Chapter 1304: A Scheming Mind (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

"Father, are you really unaware of anything?"

Cui Mi didn't believe it at all.

To everyone's surprise, Cui Zhi's expression immediately turned into a kaleidoscope of colors, leaving onlookers exclaiming, "I thought they had broken up!"

Cui Xiong accidentally knocked over his teacup: "Huh?"

No, what Father meant was that he had always known that his sister actually… Cui Xiong stared blankly, swallowing hard. Cui Zhi grew increasingly angry: “That man… is just a slave with passable looks, yet he dares to covet a Cui family daughter? Is he worthy?”

Cui Xiong immediately replied, "Of course I'm not worthy!"

Just thinking about it is unacceptable!

Cui Mi said, "However, we have to see what kind of slaves they are. If they are like Lü Jue, they might barely qualify to marry into the family."

When discussing Lü Jue, one cannot avoid mentioning Mei Meng.

Considering what Mei Meng went through, the father and his two sons felt it was difficult to offer any comment.

When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; we should show some respect to the deceased.

Cui Xiong cautiously probed for the slave's whereabouts.

“As your father, I know my limits. If I kill him, it will become a dead end. Why ruin our years of father-daughter relationship for a lowly slave?” Cui Zhi was furious at this cowardly behavior. In Cui Xiong’s mind, was his father really unreliable?

"What will your father do with him?"

"I've handed him over to the underlings. He can learn some skills in a few years. What's wrong with keeping him around as a servant of Sanlong?" Cui Zhi's plan was simple: have someone train the slaves to manage the shop's accounts, and once they've learned enough, they can become Sanlong's retainers.

Young people are fickle and easily rebelled against the more they are opposed.

Rather than forcing the couple apart and provoking the three dragons to resolutely defend this shameful slave, it would be better to separate them, allowing time and space for their feelings to fade naturally. Cui Zhi also assigned several handsome and capable young men as dowry maids.

To put it bluntly, these women in the dowry were essentially the daughter's concubines. If the daughter wanted to keep them, they would be her male lovers; if not, they would be her household servants.

I never expected that my daughter would have the potential to be so devoted in love.

Even several dowry items couldn't steal her heart from the slaves.

"I never imagined that I would become a fellow sufferer with that man surnamed Mei." The "man surnamed Mei" that Cui Zhi mentioned did not refer to Mei Meng, but to Mei Meng's elder brother. It was precisely because of Mei Meng's example that Cui Zhi suppressed his murderous intent to destroy the evidence.

Otherwise, he would have dealt with the person long ago.

What dares to mess with his daughter?

Cui Zhi was worried about how to explain his daughter's situation to Cui Hui.

Cui Mi, barely able to speak, replied, "No, it's not..."

Cui Xiong: "..."

Cui Zhi: "..."

Cui Mi stared at his father and brother's terrifying eyes, chuckling incessantly.

I really don't know where to begin with this!

Her father, Cui Zhi, wanted his sister to choose between her first love, a slave, and several retainers, but his sister seemed to want them all.

Adults don't make choices.

Cui Zhi remained silent.

Cui Zhi fell into a long silence.

When his daughter was still a young woman, the father and daughter could see each other twice a day, and he could keep a close eye on her. After his daughter married into the Yuan family, he, as her father, could not keep a close watch on her, and could only ask the Cui family retainers who accompanied her in her dowry to report to him regularly.

I feel relieved when I receive updates on my daughter's well-being each month.

This was also the main reason he flew into a rage upon hearing Yuan Wulang's words—he was terrified, afraid that his reliance on those rumors had caused his daughter to suffer injustice in a corner he had neglected. If he hadn't overheard this by chance, would he have been kept in the dark all along? Would his daughter have forced a smile and brought over a little bastard claiming it was her grandson?

Therefore, Cui Zhicai angrily drew his sword.

He didn't hesitate to act first and inform his daughter later, writing a divorce agreement for her.

Now it seems there is another possibility.

Those retainers completely sided with Sanlong and conspired to deceive him!

But what is the daughter trying to achieve?

