Chapter Forty-Nine
“It has nothing to do with you.” After a brief pause, Prince Wei patted Cui Lanyin on the head.
“Wuu... but... it was because of me that she was drawn into this... If it hadn’t been for me, maybe she’d still be alive...” Like a frightened child who had finally found an adult capable of making things right, Cui Lanyin sobbed out her jumbled confession.
“Prince Kang had long since intended to kill her.”
“I gave him the opportunity.”
“He would only have acted at this time,” Prince Wei added. “He could wait no longer.”
“Uncle, I know that’s true, but I just can’t get past it. The image of Princess Kang keeps appearing before my eyes. I can’t control it at all.”
“I’ll have an eternal lamp lit for you at Tianfu Temple.”
“Uh...” Cui Lanyin hiccupped through her tears. “Those are very expensive... And what does lighting an eternal lamp have to do with my problem? My heart just hurts... Wuu...”
She clung tightly around Prince Wei’s waist, burying her head in his chest and rubbing it back and forth. Another surge of tears soaked through his robes.
A knock sounded twice at the door. Buyan went to open it, only to find that the kitchen had delivered dinner.
Buyu went over to help, and the two of them carried the food boxes inside.
After hesitating for a moment—if they delayed any longer, the food would grow cold—Buyan stepped forward and asked quietly, “Your Highness, dinner has arrived. Shall we set it out?”
Cui Lanyin shook her head before Prince Wei could answer. “Uncle can eat by himself. I can’t swallow anything.”
Though she said so, her hands, still gripping Prince Wei, did not loosen.
Prince Wei waved a hand behind him. “Set it aside for now.”
Buyan and Buyu watched as Prince Wei made his way to the luohan couch with Cui Lanyin practically hanging off him. His movements were noticeably awkward. Prince Wei was always composed and unruffled; they had never seen him in such a bedraggled state.
Only the Second Miss could reduce him to this.
Still, considering what the Second Miss had gone through, it was already remarkable that she had not collapsed completely.
Cui Lanyin’s thoughts were in turmoil, and she could not calm herself. Whatever came into her mind, she said aloud. She dared not fall silent; the moment she did, she felt panic spreading outward from the depths of her heart.
“Prince Kang will get what’s coming to him, won’t he?”
“Compared to him, even Prince Duan seems decent.”
...
Prince Wei was not skilled at comforting others. Whenever Cui Lanyin asked a question, he gave only a brief reply. If she asked the same thing repeatedly, he might answer with a simple “Mm.” More often, he did not even do that.
Yet this Prince Wei made one feel that no matter what happened, it was not beyond his control; that there was always a solution. With him there, nothing could truly become a problem.
One thing Prince Wei said did sink in: “There will be more of this. Get used to it.”
Just as Empress Dowager Chen had said, such things happened often within the imperial family. So long as Cui Lanyin remained at Empress Dowager Chen’s and Prince Wei’s side, she would inevitably witness them.
And when the struggle reached its final stage, it would come down to victor and vanquished. If one did not wish to die, one had to strike first.
But understanding it was one thing. Accepting it calmly was another.
“Uncle, it’s only the first time. Of course I can’t bear it. Give me some time.”
“Mm.”
“I still prefer facing things openly, blade against blade. We shouldn’t—”
“Mm?”
“I misspoke. Uncle would never stoop to that.”
At Prince Wei’s questioning hum, Cui Lanyin slowly began to settle down. She was certain that even if Prince Wei were driven to slaughter, he would still have his limits. He would never use innocent lives as stepping stones beneath his feet.
That was enough. Without realizing it, she curled up in Prince Wei’s arms and fell asleep. When Prince Wei tried to move her away, she shivered unconsciously and clutched tighter at the front of his robe.
Prince Wei could only sit cross-legged and let Cui Lanyin continue sleeping against his chest, her hand gripping his lapel.
When Cui Lanyin awoke, she felt as though she did not know what day or night it was. The window curtains had not been drawn. Outside, a slender crescent moon hung over the tips of the osmanthus tree, while stars glittered across the sky. Tomorrow would surely be clear.
After sleeping for a while, once the first overwhelming shock had passed, she was able to consider Princess Kang’s situation more calmly.
Emperor Xuanning’s illness was Princess Kang’s death sentence. Yet even if Emperor Xuanning had not fallen ill, Princess Kang did not have much time left.
From the moment Prince Kang began plotting against Prince Duan, he had already intended to kill Princess Kang.
Stripping Princess Kang of her title and demoting her to a secondary consort was an inevitable step. Even if Cui Lanyin had not gone to the Xin family to make that scene, Prince Kang would have found a way to let Emperor Xuanning hear about Princess Kang selling pastries across the Wu-Yang River.
