“Miss,” Xing’er reported, “the steward has come to say that Lord Prime Minister heard you left the residence without permission and refused to follow his discipline. He’s ordered you to kneel in the ancestral hall.”
Cui Yunchu glanced back at Xing’er.
Shen Xiabai had come all the way in without obstruction, and taken her away just as easily. Without his permission, how would the gate servants have dared let her pass?
What was this? Letting someone commit a mistake, then settling the score afterward?
“Now that he wants to punish me, does he have to go to such lengths?” she asked.
Xing’er said nothing. Cui Yunchu shot her a look. “What are you standing there for? Hurry and pack our things. Do you want tomorrow to become the anniversary of my freezing to death?”
Xing’er let out an “Ah!” “Miss, aren’t you going to ask Lord Prime Minister for an explanation?”
She was just going to kneel?
Lord Prime Minister had given no reason, and Miss had raised no questions. The harmony of it all left Xing’er’s mind completely frozen.
“You want an explanation?” Cui Yunchu said. “Then go ask him. I’ll wait for you in the courtyard.”
“…”
Xing’er fell silent and went to pack their things.
Cui Yunchu put on her cloak again, the one so thick it was practically a quilt. It was stuffed with all kinds of items, while Xing’er carried several large bundles as well.
The mistress and servant left the room. The steward took one look at them and quickly looked away, though his eyelids twitched faintly.
Whether it was Cui Yunchu or Xing’er, nearly everything they carried was something they might need. When it came to experience in kneeling in the ancestral hall, perhaps no one in the entire capital could compare with the Eldest Miss of his household.
The steward led Cui Yunchu and Xing’er to the entrance of the ancestral hall. “Everything has been prepared inside according to Lord Prime Minister’s orders. Eldest Miss, please.”
Cui Yunchu frowned. “I have something to discuss. I want to see Prime Minister Cui.”
The steward’s eyelids twitched again when he heard the words “Prime Minister Cui.”
He couldn’t remember how long it had been since the Eldest Miss had last called him “Father.”
It was true that Prime Minister Cui favored his second daughter, and that he treated his niece with great affection as well. But in truth, he had not been all that terrible to the Eldest Miss either.
Cui Yunchu handed her things to Xing’er. “Go in first. I’ll be back shortly.”
Xing’er: “…”
There was no need to say it. This servant knew perfectly well that you would be coming back.
But you make it sound as though you’re merely returning to your own courtyard. It’s rather amusing.
The steward hesitated. Cui Yunchu said, “What? He ordered me to kneel in the ancestral hall and threw me out of the residence?”
“No, it’s not that serious.” The steward stepped aside. “In that case, Eldest Miss, please.”
Cui Yunchu went to Cui Qingyuan’s study.
“Who told you to come here? Didn’t I order you to kneel in the ancestral hall?”
Cui Yunchu got straight to the point. “I want to celebrate my birthday.”
Cui Qingyuan was stunned for a moment.
Cui Yunchu continued, “I’ll kneel in the ancestral hall for only three days. On the fifth day, which is the birthday I’ve chosen for myself, I’ll send invitations to all the noble ladies in the capital and invite them to the residence.”
Cui Qingyuan stared at her without saying a word.
Cui Yunchu knit her brows. “From the time we were children, whether it was my cousin or Yunfeng, they held a birthday banquet every year. I’ve never had one. This year, I want to hold one too.”
Cui Qingyuan set down the document in his hands and rested both hands on his knees. “Why?”
Cui Yunchu replied, “Because I’m vain. Because I’m selfish. Because I’m a young lady, and I want to enjoy some glory too.”
“Yunchu, must you speak to your father like this?”
“When Yunfeng wants something, do you ever ask her why?” A mocking curve touched Cui Yunchu’s lips. “It’s only a birthday banquet. I’m the daughter of the Prime Minister, after all. If I want to hold one, then I’ll hold one. Why do I need a reason?”
Or perhaps, in his eyes, she and her mother were exactly as she had described them.
“Are you afraid I’ll embarrass you?”
After all, her reputation in the capital was something he could barely keep under wraps, let alone announce to everyone. Perhaps Prime Minister Cui wished he could erase the shameful existence of her altogether.
Cui Qingyuan exhaled heavily. “Hold it if you want. If you need anything, ask the steward for it. But at a time like this, don’t cause any trouble.”
Cui Yunchu bent at the waist. “Thank you, Prime Minister.”
Cui Qingyuan lowered his head and continued reviewing his documents. Cui Yunchu stood there for a moment, then turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, she suddenly looked back at Cui Qingyuan.
Her voice was very calm. “You owe me eighteen years. I will never be grateful to you.”
