The mist in Cui Yudie's eyes grew thicker and thicker until it condensed into glistening water droplets.
She gently shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"It's no use. The very first step arranged by Mother was wrong. The Emperor is wise and intelligent; he is not so easily deceived."
Cui Yudie picked up a handkerchief to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, muttering to herself, "The mountain has trees, but the trees have no branches; my heart is pleased with you, but you do not know. The fallen flowers are willing, but the flowing water is heartless. My infatuation with him has nowhere to go. What use is praying to the Bodhisattva?"
Seeing that her mistress was heartbroken, Liu Xu suggested, "Miss, your love life has been full of hardships. Why don't you go to the nunnery and ask the nun to tell your fortune and see who our future son-in-law is, so that you won't waste your affections on the wrong person and cause yourself more sorrow?"
"I've heard that the nuns at the nunnery are incredibly skilled. They can not only predict marriages but also help reconnect the threads of fate. Miss, let's go and try it out. If it's true, we can have her connect your marriage to the Emperor's."
As Liu Xu finished speaking, her eyes lit up, as if she had seen hope.
“Silly girl, those are all just tricks. If the nun could help people find a husband, why would she have renounced the world and become a nun?”
Liu Xu disagreed. She leaned closer and continued to persuade her, "Perhaps the nun received divine guidance after becoming a nun. Miss must be feeling bored at home. Let's go out for a stroll and relax."
At this time of year, the countryside is bathed in warm sunshine, making it the perfect time for a spring outing. Cui Yudie picked up the portrait on the table and put it in the drawer.
"Go and find Zhi'er, pack some clothes, and we'll go stay at the village outside the city for a while. I'll go ask Mother for permission right away."
Before Cui Yudie could finish speaking, Liu Zhi rushed in.
"Miss, something terrible has happened! Master and Madam are arguing in the main room."
A bad feeling suddenly rose in Cui Yudie's heart, but she did not accuse Liu Zhi of shouting and being unruly.
He asked impatiently, "Did Father blame Mother for what happened to Granny Huang?"
Liu Zhi shook her head. "This servant doesn't know. It was a second-class maid in the madam's courtyard who secretly told this to me. She only said that there was a lot of arguing in the room, and the master seemed very angry."
Cui Yudie closed her eyes slightly, she could give up now, there was absolutely no hope left.
"Miss, shall we still go to the estate?"
Cui Yudie slowly opened her eyes and waved her hand weakly, "Go pack up, prepare according to the original plan. I'll go to the main courtyard and come back."
A young woman from a secluded household needs her parents' permission to leave the mansion. If her parents are arguing at this time, it is even more important for the children to go and persuade them.
Cui Yudie roused herself and walked towards the main courtyard alone.
Entering the main courtyard, Cui Yudie felt somewhat relieved to hear no arguing.
The second-class maidservant outside was nowhere to be found. Cui Yudie called out "Mother" and lifted the curtain to go inside.
"Butterfly!"
"Mother, isn't Father in the room?" Cui Yudie glanced into the room; her father's official robes were not on the clothes rack.
I saw my mother sitting at the table, holding a wolf-hair brush and writing something on a piece of paper.
At first glance, her eyes were still a little red. Cui Yudie was shocked. Was her mother signing divorce papers?!
Madam Cui raised her head when she heard her daughter's voice, her eyes reddening again.
Her voice choked with emotion as she said, "Die'er, it's all because your mother was too impatient and ruined your path to the palace."
"Mother, don't blame yourself. It's just that I'm not blessed enough. Mother, don't let me cause you to fall out with Father." Cui Yudie rushed over and snatched the wolf-hair brush from Madam Cui's hand.
"Butterfly, put it down. This is a list of promising young men from prominent families compiled by your mother. Take a close look and see if there are any young men you've met before."
Cui Yudie looked closely and realized that this was not a divorce agreement at all. The paper was filled with names, family backgrounds, and more than a dozen names.
The first name prominently displayed was Lin Xiangzhi, Minister of Revenue.
"Mother, what's wrong...?"
Madam Cui took the wolf-hair brush from her daughter's hand and placed it on the brush rest.
He said with concern, "Daughter, don't ask so many questions. Entering the palace is not an option. There are so many outstanding men in the capital. We can pick and choose again and we'll surely find someone you like."
Cui Yudie was confident enough in her appearance and family background, and she also believed that her father could handle the matter of Granny Huang.
However, she had no hope of ever meeting someone she liked again.
To avoid revealing her emotions to her mother, she obediently nodded, "Your daughter will listen to you, Mother."
It doesn't matter who it is, even if it's not him.
Madam Cui was unaware that her daughter had lost all hope and assumed that her daughter had come to her senses in the past few days.
She pointed to Lin Xiangzhi's name and said, "Die'er, you don't know, Minister Lin is young and promising, handsome and dashing, a rare find."
Then she pointed to the names below, "Here, there's also Young Master Bai, the one who drove the women of the capital crazy on the day he rode through the streets on horseback. I heard he didn't get engaged and was demoted to Jiangzhou, where he became the new prefect. He's a promising young man."
Mrs. Cui spoke eloquently, as if recounting her most cherished possessions.
After saying that, she sighed regretfully, "It's a pity that your mother can't get their portraits for you to choose from, but don't worry, your mother isn't blind. Look at your father, he was quite handsome back then, otherwise your mother wouldn't have chosen him."
"Mother, I heard that Father and you had a fight?"
Madam Cui nodded. "He was unhappy and scolded me a few times, but it was all for your happiness, Die'er. Mother doesn't blame him. He's gone out now."
Madam Cui did not mention that the Right Chancellor had gone to Lin Xiangzhi to inquire about the situation.
Seeing that her mother and father were just bickering, Cui Yudie breathed a sigh of relief.
“Mother, spring is gradually arriving in the countryside, and the forsythia is already in bloom. I’m planning to stay at the estate for a while.”
Madam Cui noticed that her daughter looked tired and somewhat haggard.
She nodded with a pained expression. "Go ahead, but remember to bring a few maids with you. The estate is full of rough old women and clumsy servants; they're not needed for personal service."
...
The Right Chancellor originally planned to visit Lin Xiangzhi again the next day after the morning court session to inquire about his marriage proposal.
He returned to his study, feeling restless, and finally decided to pay a visit to the Lin family.
After leaving the house and getting into the carriage, the Right Chancellor felt that it was too abrupt to ask questions, and that he was also being too eager.
After much deliberation, he decided to use official business as an excuse.
Upon arriving at the Lin residence, it turned out that Prime Minister Lin had not left the residence after returning home that day.
Lin Xiangzhi was quite surprised to see the Right Chancellor arrive.
They politely welcomed the guests into the hall, and a servant brought them tea.
"Your Excellency has come to my humble abode, is it about the foreign mission?"
Lin Xiangzhi's question was exactly what the Right Chancellor wanted to hear.
"As expected of the Emperor's right-hand man, he guessed it right away. All the other delegations have left, leaving only the Liang Kingdom delegation in the capital. The expenses at the post station will decrease accordingly."
Lin Xiangzhi was completely baffled. The Left Prime Minister was in charge of external affairs, while the Right Prime Minister was in charge of internal affairs. The expenses of the post stations were approved by him and then directly disbursed by the Ministry of Revenue.
What is the Right Chancellor worrying about?
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