For if Princess Kang simply died, she would still be Prince Kang’s first wife and principal consort. Then, even if he took Li Yixin as his empress, Li Yixin’s position as the founding empress would be somewhat difficult to justify.
Therefore, Princess Kang had to be stripped of her status first. Only once she no longer occupied the position of first wife could she die.
The matter was so plain to see. She truly had no need to blame herself for it, yet Cui Lanyin still felt stifled and heavy-hearted. For the moment, she could not face it with complete equanimity.
With a soft sigh, she turned over, intending to go back to sleep. Then the warm sensation against her back made her freeze. In an instant, she remembered everything: she had cried herself to sleep in Prince Wei’s arms. Not only was she still in Prince Wei’s study, she was lying against him now.
Her gaze fell on Prince Wei’s hand resting at her waist, and the burning sensation from that day spread through her again. Cui Lanyin could scarcely bear to face it. This was entirely different from the last time her headaches had forced her to sleep here. Then, they had each slept on separate couches, and there had been a valid reason for it. That could be explained. But how was this supposed to be explained?
Not only were they sharing a couch now—they were holding each other. Even if they were truly uncle and niece, it would be impossible to explain away!
Thinking of how she had clung to Prince Wei and sobbed, how he had tried several times to pry her off but failed, Cui Lanyin wanted to bang her head against the wall. How could she have lost all sense of restraint?
What was she supposed to do now? Though she had never seen it for herself, the reactions of the Four Lin Guards had told her that Prince Wei’s martial skill surpassed theirs.
A man like that would notice the slightest movement. With Prince Wei’s hand still resting on her waist, it would be difficult for her to rise without waking him.
But if she did wake him, how awkward would that be? Cui Lanyin felt that she would never again be able to face Prince Wei as his niece.
Cui Lanyin nearly wanted to cry. How could she have done something so foolish and improper?
“Mmm...” Prince Wei murmured behind her.
Cui Lanyin was so frightened that her soul nearly fled her body. Her clenched hand tightened so hard that her nails dug into her palm, yet she felt no pain at all.
Then, suddenly, the hand at her waist loosened and withdrew. As Prince Wei turned over, Cui Lanyin slid off him and onto the other side.
Cui Lanyin was dazed for a moment. Then, once she had confirmed that Prince Wei was still deeply asleep, she wanted to offer thanks to every god and Buddha in heaven for delivering her from such an embarrassing predicament.
Her gaze fell on Prince Wei’s collar, rumpled until it looked like a dishcloth. Remembering that she had been the one to clutch and tug at it, Cui Lanyin’s face began to burn again.
Through the loosened front of his robe, the smooth, lean lines of his chest were faintly visible—a physique that did not quite match Prince Wei’s outward appearance as a refined, jade-like nobleman. The thought that had flashed through her mind when she had wrapped her arms around his waist surfaced again by accident.
Cui Lanyin hurriedly turned her eyes away, repeating to herself, “Do not look at what is improper.”
She carefully, ever so carefully, slid down from the luohan couch. But Buyan and Buyu, who had been sleeping beneath it, woke at the same time, rubbing their necks.
Perhaps Buyu had forgotten that they were in Prince Wei’s study. He asked, “Did no one close the window? Why did it feel like something smacked me with the wind just now?”
Buyan immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. The two of them looked toward the couch and met Cui Lanyin’s eyes as she climbed down.
“Second Miss, you’re awake?”
Cui Lanyin had been worrying over how she was supposed to make her way back to the rear quarters alone in the pitch darkness. She gestured to Buyu, striving to sound as though nothing had happened.
“Let’s go back.”
Buyu hurriedly scrambled to his feet and followed her outside, while Buyan came after them. At the doorway, Cui Lanyin could not help looking back once.
Prince Wei lay on his side on the luohan couch, sleeping deeply, utterly unaware of the movements of the three people in his study.
After leaving the study, Buyan went to the small tea room nearby and lit a lantern. Together, he and Buyu escorted Cui Lanyin back to Yian Hall.
At Yian Hall, Aiye and Sangzhi had been pacing about like ants on a hot pan. The moment they saw Cui Lanyin return, the two nearly burst into tears of relief.
Earlier, they had received word from Buyu that Cui Lanyin had been badly frightened by Princess Kang’s death. They had worried constantly afterward, yet she had not returned for so long. They did not dare casually go and ask after her at Prince Wei’s study, so how could they not have been frantic?
Cui Lanyin felt even more guilty for making those around her worry and lose their peace of mind. Secretly, she resolved never to act so recklessly again. Nor could she continue allowing herself and Prince Wei to behave with such blurred boundaries.
