Chapter 18
The sudden emergence of "Yunjian Pavilion" was like a boulder thrown into the deep waters of the capital, creating ripples that lingered for a long time. It not only brought Cui Yunshu her first pot of gold, but also closely linked her title of "Ice and Snow Princess" with words such as "wealth," "elegance," and "mystery."
However, for Cui Yunshu, this was only the beginning of her grand plan.
Commercial success is merely a means to accumulate power. And this power, ultimately, must serve the only path to survival. On this path, she needs not only money, but also people. She needs people who can penetrate the heart of power and provide her and the Cui family with the most direct protection.
Her gaze naturally fell on her second brother—Cui Yuanjue, who was now the Crown Prince's study companion.
That night, the moonlight was as white as frost.
Instead of having Atao announce her arrival, Cui Yunshu personally carried a small lotus lantern and visited Cui Yuanjue's study late at night under the pretext of discussing the accounts of "Yunjian Pavilion".
Cui Yuanjue's study was named "Wenxinzhai," reflecting his character: simply furnished yet elegantly rustic, with a faint scent of ink and scholarly atmosphere in the air. Since entering the Eastern Palace as a companion to the emperor, he had become even more diligent than before, and even late at night, the candle on his desk was always lit.
"Fourth sister? Why are you here so late?" Cui Yuanjue was a little surprised to see Cui Yunshu and quickly got up to greet her.
"Second Brother, are you still studying hard?" Cui Yunshu put the lotus lantern aside, a gentle smile on her face. "I had the kitchen stew some bird's nest to bring you some to soothe your throat. Also, the accounts for 'Yunjian Pavilion' this month are out, and there are some things I'd like to hear your opinion on, Second Brother."
She placed an account book on the desk and, at the same time, took out a heavy brocade bag from her sleeve and gently pushed it in front of Cui Yuanjue.
The brocade pouch landed on the rosewood desk with a crisp yet dull metallic clang.
"What is this?" Cui Yuanjue picked up the brocade bag with a puzzled look, opened it, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
The bag contained neither account books nor banknotes, but a dozen or so heavy gold ingots, gleaming alluringly in the candlelight.
"Sister, what do you mean by this?" Cui Yuanjue frowned instantly, pushed the brocade bag back, and his voice became more serious.
“This is the profit sharing from ‘Yunjian Pavilion’ this month.” Cui Yunshu’s tone was as calm as if she were talking about the weather. “Second brother gets a share, eldest sister gets a share, and my mother and I get a share. This is our own business, and it’s only right that family members share the profits.”
"Nonsense!" Cui Yuanjue's face darkened, his tone tinged with anger. "I neither invested nor contributed any effort, so how can I claim any dividends? Furthermore, a gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way. I cannot accept this ill-gotten money. Sister, take it back quickly, lest you defile my study."
He was an upright man who had been well-versed in the classics since childhood and despised money the most, let alone using it for any kind of shady business.
"Second Brother, you're wrong." Cui Yunshu looked at his righteous and awe-inspiring appearance, but instead of backing down, she met his gaze and pointed out incisively, "This money isn't given to you for nothing. I'm giving it to you so you can spend it."
She paused, her voice lower and more penetrating: "You're to use it to build connections, to cultivate relationships, to pave a path for yourself in the Eastern Palace and the court. As the saying goes, money gives heroes courage. Second Brother, you have a wealth of talent and ambition, but without these 'worldly things' paving the way, how far can you go in this cutthroat officialdom?"
"Cui Yunshu!" Cui Yuanjue slammed his hand on the table, abruptly standing up, his face filled with disappointment and heartache. "I never knew you had become so mercenary! We scholars should take loyalty to the emperor and the country as our duty, relying on our wisdom and strategies for governing the world. When have we ever needed to resort to such petty things to scheme and cheat? You are insulting me, and you are insulting the way of the sages!"
"Me, mercenary?" Upon hearing this, Cui Yunshu suddenly laughed. Her laughter was crisp, yet carried a hint of cold mockery. "Second brother, do you really think that the Eastern Palace is still the peaceful place you imagined where you can study in peace and discuss your ideals?"
She stood up, looked directly into her brother's eyes, which burned with anger, and ruthlessly tore away the veil of tenderness.
“You have been a companion to the Crown Prince for two months now. Tell me, in these two months, how many times have the Second Prince’s faction tripped you up? How many times have they framed and suppressed you, both openly and secretly? Although His Highness the Crown Prince trusts you, he is weak and powerless, and it is difficult for him to even protect himself. How long can he protect you?”
