Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Don’t come close recklessly.
Chapter 3
Because of Su Li's status, Mr. Cui secretly made some arrangements for her and assigned her to the Muchong Pavilion.
This place is close to Shuyue Pavilion where Cui Jue lives.
The one who is close to the water gets the moon first. This is already a favor, and Mr. Cui has done his utmost to be kind to Su Li. After all, Cui Jue usually doesn't like others to get close to him, so other young ladies have no chance to get close to him at all.
But what happens in the future depends on Su Li's personal luck.
Mudong Pavilion is not the best place to live, but it is elegant and quiet.
Just from the moss covering the stone steps and the creeping vines growing fiercely in the courtyard, one can tell that this place has been deserted for many years.
Fortunately, the servants of Wudong Cui were very perceptive. They said that Su Li's family was in decline and she had no achievements, but she had the indifferent Mr. Cui to help her take care of her accommodation, and the courtyard she lived in was so close to the eldest son's Shuyue Pavilion; they said that Su Li had a solid foundation and was relied upon, but her courtyard was the more remote Muchong Pavilion, so she was not assigned to the outer courtyard which had just been renovated and used to entertain guests.
No one could tell Su Li's true or false origins. The servants looked at each other and decided to serve her obediently.
So, just in the afternoon, the maid in charge came to help Su Li clean the house.
He just swept some fallen leaves in the yard and talked to Su Li about some people and things in the Cui family's ancestral home.
Qiu Gui had already prepared the house for her to sleep in at night.
A rug with auspicious brocade pattern was laid on the floor, a bronze incense burner with a lotus pattern was placed on it, and a stream of pink lotus-scented incense was lit, filling the room with the scent of lofty sentiments and distant charm.
The maids of the Cui family were all knowledgeable and experienced. They knew at a glance that Su Li was not a poor person and was very knowledgeable in the use of things. They suppressed the contempt in their hearts one by one.
The mother-in-law had high hopes for Su Li and never thought of treating her badly. This trick of killing the chicken to scare the monkey was the method that the aunt in the inner courtyard of the Cui family specially gave to Qiu Gui to establish her authority.
Su Li asked Qiu Gui to present a small gift to the servants of the Cui family, and Qing waited for the maids to open their mouths and reveal some important words.
Aunt Qingxia, who has the longest experience in management, took a look at Su Li.
Seeing her pretty face, with skin whiter than snow, rosy cheeks, oily black hair, and full, plump ears, she knew she was a delicate young lady from a wealthy family. She was only fifteen or sixteen years old, just coming of age, and perfectly timed for marriage... My aunt guessed something.
Every year, countless young ladies come to Wudong Cui's house to beg for money.
Not to mention the side branches of the same surname, even cousin girls from other surnames would often come to stay at the Cui family, just to get a taste of the family's glory, to "add to the makeup", to be treated well by the husband's family, or to use the Cui family as a backer to find a good family in the capital of Jianye.
Qingxia: "In addition to Madam Su, the second madam of the Wei family and the third madam of the Lu family have also come to the Cui family to escape the summer heat recently... The elders of the Cui family like to have a lively atmosphere at home and never restrict girls from coming to play."
After hearing this, Su Li understood most of it.
Although Mr. Cui drove all the side branches out of the capital, he still allowed the young ladies from each branch of the Cui family to live with his family.
Because the girls will marry outside the family to take charge of the household, it is a favor as well as a gift. Now we should help them a little, plate them with gold foil, and make clay models of their bodies. In the future, they will be married to different families. There will always be a time for the young ladies to repay the Cui family.
Mr. Cui even extended this favor to those declining aristocratic families, so that there would be an endless stream of unmarried women from other families who would temporarily live in the Cui family mansion.
"But... the young ladies are lively and cheerful, and while their noise adds to the atmosphere, it's not right to disturb the eldest master's quiet meditation. There was a girl from the Zhao family who, coveting the purple peonies in Shuyue Pavilion, eagerly visited the mansion to admire them. In the end, she didn't see any flowers, which angered the eldest master. He persuaded her to return home, and even sent a cart of vibrant peonies, saying it was for Miss Zhao to enjoy."
