Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Wash away all the scent left by Su Li...

Chapter 7

The Wu Kingdom was in a turbulent time, with constant external troubles and internal strife.

The Li Dynasty was in a state of disarray and had been hollowed out by the aristocratic families for many years, making it virtually non-existent.

In the early years, even the emperor had to be manipulated by the powerful families, let alone the legitimate princess.

It was not until Emperor Xuanning came to the throne that he was able to gain a foothold by relying on the children of the royal family to win over the aristocratic families, cultivate his own factions, and train his troops.

Nowadays, when Princess Chonghua holds a flower-viewing banquet, except for a few eldest daughters of aristocratic families who dare to save face and not come to support, other ladies from aristocratic families will take time out of their schedule to come to the banquet in order to please the royal family.

Li Muyao is now the only unmarried daughter of Emperor Xuanning, so she naturally knows her father's instructions.

The only one who could be a match for her, the first princess of Wu, was Cui Jue, the eldest son of the Cui family with a divine appearance.

Although Li Muyao visited Cui Jue many times, she was always ignored by Cui Jue.

But Cui Jue was so cold to everyone, at least Li Muyao could still step into Shuyue Pavilion from time to time, which was very decent compared to other noble ladies.

However, today, as soon as she walked into the courtyard, she heard from afar a few pretty young ladies pushing and shoving each other, laughing together—

"I really envy you for being able to receive a zither as a gift from the eldest son of the Cui family!"

"That's Cui Jue, the Prime Minister! My father didn't dare to breathe when he saw him. He's so approachable and even gave you a zither..."

"Even if you don't have this piano, at least you received it. Alas, I had my period a while ago and had a stomachache, so I couldn't go to the piano lesson that everyone was going to take. I missed the opportunity."

The girls affectionately called Cui Jue "the eldest prince". As soon as this title was mentioned, everyone knew who he was talking about. The most handsome man in Jianye was none other than Cui Lanju!

Fan Baozhu, the wife of the fifth wife of Fan Wu, who was surrounded by her friends, kept pursing her lips and smiling secretly.

She was very proud of herself and told the story to all her cousins ​​in a discreet manner when she returned home. She received envious looks from everyone and her vanity soared.

However, Fan Baozhu knew that she was not the only one who was treated well by Cui Jue.

Every young lady attending the private school that day received a gift, and she wasn't the only one. Fan Baozhu, self-aware, said guiltily, "It was just a coincidence that the eldest master was in a good mood. It's nothing serious..."

But the joy on his face was clearly visible.

Until a charming female voice came: "Why be modest? Even I haven't received the zither gifted by the eldest master. Lady Fan Wu is much better than me."

When Fan Baozhu recognized the voice, her legs went weak for a moment.

She was just a humble girl, and she was frightened when the princess raised her voice.

Feeling aggrieved, Fan Baozhu stepped forward with tears in her eyes, "Your Highness, what I have received is only vulgar and unpresentable. If Mr. Cui had given Your Highness a musical instrument, it would have been a carefully selected treasure."

"I don't deserve it. Why should I be happy about something that doesn't exist? I can't compare to you, Fifth Lady... The eldest master has remembered your name so early and even knows to give you gifts." Li Muyao laughed sarcastically.

Li Muyao was raised to be domineering and arrogant by Emperor Xuan Ning, and it was also because the girls from the aristocratic families in front of her were not from high-ranking aristocratic families, so she was not afraid of offending them at all.

Li Muyao deliberately used words to provoke Fan Wu Niangzi and did not give her any way out.

Several pampered girls from aristocratic families looked at each other, inevitably feeling somewhat dissatisfied, but considering Li Muyao's status as a princess, they dared not speak out.

To save herself, Fan Baozhu quickly thought of a way to bring someone else into the conversation. "Princess, you've misunderstood me. Actually... the eldest son wasn't going to give the gift to us. I heard from Aunt Qingxia from the Cui family that the first zither was sent to Mudong Pavilion. Your Highness, you must be familiar with Mudong Pavilion, right? It's not far from Shuyue Pavilion, and there lives a cousin from the Su family in Lanhe County!"