Cui Zhi reflected on it for half the night but still couldn't figure it out.

The unspoken understanding between father-in-law and son-in-law was truly astounding. While Cui Zhi was preoccupied with his own worries and frowned over his eldest daughter, Cui Xiao also had a thousand unresolved thoughts swirling in his mind. Beside him, his friend occasionally glanced sideways, curious about the woman's extraordinary courage!

The young woman wore her hair in a married woman's style, dressed in fine silk and satin, her hair adorned with glittering hairpins, exuding wealth and elegance without appearing ostentatious.

She is in the prime of her youth, and these makeup touches are just the icing on the cake.

"The fact that we were able to open the city without bloodshed this time is largely thanks to you, Madam." Cui Xiao's old friend offered the young woman some flattering words, using a cup of tea instead of wine. She certainly deserved the treatment. Although their rebel army was gaining momentum within Qi State, they lacked logistical support. No matter how much grain they plundered from the Cui family, it couldn't withstand the depletion caused by the absorption of followers along the way, and they simply couldn't afford any delays!

The garrison commander refused to allow the believers to enter the city, adopting a turtle-like posture.

The old friend was in a dilemma when Cui Xiao went out and solved the problem in one go. He conspired with a woman living in the city, and together they opened the city gates in the middle of the night. The believers who followed them were well treated and given a hearty meal, which left the old friend astonished.

No, how did you do that?

The deputy general of this city was a close attendant whom she had personally promoted.

[Is it pillow talk?]

His old friend was astonished and curious about how Cui Xiao knew the other person.

[An unexpected meeting.]

Cui Xiao had been lurking in the southwestern continent for quite some time, one of his purposes being to uncover the Eternal Life Cult and its internal network. He had heard that a certain temple was a stronghold of the Eternal Life Cult, and that the monks there were all exceptionally handsome and healthy. On the surface, they were Buddhist disciples, practicing meditation and worshipping Buddha, but in reality, they were tools used by the Eternal Life Cult to amass wealth, specifically serving a group of noble ladies.

He has to come and see, doesn't he?

While offering incense, I noticed someone was staring at me.

Isn't this terrifying?

Has my sense of self-worth returned to normal?

Why would anyone pay special attention to me?

Cui Xiao followed his intuition and looked back. He was almost unable to look away after just one glance. The girl was only twenty-nine years old and had her hair styled like a young lady in her boudoir. Her appearance was six or seven parts similar to his wife in his memory.

Cui Xiao felt inexplicably embarrassed, assuming that the young girl was also a noblewoman who came to seek pleasure. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his smooth chin—shaving off a beard makes you look ten years younger!

Does the other party think I am a lay Buddhist?

After talking to him, I realized he had misunderstood.

[Having heard that this place is very effective for seeking marriage, I came here with a friend to take a look.] The girl's smile was as beautiful as a flower, making Cui Xiao lose his composure.

Marriage... Gods and Buddhas don't protect that.

This young queen may have been misled by rumors circulating outside.

This place is indecent!

After several more encounters, Cui Xiao discovered that this female ruler was no ordinary person. She was involved in many shady businesses and seemed to have a strong network of connections. To avoid exposing himself, Cui Xiao did not investigate further, only knowing that she was a woman from the Cui family and would soon marry into the Yuan family.

She handled quite a few businesses.

She has business dealings with aristocratic families, ties with the Eternal Life Cult, and close ties with royal trading companies... Her business scope is wide, including both clean and shady ventures, such as smuggling salt and iron, the slave trade, and weapons forging... The shady businesses are not large in scale, mixed among a group of small merchants, and have passed through several hands, so it is not easy to trace them back to her...

In addition, she also maintained a private army.

It is said to be part of her dowry from her family.

Cui Xiao complained: "[Which family can provide a dowry of 500 volumes?]"

Upon investigation, it turned out to be from Cui Zhi.

In other words, she is actually her own granddaughter!

Cui Xiao: [……]

That's not surprising!

It turned out to be his own grandchildren!

