Chapter Twenty-Six
Only after watching Geng Dashun leave from beneath the veranda did Cui Lanyin return to the room.
She found it somewhat difficult to face her parents, sister, and younger brothers. Now that she had rejected Prince Duan, even if she became a Daoist nun, her family would have little hope of rising in the future.
After everything that had happened, she truly began to wonder whether she was fated to bring misfortune upon her relatives. Otherwise, why did one calamity follow another? Just when she thought things were finally looking up, another blow would come and knock her flat.
There was no need to mention events farther back. Since the third month, the Tan and Yao families had become related by marriage; the Meng family had come looking for her with that disastrous marriage proposal; she had been schemed against by Liu Heipi and branded as a sickly woman incapable of bearing children; and now Prince Kang had plotted to have her become a concubine to Prince Duan. Every time she resolved one problem and began to feel there was hope, another followed close behind, leaving her utterly exhausted from dealing with them.
Other people might think that becoming the Crown Prince’s secondary consort would mean eventually becoming an imperial consort—both an honor to herself and a glory for her family. Cui Lanyin did not see it that way. She remembered Lady Tan’s words well: Better to be a wife in a small household than a concubine in a great one. In her eyes, even the Empress or the Noble Consort was still a concubine, let alone some Crown Princess’s secondary consort.
The women of the Li family, spanning three generations, were proof enough. If they lacked nothing, why did Empress Dowager Li and Concubine Li Shu, despite having given birth to emperors of two successive generations, still insist that someone from the Li family must be carried through the main gate of the imperial palace as empress before they would be satisfied?
And then there was Empress Dowager Chen, as well as Empress Xu. From the few words she had heard from Empress Dowager Chen, it was clear that every woman with a place in the palace stood behind a web of slaughter and power struggles among various factions.
The palace could be called the greatest den of trouble in the world. She had neither influence nor the means to protect herself. If she entered, she would become a pawn for others to manipulate at will. When the time came, she might not even know how the women of the Cui family’s main branch had died—let alone how she herself had met her end.
Whether she agreed or refused, the main branch of the Cui family would gain nothing. That was why Cui Lanyin felt she was fated to bring misfortune upon her relatives.
Perhaps she truly ought to go to Returning Truth Abbey and become a Daoist nun. Would that amount to severing her ties with her family? If so, perhaps she would no longer be able to bring them misfortune.
For now, however, she could not mention it. At a time like this, her family was determined to stand with her through everything. Bringing it up would only put them in an impossible position. She would wait a while longer.
After all that running around, it had turned out to be for nothing, and Cui Lanyin began to lose heart.
“I’ll go tidy up my quarters first. Since I’ve become a Daoist nun, I should do it properly.” Afraid that her family would worry, she smiled at Cui Lanzhi. “Big Sister, don’t tire yourself or my nephew. Go rest first. Once I’m done tidying up, we can talk.”
“I’ll come with you.” At a time like this, how could Cui Lanzhi let her go alone? “I’ll watch you pack. It won’t tire me.”
Cui Lanyin wanted her sister’s company as well. She linked arms with Cui Lanzhi, and the two sisters prepared to head to the back rooms.
Madam Hong suddenly rose to her feet. “I failed to think this through. Your family’s home is already rather cramped, and with all of us squeezing in here, it may be fine for a day or two, but it won’t do for long. Your Uncle Tan has plenty of room. We ought to go there.”
She looked at Hong Ji. “Why don’t we go over now? We’re all relatives. If we stay here today and only go there tomorrow, it would be terribly discourteous.”
Hong Ji frowned. “Mother, how could a wife’s family not stay with her parents? Besides, we have a place of our own, and it’s no worse than this home. How does that count as cramped? And isn’t it only proper that we come to my wife’s parents’ home first? No one could find fault with that. If we went to the Tan family’s house now, that would look abrupt. We should wait until tomorrow.”
Hong Ji continued, “Lanzhi is pregnant. With my father- and mother-in-law and her younger sister and brothers here to look after her, I can devote myself entirely to my studies. Mother, please don’t complicate matters.”
Madam Hong had no choice but to abandon the idea. When she spoke again, the smile on her face was strained.
Apart from Lady Jiang, who failed to notice anything amiss, everyone else understood what was happening. Hong Ji could only keep talking to smooth things over for her.
At lunchtime, Madam Hong seemed even less able to eat when faced with Cui Lanyin in her Daoist robes.
The Cui family, as well as Hong Ji, however, were completely unaffected and continued eating with gusto.
The food they had eaten on the road had been plain and meager, while the dishes at home had been carefully prepared according to their tastes. After Cui Lanzhi and Hong Ji had eaten their fill, they still felt unsatisfied and added half a bowl of rice, finishing every last grain before setting down their bowls.
If Madam Hong had not been there, Cui Sheng would have liked to cook the meal himself.
For one thing, his eldest daughter had never tasted his cooking. For another, he wanted his second daughter to eat something she enjoyed so that her mood might improve. He had always been broad-minded and believed that there was no troublesome matter a good meal could not ease. If one meal was not enough, then they could have two, or three.
After the table was cleared, everyone sat with a cup of tea, waiting for their food to settle before taking an afternoon rest.
