Chapter Fifty-Four
Cui Lanyin was not so drunk that she had lost all awareness. It was simply that her thoughts had slowed, making it difficult to rein in her actions and leaving her unusually bold and uninhibited.
Besides, the effects of three small cups of calamus wine could not last long. As she faced Prince Wei, who had leaned back helplessly, the warmth of the palace lanterns finally seemed to reach her, making him appear less distant and untouchable. In her haze, Cui Lanyin gradually regained her senses.
Thinking back on what she had just done, she could let everything else go—but biting his hand was truly unforgivable. She covered her face in shame. “Uncle, I… I offended you. Should I go stand facing the wall as punishment?” She groped her way toward the edge of the couch.
“That’s enough.” Prince Wei had no interest in quibbling with her. “Don’t fall and ruin your face. I’d have to take responsibility for it then.”
Seeing that Prince Wei had not read anything more into her actions and was treating her entirely like an impetuous child, Cui Lanyin felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her. Even her fingertips relaxed.
Her tone grew lighter. “I’m only afraid you’ll never marry and end up delaying me.”
“I never asked you to wait.”
“I’ll wait anyway.”
Prince Wei’s eyes lowered halfway. His tone was no longer the one he used to dismiss a child. “If you know where to draw the line, why keep restricting yourself at every turn?”
Cui Lanyin seemed to understand. “Uncle, you mean…”
“You may act as you please with me.”
At once, Cui Lanyin felt enlightened. Yes, if her heart was open and without ulterior motives, what did it matter if she acted a little too familiarly? Prince Wei, as her elder, did not take offense. Why should she restrain herself?
When people grew close, their actions naturally became more intimate. When she visited Empress Dowager Chen, she would either put her arms around her or lean against her, just as she would unconsciously take Aunt Gao’s or Aunt Xia’s arm. Even with Qian He, she would instinctively reach out to support him by the arm.
She saw those people only once every few days and still behaved that way. Since she and Prince Wei spent every day together, it was even more impossible for her to maintain formal propriety at all times.
“It was I who was too hidebound. Uncle, you’ll have to take the trouble to teach me more.”
To show that she had truly understood, Cui Lanyin edged a little closer to Prince Wei. “Uncle, what happened to you today? You really weren’t upset with me, were you?”
Prince Wei glanced at her. “Now that you’re sober, go back.”
Cui Lanyin stubbornly looked at him. “What you said last time—that everyone is merely a passerby—frightened me. I don’t want you to think that way again. I may not be able to talk you out of it, but if you tell me about it, you’ll at least be able to ease your heart a little. If Grandmother knew you were feeling this way, she wouldn’t be at peace even in the underworld.”
After a long silence, just when Cui Lanyin thought he still would not answer, he finally spoke. “I simply feel that everything is meaningless in the end.”
“Is… the palace truly that troublesome?”
“The same few wretched schemes playing out over and over. I’m tired of them.”
“Hasn’t His Majesty been recovering? What does he want?”
“His Majesty wants every side of the octagon to be complete.”
Even having all four sides of a square complete was difficult, let alone all eight sides of an octagon. Was Prince Wei mocking Emperor Xuanning for being too greedy?
Cui Lanyin had noticed long ago that Prince Wei never called Emperor Xuanning “Father Emperor.” No matter the occasion, he always called him “His Majesty.”
“Were you able to see His Majesty often when you were young?”
“I saw him often before he ascended the throne.”
Cui Lanyin caught the distinction in his words. “What about after he became emperor?”
Seeing the expression on her face—curious, yet uncertain whether she ought to ask—Prince Wei said, “Do you already know about what happened in the early years?”
She noticed that he seemed uncomfortable leaning back. Cui Lanyin took another cushion from the other side and tucked it behind him. The impatience in Prince Wei’s eyes lessened slightly.
