The problem
After Cui Shenzhi had a frank conversation with Qingya, he talked to her carefully for a while before Qingya was completely convinced and left with peace of mind. Then he went to find Qiao Siyu.
When Qiao Siyu heard that Cui Shenzhi had summoned her, she knew that Cui Shenzhi had made a decision. Without saying a word, she rushed to the Qianqing Palace. However, what happened next was beyond her expectations.
—As soon as Qiao Siyu arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Cui Shenzhi dismissed his attendants and bowed deeply to her.
“Miss Qiao, please help me.” Cui Shenzhi said sincerely, “I feel sorry for all the suffering Ping An has endured. I admire her vitality despite being in dire straits. I long to be her support, to shelter her from the wind and rain, so that she no longer has to live in this world in fear and trepidation, wearing a mask. Please help me, Miss Qiao.”
A monarch bows down for love.
Qiao Siyu suddenly felt a little reluctant to help Cui Shenzhi clear up Ping An's misunderstanding, because she was a little jealous.
—That arrogant Lin Yimo would never say such a thing in his life!
But this was only a fleeting emotion, which quickly dissipated in the wind.
She straightened her back and returned the greeting to Choi Shin-ji.
"Now that Your Majesty has made a decision, I will certainly do my best to comply."
*****
Now that Cui Shenzhi had made his decision, Qiao Siyu didn't stand on ceremony and directly asked what she wanted to know.
"Your Majesty, did you tell His Highness why you chose to sit on the dragon throne as a 'son-in-law' and face the world's criticism, instead of directly changing the dynasty or continuing as the son of the retired emperor?"
“I did say that,” Choi Shin-ji said, sitting up straight, “I don’t want her to suffer any injustice.”
Qiao Siyu waited for a moment, and when she found that there was no follow-up, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"…that's all?!"
A genuine look of confusion appeared in Choi Shin-ji's eyes.
Seeing this, Qiao Siyu took a deep breath and said in a tone of disappointment, "Didn't you ever think of telling His Highness that you did this because you didn't want the world to criticize him, didn't want anyone to see him as a princess of a fallen kingdom, and didn't want anyone to stir up trouble between you two?"
As Qiao Siyu's questions grew louder and louder, Cui Shen's confusion deepened.
"Is this... different from what I said?"
Qiao Siyu was successfully choked by Cui Shenzhi, but she vaguely sensed the problem.
She stared at Cui Shenzhi's face and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, if you don't mind, could you tell me about your past with His Highness? I want to know how many times you were self-righteous in your interactions with His Highness."
Cui Shenzhi was stung by Qiao Siyu's seemingly gentle but actually barbed words, but he still spoke seriously.
“In order to escape the Cold Palace, Ping An disguised herself as an innocent orphan girl from the Cold Palace and came to my side,” Cui Shenzhi paused, not mentioning Guo Shu’s matter, “and after coming to my side, she maintained this disguise and even used Feng Ping to separate me from Ling Xian.”
"Then I went to Nanzhou. During this time, Shen Meiwu hurt Ping An because Ping An was getting close to me. That's when I realized something was wrong and became suspicious of Shen Meiwu, which led to a series of events. In the end, I learned the whole truth."
"After learning that my life was in danger at any moment, I wanted to arrange for Ping An to leave the palace, but..." Cui Shenzhi blushed. After all, even if Ping An had deceived him, the root of the problem was that he had forcibly kissed Ping An while drunk and attempted to do something indecent: "Anyway..."
“Wait,” Qiao Siyu interrupted Cui Shenzhi, “Your Majesty, please do not conceal this, otherwise it will affect my judgment.”
Cui Shenzhi pursed his lips, suppressing his shyness as he said, "I wanted to arrange for Ping An to leave the palace, but after getting drunk, I went and offended Ping An. Ping An was worried that I wouldn't return her princess status and that I would mistakenly think that I had ruined her innocence. But at the time, I didn't know Ping An's identity. I only thought that I couldn't let my affairs harm her, so I decided to get the throne first and then think about other things."
Hearing this, Qiao Siyu said with certainty, "You didn't tell His Highness about these things, did you?"
Cui Shenzhi nodded and continued, "After sitting on the throne, I overheard all of Ping An's schemes. I was dizzy and had some wine. My original intention was to ask Ping An if she really liked me. If not, I wouldn't force her to be with me. But I... I'm not a gentleman. I assaulted Ping An."
Looking at Cui Shenzhi's innocent face, Qiao Siyu tried to hold back, but couldn't help but let her mind wander.
Cui Shenzhi and Ping An have been married for some time and have consummated their marriage many times. Ping An has even concluded from their married life that Cui Shenzhi has no self-control when it comes to beautiful women. However, when Cui Shenzhi mentions being deceived by Ping An, he still feels ashamed for offending her.
Would someone like this intentionally commit indecent acts? Was he really just drinking alcohol and not taking aphrodisiacs?
Cui Shenzhi, unaware of Qiao Siyu's thoughts, continued, "Now that things have come to this, I naturally have to take responsibility. I also didn't want to wrong Ping An, so I told everyone everything. Then came the wedding with Ping An. After the wedding, we got along very well. Only a few days ago did Ping An feel uneasy because of Fu Xiuzhu's careless words."
Upon hearing Fu Xiuzhu's name, Qiao Siyu's mind stirred slightly. Considering Fu Xiuzhu's behavior and what Ping An said after getting drunk at Tingfeng Tower, she made some guesses.
"Your Majesty, did that old man Fu mention the late Empress and the Emperor Emeritus in the hall?"
