“I was only trying to comfort Lord Gu. I didn’t mean anything by it.” He looked innocently at the other officials.
The others came over as well. “Lord Gu, Brother Zhang meant well.”
They all chimed in, but not a single word they said was pleasant to hear. It was less an attempt at comfort than rubbing salt into his wounds.
One of them said, “Lord Gu, you can’t blame us. The entire court is against you now, and both the Ministry of Justice and the Office of Cautious Punishments are investigating you thoroughly. Whether you can even keep your life is still uncertain. We have wives and children to think of too. I hope you can understand.”
With that, he dragged the others away.
In truth, Lord Gu could understand what the man had said. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm was human nature, especially in officialdom. A single word or action could implicate someone and ruin their entire career.
What angered Lord Gu was the mockery and gloating of the others—kicking him while he was down.
They were certain he would be banished from the capital.
As one of them had said, he was already old. With the journey being so long and arduous, it was anyone’s guess whether he would even survive the trip. What was there to be proud of?
Lord Gu turned around and handed the oil-paper package to his servant before hurriedly climbing into the carriage.
“Turn around. We’re going to the Shen Residence again.”
After Lord Gu left, Yu Feng reported, “Everything has been arranged according to your instructions, my lord. Lord Gu should be back very soon.”
“My lord, Lord Gu is already halfway into the grave. Will this really be enough to make him come to a decision?”
Shen Xiabai replied, “He has already agreed. He merely needs a way to save face.”
As they were speaking, a servant came to report, “My lord, a maidservant has arrived outside. She says she was sent by Eldest Miss Cui to collect some things.”
Yu Feng stiffened and looked toward his master.
Shen Xiabai: “…”
Yu Feng said, “My lord, what should we—”
“You go. Send her away for now.”
Yu Feng: “…”
How was he supposed to phrase it? How was he supposed to send her away?
Shen Xiabai frowned and pressed him, “What is taking the steward so long? They only need to find a few fish. Why is it taking so long?”
Yu Feng thought to himself: Finding a few fish would be easy, but finding fish with unusually distinctive appearances was another matter entirely.
It was like asking him to find dozens of ordinary people—he could do that effortlessly. But if he had to find someone abnormal among those ordinary people, that would be difficult.
Of course, Yu Feng did not dare say any of that aloud. “I’ll go ask him.”
He hurried outside and first sent Xing’er away. “The items are valuable, so the steward is still preparing them. He’ll personally deliver them to the Cui Residence shortly. Tell Eldest Miss not to worry and wait a little longer.”
Xing’er frowned. “Hurry him along. It has to be quick. My mistress is waiting for those things to put on a show.”
Yu Feng: “…”
She really was not trying to hide anything. She said everything openly, without caring who heard her.
“All right, all right.”
After sending Xing’er away, Yu Feng hurried off to find the steward.
The steward emerged from the room, both hands covered in paint. Yu Feng’s eyelids twitched violently.
“Are the fish my lord requested ready?”
“They’re almost done. Just a moment longer.”
“Didn’t my lord tell you to buy them at the market? What if the color runs when they’re delivered to the Cui Residence?”
The steward tilted his head and pursed his lips. “Then why don’t you go buy them?”
Yu Feng fell silent.
The steward continued, “I’ve asked around at the markets and the residences of various officials. There aren’t any multicolored fish anywhere. And my lord insisted that they look exactly alike. The original fish were dyed. If I don’t dye these, where am I supposed to find them?”
Yu Feng had no way to refute that. But he still asked, “What if the color comes off?”
The steward replied, “Wouldn’t that make them even more remarkable? Wherever the fish swim, the water will turn all sorts of colors. That proves they’re even more extraordinary.”
With a mouth beneath one’s nose, one could say whatever one wanted.
Yu Feng: “…”
He stopped talking. He was afraid the steward would simply hand the matter over to him and make him think of a solution.
Lord Gu had returned.
No one knew exactly what they discussed, but Lord Gu was very generous. The flowers and plants they had agreed upon earlier were all sent to the Shen Residence.
Shen Xiabai stared at the fish for a while, then ordered someone to wash them again and again. Once the colors had faded considerably, he instructed Yu Feng to deliver them to the Cui Residence.
“My lord, aren’t you going?” Yu Feng asked.
