Cui Yunchu watched in utter heartbreak as Prince An held that gorgeous flower in his hand. It hurt even more than being slapped.
Cui Yunfeng came forward with a smile. “Elder Sister, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Don’t say anything yet.” After saying this, Cui Yunchu glared furiously at Prince An. “Who told you to touch my flower?”
“…”
Prince An looked at Cui Yunchu, then lowered his head to examine the flower in his hand. He knew Cui Yunchu was stingy, but he had never realized she could be this stingy.
“Do you know what kind of flower that is?” Cui Yunchu demanded. “It’s an imperial gift! How dare you damage it?”
“???”
Prince An brought the flower closer and inspected it carefully beneath his eyes. After examining it again and again, he finally let out a mocking laugh.
“Cui Yunchu, are you trying to deceive me, or were you deceived by some unscrupulous merchant?”
It was merely a somewhat rare variety of peony. How could it possibly be an imperial gift?
Cui Yunchu snatched the flower back from his hand and carefully held it in her palms.
“Stop looking down on me. This is a genuine imperial gift. I know my own things better than you do!”
Prince An said, “…It was my father’s possession. I should be the one who knows it better, shouldn’t I?”
Cui Yunchu pointed at him, so angry that she could only stammer, “You… you, you, you—”
“Are you trying to welsh on the payment?”
Prince An was speechless. “It’s only a flower. What payment would I be welshing on? Could it be that Eldest Miss Cui wants me to compensate you for the entire flowerpot as well?”
Cui Yunchu’s heart was bleeding. That was a flower belonging to the Shen family, and they would have to carry it back later. How could she let the Shen family suffer a loss?
“Of course. Are you saying you don’t intend to compensate me?”
The Crown Prince, who had been reaching out a hand from the side, immediately withdrew it and clasped it behind his back, as though nothing had happened.
Cui Yunfeng said, “Forget it. Just compensate my elder sister.”
Perhaps Elder Sister had bought it at a very high price.
Prince An laughed angrily. “Eldest Miss Cui, could it be that you financed your birthday banquet by extorting money from people?”
“What are you saying?” His words had wounded Yunchu’s pride, and she immediately prepared to argue with him.
Now that she had Lord Shen backing her, she was very bold and feared nothing.
“Does being a prince give you the right to act without reason? Damaging an imperial gift is punishable by death. Asking you to compensate me with money is already letting you off lightly.”
Cui Yunfeng grabbed hold of the furious Yunchu. “We’ll pay, we’ll pay, Elder Sister.”
Prince An: “…”
The imperial palace was practically his home. When it came to what his father owned and whom he had bestowed things upon, he knew more than anyone else.
“Passing something off as an imperial gift to swindle money is also punishable by death.”
“I’m not lying!” Cui Yunchu puffed out her cheeks angrily and glared viciously at Prince An.
Prince An fell silent again.
After spending so much time with Cui Yunchu, he could tell at a glance that she was genuinely angry, and that her defense was sincere. She truly believed the flower was an imperial gift.
His gaze swept over the rare peony.
The person most likely to receive an imperial gift, and bold enough to lie about it without anyone suspecting her—someone whose relationship with Cui Yunchu was especially unusual…
A name came to mind. Prince An’s eyelid twitched. He looked at the flower, then at Cui Yunchu, his eyes filled with an emotion that might have been pity—or speechlessness.
“You two really are a match made in heaven. You’re perfectly suited to each other.”
One of them truly dared to lie, and the other truly dared to believe it!
Cui Yunchu ignored his remark. “Pay up.”
Cui Yunfeng said, “Pay, of course. Elder Sister, how much do you want?”
Cui Yunchu glanced at the flower. She opened her mouth, then forcibly stopped herself, hesitating inwardly.
After all, it was only one flower. If she named the price in her heart, wouldn’t she truly look like she was extorting money?
That would be rather embarrassing. She had at least developed some sense of dignity by now and couldn’t act the way she used to.
But since it was an imperial gift, she couldn’t ask for too little.
In the end, silver triumphed over dignity. Cui Yunchu held up one finger.