Perhaps she could make his study more comfortable as well, Cui Lanyin thought. She leaned back too and began, “I’ve heard a little from people outside the palace. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager told me some things, and Uncle Qian and Aunt Gao occasionally let a few details slip in the Palace of Funing. I was able to piece together a general outline, but I don’t know whether it’s correct.”
“Go on.”
Cui Lanyin knew that Prince Wei did not like speaking much. It would be easier for him if she did the talking and he merely corrected her when necessary.
After sorting through her thoughts, she said, “A year after Empress Xu married His Majesty—who was still Crown Prince at the time—and became his Crown Princess, Emperor Gaozong appointed Grandmother as a secondary consort in the Eastern Palace. Originally, Emperor Gaozong had intended to wait until Empress Xu bore a legitimate son before sending more women to the Crown Prince’s residence. But His Majesty let his guard down one night after drinking…”
Cui Lanyin stopped awkwardly, her eyes darting around as she struggled to continue.
“There’s nothing embarrassing about a man losing control after drinking,” Prince Wei said, treating it as nothing at all. “If men can speak of it, so can you. Throw all those rotten rules aside.”
He flicked a finger against her forehead. “I taught you better than this.”
Although she had sobered up, the courage brought on by the wine remained. She had long felt that the rules of propriety placed too many restrictions on women. Now that Prince Wei—the most authoritative elder in her life—had given her permission, what was there left to be coy about?
Besides, she had already crossed one line. Crossing another seemed as natural as water following its course.
Clearing her throat, she continued candidly, “After drinking, His Majesty favored a palace maid, who later became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The Crown Prince’s eldest son was of great importance, yet he had been born to a low-ranking palace maid. Emperor Gaozong was displeased, and Empress Xu had still shown no sign of bearing a child. After weighing the matter, he appointed Grandmother to the Eastern Palace.”
Prince Wei flicked one finger, and Cui Lanyin knew she had not strayed from the truth. She continued, “Empress Xu was very magnanimous. After learning what had happened to His Majesty while drunk, she immediately petitioned for the palace maid to be granted the title of Lady Guo. When Lady Guo gave birth, the court officials merely thought it improper that a low-ranking concubine of the Crown Prince had borne his eldest son. No one suspected anything else, which spared His Majesty from being accused of lacking the clear judgment and composure required of a future ruler.
“Many years later, hardly anyone still knew the truth of Lady Guo’s son’s birth. After His Majesty ascended the throne and Lady Guo was elevated to Consort Shun because of her son, many people even felt that as the mother of the eldest prince, she should have risen in rank alongside him, and that the position granted to Consort Shun was far too low.
“Grandmother was a daughter of the Yao family. Given the Yao family’s standing among the scholars and officials, it was already something of an indignity for her to become the Crown Prince’s secondary consort. Therefore, while Empress Xu remained childless, and even after Prince An was born, the uncle you bore was still incomparable to Prince Kang or Prince An. Once His Majesty ascended the throne, many officials submitted memorials requesting that you be made Crown Prince.
“Until Grandmother passed away in the second year of Xuanning’s reign, you were unquestionably the leading candidate for Crown Prince. People outside the palace even said that if Grandmother had still been alive, she had accompanied His Majesty more often than any other woman in the inner palace, and with the Yao family supporting her, you might not have had fewer chances than Prince Duan.
“Afterward, you went with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager to the imperial retreat. One reason was that you resembled Grandmother too closely, and seeing you caused His Majesty unbearable grief. Another was that he wanted you to accompany the Empress Dowager and fulfill your filial duty to her.”
“You believe that?”
After learning about Empress Dowager Chen’s past, Cui Lanyin no longer believed the stories circulating among the people.
“The Li family had laid out a grand strategy long before sending Empress Dowager Li into the palace. How could they possibly allow someone else to reap the rewards? Once Concubine Li Shu entered the palace, leaving you behind would only have placed you in a difficult position.”
“Empress Xu and my mother were both chess pieces.” Prince Wei spoke slowly. “So was I.”
“What?” Cui Lanyin stared at Prince Wei in astonishment. “Weren’t Empress Xu and Grandmother both appointed by Emperor Gaozong?”
