Chapter Thirty-One
Seeing Cui Lanyin go along with what she was saying, Lady Chang assumed that the girl was truly considering marrying Meng Huaizong. She was just about to take advantage of the opportunity to say that she could skip Lady Min and Lady Luo and have Cui Mian directly propose the match to Meng Huaizong when Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang spoke first.
“Lanyin is not someone who can endure being mistreated. We’d rather find her a family with simple relationships.” They pointed at Hong Ji and Cui Lanzhi. “As long as Lanzhi and her husband can live together in harmony, that’s all that matters.”
Even Cui Fu and the others could tell that the two were merely sparing Lady Chang’s feelings by not saying outright that they did not want to use their daughter to climb toward a prestigious son-in-law.
Looking at Cui Lanzhi and Hong Ji smiling at each other, Lady Chang found it utterly incomprehensible. A poor couple would be burdened by a hundred troubles, and life in the Hong household was hardly easy. Madam Hong had already turned her attention toward her eldest son; Cui Lanzhi would suffer in the future.
In Lady Chang’s mind, when a daughter married, she should have her family and brothers to support her. In turn, after she married out, she should be able to help her parents and brothers. Only when both sides supported one another could a family prosper.
However, Cui Fang was nodding repeatedly in agreement, while Cui Lanting kept an eye on Lady Chang, clearly afraid she might say something reckless. Seeing this, Lady Chang had no choice but to let the matter go.
The two branches of the family then turned to the question of whether they should hold a banquet. Cui Sheng did not want to host one. For one thing, in outsiders’ eyes, the main branch had already offended Prince Duan and Prince Kang. If they sent out invitations, probably very few families would come. For another, he was only a minor seventh-rank official who had not even begun his new post. Throwing a lavish banquet and drawing attention to himself would inevitably look ridiculous.
He said, “Still, Cousin Xian came especially to ask about it. He said he wanted to come have a drink, and it would be awkward to refuse him.”
“Then let’s invite just a few close relatives and set up several tables,” Hong Ji suggested. “We can close the doors and celebrate among ourselves.”
Cui Fang also thought it was a good idea. “If we keep completely silent, it might look as though we think our official position is too insignificant to celebrate, which would not reflect well on His Majesty either. If we gather our close relatives for a lively meal, we won’t be making a spectacle of ourselves, but we will still show our happiness. No one will be able to find fault with it.”
Although Cui Fang had no taste for currying favor, he was very perceptive when it came to human relationships. He added, “If you ask me, we should send an invitation to the Yao family as well. Whether they come or not is up to them, but we cannot be discourteous.”
Everyone agreed that this was the most appropriate arrangement. Since they were only hosting a few tables for relatives, it would be simple and there was no need to prepare many days in advance. After discussing it, they decided to hold the banquet on the day after tomorrow, during the rest day.
It was the eleventh day of the fourth month. Cui Fu and Cui Ran would spend the day eating and drinking well, then shut themselves in and bury their heads in their studies, preparing for the prefectural examination on the eighteenth.
After the people from the second branch had left, Cui Sheng and Cui Jian stayed in the study in the west room with Hong Ji to talk, while Cui Su sought out Chiyun and Chiyue to ask about the parts of his studies he did not understand.
Cui Lanyin took Cui Lanzhi with her to accompany Lady Jiang to the rear quarters. The moment they sat down, Cui Lanyin asked, “Has your mother-in-law gone to stay with the Tan family?”
Even Cui Lanzhi, who usually had an exceptionally mild disposition, pulled a long face. “Yes. After Father received his appointment, she said she wanted to ask Aunt Xian about a few things. She packed up and moved there that very day.”
Cui Lanyin smiled with undisguised schadenfreude. “Now that the Tan family is coming to the banquet, she’ll be worried again. Where will she go this time?”
Cui Lanzhi thought about it, then laughed as well. “There are hardly any respectable relatives of the Hong family left in Yingcheng. She can’t stay with the Tan family, so she’ll have no choice but to return to Wuxi.”
Cui Lanyin took her hand. “That’s for the best. Since she’s so afraid of being implicated, she’ll keep her distance from you in the future. You and your husband will have a more peaceful life.”
“That’s true. Before, she desperately hoped that my husband would pass the examination so she could hold her head high in the Hong family. My husband is easygoing and takes things as they come, but with a mother like that, he inevitably felt pressured. He’s been rather gloomy these past year or two. It was only over the past couple of days, with Father and Su and Jian taking him along, that he became lively again.”
With Madam Hong away, even Cui Sheng could no longer restrain himself. That evening, he personally went into the kitchen and prepared six dishes. The whole family ate to their hearts’ content and ended up completely stuffed.
