Chapter 53
The study door creaked open again, and Buyan stepped out, walking toward Cui Lanyin with a troubled look on his face. "The master said 'steam it'. He must mean to have Grayfeather steamed."
Before Cui Lanyin could say a word, Grayfeather was already squawking at the top of its lungs. "Second Miss, save me!" "They're going to kill a bird!" It flapped its wings wildly, trying to fling itself toward Cui Lanyin to seek shelter.
Cui Lanyin was fuming that the bird had made her look utterly ridiculous, but parrots were no easy pets to raise—one tiny oversight could cost the little creature its life. She unfastened the chain, held Grayfeather gently in her palms to soothe it, and said, "I'll go in and beg for mercy for you. Stop squawking right now. If you keep making a racket, even I won't be able to save you."
Grayfeather instantly knew which side its bread was buttered on. It started calling "good person" over and over again, so blatantly sycophantic that Cui Lanyin truly thought this parrot must have become a spirit.
A parrot she'd raised herself, for better or worse, she had to take full responsibility for it.
Glancing at Buyan, who stood there at a loss, wondering how he would report back to his master, Cui Lanyin handed Grayfeather over to Buyu. She said to Buyan, "It's my fault for not keeping a tighter rein on Grayfeather. I'll go in and apologize to my uncle."
Then an idea struck her—they say punishment doesn't fall on a crowd, no, wait, the saying was that shared joy is sweeter. She called out to Chilin and Qinglin, "Didn't the two of you have errands to attend to?"
Chilin grabbed Qinglin and stepped back a full large step. Chilin, whose features were so delicate he looked almost like a woman even though he was a man, now looked even more alluring from the forced grin he was trying to hold back. "Our errands don't seem that urgent after all. Saving Grayfeather's life comes first."
Cui Lanyin couldn't force them to come with her. She marched resolutely toward the study, and Buyan followed close behind her, his neck hunched in apprehension.
Qinglin looked a little guilty. "You even asked the Second Miss to put in a good word for you earlier. It's not right to use her when you need her and ditch her the second things get tough."
Chilin was suddenly able to empathize with Bailin. He now understood exactly how Bailin felt every time he, Chilin, acted clueless.
Chilin tugged Qinglin toward the east side of the covered walkway. Once they were far enough that Prince Wei definitely couldn't hear them, he stopped. "Are you made of wood? How do you think we compare to the Second Miss? Even if she goes in, the worst punishment she'll get is being made to stand in quiet reflection. What about you? Do you think you could get away with that? Or do you want to end up locked away in some noble household's backyard too?"
Qinglin certainly didn't want that, and he wasn't that slow on the uptake after all. "You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"
"I'm not hiding it on purpose. I'm just not totally sure myself." Chilin rolled his eyes, his voice so quiet it was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. "Don't you think the master is playing the old cat-and-mouse game, acting distant to draw someone closer?"
"What cat-and-mouse game?"
"You really are a blockhead." Chilin stamped his foot. He had no one else to gossip with, and the secret was itching so badly inside him he couldn't hold it in any longer. He leaned in closer and continued, "I think the master has special, different feelings for the Second Miss."
Qinglin twisted his neck so sharply it looked like he'd pulled a muscle. "That can't be right." But then he thought back to all the special ways Prince Wei had treated the Second Miss, and he grew uncertain. "Wait, could it be? But how would that ever work? They're from different generations, he's her uncle."
"We'll just have to wait and see. The master has always had a calm, detached nature. Maybe he'll get over it after a while."
It had only been one night and one full day since they last saw each other, but Cui Lanyin could no longer act as naturally and casually around Prince Wei as she used to.
Especially now that Grayfeather had blurted out that set of suggestive, amorous verses that made people's minds run wild. Cui Lanyin couldn't stop worrying—would Prince Wei assume she was the one who taught the bird those lines? Would he think she was hiding some improper, unspoken desire?
The mere thought of Prince Wei seeing her in that light made her toes curl tight inside her shoes.
The short stretch from the study door to the Arhat couch felt to Cui Lanyin like a journey lasting eons. By the time she was almost at the couch, she was practically inching forward one tiny step at a time.
Even the longest road has an end, and this little distance was no exception.
Cui Lanyin stood with her head bowed right in front of the Arhat couch. "Uncle, I never taught Grayfeather those things. You have to believe me." Afraid her words weren't clear enough, she added, "Once you are my uncle, you are my uncle forever. I would never dare to show you any disrespect at all."
There was no sound from the Arhat couch. Cui Lanyin didn't dare lift her head. All the sweet, ingratiating lines she had rehearsed earlier had vanished completely from her mind. She could only blurt out whatever random thought popped into her head.
"I came to pay you respects this morning, but by the time I got here, you had already left."
"I kept saying I would come keep you company and chat with you every day, but I only kept that up for a few days. I only ever come to find you when I need something, and I never fulfilled my duties as a niece properly. You didn't even get to finish your breakfast before you had to leave on the big festival day. I... I think I'm really nothing but an ungrateful little wolf..."