Aunt Qingxia didn't say anything too profound, thinking that Su Li was a kind-hearted woman who would definitely understand.
Of course Su Li understood.
I thought Cui Jue was quite wicked.
Madam Zhao was suspected of having an affair, but instead of saving her face, he drove her out and even sent Mudan into the Zhao family.
People who don't know the ins and outs of the matter might think that Cui Jue gave the gift on purpose, but the people in the wealthy and powerful families are all shrewd, so they know what Cui Jue is trying to say... He is saying that Miss Zhao has a bad upbringing and is not dignified enough.
After this battle, the Zhao family must have lost all face.
Aunt Qingxia kindly reminded Su Li that it was fine to choose a prominent young man from a noble family in the capital. She should be careful not to be too ambitious. If she offended Cui Jue, she would be going against the Cui family and would suffer the consequences.
Su Li was also in trouble.
No wonder her mother-in-law and Mr. Cui both told her to please Cui Jue herself. Who could possibly catch his eye for such an unyielding young master?
Although Mr. Cui is still alive, the head of the Cui family has become the favored son of heaven, Cui Jue.
After Aunt Qingxia left, Su Li sighed softly.
Qiu Gui glanced at the emerald green Xiaoxiang bamboo and asked curiously, "What are you worried about, my lady?"
Although Su Li was well-versed in classics, history, and literature, and had some knowledge of poetry and songs, she was not the type to be melancholy about the passing of time.
Once upon a time, the Su family's daughters were burying flowers, tears streaming down their cheeks. Su Li simply whispered to Qiu Gui: "After they finish burying the petals, if there are any left, take them to the kitchen to steam a chrysanthemum cake..."
Su Li shook her head. She didn't say much, but she felt in her heart... it would be difficult to sleep with this elegant and refined eldest son of the Cui family.
-
Su Li learned several important things from Qingxia.
First, the Cui family's private school is well-known far and wide. In a school opened by such aristocratic family, there are naturally great scholars and people proficient in music, literature and literature who are willing to come to teach in order to promote their talents.
There would even be young men and women from other prominent families who would come to listen, but their purpose was to make friends rather than to listen sincerely.
Secondly, Cui Jue pacified the war in the north and returned to the court in triumph, but he was seriously injured and was recuperating in the Shuyue Pavilion in the inner courtyard of the Cui family. Outsiders were not allowed to enter and disturb him.
After thinking it over, Su Li decided to go and find out Cui Jue's background in person.
Su Li took out the gifts prepared by her mother-in-law one by one.
What was given to Mr. Cui was a set of Cuifeng Piao porcelain tea set with fine glaze.
What was prepared for Cui Jue was a bronze inkstone with exquisite carvings.
They are all gifts that please him.
Mr. Cui accepted it with pleasure.
He could not exchange too much pleasantries with this unfortunate granddaughter-in-law, lest others discover the clues, so he only asked someone to send some fruits to her Mudong Pavilion as a return gift for her support.
After Su Li delivered the gift, she asked the maid who led the way, "Where is Shuyue Pavilion?"
The maid was dumbfounded, looking as if she had seen a ghost... Didn't Aunt Qingxia say not to disturb the eldest young master? Why was Madam Su still asking how to get to Shuyue Pavilion?
But seeing that the old master Cui Weng gave Su Li some face, the maid didn't dare to ask more questions and took her away with her belt.
Cui Jue's spies were everywhere in the Cui family, and Mr. Cui never hid anything he did from his beloved eldest grandson.
Su Li stopped in front of Shuyue Pavilion. With her almond-shaped eyes curved, she greeted the attendant Wei Zhiyan who was guarding the door. "I'd like to trouble you to help me present the guest gift to the eldest master."
Even though all the young ladies who entered the mansion had been scolded by Aunt Qingxia, there were still countless girls who came to Cui Jue secretly to give gifts.
After all, Cui Juelang is uniquely handsome, and Mu Ruqingfeng is the dream lover of every girl.
Everyone hopes that they might be lucky enough to be treated differently by Cui Jue.
Therefore, the eldest son issued an order early on that if a woman came to visit, she should just return the gifts. If she continued to pester him, she would be killed as a warning to others and expelled from the house.
