"Why are you nodding and shaking your head at the same time? What are you doing?" Shen Xiabai furrowed his brow.
Yu Feng glanced at Shen Xiabai and said, "This subordinate was only trying to reassure you, my lord. There's no need to rush—take it slow. Prince An went through the same thing at first, and in the end, though he hit a few rough patches, he still came out on top."
Shen Xiabai felt somewhat comforted and nodded.
Had Eunuch Liu been there, he would have loudly objected—"a few rough patches"? During those days, he had already prepared to die for his master. In this life, he had only two great trials: the first was when he was castrated as a boy and made a eunuch, and the second was when his lord took a wife.
The carriage was quiet for a few moments, then Yu Feng continued, "That's the logic of it, but my lord's path will likely be much harder than Prince An's. After all, Prince An had Princess An's help—she wanted to marry him and no one else, she was lovesick over him, throwing herself at him. We all saw it that time we went to the Cui residence."
Yu Feng scratched his head, frowning. "As for how Eldest Miss Cui feels about you... well, if Prime Minister Cui threatens her and someone dangles some benefits in front of her, she'll probably forget all about you in a couple of days."
So it was that people just couldn't be compared. Yu Feng had initially thought Prince An pitiful—he'd nearly died. But comparing the two now, he instantly felt his own lord had it much harder.
Just as he said this, Shen Xiabai's long leg suddenly shot out and kicked him hard in the shin. Yu Feng lost his balance and tumbled out of the carriage.
Shen Xiabai's voice came from inside, "Did I need you to remind me?"
He was already furious enough after being provoked by Cui Yunchu earlier, and now his own subordinate had to drive home the fact that she didn't like him. Shen Xiabai was thoroughly irritated.
Yu Feng scrambled to his feet, dusted off his clothes, and muttered quietly, "People never like to hear the truth."
...
Cui Yunchu returned to her own carriage. Nanny Zhang looked at her young mistress, who had come back empty-handed, and was a bit stunned.
Cui Yunchu waved a hand grandly and ordered, "To the Crown Prince's residence."
She pressed a hand to her chest, beaming with joy.
She couldn't let the jade pendant get warm in her hands—she had to hurry and turn it into silver.
Nanny Zhang asked, "Miss, where's your hairpin?"
"Someone snatched it."
Nanny Zhang's gaze fell on Cui Yunchu's loose, disheveled hair. "The gold hairpin too?"
Cui Yunchu hummed in acknowledgment.
She seemed pretty happy about it, actually.
She looked less like someone who'd been robbed and more like someone who'd robbed someone else.
Nanny Zhang looked at Cui Yunchu's face and found it impossible to offer consolation she didn't truly feel. In the end, she managed only two words: "How nice."
She gave an awkward smile.
Nanny Zhang had always seen how much the girl valued her mother's keepsakes. That she was so indifferent now that one had been stolen struck her as strange. But the redness around Cui Yunchu's eyes clearly showed she'd been crying not long before.
Perhaps the girl had hidden somewhere to cry because she was embarrassed? Nanny Zhang guessed, then said, "Those thieves are utter scum, robbing in broad daylight like that. When we get back, tell the prime minister and he'll have them chased down and retrieve it for you."
Cui Yunchu lazily raised her eyes and sneered, "Why would I need him?"
She said it with confidence and swagger, without a second thought.
Gone was the pitiful, silent girl she'd been before.
She paused for a moment herself, a little unsettled, and furrowed her brow.
Nanny Zhang stared at her for a long moment without blinking.
Cui Yunchu immediately turned her face away and looked randomly out the window.
That ease and confidence in that moment—she didn't know why she had it. Nanny Zhang wouldn't understand what had happened today, how she had broken down for so long.
In the silence, Nanny Zhang suddenly said, "Miss, your eyes are swollen. And your mouth looks a bit swollen too."
Cui Yunchu jumped, startled, and instantly clamped both hands over her mouth, glaring at Nanny Zhang. "Nonsense!"
Nanny Zhang frowned. "This old servant saw it clearly—quite swollen indeed."
"You're seeing things," Cui Yunchu said, eyes wide.
