Chapter 14
In the days following the conclusion of the "Crown Prince Case," Cui Yunshu locked herself in Qing Shu Courtyard, refusing all visitors.
Instead of torturing herself by sitting idly like she had in the past few days, she lay on the bed and covered herself completely from head to toe with a brocade quilt, trying to use physical isolation to resist the overwhelming shame and remorse that kept surging from the depths of her heart.
She messed up.
She messed everything up.
Like a self-righteous clown, she used every trick in the book on the stage of fate to stage a self-righteous "rescue" drama. She meticulously arranged the scene, painstakingly spread rumors, and even risked her sister's reputation. She thought she was the writer who could rewrite the script, only to find in the end that she was nothing more than the most ridiculous and foolish footnote in that "plot."
She wanted to ruin her sister's marriage, but ended up becoming the most crucial "catalyst" in their love story.
She wanted to ruin the crown prince's reputation, but instead he became the "devoted crown prince" that all women envied, willing to suffer injustice for love.
She wanted to completely sever the Cui family's ties with the Crown Prince's Palace, but... the Cui family's bond with the Crown Prince's Palace is now deeper and stronger than ever before, so strong that it's despairing.
Whenever she thought about these things, Cui Yunshu wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it, never to see anyone again. She had lived two lives, and never before had she so profoundly understood what "foolishness" meant.
"Sister, please eat something! You haven't eaten much for two days." Atao's voice rang out from outside the door, tinged with tears. "If you continue like this, your body won't be able to take it."
Cui Yunshu pulled the blanket tighter, curled herself up into a ball, and made no response.
The last people she wants to see right now are those who care about her. Because every word of concern they offer is a silent reminder of just how big a mistake she has made and how absurd the consequences have been.
However, despite her desire to hide, reality proved otherwise.
The fire she lit with her own hands, after going around in circles, finally burned back onto herself in a way she never expected and which was both laughable and absurd.
"Girl! Girl! Listen to this!"
On the afternoon of the third day, Atao disregarded the rules and barged in, her face displaying a strange mix of excitement, confusion, and amusement.
"Listen to what's going on outside! What's being said about them?!"
Without a word, Atao opened the window. The bustling, vibrant sounds of the capital city rushed in like a tide. Amidst the noise, melodious singing mixed with cheers could be faintly heard.
At first, Cui Yunshu thought she had misheard. But as time went on, the singing became clearer and clearer, and she could even recognize the words.
It was a newly opened restaurant that had hired the most famous troupe in the capital to perform. And the song they were singing that day was the hottest and most sought-after song of the moment—"Eastern Palace Love".
"...To protect your reputation, the Crown Prince willingly suffers injustice, even if the whole world scorns him, I remain steadfast as a mountain... In the Dali Temple court, what fear does a virtuous woman have of public opinion? Dressed in white, she beats the drum, causing a great upheaval, all to clear her lover's name..."
The lyrics are melodious and poignant, portraying the story between the Crown Prince and Cui Yunxi in a moving and deeply touching way.
Cui Yunshu listened blankly, completely dumbfounded.
What... what is this?
“Sister, you don’t know,” Atao’s expression was worse than crying, “all those folk songs you had Shitou find someone to compose… have all been changed! Now, in all the teahouses and taverns in the capital, everyone is saying and singing this!”
Yes, it has been changed.
Overnight, public opinion underwent a dramatic 180-degree turn.
Those malicious and defamatory ballads about the "Crown Prince's Amorous Affairs" that Cui Yunshu had spread at great expense were spontaneously and creatively adapted into countless versions by the people of the capital after Cui Yunxi appealed for justice at the Dali Temple.
There is a storybook version of "The Crown Prince's Passionate Love Story", which tells the story of the Crown Prince and Cui Yunxi from their first meeting to falling in love, and then going through hardships and their love becoming stronger than gold. It is full of ups and downs and is very touching.
There is a storytelling version of "The Story of a Virtuous Woman's Wrongful Appeal," which portrays Cui Yunxi as an extraordinary woman who is willing to do anything for love and possesses all the virtues of morality, speech, appearance, and skill. Her integrity and courage have won the admiration of countless people.
Even more remarkably, some well-meaning individuals compiled their story into a comic book, which was openly sold on the market and became an instant bestseller.
The story of the Crown Prince willingly suffering injustice to protect his lover's reputation, and Lady Cui sacrificing her own reputation to save her lover, is full of misunderstandings, sacrifices, and steadfast love. It hits the sweet spot for everyone and was processed, embellished, and sublimated by folk artists, eventually evolving into a "beautiful tale of a night rendezvous" worthy of being recorded in history.