In the south, April was sweltering whenever it did not rain, and people kept the windows open during the midday hours.
When they heard footsteps moving outside, they looked through the window and saw Granny Sun leading Buyan into the main courtyard.
Geng Dayou had not yet returned. Cui Lanyin was wondering what might have happened when Buyan arrived first.
Under Madam Hong’s probing gaze, she went outside. “Buyan, why are you here? Didn’t Geng Dayou explain that I’m not in a position to go out at the moment?”
Seeing Cui Lanyin dressed as a Daoist nun, Buyan pressed his lips together. “Second Young Miss, you don’t look good dressed like that.”
“Now that I’m a Daoist nun, I don’t have to worry about looking good.” Cui Lanyin tugged at his cheek. “Don’t pull such a long face. I’m asking you a question.”
“His Highness wants Second Young Miss to go over.”
“Didn’t Geng Dayou explain that it would be inconvenient for me to go over for the time being?”
“He did. Master Qing reported every word to His Highness without leaving anything out, and His Highness sent me to escort Second Young Miss there.”
“After you returned from the palace yesterday, did you tell anyone anything?”
“I told Master Bai what I knew.”
With Prince Wei’s extraordinary intelligence and meticulousness that left no room for error, that alone should have been enough for him to figure out what had happened. So shouldn’t they have silently understood one another and left matters as they were? She would be a Daoist nun, and he would be Prince Wei. Once the storm had passed, she could pay him a token visit, go through the motions, and gradually drift away from him.
It was the most natural course of events. Yet he insisted on making things difficult.
“Then I’ll write a letter for you to deliver to my uncle.”
“That won’t do, Second Young Miss. If you don’t come back with me, Master Qing will come here later. And if he still fails to bring you back…” Buyan revealed the rest. “Second Young Miss, you haven’t met Master Chi yet, have you? Master Chi has female guards under his command. They can scale walls and cross rooftops even more deftly than Master Qing and the others.”
Cui Lanyin understood. If she refused to go with Buyan, then after Qinglin returned empty-handed, female guards would climb over the wall, seize her, and carry her to Prince Wei’s residence. In short, she was going to have to make the trip no matter what.
The anger she had been suppressing since yesterday could no longer be held back. It surged upward in wave after wave. Even after taking several deep breaths, Cui Lanyin could not force it down.
Did that man really think he was invincible? Had he grown so accustomed to throwing his weight around in the martial world that he believed the imperial family worked the same way—that as long as his fists were hard enough, he had nothing to fear?
Or did he think that, with his clever mind, everything was within his grasp and he could escape unscathed no matter what he did?
Cui Lanyin grabbed Buyan by the arm. “Fine, I’ll go. What am I afraid of?” If she ended up dragging him down with her, it would be too late for regrets.
Aiye pointed at the Daoist robes she was wearing. “Miss, aren’t you going to change?”
“I already said I’ve entered the Daoist faith. How can I go back on my word?” Cui Lanyin lifted her chin and strode out ahead of them.
Aiye hurriedly pulled Buyan along and followed.
After watching the three of them leave, Madam Hong, Hong Ji, and Cui Lanzhi still could not tear their gazes away.
Cui Lanzhi said worriedly, "Was it Prince Wei who summoned Lanyin? Is it really alright that only Aiye is going with her?"
Lady Jiang pulled her to sit down, and Cui Sheng said, "Lanyin has long been familiar with the way to Prince Wei's Manor. There is nothing to worry about, she will be back in a little while."
A thought crossed Madam Hong's mind. "I noticed that palace eunuch called Lanyin 'Second Miss'. It seems she has been visiting Prince Wei's Manor quite often on ordinary days."
No one in the room had the heart to respond to her.
Prince Wei's four-horse carriage traveled extremely fast, and people and other carriages on the road all made way the moment they spotted the Prince Wei's procession, so the group arrived at the manor in no time.
From the manor gates onward, Cui Lanyin walked deeper inside amid the echoing greetings of "Second Miss" that rose and fell all around her.
She had just rounded the Cheng Yun Hall when she saw Qinglin, Bailin, and two other unfamiliar men in their twenties standing under the corridor. Judging by their crimson and dark black robes, those two must be Chilin and Xuanlin.
Stepping onto the veranda, before Cui Lanyin could even curtsy, Bailin and Qinglin stepped forward first, cupping their hands in a bow. "Second Miss, you have arrived."
Bailin then gestured to the side. "Second Miss, you have not met Chilin and Xuanlin before, have you?"
Chilin lived up to his name: he had a bold, unrestrained, strikingly handsome face, with a soft, almost feminine beauty that made him the most eye-catching of the four. Xuanlin, by contrast, was the most ordinary-looking of the group, with regular, neat features, a slightly tanned face, the kind of man who would never draw a second glance anywhere he went.
After so many previous visits, Bailin and Qinglin had always stayed with Prince Wei in his study, so Cui Lanyin asked, "Is Uncle Tan napping? Should I wait here for a while?"
Bailin shook his head. "The Prince is waiting for you right now. Second Miss, please go in quickly."
Cui Lanyin had not thought much of it earlier, but Bailin, who was usually such a talkative fellow, had not said a single word or even glanced at her Taoist robe today, which was completely out of character.
