"Eldest Sister," a clear female voice suddenly came from the veranda. Cui Yunchu looked up and saw Cui Yunfeng waiting there.
"Didn't you go back with our cousin? Why are you waiting here?" Cui Yunchu walked over and spread her hands at Cui Yunfeng.
"Look, nothing at all. Grandmother didn't reward me with any jewelry."
"Eldest Sister, you know I didn't mean that."
"Oh," Cui Yunchu nodded. "Since you didn't mean that, then go back. I'm tired and anxious to go back and rest. I have things to do the day after tomorrow."
After she finished speaking, she passed by Cui Yunfeng and returned to Chu Courtyard. Cui Yunfeng's face wrinkled together in a tangle, and then she hurriedly followed Cui Yunchu.
At Chu Courtyard, Cui Yunchu stopped, turned to look at Cui Yunfeng, and said helplessly, "I'm home. Are you going to keep following me?"
Cui Yunfeng curled her lips. "This is Eldest Sister's courtyard. Can't I come?"
With that, she squeezed her way in without any explanation.
Cui Yunchu looked at her back and sighed silently. "Well, fine, sit wherever you want. I'm sleepy and will take a nap first."
She leaned on the soft couch, covered herself with a thin blanket, and simply closed her eyes.
The room was unusually quiet for a moment. The handkerchief in Cui Yunfeng's hands was almost wrung to pieces. She finally couldn't help but step forward and pull Cui Yunchu up. "Eldest Sister, you know exactly why I'm here."
Cui Yunchu covered her head with the blanket and fell back down. "I don't know, and I don't want to know."
Even if she knew, she had to pretend she didn't. Grandmother had just instructed her to stop the two of them. How could she encourage it?
Cui Yunfeng simply sat down beside Cui Yunchu, not speaking, just staring at her quietly.
Her body had just recovered. Cui Yunchu endured it for a few moments, and finally had to sit up helplessly. "What exactly do you want to do?"
"Was it really Prince An who ordered people to push Liu Wanting and Li Mengyu into the slop buckets?"
"It was me," Cui Yunchu said.
"But Prince An was indeed there at the time. I was lying just now because Prince An is a prince. Even if the Liu family complains, the Emperor won't do anything to him, at most a punishment. But if I admit it, it won't be as simple as just a punishment."
Cui Yunchu looked at Cui Yunfeng. "Did you hear clearly, Cui Yunfeng? Prince An is definitely going to be punished this time. If you can't bear to see him punished, tell the Empress that I did this and let me take the punishment."
Cui Yunfeng lowered her head, tears swirling in her eyes. After a long while, she whispered, "Then... then let him take it. After all, he's a man and has thick skin."
"..."
The bit of displeasure in Cui Yunchu's heart instantly vanished. She raised her hand and wiped away the teardrops on Cui Yunfeng's eyelashes. "Yunfeng, you know very well that Grandmother and Father won't agree to you two, so don't..."
Under the gaze of Cui Yunfeng's red-rimmed eyes, she couldn't continue the rest of her sentence.
Cui Yunchu wanted to roar. What a rotten task Grandmother had given her! If people could easily realize their mistakes and cut their losses in time, then why would she have gone further and further down the path of seeking death in her previous life?
"Alright, don't cry."
Cui Yunfeng pursed her lips and simply threw herself into Cui Yunchu's arms. "Eldest Sister, just now at Songhe Garden, Grandmother said she was going to arrange a marriage for me. I'm so scared. My heart feels so blocked, as if I'm going to suffocate."
Cui Yunchu could only stroke her back to comfort her.
In fact, she herself didn't know what to say. After all, she was completely clueless in this regard.
After all, she only had a genuine desire for power and honor towards the Crown Prince and Prince An, and nothing else.
Tang Qingwan was fighting for The Cui and Tang clans, Cui Yunfeng was in a dilemma, struggling bitterly and in pain, while she, dead or alive, was the most worthless one.
"Eldest Sister, I'm so sad," Cui Yunfeng kept murmuring.
...
The next evening, when Prime Minister Cui returned to the mansion, he brought back news that the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet was set for three days later. All officials of the fourth rank and above could bring their families to the banquet.
There were also some who were specially rewarded and invited by the Empress.
Hearing this, Cui Yunchu glanced at Tang Qingwan to the side.
At the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet, there would probably be some lip service. Madam Liu had been calm for the past two days since returning. She was probably just waiting for the palace banquet.
