A brief silence fell in the study. Shen Zilan, slow to react, finally said, "I don't want Grandmother to choose a bride for me. I already have a sweetheart. I want to marry Sister Peach Blossom."
Sister Peach Blossom.
Shen Xiabai's expression turned frigid in an instant.
Cui Yunchu was indeed stunning, with a face like a peach blossom, but the way Shen Zilan pronounced those three words—Sister Peach Blossom—irritated him beyond measure.
Shen Zilan was not intimidated by Shen Xiabai's cold demeanor and continued, "Younger Uncle, I will contend with you. I can now stand on my own. I am no longer the playful youth I once was."
Shen Xiabai fixed his gaze on him, his expression indifferent. "Zilan, you are not suited for her."
"Why?" Shen Zilan refused to accept it. "How do you know I'm not suited without trying?"
"Eldest Miss Cui loves to have fun. She is lively and cheerful. So am I. Why wouldn't we be a good match?"
Shen Xiabai did not answer immediately. He dropped his gaze slightly, staring at a fixed spot on the desk.
Shen Zilan pressed on relentlessly. "Younger Uncle, you're just afraid. You haven't won Eldest Miss Cui's heart yet, and you're worried I might take her from you. So you deliberately put obstacles in my way. That is hardly the act of a gentleman."
Shen Xiabai lifted his eyes lazily. The sudden sharpness in his gaze made Shen Zilan immediately fall silent.
Then, an object came flying toward his head. Shen Zilan dodged just in time.
The teacup crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Shen Zilan knew that his Younger Uncle was truly angered this time. Still, he stiffened his neck, refusing to back down.
When it came to matters of the heart, mutual affection was all that mattered. Whoever won Eldest Miss Cui's affections would be the victor.
But perhaps Shen Zilan's words had struck a raw nerve, piercing someone's heart.
Shen Xiabai's face remained dark. He didn't need to be reminded that he had not yet won her heart. Did Shen Zilan think he didn't know that?
"Do you truly understand her?" Shen Xiabai suddenly asked.
Shen Zilan frowned. "I've been busy with official duties recently and haven't spent much time with Sister Peach Blossom. Naturally, I don't know her as well as Younger Uncle. But once I get closer to her, I will."
Shen Xiabai suppressed the rising irritation at hearing the words "Sister Peach Blossom" over and over. He stood up and walked over to Shen Zilan.
The sheer force of his presence made Shen Zilan shudder inwardly and take a step back. "Younger Uncle, surely you're not going to use your seniority to suppress me again?"
Shen Xiabai didn't say a word. He paused for a moment, then walked out.
Shen Zilan immediately followed.
Under the bright moon and scattered stars, Shen Xiabai stood in the corridor with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the empty courtyard. He said calmly, "Zilan, your upbringing and experiences have destined that it will be hard for you to resonate with her."
She was playful, greedy, jealous, petty, tenacious, and even had a wicked streak.
She had many, many flaws. She wrapped herself up tightly, and almost no one could see past her outer shell to understand her.
She was like a thick fog. You had to peel away every layer to even begin to glimpse the truth.
Shen Xiabai turned to look at Shen Zilan. "She is not a good person. To love her comes at a price you cannot afford. You cannot love her."
Cui Yunchu's worldview was not a simple matter of black and white. She was not suited for a gentleman like Shen Zilan, who had been pampered his whole life.
Shen Zilan frowned, clearly not understanding. "Why?"
Shen Xiabai was silent for a long moment before answering. "Because ordinary affection cannot reach her. The kind of feeling that can move her requires offering up one's life, surviving a hundred brushes with death through scorching fire."
It was like a trial—levels of a game she set, one after another. She would test again and again. He would give again and again, until she was calm, until she relaxed, until she let down her guard.
Cui Yunchu was covered in thorns. You had to accept the pain, heal yourself, and still keep drawing close.
Only someone with immense psychological strength could survive the barriers she set up without breaking down.
"Zilan, you cannot afford to love her." Shen Xiabai patted Shen Zilan heavily on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Every move she makes is a dead end. Even I have to go all in. You would not survive."
When she was ruthless, her cruelty often exceeded even his own.
To someone like Shen Zilan, who saw the world in absolute terms, Cui Yunchu was undoubtedly vicious—the kind of woman you could describe with every cruel word in the book. She was, by all definitions, a venomous wife.
"And what about you, Younger Uncle?" Shen Zilan asked. "Can you love her?"
Shen Xiabai curled his lips into a faint smile. "Your Younger Uncle? I was born tough."
...
Cui Yunchu returned directly to the Beginning Garden. When Old Madam Cui sent old Mrs. Li to inquire, Cui Yunchu simply said that Cui Yunfeng was doing fine.
Even Prime Minister Cui sent someone. Cui Yunchu had Xing'er relay to Prime Minister Cui's servant exactly what she had told old Mrs. Li.
The servant sighed with relief and then said, "The Lord Prime Minister has some business and wishes to see the eldest young lady."
Xing'er frowned. Whenever the Lord Prime Minister summoned her mistress, it was rarely good news.
Cui Yunchu was lounging on the soft daybed. When she heard Xing'er's report, her expression turned indifferent. "Tell him I'm unwell today and can't go. I'll go tomorrow."
"... Miss, Lord Prime Minister is summoning you. Is it wise to brush him off so casually?" Xing'er hesitated.
Cui Yunchu pouted. "Of course it's wise. That's exactly what I intend."
When Cui Qingyuan sought her out, it was always about Cui Yunfeng or marriage—what else could it be? She was exhausted today and had no energy to argue with him.
After sending away the Lord Prime Minister's servant, Cui Yunchu began rolling around on the soft daybed.
When Xing'er walked into the room, she saw Cui Yunchu tossing and turning on the bed, utterly restless.
Frustration coiled inside her. Cui Yunchu curled up and started rhythmically banging her head against the wall.
Xing'er: "..."
"Miss," she stammered, trying to say something, "are you thinking about Lord Shen?"
That remark hit a nerve. Cui Yunchu whipped her head around and shouted, "Who's thinking of him? Who's thinking of him!"
"... " Xing'er was startled and immediately shut her mouth.
Cui Yunchu stared at Xing'er darkly.
Xing'er kept backing away. "Miss, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Last night I had a dream that you betrayed me and went to serve another master."
"... If you want to hit me, Miss, just say so."
Cui Yunchu sprang up like a fish leaping, then lunged at Xing'er.
After roughhousing for a while, Cui Yunchu was too tired to move and collapsed. Xing'er, with her hair in disarray like a bird's nest, stood there grumbling silently.
Cui Yunchu sprawled out on the bed again, tossing and turning.
"Seventy lashes hurt so much. Why doesn't he hate me?"
"How tough can he really be?"
She sat bolt upright. "He says he was born tough. Is he challenging me?"
After a moment, she flopped back down, then started fiddling with the night pearl.
The pearl was smooth and glowing. The teeth marks on it stood out clearly. Cui Yunchu kept rubbing that spot, narrowing her eyes.
...
The next day, at the palace gate.
As the first rays of dawn streaked across the sky, officials from various ministries were arriving one by one at the palace gate to await the morning audience.
A carriage stood closest to the gate. Every passing official glanced at it in surprise before bowing. "Greetings, His Highness Prince An."
No response came from inside the carriage, only the faint sound of snoring drifting out.
The later official gestured for an explanation, while the one who had just arrived indicated that he himself did not know. When he came, Prince An’s carriage was already there.
It was the first time His Highness Prince An had been so proactive.