Fan Baozhu's friend Jiang Ruyun chimed in, "Exactly... I heard the Lanhe Su family is just a small, unknown family. They only married into the Cui family after saving Mr. Cui. That Su Li isn't even a blood relative, yet she's so shameless as to call herself a cousin!"

The other young ladies also talked about it -

"Yes, yes, she even calls Cui Si Niang sisters and makes her smile so much. I'm afraid she does this just to get close to the eldest son!"

"She even deliberately wore a green shirt, knowing full well that the eldest young master loved green robes the most. She even dressed up diligently and rushed over on the day when the eldest young master presented his zither. Wasn't it just to catch the eldest young master's eye? She truly has ulterior motives..."

The ladies were talking one after another, deliberately saying that Su Li was wearing the same clothes as Cui Jue and was trying to please Cui Shunying. Their indirect remarks were all to give her the final impression of being a "fox spirit".

In fact, they did not have a deep impression of Su Li, but after analyzing these few sentences, they felt that the unapproachable son of the Cui family was indeed a bit weird.

It would be fine if Princess Chonghua was favored by Cui Jue. After all, the power of heaven was growing, and Li Muyao was a daughter of a noble family, enough to be a match for the Cui family.

But Su Li is not from a noble family, and they are not even as good as the impoverished Su family, which is very embarrassing.

For a moment, the young ladies looked at each other, and no one could make up their minds.

After hearing this, Li Muyao's face had already turned pale. She casually plucked a summer flower and threw it to the ground, lifting her skirt and legs, crushing the petals with the tip of her shoe to vent her anger...

The flowers wither like the lowest handful of dirt in the earth.

Li Muyao didn't even glance at him.

Returning to the palace, Li Muyao summoned the female official in charge and said to her, "I heard that a distant relative of the Su family has come to the Cui family. Since they are relatives, let's invite them to the birthday party in two months."

The female official didn't know when Princess Chonghua became so kind as to care about a humble little person.

But then he thought that he was a member of the Cui family, and Li Muyao always cared about Cui Jue, so he didn't ask any more questions.

But when Li Muyao thought of Cui Jue's humble and gentle attitude towards others, a burning anger settled in her heart.

Everyone teased Li Muyao, saying that the young and promising Prime Minister Cui would be her future husband, and that they were a perfect match made in heaven, with both being talented and beautiful.

In recent years, even my father praised Cui Jue as a young talent in front of the court officials, and even joked in private that he had held Cui Jue in his arms when he was newborn, and considered him half his son!

The emperor had given many hints, but Li Muyao didn't believe that Cui Jue didn't understand!

But Cui Jue didn't show any consideration for his future wife. He flirted with others behind her back, giving people a chance to talk about her and even letting other young ladies laugh at her. He was really going too far!

Li Muyao remembered that Cui Jue didn't like unreasonable women, so she didn't dare to make trouble in front of him, but she wanted to have a good time with Su Li.

She's just a distant cousin of the Su family...

Li Muyao wanted to see whether Cui Jue, a smart and sensible man, would protect his future wife or bless those vixen who were not worthy of being on the public stage.

-

A month later, the hunting tour ceremony was put on the agenda, and the hunting ground was set in Nanshan outside Jianye County.

Cui Shunying brought good news to Su Li, saying that she had asked Mr. Cui for his opinion on the hunting trip in Nanshan, and that she could take Su Li with her.

However, the old lady of the Cui family passed away, and the wife of the first wife of the Cui family was so sad because her husband died in the war that she lost her appetite and had difficulty sleeping. In just one year, she fell seriously ill and passed away.

From then on, the clothing expenses of the mansion were all managed by each courtyard.

Without Cui Weng's permission, no one dared to interfere in the affairs of Shuyue Pavilion, the home of the eldest son Cui Jue.