"This old servant is not... seeing things." The last two words faded out as Cui Yunchu's threatening glare bore into her.
"It's clearly swollen."
Cui Yunchu ignored her.
Nanny Zhang couldn't hold it in any longer. "Miss, exactly who kissed you to make your lips swell like that?"
"Shut it!!" Cui Yunchu nearly jumped out of her skin.
Nanny Zhang stammered, "This old servant is just worried." In the blink of an eye—just the few steps it took to get off the carriage—her hairpin had been stolen, her lips got kissed swollen, and she'd had a good cry.
Nanny Zhang thought longer and harder, connecting the pieces, and a terrifying suspicion formed in her mind.
Could the young miss have been... secretly carrying on with someone?
"Exactly who is this person?" Nanny Zhang gritted her teeth and asked, risking death by Cui Yunchu's glare.
"What's it to you—curious because you want to be her dowry maid and marry over as a concubine?" Cui Yunchu said, still covering her mouth with both hands.
Nanny Zhang fell silent.
Just then, the carriage stopped before the Crown Prince's residence. Cui Yunchu shot Nanny Zhang a warning glare. "Mind your tongue. If you go spreading nonsense, I'll have you stay at the Crown Prince's residence doing laundry."
Nanny Zhang nodded.
Inside the carriage, she re-tidied Cui Yunchu's hair and makeup, making sure no one could tell a thing was amiss before she hopped down.
The guards at the gate spotted Cui Yunchu, exchanged looks, and began winking at one another. Finally, one of them sprinted back inside to report.
Cui Yunchu looked unhappily at how the guards braced themselves as if meeting an enemy, then swaggered up the steps.
The guards whispered among themselves.
"Why is she here?"
"Probably ran out of money."
"Heard she hauled so many gold and silver treasures out of Prince An's residence she filled up several ledgers. Even Prince An couldn't get them back last time."
"Is the Cui family poor, or what?"
"She's not come to freeload off us now, too, has she?"
"Freeload" was the word that set Cui Yunchu off. "What are you saying? Do I look like that kind of person? Who taught you your manners, daring to gossip about the Crown Princess's little sister?"
The guards spun around—she'd already reached them at the top of the steps—and quickly shut their mouths.
Cui Yunchu didn't believe no one had put them up to it, but if the goal was to stop her with a few mocking words, that was never going to happen.
Did they really think she'd be shamed away by a little gossip? Whoever was behind this clearly didn't know her.
"If the Crown Princess found out you were speaking this way behind her back, do you think you'd keep your heads?" Cui Yunchu planted her hands on her hips. The guards all hung their heads and said nothing.
"Have I taken your money? Eaten with your family's pots?"
They all shook their heads in unison.
Who could blame them, though? They had Prince An's precedent to go by—they were merely being cautious.
Cui Yunchu felt that her brother-in-law the Crown Prince wouldn't be that petty.
But being generous was one thing—who wouldn't panic seeing her come around with sack-loads every other day? The Crown Prince had personally examined that ledger of Prince An's, which was longer than a life story.
What happened to Prince An was pure entertainment. If it happened to him, though, it'd be a completely different story.
That kind of joke was far funnier when it happened to someone else.
"Do you think I'm that kind of person? Now hand me all the silver you've got!" Cui Yunchu glared.
The guards didn't dare say a word. They obediently emptied their pockets for her.
Cui Yunchu glanced at the few pieces of silver in their palms, adding up to less than ten taels, and gave a cold snort. "Broke lot."
Even as she sneered, she stepped forward and took each one. "This little bit of silver is to teach you a lesson—don't go running your mouths anymore."
With that, she clutched the handful of silver and went straight into the Crown Prince's mansion.
The few servants turned their heads in unison to watch her retreating figure.
"..."
Great, there goes half a month's wages again. Even a swarm of locusts wasn't this ruthless—she didn't even spare small fry like them.
"Didn't hear anything about the Prince An mansion's servants having their pockets picked too?"
"So... do we still drink tonight or not?"
"Drink. One cup, and we get a slap from the tavern keeper for it."
"You take the first hit."
"You go first."
"You go first."
The lot of them fell to bickering.
