Liang had sent Cui Yunfeng a birthday gift.
All kinds of lavish presents were being carried into the mansion, dazzling Cui Yunchu's eyes and making her lick her lips with envy.
After the previous examples of those who had sought trouble with Cui Yunchu at the South Street banquet during Prince An's wedding, no one dared provoke her this time. Everyone kept well out of her way.
Like a little tyrant, Cui Yunchu led Xing'er boldly into the Prince An residence. The steward paused in surprise at the sight of her, then put on a beaming smile. "Eldest Miss Cui, you've arrived at last. The Princess has been waiting for you for quite a while."
Cui Yunchu gave a tight-lipped, insincere smile. "Is that so, old man? You just wait for me."
The person who sent the invitation must have been acting on the steward's orders.
Cui Yunchu headed straight for the main courtyard.
Along the way, she encountered quite a few people, but no one spoke to her, so there was no need for any pleasantries.
