Chapter Thirty-Five
Cui Lanyin almost wanted to pry open Prince Wei’s head and see how his brain was wired. Did he even have a heart? Was there truly nothing he could not scheme around?
It had only been a few days since the matter had come to light, yet Prince Duan had already lost the Li family’s support and was essentially disqualified from the imperial succession. Prince Kang might appear to have outmaneuvered Prince Duan, but he had only succeeded because Prince Wei had allowed him to. If Prince Wei wished it, Prince Kang was nothing more than a chess piece in his hands.
As for the Li family, years of planning had been ruined in a single stroke. Prince Duan was finished, and the outward harmony with the second branch of the Cui family could no longer be maintained. They would have to spend time and effort cultivating another prince. Just thinking about it made Cui Lanyin’s mouth taste bitter on their behalf.
With this one move, neither Prince Duan nor Prince Kang would have the energy to trouble her anymore. She and the Cui family’s main branch could go on living as usual.
Prince Wei was practically omnipotent. With complete sincerity, Cui Lanyin said, “Uncle, you truly are the most formidable person under Heaven. ‘Calculating every move without error’ was surely written about you. I’m incredibly fortunate to be your niece.”
Prince Wei crooked two fingers and rapped them against the table. The blow was unusually forceful. Cui Lanyin puffed out her cheeks. “They’re sincere words. What’s wrong with hearing them?”
Another knock.
Cui Lanyin covered her mouth. “All right, all right. I’ll be quiet.”
For some reason, Chilin thought of the saying, “Every creature has its natural master.” But between the uncle and niece before him, it seemed more fitting to say that each of them had the other firmly under control.
His mind was full of thoughts, but not a trace of them showed on his face. “Second Miss, I heard Chiyun and Chiyue say that your second brother possesses considerable strength and is an excellent candidate for martial training. Unfortunately, his training was conducted improperly and his talent was delayed. Why not have him come here? Whenever one of us has the time, we can give him some pointers.”
His thinking was simple. Since the Second Miss was one of their own, they naturally had to look after her family as well. If they could help, they would do so without making a fuss.
Prince Wei, however, said, “Send him to the estate.”
Chilin was more than surprised. He then said, “If he goes to the estate, he’ll have to live there.”
“He may return home during leave,” Prince Wei replied.
Chilin acknowledged the order. The estate where the Lin Guards were trained was extraordinarily important, yet His Highness had simply permitted the Second Miss’s younger brother to go there. It seemed that the Four Lins had seriously underestimated the Second Miss’s standing in Prince Wei’s eyes.
Afraid that Cui Lanyin might not understand what a rare opportunity this was, Chilin said to her, “After spending a year at the estate training with the Lin Guards, your brother will make tremendous progress. By then, no matter which army he joins, he’ll have first-rate martial skills. So, Second Miss, don’t let your concern for him stop you from sending him.”
A great tempest had already risen in Cui Lanyin’s heart.
Chiyun and Chiyue had only accompanied her home twice and given Cui Su a few casual pointers, yet Cui Su had already mentioned it to her several times. The archery and horsemanship instructor hired by the second branch was worlds apart from Chiyun and Chiyue. It was entirely possible that he would not even withstand a few moves from them.
Cui Su had even discussed it with her, saying that whenever she planned to return home, it would be best to inform him in advance. On those days, he would skip his lessons with the second branch’s instructor. In his opinion, even the few casual pointers Chiyun and Chiyue had given him were enough to benefit him for the rest of his life. He had gained far more insight from them than he had from all the days of studying under his archery and horsemanship instructor.
After seeing Qinglin scale walls and leap across rooftops as effortlessly as walking on level ground, and witnessing Bailin drive a throwing knife into the wall beside Liu Heipi at the tea stall, Cui Lanyin knew that the four men around Prince Wei were no ordinary martial experts.
Chiyun and Chiyue were merely ordinary Lin Guards under the Four Lins. For Cui Su, receiving personal instruction from any one of the Four Lins would be an extraordinary stroke of fortune.
