Chapter 20
After two more days of recuperation, Cui Lanyin was all set to head to Prince Wei's Manor the next day to go over the accounts.
As dusk fell, Sangzhi burst into the room like a gust of wind, her face tight with fury. "Miss, just now that busybody old woman from the second branch of the family came over running her mouth. She said word's got around outside that you're a sickly girl with a chronic ailment in the head..." She trailed off at that point, biting her lip.
Sangzhi didn't need to finish for Cui Lanyin to guess the rest. The rumors were no doubt going on about how she was unlikely to bear children, and that no one would be foolish to take her as a wife.
A short while later, Lady Jiang also came to see her. "You were laid up sick, and your aunt didn't even bother to come check on you. Only just now she sent Nanny Du over to say those rumors started spreading yesterday, and by now I reckon everyone who's anyone has heard them." Lady Jiang huffed, her chest heaving with indignation. "Who on earth is that black-hearted wretch, spouting such nonsense to ruin a poor girl's reputation? They ought to be struck down by thunder for that!"
Not wanting to make Lady Jiang worry even more, Cui Lanyin put on a nonchalant face. "Let them talk. It's not going to do any real harm. And Uncle Prince is here to stand up for me, after all."
Lady Jiang actually took her words to heart, patting her chest in relief. "That's right. A word from Prince Wei is all it takes to secure you a fine marriage. I was being such a silly thing, getting all flustered over nothing."
After Lady Jiang left, Cui Lanyin heaved a soft sigh. She had thought that with the Yao family's housewarming banquet long past, the few families who had shown interest in her would have sent people over to sound out her family's intentions. But now, all those plans were out the window.
Who could be so determined to see her fail? She had rejected the Meng family's marriage proposal quite some time ago. Lady Min and Lady Luo would have spread those rumors ages ago if they wanted to, not wait till now.
Who else could hate to see her doing well? The main branch of the Cui family had fallen on such hard times that even with the backing of Prince Wei, they were hardly worth mentioning in the eyes of the noble families of the capital.
The number of respectable families she could possibly form a marriage alliance with was very limited, and all of those prospects were the younger sons of their respective clans. She couldn't possibly have gotten in anyone's way, could she?
Now that things had come to this point, there was no use dwelling on it. She had to focus on the reality in front of her. The next day, after the noon hour, she brought along some new snacks Cui Sheng had just developed and set off for Prince Wei's Manor.
To the entire main branch of the Cui family, Prince Wei was as good as a second creator, someone who had given them a new lease on life. No amount of effort on their part could ever repay the kindness he had shown them.
When Cui Lanyin mentioned that Prince Wei had taken a liking to the food Cui Sheng made, Cui Sheng had spent the past two days holed up in the kitchen, experimenting and coming up with several new delicious recipes.
The guards at Prince Wei's Manor had already received orders to let her in without the need for prior notice, so they ushered Cui Lanyin right into the manor.
The chief steward even came out specially to greet her. "Second Miss, you look much better." It turned out everyone in Prince Wei's Manor had heard that she had fallen ill.
Further ahead, Buyan was already waiting for her under the corridor. "Walk slowly, Second Miss." He hurried over to take the food box from Aiye's hands, then walked up the steps at Cui Lanyin's side, shielding her carefully as if she were a fragile porcelain piece that could shatter at any moment.
When they entered the study, only Prince Wei was there. He pointed to the chair in front of the Luohan couch. "Sit. No need for formal greetings."
"I'll do as Uncle Prince says." Cui Lanyin skipped the ceremonial bow.
Prince Wei normally spoke in short, staccato bursts, and getting even a single word from him was a rare treat. But now, not only had he gestured to her, he had even spoken two relatively long sentences. Cui Lanyin suddenly realized that lately, Prince Wei very rarely resorted to tapping his fingers to communicate anymore. Even when he was too lazy to speak at length, he would still make a low "hm" sound to acknowledge her.
She remembered the very first time she had come to pay her respects to Prince Wei, how overjoyed she had been just to get that single "hm" from him. She would go home and mull over their interaction again and again, trying to figure out how she could do better the next time, terrified that she might have missed some detail of etiquette.
But now, all that nervousness was long gone. She came and went as freely as she pleased. When she fell ill, Uncle Prince had sent three imperial physicians to tend to her, even covering all the medical expenses, and promised that the care would not stop. Ever since Lady Tan passed away all those years ago, she had been the one standing at the front, holding the whole family together. She had never dared to be weak, and even when she broke down crying during her recent spell of illness, she had made sure to hide away from everyone, not daring to let her emotions run wild.
But here, with Uncle Prince, she had found that long-lost sense of security she had when she was a little girl, the feeling that there was someone older to take responsibility for everything. Here, she was just a niece who needed her elder's care.
How long had it been since she felt that way? For no reason, her emotions got the better of her. A wave of sadness washed over her, and a single tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it, then another, and another. Cui Lanyin just stood there, crying like a little child.
"Why are you crying?" There was a gruff edge to Prince Wei's voice, sounding almost impatient.
If this had happened in the past, Cui Lanyin would have been so nervous she would have panicked. But now, she was not scared at all.
"Wuwu... I'm just going to cry for a little while, Uncle Prince. Don't mind me. I'll be fine soon, wuwu... Uncle Prince, I promise you, in the future I'll take good care of you in your old age!"
Buyan stole a glance at his master. No matter how he looked at him, Prince Wei didn't seem like an old man at all, even though at twenty-six years old, his age was considered fairly advanced for a nobleman of his status.
Buyan could have sworn he saw Prince Wei's face darken for a split second, but when he looked again, there was nothing unusual there.