"You only know how to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, but your loyalty is worthless in the eyes of those political enemies who only know how to form cliques and eliminate dissidents! You think you are sharing the burden of the crown prince, but in their eyes, you are nothing more than a pawn in the Eastern Palace that can be sacrificed and smeared at any time! Without a foundation, without a background, without your own connections, what makes you think you can fight them? Just with your passion and a few words of sages?"
Every word Cui Yunshu uttered was like a sharp knife, stabbing deeply into Cui Yuanjue's heart, tearing away his scholarly pride and arrogance until it bled profusely.
He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.
Because everything my sister said was true.
For the past two months, his life in the Eastern Palace has been far from the glamorous image outsiders imagine. Open and covert attacks are everywhere. The Second Prince's faction sees him as a thorn in their side. Today they impeach him for misconduct, tomorrow they accuse him of interfering in politics. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's staunch protection, he would likely have already been expelled from the Eastern Palace.
"Second Brother, times have changed." Cui Yunshu watched the changing expressions on his face, softening her tone, but her words were still piercing. "This is not the previous dynasty, not an era where the Cui family could guarantee a hundred years of wealth and prosperity just by producing three empresses. Now it's like dealing with a tiger for its skin, dancing on the edge of a knife. If you still cling to your pedantic 'a gentleman does not speak of profit' mentality, you won't even have to wait three years; within a year, you'll be devoured until not even bone fragments are left!"
Cui Yuanjue swayed, then slumped back into his chair, his face pale. He looked at his younger sister, who seemed utterly unfamiliar overnight, his heart filled with shock and confusion. He couldn't understand how a sheltered thirteen-year-old girl could have known these dark and cruel rules of survival in officialdom.
Seeing her brother's devastated state, Cui Yunshu knew that the time was right. She needed to administer another strong dose of medicine to completely shatter his idealism and make him face reality.
"Second Brother," she sat down again, her voice calm yet carrying a chilling certainty, "I have one more question for you. Do you know why His Highness the Crown Prince is still facing such difficulties in the court?"
"...It's because the Wang family is powerful and the Second Prince has many followers," Cui Yuanjue answered subconsciously.
“That’s only one reason.” Cui Yunshu shook her head. “The more important reason is that His Highness the Crown Prince is too ‘clean.’ He is upright and honest, disdains scheming, and is unwilling to form factions with court officials. In a prosperous era, this quality would be a blessing for all people. But in the current political situation with its fierce factional struggles, it has become his most fatal weakness.”
“He needs a knife, a knife that can cut through the thorns for him, a knife that can do the ‘dirty work’ that he is unwilling and disdainful of doing. And you, Second Brother, are the most suitable candidate. But a knife that is only sharp but has no sheath is easy to break. And this money, these connections, are your sheath.”
To make her words more convincing, Cui Yunshu decided to throw out the "prediction" she had prepared long ago, a prediction that could turn the tide.
“I know you’re finding it hard to accept right now. Then let me… make a bet with you.” She looked at Cui Yuanjue, her eyes gleaming with unfathomable light. “I predict that within half a month, news of floods in Jiangnan will arrive. At that time, a group of officials, led by Zhou Xian, the Vice Minister of Revenue, will plead poverty to the court on the grounds that ‘the grain transport is obstructed and the grain is being lost in great quantities,’ and request a large sum of money for disaster relief.”
"And this is precisely a huge trap set by the Second Prince's faction for His Highness the Crown Prince."
Cui Yuanjue suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock. Zhou Xian, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was one of the Second Prince's most capable aides.
"Their real purpose," Cui Yunshu's voice was as cold as iron, "is to take this opportunity to pin the deficit in the national treasury that they have already embezzled on the Crown Prince, who is in charge of overseeing the country! Once the charges are proven, the Crown Prince will at best be deposed, and at worst... his life will be in danger!"
"This...this is impossible! How dare they commit such a heinous crime..." Cui Yuanjue exclaimed in disbelief.
“Of course they dare,” Cui Yunshu sneered. “They have already bribed officials at all levels in Jiangnan who are in charge of the canal transport, falsified accounts, and set up a flawless scheme. They are just waiting for the storm to come before their true colors are revealed.”
"If you don't believe me, Second Brother, you can send someone now to check the actual grain reserves in the granaries along the Jiangnan Grand Canal over the past three years, and then compare them with the accounts archived by the Ministry of Revenue. You will find that the deficit there is already an astronomical figure that is enough to cripple the Great Qin."
She not only gave a "prophecy," but also provided clues that could be verified immediately.