But Su Li’s gift…even Cui Weng accepted it.
Su Li is obviously different.
Wei Zhiyan was undecided. He nodded to Su Li and said, "Madam Su, please wait for a moment. I will go and ask the eldest master for instructions."
"Thank you."
-
Shuyue Pavilion, the moonlight is quiet and clear.
The study was open on all sides, with a few thin gauze curtains hanging here and there.
The mountain breeze blows through the hall, the soft gauze flutters, and the incense lingers, making it feel like you are in a fairyland.
In front of the corridor, there was a copper lamp with a thousand branches and a table.
The moonlight shone through, revealing the man's straight back.
This person is Cui Jue.
Cui Jue had just bathed and changed his clothes, and was only wearing a thin snow-white undershirt.
The young man wore a robe with a crane pattern on his shoulders, and his black hair was like luxurious soft satin, flowing over his fair neck and draping at his waist. The slightly damp ends of his hair were dark in color, soaking into his robe and lighting up the crane's black eyes.
From a distance, the man's whole temperament actually had a strange and ghostly aura.
Cui Jue knelt in front of the desk, holding a scroll in his hand and a pen painted with cinnabar, as if he was reviewing official documents.
Before Wei Zhiyan could get close, he had already noticed the movement and asked calmly, "What's going on?"
Wei Zhiyan held up a bronze inkstone and spoke hesitantly, "Madam Su just came to give me a gift. I'd like to ask you, Young Master, what should I do with it?"
Madam Su?
Cui Jue thought about it for a moment and had no impression of her.
He didn't raise his eyes, but said, "As usual, so today."
Cui Jue's voice was calm, but Wei Zhiyan understood that his master was displeased. He blamed the servant: "You actually came to the case to inquire about such a trivial matter."
Wei Zhiyan hesitated for a moment: "But the old master also accepted the gift from Madam Su..."
Upon hearing this, Cui Jue stopped writing for a rare time, and the ink almost smudged. He glanced at the object in Wei Zhiyan's hand with his peripheral vision.
A bronze inkstone.
It is his usual collection.
He never revealed his preferences to others, but the lady from the Su family knew about it.
Madam Su was able to please him, which showed that she had an expert guiding her behind the scenes.
Cui Jue vaguely remembered... the widow of his late second cousin Cui Ming's wife also had the surname Su. Could this woman be a relative of the Lanhe Su family? No wonder his grandfather had given her a favor.
But the in-laws of the Lanhe Xiao Cui family had nothing to do with him.
Cui Jue was responsible for the rise and fall, life and death of the entire Cui family. He would not focus on such trivial matters, nor did he like Madam Su's behavior of disturbing him so arbitrarily.
Cui Jue put down his pen, tilted his head and asked, "Where is Madam Su?"
Wei Zhiyan: "She's still waiting outside Shuyue Pavilion. Could it be that the eldest master wants to invite her in for a cup of tea?"
"No." Cui Jue lowered his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, "Put this thing in the warehouse."
He would not use other people's offerings, even for Lady Su, whom Mr. Cui valued, he would not make an exception for her.
-
Su Li, who had been waiting outside Shuyue Pavilion for a long time, finally saw Wei Zhiyan hurried over.
Things went wrong, and the guard looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say to Su Li. "Madam Su, it's late, the master has gone to bed, please go back."
"Yes, sorry to bother you tonight." Su Li followed suit and led Qiu Gui back to the yard.
When they passed by each other, she saw the bronze inkstone given to Cui Jue being carried out of the pavilion intact by other servants.
In front of her, several servants held the inkstone high and walked towards the back room where the treasures were stored.
Not avoiding suspicion at all.
It can be seen that it was instructed by the master.
Seeing this, Su Li understood what the eldest son of the Cui family meant.
Cui Jue deliberately locked the gift that Su Li had brought from afar into the warehouse in front of her.
He treated her advances as a worn-out shoe.
Cui Jue was clearly warning Su Li in a stern voice: Don't come close to her recklessly.
In Cui Jue's eyes, she was no different from the lady from the Zhao family who was expelled from the Cui Mansion.
Su Li's actions today crossed the line.
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