Chu Courtyard.
Cui Yunchu sat before the bronze mirror, her eyes lowered as she stared at the coral and gold-inlaid openwork floral headdress that Cui Yunfeng had exchanged with her. She could not help but fall into a daze.
Xing'er said, "Second Miss just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She has always respected you as her elder sister, Miss."
Hearing this, Nanny Zhang curled her lips. "What respect? Second Miss said it herself in Old Madam Cui's courtyard. She only did it to anger you, Miss. Besides, this headdress truly is not a style Second Miss likes."
Only their young lady could pull off such a dazzling and luxurious style without being overshadowed by the jewelry itself.
Cui Yunchu pushed the brocade box aside and lifted her eyes to shoot Nanny Zhang a faint sideways glance. "In your eyes, is there not a single good person in the Cui family?"
"Except for you, Miss."
"Miss, at the Eldest Princess's banquet tomorrow, His Highness the Crown Prince and Prince An will surely attend. You must dress up beautifully and make sure to outshine both the Cousin Miss and Second Miss."
In terms of beauty, those two were indeed no match for Cui Yunchu. But when it came to tactics and scheming, Cui Yunchu was completely out of her league.
The only reason she had managed to live peacefully until now was thanks to Tang Qingwan not stooping to her level.
Xing'er held back again and again, but finally could not help saying, "Nanny Zhang, please stop egging our Miss on. What if she really angers the Cousin Miss and gets pushed off a cliff? What would we do then?"
Nanny Zhang was unconcerned. "The Cousin Miss is just trying to scare our Miss. She would not actually do that. Besides, if our Miss wins the Crown Prince's favor, His Highness will naturally protect her."
Cui Yunchu propped her head up with one hand, listening to Xing'er and Nanny Zhang argue.
"Miss." Eventually, the two of them looked at Cui Yunchu in unison.
"Nanny Zhang, come here. Step a bit closer."
Nanny Zhang immediately stepped forward, and Cui Yunchu lifted her leg and gave her a swift kick.
Valuing loyalty and past affection was one thing, but it truly would not do if she did not teach this servant a lesson.
"You act so capable, yet not a single one of your ideas is actually useful."
If even one had succeeded, Cui Yunchu would have thought more highly of her.
Nanny Zhang fell to the ground, looking at Cui Yunchu in shock.
Cui Yunchu rolled up her sleeves. Still furious, she kicked her again. "Of course, you are not the one who gets dealt with by Tang Qingwan, you are not the one who gets mocked and belittled, and you are not the one who gets thrown out of restaurants."
"Seducing the Crown Prince, climbing into Prince An's bed—why do you not go do it yourself?"
"Miss," Nanny Zhang huddled in fear and scooted backward. "This old servant..."
Cui Yunchu snapped, "Shut your mouth and get out."
Xing'er watched, dumbfounded. Seeing Cui Yunchu panting heavily, she quickly walked over, poured a cup of warm tea, and handed it to her.
Cui Yunchu took it and drank it all in one gulp.
"You are no saint either." Cui Yunchu glared at Xing'er.
Although Nanny Zhang always loved to instigate her, in her past life, when Tang Qingwan was dealing with her, Xing'er had directly sold her out.
Even though she was already at the end of her rope at that time.
"Miss," Xing'er was a bit bewildered.
"You get out too."
The room fell quiet. Only then did Cui Yunchu barely manage to calm the anger in her chest. She raised her eyes, and the copy of the Thirty-Six Stratagems on the dressing table caught her sight.
She took two steps forward, picked it up, and threw it right under the bed.
The next day.
Nanny Zhang's eyes were red, as if she were enduring immense grievance, while she applied makeup for Cui Yunchu.
Xing'er served Cui Yunchu as she dressed, not daring to utter a word. The atmosphere was quite heavy and oppressive for a time.
The jewelry Cui Yunchu wore today was exactly the headdress set bestowed by Old Madam Cui yesterday.
A few scattered rays of sunlight spilled through the window and fell on Cui Yunchu in front of the dressing table, emitting a soft, faint glow. The floral applique on her forehead and the coral in her hair could not compare to even half of her natural radiance.
"Miss..."
The moment Nanny Zhang opened her mouth, Cui Yunchu glared her back into silence.
Beauty is a woman's sharpest weapon. Nanny Zhang held this saying from her mother as a golden rule.
Therefore, without her even speaking, Cui Yunchu knew exactly what Nanny Zhang wanted to say.
Cui Yunchu looked in the mirror, feeling thoroughly pleased with her own reflection. "I am beautiful. It is pleasing enough to look at myself in the mirror every day. Why would I go looking for trouble?"
Cui Yunchu led Xing'er away, and Nanny Zhang immediately took a few steps to follow.
"You stay behind and watch the house."
Nanny Zhang pouted in grievance and sullenly agreed.
Cui Yunchu shuddered. "You already have one foot in the grave, so stop acting cute. It gives me the creeps."
They had all learned bad habits from her.
No, they were corrupted by those Thirty-Six Stratagems. Another day, she would have to ask around and find out which idiot wrote that book. It was probably written specifically to scam a fool like her.
However, some habits that had been deeply poisoned into her by Concubine Zhou, Nanny Zhang, and those Thirty-Six Stratagems could not be changed overnight.
"Cui Yunchu, do you not know how to walk without swaying your hips?"
"Ah, Second Sister." Cui Yunchu walked over in two or three steps.
"Do not speak to me with that fake, pinched voice," Cui Yunfeng roared at her, unable to bear it any longer.
Such a fiery little temper.
Cui Yunchu twitched her lips. Was it not just that she could not change her habits all at once?
"You are a daughter of the Cui family. We are going to a banquet, not a beauty pageant," Cui Yunfeng said, exasperated.
Cui Yunchu touched her hair bun. She had already restrained herself a lot today.
But her parents had given her a face beautiful enough to ruin kingdoms. What could she possibly do about it?
Cui Yunchu's unconscious movement appeared full of seductive charm in Cui Yunfeng's eyes, inevitably making her feel that she was deliberately showing off and striking coquettish poses.
"Cui Yunchu, get the hell away from me!"
"Eldest Miss, Second Miss, Old Madam Cui asks both of you to come in."
"..." Cui Yunfeng's face immediately turned a bit pale.
Grandmother must have heard her words just now and would definitely reprimand her.
Her face fell, she pouted, and glared at Cui Yunchu.
A maid lifted the beaded curtain, and the two sisters walked in, one after the other.