While Aiye and Sangzhi went to prepare hot water for her bath, Cui Lanzhi picked up a bronze mirror and looked at herself. Not only was her hair in complete disarray, but her face was streaked with tears. She looked as dreadful as could be.
With a snap, Cui Lanyin shut the mirror. Resting her forehead against it, she shook her head in dismay. Prince Wei had seen her in such an utterly embarrassing state—what would he think of her? Would he think she had not the slightest bit of feminine grace?
The next day, Cui Lanyin was busy from morning until afternoon.
Cui Sheng had selected three auspicious dates for the opening. Zhang Gui wanted to begin as soon as possible, so he chose the nearest one: the eighth day of the fifth month.
Geng Dayou had already received Buyu’s message: “Because of Princess Kang’s death, Second Miss is not in the best state of mind. For these next couple of days, don’t bring any unpleasant matters before her to upset her.”
Thus, when Cui Lanyin said she wanted to see how the shop’s preparations were progressing, Geng Dayou did not tell her, as he had last time, that she could not go.
Even without the matter of Cui Lanyin’s troubled spirits, Geng Dayou had not intended to dissuade her anymore.
After witnessing Cui Lanyin, together with Qian He and Prince Wei’s guards, smash up the Xin family’s place, he had seen a boldness that surpassed that of many men. Where was there now that such a Second Miss could not go? Geng Dayou felt that all he needed to do was honestly follow her lead. He no longer dared to offer unsolicited advice.
They summoned Chiyun and Chiyue. With Geng Dayou driving, the four of them took the two-horse carriage toward the shops by the examination hall.
The Shunxiang Studio, three storefronts away, had already closed its doors. Cui Lanyin’s gaze dimmed for a moment, but she quickly recovered. She could not allow herself to sink into gloom. Just as Prince Wei had said, she did not even count as a catalyst in the matter; it was not her place to blame herself.
The pastry shop and the restaurant had both been cleaned and arranged, needing only to open for business.
Over the past few days, Zhang Gui had been here with the cooks and pastry masters, testing dishes and pastries. Now, he invited Cui Lanyin to stay for lunch and sample the restaurant’s fare.
Chiyun and Chiyue were terrified that she might refuse, and kept signaling to her from the side. Cui Lanyin selected two dishes. “I won’t forget what I promised you. We’ll have lunch here, tasting the food while enjoying the view.”
She instructed Zhang Gui, “Give us the private room with the best view of the river.” She wanted to settle her emotions before returning home. At the moment, she did not quite know how to face Prince Wei and needed time to prepare herself.
The tea stall at the East Water Gate docks had been made into Liu Heipi’s headquarters for managing affairs. Zhang Gui needed to keep watch over the pastry shop and restaurant here, so Liu Heipi had taken over the tea stall’s business. Among the people he had previously employed were several who knew how to run a business, and they had managed the tea stall very well, increasing its profits considerably.
Even while Zhang Gui was busy here, Liu Heipi had often come over to lend a hand. Twice, he had even brought his wife along. Madam Liu was more forthright than Liu Heipi himself, openly looking across the river. Whenever she saw something she did not understand, she would ask Liu Heipi about it.
Spending so much time around Liu Heipi, Zhang Gui had gradually picked up some of his freewheeling manner. Having also met someone like Madam Liu, he came to feel that there was nothing improper about looking toward the opposite bank.
Thus, Zhang Gui readily agreed. He indeed opened the best private room upstairs, the one with the finest view across the Wu-Yang River, and led Cui Lanyin and the other two inside.
Chiyun and Chiyue did not even bother to pretend otherwise. They went straight to the window and stared toward the opposite shore.
After watching without blinking for a while, the two said disappointedly, “Apart from the more refined buildings, we can’t see what is supposed to be different. It would be nice if there were at least a person to look at.”
Cui Lanyin had expected this. “Their days and nights are reversed over there. If you want to see people, you’ll have to come at night.”
Chiyue said, “At night there are painted pleasure boats too. I heard they are so brilliantly lit that they resemble a celestial palace upon the water. It would be wonderful to see that for ourselves.”
Chiyun gave her a shove. “Don’t push your luck. Seeing the other side of the Wu-Yang River isn’t enough for you, and now you’re wishing for more.”
Zhang Gui hurried upstairs again and reported from the doorway, “Second Miss, Master Liu’s wife was passing by. When she heard that you were here, she asked whether she might come up and pay her respects.”
Liu Heipi’s wife? Cui Lanyin replied, “Please invite Madam Liu up.”
Madam Liu was around the same age as Liu Heipi, in her early thirties. She was slightly plump, with ordinary yet pleasant features, but her complexion was fair and her face wore a ready smile, making an excellent first impression.
“Second Miss, I hope you are well,” Madam Liu said, respectfully offering her greetings.