Halfway through her crying spell, Cui Lanyin suddenly remembered something. "There are crispy meat pastries in the food box. I took them out of the oven right before I left home, so they're at their very best right now. Have you had your lunch yet, Uncle Prince? Why don't you try one? They won't taste as good if you reheat them after they go cold." She reached for the food box Buyan had set on the tall side table to open it.
"Buyan."
"Buyan can handle it. It's not even heavy work. I'll do it myself."
"Second Miss, please show me how it's done if I get it wrong." Buyan rushed to take the food box from her anyway. "His Highness didn't have much lunch, so these pastries are just perfect for him." He took the pastries out one by one, copying the way Cui Lanyin had served snacks to him before, carefully placing one on a plate and carrying it over to Prince Wei.
Seeing that there was nothing left for her to do, Cui Lanyin went back to sniffling softly. Buyan watched as Prince Wei's eyebrows knitted together then relaxed, then knitted together again. He must have been so exasperated, Buyan thought.
Prince Wei stared at the pastry on the plate, and huffed through his nose. "How am I supposed to eat with all that crying going on?"
Cui Lanyin looked at him in surprise, tears still glistening in her eyes. "Uncle Prince, you just said six whole words! That's the longest sentence I've ever heard you say!"
Prince Wei gave her a disgusted look, seeing her hiccup through her leftover tears, and decided he didn't even want to say another word. He picked up the pastry and took a big bite out of it.
Buyan was dying to agree with her. Ever since he had joined Prince Wei's service, he had never heard his master say such a long sentence either. He knew Lord Bai and the others would never have dared to point that out, though.
As far as Buyan was concerned, no one else had ever been as bold and unreserved as Second Miss was, speaking and laughing freely right in front of the Prince.
Once she had let out all her pent-up feelings, Cui Lanyin's tears stopped. She took her handkerchief, wiped her face clean, and sipped slowly from the cup of tea Buyan handed her.
She glanced around the room. "Uncle Prince, let me tell you something. These pastries, and all the other snacks I brought you before, were all developed by my father from ancient recipe books. He didn't just come up with the ideas either, he personally went into the kitchen to make every single one of them."
Buyan's jaw dropped open. That was almost as unbelievable as hearing Prince Wei utter a six-word sentence.
Prince Wei froze mid-bite, the pastry still in his mouth. The look in his eyes clearly said You're making that up again.
"I'm not lying at all. My father is different from other people. If something catches his fancy, he has to try it out himself. Cooking is nothing to him. He even learned how to build heated kangs and firewalls! The kangs and firewalls he builds heat up fast, stay warm for ages, and never let smoke leak out. I noticed you don't have a kang or a firewall here, Uncle Prince. The south is so damp, even if you don't need a kang, you really should get a firewall installed. When winter comes, I'll have my father come over and build one for you. It'll keep you nice and toasty all through the cold months."
Buyan thought back to the Cui Sheng he had seen the day before. He could not imagine the gentle, refined Third Master Cui being such an unconventional, quirky person.
But then he remembered how Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang had fussed over Cui Lanyin when she was sick, the way they doted on their daughter so tenderly. Any oddity they had must be for her sake, Buyan thought to himself, and he immediately found a kind explanation for Cui Sheng's strange hobbies.
"I'm not sleeping on the kang," Prince Wei said, keeping his head down as he continued eating his pastry. In the blink of an eye, one flaky pastry was gone, and Buyan quickly placed another one onto his plate.
"Careful you'll get cold leg rheumatism when you're old," Cui Lanyin mumbled under her breath, then quickly put on a bright smile again. "My father knows how to make all sorts of things. Uncle Cousin, is there any novel trinket you've been wanting? My father can make just about anything, and he's been dying to show you his regards."
"More of those special snacks would be nice."
"Exactly! The snacks my father makes aren't even found in the imperial palace. You're in for a real treat, Uncle Cousin."
Prince Wei finished the half pastry left on his plate in two bites, then closed his eyes. "I'm going to meditate now."
Buyan knew full well that the prince had run out of patience with her chattering.
Cui Lanyin pressed her lips into a grin, a mischievous glint flashing in her eyes as she spoke. "Uncle Cousin, look at me — I can talk and laugh just fine. My old head ailment isn't a problem anymore. As long as I can get out of bed, I'm as capable as any ordinary person. So you can put me to work whenever you need to, I'm tough as nails. Now I'll go take care of the accounts, alright?"
It was then that Buyan realized she'd been chattering nonstop just to keep the prince from stopping her from looking over the accounts, on account of her previous illness.
"Take her there," Prince Wei said, plainly dismissing them.
"Understood," Buyan replied, then turned to Cui Lanyin with a smile. "Lord Bai had the account room all tidied up long ago. This way, Second Miss, please follow me."
Cui Lanyin shook her head. "Buyan, you stay here and attend to Uncle Cousin. Someone else can show me the way, it's no trouble."
On the couch, Prince Wei flicked his two fingers together, the snapping sound louder than usual. Cui Lanyin winked at Buyan. "He's telling us not to pester him any more. Let's go, quickly."
Buyan covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, and the two of them stepped out of the study together.
The account room was the innermost side chamber on the west side of the residence. Before they even stepped through the door, Cui Lanyin spotted the colored glass panes set into the windows, and the thought of being able to sort through the accounts while soaking up the warm sunlight made her feel quite pleased.
But the moment the door swung open and she saw the towering shelves stacked high with ledgers that reached all the way to the ceiling, the smile dropped from her face. "Did they move every last account book here from the past two days?"
"Lord Bai said there are still more to come later. They won't all be gathered here until the end of the month."
It was only the beginning of the month. Cui Lanyin finally understood why Bailin had been so vague back when he'd mentioned how many account books there were in total.
