Xue Shaojun was completely unaware that he was being followed. He quickly left Fanlou, walked through a secluded alley, and went to find his own carriage.
Now that his reputation is ruined, the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion has also been implicated. Everyone in the mansion, including himself, doesn't even dare to ride in the mansion's carriage when they go out. They can only ask their confidants to temporarily rent carriages from ordinary people.
He walked briskly with his head down, his footsteps echoing in the quiet alley.
But as they walked, they heard two more footsteps behind them.
Xue Shaojun turned around warily and saw Cui Zichen following behind him.
Cui Zichen was wearing a scarlet official robe underneath and a black cloak over it. When he saw that Xue had noticed him, he lazily and perfunctorily cupped his hands and said, "Oh, Lord Xue, what a coincidence."
As officials in the same court, Xue Shaojun naturally knew Cui Zichen. The young man was quite capable. After switching from Xie Lianhong's tutelage to Prime Minister Wang Yuanguang, he was highly valued and rose to the rank of Deputy Salt and Iron Commissioner of the third rank. He was truly no ordinary person.
He had no interaction with Cui Zichen and didn't understand why Cui Zichen was following him.
"I wonder what advice Lord Cui has for me?" Xue Shaojun asked politely, cupping his hands in greeting, not wanting to make enemies.
Cui Zichen untied his cloak and handed it to his attendant, then lowered his eyes and slowly flexed his wrists: "I've heard quite a few rumors these past few days, and I have some questions I'd like to ask Lord Xue..."
"What do you need help with?"
Before Xue Shaojun could finish speaking, he was punched in the face and staggered to the ground. Clutching his burning, throbbing face, he looked bewildered, his voice turning cold: "Lord Cui, I have no grudge against you. What is the meaning of this?"
Cui Zichen glanced at him with disdain. He kicked him again. Seeing that Xue Shaojun was powerless to fight back and was scrambling to his feet to escape, he scoffed, grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back, saying in a sinister tone, "I heard you like to hit women, what's so bad about that?"
Although the two were about the same size, Cui Zichen's strength was unexpectedly great.
Xue Shaojun was kicked in the chest, and felt dizzy and his chest tight. He was then dragged backward by his collar, and he could hardly breathe. He could only struggle and say, "Lord Cui, how can you bully your colleagues like this? Do you... still have any regard for the law?"
"So what if we don't have any?" Cui Zichen slammed him against the wall, looked at him lazily, and sneered: "Even if I beat you to death here today, I don't think the Prince of Huaiyang's mansion would say anything, right? The Prince of Huaiyang would probably even thank me."
Xue Shaojun's face twisted in pain; Cui Zichen's words had struck a nerve. Although his mother loved and protected him, his father valued the interests of the Prince's Mansion more.
Previously, his actions had not affected the interests of the Prince's Mansion, so his father had turned a blind eye to it. But now that things have come to light, if he cannot resolve the situation in time, his father will probably personally escort him to prison to protect the reputation of the Prince's Mansion.
Xue Shaojun's face twitched, and he forced himself to endure the humiliation, saying, "I don't know when I offended Lord Cui..."
Looking at his cowardly and fearful appearance, Cui Zichen's eyes became even more contemptuous: "A coward like you can actually be regarded differently by the teacher? The teacher must be getting old and his eyes are failing."
Xue Shaojun paused for a moment before realizing that the teacher he was referring to was not Prime Minister Wang Yuanguang, but his father-in-law Xie Lianhong.
He recalled Cui Zichen's connection with the Xie family and roughly understood: "Is Lord Cui here to avenge Vice Minister Xie, or to avenge my wife...?"
Cui Zichen's faint smile vanished. He squatted down, patted Xue Shaojun's face, and said with a chilling look in his eyes, "Don't try to provoke me. Otherwise, I might really kill you. When the body is sent to the Prince's mansion, the Prince of Huaiyang will treat me as an honored guest."
Xue Shaojun gritted his teeth: "She's just a woman, why is Lord Cui so serious about it? If you like her, I'll gladly give her to you."
"You think you're worthy?" Cui Zichen was truly enraged this time. He grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him up, his fingers tightening. "The person I like will go after me myself. Why would I need you to give in?"
Xue Shaojun felt his throat being gripped and his breathing becoming increasingly difficult, only then realizing that he truly intended to kill him.
His face was bluish-purple, and his eyes rolled back as he struggled to breathe. He could only try with difficulty to pry Cui Zichen's hand off.
Cui Zichen stared at him coldly for a long time, then let go and threw him away: "Killing you would be too easy for you. Your retribution is yet to come, so just wait."
Cui Zichen took out a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his hands, put his cloak back on, and strode away.
*
At the same time, Shen Youying and Xie Qinglan were warming wine and brewing tea in the corridor.
These days, with all the rumors going around, Xie Qinglan couldn't go out. Staying cooped up in the mansion was incredibly frustrating, so she could only talk to Shen Youying to relieve her boredom.
"Actually, I'm not that fragile. Let people talk, it's not like it'll take a piece of my flesh away."
Xie Qinglan held her face in her hands, looking somewhat sullen: "These past few days, my parents, as well as my brothers and sisters-in-law, have been speaking to me very cautiously, as if I were a fragile glass doll, afraid of being broken. Especially my mother, I've seen her secretly cry several times, and she even had a fight with my father, who is still sleeping in the study. But even though I clearly said that I'm not sad anymore, they don't believe me."
Now she's not worried about the rumors and gossip outside, but rather about the cautious attitude of her own family.
No one believed that she had truly moved on and was no longer heartbroken.
Shen Youying laughed when she heard this, but also felt a little sorry for her: "It's only because you are open-minded and can take things easy. If it were someone else, they would probably be crying every day. No wonder they don't believe it."
"Actually, I don't really like Xue Shaojun that much," Xie Qinglan muttered.
She naturally liked him when she agreed to the marriage, but that liking, like her past liking for the Crown Prince, faded over time.
If Xue Shaojun had respected her, perhaps they could have been a loving couple, and their light liking would have turned into deep affection. But Xue Shaojun's evil deeds completely shattered all her expectations.
When she finally left the Prince's mansion, she felt no reluctance, only a sense of relief, as if she had been freed from a heavy shackle.
The rumors circulating outside are a bit unpleasant, but if she doesn't listen to them, she won't feel bad.
Tokyo is never short of interesting things, and as time goes by, her story will gradually be forgotten.
Shen Youying said, "It's best if you don't like them. There's no need to be sad over someone who isn't worth it."
"If only my parents, brother, and sister-in-law could think like you..." Xie Qinglan sighed, lying on the table. "They always think I should cry and make a scene to be normal."
As the two were talking, a maid came to announce, "Miss, Your Highness, Lord Cui has arrived."
Xie Qinglan propped herself up on her arms and sat up: "Which Lord Cui?"
Just then, Cui Zichen slowly walked over, guided by the maid. Only then did she realize and exclaim, "Oh, him? What is he doing at our house?"
Her voice was as clear and melodious as a bird in the mountains; Cui Zichen couldn't help but hear it.
"Of course I came to see you. How can you still be as heartless and forgetful as you were when we were young?"
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