"Old Madam." As they spoke, Nanny Li entered the room to report, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived and wishes to pay his respects to you."
Old Madam Cui glanced at Tang Qingwan, but the latter's face remained impassive, showing no emotional fluctuation.
"Quickly, invite him to the main hall." Old Madam Cui immediately stood up. "Qingwan, would you like to come out and meet him together?"
Tang Qingwan shook her head. "No, we have already met."
Old Madam Cui understood at once. The Crown Prince probably hadn't come specifically to pay his respects, but was already in the manor.
Seeing Tang Qingwan's impatient demeanor, Old Madam Cui did not ask further. Supported by Nanny Li, she walked out the door.
After Old Madam Cui left, Tang Qingwan slowly shifted her gaze back, staring blankly at the swaying bead curtain.
Cui Yunchu cast a faint glance at her before looking away.
Tang Qingwan was avoiding him, yet the Crown Prince had chased her from the Tang residence all the way to the Cui manor. This showed his deep affection. It was just a pity that one could rarely have both the empire and the beauty.
Those born in the center of power loved power above all else.
Cui Yunchu and Tang Qingwan stayed with Cui Yunfeng until she fell asleep, then quietly left the Maple Courtyard.
Cui Yunchu bid farewell to Tang Qingwan and planned to return to the Chu Courtyard. After all, the Crown Prince was in the Pine Crane Courtyard, and she wanted to save Tang Qingwan from overthinking and feeling displeased.
"Younger cousin, please wait a moment."
Tang Qingwan, however, did not let her leave. This greatly surprised Cui Yunchu, and wariness immediately surfaced in her eyes.
"Cousin, His Royal Highness is here. As an unmarried girl, I ought to avoid suspicion."
This was what Tang Qingwan had reprimanded her with countless times in the past. It also made her stance clear: she truly had no intention of seducing the Crown Prince.
Tang Qingwan swept a mild glance over her and did not answer, only saying, "Come with me."
"..." Cui Yunchu frowned deeply as she watched her turn and walk away.
What was she up to now?
Harboring doubts, Cui Yunchu had no choice but to follow her.
Tang Qingwan went straight back to her own courtyard. The maids attentively served them tea. Cui Yunchu stood at the door, not stepping inside, but looking at Tang Qingwan suspiciously.
"Cousin, why exactly did you ask me to come?"
Tang Qingwan picked up her teacup and took a light sip, her tone cold. "The Crown Prince and I have not yet married, yet we often spend time alone together. I threw etiquette to the wind long ago. Those words I said before were nothing but high-sounding excuses to fool you."
"..." Cui Yunchu's gaze gradually turned strange.
Tang Qingwan had always been very aloof and proud; she shouldn't be the type of person to say such things.
"You are engaged to the Crown Prince."
Tang Qingwan's hand holding the teacup seemed to pause for a moment. Then she chuckled softly, placed the cup on the table, and looked up steadily at Cui Yunchu.
She stood up, her graceful figure slender yet resilient. "Yunchu, how about I let you see the glory of the Crown Princess that you once dreamed of?"
While Cui Yunchu was still stunned, Tang Qingwan's maid walked in briskly to report, "Miss, His Royal Highness has left the Old Madam's place and will arrive at your courtyard in less than a quarter of an hour."
Tang Qingwan gave a soft acknowledgment and instructed the maid, "Take the eldest cousin behind the screen and serve her tea."
The maid turned around and curtsied to Cui Yunchu. "Eldest Miss, please."
Cui Yunchu furrowed her brows tightly, took a deep look at the faintly smiling Tang Qingwan, and followed the maid behind the screen.
The rosewood carved screen with embroidered crabapple flowers completely hid her figure and blocked her view of the people in the main hall.
Cui Yunchu glanced at the table. She did not drink the tea the maid had served, but furrowed her brows as she listened to the movements outside.
The man's steady footsteps could be easily distinguished among the cautious servants following him. Cui Yunchu looked sideways and saw the tall and upright figure pass the window lattice and enter the room in an instant.
No one spoke. The hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, as if even the sound of the wind had stopped.
The atmosphere made Cui Yunchu, who was behind the screen, feel extremely oppressed.
"Has Your Royal Highness heard?" It was Tang Qingwan's voice, completely devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
She even directly skipped the formalities between a ruler and a subject.
Cui Yunchu thought that in front of the Crown Prince, perhaps only Tang Qingwan had such a special privilege.
"Qingwan, there is no solid proof of this matter."
"But you know very well that it was her," Tang Qingwan's voice remained calm, but held a hidden sharpness. "Besides her, who else would harm my sister?"
The Crown Prince fell silent for a few breaths.
After a long while, he spoke again. "Qingwan, it is rare for us to meet. Can we not talk about this?"
"If it were Liu Wanting who fell into the water today, and the instigator was my sister, would Your Royal Highness say the same?"
"That is your cousin! Must you make things difficult for me because of her?" The Crown Prince's voice also carried a hint of anger.
