Chapter Fourteen
When Qinglin escorted her out yesterday, Cui Lanyin asked again and only then learned that the younger generation of the Yao family had gone to Prince Wei’s residence, but even they had not been granted an audience.
This, in fact, aligned with Prince Wei’s usual demeanor. Yet why had he treated her differently? After returning, Cui Lanyin pondered this for a long time and even wondered if it might have been because of Lady Tan.
Now, as Empress Dowager Chen spoke, it became clear that this was indeed the case.
"When I was young, I occasionally heard my grandmother mention that she had visited the palace a few times during Consort Yao’s lifetime."
"If it were merely ordinary socializing, you wouldn’t have been able to enter Prince Wei’s residence. He is not one to engage in familial visits," Empress Dowager Chen summarized. "Back then, their mother and son were in dire straits, and everyone else avoided them. Only your grandmother maintained contact. After Consort Yao passed, it must have been your grandmother who advised Prince Wei to seek me out..."
With just these few words, Cui Lanyin could already imagine the heart-stopping tension of those times.
Noticing her difficulty in responding, Aunt Xia stepped in, pointing at Cui Lanyin’s attire. "This outfit suits you beautifully," she said, deftly changing the subject.
This time, Cui Lanyin wore a pomegranate-red brocade short jacket with a square collar, paired with a deep indigo pleated skirt that balanced the vibrancy of the top. Her hair was adorned with the same gold filigree and jade crabapple hairpin she had worn at Empress Dowager Chen’s birthday banquet, and her ears bore tiny gold swastika-shaped earrings. Though her attire was conventional, her snow-white skin and jet-black hair made her a vision of elegance, sitting there like a masterpiece of a classical beauty.
Empress Dowager Chen’s appreciative gaze lingered on her face. "Did you deliberately use darker powder on your face?"
"Not just her face," Aunt Xia lifted Cui Lanyin’s thick bangs. "These bangs and these thick eyebrows—how unsightly! She’s clearly afraid of not looking plain enough."
"I’ve truly never met a girl like you before," Empress Dowager Chen admitted after studying Cui Lanyin closely. "I used to despise those with looks like yours—those who flaunt their beauty to take whatever they want, pretending to be modest while ensuring they get the best of everything, all while preserving their pristine reputation... Hmph..."
The pointed remark made Cui Lanyin uneasy. "Your Majesty must be meeting a fool like me for the first time. My grandmother used to say I was a boy mistakenly born as a girl. She told me to tone down my appearance so people wouldn’t be fooled into thinking I’d make a delicate wife—that would be a grave misunderstanding."
Aunt Gao, who had just returned, was directing a young eunuch to arrange pastries on the kang table when she burst into laughter, nearly collapsing onto the embroidered stool. Pointing at Aunt Xia, she gasped, "Quick, help me shut this girl’s mouth! If she keeps talking like this, I’ll be rolling on the floor!"
Aunt Xia was also clutching her stomach in laughter. She approached Cui Lanyin, raising a hand as if to cover her mouth, but paused. "This skin is like tender tofu—I can’t bring myself to touch it." Instead, she lightly tapped Cui Lanyin’s cheek. "I’ve never seen a young lady speak so boldly about marriage. ‘Delicate wife’? Do you even know what that means?"
"Of course I do—a sweet, fragile lady, right?"
"My scripture recitation earlier was wasted. With her around, there’s no peace of mind," Empress Dowager Chen chuckled, her earlier melancholy dissipating.
"Bring it here," the Empress Dowager instructed Aunt Gao.
Aunt Gao hurried out of the side hall and soon returned with a small sandalwood box, presenting it to Her Majesty.
After opening it and examining the contents for a moment, Empress Dowager Chen handed it to Cui Lanyin. "These are pieces I wore casually as a young girl. They’re not particularly valuable, but take them as a gift."
Inside were two sets of jewelry: pearl hairpins with matching earrings, and an exquisitely crafted gold filigree pavilion hairpin paired with gold lantern earrings. The pearls were small, and the gold filigree hairpin delicate—neither set was ostentatious in material, but their unique designs and masterful craftsmanship spoke of refined taste, the kind favored by noble young ladies.
Since Empress Dowager Chen had bestowed them, refusal was out of the question. Cui Lanyin accepted them with both hands. "I never leave empty-handed. If there’s a ranking for freeloading, I’d dare claim second place—no one would dare take first."
Empress Dowager Chen hadn’t expected such self-deprecating humor. This girl continually surprised her. "You’re too young to know about freeloading. If not for you, I’d still think Prince Wei was ungrateful. Now I understand, and my future won’t be bleak. Consider this my thanks."
After a pause, she added, "No need to hide your looks anymore. That uncle of his isn’t just for show."
Later, after sharing pastries with Empress Dowager Chen and seeing that it was nearly mealtime, Aunt Xia personally escorted Cui Lanyin to the dismounting bridge, accompanied by a young eunuch. Along the way, palace maids and eunuchs couldn’t help but stare.