Hong Ji truly seemed destined to become a member of the Cui family. He naturally accepted the sight of his father-in-law cooking and even said that next time he wanted to follow Cui Sheng and see how cooking was done.
Cui Sheng instantly took him for a kindred spirit and became even more determined to find his second daughter a son-in-law as good as Hong Ji.
Having created some new dishes, Cui Sheng did not forget Prince Wei. When Cui Lanyin was leaving, he handed her a food box.
“There are two dishes inside. They’ll taste even better after being reheated. Take them back and ask the prince to give them his opinion.”
By the time she returned to Prince Wei’s residence, it was already around six in the evening. Over the past two days, Cui Lanyin had been dining at the residence at around five, so Prince Wei should already have finished his evening meal.
Who would dare serve the gold-and-jade-honored Prince Wei food that had sat overnight? But her father’s cooking was too precious to throw away. Cui Lanyin had Aiye and Sangzhi carry the food box back to Spring Creek Pavilion, planning to find a small brazier in the morning and reheat the dishes to eat with breakfast.
After going out and returning, she naturally had to pay her respects to the elders before returning to her own courtyard. She took Buyan with her and headed toward the study.
Just as she turned past the front hall, the Chief Steward hurried after her from behind.
“Second Miss, His Highness hasn’t eaten dinner. Please persuade him to have at least a little later.”
Since Prince Wei had eaten at the proper time both days, Cui Lanyin said, “Did he sleep too long and lose his appetite? Perhaps he’ll order the meal served later.”
“Second Miss may not know this, but His Highness is lucky if he manages to eat one of his three meals a day. He spends such long periods meditating that there are plenty of days when he only eats once. It was only because you were here these past two days that His Highness began eating every meal on schedule.” The Chief Steward’s face filled with worry. “I had only just begun to celebrate quietly when, the moment you went out, His Highness refused to have the meal served again.”
The Chief Steward was a good man, but he liked to exaggerate, turning one thing into two and two into three or four. Assuming he was embellishing again, Cui Lanyin replied casually, “I’ll go in and ask him.”
The Chief Steward gratefully bowed to her. “Then I’ll wait here in the corridor.”
Cui Lanyin did not dare make any promises and gave him advance warning. “If my uncle doesn’t want to eat, there’s nothing I can do.”
The Chief Steward simply nodded. “Second Miss, give it a try first.”
When they reached the door, Buyan called softly, “Second Miss has come to pay her respects to His Highness.”
As soon as her voice fell, Buyan opened the door from inside. “Second Miss, please come in.”
At this hour, the southern windows no longer received any sunlight. The room was deep and spacious, and even with its glazed windows, it was already dim.
“Why haven’t the lamps been lit?” Cui Lanyin asked.
Buyan lowered his voice. “His Highness said not to light them.”
He had neither eaten nor ordered the lamps lit. Was he in a poor mood? He had seemed perfectly fine when she left.
She looked toward the couch. Prince Wei sat there cross-legged, as motionless as a stone statue.
Cui Lanyin could not help but quiet her own movements. After making a formal bow, she said, “Uncle? Your niece has returned and came to report to you.”
Prince Wei seemed to have entered a trance. Cui Lanyin had asked Qinglin about it before. Apparently, at times like this, he entered some sort of Void State. In any case, it was supposed to be something profound and impressive.
“Then I won’t disturb you. I’ll come pay my respects tomorrow.”
She gestured to Buyan, preparing to leave. There was nothing she could do about the Chief Steward’s request.
“Tea!” Prince Wei suddenly called from behind her.
Cui Lanyin spun around. “Uncle, you’ve returned from the Void State?”
“Who taught you to spout such nonsense?”
Cui Lanyin saw Qinglin, standing in the shadows, stiffen for an instant.
She gave him a reassuring look. “No one.”
Qinglin’s posture relaxed again.
Buyan brought in a tray of tea. Cui Lanyin took the cup and stepped forward to offer it to Prince Wei, then remembering that the chief clerk had been waiting outside earlier, she asked, "Cousin Uncle, why haven't you had your meal yet? Shall I have someone send for food now?"
"Have you eaten already?"
"I had dinner with the rest of my family."
"There's no need to send for anything."
Though Prince Wei's tone was as even and unreadable as usual, Cui Lanyin could still pick up a faint, unfamiliar undercurrent in it. Was he quietly complaining that she had gone off to enjoy a meal with her family without thinking to invite him along?
Then she shook the thought off. Prince Wei was the sort of person who could spend a lifetime alone and never feel a moment of loneliness. He would never care over something as trivial as a missed meal. She was clearly just overthinking things.
