Chapter 74: Longevity Thread

During the Dragon Boat Festival in May, the palace bestowed tortoise-shell fans and light silk clothes. Qiandeng entered the palace for a banquet as usual and kowtowed to thank Her Majesty the Queen for her grace.

"Princess Lingling." While waiting in line in front of Hanliang Palace, she heard a gentle call from the side.

When she turned around, she saw that the person greeting her was Mrs. Cui, Cui Fufeng's mother.

She is already a gorgeous beauty, and today, at this festive occasion, she is wearing a purple silk gown with large sleeves and a pair of gold-embroidered phoenixes. Her hair is piled with layers of golden flowers, and pearl necklaces dangle from her chest, which makes her look even more beautiful and charming. She is not to be looked at directly.

"Mrs. Cui." Qiandeng greeted her.

Mrs. Cui smiled and pulled her, her eyes fell on her wrist, and asked, "Why don't you tie the colorful thread?"

Qiandeng looked up in surprise, and found that the other ladies who came to the palace to meet the emperor all had Dragon Boat Festival colored threads tied around their wrists.

She suddenly remembered that Aunt Xuanji had indeed ordered people to prepare five-colored longevity threads: red, yellow, green, white, and black. However, she had been absent-minded recently and had trouble sleeping every night. She got up in a hurry this morning and forgot to wear it.

She hesitated. "I didn't know the palace's festive rituals, so I neglected them...I wonder if this is a big deal?"

"It's not a big deal, it's just a small matter." Mrs. Cui smiled, then untied the intricately woven colorful thread on her wrist, and asked the maid beside her to untie it and split it into two pieces.

Her maid was very clever and quickly weaved it into two long silk threads.

Madam Cui took the one with the linked beads and twisted pattern and tied it on Qiandeng herself, saying, "You're a young girl, so this pattern suits you. At my age, I'd rather use the more stable one with the swastika pattern."

As she spoke, she tied the longevity thread around Qiandeng and gently squeezed her slender wrist, a look of pity on her face. "How come you're even thinner than last time, County Lady? Although your affairs are complicated, and I heard from Fufeng that there's been another turmoil recently, your health is still the most important thing. No matter how big the problem, you have to take care of yourself first, understand?"

Qiandeng nodded in agreement and helped her tie the other colorful thread with the swastika and Ruyi patterns.

Looking at her lowered face, Madam Cui couldn't help but feel happy. She couldn't help but whisper in Qiandeng's ear, "Although Fufeng looks calm and reserved, this is his first time in the northwest. If the county lady and he encounter any difficulties, they can support each other and discuss it. It's always better than making decisions alone."

Qian Deng was stunned and asked, "He is the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple. The judicial system has nothing to do with military affairs. Why would he be accompanying him on the border patrol?"

Mrs. Cui looked at her meaningfully, her eyes filled with the words "What do you think?"

Under her gaze, Qiandeng embarrassedly avoided her eyes and stopped asking.

Mrs. Cui endured it again and again, and finally did not tell her about the dispute at home yesterday. She thought that perhaps it would be better for her son to give her the surprise in person.

Her husband, Cui Qisi, the then Minister of the Court, had returned from his office the previous day with a sullen expression. Upon seeing his son, he pulled a document from his sleeve and threw it on the table. "A few days ago, the official document drafted by the Ministry of Rites was submitted to us, officially registering you as a candidate to marry the Princess of Lingling County."

Mrs. Cui, who came forward, paused as she looked at the document, and Cui Fufeng asked, "Father, are you still going to reject it this time?"

"It wasn't me who rejected your decision, but the elders. For the Cui family, your marrying the Lingling County Lady wasn't a good choice." Cui Qisi pointed at the official document, emphasizing each word carefully. "Fufeng, among the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats, the Boling Cui family is the most prominent clan in the world. You are the Cui family's most outstanding descendant and the backbone of the next generation. With the power of your family and your own abilities, you will naturally rise to the highest position in the future. Yet, you abandoned the ladies of the prestigious Wang, Li, Zheng, and Lu families to compete with a bunch of humble families, even the sons of military commanders and merchants, for a position of Wangfu County Lady with no future. Isn't this a disgrace to our Cui family?"

Seeing her husband's stern question, Mrs. Cui also became nervous. She looked at her son, sighed, and hesitated to speak.

Others wanted to marry the county princess in order to be granted a fifth or sixth rank official position by the court and to change their family status, but her son really had no need to do so as there were many better options.

