Chapter Nine
Though she couldn’t get close during the birthday banquet, Cui Lanyin could tell that Empress Dowager Chen was a stern and unsmiling woman. Having lived in the retreat palace for eighteen years, she had likely grown indifferent to many things.
Prince Wei was much the same—aloof and unmoved by everything.
So, the next morning, as she dressed and prepared herself, Cui Lanyin avoided bright, celebratory colors. Instead, she chose a pale lotus-hued silk jacket and a moon-white embroidered skirt, understated and unobtrusive.
Between attending the palace birthday celebration, paying respects at Prince Wei’s residence, and now entering the palace again, she had nearly exhausted her finest outfits for formal occasions.
Her jewelry collection was similarly limited. The crabapple hairpin had already been worn during the birthday banquet, and the beaded hairpiece and white jade bracelet were tucked into a pouch for potential gifts in the palace. There wasn’t much left to wear that was presentable.
But given her family’s modest standing, there was no point in pretending otherwise. She picked out a silver-gilt openwork pagoda hairpin and asked Ding Xiang to fasten it for her, then put on her gold-inlaid jade gourd earrings.
Under the watchful eyes of her family, Cui Lanyin set off for the palace with Aiye, accompanied as usual by Geng Dayou and the carriage.
They arrived at the Dismounting Bridge by mid-morning, where a young eunuch sent by Qian He was already waiting.
Aiye reached for a small pouch filled with silver ingots to offer him, but the eunuch deftly avoided it, smiling. "Madam is Prince Wei’s cousin’s daughter—one of our own. There’s no need for such formalities, sister."
The fact that even Empress Dowager Chen’s palace eunuch behaved this way confirmed that the dowager held some familial affection for Prince Wei. Cui Lanyin felt slightly more at ease.
At Funing Palace, she was led by Aunt Gao into a side chamber where Empress Dowager Chen usually rested.
Rumors painted Empress Dowager Chen as rigid and unyielding, so Cui Lanyin didn’t dare let her guard down. Keeping her eyes lowered, she stepped forward and curtsied. "This humble subject greets Your Majesty."
"Sit."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Cui Lanyin took a seat on an embroidered stool at a respectful distance from the kang, still keeping her gaze demurely downcast.
"Yesterday, Prince Wei gave me a gift," Empress Dowager Chen said abruptly.
Cui Lanyin immediately understood—her audience today had been secured because Prince Wei had offered something in exchange. The dowager didn’t consider him family.
Yet it wasn’t entirely true that they shared no bond. At their level of status, countless people clamored to offer gifts. Without some measure of goodwill, no gift would even be accepted. The relationship between grandmother and grandson was… complicated.
What had he given her? Her mind flashed to the incident where the heir of Duke Dingguo had been publicly harassed by troublemakers. Could it be that?
And Liu Heipi had been present—if Bailin had orchestrated it, Liu Heipi wouldn’t have dared refuse. That would explain things.
But wasn’t the Duke Dingguo’s family Empress Dowager Chen’s own kin? Why would she take pleasure in their humiliation?
Cui Lanyin didn’t dare dwell on it further. Carefully, she replied, "This humble subject never expected His Highness to show such favor."
"Neither did I," Empress Dowager Chen responded coolly.
Sensing the dowager’s scrutinizing gaze, Cui Lanyin sat perfectly still, her lashes lowered.
After two years of illness and prolonged bedrest, her intuition had sharpened. Now, she could feel Empress Dowager Chen’s eyes lingering on her face for several heartbeats before finally looking away.
A faint dampness gathered in her palms. She could tell—her appearance wasn’t to the dowager’s liking.
Empress Dowager Chen fell silent for so long that Cui Lanyin wondered if she had dozed off. When she finally risked a glance upward, she froze.
The dowager sat rigidly upright, her gaze distant and unfocused, as if lost in memories she couldn’t escape.
Even in her own palace, she maintained such formality. No matter how stern or unyielding she was, this seemed… excessive.
Empress Dowager Chen was like this, Prince Wei was like that—one rigid, the other detached, neither radiating warmth.
Prince Wei’s demeanor didn’t affect her much, but seeing Empress Dowager Chen like this reminded her of Lady Tan. In her final years, faced with the family’s decline and helpless to stop it, Lady Tan would often sit alone, lost in thought. The resemblance struck a chord in Cui Lanyin, stirring an indescribable sorrow.
She couldn’t bear it. Steeling herself—even if it meant being dismissed—she turned to Aunt Gao and whispered, "Auntie, do you know how many words His Highness speaks in a day? When I went to pay respects, he just—" She mimicked Prince Wei’s habit of tapping his fingers lightly, her face expressionless. "I thought I’d annoyed him. I was terrified."
Aunt Gao covered her mouth, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter. "Heavens! That’s His Highness to a tee! The resemblance is uncanny. Your Majesty, look!"
Empress Dowager Chen had already seen. She studied Cui Lanyin for a long moment. "A lively child. Doesn’t seem like it at first glance."
"Indeed! She looks so delicate and timid, yet she’s straightforward and amusing," Aunt Gao agreed.
The dowager’s expression softened slightly. "Bring her some fruit and pastries. Let her stay until she feels it’s time to leave."
Cui Lanyin understood—Empress Dowager Chen only intended for her to sit briefly before dismissing her. Merely entering the palace was already a distinction. She hadn’t expected much, so she wasn’t disappointed. She simply sat there with a serene smile.
Aunt Gao took her hand. "Such a lovely girl—how could we let her sit idle? Why not have her join us for a few rounds of cards? I’d like to admire her a little longer."