Still, she decided to test the waters. "Cousin Uncle, my father cooked a few excellent dishes today, and two of them go especially well with rice. He packed them up and told me to bring them over for you to try. How about I have the kitchen heat them up, add a couple more side dishes, and you can have a small bite to eat?"
Cui Lanyin had already steeled herself for a refusal, but Prince Wei simply said, "No need to add extra dishes."
That was it? He was agreeing? That meant no extra sides, just the two dishes she had brought, paired with rice?
The food box had already been carried into the Spring Creek Pavilion, and now she was wondering how to get it back without making a big show of it.
"Second Miss," Buyu, who had been standing by the door, called out to her. "The dishes from Master Cui's kitchen won't hold up well if they're left cold. I'll go find Sangzhi right now to heat them up."
What a quick-witted child, Cui Lanyin thought to herself. Aiye could never hold a candle to Buyu. She waved her hand. "Go on then, and make sure to bring plenty of rice."
"I got it." Buyu smiled and opened the door to hurry off.
After waiting for about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, the chief clerk personally arrived with a group of attendants carrying a full meal. Alongside the two dishes Cui Lanyin had brought, there were two cold dishes, two hot dishes, a pot of soup, and a plate of sesame crisp pastries.
Buyan and Buyu laid out the table without asking anyone else for help, and Cui Lanyin arranged all the dishes neatly on the surface. "Cousin Uncle, please start your meal."
Prince Wei stepped down from the couch without putting on his shoes, wearing only his socks, and walked over to sit at the table.
Cui Lanyin could not stand to see things out of order. She hated it when people mixed formal, public attire with casual, home clothes, and she absolutely could not tolerate this kind of unkempt behavior.
Even if the palace floors were scrubbed clean every single tile every day so no dirt would stick to bare feet, she still could not stand the sight of it.
She held back her frustration for a moment, then turned to look at Buyan. "Go get a pair of indoor slippers for Cousin Uncle."
"I already brought a pair earlier, but His Highness wouldn't wear them," Buyan said, too nervous to look at Prince Wei, and darting his eyes over towards Qinglin instead. Qinglin, for his part, took another step back, hiding deeper in the shadows.
Cui Lanyin kept staring at Buyan until he steeled himself. "I'll go get them right now."
Only then did Cui Lanyin feel relaxed enough to serve Prince Wei his rice and arrange his dishes. She pointed to the two dishes she had brought from home. "This one is braised lamb in aged rice wine, and this is the dry pot three-flavor dish, which has mushrooms, fried fish slices, and fried meatballs in it. My father said the more you reheat it, the better it tastes, that's why he dared to send it over for you to try."
Prince Wei picked up a piece of lamb with his chopsticks and took a bite, then went for a meatball from the dry pot three-flavor dish. After just two bites of the dishes, he had already eaten a good portion of the rice in his bowl.
At that moment, Buyan came over carrying a brand new pair of silk cloth slippers meant for wearing in the bedchamber. He was too nervous to get close, and stopped two chairs away from the table. "Second Miss, I've brought the shoes."
Cui Lanyin took the slippers from him, squatted down, and placed them right next to Prince Wei's feet. "Cousin Uncle, please put these on first."
Prince Wei kept moving his silver chopsticks without pausing, and mumbled under his breath, "I'll put them on later."
Cui Lanyin just stood there, staring at him steadily without saying a word. "What a hassle," Prince Wei mumbled again, slipping his feet into the slippers and wiggling his toes a little to get them on properly, even if he did it rather haphazardly.
Cui Lanyin knew she could not change his old habits all at once, so she decided to just look away to avoid getting annoyed, took a seat across from him, and started chatting to distract herself.
"Cousin Uncle, did you know..." she began, rambling on at length about what she had done when she went home that afternoon, even mentioning what Lady Chang had said about Meng Huaizong being a suitable husband for her. "She might have her own reasons, but this time she's genuinely worried about me. With what happened to Prince Duan before, there's probably no family that dares to marry their son to me. Only a family like the Mengs, who hold military power far away from the capital, wouldn't care about that."
By that point, Prince Wei had already finished an entire bowl of rice. He held out his empty bowl to her, and Cui Lanyin took it, filled it to the brim, and handed it back to him. He went right back to eating his rice in big, hearty bites.
"There are other dishes too, Cousin Uncle, you should try those," Cui Lanyin said, reaching out to nudge the other side dishes closer to him.
Prince Wei pressed his chopsticks down on her wrist to stop her. "They don't taste good."
Seeing him praise her father's cooking so wholeheartedly, Cui Lanyin beamed with delight. "The food in the palace kitchen is good too, but it's still a little bit worse than my father's cooking."
After that, she chattered on about all sorts of random things, nonstop, but Prince Wei never showed a single sign of being annoyed, and his appetite stayed just as strong as ever.