There was no female head of the household, so naturally no one would consider that Su Li didn't even have a set of narrow-sleeved riding clothes to go hunting.

Cui Shunying was a smart child, and she took Su Li directly back to Jianjiayuan.

After Mr. Cui passed away, she and her third sister Cui Shunhua lived a good life. They were able to live with their biological mother, Aunt Xu.

Although Aunt Xu was the only concubine left in the first house and had given birth to two young ladies, she knew her place very well and would never dare to act arrogantly in front of Cui Jue.

Not to mention taking care of Cui Jue's daily life, even the daily greetings were met with submissive nods, not daring to glance around. Every day she just stayed in her own little piece of land, being an honest and dutiful concubine.

Because of Aunt Xu's understanding, Cui Jue never treated her harshly. Sometimes he would even send a portion of the festival gifts distributed by the palace to Jianjiayuan as a reward for Aunt Xu's dedicated care for his two concubines.

Cui Shunying took Su Li to see her mother.

Aunt Xu saw a pretty girl walking into the hall and smiled so much that her eyebrows were not visible. "Oh, is this Miss Su? Come quickly, it's raining and cold, why don't you put on an extra coat? Try to have a cup of tea to warm your stomach!"

Su Li smiled and saluted: "Su Li greets Auntie. I have been in the Cui family for many days and have not been able to come to your door to greet you. It is I who do not know the etiquette."

Aunt Xu said angrily, "There are strict rules in our family. You are right not to wander around. If there is anything, Si Niang will come back and tell you since she is so noisy."

She didn't know Su Li's temper and didn't dare to go up and pat the young lady's hand. She just called the maid to come and take care of her and let Su Li sit down and rest.

She served tea, freshly fried pastries and steamed dried fruit cakes. Su Li was surprised by Aunt Xu's kindness.

In the past, in the Su family, which favored concubine didn't act like a villain who had achieved success? Not only did they want to suppress the mistress, but they also wanted to show disrespect to the Su family's children. Even Su Li was given the cold shoulder by the concubines.

After Concubine Xu fed Cui Shunying two pieces of flower cake, she finally stood up impatiently. She swallowed a mouthful of flower tea and asked her mother, "Aunt, do you have any new riding clothes in the closet?"

Seeing that her daughter refused to eat more, Aunt Xu reluctantly gave up and said repeatedly, "Yes, yes, I prepared it for you a long time ago. Why are you asking about this?"

She was very sensitive and quickly realized, "Should I prepare some riding clothes for Madam Su? I'll have to look for them carefully. She's pretty, and she'll look great in orange and red!"

Su Li touched the tip of her nose shyly: "I'm sorry to bother you, Auntie."

Aunt Xu glanced at her sideways: "What nonsense are you talking about! You should have come to me earlier. It is our Ah Ying who has neglected the young lady."

To be honest, Su Li only thought that she would try her best to seduce Cui Jue when she came to Cui's house, but she didn't expect that the children of the aristocratic families were all proficient in the six arts of a gentleman, and of course they had to be good at riding and shooting. She didn't prepare these clothes at all. If she wanted to play with the children of the wealthy families in the future, there was still a lot to learn!

Su Li had never ridden a horse. Firstly, Mrs. Zhou was afraid that she looked wild and not ladylike; secondly, her mother-in-law did not like the girl to be too lively, and was afraid that her son, who was already in poor health, would have to accompany his wife in her mischief.

However, when Su Li was in the countryside, she rode a donkey... She was very good at controlling the donkey. If she hung a carrot on it, the donkey would not dare to go left or right if she told it to.

When she went to see her grandmother, Su Li would secretly lead out the black donkey that was pulling the mill, hold the donkey's belly, and stroll around the yard.

Apart from being shorter than a horse, the donkey has healthy limbs and a fierce temperament.

Riding a donkey and riding a horse should be similar, right?