She said hesitantly, "Aren't you all coming in?"
Qinglin took a step back, Chilin and Xuanlin tilted their heads to look at the sky, and only Bailin remained standing in place, deliberately avoiding meeting her eyes. "This is Second Miss's private matter after all, we are not supposed to listen in."
Seeing how all of them were acting as if they were running for their lives to avoid the situation, the boldness Cui Lanyin had summoned on the way there drained away. She took a deep breath and called out, "Uncle Tan, I'm coming in now?"
There was a sharp thud of something tapping against the door from inside. "The Prince says to come in," Buyan said as he stepped forward to pull the door open.
Too distracted to wonder over Prince Wei's novel way of inviting someone in, Cui Lanyin paced slowly into the room.
Prince Wei was leaning against the embroidered bolster just as he always was, his expression unchanged, still carrying that usual air of utter indifference to everything around him. But Cui Lanyin could not relax at all. She could feel an invisible, heavy pressure pressing in on her from all sides, making it hard for her to breathe.
After waiting for a long time without Prince Wei uttering a single word or even tapping his fingers, Cui Lanyin could not hold out any longer. She spoke first, "Geng Dayou must not have explained everything clearly. Let me tell you, Uncle Tan, that I..."
Prince Wei acted as if he had not heard her at all, and only said, "Go look over the accounts."
"Uncle Tan, I am going to cultivate the Taoist path from now on, so I cannot look after your accounts anymore."
"Buyan, take her there," Prince Wei ordered.
He was not even letting her finish speaking. The anger that had been quelled a moment earlier flared up again. Cui Lanyin planted her feet firmly, putting on an unyielding stance. She shouted at the top of her voice, "I will not go!"
Her yell echoed around the hall, carrying such startling force that Buyan, who had already lifted his foot to step forward, instantly pulled it back.
Prince Wei tossed a fragrant pear up and down in his hand, his gaze cold and detached. "Go."
Did he really force her to lay all her cards on the table? Cui Lanyin dragged a chair over and sat down with a heavy thud. "Uncle Tan, what exactly do you want to do? Even if my Grandmother once gave you guidance all those years ago, all you have done for me this time is more than enough to repay that favor. No, you have already repaid it a hundred times over, so much that I feel unworthy of it.
Your niece may not be the most sincere person, and I have no end of flaws, but I know how to distinguish right from wrong. I understand that everything in this world has its cause and its due fate. I never covet what is not mine, and I never shrink back from what is rightfully mine. To put it plainly, I am just your distant cousin, so far removed that our relation barely counts for anything. All the kindness you have shown me before is already more than I have any right to accept. I cannot bring myself to take any more, so please, Uncle Tan, leave me be."
"You want to cut all ties?"
"Yes!"
"That is not going to work." Prince Wei tossed the pear in his hand backward, and without any visible effort, there was a sharp crack. The pear smashed a hole straight through the colored glass window behind him. The window frame swayed with a creaking noise, and then the whole panel came crashing down outwards.
Cui Lanyin jumped up from her chair, staring at Prince Wei as if he were a total stranger.
Prince Wei had always looked half-asleep, never showing any extra emotion. Cui Lanyin had always thought there was nothing in the world that could make him happy or angry. Only now did she realize she was wrong. Prince Wei had a temper, and it was a ferocious one.
Though she was terrified, she refused to back down. Caught between shock and fury, she lost all sense. Prince Duan had been hounding her nonstop, and now Prince Wei would not listen to a single word she said. Things were already hopeless, so none of them would get to have it easy! She grabbed an ornamental vase from the tall side table and smashed it to the ground. "As if you are the only one who can break things!"
Prince Wei waved his hand, sweeping the square low table on the Arhat couch and all the objects on top of it crashing to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Not to be outdone, Cui Lanyin turned around and pushed a porcelain gu-form vase off the long table, sending it crashing down.
Buyan huddled by the door, holding his head in his hands. He did not dare step forward to stop either of them, but he also did not dare run out the door to escape, so he stood there trembling all over.
The occasional sound of something breaking could be brushed off as nothing, but the string of shatters was so loud that Bailin and the other three who were waiting outside the veranda burst into the hall. They froze, completely stunned at the sight of all the broken bits scattered across the floor.
They could see clearly that the pile of shards at Cui Lanyin's feet was not smashed by Prince Wei—so the two of them had been throwing things back and forth at each other? How on earth did this Second Miss summon the courage to provoke the Prince like that?
While the others were still shocked, Chilin looked at Cui Lanyin with bright, eager eyes. If the situation had not been so tense, he would have already rushed over to gush to her about how impressed he was.
Qinglin and Xuanlin nudged Bailin forward, and Bailin had no choice but to step forward carefully. "My Lord, whatever the matter is, we can talk it over calmly while sitting down."
Prince Wei brushed the dust off his hands, his eyes fixed on Cui Lanyin. "Do you think anyone can call me Uncle Tan and walk away?"
So calling him Uncle Tan meant she had to keep calling him that for the rest of her life? Cui Lanyin refused to accept that. "Even when you buy goods from a shop, you can return them if you do not want them!"
