Xie Yuan said with a smile, "The incident started when Xiaoqi gave the command as Princess, ordering Ye Guixue to escort Zhou Gu away from the battlefield. But Zhou Gu refused and was forcibly taken away by Ye Guixue, leaving Xiaoqi alone on the battlefield. If it weren’t for the timely arrival of the two young masters from the Cui family, Xiaoqi would have died that day. Zhou Gu fell out with Xiaoqi because of this incident. I was unconscious at the time, but I heard people say later that Zhou Gu was terrifying that day and intimidated all those around him. He even scared the young masters of the Cui family."
"I see, but his tantrum was unjustifiable." Mister Cui responded, "This case may be dismissed, but there are a few other small conflicts. His temper is just too poor."
Xie Yuan laughed, "Everyone has a temper, and Xiaoqi’s temper is even worse than Zhou Gu’s. When you were not here, I caught her pinching Zhou Gu’s face and twisting his waist. I chided her when Ye Xiang and I accidentally saw them. Had we not been there, who knows what she would have done? She realized she was wrong and promised me she’d change."
Stunned, Mister Cui asked, "Could they have been just playing around?"
"Xiaoqi was clearly annoyed at the time, so she wasn’t just playing around." Xie Yuan explained, "So, Mister Cui, there’s no need for you to worry. I’ll watch over Xiaoqi and make sure she doesn’t bully Zhou Gu."
Astonished, Mister Cui said, "No, no, I came to ask if Zhou Gu bullied the Princess."
"If Zhou Gu could bully her, that would be better," Xie Yuan responded, "No one knows Xiaoqi’s character better than I do. She has a habit of bullying people. In Jiangning County, nobody in the Governor’s Residence dared to stand up to her except the main wife. I thought for sure that, considering Xiaoqi’s personality, her betrothal from childhood would be canceled by the Duke’s Residence. I feared she would never get married. Who would have thought that Zhou Gu could tolerate her to this extent?"
He earnestly said to Mister Cui, "Don’t go talking to Zhou Gu privately, trying to teach him a lesson. He’s very good as he is, a good boy. If he could be a bit more assertive in front of Xiaoqi and not always yield to her willfulness, that would be even better."
Mister Cui: "..."
He was left speechless by this remark.
He cautiously asked, "Could it be because of your attitude that Zhou Gu became arrogant in front of the Princess? Throwing tantrums, and making faces?"
Xie Yuan laughed, "When did he ever become arrogant? As the Princess’s husband and an official at the court, you’ve been here for quite a while. You’ve seen with your own eyes how hard he has worked. It’s hard to find a husband like him, that would be a blessing for Xiaoqi. Over the past six months, everyone, from the imperial court to the general public, approved of him. The old ministers who had been plotting to send their sons into the palace to be concubine’s husbands have changed their minds. Almost half of them have abandoned the idea."
Hearing this, Mister Cui sat up straight, "I see."
Xie Yuan asked him, "Has someone been whispering in your ear?"
"Well, it was Little Yanjin. He saw it with his own eyes and made a reasonable argument, which made me suspect." Mister Cui said frankly, not treating Xie Yuan as an outsider.
Xie Yuan snorted, "Indeed, Little Yanjin. He’s still young, just a boy, he doesn’t understand that between unmarried men and women, throwing tantrums and being temperamental are better than hiding and protecting each other all the time. When he grows up, he’ll understand and know that we can’t take his words to heart. If you’re still unsure, why not ask Xingzhi? He’s more level-headed and objective."
Shaking his head, Mister Cui also laughed, "That makes sense. I almost forgot that Little Yanjin is still a child. Children take things at face value, and I was misled by him for a moment. I don’t have to ask Xingzhi then, how can I not believe you?"
After hearing what Cui Yanjin had said, he had begun to doubt his own grandson, thinking that he had become arrogant because of the Princess’s favor. That just wouldn’t do.
Xie Yuan laughed.
Cui Yanjin still had no idea that because of his words, Mister Cui seriously sought advice from Xie Yuan. The latter shattered his ambitious plan to speak his mind to Zhou Gu.
Cui Yanjin was considering what he should give his cousin as a gift. After browsing all the treasures he brought from his home, he found none of them were satisfying. In the end, he went to dig in his parents’ artifacts in Cui Residence.
Cui Yuanbin glared at him, "Naughty boy, after you came back that day, you disappeared to Xie Residence and didn’t show up here. Now what on earth brings you back?"
"I’m here to find a birthday gift for my cousin from you and my mom." replied Cui Yanjin while rummaging through his father’s treasures.
Cui Yuanbin was tempted to kick him in the butt. What a son he was! Didn’t he, the father, have enough things that were suitable as a gift for the Princess? Why did he run to him for that?
But seeing the sixth rank official uniform on his son, he finally decided against attacking an imperial-court-appointed official. Instead he squatted down and asked him, "You have a lot of nice stuff in your own collection, why are you searching mine?"
"None of the ones in my collection please me," Cui Yanjin replied without looking up.
"With so many things you have, you can’t pick one?" asked Cui Yuanbin.
"No, I can’t. They’re all trifles." Cui Yanjin said seriously, "How could I be careless about a gift for my cousin? She must like whatever I give. "
Turning around, he admonished his father, "Dad, my cousin is the Princess. The gift can’t be randomly chosen. It’s said that the royal palace gifted her a large collection of treasures. There are all sorts of vermilion hairpins, silk fabrics, and gems in it. Since she already has plenty of fine things, I’m afraid she won’t value my gift."
He muttered, "After all, she’s particularly nice to me, my only cousin."
Although the Crown Prince’s wife from the Duke Residence is also his cousin, he, being not really from the main family line, barely interacts with her. Only this cousin is genuinely nice to him. His cousin’s husband always seems displeased with him and gives him unkind looks, as if he wants to give him a beating every time they meet. It’s his cousin who always stops him.
Moreover, before his granduncles came, many people were unhappy about him being at the imperial court. It was only his cousin who stood firm and supported him. Even though she was extremely busy and didn’t have time to rest, she was still mindful of him and asked people to take care of him.
Upon reflection, Cui Yuanbin agreed, "So, what do you want to send?"
"I’m not sure, I’ll have a look at what you have first." Cui Yanjin busied himself looking for a suitable gift.
Resigned to his son’s insistence, Cui Yuanbin allowed him to continue searching, "Alright, go ahead!"
Since the gift was intended for the Princess, it had to be thoughtful and emerge from the bottom of one’s heart. It couldn’t be given just for the sake of giving.
After digging through his dad’s collection, Cui Yanjin sighed, "Dad, you don’t have many good things."
Cui Yuanbin glared, "You don’t find any of my numerous precious things suitable for your cousin?"
Cui Yanjin shook his head, "No."
He immediately left, "I’m going to find my mom."
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