While Su Li was daydreaming, Cui Shunying had already handed her a golden lotus orange narrow-sleeved riding suit: "Sister Su, try it on."

Su Li pulled down the curtain and put on new clothes.

Su Li was reluctant to come out, and even the impatient Cui Shunying became impatient.

Cui Shunying poked her head in to look, and suddenly exclaimed "Wow".

Behind the screen, a pretty young lady was seen gathering her bosom with her hands, her fingertips twisted till they turned white, but she still couldn't pull up her belt and put on her clothes.

The small dress has a faint outline of the plump snow-capped peaks, and looks very heavy.

Cui Shunying was dumbfounded and exclaimed in amazement: "Sister Su, you are so talented!"

Su Li couldn't pull up her collar, and her ears were burning from Cui Shunying's teasing.

She didn't get angry with the child. She coughed lightly and changed back into her own dress. "I'd better go to the street and buy a pair of riding clothes that fit me."

Cui Shunying smiled and said, "Alas, I wanted to help Sister Su financially, but unfortunately...my clothes don't fit you, so I really can't help you."

Su Li snorted and pinched the child's face. She and Cui Shunying had become much more familiar with each other, and she dared to pretend to be angry and bully her.

Su Li handed the matter of buying clothes to Qiu Gui.

In just two hours, Qiu Gui came back. In addition to some beautiful ready-made clothes, she also brought Su Li a small leather horse whip tied with a red string.

Su Li couldn't put it down and played with it, and suddenly she felt like riding a horse.

When the day came for the Cui family's horses to go to Nanshan, Su Li specifically ordered the horse slave to go to the stable and pick out a pure white mare with a gentle temperament.

Su Li's riding skills were not very good. She valued her life and did not force herself to go horseback hunting. She just climbed on the horse and wandered around the green hillside.

Cui Shunying also had other good friends in the capital. She introduced Su Li to those noble ladies and gentlemen, hoping that they could play together when they had time.

Everyone smiled and greeted each other on the surface, but their eyes did not linger on Su Li.

Su Li is the best at observing people's words and expressions. How could she not know that they look down on the Su family because of their humble origins?

Su Li didn't want to be bored. She smiled and said, "You guys have fun. I'm not very good at riding, so I'll just sit back in the tent and not hold you back!"

In this way, Cui Shunying did not force her and just went to have fun on her own.

Su Li looked towards the towering mountains in the distance. The entire hillside was dotted with a few exquisitely decorated yellow silk tents. Soldiers in armor and carrying weapons patrolled back and forth, and no outsiders were allowed to approach the imperial tent.

The rest of the tents surrounded the royal tents and were arranged in order according to their social status. They were all famous officials and prestigious families.

Cui Jue's tent was naturally in the inner area, while Su Li lived somewhere else with Aunt Xu and the others.

There are also ladies and gentlemen who dislike the talkativeness and restraint of their family members, and they don’t want to have a good time when they go out for a night hunt.

They took the initiative to move out of the main tent and set up camp by the river with their slaves.

On the way back to the tent, Su Li came across such a small tent temporarily built by the children of aristocratic families.

She smelled the aroma of roasted venison and was hungry. She was curious, but she didn't go forward to take a look. She just tightened the spurs on her horse, hoping to speed up the journey so that she could return to the tent for dinner.

Before Su Li could ride away, a cheerful male voice suddenly called her: "Hey, is that the one riding the horse Su's cousin?"

Su Li stopped his horse and looked at the person who came in surprise.

He was a young man with a ponytail, sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He was wearing a black armor and looked very heroic.

He squatted beside the campfire, turning the venison. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, and a streak of black ash suddenly appeared on his face, making the white teeth exposed by the young man's raised lips look even whiter.

"Don't be afraid. Fourth Mother sent me here to look after you." He thought for a moment and then added, "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Chen Heng, the sixth son in my family. I currently serve as the Left General of the Imperial Guards. Your cousin Cui and I are also close friends. His sister is my sister. If you like, you can call me 'Sixth Brother'."