"Do as you please," Empress Dowager Chen said indifferently.
"Oh, come now!" Aunt Gao, utterly unafraid of the dowager, protested. "Without you as our benefactor, how can we win anything? It’s been years since you’ve given us the chance. At least humor me in front of the young lady."
"One hour at most," Empress Dowager Chen relented.
"We won’t delay your scripture copying," Aunt Gao assured her.
Soon, a table was brought before the kang, and Aunt Xia was summoned by a young palace maid.
Cui Lanyin was bewildered. Wasn’t she just supposed to sit for a while? Now they were playing cards?
The two pouches of silver ingots Aiye carried amounted to no more than ten taels. The beaded hairpiece and jade bracelet in her sleeves were worth more, but using them as stakes would be an insult to Empress Dowager Chen.
With the dowager’s blunt nature, honesty was best.
Blushing, Cui Lanyin admitted, "This humble subject is short on funds. I can only wager up to ten taels."
Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia exchanged startled glances. Most visitors to the palace presented only their finest selves—never had they encountered someone admitting poverty before Empress Dowager Chen. This Miss Cui was truly one of a kind.
The dowager looked at her again, pausing briefly on the silver-gilt hairpin. Seeing Cui Lanyin’s composed and sincere expression, she gave a slight nod. "Ten taels it is. Once you lose that, the game ends."
Thus, Cui Lanyin sat opposite Empress Dowager Chen, with Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia on either side, and the four began playing cards.
The aunts weren’t truly interested in the game—they merely hoped to draw the dowager into conversation and movement, to pull her out of her habitual stillness.
They subtly let Empress Dowager Chen win four out of five rounds. Yet, far from being pleased, the dowager grew increasingly disinterested, playing haphazardly as if eager to finish.
When Lady Tan was still alive, Cui Lanyin often accompanied her in playing leaf cards. She knew the old lady disliked being let win—as Lady Tan would say, "That would just make me a useless old fool who does nothing but eat and drink."
In the next round, Cui Lanyin playfully clenched her fists and waved them twice. "Losing early doesn’t mean losing—I’m about to turn the tables."
"Show me what you’ve got," Empress Dowager Chen, who had been silently drawing cards, unexpectedly retorted.
Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia exchanged a glance, suddenly understanding something.
Later, when Cui Lanyin bluffed her way to winning two rounds in a row against Empress Dowager Chen, the dowager didn’t get upset. Instead, she stopped playing recklessly, occasionally pausing to think longer.
Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia gave Cui Lanyin several approving looks and began playing more freely themselves. The back-and-forth soon made them lose track of time. By the time Cui Lanyin lost all her money, Empress Dowager Chen seemed reluctant to stop. "You said you’d turn the tables, but you ended up losing even faster."
Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia burst into laughter. Both were winners, and having served Empress Dowager Chen for so many years, they were well-off and didn’t care about the small stakes. What delighted them was the subtle change in the dowager’s demeanor—it hinted at a new approach.
Because of this, they felt deeply grateful to Cui Lanyin.
Being shrewd court insiders, they could tell from Cui Lanyin’s attire and her frank admission of bringing only ten taels of silver that the Cui family was in dire straits.
Ten taels meant little to them, but for a struggling household, it could go a long way.
Aunt Gao scooped up two handfuls of silver ingots, estimating it was at least ten taels, and stuffed them into a purse before pressing it into Cui Lanyin’s hand. "We were so busy dragging you into the game that we didn’t even offer you refreshments. Take this to buy some sweets on your way home."
Cui Lanyin couldn’t possibly accept it. She placed the purse back on the table and stepped away with a playful grin. "I was planning to practice my card skills so I could win next time. Was I mistaken? Does Aunt Gao not want to play with me anymore?"
Aunt Gao chuckled, pointing at her. "This girl’s tongue is too sharp… Now I’m at a loss."
"Anyone who can out-talk you has my approval," Aunt Xia chimed in, turning to Cui Lanyin. "Come anytime you like. If she won’t play with you, I will."
The attending eunuchs and maids also laughed, filling the hall with cheerful noise.
Empress Dowager Chen seemed momentarily dazed. She motioned for Cui Lanyin to come closer. "Prince Wei recommended you, but it turns out you’re the one entertaining us. This old woman can’t do much these days, but since you’re young and likely have no major troubles, come and ask if you ever need anything."
With this one sentence from the dowager, Cui Lanyin could discreetly spread the word and pay occasional respects to Prince Wei. Wasn’t this exactly what she had hoped for?
She hadn’t expected that merely playing cards would earn her such a promise from Empress Dowager Chen. The dowager was surprisingly warm-hearted, quite different from the rumors circulating outside.
"Your servant thanks the Empress Dowager," Cui Lanyin said sincerely.
"I recall having many styles of gold ingots and gold beans minted years ago. Are they still around?" Empress Dowager Chen asked.
"They are—over a dozen varieties," Aunt Xia replied.
"Pick out the prettiest ones and give her some to take home. Also, see if any of the delivered fabrics suit her and send a few bolts along."
"Empress Dowager…" Cui Lanyin was at a loss. One couldn’t refuse a noble’s gifts, but taking back the silver she’d lost felt too much.
"For years, there’s been no one to bestow them upon. They’ve just gathered dust. Today, I’m glad to finally have you to reward."
Cui Lanyin had no choice but to thank her again.
Her visit to Funing Palace cost her nothing—instead, she gained ten taels of gold, four bolts of fabric, and a box of palace pastries from Aunt Gao. Even as she boarded her carriage at Xiama Bridge, it all felt surreal.