Cui Xiao did not acknowledge the Queen as his confidant, but instead offered her assistance during their collaboration. However, his kindness also led to misunderstandings, specifically the complicated attitudes of the Queen's close attendants and those in charge of the collaboration towards him, until they grew their beards back.

From a mature young man to a composed middle-aged man in an instant.

The attendant was relieved, but Cui Xiao began to worry.

Worried about Cui Long—well, that's the Queen's name. I don't know what Cui Zhi was thinking when he gave his daughter such a name—leaving aside the flaws in the name, Cui Xiao is very worried that Cui Long will have a hard time getting out of the shady business after running it for so long.

Cui Long smiled faintly and said, "This humble woman dares not take credit."

She also substituted tea for alcohol.

Seeing that Cui Long was wearing mourning clothes, the old friend decided to keep the celebration banquet brief. Turning his head, he saw Cui Xiao looking worried and couldn't help but worry: "Is Shan Xiao worried that things might change? We have already sent people to replace the defenses in various parts of the city. Even if this queen tricks us into surrendering, we don't need to worry about her trapping us like a turtle in a jar."

Dare to scheme against me?

The city is likely to be stained with blood.

Cui Xiao forced a smile: "It's not because of that."

He was worried that his granddaughter was too bold.

The fact that they're colluding with outsiders to open the city isn't for any noble cause, but rather to seize the Yuan family's assets—yes, she wants to destroy her in-laws. Besides the Yuan family, there are two other families in the city who are also her prey.

The Kangguo side welcomed her actions.

However, from the perspective of the Qi state, this move would be criticized behind their backs.

Lacking integrity and principles, and driven solely by profit, Cui Xiao once suspected that Cui Zhi was being too stingy and withholding Cui Longyue's allowance.

No force can tolerate "having no bottom line".

Once the Kang Kingdom unifies the southwest, the Qi Kingdom will also be incorporated into its territory.

Why doesn't the Censorate seize this opportunity to fight them to the death?

Oh, Cui Xiao himself is from the Censorate.

He cannot knowingly break the law, much less cover up wrongdoing.

Aside from special cases, the general timeline is usually the incorporation of Kangguo. The only way is to have Cui Long sever ties with the past and clarify everything before the dust settles.

“…She and I have some connection.” Cui Xiao didn’t directly reveal the grandfather-granddaughter relationship, but said tactfully, “As you can see, she comes from a prominent family, and some of her businesses are explicitly prohibited in the country…”

For example, smuggling salt and iron.

Calling it smuggling isn't entirely accurate. They had legitimate salt permits, given to them by Cui Zhi. Part of it went through official accounts, and part through private accounts; the profit from the private accounts is unknown. Did Cui Zhi know that his daughter's dowry was being used for this?

"Oh, you're afraid she'll be purged?"

"I do have this concern."

My old friend thought it was something important.

He casually said, "Tell her to stop as soon as possible."

There is only one chance to turn over a new leaf and get back on track.

Cui Xiao: "..."

How could he not know?

The problem is how to persuade the other party!

At this moment, he deeply regretted letting Cui Zhi escape. If Cui Zhi were still alive, he could have used his status as the father-in-law to order him around. His maternal grandfather, whom he had never met, didn't carry much weight, but his own father's words always carried more weight: "When he should have been here, he just wasn't..."

wrong--

He could also ask Cui Hui to act as an intermediary.

_(:з」∠)_

It's the first day of November, so I'm taking a break. The update will be a bit short.

PS: It's normal that Cui Zhi is unaware of his daughter's private activities. No matter how capable he is, he can't monitor everyone. The spies he planted around his daughter are actually her people. The father-daughter relationship isn't as close as the mother-daughter relationship without any reservations. Cui Zhi has been busy helping the Qi Kingdom for the past year, and he can't constantly control his daughter who is now married and independent.

PPS: Mei Meng is Cui Long's idol and role model since childhood. In addition to the inheritance from her mother Cui Hui and the resources she received in the Cui family environment, Cui Long is young and impetuous and dares to touch anything _(:з」∠)_ Anyway, her father can clean up her messes.