But there was far too much involved here.
A prince was entitled to one hundred and eighty guards, with all their provisions supplied by the Ministry of War.
Prince Wei’s one hundred and eighty guards had been assigned to him when he went to the imperial retreat. They had followed him all these years, from the retreat to Prince Wei’s residence in Yingcheng. They now served as guards at the residence and took turns accompanying him whenever he went out.
Yet the only people who stayed close to Prince Wei were the Four Lins and the Lin Guards under them. Neither the Four Lins nor those Lin Guards were included among the guards assigned to Prince Wei by the Ministry of War.
That was extremely strange. They were not part of his official guard force, yet they ranked above it. If there had only been a few of them, one might have assumed that Prince Wei had hired highly skilled fighters at his own expense. But there were clearly far more than that. The Lin Guards under the Four Lins were not merely a handful; during this period alone, more than a dozen had rotated through duty accompanying Prince Wei whenever he went out.
Because Prince Wei did not conceal things from her, and Chiyun and Chiyue were equally unguarded around her, Cui Lanyin had learned from their occasional remarks that the Lin Guards had a separate estate outside Yingcheng where they practiced with blades, spears, bows, and horses.
How many people did it take to reach this scale?
A prince’s guards were divided into three grades. Once converted into silver, the annual provisions for a third-grade guard came to around sixty taels, while those of a first-grade guard amounted to a full hundred. The Lin Guards, with their level of skill, could only cost even more.
Over the past few days, she had sorted through nearly half the account books and was gradually beginning to see the pattern.
The large expenditure marked with the character “secret” every month was very likely used to support these Lin Guards.
Qinglin and Bailin had both said that they had followed Prince Wei since they were children. That was rather odd.
When they had been that young, even if Prince Wei had been exceptionally perceptive and gifted, he would never have thought of raising a force of Lin Guards. From the fact that he had traveled the martial world and earned money settling disputes from the age of fifteen, it was clear that the funds available to him had been far from abundant.
Once Prince Wei had been assigned an official guard force, even if Emperor Xuanning had separately given him another contingent of guards, he would certainly have provided sufficient pay for them. Therefore, the Lin Guards should not have come from Emperor Xuanning.
The Yao family were scholars. At the last banquet celebrating the Yao family’s move, none of them had known anything about Bailin or Qinglin. So they could not have been supplied by the Yao family either.
The origins of this force of Lin Guards were too suspicious. Nothing about it made sense.
Cui Lanyin had once believed that Prince Wei was free of ambition and was the least likely person to harbor designs on the throne. But after learning that he possessed such a force of Lin Guards, she was no longer certain.
And now, Prince Wei had actually permitted Cui Su to live at the estate and train with the Lin Guards. In effect, he was laying the secret he had hidden for so long out before her eyes.
Was this something she was allowed to see and know?
Prince Wei had hinted that Emperor Xuanning did not have much time left. He possessed a mysterious and formidable force. In the matter involving her, he had weakened and struck at every faction in turn. He was also so proud and aloof.
The answer was almost impossible to miss.
Prince Duan had fallen when he was only one step away from the position of Crown Prince. The impact this had on Cui Lanyin was immense. In the future, no matter who ascended the throne, Prince Duan would be viewed with suspicion. Even if he survived, he would merely be clinging to life.
Never before had Cui Lanyin so deeply understood how dangerous it was to become involved in a struggle for the throne. One might gain boundless wealth and honor, or one might be beheaded or exiled. It was nothing less than gambling one’s life and the lives of one’s entire family.
Previously, even if she had offended Prince Duan and he eventually became emperor, at worst she would have been unable to marry, while the members of the Cui family’s main branch would have been denied the chance to rise. The two situations could not be compared.
Besides, the Li family’s influence was immense. Although Prince Wei was also Empress Dowager Li’s grandson, he had been raised by Empress Dowager Chen. For that reason alone, whoever the Li family chose, it would never be Prince Wei.