Cui Fufeng laughed and asked, "With my notoriety, which lady would dare to marry me? Aren't you afraid that I will wipe out your entire family?"

Having said this, he paused, his expression slightly gloomy.

In fact, to a certain extent, the Princess of Lingling was also one of the victims of his extermination of her entire family.

Upon hearing his words, Mrs. Cui was on the verge of tears. She whispered to Cui Qisi, "Husband, you haven't met the Princess of Lingling, have you? That girl is smart and strong-willed. She's incomparable to other ladies in the capital. Although I can't help Cui Fufeng, he's attracted to her, and I like her too. Why don't you..."

"Intelligence and perseverance are the last things a mistress needs," Cui Qisi said coldly. "I've met Princess Lingling several times. When Fufeng first entered the Changhua Palace, I also read all her files. Princess Lingling does have some outstanding qualities. If she were a stranger, I would naturally admire and commend her. But if she wants to take charge of my Cui family and become our mistress, I must give her careful consideration and fully consider the opinions of the elders before making a decision."

Cui Fufeng had long known that his clansmen were cautious about his marriage, especially the Five Surnames and Seven Families who often formed alliances with each other. Even if the imperial court banned intermarriage, it was of no use and would only increase the arrogance of the aristocratic families.

But he just smiled, pointed to the documents on the table, and said indifferently, "Father, as the Minister of the Interior, I hope you will be more cautious. If you accidentally bring court documents home, it could be a big deal. If the censor reports you for leaking official documents to the person involved, I'm afraid it will cause criticism and cause a lot of trouble."

Cui Qisi's voice sank slightly: "Are you doing this for Lingling County Princess? Are you going to go against the family?"

"Father, you're joking. As a member of the Cui family, it's my lifelong wish to bring honor to the Cui clan." Cui Fufeng straightened his clothes and buckled the mutton-fat jade coiled dragon belt. With a gentle click, he stood up. "But now, I have a clearer goal. I want to do something meaningful, a life different from the officialdom and the factionalism."

Cui Qisi's face was gloomy, while Madam Cui looked at him in surprise and doubt: "Fufeng, what did you say?"

"I'm tired of a life of deception and political maneuvering. I want to use this short life, just a few decades, to do something of practical use for the country and its people." Cui Fufeng's voice was calm and composed, yet resounding. "Father, mother, the Cui family has produced countless dukes, marquises, and prime ministers. I grew up in such a family. I studied, passed the imperial examinations, and had a smooth career... But I didn't understand the meaning of it all. It wasn't until I entered the Dali Temple that I realized what was going on. This life of petty intrigue and deceit is not what I want. Even if, according to my family's arrangements, I could become a man who can change the situation at court, it would only add the glory of a prime minister to the Cui family. The Cui family already has enough of this honor, and they don't need another one from me."

"So what do you want?"

"Father should ask what the Cui family lacks."

Mrs. Cui looked at her husband anxiously, while Minister Cui just looked at his son with slightly depressed eyes, waiting for his next words.

"My son believes that after a thousand years of the Cui family's career, what they need is no longer high-ranking officials, but famous officials. What is a famous official? It's not the high or low rank recorded in history books or in the ancestral hall, but rather one who has left a name in the mouths and hearts of the people, one who has truly done good and worked for the benefit of the court and the country. In a hundred years, the empty reputations of the thousands of Shangshu Ling, Zhongshu Ling, and Shizhong will be put to rest, and all those who are unworthy of the title and have only served for a living will be exposed. Father, do you have the confidence to break away from the ranks of these mediocre people?"

Cui Qisi was about to sneer, but looking at his son's high-spirited face, he finally suppressed it: "So you are confident?"

"I will try my best and use my whole life to test myself and see if I can live up to my innermost expectations."

Seeing that his son had grown up and was out of his control, Cui Qisi strode out of the hall. He was so angry that he glared at him, completely losing the demeanor of a prime minister.

He slammed the table and stood up, chasing to the front of the hall: "So, you have chosen the path, how do you plan to start?"

"My son has already made his start, and he's even found a partner to walk with him. I will walk with her towards our common goal in life—"

Cui Fufeng turned around in front of the century-old hall of the Cui family in Boling. His face, which seemed even more ignorant because of his youth, had a dazzling brilliance that was difficult to hide.

"No matter what the road ahead holds, I want to give it a try with her to see if we can actually accomplish something tangible, bring down some evildoers, and reach our dream destination."