"I do not do returns. Once something comes in, it never leaves." Too lazy to argue with her any longer, Prince Wei leaned back against the bolster again, pointing at the east wall. "Go stand there and think over your mistake. Qinglin, watch her, do not let her take a single step away."
Cui Lanyin craned her neck, staring right back at him. "I did nothing wrong, so I will not accept this punishment."
"You have no respect for your elder!" Prince Wei snapped at her.
So they were back to that again? Once she called him Uncle Tan, she could never take that title back? Cui Lanyin decided she never should have come here in the first place. She stepped around Qinglin, heading for the exit. "I have said everything I needed to say. I am going home."
"Home? Where do you think you are going?"
"Back to my family's home."
"A Taoist nun does not have a family home, does she?" Prince Wei's tone was laced with open mockery.
Bailin and the other three could not believe their eyes. Their Prince had never spoken with such a tone, let alone a mocking one. This Second Miss really was something else!
Cui Lanyin did not even notice how unprecedented this was. "I will just be a lay Taoist for the time being, living at home."
Prince Wei let out a cold snort. "Qinglin."
Qinglin did not dare to hesitate any longer. He stepped forward, gesturing toward the east wall. "Second Miss, please accept the punishment. Do not wait until the Prince has to use the family disciplinary rules on you."
Seeing that Qinglin was not joking, and Bailin behind him kept winking at her, Cui Lanyin finally realized that something was wrong. Her reckless fit had worn off by now, and looking at the shattered porcelain under her feet—the reward vase and gu-shaped vase she had smashed were clearly no ordinary items—she could not afford to pay for even half of them.
Her imposing manner immediately deflated. She swallowed nervously and whispered, "Where did this family rule come from? You're just scaring me, aren't you?"
Qinglin darted a quick glance at Prince Wei, saw that he did not object, then leaned in to reply softly, "This family rule was newly established at noon."
Cui Lanyin was completely stunned. She pointed at herself with a finger over her shoulder, and asked with difficulty, "Was this rule made specifically for me?"
Qinglin nodded firmly. "In this residence, besides the Prince, there's only Second Miss left."
Wait, since when did she become the Second Miss of Prince Wei's Mansion? But this was not the time to argue over that, so she decided to sort out the family rule first. "If I refuse to stand in contemplation facing the wall, what punishment from the family rules will I get?"
"You will be struck on the hands with a rattan cane. If His Highness the Prince puts a little internal force into the strike, just one hit will leave Second Miss unable to lift her fingers for half a month."
Qinglin always told things exactly as they were, and Cui Lanyin knew he was telling the truth.
Seeing that she was willing to listen, Qinglin further hinted at her, "His Highness hasn't lost his temper in years, and I almost forgot how terrifying he can be when he does."
Looking at his thoroughly frightened expression, then noticing that Bailin and the other two guards were all deliberately keeping their distance from Prince Wei, Cui Lanyin suddenly decided it was wiser not to press further.
A wise man knows when to yield. Without another word, she promptly walked over to the east wall and stood there to face the wall, accepting her punishment obediently.
On the luohan couch, Prince Wei called out, "Bailin!" When the man responded, Prince Wei flicked two fingers in the air, and Bailin immediately understood his meaning. "I'll go tell Second Miss's family right away."
Tell her family what? Cui Lanyin turned her head to look curiously, only to get hit on the back of her hand by a flying go stone. She yelped in pain and pulled her hand back, remembering what Qinglin had just said about the rattan cane on hands—this was clearly just a warning. She quickly turned her head back and stood straight again.
Bailin was quite considerate. As he passed by her, he deliberately leaned over to her side and whispered, "His Highness means that since Second Miss has claimed to be devoting herself to the Taoist path, she should make it look genuine. How can someone cultivating Taoism still be sentimentally attached to their family? Besides, Second Miss's home is too small, which is not conducive to nurturing a broad and boundless state of mind for the great Tao. The entire backyard of our mansion is empty, and His Highness the Prince only lives and works in the front part of the residence. The whole backyard can be reserved for Second Miss to cultivate Taoism—you can even turn it into a proper Taoist temple if you wish."
Every word Bailin said made sense on its own, but when put together, Cui Lanyin could not make heads or tails of it. What did it mean that a Taoist cultivator should not be attached to their family? And why would the entire backyard of Prince Wei's Mansion be given to her for cultivating Taoism? Even if she wanted to go to a Taoist temple, it should not be Prince Wei's Mansion.
Besides, the whole story about her cultivating Taoism was just a show for Prince Duan and Prince Kang to see, a pretense—she would only go to the Return to Truth Taoist Temple when there was really no other way out. Everyone here knew it was all an act, so what did Prince Wei mean by this? Did he really intend to make her cultivate Taoism for real?
Still wary of the go stone that had just struck her, Cui Lanyin did not dare turn her head again. She could only huff angrily, blowing puffs of air at the wall in front of her. "I want to go home. I'll leave once I'm done with this facing-the-wall punishment."
Bailin could not say any more before he walked out, only leaving a parting line, "His Highness the Prince is doing all this for Second Miss's own good."