The Left General of the Central Army was responsible for guarding the inner court. Most importantly, Chen Heng was from the Langshan Chen family, a prestigious family.

Su Li didn't want to offend him, so she politely said, "Sanniang greets General Chen."

His speech was very polite and not at all cliché.

Chen Heng smiled and said nothing, just asked her to come over and eat meat.

Chen Heng has always been popular with young ladies. Seeing that Su Li is still young and about the same age as his younger sister, he began to want to tease her.

He deliberately handed over a deer leg and asked Su Li: "Do you want to roast it yourself?"

Little girls love new things, and he figured Su Li would like it too. As for whether her dress would get burned by the fire... with him here, what's there to be afraid of? Just have fun.

Su Li blinked and declined: "No, I'm not very good at grilling meat, and I don't know how to apply those spices. If I ruin General Chen's deer leg, I will be guilty of a capital crime."

Chen Heng thought for a moment and said, "That's true. Your family rules are very strict. These snacks are prepared by the maids, so you definitely won't do it yourself. So just wait, I will definitely bake you a delicious one."

Su Li said perfunctorily: "Of course it couldn't be better. I'm just looking forward to General Chen's delicious dishes. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten barbecued pork for many years..."

Before Su Li could finish her words of flattery, a faint chuckle suddenly came from the distance.

The low and hoarse laugh was fleeting, as if she had just hallucinated.

Su Li's scalp was numb from the shock.

When I looked up again, I saw the curtain of a small tent not far away was blown open by the wind, revealing a beautiful face.

The elegant man, wearing a jade crown and a thin Feiquan green robe, knelt before a vermilion desk...

Isn't this person Cui Jue? !

Su Li was horrified.

The smile on Cui Jue's face had long faded, leaving only a pair of narrow and long phoenix eyes, staring at her quietly, with the corners of his eyes slightly raised, and his eyes were quite meaningful.

Su Li was stunned for a moment, and suddenly understood why Cui Jue was laughing...

She had sent him some lamb that she had roasted herself two days ago, but today she said that she had never roasted meat before. Isn't this contradicting herself?

It was also Su Li's fault that she was too eager to get close to Cui Jue. She couldn't wait too long, so she had to take a risky move and made up a half-truthful and tragic life story in an attempt to win Cui Jue's sympathy.

Su Li lowered her head, feeling guilty, regretting deeply: Why did she have to run into Cui Jue? It seemed the two of them were incompatible, born to clash.

But in Cui Jue's eyes, Su Li's action undoubtedly confirmed her bad character of "telling lies all the time".

Su Li is a person of bad character. Cui Jue should stop Cui Shunying from getting close to her, so as to prevent the two from becoming too close... and let Su Li lead the fourth sister astray.

Cui Shunying was playful and refused to go back to the tent to eat even when it was getting dark. He also sent a servant to tell him that he wanted to go hunting at night with several girls from the Xie family.

Cui Shunying asked Cui Jue to look after Su Li. Sister Su had just arrived and had no friends. She was unfamiliar with the hunting grounds and without anyone to protect her, so she was afraid she would be bullied.

Chen Heng was a kind-hearted man, and he volunteered to escort Su Li back to the tent.

After all, he was a stranger, and for the sake of Su Li's reputation, Cui Jue stopped him calmly: "The Cui family's main tent is in the same place. I'm on my way back to the tent, so I can give Madam Su a ride."

Cui Jue has always been thoughtful, so Chen Heng didn't force him.

They said they were escorting Su Li, but in fact, it was just Cui Jue riding his horse in front to lead the way, while Su Li herself rode slowly and followed behind.

There were few fires on the mountain and the light was dim.

The moment she got off the horse, Su Li lost her footing and fell with her head tilted back.

If his head hit the ground, his neck would be broken and his body would be torn apart...