Tang Qingwan looked straight at Crown Prince Xiao Chen. "I have said before, no matter what schemes your royal family is plotting, I have only one condition: no one is allowed to touch a single hair on my family's head. Otherwise, it will be a fight to the death with me."
"Tang Qingwan." Xiao Chen raised his voice significantly. The servants waiting under the corridor scattered like birds and beasts, hastily retreating from the main hall.
"The royal family you speak of is the sovereign. The Cui family and the Tang family are ultimately subjects! Think carefully before you speak."
"Hmph." Tang Qingwan sneered. "So what? Your royal family is so noble, why doesn't Your Royal Highness cancel the engagement with my Madam Tang, née Cui."
"..." The hall fell into a dead silence, as if even the sound of their breathing could be clearly heard.
Cui Yunchu's expression was wooden; she seemed to have forgotten how to react, and her hands trembled slightly inside her sleeves.
She had never seen Tang Qingwan and the Crown Prince interact with her own eyes, and it was truly difficult to describe the shock in her heart.
But Tang Qingwan's solitary courage truly sent chills down her spine.
Perhaps clashing head-on with the Crown Prince was not the real skill. The real skill was making the Crown Prince deeply infatuated and unable to let go.
After a long time, the Crown Prince's voice sounded again. "Every time we argue, you always bring up canceling the engagement. You lose your temper without any explanation and are so unreasonable."
Xiao Chen sat down in the chair next to Tang Qingwan, his elbows resting on his knees. He lowered his head slightly, looking at the patterns on the floor.
Tang Qingwan also quelled some of her anger and sat down. "Regarding that previous question: if it were Liu Wanting who was bullied today, would Your Highness make things difficult for my sister in order to give the Liu family an explanation?"
"Qingwan, the situation is different now. Why must you make up non-existent scenarios? You are clearly being unreasonable."
"You would do that," Tang Qingwan said. "Because you need to stabilize the Liu family. You are afraid that if the Liu family is disappointed, they will no longer be of use to you. You won't stand up for my sister because my Madam Tang, née Cui is suspected by the Emperor, and can only support the new monarch."
"Tang, Qingwan, women are not allowed to interfere in politics." The Crown Prince's voice seemed filled with deep anger mixed with helplessness.
"That applies to ordinary women, but I am not one. The blood of both the Cui and Tang families flows in my veins."
"..."
The hall descended into silence once again. Cui Yunchu closed her eyes and clutched her chest, terrified that Xiao Chen would hear her heartbeat.
"The Liu family cannot be touched. Liu Wanting must marry into the Eastern Palace. Qingwan..."
"So," Tang Qingwan interrupted him, enunciating every word, "in your heart, I cannot compare to the power and ambition you desire to rule the nine provinces. Why must you force me to choose a winner between you and Madam Tang, née Cui."
Xiao Chen slowly raised his eyes and stared at Tang Qingwan. His noble and elegant face darkened slightly, and his lips were pressed tightly into a straight line.
The corners of his eyes were red, and his hands resting on his knees clenched tightly. "I have known it from the very beginning. Why must you insist on saying it out loud?"
Tang Qingwan turned her head away. "I will not let this matter rest. If the Crown Prince insists on protecting her, then do not forget that my Madam Tang, née Cui still has Prince An, who is deeply in love with my second younger sister. Our two clans do not have only one choice."
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly dropped to the freezing point. Cui Yunchu swallowed hard, feeling a chill run through her entire body, as if thousands of blades were resting against her neck.
She also broke out in a cold sweat for Tang Qingwan.
Sure enough, upon hearing these words, the Crown Prince stood up abruptly and strode toward Tang Qingwan. Cui Yunchu was so frightened that she also sprang to her feet.
Xiao Chen gripped Tang Qingwan's wrist tightly, his voice utterly freezing. "Say it again."
Tang Qingwan remained silent, merely lifting her chin to meet Xiao Chen's gaze.
"You surnamed Tang, in your heart, is our engagement so easily discarded? Does your Madam Tang, née Cui truly mean more to you than anything else?"
To everyone present, Tang Qingwan's silence was tantamount to tacit admission. Xiao Chen gripped her wrist bone so hard that his knuckles turned pale.
Only when Tang Qingwan frowned and cried out in pain did he suddenly let go. "Very well."
Xiao Chen took two steps back, staring fixedly at the woman's cold, heartless face.
"The Crown Prince and I are just the same."
Xiao Chen didn't say another word. He turned and left. The beaded curtain crashed against the doorframe with a loud clatter, swaying and dancing in the air for a long time.
"Come out," Tang Qingwan said, rubbing her wrist.
Cui Yunchu finally snapped out of her shock. She set down her teacup, only then realizing that her palms were already covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Royal couples often harbored ulterior motives and schemed for their own benefits, but on the surface, they would always appear harmonious and affectionate, putting up a false front. Blatant calculating like that between the Crown Prince and Tang Qingwan was truly... shocking!!