Crown Prince Tang Jingcheng and Cui Yunxi, the eldest daughter of the Cui family, became the most well-matched and enviable couple in the eyes of the entire city.
As Cui Yunshu listened to the increasingly loud cheers outside the window, she felt a sweet taste in her throat and almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
She... spent money, did something bad, and in the end, personally composed a hymn of praise for her "enemy" that will be remembered for generations?
Is there anything more absurd or ironic than this?
However, this is not the end.
The real "critical hit" is yet to come.
Just as the entire capital was immersed in this "legendary tale," an imperial edict from the palace, like a boulder, once again stirred up towering waves on the already turbulent lake of the capital.
The eunuch delivering the imperial edict, in the main hall of the Cui family, before all the masters of the Cui family, unfurled the bright yellow imperial edict and loudly proclaimed in his high-pitched yet resonant voice:
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Yunxi, daughter of the Cui family, is of dignified character, possessing virtue in speech, appearance, and action. During the ordeal of the Crown Prince's death, she disregarded public opinion and risked her own life; her compassion is pitiful, her courage commendable, and she is a model for all women! I am deeply comforted! Therefore, I hereby issue this decree to praise her virtue and announce… that the marriage between Crown Prince Tang Jingcheng and Cui Yunxi will be moved forward to mid-autumn of this year! So be it—"
After the imperial edict was read, the entire main hall of the Cui family was first deathly silent, then erupted into thunderous cheers.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Father Cui Wen was so excited that his old face turned red. He led a group of clan elders in performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony. His joyful and proud appearance made it seem as if the Cui family had already produced an empress.
Immediately afterwards, the palace's rewards poured in like water, box after box, into the Cui residence. Gold, silver, jewels, silks, satins, antiques, calligraphy and paintings... almost filled the Cui family's storerooms.
Cui Yunshu knelt at the back of the crowd, listening and watching numbly. She looked at the ecstatic faces of her father and the clan elders, at her sister Cui Yunxi's face, which remained calm but whose eyes quietly welled up with tears upon receiving the imperial edict, and then at her mother, Madam Song, whose face, amidst the joyful crowd, carried a deep sense of worry…
She felt that everything before her eyes was like a bizarre and absurd drama.
And she is the most pathetic clown in this play, who works in vain from beginning to end and even has the opposite effect.
The engagement was not dissolved; instead, she personally reinforced it to an unprecedented depth in the most unexpected way.
The bond between the Cui family and the Crown Prince reached its peak at this moment.
She lost.
To lose miserably, to lose completely, to lose in a way that is... both laughable and pathetic.
That evening, Cui Yunshu finally stepped out of her room. She didn't cry or make a scene; she simply ate her dinner calmly, took a bath and changed her clothes calmly, and then sat down at her desk calmly.
The deep-seated remorse and shame, after experiencing this extreme absurdity, miraculously subsided and transformed into an unprecedented, chilling clarity.
Looking at the mountain of royal gifts before her, those glittering gold objects were no longer a source of glory in her eyes, but rather a series of death curses.
She finally realized that confrontation was not an option.
She was like a child trying to swim upstream; no matter how hard she struggled, the torrent of fate would sweep her back to its predetermined course in a more powerful and incredible way.
Since that's the case...
Since they cannot sever the relationship between the Cui family and the Crown Prince, they have no choice but to take another path.
She looked up, her gaze falling on the plan she had long neglected on the corner of her desk. It was the "Method of Making Ice with Saltpeter," which she had initially written to demonstrate her loyalty to the saint and to bring honor to her family.
But now, its function is no longer those.
Cui Yunshu's eyes gradually changed from initial confusion and regret to sharpness and determination, and finally, a fierce fighting spirit was rekindled.
If the Crown Prince's rebellion is inevitable, and if the execution of the entire Cui family is unavoidable, then she must use the remaining three years to prepare a foolproof escape route for her family and herself!
Since she was going to die anyway, she was going to die spectacularly! She was determined to live a different life before her predetermined death arrived!
She was going to start making money like crazy, using the knowledge in her head that was ahead of its time to build a business empire that would make her incredibly wealthy.
She needs to accumulate unparalleled strength.
Whether it was for the future, so that when the Crown Prince truly embarked on that path of no return, she would have enough resources to help him change his inevitable fate; or... so that after the Crown Prince's failure, she would have enough power to lead her entire family to set sail and flee to a distant land before that catastrophe arrives, completely escaping this place of trouble.
She needed money, she needed power, she needed a force of her own that could rival the imperial power!
At this moment, a new direction for our endeavors was clearly established.
Cui Yunshu picked up her pen and drew a heavy circle on the "method of making ice" plan.
This will be the first step in her "indirect approach to achieving her goal".
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