“The Li family was the one that recommended them.”
Cui Lanyin tried to analyze the situation. “Was it because the Li family didn’t want to arouse Emperor Gaozong’s suspicion?”
“Yes.”
So the Li family had not only schemed against the Chen family, but even taken the Xu and Yao families as pawns in their hands. Even Prince Wei was only allowed to be born to distract Emperor Gaozong's attention? Thinking of how the Yao family had moved away to Suzhou in the second year of Xuanning, Consort Yao's subsequent passing, and the Xu family being exiled in the fifth year of Xuanning, Cui Lanyin shuddered with cold dread. "Empress Xu had no sons, was that...?"
"It was deliberate."
"Then... the Empress Dowager..."
"There is no evidence."
Just looking at the Li family's step-by-step schemes, Cui Lanyin could not believe that Empress Dowager Chen having no sons did not involve the Li family's underhanded tactics.
People always said the emperor held unfathomable depths of heart, capable of even deeds that disregarded father-son bonds. How could Emperor Xuanning indulge the Li family so unreservedly?
"Has His Majesty never grown suspicious of the Li family?"
"If he hadn't, how could there still be no settled conclusion to all these matters now?"
"Earlier, when Li Yijin was arranged to marry Prince Duan instead, was that His Majesty acting according to the situation?"
"Perhaps."
Prince Wei made no attempt to hide that he held no fatherly affection for Emperor Xuanning. The thought that even his own birth had been paved as a stepping stone for the Li family's rise, that Emperor Xuanning had clearly known and cooperated with the plan, and even played the part of the devoted lover to Consort Yao—putting herself in his position, Cui Lanyin knew she could never speak of such things with the same calm tone Prince Wei used.
A sudden possibility occurred to her, and she asked, "Did Grand-Aunt know about all this?"
"Three months after she found out, she passed away." Prince Wei paused for a moment, then added, "During those three months, she never met His Majesty again."
Cui Lanyin's chest felt tight and heavy. She had heard from Madam Tan that Consort Yao was stunningly beautiful and extraordinarily talented, a true gentle and graceful soul, but unfortunately one who could not see through the shackles of romantic love...
At the time, she had not understood why Madam Tan's expression had been so full of sadness and pity when she said those words, but now she understood it all completely.
At a moment like this, she felt any words would sound hollow. She could only reach out and take Prince Wei's hand. "Cousin Uncle, all of that is in the past now. You still have me, and the Empress Dowager."
"I am fine." Prince Wei's expression was composed, but his hand tightened its grip on hers, and Cui Lanyin knew he was still deeply affected under that calm facade.
Her heart ached with a swelling, indescribable sorrow. All those events, all those past years, must have replayed in his mind thousands upon thousands of times. What kind of torment that must have been, especially for a man like Prince Wei, who never forgot anything and possessed such exceptional intelligence.
Her voice rough with emotion, she asked, "Cousin Uncle, how old were you when you saw through all of this?"
"Your grandmother guided me to seek out the Empress Dowager, and right after that, I saw everything clearly."
To see through the cruelty of human nature at the age of six—how unimaginably cruel that was! Cui Lanyin held back the tears welling up in her eyes. "Cousin Uncle, how did you manage to get the Empress Dowager to accept you?"
"We negotiated terms." Noticing the glistening tears in her eyes, Prince Wei added, "The Empress Dowager is a woman of upright and unwavering character. She kept every single promise she made to me."
"I know. Back then, the Empress Dowager was already utterly disillusioned with everything." Cui Lanyin's smile looked sorrier than a cry. Even though she knew that was how things had been, her heart still ached for that little boy back then.
A young child who had already seen all the vicious ugliness of the world, who had tasted the full coldness of human relationships, and only then grew into the man he was now, wandering again and again along the path of having seen through all worldly affairs.
"People who are unkind and ungrateful, in the end, get exactly what they deserve." Prince Wei closed his eyes and released her hand. "Go back now."
