"Cousin," Cui Yunfeng gently squeezed Tang Qingwan's hand, her eyes full of worry.
Tang Qingwan turned her head slightly and gave her a faint smile. "Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing."
Indeed, she had grown up alongside the Crown Prince since childhood. Even if she didn't know him like the back of her hand, she still understood him exceedingly well.
"Must this marriage really take place?" Cui Yunfeng asked in a low voice.
Tang Qingwan paused briefly, slowly stroking the back of her hand. "If it isn't me, it will be you and Yunchu."
Smiling faintly, her gaze turned distant. "Your cousin was dragged into this quagmire from a young age; there's no need for you two to get caught up in this mess."
"Besides," she pursed her lips, her gaze finally landing on the Crown Prince opposite them, "he and I share over a decade of history. Whether in life or death, right or wrong, we can only and must remain entangled."
When Tang Qingwan did things, there was no turning back. She would stake everything on a single throw, even if it meant mutual destruction.
Even knowing it was a dead end, she had to take the seat of the Crown Princess and walk this path hand in hand with him.
"He values power, and I value my family. Aren't we quite a perfect match?" Tang Qingwan smiled faintly.
She knew perfectly well how today would end. What she wanted had never been a grand wedding ceremony, but rather his guilt.
"Yunfeng, a man's guilt will help you achieve many impossible things."
Cui Yunfeng didn't understand, because she and Xiao Yi had never schemed against each other or engaged in such petty rivalries.
Perhaps it was Xiao Chen's status as the Crown Prince and Tang Qingwan's family background that doomed them to never treat each other with the wholehearted devotion of an ordinary married couple.
Cui Yunchu listened quietly to their conversation, her eyes slightly downcast, thinking instead of her past life when she had been endlessly dramatic and troublesome.
If she had been Tang Qingwan, stuck in such a desperate situation with such a high-maintenance cousin, she probably would have wanted to strangle her.
Cui Yunchu now felt that Tang Qingwan had truly been merciful to her back then.
"Eldest Miss Cui," someone tugged at her sleeve.
Cui Yunchu turned around to see a girl in a light purple dress, her face full of fawning flattery.
It was one of her little followers, surnamed Gu, the daughter of a concubine who had been elevated to official wife.
It was also these two who had given her so much courage back then.
"What is it?" Cui Yunchu leaned down to ask.
Miss Gu looked left and right, and after making sure no one was paying attention to them, she said, "Are you currently in marriage talks with the eldest son of the Chen family?"
Did news travel that fast? Cui Yunchu was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly. "The elders in the family have the intention, but nothing is settled yet. Why?"
Miss Gu seemed hesitant to speak. "I'll tell you, but please don't get angry."
Cui Yunchu blinked.
"Before the palace banquet started, Miss Zhang and I bumped into Young Master Chen on a cobblestone path outside the hall. The one with him was That Wang boy. They were whispering and muttering for quite a while, and I'm guessing it wasn't anything good."
That Wang boy? Cui Yunchu was a bit confused; she couldn't quite remember him.
"You forgot? He's the husband of Miss Zhao, the one who insisted you tried to seduce him back then."
Hearing this, Cui Yunchu remembered. So it was him.
Aside from his height, he had nothing else going for him. He was so ugly she wished she could poke her own eyes out.
When the rumor that she had seduced him spread, Cui Yunchu's first reaction was pure disgust. She might be dramatic and enjoy flirting with men, but they had to be men of noble status and outstanding appearance.
As for that guy surnamed Wang, even if there were no other men left for eight lifetimes, she wouldn't even spare him a glance out of the corner of her eye.
Unfortunately, her reputation was poor, and no one would believe her explanation. In everyone's eyes, seducing a friend's fiancé was exactly the sort of thing she, Cui Yunchu, would do.
"Oh," Cui Yunchu replied indifferently, devoid of any emotion.
Miss Gu couldn't help but say, "Yunchu, that guy is no good. He might have been seeking out Young Master Chen to badmouth you."
Cui Yunchu swept her gaze toward where the Chen family was seated and gave another faint, soft response.
"Ignore them."
The palace banquet continued. It mostly consisted of officials flattering the monarch, with all sorts of praises emerging one after another, as if they were exhausting everything they had learned in their lifetimes.
Prime Minister Cui and Grand Tutor Tang sat upright on the left and right just below the Emperor, presenting a scene of harmonious relations between monarch and ministers, full of joy.
Up above, cups were exchanged, and praises of the Emperor's achievements echoed endlessly. In the hall, the sound of string and bamboo instruments played softly, while dancers swayed their long, wide sleeves, fluttering gracefully.