“Ten thousand taels.”
Cui Yunfeng immediately fell silent.
Prince An stared darkly at Cui Yunchu. After a moment, he said, “Is that for every flower in your courtyard?”
That would be more than enough to buy the entire flower’s clan—oh, no, its entire extended clan, several times over.
Cui Yunchu glared again. “What are you thinking? It’s only for this one flower. I’m asking so little because we’re relatives.”
Prince An gave a mocking laugh. “Then I suppose I should thank Eldest Miss Cui for not making my father bring the entire imperial treasury here to ransom me.”
“…”
Cui Yunchu, Cui Yunfeng, the Crown Prince, and Tang Qingwan all fell silent for a moment.
Prince An continued, “I imagine there aren’t many people in this world who would want to become relatives with Eldest Miss Cui and Lord Shen.”
Who could have imagined that someone would bring a gift to a birthday banquet, fail to even eat a meal, and first have to pay ten thousand taels? What ordinary family could afford that?
The Crown Prince muttered, “Fortunately, I didn’t pick one.”
It was damn expensive.
Tang Qingwan smiled warmly. “Yunchu’s things have always been valuable.”
They were practically worth more than gold itself. After all, even if one used gold to make a flower, it wouldn’t cost ten thousand taels.
But one person dared to ask, and another dared to pay. Cui Yunfeng waved her hand grandly.
“Elder Sister, don’t worry. I’ll have someone deliver the ten thousand taels to you when we return.”
Cui Yunchu said, “Since you’re my younger sister, I’ll reluctantly accept it.”
Cui Yunchu held the flower in her hands, still very unhappy.
Prince An asked, “Now that I’ve paid the compensation, can you give me the flower?”
Cui Yunchu didn’t want to give it to him, but she couldn’t be unreasonable. She could only endure the pain and hand it back.
Seeing the heartbroken expression on Cui Yunchu’s face made Prince An’s hands itch to tease her.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a precious tribute flower.”
Ten thousand taels for one flower.
At this, the Crown Prince raised his brows.
Those minor states barely had the climate to grow a blade of grass, let alone flowers. How could they possibly grow tribute flowers?
“Let me have a look too. This is also my first time seeing one.”
Prince An was generous this time and handed it over. Only after the Crown Prince had finished looking did he say, “Since it cost such a high price, that’ll be one hundred taels for the privilege of looking at it.”
The Crown Prince immediately shifted his gaze away.
“The imperial family already has one fool in the form of my younger brother. If your elder brother were a fool as well, wouldn’t people laugh at the royal family for having no one competent?”
“…”
Each one was more skilled than the last at delivering sarcastic remarks.
Cui Yunchu was displeased. “That’s only because Your Highness is ignorant. What does that have to do with my flower?”
Prince An cast her a glance and comforted himself. Forget it. There was no point arguing with a fool. If she had used even a little sense, she wouldn’t have believed those words.
“I’ll just consider that ten thousand taels a fee for letting a fool examine his brain.”
“You—”
“Ah, Elder Sister, Elder Sister, let’s go!” Cui Yunfeng hurriedly interrupted her. “Most of the guests have arrived, and the banquet is about to begin. How can the birthday girl be absent?”
She coaxed her, “I even brought a gift for you, Elder Sister.”
At those words, Cui Yunchu’s expression finally improved somewhat.
The three sisters left together, leaving Prince An and the Crown Prince standing where they were. The Crown Prince glanced at the flower in Prince An’s hand and couldn’t help laughing again.
Prince An shot him several glances.
The Crown Prince said, “I’m sorry, Imperial Brother. I wasn’t deliberately mocking you. I simply couldn’t help myself.”
“…”
Prince An casually plucked another flower and stuffed it into the Crown Prince’s hand. Then he drawled, “Imperial Brother, continue standing here and laughing to yourself.”
The Crown Prince: “…”
The steward nearby stared wide-eyed, looking from one flower to the other. He then gave a servant a meaningful look. The servant immediately dashed off to report the matter to Cui Yunchu.
The Crown Prince: “.”
