Outside Baoqing Courtyard, Zhao Yun witnessed this scene and was so frightened that she almost fell to the ground.
She had come to return Zhao Rou's sachet.
Just now, Zhao Rou went to her courtyard and said that she was able to marry Li Huai'an thanks to her older sister. She left the sachet behind before she left.
With nothing else to do and the two girls not having to marry into the Duke's mansion for the time being, Zhao Yun decided to personally return the sachet to them.
After all, if the two of them really married into the family together, they would have to deal with the two concubines in Li Huai'an's household together.
Who would have thought she would witness such a shameful thing?
Seeing that the gatekeeper, Yin Huan, was dozing off and that no one else in the courtyard was paying attention to her, Zhao Yun quickly tiptoed back to her own courtyard.
Back in her room, Zhao Yun was restless and increasingly frightened.
Although she didn't bring any maids to Baoqing Courtyard, Liu Yun wouldn't let her live if any maid or servant in the courtyard let slip the secret.
She absolutely must not go to Li Huai'an.
Having just experienced the unpleasantness of her half-sister's affair, she didn't want the Duke's Mansion to look down on the Zhao family again.
Whom should we ask for help?
Zhao Yun paced back and forth in the room, finally thinking of a suitable person.
Cui Shenghe.
“Yes, I can take this opportunity to move to Young Master Cui’s Zhan Garden.”
There was no curfew in the Great Xuan Dynasty. It was already 7 PM when Zhao Yun decided to take a risk and go to Zhan Garden.
The moon was bright and the stars were few; there wasn't a single pedestrian on the road.
Carrying a lantern, Zhao Yun walked through Liujiang Street, turning back every few steps, and finally arrived at the entrance of Zhan Garden with trepidation.
Zhan Garden did not have a gatehouse, but Cui Shenghe had a copper bell attached to it. Whenever the bell rang, he and Cui Jiu could hear it.
Therefore, when Zhao Yun knocked on the copper rings on both sides of the vermilion waist seal of Zhan Garden, the copper bells connected to them vibrated.
As soon as the copper bell rang, Cui Shenghe and Cui Jiu woke up at the same time, and the two arrived at the door almost simultaneously.
Cui Jiu opened the door and saw that he didn't recognize the person standing outside, so he quickly closed the door.
"Young master, I don't know him."
"You must be Young Master Cui's doorman? I am Zhao Yun, Zhao Zhi's older sister. I have something to discuss with your young master."
Cui Shenghe gestured to Cui Jiu to open the door.
When Zhao Yun saw the door open, she stepped inside.
Cui Shenghe said, "Please wait, young lady." He looked up at the sky and said, "It is already late afternoon. It is not convenient for you to enter my Zhan Garden."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yun burst into tears, feeling wronged.
“If my mother and Zhizhi hadn’t gone to the palace and caused chaos at home, I wouldn’t have come to ask for help from Young Master Cui.”
“Since Young Master Cui is Zhizhi’s sworn brother, according to seniority, he should also call me ‘sister’.”
Cui Shenghe glanced coldly at Zhao Yun, remained silent for a moment, and then chuckled, "It would be best if the young lady didn't try to establish a marriage alliance so casually."
He instructed Cui Jiu to escort Zhao Yun back to the Zhao residence.
Zhao Yun was unwilling to give up. "Don't you want to hear what happened at my home before you're in such a hurry to kick me out?"
Upon hearing Zhao Yun's words, Cui Shenghe said seriously, "If something happens in your family that you cannot make a decision about, besides your mother, there is also a concubine in your family."
If even your concubine can't make a decision, you can still seek help from your fiancé, Prince Li Huai'an.
In any case, you shouldn't have come to me for help.
Before today, we had never met. My sworn brother was only the sworn brother of one person.
Zhao Yun was on the verge of a breakdown. She shouted incoherently, "If Zhizhi were in trouble, would you still be so calm and analyze the pros and cons with her?"
Cui Shenghe said calmly, "That's between me and Zhizhi. No need for you to worry about it, Miss."
Zhao Yun left full of hope, only to return dejected. No, not just dejected, but also humiliated by Cui Shenghe.
When the gatekeeper saw the distraught young lady slowly returning with a lantern, he quickly opened the door and let her in.
Looking at the vast Zhao mansion, dimly lit, Zhao Yun suddenly felt extremely lonely.
She felt as if the whole world had abandoned her, and everyone was on Zhao Zhi's side.
But she could only bear this loneliness and loss alone.
Back in her room, Zhao Zhi's tears streamed down her face like broken beads, her heart filled with endless grievances and resentment.
Cui Jiu followed Zhao Yun all the way, watching her enter the gate of the Zhao residence before turning back to Zhan Garden.
Back at Zhan Garden, Cui Jiu and Cui Shenghe sat in the study, speechless.
Cui Jiu couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, are we really not going to do anything about Zhao Yun? She is, after all, Miss Zhizhi's older sister."
Cui Shenghe sighed softly, gazing intently out the window.
He slowly began to speak: "Mountains are not high, but people's hearts are higher than the sky. Zhao Yun's ambition is far beyond our imagination."
Cui Jiu looked at Cui Shenghe with confusion, waiting for his explanation.
Cui Shenghe continued, "Zhao Yun did not come here with a genuine desire for help."
She just wanted to take advantage of Zhizhi's kindness and my position in her heart to achieve her own goals.
She believes that anything she sets her sights on must be good.
Therefore, her coming late at night was simply because she hoped I could take her in and give her a place to stay at Zhan Garden.
Cui Jiu suddenly realized and nodded, saying, "I see. Then why didn't you keep her, young master? After all, she is Zhizhi's older sister."
Cui Shenghe smiled helplessly and shook his head, saying, "There has never been a precedent for allowing female relatives to stay overnight at Zhan Garden. Moreover, Zhao Yun's ambitions go far beyond that."
If she stays at Zhan Garden, she will surely use Zhizhi's name to spread rumors about our relationship everywhere. Then, gossip will spread, and she will have achieved her goal.
Cui Jiu slammed his fist on the table in anger and stood up, saying, "That Zhao Yun is too despicable! How could she use Miss Zhizhi to achieve her own goals?"
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