"Don't dwell too much on the past. Cousin Uncle, go and get a good rest." Cui Lanyin stepped down from the bed, then remembered to ask on her way out, "Cousin Uncle, what about Chilin's post?"
Prince Wei flicked two fingers lightly over his knee. Cui Lanyin knew he did not even have the energy to spare for such small gestures anymore, so she did not say anything else. "Cousin Uncle, I shall take my leave." She signaled to Buyu, and the two of them quietly left the study.
The next day, she was in the west side hall talking to Zhang Gui, who had come to discuss the opening of their shop on the eighth day of the month, when Chilin came over beaming with joy. He walked in and bowed to Cui Lanyin. "Thank you so much, Second Miss, for speaking for me. The master has allowed me to take back my original post."
"That's wonderful news." Cui Lanyin did not take credit for it. "I only asked about it casually. Back then, Cousin Uncle did not even give me a definite answer. It can't have been because of my words. It must be that you have handled your duties so well that Cousin Uncle decided you are ready to go back."
Chilin knew full well what the truth was. "Second Miss, you do not have to be so modest. If you had not put in a good word for me, my affairs would have dragged on for who knows how much longer."
He took an object out from his sleeve and placed it on the large table in front of Cui Lanyin. "Second Miss, see if this is something you might find useful."
Cui Lanyin picked up that thin, silken fabric as light as a cicada's wing and unfolded it. "This is... a mask?"
Chilin replied, "This is woven from exotic celestial silk from a far western land. I came across it by chance a long time ago. The fine embroidery on it never suited a man like me to wear, so I kept it locked away in my chest. I had thought to save it as a gift for the princess when our master marries one day, but for all these years it has just stayed stored at the bottom of the case. I noticed that sometimes when Second Miss goes out you need to hide your identity, so I thought this might be of use to you and dug it out."
Even if Chilin had not said so, Cui Lanyin could tell that this silk mask was brand new and had never been used.
Truth be told, this mask from Chilin was exactly what she had been wanting.
As the reputation of Cui Ermeng in Yingcheng grew bigger and bigger, Cui Lanyin found it increasingly inconvenient to go out. Even when she rode in a two-horse carriage and wore a veiled hat, she was still frequently recognized by people.
It was fine when she was just moving around the city, but when she needed to go to the Dongshui Pass Wharf and the banks of the Wuyang River to inspect her shops, it became very troublesome. These past few days, she had been thinking nonstop about a way to conceal her whereabouts.
Chilin added, "Chiyun and Chiyue also have masks. The Lin Guards almost always wear masks when they go out on official duties."
This was perfect! If she had this mask, and Chiyun and Chiyue wore theirs too, plus she changed her carriage to an ordinary single-horse one, no one would be able to tell who she was.
She thought of the day Mrs. Liu had mentioned the pleasure boat tours on the Wuyang River at night. Cui Lanyin had been thinking about it in her spare time ever since she got back. Maybe she could put on the mask and go see it for herself?
Cousin Uncle had also said those stuffy old rules and rituals could be cast aside. Surely if he knew, he would just laugh it off.
But still, "You were going to present this to Cousin Uncle's future princess. How could I possibly take it?"
"I was the one who thought wrong before. A princess would never have any use for something like this. If I gave it to her, she would just tuck it away in a chest and never touch it. It is far better that it is put to good use by Second Miss."
"In that case, I will not stand on ceremony." Cui Lanyin accepted the mask. "I have many fine things bestowed on me by the Empress Dowager. Go pick a few of them to keep as gifts for your future princess."
"If Second Miss keeps being so polite to me, I will not dare to accept your kindness." Chilin repeatedly declined, but in the end Cui Lanyin stopped insisting.
Having given the mask to the second miss, who was absolutely delighted with it, Chilin felt completely at ease. The position of Prince Wei's princess was a distant, far-off thing. The second miss was the one who was truly staying by the prince's side all the time. There was no need to wonder which one weighed more.
I'm coming.