Prince Wei had managed to scheme successfully now because he had remained hidden behind the scenes and struck precisely at his opponents’ weaknesses, landing every blow. Once he confronted the Li family directly, the difference in power would make his chances of success extremely slim. The dangers involved were easy to imagine.
She could tell that Chilin’s original intention had merely been to have Cui Su come to the prince’s residence, where the Four Lins could give him a few pointers whenever they had the time.
But when Prince Wei said she could go stay at the country estate, Cui Lanyin knew at once that with Prince Duan out of the picture, her troubles were over. He was giving her a new chance to choose her own path now, and no matter what she decided, Prince Wei would not make things difficult for her.
She could very well take this opportunity to arrange a marriage for herself, settle into the quiet life of a rear residence wife raising her husband and children, gradually drift far away from Prince Wei's Manor, and even if he ran afoul of the law in the future, that trouble would never reach a lowly rear-court woman like her.
But that would be using him when she needed him, then turning her back the moment she no longer did. After all the care and protection Prince Wei had extended to her, abandoning him now would be nothing short of betrayal, and that was something she could never bring herself to do.
Now that she had boarded his ship, she had no intention of jumping overboard. If one day she sensed danger coming, she would just find a way to separate her family from his affairs to keep them safe.
She looked at Prince Wei solemnly. "Cousin, I cannot make the decision on my little brother's behalf. I will have to go home and ask him first before we can proceed."
Prince Wei regarded her deeply. "Are you not afraid?"
Cui Lanyin smiled brightly. "I promised to hold the sword for you, Cousin."
Prince Wei's tone remained as calm and unreadable as ever. "As you wish."
Chilin, who had been looking back and forth between the two of them, finally caught on to what they had just agreed on. He could not help but feel awe at how lightly Cui Lanyin had settled on a decision that concerned life and death for everyone involved, a level of resolve most court officials could never muster.
"If Second Miss's brother decides to come, just give the four of us any order you need," Chilin said, his tone now full of respect. After confirming there was nothing else Prince Wei needed him to do, he withdrew from the study.
Though no emotion showed on Prince Wei's face, Cui Lanyin could tell he was in a rather good mood at the moment.
This was the perfect time to ask him a number of things that had been on her mind. "Cousin, the Yao family has been showing my family nothing but goodwill lately. What kind of stance should my family take toward them?"
"Either way works," Prince Wei said, even as his eyes grew heavy with drowsiness, and he leaned back against the cushion.
"What do you mean either way works? Cousin, aren't you planning to make use of the Yao family?" Cui Lanyin said as she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him gently toward her. "Cousin, don't fall asleep just yet."
"I'll talk about it after I wake up." Prince Wei let her pull him as she liked, shifting the cushion to his side so he could lean at an angle, and his eyes started to close again.
Cui Lanyin could not help but feel exasperated. "Cousin, you are either dozing off or meditating every single day. Doesn't your head feel dizzy at all?"
"Tired," Prince Wei huffed.
"You're tired because you sleep too much, aren't you?"
Prince Wei lifted a hand to pinch the space between his brows. "My mind never stops. It's better when I'm asleep."
"Huh?" Cui Lanyin leaned in to study him, and saw he was being completely serious. She tried to imagine what that must feel like. "Cousin, is it because you think over too many things?"
"Yes, nonstop."
Cui Lanyin picked up on the oddity of his situation. Remembering how unbelievably sharp and intelligent he was, she asked, "Cousin, do you never forget anything you see?"
"Everything my eyes fall on and my ears catch, I remember."
That meant he could recall every single thing he had ever witnessed or heard? Cui Lanyin thought for a moment. "Cousin, do you still remember what my Grandmother Lady Tan looked like when she entered the palace all those years ago?"