Before Cui Lanyin boarded her carriage, Aunt Xia took her hand. "In these two visits, you’ve made Her Majesty laugh more than in the past month combined. If you have time, come often."
Cui Lanyin agreed politely, knowing this was meant to elevate her status, though she didn’t take it to heart.
As the carriage neared home, it suddenly jerked to a halt. Geng Dayou called from outside, "Second Young Miss, are you alright? Someone with a covered head just dashed out and crashed into the carriage!"
"I’m fine. Go check if they’re hurt and take them to a physician if needed."
Geng Dayou acknowledged and soon returned, whispering by the carriage window, "Second Young Miss, it’s Liu Heipi."
His appearance was clearly no accident. Cui Lanyin instructed, "Let’s return to the manor first. Later, slip out quietly and see what’s going on."
Geng Dayou went ahead to have the gatekeepers open the doors.
Inside the carriage, Cui Lanyin peeked through a gap in the curtain. Not far off, Liu Heipi hovered, torn between approaching and holding back, looking utterly pitiful.
Bailin wasn’t present. Yesterday, when Qinglin escorted her out, Cui Lanyin had mentioned how Liu Heipi had even sent boatmen from the canal guild to patronize her tea shop. Qinglin dismissed it outright. "A pittance. It’s not even enough to compensate your shop’s staff for the fright. Let him be."
Hearing this, Cui Lanyin knew Liu Heipi hadn’t yet received the full measure of his punishment.
After alighting, she didn’t head to the inner quarters but went straight to the eastern chamber of the front hall, where household matters were managed.
No sooner had she settled in than Geng Dayou returned. "Second Young Miss, that Liu Heipi was practically begging on his knees, desperate to pay his respects to you. He seemed to be in dire straits. No matter how I reasoned with him, he refused to leave. He even said that if you wouldn’t see him, he’d kneel at our gates. I finally told him outright that Bailin had given us his token, and if he didn’t leave, I’d summon Bailin. At the mention of Bailin, he broke down, weeping uncontrollably. He begged me to ask you to pass a message to Bailin. If you refused, he said he’d have no choice but to throw himself into the Wu Yang River. He claimed he deserved to die, but his family would suffer."
Cui Lanyin was curious—what had Bailin and the others done?
Liu Heipi’s desperation was obvious. Knowing she could reach Bailin, he must have followed her the moment she sent Geng Dayou to Prince Wei’s residence. For now, she’d have to placate him and send him away.
"Clear the gatehouse. I’ll meet him there."
Geng Dayou agreed this was the best course and hurried off to make arrangements.
After waiting a while longer, Geng Dayou came to invite them. Cui Lanyin, accompanied by Aiyi, followed him to the reception room where visitors were attended to.
As soon as Cui Lanyin stepped inside, Liu Heipi bowed deeply to her. "I beg Second Miss Cui to relay a message to Master Bailin for me. From now on, if you ever need anything, I will never refuse."
"You must be mistaken, Master Liu," Cui Lanyin replied. "Master Bailin left me his token only because I was inadvertently involved in that incident. I have never used it, nor do I intend to. I can deliver your message, but beyond that, I can do nothing more. So once the message is passed, I hope you will not come here again."
"I understand, I understand. I’m already endlessly grateful that you’re willing to relay my words."
"Then tell me, Master Liu—what message do you wish me to deliver?"
Perhaps because he had no one else to turn to, Liu Heipi poured out everything, relevant or not. "Brother Geng must have told you, Second Miss. That day, I gathered my men to curse the Heir of Duke Ding and even beat his guards. That’s the root of this trouble. Now the Duke Ding’s estate has alerted the Five-City Patrol to hunt me down. For the first few days, I could still hide on a boat, but yesterday they started inspecting even the vessels coming and going. Here in the eastern district, they’ve only blocked key intersections to avoid disturbing the nobility, but if this continues, I won’t be able to stay in Yingcheng. Yet I’ve already staked my entire fortune here..."
Cui Lanyin couldn’t bear his endless rambling. "Master Liu, do you want me to arrange a meeting with Master Bailin?"
Liu Heipi nodded eagerly. "After all these years in the world, I still have some judgment. Bailin spoke of Duke Ding’s estate without a care, and Master Zhao carried himself with such authority—he must have powerful backing. Originally, I hoped you could inquire which family Master Zhao is connected to, but now that you can speak to Bailin directly, it’s even better. Please put in a good word for me and beg Master Bailin to see me just once."
Prince Wei would attend the banquet for Consort Yao’s relocation. Surely someone with "Lin" in their name would accompany him. Geng Dayou could discreetly pass the message then without drawing attention.
"I’ll deliver it within thirty days. Wait for my word, Master Liu."
"Could it be any sooner?"
"Then perhaps you should find someone else."
Liu Heipi quickly forced a smile. "I’ll await your good news, Second Miss."
