Cui Yunchu gazed at him quietly for a moment; the shadow of his childhood self seemed to slowly take shape again.
Cui Yunli was looking back at her as well.
Cui Yunchu gave a soft cough, then performed a bow in greeting. "Elder Brother, you've finally returned."
Hearing no response, Cui Yunchu frowned inwardly and slowly lifted her eyes, only to see the man had already dismounted and was striding toward her rapidly.
His steps were long, his eyes somewhat red, and within a few paces he was before her, studying her closely.
"..." Cui Yunchu was a bit startled, instinctively stepping back, but Cui Yunli suddenly raised his hand and pulled her into an embrace.
"Yunfeng, your elder brother came back too late."
"..."
Cui Yunchu pressed her lips into a thin line, very much wanting to clench her fists and punch him hard a few times.
She wanted to say she wasn't Cui Yunfeng, that she was Cui Yunchu, but sensing the choked voice and trembling body of the man, she chose to remain silent.
Just then, a carriage approached from afar—it was the Shen family carriage returning from Anshan Temple.
Yu Feng stared unblinkingly in their direction, as if watching a criminal or a thief.
The moment Cui Yunchu caught sight of him, her anger flared, and she shot him a cold glare.
Cui Yunli was still lost in his own sorrow.
Cui Yunchu and Yu Feng, meanwhile, were locked in a silent battle of glares.
Yu Feng reined in his horse and called softly twice toward the carriage compartment.
"Speak." Shen Xiabai's voice was faint, devoid of any emotion.
Yu Feng's mouth twitched, and suddenly he swung open the carriage door.
The scene inside the carriage and outside was now fully exposed.
Cui Yunchu's gaze first fell on the woman seated beside Shen Xiabai inside the carriage—she recognized her at once: it was the little novice nun from Anshan Temple.
So he'd brought her back, had her return to secular life.
Shen Xiabai's eyes, however, were fixed intently on the man embracing Cui Yunchu, like nails driven in, carrying sharp and piercing darkness.
Cui Yunchu clicked her tongue, then raised her arms and hugged Cui Yunli back. "Elder Brother, I've missed you so much."
In that instant, Shen Xiabai's gaze turned into invisible blades, scraping across Cui Yunchu's arms.
Butler Liu was immersed in excitement and joy, but Xing'er was fraught with anxiety, glancing between the Shen carriage and Cui Yunchu, whispering, "Miss, do you not feel a chill wind blowing?"
Cui Yunchu lifted her chin. "Maybe that carriage over there just came back from a funeral, so it's heavy with yin energy. Tell them we still need a moment—let them go on ahead."
Only then did Cui Yunli finally release Cui Yunchu, frowning as he turned to look at the Shen carriage.
His face bore a seven or eight out of ten resemblance to Prime Minister Cui, and every movement carried a cold, solemn steadiness.
"That's an official's carriage," Cui Yunli said.
Xing'er had already reached the Shen carriage and, bracing herself, said, "My miss says they still need a good while to embrace, so Lord Shen should go on ahead—don't delay your important matters."
Xing'er's words were like throwing a torch onto dry kindling.
Shen Xiabai slowly withdrew his gaze and settled it on Xing'er. Sensing his master's oppressive aura, Yu Feng, fearing for Xing'er's life, immediately shut the carriage door, cutting off the scene outside.
"Open it." Shen Xiabai's voice was cold enough to freeze.
Yu Feng said, "Master, that man should be the eldest son of the Cui family. The eldest young lady and her brother haven't seen each other in decades—it's only natural for siblings to want to catch up."
Shen Xiabai had of course already guessed the man was Cui Yunli.
But the look Cui Yunchu had shot him just now was full of provocation and mockery.
Yet just the previous day, inside the carriage, the two had been entangled in an illicit affair, lips and teeth pressed together.
Yu Feng's scalp went numb.
On the other side, Cui Yunli's attention had long since returned to Cui Yunchu. "I heard you got married. Does Prince An treat you well? Didn't Father object? Did you get punished?"
"Have you been wronged in the prince's household?"
Cui Yunli's eyes were full of concern. After all, he and Cui Yunfeng shared the same mother.
Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng were full sisters, and Cui Yunli included—the three of them did share some facial similarities. It wasn't strange that Cui Yunli would mistake her for someone else, given that he hadn't seen her in over a decade.
Cui Yunchu said nothing. Cui Yunli immediately grew tense. "What is it? Has Prince An been unkind to you?"