Shen Xiabai held an upside-down book in his hand. “I won’t be going. I have quite a few documents to read and am rather busy. Just tell her that.”
“…”
Busy?
The corners of Yu Feng’s mouth twitched. All he could see was his master’s forced composure and guilty conscience.
He very much wanted to ask: What if Eldest Miss Cui sees through it and slaps him? Wouldn’t he be taking that slap for nothing?
After all, he wasn’t the one who had been bragging!
But judging by his master’s expression, there was no way he would go. As Yu Feng was the most loyal of servants, naturally he would be the one to take the slap.
Turning around, he began praying with his hands clasped together.
“Please, don’t let her figure it out. Better yet, let her discover the truth only after they’re married.”
By then, he wouldn’t be the one getting beaten.
Thinking of all this gave Yu Feng a headache. And then there was that folding screen belonging to the old madam…
Once the future mistress entered the residence, that would be when the sky truly fell.
Fortunately, Cui Yunchu was completely focused on tomorrow’s birthday banquet. She handed the items directly to Xing’er, who merely glanced at them before ordering the servants to carry them carefully—very carefully—back to the residence.
Yu Feng turned around and fled at top speed.
Xing’er opened her mouth to say something, then swallowed the words. “Why is he running around in such a panic? Is he in a hurry to be reincarnated?”
The servants carefully scooped the fish out of the basket and placed them in the pond. One of them glanced at the water left in the basket and frowned in confusion.
“Why is the water such a strange color?”
The nearby servants gathered around and peered into it as well. “What’s strange about it?”
The man swirled the water around.
The others nodded. It really was different.
One of them said, “Didn’t Miss Xing’er say that these fish are worth a fortune and were bestowed by the emperor? Perhaps they need to be cared for differently from ordinary fish.”
The others nodded one after another in agreement.
“Forget it. These things are more precious than our lives.”
After surrounding the water and fish for a while, they all dispersed.
The Cui Residence was busy from morning until night. At last, everything had been prepared according to Cui Yunchu’s instructions.
After dinner, Cui Yunchu took Xing’er with her and carried a glass lantern as they strolled around the entire courtyard. She looked at the flowers, glanced at the fish, and admired the carefully arranged grounds.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she gazed up at the sky, a smile curling at the corners of her lips.
Xing’er shivered from the cold. “Mistress, the wind is so strong. Aren’t you cold?”
Cui Yunchu did not answer. Her gaze swept back and forth across the courtyard, as though she could not bear to look away.
Though she had another purpose in mind, Cui Yunchu had finally gotten this day for herself.
“Do you think many people will come to give me birthday presents tomorrow?”
Just like Yunfeng and her cousin, surrounded by everyone while one exquisite box after another was placed into her hands.
No jabs, no mockery, no contempt. Only friendly smiles.
“They definitely will.”
When she was little, Tang Qingwan had never liked gatherings like these. Cui Yunchu had even curled her lip and said behind her back that she was putting on airs.
But in truth, Tang Qingwan had simply attended too many such occasions and had grown tired of them. Cui Yunchu thought she wanted and yearned for these things because she had never had them.
The next day, Cui Yunchu had Xing’er style her hair in the most fashionable arrangement of the time. Her dress and jewelry had also been carefully selected. She was already strikingly beautiful, and once dressed up, she appeared even more radiant and breathtaking.
A servant came to report that the Crown Princess and Princess An had arrived, and she immediately rose to greet them.
The entrance to the Cui residence was adorned with luxuriant clusters of flowers on both sides. Every kind of plant, even those that should not have been in bloom at this time of year, was flourishing beautifully.
Tang Qingwan and Cui Yunfeng stepped down from their carriages on opposite sides.
Cui Yunfeng’s gaze lingered on the potted flowers for several moments before she praised them. “Eldest Sister, where did you find such gorgeous flowers in the freezing days of the twelfth lunar month?”
Prince An asked gently, “Do you like it? I’ll pick one for you.”
Cui Yunfeng happily accepted the flower Prince An had plucked for her, her smile sweet. “Thank you, my husband.”
The Crown Prince was about to pick one for Tang Qingwan as well, but after glancing at Prince An and Cui Yunfeng, Tang Qingwan was just about to stop him when Cui Yunchu’s shrill cry suddenly rang in her ears.
“My flowers!”
