Heartless
Ping An wasn't sure what time Cui Shenzhi would go to Kunning Palace to pay respects on Fu Yunjin's birthday, so he sneaked in a day early. He spent the night on a prayer mat in the main hall and then hid in a spot he had chosen beforehand to wait for Cui Shenzhi's arrival.
Ping An thought she wouldn't have to wait long, but little did she know that Cui Lingxian suddenly developed a high fever. When she learned the news, Cui Shenzhi was with Cui Sugong. Before she could say goodbye, Cui Sugong took her to Chengqian Palace and asked her to take care of Cui Lingxian.
Therefore, Cui Shenzhi did not rush over until the end of the You hour.
Looking at the dark sky outside, Ping An felt a sense of 'just as I thought'.
She thought to herself, no matter how much Fu Yunjin was Cui Shenzhi's biological mother, she was just a dead person who had passed away many years ago and had not helped Cui Shenzhi in the slightest. It was enough to just pretend that she hadn't forgotten the kindness of giving birth to him. It would be foolish to actually remember her in one's heart.
Then Ping An heard what Choi Shin-ji said.
"Mother, I'm sorry I'm late. A few days ago, I had some official business that I didn't handle well, and Father Emperor summoned me to the Qianqing Palace and gave me a scolding. Before I could even say goodbye, the Noble Consort sent someone to say that Lingxian had suddenly fallen ill, and was quite ill. Father Emperor hurriedly took me to the Chengqian Palace and asked me to help take care of Lingxian. That's why I'm late. You won't blame me, will you?"
Ping An choked on her breath.
Well, Cui Shenzhi really is a fool. It's alright then. It seems that if she just takes out that nursery rhyme and finds a way to prove that it was left by Fu Yunjin, Cui Shenzhi should take her to the East Palace.
“Mother, my maternal grandfather sent me another message. He said my cousin wants to see me and asked if I could go to the Fu family. I know he wants me to marry my cousin so that my relationship with the Fu family will be closer. But Mother, I don’t like my cousin. Marrying her will only ruin her life.”
Ping An's face showed a speechless expression, and she silently put the label of "not very smart" back on Cui Shenzhi.
Why does the Fu family want Cui Shenzhi to marry a Fu family daughter? Doesn't Cui Shenzhi know? It's for the position of Crown Princess, for the power held by the Crown Prince, for future wealth and glory. Who cares about whether he likes her or not? How could it ruin his life? Can't he see this? Is Cui Shenzhi out of his mind?
"After learning about this, the gentleman came to see me and used historical examples to remind me how dangerous it is for the power of maternal relatives to grow too strong. He also said that the Fu family is not a family with upright conduct, and if I get too close to them, they will inevitably take the opportunity to grow stronger and eventually threaten the court."
"Actually, you are worrying too much, sir. I have been taught by him for many years. Even if I want to get close to my grandfather because of you, I know my limits. I will not give my grandfather the opportunity to cause trouble and endanger the world. Otherwise, it is a small matter if I am infamous for eternity, but it is a big matter if I tarnish your reputation."
"But don't worry, a grandfather is still a grandfather. Although I can't give him the immense power he desires, as the grandfather of the Crown Prince and the father of the Empress, I will not shortchange him in the slightest, nor will I allow anyone to look down on him."
Ping An's expression changed from speechless to confused.
Cui Shenzhi sees the Fu family quite clearly, so why does he look so naive when he looks at that cousin?
"By the way, Mother, someone has come to me again spouting nonsense, saying that you and the Imperial Concubine had a very bad relationship when you were alive, and even making it sound mysterious that the Imperial Concubine couldn't escape responsibility for your death. Don't they realize that if your relationship with the Imperial Concubine was really that bad, how could the Imperial Concubine have treated me like her own daughter? And how could my grandfather have allowed me to be close to the Imperial Concubine?"
Hearing this, Ping An couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Stupid, utterly stupid. How could Cui Shenzhi be so stupid? Guo Shu knew the emperor only had him as a choice, so how could the Consort not know? With only him as a choice, what else could the Consort do but treat him like her own son and try to build a relationship with him? Break ties with him? Abandon her daughter and commit suicide after the emperor's death? Or simply prolong her miserable old age?
As for the Fu family, it's even easier to explain. The emperor didn't like Fu Yunjin, and by extension, he didn't like Fu Yunjin's son. The Fu family couldn't have predicted that he was the emperor's only son, so of course they had to let him get close to the favored concubine, Guifei. Otherwise, if there were more princes in the future, who would notice him?
Such a simple matter, yet Cui Shenzhi, the crown prince of a nation, couldn't understand it. It's over; this country is probably doomed.
But what does that have to do with her?
Ping An thought to himself.
As long as the country doesn't fall into Cui Shenzhi's hands, isn't it enough for her to rely on Cui Shenzhi to obtain a lifetime of wealth and honor? As for the common people?
It's none of her business.
*****
After talking about Shen Meiwu, Cui Shenzhi talked about his time with Cui Lingxian, his worries about Cui Lingxian's illness, and even prayed to Fu Yunjin to bless Cui Lingxian to recover soon and to bless Cui Lingxian to marry a good husband in the future.
As Ping An listened, he felt that if Fu Yunjin's spirit hadn't gone far, he should teach Cui Shenzhi, that ridiculously stupid son, a lesson tonight. Suddenly, Cui Shenzhi stopped in his tracks.
This action startled Ping An. She thought Cui Shenzhi had discovered her presence, so she quickly shrank back and breathed softly. Then she heard Cui Shenzhi softly recite the lyrics of that children's song.