Cui Yunchu sighed. It wasn't that she was afraid, but because of her status, the Empress, the concubines, and the noble ladies looked down on her from the bottom of their hearts. She wasn't willing to look at people's faces.
Cui Yunfeng, on the side, seemed not to have heard anything. She lowered her head and ate her meal sullenly, as if she had lost her soul.
Old Madam Cui called her several times, but couldn't raise her spirits, and her worries grew even deeper.
Prime Minister Cui had been very busy with government affairs these past few days. He was called away halfway through dinner.
Old Madam Cui turned her gaze to Tang Qingwan. "Qingwan, you've been avoiding the Crown Prince for a few days now. It's time to return to the Tang family."
From the day Liu Wanting was selected as a secondary consort, Tang Qingwan had avoided the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince hadn't forced his way in, she wouldn't have met him that day either.
Tang Qingwan was the only girl in the Tang family. She had been raised to be proud since childhood, and from childhood to adulthood, the Crown Prince had always spoiled her.
Tang Qingwan lowered her head, poked at the food in her bowl, and said, "I don't want to see him. Even if I do, we'll just argue."
Over the past two days, the Crown Prince had sent many servants, but Tang Qingwan had refused to see any of them. Without a doubt, it was mostly to interrogate her about the Liu Wanting incident.
Old Madam Cui looked at this one, then at that one, feeling even more annoyed. She hadn't expected that the one who gave her the least worry now would actually be Cui Yunchu.
"I'm sleepy, I'll go back first."
Before leaving, Old Madam Cui gave Cui Yunchu a few more instructions about playing with the Chen siblings tomorrow.
Cui Yunchu agreed, and left after Old Madam Cui had gone.
She felt annoyed just looking at them.
Tang Qingwan left Songhe Garden and returned to her courtyard. She lowered her head slightly, not knowing what she was thinking about, not even realizing that someone was approaching her.
It was only when the maid beside her reminded her that she suddenly looked up and saw the Crown Prince standing straight on the veranda, his hands behind his back, looking this way.
Xiao Chen seemed to have just come out of Prime Minister Cui's study. Half of his body was hidden in the dark night, and only half of his profile was dimly illuminated by the glazed lamp hanging under the corridor, making his expression indiscernible.
Tang Qingwan immediately restrained her emotions, curtsied, and turned to leave.
"Qingwan." The Crown Prince took a few quick steps, got off the veranda, and stopped in front of Tang Qingwan.
"I've been waiting for you."
"Qingwan is feeling unwell, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with the Crown Prince's interrogation." Her tone was calm, and she slightly raised her eyes to gaze at Xiao Chen.
"The Crown Prince is a bit too impatient. The palace banquet is in three days. It will be the same if you come to interrogate me then. Why condescend to come to the Cui mansion to block me."
The Crown Prince never referred to himself as "this prince" in front of Tang Qingwan.
Therefore, the words "this subject" from Tang Qingwan sounded a bit harsh to the Crown Prince.
"Qingwan, do you have to speak to me like this?" Xiao Chen's gentle face also sank.
"Liu Wanting was bestowed by Imperial Father. Even for the sake of Imperial Father's face, you should give her some dignity. I was worried that you would do something impulsively and incur Imperial Father's blame."
"The person following Cui Yunchu that day was your person, right? Liu Wanting is a young lady from a good family after all. How could you..."
Tang Qingwan suddenly turned around and stared at the Crown Prince. The words on Xiao Chen's lips were ultimately left unsaid.
"What do you mean by 'so ruthless'? Does Your Highness think I am vicious, and your heart aches for Lady Liu, is that it?"
But she had made it clear long ago: Liu Wanting could direct all her schemes at her, but she was absolutely forbidden from harming her family.
"Unable to bear the humiliation, Lady Liu has been making a life-and-death scene at her manor." The Crown Prince knitted his brows.
For a noble lady, especially a newly prominent one like Liu Wanting who had just been bestowed the title of the Crown Prince's secondary consort, being shoved into a slop bucket was an unimaginable disgrace.
The Crown Prince felt that Tang Qingwan had gone a bit too far.
The Tang Qingwan he knew was brave, resourceful, exceptionally intelligent, and always dared to face the consequences of her actions. She was never underhanded.
"So, Your Highness went to visit Lady Liu." Tang Qingwan's voice was faint, so flat that it carried almost no trace of emotion.
Her gaze looked out at the pitch-black courtyard, as if the darkness had seeped into her very heart, dyeing the depths of her eyes with an endless gloom.