Cui Yunchu hated attending palace banquets the most.
The food was cold, one's back always had to be bent in submission, and a smile had to be plastered on one's face at all times.
Halfway through the banquet, the Minister of Rites suddenly stepped forward and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau has observed the stars at night and divined that this year is a year of abundant omens. I consulted the almanac and found that there is indeed a highly auspicious day one month from now. The Crown Prince has long since reached adulthood. I suggest advancing the Crown Prince's wedding ceremony to a month from now."
"The Crown Prince's great fortune is the fortune of all the people in our nation."
The hall fell briefly silent for a moment before many officials voiced their agreement.
One didn't even need to think to know that this was all arranged by the Emperor in advance.
Cui Yunchu watched from the corner of her eye, a mocking smile floating on her lips.
Old Madam Cui lowered her voice and said, "Qingwan, grandmother will ask you one last time, are you willing? If you are not, grandmother will definitely protect you from suffering such a grievance today."
Tang Qingwan slowly raised her eyes, first looking at Old Madam Cui, then up at Prime Minister Cui and Grand Tutor Tang sitting at the head.
Only then did she realize that everyone in the Cui family was looking at her, waiting for her decision.
Finally, she looked at the Crown Prince across from her. He was also looking at her, but his eyes carried obvious guilt.
By announcing it at the palace banquet, the Emperor had left him no room to maneuver. The Crown Prince knew clearly in his heart that he had broken his promise once again.
"I am willing," Tang Qingwan parted her lips slightly. "Even if it means a fight to the death."
Old Madam Cui closed her eyes slightly, and after a moment, gave a slight shake of her head to Prime Minister Cui and Grand Tutor Tang.
The Cui family all fell into silence.
Meanwhile, at the head of the hall, the Emperor had already proclaimed his decree. The officials of the capital all knew that the Emperor had bestowed the Miss of the Liu family upon the Crown Prince as a secondary consort, but they were still shocked when they heard the decree stating that the primary and secondary consorts were to be married on the same day.
Having the secondary consort enter the household at the same time was no different from a slap in the face to the Cui family.
However, the hall was exceptionally quiet. Apart from studying the expressions of the Cui family members, no one spoke a word.
"Since it is a highly auspicious day, marrying them together can be considered a double blessing. Prime Minister Cui, my beloved subject Tang, what do you think?" The Emperor's sharp gaze fell upon the two men seated below, though his face bore a smile.
Grand Tutor Tang gripped his cup tightly and remained silent for a moment. Prime Minister Cui spoke in a calm voice, "What Your Majesty says is true. However, your old subject has one point of confusion and would like to seek a word of advice from Minister Chen."
The Minister of Rites was none other than Minister Chen. The two families were already in the midst of marriage talks, so upon hearing Prime Minister Cui's words, he immediately cupped his hands in respect. "Please ask, Prime Minister Cui."
"If the primary and secondary consorts enter the household on the same day, what about the wedding ceremony? Will they bow to heaven and earth together as well?"
Minister Chen immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "This..."
"Prime Minister Cui must be joking," spoke Grand Tutor Tang. He was the sort of person who looked knowledgeable, upright, and outspoken at first glance, and the words he spoke were naturally just as straightforward as the man himself.
"Although a side consort is recorded in the imperial genealogy, she is ultimately still a concubine. Even His Majesty's concubines must kneel before the Empress. Since she is a concubine, there is no justification for her to perform the ceremonial bows to heaven and earth. This is an ancient precept."
"What Grand Tutor Tang says is reasonable," Prime Minister Cui nodded.
The two of them echoed each other in perfect harmony. In contrast, Minister Chen, who stood below them, looked rather awkwardly stuck, unable to advance or retreat.
It turned out he was nothing more than a target, without even a chance to speak.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes, his expression visibly darkening, but it was only for a fleeting moment before he immediately returned to his usual demeanor.
It was already quite a feat for the Cui family to concede this much; he could not push them too hastily.
"My two beloved subjects make a fair point. The rules left by our ancestors must not be broken."
"Our ancestors left behind many rules, but there is certainly no precedent for marrying a primary wife and a concubine at the exact same time," Old Madam Cui finally could not hold back the anger in her heart. She spoke in a mild tone, though her face remained exceedingly respectful.
The Emperor's gaze instantly turned cold and ruthless. The Empress hastily spoke up to smooth things over.
It was only now that Cui Yunchu profoundly understood the true power and influence of the Cui and Tang clans.
Those words of her grandmother were something no other official's family would ever dare to say.
But then again, if the imperial family had not pushed them too far, her Cui family would not have acted this way either.