She waited a little while before peeking out and saw Choi Shin-ji standing there, holding the piece of paper that she had glanced at earlier and then inexplicably burst into tears.
She was terrified; she thought she'd been discovered. Turns out, Choi Shin-ji had only seen the children's song. Thank goodness.
*****
Choi Shin-ji appeared calm as he looked at the paper in his hand, but inside he was in turmoil because he recognized the character.
This is Fu Yunjin's handwriting; it's his mother's handwriting.
Cui Shenzhi had seen Fu Yunjin's calligraphy before, but all he had seen were pieces sent from outside the palace by the Fu family when Fu Yunjin was still unmarried. As for her calligraphy after entering the palace? He had never seen it.
He searched the entire Kunning Palace but couldn't find it.
It was as if Fu Yunjin, the talented woman, ceased to exist after marrying into the royal family.
But this was not normal, so Cui Shenzhi investigated, trying every possible way to investigate, whether in the palace or among the common people. He eagerly sought out all information related to Fu Yunjin, and then learned that Fu Yunjin and Cui Sugong did not love each other, or rather, that Cui Sugong had never loved Fu Yunjin at all.
—This matter was not even heard by him in the palace, but by the common people.
Even the common people of the capital knew that Cui Sugong disliked Fu Yunjin. Cui Shenzhi could easily guess how bad their relationship was and how much he disliked her when Fu Yunjin was alive.
In other words, he was not a child who was expected and loved at birth; he may even have been born hated. That's why Cui Sugong disliked him, and that's why Fu Yunjin didn't leave a single word behind, because Fu Yunjin also hated him.
She hated him for taking her life, and she hated him even more for having Cui Sugong's bloodline.
That's why he insisted on accompanying Fu Yunjin on her birthday and death anniversaries every year, why he wanted to do everything to the best of his ability, and why he tried to imitate the Fu Yunjin of the rumors.
He hoped that Fu Yunjin would feel better if she knew from beyond the grave. He didn't expect Fu Yunjin to fall in love with him, the child who was not expected to be loved, but he hoped that Fu Yunjin would at least not be trapped in hatred.
But the paper told him otherwise; Fu Yunjin loved him, because the contents of the paper clearly indicated that she was a person with considerable literary cultivation, trying to express her love for the child in simple, straightforward sentences that she wasn't particularly good at.
In other words, Fu Yunjin loves him.
Although Fu Yunjin was unhappy in the palace, and Cui Sugong disliked her and treated her badly, Fu Yunjin loved him.
Upon realizing this, Choi Shin-ji's hand holding the paper began to tremble uncontrollably, and he collapsed to the ground, covering his face and sobbing.
It took a long time before they finally calmed down.
He carefully tucked the paper into his pocket as if it were a precious treasure, and with red eyes, he returned to Fu Yunjin's spirit tablet and kowtowed three times.
“Mother, I’m sorry for making you worry, but don’t worry, I understand what you mean. I won’t let my imagination run wild and assume that you hate me and suffer because of it. I will live my life well and I will try my best to be a good emperor. I will never let you down.”
After speaking, Cui Shenzhi stared at Fu Yunjin's memorial tablet for a long while before turning and leaving.
Ping An waited for about half an hour before secretly leaving, making sure no one was guarding the outside.
*****
After returning to the Cold Palace, Ping An fell into deep thought.
Based on the information she had previously received from He Duan, and what she had overheard Cui Shenzhi saying tonight, Cui Shenzhi was a hypocrite and cunning man, but also a filial son with an emotional naiveté that belied his status. However, as long as he wasn't too emotionally involved, he was generally rational.
That would make things simple. All she had to do was make Cui Shenzhi look at her without thinking. Getting close to Cui Shenzhi and entering his heart wouldn't be too difficult.
But how can I get Choi Shin-ji to come to me without thinking?
Even with the nursery rhymes written by Fu Yunjin by her side, a strange girl who falls from the sky is still very suspicious. Under such circumstances, Cui Shenzhi would take her to the East Palace but it would be difficult to give her a chance to get close, let alone what happens afterward.
Unless... unless she's an idiot?
No, she can't be an idiot. Nobody likes an idiot. So, she'll choose an overly naive and innocent girl, one whose heart and eyes are only for Choi Shin-ji. She refuses to believe that Choi Shin-ji wouldn't like her.
After all, who wouldn't want undivided favoritism?
However, it would be best to keep Qingya trapped. Otherwise, given Qingya's resistance to Cui Shenzhi, she would definitely try every means to sabotage her once she found out about her plan. Otherwise, she might end up losing more than she gained by trying to steal a chicken.
After making a plan in his mind, Ping An found Guo Shu.
"Eunuch Guo, I've figured out how to get close to the Crown Prince, but I need you to do three things for me."
"Just tell me straight. I've already taken ninety-nine steps out of a hundred. Are you worried that I won't take the last step?"
Ping An smiled slightly: "I need you to lock my mother up one day, and then find a way to lure the Crown Prince to the vicinity of the Cold Palace. After that, it's my business."
"Isn't that just two things? What's the other one?"
"The last thing is a bit troublesome, so I have to talk about it separately."
"I need you, sir, to have all the palace servants in the Cold Palace give the same story: that my mother died in childbirth, and that you are kind and took pity on me because my mother is dead and my father is unknown, so you have taken good care of me. In addition, I was in the Cold Palace and had no one to teach me, so even though I am so old, I still have the personality of a child and don't know anything."
Although the matter was troublesome, it was not difficult, and Guo Shu agreed after only a moment's thought.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com