Su Li was terrified, and she didn't want to die so pathetically. Her heart was pounding, her breath caught in her throat, and she couldn't breathe for a long time, scrambling to steady herself.

Su Li originally thought that she would fall, but at the critical moment, a force quickly grabbed her collar and held her steadily.

The moment Su Li was suspended in the air, her head felt dizzy and she could faintly smell the scent of grass and trees brought by the mountain breeze.

The detached and elegant fragrance of orchid slowly drifts and fills the nasal cavity.

The cool fragrance of orchids wafted from the back of her neck, making people's hair stand on end.

Even though Su Li could no longer see clearly, she knew that Cui Jue was standing behind her at this moment.

Cui Jue didn't touch her with his knuckles, but simply used his slender fingertips to gently grab her collar, as if holding the back of a kitten's neck, to pull her up and help her stand firm.

Although Su Li was a little embarrassed by being pulled by Cui Jue, fortunately the eldest master was kind enough to prevent her from falling.

After the force was removed, Su Li finally stood firm.

After doing good deeds, Cui Jue distanced himself from her without saying a word.

Su Li calmed her heartbeat, hurriedly caught up, and thanked him softly: "Thank you for your help, Young Master."

Cui Jue was indifferent, not even looking at her: "It's just a small favor, no need to thank me."

Cui Jue didn't exchange pleasantries with her anymore. He got on his horse, rode against the wind, and rushed back to his residence.

When he got off the horse, Cui Jue suddenly remembered the warmth that remained on his fingertips.

The girl's robe was soft, and the fabric was warmed by her body temperature. Even though Cui Jue was very careful, a trace of the incense on Su Li's clothes was still on his fingertips.

Rich osmanthus scent.

Very sweet, very rich, and somewhat lively.

Cui Jue's eyes darkened slightly.

He doesn't like this kind of fragrance.

After returning to the tent, Cui Jue dipped his hands in clean water and washed them carefully dozens of times.

Washed away all the scent left by Su Li.

-

Late at night.

In the tent, Cui Jue knelt with his robe on, reviewing government documents.

Before he could pull out another document, a strong smell of mutton seeped in from the gap in the curtain.

Cui Jue's eyes suddenly turned cold, and without even raising his head, he said in a cold voice, "If you dare to eat meat in this tent, I will make sure you enter upright and leave sideways."

As soon as Chen Heng heard this, he thought of Cui Jue's heroic feat on the frontier battlefield, where he swung his sword through the air and beheaded two Hu generals in the blink of an eye. He couldn't help but shudder. "Tsk, Lan Ju, can you be a little more humane? You don't have a midnight snack, aren't you hungry? I have something important to discuss tonight, so I want to have a drink with you. This is a snack, okay..."

Cui Jue ignored him.

But Chen Heng was bold and had already lifted the curtain and came in, carefully placing a plate of cut lamb leg meat on the felt blanket.

He filled a glass of wine and moved it to the table. Knowing that Cui Jue didn't want to drink, he didn't force him. He was very happy to drink by himself.

Chen Heng: "Have you heard about the Zheng family in Shanyang?"

Cui Jue put down the document and said, "Be careful, walls have ears."

After he finished speaking, he moved his fingertips slightly, and a powerful internal force swept out. The yellow candle flame was stimulated by the force and flickered with flames.

This was the patrol signal. Wei Zhiyan, who was guarding outside the tent, received the order and mobilized the secret guards to patrol everywhere and eliminate the spies and informants lurking outside within a radius of several miles.

Cui Jue knew it was safe outside the tent, so he said slowly, "If a family is not united, it will eventually fall apart. Only by thinking of danger in times of peace can we be prepared for any eventuality. The Chen family of Langshan should make plans early."

This is meant to warn Chen Heng to deploy as soon as possible.

The Shanyang Zheng family that Chen Heng mentioned was a large northern clan that dominated the Liangzhou area.