"A golden hairpin with a magpie on a plum blossom branch, plum blossom shaped gold earrings, filigree gold bracelets, a dark apricot jacket with a precious flower pattern, a chestnut plain silk skirt, and chestnut shoes embroidered with ten thousand character patterns. The date was the nineteenth day of the third month in the third year of Xuanning." Prince Wei had not spoken such a long string of words in what seemed like ages, finishing each phrase one slow step at a time.
Cui Lanyin was utterly stunned. His ability was far more extraordinary than just a photographic memory. He could still recall every single detail of the day he met Lady Tan on the nineteenth day of the third month in the third year of Xuanning, as if it was happening right in front of his eyes. The clothes and accessories were easy enough to remember, but he even remembered the embroidery pattern on the shoes she wore? That was unheard of, almost supernatural.
Following that logic, he could never forget anything that had ever passed before his eyes or ears. He was twenty-six this year. How many countless memories must be piling up in his head right now? Even if he spent every single hour of every day replaying them, it would take him ages to get through all of them.
Thinking of the agony she went through when she had a headache—hers only flared up once every few days, and with the expensive new medicine she was using now, the intervals between episodes had grown longer and the pain was much milder—she realized Prince Wei's condition must be far more unbearable than her headaches.
Unconsciously, a look of pity crept into her eyes. "Do you feel better when you doze off? Is there no other way to make it easier?"
"I never tried any others."
"Right now, while I'm talking to you, are your thoughts still spinning nonstop in your head?"
Prince Wei gave her a wary look, then resolutely shut his eyes. "I'm going to sleep."
If she had still held any reservations around him before, now that she had made it clear she had no intention of jumping off his ship, she could sense an indescribable shift between them. She had a feeling Prince Wei would tolerate her, even indulge her, in all sorts of little ways.
Right now, she wanted to test just how far that leniency went.
She let go of his sleeve, leaned over, and nudged him back and forth gently. "Cousin, just try it. Let's chat for a while. You can't keep dozing all the time. What a waste to sleep away all your best years."
Seeing Prince Wei had his eyes squeezed shut and refused to open them, she stretched out two fingers to pry his eyelids apart. "Cousin, just a little while. Half an hour, no—just the time it takes to burn one stick of incense. If you still want to sleep after that, I promise I won't bother you anymore."
Prince Wei lifted a hand to brush her fingers away. "One quarter of an hour."
"One quarter of an hour is fine with me," Cui Lanyin agreed happily. "Then open your eyes."
Prince Wei yawned and opened his eyes. "Go on, say what you want to say."
Cui Lanyin found it a delightful new discovery that Prince Wei no longer bothered to keep up any formal, imposing front in front of her, even yawning openly. He was treating her like family now, that "cousin" title between them could be taken for granted.
Her heart felt warm. Cui Lanyin became all the more determined to think of a way to help him ease the constant, endless stream of thoughts running through his mind.
Now that they were like family, Cui Lanyin spoke whatever came to her mind. "Cousin, what is the deal between you and the Yao family? I get the feeling they are desperate to earn your approval."
"It's all just about benefits."
"You mean the Yao family doesn't really have much real affection for you?"
"Hardly any."
"Then why do they keep coming over to see you now? Do they think you're going to achieve great things in the future?"
"They think even if the worst comes to the worst, I can still keep myself safe."
"As long as you can protect yourself, their family won't get dragged into any trouble, and if you go on to rise higher, they'll hit the jackpot, right?"
"More or less."
"They must regret so much that they didn't look after you back then, don't they? How are you planning to handle your relationship with them?"
"Keep them at a moderate distance, neither too close nor too far."
Cui Lanyin understood immediately. "The Yao family is a little more trustworthy than others, but you can never treat them like real, close family."
A thought suddenly struck her. "Cousin, the other day you invited the Yao family's female relatives to the back residence, that was because they still came to visit even after we offended Prince Duan, so you decided to give them a chance to get closer, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then what about my family..."
"Do whatever you feel is right."
"I know exactly what to do now, Cousin. Are your thoughts slowing down a little bit?"
"Much better."
"I told you it would work. Then I will come keep you company and talk to you more often from now on."