She was no longer a child who could be placated by a piece of candy and a hug when he returned from court.
Although he had never comforted her in that way. The candy and the hugs had always belonged to Cui Yunfeng.
But when she was little, that really would have been enough to make her happy.
Cui Yunchu returned to the ancestral hall. Xing’er was sitting beside a brazier, eating fruit and drinking tea.
The ancestral hall was spacious, and several braziers had been placed inside. Quilts and pillows were also readily available, so there wasn’t the slightest hint of cold.
Cui Yunchu stood there in a daze for a moment. Xing’er hurried over to her and said, “The two gatekeepers prepared all of this, Miss. We won’t have to freeze tonight.”
Cui Yunchu curled her lips. “That doesn’t mean I’m grateful to him.”
She sat down on the cushion before the ancestral tablets.
Xing’er kept her company nearby and, before long, fell asleep without realizing it.
After dark, someone brought in steaming hot food. The dishes were passable, but they were all vegetarian, and Cui Yunchu was not pleased.
The servant delivering the meal said, “Eldest Miss, please make do. This is the ancestral hall, after all.”
Cui Yunchu curled her lips. “Don’t you cook meat for the offerings during festivals? Why can’t I eat it?”
The dead were dead, yet everyone was still so particular.
Cui Yunchu picked at a few bites of the meal, then burrowed back into the bedding and continued reading.
It was still the same storybook. The sky had grown completely dark, and Cui Yunchu was absorbed in her reading when she suddenly felt waves of cold wind stirring inside the hall.
The door to the ancestral hall began to creak and groan as well.
Cui Yunchu clutched the bedding and pulled it over herself, leaving only her head exposed as she warily looked left and right.
She nudged Xing’er with her foot.
There was no response.
She nudged her again.
Still nothing. Xing’er was sleeping like the dead. Cui Yunchu grew irritated. She had no idea what use there was in keeping such a servant around.
“Who’s there? What are you?” Cui Yunchu called out.
Being brave was one thing. If she really encountered something strange, she still wanted to throw herself into her mother’s arms and cry for help.
“Speak!”
No one answered. The tightly shut window suddenly trembled.
Cui Yunchu immediately pulled the bedding over her head.
The window made a few more faint noises in succession.
All sorts of wild imaginings began racing through Cui Yunchu’s mind. Every ghost storybook she had ever read now joined forces to frighten her.
…
“My lord,” Yu Feng said, hooking one finger around the door and window. He pushed them shut, opened them, shut them again, and opened them once more.
“Is this really a good idea?” He was certain that when he went inside, he would receive a trembling embrace from Eldest Miss Cui—not a resounding slap, right?
Shen Xiabai gave Yu Feng a sidelong glance but said nothing.
Yu Feng immediately closed his mouth and obediently continued shaking the window.
Actually, he thought it made no difference who threw themselves into whose arms. If his lord went in and embraced Eldest Miss Cui, the result would be the same.
But people were perverse by nature.
With a temper as explosive as a firecracker, Eldest Miss Cui was precisely the sort of woman his lord would want to see acting meek and dependent for once.
Yu Feng’s mind automatically conjured the scene of Cui Yunchu in the carriage, locked in a fierce struggle with his lord, both of them gripping each other by the throat.
“…”
He could almost understand his lord’s mindset now.
The master and servant stood in the freezing wind. Then, from inside the hall, they suddenly heard a furious shout.
“Which damned ghost is it? Get out here and show yourself!”
Cui Yunchu stood wrapped in a quilt, pointing at the ancestral tablets of the Cui family’s forebears.
Xing’er had been jolted awake as well. Still groggy, she asked, “Miss, just who are you calling your grandaunt?”
Cui Yunchu: “…”
The one who had died most recently was her principal mother. As for the earliest to die, calling him Great-Great-Grandfather would probably already be reaching too far up the family tree.
“Shut up.” Cui Yunchu glared at Xing’er and continued pointing at the ancestral tablets.
After all, they were her ancestors, so Cui Yunchu changed her wording, though her tone remained just as fierce. “This lady wants to sleep. If any of you dare make another sound, I’ll snap your tablets in half and dig you all up.”
She casually grabbed a wooden stick and slammed it hard against the table where the ancestral tablets were enshrined.
Xing’er sprang to her feet in fright.
Cui Yunchu, however, simply wrapped herself back up in the quilt and lay down again. “Go back to sleep. They won’t dare cause any more trouble.”
Outside the door, Yu Feng and Shen Xiabai fell silent.
After a long moment, the master and servant exchanged glances. Yu Feng looked at his master and asked, “Master, is it still swaying?”