After Bailin left, Chilin and Xuanlin took the chance to slip out too, leaving only Qinglin behind with a long face, stuck with the job of keeping an eye on Cui Lanyin as she stood in contemplation.
Cui Lanyin had thought the facing-the-wall punishment was just a formality, that it would be over in half an hour. But after she had endured the full half hour, there was not a single sound from Prince Wei's side.
Could he have fallen asleep? Cui Lanyin's back ached, her legs were sore, and she had no strength left in her limbs. She tentatively shifted all her weight to her right leg, hoping to give her left leg a break. If Prince Wei did not make a sound, she thought, that must mean he was asleep, and she could finally relax her arms and legs a little.
But the second her right shoulder sagged, a black go stone struck it sharply and precisely. He was not asleep at all.
She hissed in pain, and quickly straightened herself up again.
Another half joss stick of time passed, and she could not hold on any longer. She did not care about saving face anymore, and wailed out loud, "Uncle Cousin, how much longer do I have to be punished? Your niece truly knows her mistake now. From now on, I'll do whatever you say, and I will never dare to defy you again."
"You know your mistake?" Prince Wei's voice came, flat and unemotional.
Cui Lanyin nodded so hard her head bobbed. "I know my mistake from the very bottom of my heart."
"Next time, the punishment will be doubled."
This one time was more than enough to teach her a lesson. Cui Lanyin said firmly, "There won't be a next time."
"You may leave now."
Buyan stepped forward and said, "Second Miss, Buyu has asked to stay by your side to serve you. Shall I call him over?"
Glancing at Prince Wei, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation on the luohan couch, Cui Lanyin judged that his anger had mostly passed. She inched over to him and pleaded softly, "Uncle Cousin, I want to go home."
Prince Wei did not even open his eyes. "Your home is not a suitable place for cultivating Taoism."
Cui Lanyin said awkwardly, "But that whole Taoist cultivating thing was just a lie, wasn't it?"
"Will you stop pretending to cultivate Taoism once you're home?"
"Uh... I'll still put on a show of it at home," Cui Lanyin tugged at her sleeve, "It's only proper to save Prince Duan and Prince Kang some face, after all."
Prince Wei suddenly opened his eyes. "What about me?"
Was he saying that she was being unreasonable, only caring about saving Prince Duan and Prince Kang face but ignoring his?
Thinking about it, that made sense. At the Yao family's housewarming banquet, Prince Wei had openly called her to the Inviting Moon Tower in front of everyone, which was equivalent to publicly acknowledging her as his niece by marriage, someone under his protection. But now, to avoid being taken by Prince Duan, she was willing to pretend to become a Taoist nun instead of turning to him for help. In the eyes of others, that would make Prince Wei look like he dared not offend Prince Duan.
That was the truth of the matter, but she had only done it because she did not want to drag him into trouble. Face was far less important than real safety, she thought.
But Cui Lanyin knew there was no point in explaining that. She sat there silently, eyes lowered to her nose, nose lowered to her heart, and the two of them, one on the couch and one on the chair, sat in complete silence.
Poor Qinglin and Buyan were the only ones suffering, dragging out every minute like it was a whole hour.
After a full quarter of an hour, Bailin came in to report, "Your Highness, I've already talked to Second Miss's family."
"What did my parents say?" Cui Lanyin thought that with how doting her parents were on their children, they would never agree to let her stay in someone else's residence, no matter how honorable and trustworthy the elder was.
If her own parents did not want her to stay, even Prince Wei could not very well force her to remain here against her family's wishes, she reasoned.
Bailin seemed to read her mind. He smiled and replied, "Once they understood the whole situation, Third Master Cui and Lady Jiang were very happy for Second Miss to stay in the Prince's Mansion. They even told Second Miss to take good care to show filial piety to His Highness the Prince in between your Taoist cultivation."
Cui Lanyin froze for a moment, then realized what must have happened. Bailin must have used some clever reasoning to convince Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang that she could only convince others of her Taoist devotion by staying in Prince Wei's Mansion.
Earlier, her family had been too embarrassed to drag Prince Wei into their troubles. But now that Prince Wei was voluntarily offering her his protection, and with their constant fear that Prince Duan would not let the matter rest, Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang had naturally gone along with Bailin's words and agreed.
Bailin added, "The maid named Sangzhi from Second Miss's household has already packed up all your usual belongings, and she will be here shortly."
Cui Lanyin realized that when Bailin had gone to her home earlier, he must have made a very public, grand show of the whole thing, so that Prince Duan and Prince Kang would both get the news. There was no way she could go back home now and sever her ties with Prince Wei anymore.
Now that Prince Wei was already tangled up in this mess, it would be better to clear her family's name. Things had come to such a pass that there was no point in dwelling on it — she might as well stay for a few days. Cui Lanyin said to Buyan, "Call Buyu and let's go take a look at the back of the residence."
"Buyu will be over the moon when he hears that," Buyan replied, accompanying her as they walked out.
Just before they reached the door, Cui Lanyin turned back and pulled a funny face at Prince Wei. "Now Uncle Biao and I are tied to the same rope, there's no getting away from each other anymore. When you wander the jianghu in the future, I'll follow along and hold your sword for you. The two of us, uncle and niece, are bound to make a big name for ourselves out there in the martial world."