Still no response came from the Arhat couch. Cui Lanyin listened closely—she couldn't even hear the sound of breathing, as if there was no one sitting on the couch at all.
She lifted her eyes a crack to sneak a peek, and her heart felt as if it had been struck a heavy, painful blow. Prince Wei wasn't meditating. He was leaning back against the cushions, looking right at her. His gaze wasn't empty and listless like the last time. It was the calm, detached look of someone who had cast all worldly concerns aside, as clear and still as water.
It felt like every single thing about her was laid bare before him, that he knew every last detail of what was going on, but he simply didn't care, didn't bother to concern himself with any of it anymore.
This Prince Wei, showing no joy and no sorrow, was so close that she could reach out and touch him, yet he felt farther away than the edge of the sky. In that moment, Cui Lanyin's fear was even stronger than the day she heard the news of Princess Kang's death.
She knew that if she couldn't pull him back from this ledge now, Prince Wei would drift completely down the path of total detachment, and nothing would ever bring him back.
She threw all sense of propriety and proper distance to the wind. Cui Lanyin stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve. "Uncle, talk to me! You're acting like this and it's scaring me so bad."
Prince Wei let her tug at his sleeve, and spoke in a gentle, even tone. "I was meditating. Go back now."
Now that he had spoken, Cui Lanyin grew even more flustered. Silence would have meant he was still angry, still had feelings about the situation. This gentle, unruffled tone meant he had decided nothing mattered anymore.
"I'm not leaving." She had already lost so much face today, a little more wouldn't hurt. Cui Lanyin climbed right onto the Arhat couch and wrapped both her arms around his arm. "I know you're upset with me."
"It has nothing to do with you." Prince Wei tried to pull his arm away, but Cui Lanyin held on tight. "It's my fault for making you feel like there's no one around you who truly cares about you."
"I just grew tired of talking too much." Prince Wei seemed to lose the will to struggle, and let her keep holding his arm. This was another huge change from before—if she had ever acted so bold in the past, he would have definitely scolded her for being undisciplined and forgetting their proper places.
Cui Lanyin didn't buy his dismissive words for a second, but this was no time to argue. She played along. "If you're tired, you don't have to talk. I'll have the kitchen bring food over. I also had them warm up some calamus wine. I'll stay and have a small drink with you. Wine eases tiredness, and then you'll be able to sleep well tonight."
"Will you leave once we finish eating?"
"I'll leave the second I set my bowl down."
"Then call for the food."
Cui Lanyin knew he was only agreeing just to get rid of her as quickly as possible, and her heart ached with a vague, sad emptiness. Just the day before, she could stay in this study as long as she wanted, no questions asked.
Buyan didn't even need Cui Lanyin to tell him what to do—he immediately headed for the kitchen to send word for the meal.
Chilin and Qinglin, who were still waiting out on the veranda, couldn't believe things had wrapped up so fast. The Second Miss had only been inside for a few minutes, and the prince was already agreeing to eat?
"All thunder and no rain? That's it, all problems solved?" The two of them stared at each other in confusion. Could it be that the prince really was just acting distant to draw the Second Miss closer?
Everything was already prepared in the kitchen. In no time at all, Buyan led a procession of eunuchs carrying stacked food boxes into the study.
Buyu quickly hung Grayfeather's cage back on the veranda, not forgetting to warn the bird. "Remember the Second Miss saved your life. Don't cause any more trouble, okay?"
Grayfeather craned its neck to peek inside the study a few times, and let out a couple of soft, croaking squawks, looking for all the world like it had learned its lesson.
Chilin couldn't help but chuckle. "Even that parrot knows to be scared now."
Buyan went to the pantry to wash his hands, then hurried straight to the study.
Cui Lanyin had ordered every dish to suit Prince Wei's tastes. Since it was the Dragon Boat Festival, she had added a few extra dishes on top of his usual favorites, and paired them with zongzi of all different fillings. The whole table was heaped full of food.
Knowing Prince Wei was feeling too listless to move around right then, Cui Lanyin softened into a gentle, patient mood. She twisted a hot handkerchief to wipe his hands, then steered him over to the table to sit down. She picked up the wine pot and poured them each a cup of calamus wine.
Prince Wei took his cup and downed it in one go, then picked up his silver chopsticks and started shoveling rice into his mouth. He only reached for the dishes right in front of him, clearly in a rush to finish the meal quickly so he could send her away.
Cui Lanyin was hoping to chat with him a little more over drinks. Even if she couldn't lift his spirits right away, at least she could get him to loosen up a little.
She moved the farther dishes onto his plate, then reached for the wine pot to pour him another cup, only for Prince Wei to press his hand over the mouth of her cup to stop her. "You can't drink any more. That's enough for you."
"I can hold my liquor! If I hadn't been worried about you, Uncle, I would have had a drink back home at noon," Cui Lanyin said quickly. She picked up her own cup, tilted her head back and drained it, then held up the empty bottom to show him.
"Three cups total," Prince Wei said, leaving no room for argument.