The Zheng family of Shanyang was not close to the imperial power and monopolized the territory of Liangzhou. Not only did they embezzle the local taxes that were paid to the court every year, they also built forts, recruited soldiers, set up tens of thousands of private soldiers, and privately made passports for civilians. Those without the passports were not allowed to enter the country. They seemed to be "separatist and king of the mountain."

The Li Dynasty had suffered from the Zheng family for a long time. After years of painstaking efforts, they finally persuaded the Zhang family, a powerful and influential family near the border of Liangzhou, to join in condemning the traitors who rebelled against the emperor.

Emperor Xuanning used the power of the aristocratic families to send out secret agents to split up those who were allied with the Shanyang Zheng family, and joined forces with the northern factions to launch a punitive war. He finally took over the fertile territory of Liangzhou, and took the first step in the centralization of the dynasty.

Emperor Xuanning was smart. He knew that the royal family was still controlled by the aristocratic families. Even though his power was growing, he did not dare to abandon them. Instead, he gave Zhang's eldest son a sweet opportunity and appointed him as the governor of Liangzhou, temporarily dividing Liangzhou into the Zhang family's territory.

By waving the banner of the royal family, one can privately swallow up the country's territory, which is an irresistible temptation for anyone. The powerful families are ambitious and have the intention of internal fighting, and the air is filled with smoke of war in secret.

Little did they know that Emperor Xuanning was deliberately provoking trouble with the intention of "sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight".

Small tricks of ganging up on dissidents are common.

But so many noble families were seduced by power and were willing to fall into the trap... Cui Jue's forehead swelled slightly.

Chen Heng knew that the fact that Cui Jue was so alert showed that the situation in Wu was in chaos.

Chen Heng was worried: "Doesn't Princess Chonghua like you? If you marry Li Muyao, you will be the son-in-law of the royal family. Old Taishan can't do anything to his son-in-law, right? If you get close to the royal family, it will be a powerful alliance. If I follow you, at least our Chen and Cui families can be preserved for thousands of generations."

Cui Jue glanced at him with an unfriendly look.

Even if they hoped that the royal family would be cautious, they should not target him.

Chen Heng felt a chill on the back of his neck. He coughed lightly, "Of course, I don't mean for you to marry into the family. Don't get me wrong."

I can't drink any more wine tonight.

As the god of hearing, Chen Heng delivered the message and the important matter was completed.

He thought of another thing. Today was also the day when the sun rose from the west. It was the first time that he saw the self-disciplined Cui Jue take the initiative to escort a pretty young lady back to the tent. Even if Princess Chonghua asked Cui Jue to accompany her in the past, he would have found ways to refuse.

This cousin from the Su family is quite capable.

Chen Heng winked at him: "Oh, what's going on between you and that cousin from the Su family? I see that you two have a very close relationship..."

Cui Jue rebuked unhappily: "Be careful with your words."

"Well, I was wrong. Since you're not interested, and she's a distant relative of the Cui family, could I get to know her? You know, my parents are so anxious about my marriage that they're practically on edge, constantly urging me to pick out a suitable young lady. My family is prominent, so to hide my influence, I don't need the help of my wife's family. Finding a small family is just right."

Chen Heng gave a rare innocent laugh, "I think Miss Su is beautiful, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get to know her better..."

Cui Jue said slowly, "Su is a perverse person, full of lies... If she were to marry into a noble family, it would bring shame to the Chen family."

It was rare for Chen Heng to hear such a high evaluation from Cui Jue. You know, Cui Jue was self-disciplined and polite, treated people indifferently, and would never talk about the young lady behind her back.

How had Su Li offended this icy young man? He was so angry that he had thrown away all his gentlemanly manners.

"Really?" Chen Heng laughed. Thinking of how Su Li dared to act aggressively towards Cui Jue, with her bright eyes, he became even more interested. "I think she's quite cute."

Hearing this, Cui Jue frowned for once.

He knew that Chen Heng was joking and didn't want to have a deep conversation with his good friend. He just remained silent and continued to take the papers and review the documents.