Prince Wei let out another scoff. "I don't use a sword."
Cui Lanyin huffed a "tch", then took Buyan by the arm and left the study.
After that whole afternoon, Buyan looked at her with nothing but admiration. No one but Second Miss could ever throw things right back at Prince Wei and walk out of there completely unharmed, he thought.
She called for Buyu, and the three of them headed for the rear courtyard of Prince Wei's Manor. Faced with a whole stretch of quiet, overgrown desolation, Cui Lanyin almost thought she had stepped into a neglected cold palace. There was not a trace of liveliness anywhere, it was like a completely different world from the front of the manor.
Even though she had been told she could live anywhere in the rear courtyard, Cui Lanyin was not the sort to be so undisciplined as to overstep her bounds. She bypassed the two main palace halls meant for the prince and his princess consort, then skirted the side courtyards designated for the prince's secondary consorts and concubines, and finally settled on Chunxi Pavilion, the guest quarters reserved for receiving distaff female visitors.
She really loved the winding brook that had been channeled into the courtyard, curling around the corridors and the eaves of the rooms. There were even a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water, and plantain trees that would catch the patter of rain when it poured — the place was so serene and charming. On a summer evening when no one was around, she thought, she would love to try wading barefoot in that stream.
Then she laughed at herself. She was only staying a few days before going home, how could she possibly be here until summer? She had just been refusing to stay a moment ago, and now she was already acting as if this was her own home.
The front of the pavilion had three exquisitely built rooms, and when she walked around to the back, she found two more back chambers attached to them. There was nothing to complain about for a short stay, so she decided right there to take up residence.
She disliked having too many people around. Back at home, only Aiye and Sangzhi served her in her chambers, so here she only asked for two maids to do the sweeping, plus Buyan to stay in the courtyard, and turned down all the other attendants offered to her.
As soon as she had settled on the place, Buyan said to a eunuch who had followed them, "Hurry and get people to come tidy and arrange the rooms."
That eunuch ran out of the courtyard in a hurry. Before long, the Chief Steward himself came leading a group of servants carrying wardrobes, bed frames and other furniture, and started setting everything up in the rooms.
Cui Lanyin walked into the rooms and realized that all of them were as bare as a snow cave, completely empty of furnishings.
"Is this guest courtyard left untended because it's not often used?" Cui Lanyin asked, feeling a little guilty. She thought she should not have caused such a big fuss, and had just casually picked a room that was already tidy.
"After the prince moved into this manor, he said he would not live in the rear courtyard, and told the Chief Steward not to tidy it up. That's why the whole rear part of the residence is completely empty," Buyan explained to her. "At noon, after Geng Dayou came, the prince gave the order that Second Miss would be staying in the manor. All these things the Chief Steward has dug up now, he's been busy running around for the whole afternoon."
Cui Lanyin felt a little better after hearing that. She looked around, confused, and said, "I don't think I've seen any maids in the manor at all."
"There are no maids in the whole manor," Buyan replied. "The prince said it would be inconvenient, and sent all the ones the Imperial Household Bureau assigned to him back again."
Cui Lanyin was starting to wonder if Prince Wei even had any intention of taking a wife. No other prince's manor would be this empty and desolate, as if no one really lived there.
She even had a ridiculous thought. Could it be that when she said the other day she would take care of Prince Wei in his old age, he had actually taken that to heart, and used today's incident to get her to move in, so that from now on she would be the niece looking after him for the rest of his life?
There was no other way to explain how odd and out of character his behavior was.
The Chief Steward was very capable. Cui Lanyin even thought his talents were being wasted in Prince Wei's Manor. In less than half an hour, all the rooms, front and back, were fully furnished, with every single item one could need in place.
The Chief Steward must have had nowhere to put his energy for a very long time, so now he was genuinely, wholeheartedly happy to welcome Cui Lanyin to stay.
"If anything is not properly arranged for Second Miss, just let me know. In the whole manor, Second Miss is the only one..."
Cui Lanyin did not want to hear anyone from Prince Wei's Manor say anything about her being the only one in the manor, so she cut him off. "This is more than good enough. I don't need anything else at all."
The Chief Steward looked quite dejected as he left.
For dinner, Buyan went to the kitchen to fetch the food — four dishes and one soup, all the light flavors she liked. Sangzhi told her, "The Chief Steward specially sent someone to ask Buyu what dishes our young lady prefers."
Looking around, every single item in the rooms was luxuriously made, far finer than anything Cui Lanyin could have afforded even when the Cui family in Yancheng was still at its peak and had not fallen into ruin.
All these fine, precious things made the few outfits she had brought with her look very shabby in comparison.
She ate her dinner peacefully, washed up, and since she had not slept well the night before, Cui Lanyin went to bed very early.
No matter what, as long as Emperor Xuanning was still around, there was nothing to worry about for Prince Duan. Even though Prince Wei's words "it's too late" implied that Emperor Xuanning did not have much time left, he should still have a few more years to live. There were still a few years of peaceful days ahead, and the tension she had carried for two whole days finally melted away. She fell asleep very soon.