Qinglin was completely bewildered watching the scene. So the prince's usual love for quiet was something that only applied to other people? Or did the sound of Second Miss talking make his rice taste better?
After finishing three full bowls of rice, and scraping every last bit of the two dishes Cui Lanyin had brought clean, Prince Wei finally set down his chopsticks and bowl.
He took the warm tea Cui Lanyin handed him to rinse his mouth, then said, "Meng Huaizong is not a good match for you."
Cui Lanyin let out a little gasp. She had assumed Prince Wei had not been listening to a word she said. "I know, I was just saying that casually. I've already resigned myself to being an old maid for the rest of my life."
"Cousin Uncle, do you still remember that note you wrote on the slip of paper with all the records about Meng Huaizong, that said 'wait one year'? Were you really planning to find me a husband among the top candidates of the civil service exam?" Cui Lanyin asked boldly now. "Cousin Uncle, I've told you before, with how things are in my family, I originally wanted to marry a wealthy, leisurely man who could help me take care of the household, and I never dared to set my sights on some brilliant young rising talent. But speaking of Meng Huaizong, I did consider him at one point, until I remembered what my grandmother said: if a man has already loved someone deeply in his heart before marriage, that's far worse than him taking a concubine before he weds, no matter how much the matchmaker sings his praises, you can't marry someone like that. And a man who's still unmarried at such an old age very likely has some unspeakable secret, which makes him even less suitable to marry.
Think about it, Meng Huaizong is already twenty-three. A man of his ability and standing who hasn't married yet almost certainly hasn't gotten over some unrequited love from the past. Otherwise, with his intelligence and strategy, if he really wanted to find a wife, would he ever let Lady Min and Lady Luo keep shoving their cousins at him? By now he must realize he's getting too old, and if he doesn't marry and have children soon, it'll be too late. The cousin from the Min family has already married off, so I reckon it won't be long before the cousin from the Luo family gets engaged too.
Cousin Uncle, what exactly do these unspeakable secrets refer to? No matter how much I pestered my grandmother to tell me back then, she wouldn't say, just kept pushing it off saying I'd understand when I grew up. But now that I'm all grown up, I still don't underst..."
Mid-sentence, Cui Lanyin suddenly noticed that the whole room had gone dead silent, so quiet she could not even hear anyone breathing. She looked up abruptly, and saw Prince Wei staring straight at her from across the table. His eyes were perfectly calm, no ripples in them at all, but they sent a cold, sharp shiver running down her spine.
Cui Lanyin suddenly realized what she had just said. This man sitting across from her was three years older than Meng Huaizong, already twenty-six years old.
Oh no, she thought to herself. She quickly forced a bright smile onto her face. "Cousin Uncle, you're definitely not part of that group! You're the kind of person who meditates every day, your heart is as still as still water, you could never have some unrequited love you never got over... and those unspeakable secrets could never have anything to do with you..."
"Am I not an old dodderer then?"
"Of course not, Cousin Uncle, you're as vigorous as ever even at your age..." Cui Lanyin clapped a hand over her mouth, laughing awkwardly to cover up her blunder. "You're in the prime of your life right now, there are so many young ladies out there who dream of marrying you..."
Prince Wei picked up the tea cup he had set down earlier, not even tapping the edge of it to signal that it was time for her to leave, the traditional gesture of a host to dismiss a guest. She must have offended him terribly this time.
It turned out that even the most detached, unworldly person could get upset over being called old. She had gotten carried away and said the stupidest thing possible, and Cui Lanyin made a firm mental note to never, ever repeat that mistake again.
There was no way to smooth things over right now. She would have to come up with a proper plan later that night, and find a chance to make amends tomorrow. With her spirits thoroughly dampened, Cui Lanyin left the study with Buyu at her heels.
Below is an explanation of the Cui family's character relationships.
Main Branch:
First Generation: Cui Xin (the first generation Marquis of Wu'an), his wife Lady Tan
Second Generation: Cui Sheng, his wife Lady Jiang
Third Generation: Cui Lanzhi, Cui Lanyin, Cui Su, Cui Jian
Second Branch:
First Generation: Cui Chuan (younger brother of Cui Xin, who inherited Cui Xin's title)
Second Generation: Eldest son Cui Mian, his wife Lady Chang; second son Cui Fang, his wife Lady Ding
Third Generation: Cui Mian has three sons and one daughter: Cui Chang, his wife Lady Dong, Cui Fu, Cui Lanting, Cui Yu
Cui Fang has two sons: Cui Ran, Cui Chong
[Since Cui Xin and Lady Tan had no children for many years after their marriage, both Cui Mian and Cui Fang are older than Cui Sheng.]
