Chapter 5
[Cui Residence, Fei Pavilion]
Unlike the peaceful atmosphere in the back garden of the Lu family mansion, which was carefully adorned with music and laughter, the Cui family's Fei Pavilion was shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere, as if a storm was brewing.
Today, after court, Cui Wen returned home, but instead of going to his main house as usual, he took off his elaborate court robes, changed into a casual robe, and went straight to his second son Cui Yuanjue's study. He dismissed all the servants, and the father and son talked privately for nearly half an hour in the study with the doors and windows tightly closed.
When the study door opened again, Cui Wen's face was filled with a triumphant excitement, while Cui Yuanjue's expression was somewhat solemn. But in the end, he still bowed to his father's back, a silent agreement that carried responsibility and determination.
Cui Wen returned to Feige, where he lived with his wife Song, with a satisfied heart.
At that moment, Madam Song was sitting by the window, holding an account book and absentmindedly moving the abacus beads, seemingly checking the accounts, but in reality, she was restless. She knew her husband too well; his unusual behavior after returning home today had silently plucked the string of unease in her heart.
"Sixth Sister." Cui Wen's voice was filled with undisguised joy. He walked to Song Shi's side and personally poured her a cup of hot tea.
Madam Song didn't even lift her eyelids, only coldly grunting "hmm," her fingers making a series of crisp sounds on the abacus, and asked, "Have you finished discussing with Yuan Jue?"
Cui Wen's smile froze, then turned into a hint of helplessness: "Nothing can be hidden from you." He sat down opposite Song Shi and said in a deep voice, "Sixth Sister, this is great news. This morning at court, the Emperor personally asked me whether he intended to let Yuan Jue enter the Eastern Palace to be the Crown Prince's study companion."
"Thud—"
The account book slipped from Song's hand and fell to the ground, the abacus beads making a chaotic clattering sound due to the owner's distraction.
She abruptly raised her head, her usually calm eyes now blazing with fury. Staring intently at Cui Wen, she asked, each word deliberate and deliberate, "You agreed?"
“His Majesty has made up his mind, how can a subject refuse?” Cui Wen said matter-of-factly. “This is His Majesty’s favor to our Cui family, and it is also a once-in-a-century opportunity for Yuan Jue! When His Highness ascends the throne in the future, Yuan Jue will have rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor, and his future will be limitless!”
"Favor? Opportunity?" Madam Song suddenly laughed, her laughter filled with endless coldness and mockery. "Cui Wen, you've truly been blinded by fame and fortune! One daughter isn't enough; now you want to push your son into that cannibalistic vortex of the Eastern Palace as well?!"
Her voice suddenly rose, no longer gentle and dignified as before, like a lioness whose scales had been touched.
"Sixth Sister, watch your words!" Cui Wen's face darkened. "What do you mean by a man-eating vortex? The Crown Prince is the heir apparent, and for Yuan Jue to be by his side is an immense honor!"
“Glory?” Madam Song stood up and paced back and forth in the room, her chest heaving violently. “All I see is a sword hanging over our heads! The Crown Princess and the Crown Prince’s study companions sound so glamorous, but have you ever thought about what would happen if the Emperor grew tired of the Crown Prince one day? Have you considered the situation of your two children?”
"The Sage is in the prime of his life, only forty-three years old. How could he be tired of Your Highness?" Cui Wen retorted with a frown. "If he were truly tired of you, why would he repeatedly ask for Your Highness to marry a daughter of my Cui family? Haven't you noticed? The Wang family is powerful, and the Second Prince is aggressive. The Sage is paving the way for Your Highness and cultivating his own power!"
"Paving the way for him?" Madam Song scoffed. "Cui Wen, you are ridiculously naive! Have you forgotten that when Empress De passed away, the whole court thought the Emperor would settle scores with the Wang family? But what happened? Today, His Majesty and Consort Wang are in perfect harmony, and the Second Prince's favor is growing daily! The emperor's mind is as deep as the abyss. What makes you so sure that the Emperor will always favor the Crown Prince?"
These words, like the sharpest dagger, pierced directly into Cui Wen's dream of fame and fortune, leaving him speechless for a moment.
"Sixth Sister!" he hissed angrily, trying to suppress his wife's "nonsense" with his husbandly authority.
"In this world, the loudest voice doesn't necessarily mean you're right!" Madam Song retorted, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. "Yuan Jue is exceptionally intelligent. Even if he follows the conventional path of the imperial examinations, he might still become a pillar of the nation in the future. Why must you make him take such a huge risk? In the end, it's just that you, Cui Wen, want him to take a shortcut for your own ridiculous vanity, so that you can easily gain the empty title of 'favoring the emperor'!"
"You...you are simply unreasonable!" Cui Wen was so angry that he stood up and pointed at Song Shi, his fingers trembling slightly.
"I'm unreasonable?" Song's tears finally streamed down her face. She pointed to her heart, her voice filled with despair and sorrow. "Although Xi'er isn't my biological daughter, she's called me 'Mother' for over ten years! She took Shu'er's place, and I already feel incredibly guilty, unable to sleep at night! Now you want to send Yuan Jue in too! Cui Wen, do you have a heart? That's our son! A living, breathing person, not a pawn for you to use to climb the social ladder!"