She slept through the whole night peacefully, and woke up to the gurgling sound of the brook right outside. Her good mood was back. Cui Lanyin had to admit that apart from missing her family, staying in Prince Wei's Manor was very quiet and comfortable.
When she got up in the morning, Buyan brought over breakfast as usual.
After Buyan told her that there was an imperial court assembly that day, and Prince Wei had left for the palace before dawn, Cui Lanyin asked if there was an extra carriage in the manor, and hurriedly told him to prepare it, saying she wanted to go to the palace to visit Empress Dowager Chen.
Buyan heard that and came over. He did not ask Aiye to follow, and he and Buyu accompanied Cui Lanyin to the palace together.
Since she did not have prior permission from Empress Dowager Chen, they sent a messenger ahead from the palace gate to deliver her note to the empress dowager's palace. But the palace guards already knew Buyan was from Prince Wei's Manor, and Cui Lanyin had visited Empress Dowager Chen's chambers three times before, so they treated her very politely.
It was not long before Qian He himself came to escort them, a wide smile on his face from a distance. "The Empress Dowager woke up this morning and was just saying how much she enjoyed the meal Second Miss accompanied her for last time. She was hesitating whether to send someone to invite you over, and here Second Miss comes of her own accord."
"I've been wanting to visit often, I just didn't dare to disturb the Empress Dowager's peace and quiet."
"Second Miss can come whenever you like. The Empress Dowager will only be delighted to see you."
They chatted and laughed as they walked in, and the palace guards following behind all got the message — this Second Miss Cui was truly someone with great favor in Empress Dowager Chen's eyes.
When they stepped into the main hall, everything looked completely different. The windows had been replaced with glass, making the room bright and well-lit, no longer the dark, gloomy place it used to be.
After she paid her respects to Empress Dowager Chen, Cui Lanyin did not even wait to be invited to sit, and took the nearest cushion right next to the empress dowager. "Your Majesty has been out in the sun these days, haven't you? You look so much better!"
When she brought that up, Aunt Xia and Aunt Gao looked at her with such tender eyes that they seemed to melt. "She sunbathes every day. Not just in the room, but out on the veranda too. Whenever the Empress Dowager tries to laze about and skip it, we bring out all the things you told her, and she goes right out."
Empress Dowager Chen would not admit it though. "Don't listen to them making up stories about me. I never once skipped my sunbathing."
Cui Lanyin unconsciously adopted the coaxing tone she always used with Lady Tan. "What a wonderful old lady this is, to be sure — turns out it's Her Majesty in the Palace of Blessing and Peace, Empress Dowager Chen." She barely caught herself in time at the end, almost calling her "Old Madam Chen".
No one in the great hall noticed that little detail, for everyone was too busy laughing.
Empress Dowager Chen feigned a show of sternness and said, "This silly girl, she dares to treat me like a child to coddle. She deserves a spanking."
Cui Lanyin held out her hand, pouting her lips. "Go on then, hit me. It's so unfair that even trying to cheer you up gets me in trouble, ugh!"
Empress Dowager Chen, half amused and half exasperated, reached out and gave her cheek a light, playful pinch. "I've never seen a young lady as bold and unruly as you. If you'd been born a boy, you'd surely be the sort to climb onto the roof and tear the tiles right off."
When the tea and pastries were served soon after, Empress Dowager Chen asked softly, "Did you run into some sort of trouble lately?"
Cui Lanyin recounted the key events that had unfolded after she left the Funing Palace the other day, including when Concubine Shun had summoned her and everything that had happened afterward.
"You must have been terrified, weren't you?" Empress Dowager Chen stroked the top of her head gently. "What an honest, good child. You came here to warn me to be more careful, didn't you?"
"Your Majesty, Prince Duan and Prince Kang are definitely going to hold a grudge against my uncle. I'm afraid they'll drag you into trouble too. Please don't let me come visit you at the palace anymore..."
"What's there to be scared of?" Empress Dowager Chen said dismissively. "Instead of living every day looking over your shoulder and hesitating over every little thing, you might as well live freely and happily. When trouble comes, we'll just face it head on. Let them hold their grudges all they want." She rarely praised Prince Wei, but she did so now with obvious approval. "After all, he grew up under my care for so many years. He really does take after me in many ways."
Cui Lanyin couldn't agree more with that thought at the moment. Neither Prince Wei nor Empress Dowager Chen was the type to be easily intimidated.
Just as they were chatting, Qi An returned to report what had happened. He said Emperor Xuanning had flown into a towering rage at the grand court assembly that day.
The previous day, the chief administrator of Prince Wei's mansion had filed a complaint at the Imperial Clan Court. Since the matter was far too serious for the clan chief to handle on his own, he had brought the administrator straight to the morning court that very day. The whole issue stemmed from Prince Duan's private attempt to take a daughter of the Cui clan as his consort. That young lady was Prince Wei's niece by marriage, which meant Prince Duan was completely violating the proper generation hierarchy. Such behavior was a blatant insult to his own elder brother and all the imperial etiquette codes. Worse still, among the gifts Prince Duan had sent to the Cui family, there was a five-tailed golden phoenix hairpin — an ornament that only a crown prince's secondary consort was permitted to wear. Prince Duan had clearly committed a major offense against the imperial regulations.