"Fine, fine. Three cups it is," Cui Lanyin had to agree. She then put on a pitiful, pouting look. "Then let's take it slow, Uncle. If I eat too fast, my stomach won't be able to digest it all."
Prince Wei didn't answer, but he picked up the dish she had served onto his plate and ate it, then sipped his next cup of wine in three slow mouthfuls—far slower than he had been eating earlier.
Cui Lanyin still wanted to drag out the time to stay with him, but there was no way to keep him at the table if he didn't cooperate. Prince Wei finished one bowl of rice, set down his chopsticks, and tossed back his third cup of wine in one long swallow.
Seeing him act like that, Cui Lanyin lost all taste for her own food. She pushed her bowl away, copied him, and downed her own cup of wine in one go.
This calamus wine was brewed in rice wine, and normally Cui Lanyin could easily drink three to five cups of it without trouble. But that day, whether it was because she was drinking to soothe her worries or something else, three cups in left her tipsy, a little lightheaded and drunk.
So when Prince Wei flicked two fingers in a gesture to chase her away, she not only refused to leave, but plopped herself right back down on the luohan couch. "I haven't gotten to spend time talking with you yet today, Uncle. I can't go home yet."
Buyan and Buyu had been worried earlier, but when they saw the stunned, bewildered look on Prince Wei's face, they decided their Second Young Miss acting this stubbornly was actually a good thing.
They both knew very well that if they let Prince Wei shut himself away alone like this, the Second Young Miss would leave him soon, and the entire manor would turn into a lifeless, stagnant place from then on.
Unfortunately, Prince Wei was not easy to brush off. He turned to Buyan and said, "Go arrange her sedan chair."
Cui Lanyin only knew she absolutely could not leave right now. Wine had given her the nerve—after all, she was Cui the Bold, the girl the whole city called the Cui Second Wild Tiger. She wasn't about to be pushed around by a little bit of difficulty.
She kicked off her shoes, climbed right onto the luohan couch, hugged a bolster to her chest, and threatened him unapologetically, "Uncle, go ahead and have your men drag me out. The whole city will hear tomorrow about how you treat your own niece so harshly."
The calm, unflappable look on Prince Wei's face finally cracked. He lifted his hand, then let it fall again. "You really are something."
"I promise I'll be the coziest little cotton-padded jacket for you, Uncle, the kind that never lets a single gust of wind through," Cui Lanyin said sweetly, grinning at him as she made her vow. She patted the empty spot right next to her. "Come sit over here, Uncle. Let's just talk, just us uncle and niece."
"The Yao family is not a good match for you. If there's any family you find suitable, just tell me soon," Prince Wei said as he paced over and sat down on the other end of the luohan couch. "As long as you have wealth, leisure, and a comfortable life, that's enough, isn't it?"
"So you really do remember every single word I said," Cui Lanyin pouted, looking all wronged. "I knew you were sick of me already, and you just want to marry me off as fast as you can."
Prince Wei didn't even bother arguing with her twisting his words around, he just said, "A girl grown up is bound to leave the home that raised her."
"Why would I leave? I'm not leaving!" Cui Lanyin protested, not taking that lying down. "Uncle, you told Grandmother Aunt that you'd have me stay with you from now on. You have to keep your word."
"No one can stay by someone else's side forever. You don't have to take that old promise so seriously."
"But I do take it seriously."
"You won't get married ever?"
Cui Lanyin froze for a second, then blurted out, "I'll wait for you to marry me first, then I'll get married."
Prince Wei huffed a dry laugh, waving his hand to shoo her away. "Alright, that's enough. Go home now." It was obvious he didn't believe a single word she said, not even bothering to give her a perfunctory reply.
Cui Lanyin hated being looked down on like that. She leaned across the small square table, grabbed ahold of Prince Wei's sleeve, and put on her most sincere look. "I mean every single word I say. If I break my promise, may I never have children after I marry."
"What if I never marry you?"
"Then I'll never marry anyone at all," Cui Lanyin declared, her stance as firm as a mountain.
Prince Wei huffed again. "That's just nonsense you spout when you're drunk."
That huff after another finally got on Cui Lanyin's nerves. She scrambled off the couch, circled around to his side, climbed back up, and cupped both sides of his face with her hands. "Uncle, I swear to you, if I break my word, may the heavens strike me dow—"
A sudden warm, tight pressure clamped over her lips. Prince Wei had roughly lifted his hand to pinch her mouth shut. "Cui the Bold, dare you say another reckless curse and see what happens."
Cui Lanyin tried to pry his hand off, but she couldn't budge it at all. In a flustered rush, she butted her head hard against his chest. The second he loosened his grip, she grabbed his wrist and bit down on it, still grumbling at him, "Who told you to never believe me!"
Prince Wei sank back against the couch bolsters in defeat, looking like he was done arguing, not going to bother reasoning with a drunk crazy person.
Updates usually go up between 10:20 and 10:30 every night. I'm always going back to fix typos and mistakes, so the table of contents won't show a fixed update time [grinning emoji]
