Chapter 5 Expelled from the Cui Family
Cui Yunzhou: "..."
The handkerchief he just handed to his mother was made of exquisite Yun brocade, worth 30 taels of silver!
He usually wouldn't wipe his sweat, but now his mother was using it to wipe his snot...
“Mother, this handkerchief is made of Yun brocade and costs 30 taels of silver.”
Cui Yunzhou spoke calmly.
In this situation, it's not really appropriate to bring this up, but he felt that if he didn't tell his mother the value of the handkerchief, she would definitely turn around and throw it away as rags.
Upon hearing this, everyone, including the guards, turned to look at the handkerchief in Madam Cui's hand, their eyes lighting up.
Thirty taels of silver could buy 2,000 catties of rice, equivalent to 5-10 years' worth of food for an average farmer.
"Wh...what?! Such a small thing...30 taels of silver? Are you serious?"
Madam Cui's hand holding the handkerchief trembled, her lips quivered, and her voice trembled as she asked.
"Yes, 30 taels of silver, and it's not something you can just buy with money. Yun brocade is only available to the royal family."
“This piece of mine was a gift from the princess.”
Cui Yunzhou's tone remained calm, as if he were talking about nothing more than trivial matters.
As soon as Cui Yunzhou finished speaking, the breathing of the people around him became heavier.
It seems they understand: this handkerchief made of Yun brocade is priceless and unavailable on the market; if sold on the black market, it could fetch an even higher price.
"Why didn't you say so sooner? I... I just used it to wipe my nose. Does anyone still want this?"
Madam Cui looked distressed, clearly in pain.
It's not that I'm heartbroken over the handkerchief, but rather that I'm heartbroken over the hard-earned money.
Although she was the eldest wife of the Cui family, she was not poor, but she was certainly not so rich that she could use a handkerchief made of brocade to wipe her nose!
Cui Yunzhou raised his head, glanced at everyone, and found that everyone's attention was on the handkerchief. He breathed a sigh of relief and gently comforted them.
"Mother, wash this handkerchief and use it yourself. Don't sell it."
"If you sell it and it gets discovered, you'll be punished with caning."
"Alright, alright, Mother will use it herself. This is such a wonderful thing, Mother has never used it before."
"Does she...do she often give you these kinds of nice things?"
Madam Cui was deeply moved, feeling as if she had given birth to a filial son. She looked on with longing and asked...
“I am her husband. If she has something good, she will naturally give it to me.”
"So, Mother, let's not bring up the matter of divorce again."
"As for the child..."
As Cui Yunzhou finished speaking, he stood up, his gaze sweeping over the members of the Cui family's collateral branch kneeling behind him, his tone firm and authoritative.
“I will discuss this with the princess. If she agrees, we will select a child from a collateral branch of the Cui family and adopt him into our family.”
"Those from collateral branches who have children, please make preparations."
After Cui Yunzhou finished speaking, the members of the Cui family's collateral branches stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief, as if a pie had fallen from the sky and landed on their heads.
The main branch of the Cui family was displeased. They frowned, looked at the collateral branches of the Cui family, then at Cui Yunzhou, and finally fixed their gaze on Madam Cui.
“Adopting a child from a collateral branch of the Cui family? This…this is unacceptable. A collateral branch is a collateral branch, and the main branch is the main branch. They are not even related by blood. How can we allow such an adoption?”
"Yunzhou, since it's all about discussion anyway, why don't you talk to the princess about taking a concubine, having a child, and then having the child adopted into her name? What do you think?"
Madam Cui became anxious and blurted out her innermost thoughts without thinking.
Suddenly, the members of the Cui family's collateral branches were filled with resentment, feeling betrayed.
When they are needed, they are members of the Cui family; when they are not needed, they are collateral branches of the Cui family, with a different bloodline from the main branch.
Ha, so in other words, they're involved in all the bad things, but they're never involved in any of the good things.
"Madam Cui, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. What do you mean by saying that a collateral branch is a collateral branch and a main branch is a main branch, and that they are of different bloodlines?"
"I think the Minister's idea is very good. Since your main branch is not thriving, you should adopt children from the collateral branches to the main branch. This will also help strengthen the main branch, won't it?"
"Furthermore, how can a princess's husband take a concubine? Taking a concubine would be a direct slap in the face to the princess and the royal family."
"If you want to die, go die by yourself, don't drag us, the collateral branches, down with you."
A rough-looking man from a collateral branch raised his head and spoke in a clear and logical voice, word by word.
"Cui Han, I think you just want your son Zimo to be adopted by Yunzhou and the princess. Don't you think your son Zimo can handle such immense wealth?"
Madam Cui gritted her teeth, knelt on the ground, twisted her body, glared angrily at the burly man, and shouted.
"Hahaha, if you, a woman, can accept such immense wealth, then my Zimo can certainly accept it too."
"Your Excellency, my son Zimo is both intelligent and well-behaved. You and the Princess will surely like him when you meet him."
Cui Han paid no attention to Madam Cui's harsh words, responded lightly, and then looked at Cui Yunzhou, taking the initiative to recommend his own child.
Upon seeing this, the members of the Cui family's collateral branch lit up and eagerly began to introduce their own children.
In their words, every child in their family is an outstanding individual, destined to soar to great heights.
Cui Yunzhou was so annoyed by the noise that he felt extremely tired. He said, "Alright, I understand. Once the princess agrees, I will have someone notify you. At that time, you can bring your children to the princess's residence, and the princess will personally select them."
After he finished speaking, he looked down at Madam Cui—his own mother.
His own mother was looking at him with a face full of disapproval.
"Mother, the matter of taking a concubine must not be mentioned again. She is a princess, a person of noble birth, not someone that I, you, or others can talk about as they please. Do you understand how we treat her?"
"Then let's get a divorce! If I had known, I would have rather died than let you marry her!"
Madam Cui roared like an enraged lioness, her expression ferocious.
Cui Yunzhou felt his heart pounding in his chest, he was furious.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm down and communicate properly, but he couldn't bear it any longer.
"Mother, she is my wife, my love. The one who doesn't want a divorce is always me, not her!"
"It's me who doesn't want to divorce her, it's me who wants her to stay by my side and be with me. How many times do I have to tell you before you understand?"
"I love her and cherish her. Your suggestion of taking a concubine is not for my own good, but to ruin my happiness!"
“What child, what Cui family, I don’t care at all. Mother, if you insist on me taking a concubine, then… then please expel me from the Cui family.”
Cui Yunzhou roared, all his elegance and gentleness gone, his eyes filled with rage and ruthlessness.
Previously, for the sake of his family and his mother, he had always been gentle and polite, but now he found that calm communication could not solve the problem at all.
Some people simply don't understand human language, or perhaps they've never considered his feelings and don't care whether he wants a divorce or not.
They only thought about themselves and the Cui family.
Nothing is more sorrowful than a broken heart.
Cui Yunzhou's roar seemed to have exhausted all his strength; he had no more strength to say anything or do anything.
He was unwilling to say or do anything more.
He turned around, not glancing at his mother or his clansmen again, and walked past them into the princess's residence.
Outside the princess's residence, there were many people, yet it was so quiet it was as if there was no one there at all.
Madam Cui stared blankly at the spot where Cui Yunzhou had stood, her mind filled with images of Yunzhou, her most proud son, who had completely lost his composure and dignity.
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