Cui Shenzhi was somewhat surprised, after all, he hadn't said anything, yet Qiao Siyu had guessed it so accurately.
Qiao Siyu observed Cui Shenzhi's reaction and came to a conclusion.
She looked at Cui Shenzhi with a complicated expression and said softly, "Your Majesty, have you never seen darkness before?"
Qiao Siyu's eyes held a mixture of envy, jealousy, and other emotions that Cui Shenzhi had never seen before, but that didn't stop him from understanding the meaning behind Qiao Siyu's words.
"The Emperor Emeritus and..."
“Before learning about this,” Qiao Siyu interrupted Cui Shenzhi, saying with certainty, “your life must have been smooth sailing, full of light and hope.”
Choi Shin-ji thought for a moment and nodded.
Seeing the expected reaction, Qiao Siyu chuckled and brought up unrelated matters: "Your Majesty, I am the designated next head of the Qiao family, but do you know how many people I fought my way out of?"
"A total of seventy people."
"The position of head of the Qiao family can be contested by anyone who has the blood of the Qiao family and the surname Qiao. Children born to sons-in-law or children born to wives are eligible. It doesn't matter whether they are male or female, as long as they are under thirty years old. I am related to them by blood, and we are also friends of similar age, but we are also enemies who are competing with each other at all times."
"Do you know why Lin Yimo is so eager to climb the social ladder, even to the point of scheming against you? It's because his father accidentally offended the Emperor Emeritus's favorite minister, had his hand broken, and was unable to take the imperial examinations. After ten years of hard work came to naught, he couldn't bear the blow and committed suicide by jumping into the river."
"The price the other party paid was... no price."
“Your Highness’s situation is only worse than ours. At least I have the Qiao family’s wealth to support me, and Lin Yimo has his mother to protect him. As for Your Highness… if I’m not mistaken, she should only have herself.”
Cui Shenzhi thought about what Qingya had said and nodded blankly.
“So Your Highness, she and you are from two different worlds,” Qiao Siyu turned her head, looking at the dappled sunlight reflected on the windows of Yangxin Hall, her tone carrying a hint of envy and a touch of melancholy: “You have never seen darkness, and she has never seen light.”
"I haven't been to the Cold Palace, but I can guess what it's like. With such strict palace rules, it must be even worse than the slums outside. Your Highness grew up in such a place, all alone. She can't see your uprightness, she can only see your sinister intentions."
"You said you wanted to clear the late Empress's name, but you ended up seizing the throne. Although it was because of Your Highness, you didn't tell Your Highness that. Your Highness will only think you are a hypocritical and ambitious person. Your promise to clear the late Empress's name is just a pretense."
"You made everything public because you didn't want Her Highness to be wronged, but your vague statement only made her think that this was just a temporary measure. Coupled with the instigation of that old man Fu, Her Highness is even more convinced that you will harm her sooner or later."
"As for your true feelings?" Qiao Siyu looked at Cui Shenzhi with a pitiful expression, but it seemed as if she was looking at Ping An through Cui Shenzhi: "Even if Your Highness saw such a luxurious thing, she wouldn't recognize it."
"Humans cannot see things beyond their own perception."
Cui Shenzhi was stunned and remained silent for a long time.
Qiao Siyu sighed, took a few steps closer and said, "Your Majesty, I know your feelings for His Highness, but if I may be frank, you and His Highness are not a good match. It's not that either of you is unworthy of the other, it's just that you are not a good match."
“It’s hard for Her Highness to feel at ease when she’s by your side. There’s no one like you in her world. She can’t understand your words and actions. If you want her to believe in you and rely on you, you have to break down your thoughts and ideas, and make sure she hears, sees and feels them through the darkness.”
"This is not a simple matter. The process may be quite long, and the ending may not be good. No one can say for sure whether your sincerity towards her will be reciprocated with sincerity or hurt."
"It's too difficult to get along like this, for both you and Your Highness."
"Or perhaps we should..."
"Is that all?" Cui Shenzhi interrupted Qiao Siyu: "As long as I tell Ping An nothing, lay bare my heart to her, and accept everything about her, will she feel at ease?"
Qiao Siyu was stunned for a long time before replying, "Yes."
"I understand, thank you for teaching me, young lady."
After saying that, Cui Shenzhi bowed to Qiao Siyu again.
This is the second time.
This time, Qiao Siyu wasn't jealous of Ping An, but rather felt a mixture of envy, relief, and pity.
Because Choi Shin-ji is such a bright and good person, anyone would unconsciously feel a little ashamed and uneasy when they are with such a person, let alone Ping An, who grew up in that kind of environment, would only feel more uneasy.
But only someone like that can bring true happiness to Ping An.
Thinking about how Cui Shenzhi was the husband whom Shen Meiwu and Cui Sugong had carefully raised for Cui Lingxian, Qiao Siyu couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
Indeed, everything in the world, from the smallest drink to the last bite, is preordained.
If Cui Sugong and Shen Meiwu hadn't harmed Fu Yunjin, Ping An would most likely have grown into a gentle, kind, and harmless little white flower under Fu Yunjin's guidance and protection, instead of being the prickly thorn she is now, piercing Cui Sugong and Shen Meiwu to the core.
If Shen Meiwu hadn't been thinking about Cui Lingxian's future and wanted to give her the best husband, and hadn't gone to great lengths to cultivate Cui Shenzhi into such a near-perfect gentleman, Ping An wouldn't have met someone who could infinitely tolerate her and give her happiness and stability.
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