The Cui family and that young lady had always been known for their propriety and sense of duty, so they were terribly frightened by the whole mess. After they returned all the gifts to Prince Kang's mansion, the Cui daughter went to Prince Wei's mansion to report the situation, saying she could no longer be filial to her uncle, and insisted on becoming a Taoist nun. No one could talk her out of it, so Prince Wei had to temporarily persuade her to stay in his mansion to practice her faith. A fine, honorable young lady from a respected noble household had been forced into such a desperate situation...
Qi An told the whole story so vividly and dramatically that if Cui Lanyin hadn't known the matter was closely related to herself, she would have thought he was recounting a plot straight out of a popular romance storybook. The Cui daughter sounded so pitiable, so filial and so unyielding in her chastity. Thinking back to how she and Prince Wei had once smashed things at each other in a fit of temper, she suddenly felt very sheepish.
Right now, she admired Prince Wei more than she could put into words. He had planned this entire brilliant scheme all the moment Geng Dayou came back to report to him.
She looked over at Empress Dowager Chen, who also wore a look of utter shock on her face. "What did His Majesty say? How did all the court officials react?"
Qi An replied, "After His Majesty flew into a fury, he gave Prince Duan a thorough dressing down. He said that Prince Duan wasn't even the crown prince yet, and he already dared to show no respect to his elder brothers and ignore all the proper rituals. He went so far as to say if Prince Duan were ever made crown prince, he might even forget that his own father, the Emperor, was his superior. If Chief Minister Li hadn't stepped forward with several other grand councilors to beg for mercy, His Majesty would have surely demoted Prince Duan all the way to the rank of county king."
"What happened next?"
"His Majesty issued an edict ordering the Ministry of Rites to pick an auspicious date for Prince Duan's grand wedding in June. Until the wedding is held, Prince Duan is placed under house arrest and is forbidden to step outside his mansion for any reason."
"Then Prince Kang didn't get any punishment at all?"
"How could that be? Every sharp-witted official at court could see perfectly well that without Prince Kang egging him on, Prince Duan would never have been bold enough to act so recklessly. Chief Minister Li told His Majesty that as the elder brother, Prince Kang had failed to guide his younger brother onto the right path, and instead had led him to commit such absurd, improper acts, which was completely unacceptable. So His Majesty punished Prince Kang by docking his salary for a full year, and removed his authority to participate in administrative discussions at the Ministry of Revenue."
"All thunder and no real rain. That's always how he does things." Empress Dowager Chen still looked a little unsatisfied with the outcome.
Qi An turned to Cui Lanyin with a smile and said, "Prince Wei then brought up the point that the Second Miss of the Cui clan and the rest of the family had been badly frightened and deserved some compensation. He also mentioned that Third Master Cui was exceptionally skilled in mathematics, and was fully capable of handling many important tasks at the Ministry of Works. So His Majesty appointed Third Master Cui to a formal seventh-rank position as a director at the Ministry of Works. From what I can tell by observing His Majesty's attitude, if Third Master Cui does a good job in his new post, the Emperor will definitely promote him further soon. As for the Second Miss, Empress Xu will be sending over generous rewards for her later on."
Cui Lanyin's mind was now reeling. Every move was linked to the next, one brilliant scheme following another. Prince Wei's actions were truly extraordinary.
Qi An hadn't finished his story yet. "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, you have no idea — our Prince Wei has never talked that much in court before. Most of the officials there have never heard him speak at such length. When he said all those words in front of the court today, all the ministers were stunned, almost to the point of their eyes popping right out of their heads."
"Oh no!" Cui Lanyin suddenly smacked her forehead in chagrin. "I didn't put on my Taoist robe!"
Empress Dowager Chen waved her hand dismissively. "It's no problem at all. We can just say you didn't wear it because you were worried that seeing it would make me sad. Later I'll have Qi An and the others spread the word that I've decided you don't have to go through with becoming a Taoist nun. The whole matter will be smoothed over just like that."
That's allowed? Cui Lanyin's eyes went wide with shock again.
Empress Dowager Chen chuckled softly. "Now you have nothing to worry about, right?"
She then said to Cui Lanyin in a gentle, warm tone, "Back in the day, Consort Yao passed away in such a sad, lonely way. Her own father was no better than a stranger to her. The Yao family never withheld basic supplies from her and her son, but they never even sent a single person to stay in Yingcheng to look after them. Back then, Prince Wei could truly be said to have had no one in the world he could rely on.
That's why he has always remembered your grandmother's kindness so deeply. But the reason he treats you so well now isn't just because of your grandmother. It's because you are the kind of person he really likes. He truly sees you as his own niece. I know him very well. Once he considers someone part of his inner circle of people he cares about, he will protect them fiercely, no matter what happens."
Cui Lanyin was thinking hard. She hadn't done anything particularly remarkable at all, so why did Prince Wei think of her as his own niece? She could never deserve such kindness!
She turned and leaned against Empress Dowager Chen's side. "I'll definitely take good care of my uncle when he's old and see that he has a peaceful, happy life!"
This is the first day of our paid chapters! Thank you all so much for coming to support me, my dearest readers. Love you all so much [kiss emoji]