Song's sobs struck Cui Wen's heart like a hammer blow. The anger on his face gradually subsided, replaced by weariness and guilt. He softened his voice and stepped forward to comfort his wife: "Sixth Sister, you...you mustn't do this. I...I'm only doing this for their own good, for the good of the Cui family..."
Madam Song abruptly waved away his outstretched hand, looking at him with teary eyes and disappointment: "No need. Since you've already made your decision, why bother telling me this? You probably already discussed it with Yuan Jue, didn't you? That child is the most filial; how could he possibly disobey his father?"
She staggered back two steps, grabbed the edge of the table, and smiled bitterly: "So be it, so be it... My two children will ultimately be trapped in the Eastern Palace. Cui Wen, I only hope that your decision today will not lead to regret in the future."
After saying that, she didn't look at him again, turned around and walked into the inner room, slamming the heavy door shut.
Outside the door, Cui Wen's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, the color draining from his face, leaving only utter helplessness and bewilderment. He knew that the rift between him and his wife, created by their differing choices about the future, had been completely torn open at this moment.
[Lu Residence, Spring Banquet]
Inside the waterside pavilion, the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, accompanied by laughter and cheerful conversation.
Cui Yunshu sat listlessly next to her sister, nibbling on the tea and snacks in front of her, but her mind was already far away.
After that minor conflict with Lu Man'er, no one dared to come forward and cause trouble. She was happy to have some peace and quiet, listening intently to the gossip of the noble ladies around her while silently calculating the time in her mind.
According to the description in the "book," the woman must have sought an opportunity to sneak in after the lunch banquet and before the Crown Prince's arrival. Now that it's still early, all she can do is wait.
But for some reason, she felt uneasy and her eyelids kept twitching, as if something unexpected was about to happen.
Just as she was pondering this, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure walking briskly through the crowd toward her.
It's Atao.
Cui Yunshu's heart skipped a beat. Didn't she tell Atao to wait for the wontons in the East Market and then come directly to the Lu residence to find her? How come she arrived so quickly? And judging from her flustered expression and the sweat on her forehead, it seemed that something urgent had happened.
“Sister…” Atao ran up to Cui Yunshu, not bothering to bow, panting heavily, her face pale, and whispered in her ear.
"What's wrong? Tell me slowly." Cui Yunshu handed her a cup of tea without saying a word, but the ominous premonition in her heart grew stronger.
Atao took the tea and gulped it down before lowering her voice and urgently saying in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Miss, something terrible has happened! Just now, while I was waiting for wontons in the East Market, the servant Shitou from the manor rushed over, saying... saying..."
"say what?"
"It is said that... the Second Young Master... the Second Young Master... has been appointed by imperial decree to be the Crown Prince's study companion, and he is to enter the palace immediately after the decree was issued!"
"boom--"
Atao's words were like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploding in Cui Yunshu's mind!
In an instant, she could hear nothing. Only a sharp buzzing sound remained in her ears, and everything before her eyes began to distort and spin. The laughter and chatter in the waterside pavilion, the beautiful faces of the noble ladies, the exotic flowers and plants in the garden... everything quickly faded, turning into a gray and desolate nothingness.
The Crown Prince's study companion...
Second brother... is also going to enter the Eastern Palace...
How could this be? Why so fast?
The book only mentions the matter of the Crown Prince accompanying his studies, but never mentions that it would happen on the day of the Spring Banquet!
Cui Yunshu felt as if all the blood in her body had been drained in an instant, and her limbs were as cold as if she had just been pulled out of a freezing pool.
Cut off the fuel supply at the root!
These four words struck her heart like a hammer blow.
Her original plan was to sabotage her sister's marriage and sever the Cui family's ties with the Crown Prince. But now? Her sister's marriage is still unresolved, and her father has personally sent her brother into the most dangerous vortex!
A crown princess, a prince's study companion... The Cui family and the Eastern Palace are bound together by two of the strongest chains!
On one side is her sister who is about to be destroyed, and on the other side is her brother who willingly jumps into the fire pit... She thought she had found the way to save her family, but in the blink of an eye, she found herself pushed into an even more isolated and helpless predicament!
"Fourth sister? Fourth sister, what's wrong?"
Cui Yunxi's worried voice roused her from the boundless coldness. She turned around and met her sister's eyes, which were filled with concern.
Cui Yunshu opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. What could she say? Tell her sister that their brother had also been pushed into the fire by their father? Tell her that their whole family was heading further and further down the road to death?
She can't.
Immense pressure and despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, threatening to crush her. But in this suffocating darkness, a glimmer of madness and determination suddenly shone from the depths of her eyes!
She understood.
She had no way out.
Since we can't decouple, let's just smash it completely!
The plan at the Spring Banquet was her last chance. It not only had to succeed, but it also had to... make a huge fuss! Big enough to enrage the Emperor, big enough to shame the entire Cui family, big enough to incite the upright officials and censors to attack her, completely severing any ties between the Cui family and the Crown Prince! [2]
Even if it offends the Crown Prince, the Lu family, and all the officials, she is willing to do it!
Cui Yunshu took a deep breath, and an almost eerie calm slowly appeared on her face, which had been deathly pale with shock. She gently shook her head at her sister, her voice hoarse but unusually firm, and said, "I'm fine, Sister Xi."
She raised her head, her gaze passing over the false prosperity of the clinking glasses and the bustling crowd, and looked toward the path leading to a secluded courtyard.
That is her true battlefield today.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