Cui Yuanjue was completely stunned. Looking at his sister's calm, expressionless face, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He couldn't imagine how she had known such a shocking secret, enough to shake the very foundations of the nation. This couldn't be explained by mere "intelligence"; it was practically... almost supernatural!
"You...you..." He pointed at Cui Yunshu, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
"Second Brother, take this money." Cui Yunshu pushed the heavy brocade bag in front of him again. "Use it to buy the information you need and to make friends with people who can do what you need. Then, with the clues I gave you, before the Second Prince's butcher's knife falls, plunge this knife into their hearts first."
[Half a month later, in the Eastern Palace, in the study]
For Cui Yuanjue, half a month felt like half a lifetime.
He remained somewhat skeptical, but following his sister's instructions, he used all his resources to secretly launch an investigation.
The results of the investigation sent chills down his spine.
Everything was exactly as Cui Yunshu had said, down to the last detail! The accounts of the Jiangnan canal transport did indeed have a huge deficit, the amount of which was enough to make even someone like him, who was used to seeing wealthy and powerful families, feel his heart skip a beat.
Just yesterday, an urgent report from Jiangnan arrived in the capital: continuous heavy rains caused the river to swell, many river channels to breach their banks, and flooding had already occurred!
This morning at the court session, Zhou Xian, the Vice Minister of Revenue, immediately jumped out and tearfully complained about the heavy losses suffered by the grain transport and begged the court to immediately allocate funds for disaster relief. His heartbroken appearance was so convincing that Cui Yuanjue would probably have been fooled if he hadn't known the inside story beforehand.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the study of the Crown Prince was as heavy as iron.
Crown Prince Tang Jingcheng looked at the secret report in his hand, presented by Cui Yuanjue, which recorded the true deficit data of the canal transport in Jiangnan. His handsome face was icy cold.
"Well... well, Zhou Xian! Well, Second Prince!" He slammed the secret report in his hand heavily on the table in anger. "I have treated him well, yet he dares to frame me like this!"
"Your Highness, please calm down." Cui Yuanjue bowed and said, "Now is not the time to be angry. Since Zhou Xian and the others dared to set up this scheme, they must have made thorough preparations. If we do not have solid evidence and rashly retaliate, we may fall into their trap of framing Your Highness for 'personal revenge and attacking loyal officials'."
"Then what do you think should be done?" The Crown Prince looked at Cui Yuanjue with unprecedented trust and reliance in his eyes.
Cui Yuanjue raised his head, his eyes flashing with a calm and sharp light, completely different from his usual straightforwardness. He calmly and clearly explained the countermeasures that his sister had devised for him long ago.
"I believe we should use their plan against them."
"Firstly, Your Highness should immediately apologize to the Emperor, explaining that you have failed in your duty as regent and failed to detect the problems in Jiangnan in time, and ask the Emperor to punish you. This is a strategic retreat to advance, first securing an invincible position."
"Secondly, Your Highness should volunteer to personally go to Jiangnan to thoroughly investigate the case of embezzlement in the grain transport, in order to prove your innocence. We also request His Majesty's permission for the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice to jointly investigate, in order to ensure fairness."
"Thirdly, and most importantly, I have secretly contacted several local officials in Jiangnan who are known for their integrity but have been suppressed for refusing to collude with the corrupt officials. They possess conclusive evidence of Zhou Xian's faction's embezzlement and distribution of spoils. Once Your Highness arrives in Jiangnan, a single call to action will provide both witnesses and evidence, allowing us to bring them all to justice!"
After listening to Cui Yuanjue's well-thought-out and watertight countermeasures, the Crown Prince's admiration grew even stronger. He patted Cui Yuanjue on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Yuanjue, having you as my ally is truly my greatest fortune!"
After this battle, Cui Yuanjue's status in the Eastern Palace was completely transformed. He was no longer merely a study companion for the Crown Prince, but had truly become a core strategist that the Crown Prince could rely on and trust.
That evening, Cui Yuanjue went to his sister's study again.
This time, he did not refuse again, but silently and solemnly accepted the brocade bag full of gold ingots.
He bowed deeply to Cui Yunshu, his voice filled with heartfelt admiration and gratitude.
"Fourth sister, from now on, whatever you command, I, your brother, will do my utmost... even at the cost of my life."
Looking at her brother's face, which had finally shed its naivety and idealism and begun to show maturity and sharpness, Cui Yunshu knew that her "involutionary family" plan was already half successful.
A powerful political alliance of her own was formally formed at this moment.
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