Cui Yunchu gazed at Cui Yunli for a few breaths before speaking flatly, "I suppose he's fine."
Cui Yunli frowned. "What do you mean, 'you suppose he's fine'?"
Cui Yunchu went on, "How would I know? They're the ones living as husband and wife—it's not like they'd let me watch from the sidelines."
At that, Cui Yunli's expression shifted. Though people change as they grow up, one's mannerisms, and the particular way Cui Yunchu spoke—that casual, cheeky air—were still easy to recognize.
"You're... Yunchu?"
"Mm-hmm." Cui Yunchu nodded, looking completely unconcerned.
"Yunfeng got married and became a princess consort—it's not easy for her to get out. Prime Minister Cui is at court, Grandmother isn't well, and at home that just leaves me, the idle one."
Truth be told, having a brother wouldn't have been bad. Too bad her unlucky birth mother hadn't left her a single useful thing.
Hearing this, Cui Yunli smoothed away the complexity on his face and smiled. "Then I'll have to trouble you, little sister Yunchu."
He reached out and, to her surprise, patted Cui Yunchu on the head.
Cui Yunchu was briefly taken aback.
Cui Yunli said, "Yunfeng wrote to me that she was able to marry the man she loved thanks to your help, and that you were punished by Father alongside her. Let me thank you on her behalf."
Cui Yunchu said, "You're welcome to thank me. After all, you are Yunfeng's brother."
"..."
She was still the same as when she was little—her words still jumped from one thing to another, all over the place.
Cui Yunli noticed her gaze drift once more toward the carriage in the distance, and couldn't help asking, "Do you know the person in that carriage?"
Cui Yunchu nodded and spoke nonsense. "Earlier I saw the two of them sneaking around in there, so they've been staring at me ever since. Probably want to silence me."
At that, Cui Yunli's eyes turned cold in an instant, and he instinctively stepped in front of Cui Yunchu. "Which young master from the capital?"
Cui Yunchu glanced at the half of a body shielding her and suddenly felt a flicker of boredom. "Who knows? It's getting late. Let's head back."
Cui Yunli blinked. When he turned around, Cui Yunchu was already on the carriage.
So he climbed up after her.
On the other side, Yu Feng asked, "Master, Miss Cui has left. Should we go?"
No sound came from the carriage for a long time.
Yu Feng found the whole thing a mess.
Just yesterday they were kissing each other in that carriage, and after one night apart—nothing had happened, for heaven's sake—and now she suddenly turned cold without warning.
He couldn't make heads or tails of it.
He'd been with his master for over a decade and had always considered himself to have a decent head on his shoulders. But ever since running into Miss Cui, it simply wasn't enough anymore.
The pressure inside the carriage was suffocating. The Second Princess sitting beside Shen Xiabai wore a look of cautious wariness toward him.
"That young lady—is she Lord Shen's beloved?"
Shen Xiabai rested his arm on his knee, his face pale with anger, but he did not admit to anything—after all, some matters were not yet fit for the royal family to know.
"The matter I promised the Dowager Empress has been done. Once we return to the capital, I hope the Second Princess will conduct herself well from now on."
Xiao Lan gave Shen Xiabai a long, deep look before nodding slightly. "Lord Shen's kindness, I will not forget."
Inside the Cui family carriage, Cui Yunchu shifted through countless positions, none of which felt comfortable, drawing repeated glances from Cui Yunli beside her.
"Is Yunchu feeling unwell?"
Cui Yunchu said, "I'm hungry."
Cui Yunli tapped on the carriage wall and instructed the driver to stop at an inn ahead so they could have a meal before continuing.
Cui Yunchu pushed open the carriage door with effort and stepped down with heavy footsteps. Cui Yunli watched her figure for a long moment before following.
Cui Yunli carried none of the aristocratic air of the capital's young gentlemen; he seemed wholly wrapped in a quiet, restrained depth.
He was a far cry from the man Cui Yunchu had imagined.
Well, it figured—after all, he had been away from home for over a decade; even the most sharp and arrogant temperament would be worn smooth by hardship. Just like in her past life, experience always changes a person.
The Shen family carriage also pulled up there. Yu Feng whispered cautiously, "Master, the eldest young lady of the Cui family..."
"I'm hungry. Going down to eat." Shen Xiabai's voice came from inside.
Yu Feng quickly acknowledged and parked the carriage right next to the Cui family's.
Xiao Lan also stepped down. She could no longer remember how long it had been since she last returned to the capital.
