Chapter 210: The White Lotus Cousin in Ancient Chinese Literature (Extra)
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was the first grand banquet held after the new emperor ascended the throne. All ministers were invited to the palace to enjoy the banquet and admire the moon, and officials above the fourth rank were specially allowed to attend with their families.
This was not the first time Su Yu entered the palace.
But this is the first time I have seen such a grand scene as today.
It's not surprising. It's been three years since the death of the previous emperor. To show his filial piety, the Third Prince didn't even hold a grand coronation ceremony. Now that three years have finally passed, he must hold a palace banquet to liven up the atmosphere.
She and Cui Ling did not arrive early. The emperor arrived almost as soon as they did.
Everyone kowtowed.
"My dear ministers, please stand up."
As the emperor, the Third Prince opened his speech with an official tone, which was no different from the previous clichés. Su Yu felt sleepy listening to it.
"Are you sleepy?" Cui Ling asked with a side glance.
Su Yu cheered up: "Not bad."
Cui Ling held her shoulders and gently pushed her to lean on him: "If you feel sleepy, lean on me and sleep for a while."
Su Yu was speechless for a while, then she stood up and glared at him, "What are you talking about? There are so many people watching, including His Majesty. How do you want others to see me?"
Cui Ling said in a brazen tone: "Why do you care what they do?"
Su Yu choked. Arrogant, too arrogant.
"And your majesty?"
Cui Ling was silent for two seconds, then said, "He is not so idle as to care about such trivial matters."
Cui Ling was the only one in the court who had the confidence to speak like this to the emperor.
Su Yu was too lazy to pay attention to him.
At this time, the opening remarks were finished and the atmosphere gradually became lively.
The palace maids filed in one after another, and the small table was soon filled with food. The portions were not large and not hot, but they looked exquisite and beautiful. As for the taste, it was definitely not as good as that of the chef in Cui Mansion.
Su Yu reluctantly tasted it with two chopsticks and then stopped. Fortunately, Cui Ling had experience and let her eat something to fill her stomach before coming, otherwise she would have starved to death after the entire palace banquet.
The officials exchanged greetings, and the women also chatted in twos and threes.
Su Yu was called away by someone she knew. She ignored Cui Ling's resentful look and patted his hand perfunctorily: "I'll be back soon."
During this period, Su Yu also met Lin Jinse.
At this time, Lin Jinse had already grown into a woman's bun, and it was said that she had married a promising younger man from Mrs. Lin's family.
Mrs. Lin's family is also a noble family, but it has declined in recent years. Despite this, there are still many people holding official positions in the court.
The immaturity of a young girl had faded away. She was now dressed in a solemn and steady crimson-purple robe. Her cheeks were rounder than before. Occasionally, her eyes would glance towards Cui Ling, and she would be stunned for a few seconds, as if she were in another world.
Seeing Su Yu, she forced a smile and said, "Congratulations. I couldn't be there in person on the wedding day, so I hope it's not too late to say congratulations now."
Su Yu also smiled unnaturally: "I should also say congratulations, how many months has it been?"
As she spoke, her eyes swept across the slightly bulging belly under Lin Jinse's loose robe.
Su Yu's heart was bleeding. In such a good mission world, the male and female protagonists got married and the female protagonist even had a child. Is there any news more sad than this?
"Just five months old."
After saying this, the two seemed to have no topic to talk about, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Su Yu left decisively and nodded: "I'll go back first."
Lin Jinse also breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay."
It was rare for the two of them to be able to speak to each other calmly.
After bidding farewell to the heroine and several other ladies, Su Yu went back to find Cui Ling with a heavy heart, but she stopped halfway and narrowed her eyes.
Over there, a strange woman was standing in front of Cui Ling with a red face. Her eyes were full of spring water and her smile was so sweet that it could be drawn.
"Master Cui, I have often heard my father talk about you and have always admired you. After meeting you today, I realize that you are truly extraordinary. I offer you a toast."
The woman raised her wine glass and blinked her big, bright eyes slightly, as if they could speak. She was also very bold as she stared straight at Cui Ling, her intentions were so obvious that she did not hide them at all.
Cui Ling spun the wine glass gently, as if he was interested, and raised his eyebrows: "What did your father say about me?"
The girl was delighted and said, "My father always said that Lord Cui is a man of outstanding character, outstanding and unique, with a serious personality and the ability to govern the world. I didn't believe it at first, but I didn't expect Lord Cui to be even more capable than my father said."
With such praise, even the coldest person would feel embarrassed to keep a cold face, but unfortunately Cui Ling's expression remained unchanged, as if he didn't buy it.
Cui Ling smiled noncommittally and said, "I haven't asked your father yet, right?"
The woman felt hopeful, and her smile became sweeter: "My father is Shaofu Wei Ping, I wonder if Lord Cui has heard of him."
No wonder the Shaofu, one of the Nine Ministers, dares to come and toast.
There was a hint of sarcasm in Cui Ling's eyes, but what did this have to do with him?
He said politely but distantly: "Sorry, I'm not very familiar with you. My wife will be back soon. Could you please stay away from her? I don't want her to misunderstand."
The woman's smile froze.
She didn't give up: "Master Cui..."
Before she could finish her words, the man suddenly stood up, his eyes like melting ice, extremely gentle, without even looking at her, he walked straight towards the other woman.
"Why did you come back just now? What took you so long to talk about?" Cui Ling's expression contained a hint of resentment of being abandoned.
Su Yu smiled with a fake smile: "Why did you come back? To stop your beauty from being in your arms?"
Cui Ling complained: "When did I become pregnant with a beautiful woman?"
Su Yu snorted coldly and glanced at the woman who came to chat with her with an ambiguous look: "You know it in your heart."
Cui Ling suddenly realized: "Madam, I am wronged. I swear that I have never done anything to let you down. That person came here on his own and said a bunch of inexplicable words. I couldn't understand him and I couldn't drive him away. Madam, please don't misunderstand me."
The two men spoke without hiding their voices from others. The woman heard them clearly. Her face turned pale and blue, and finally she covered her face and left in shame.
Su Yu was also disgusted by Cui Ling. Who taught him these words?
Cui Ling's eyes flashed with a smile: "Madam, she is gone."
Su Yu shook off goosebumps and hummed softly, "It won't happen again."
The system was amazed: [Host, are you in love with the hero? ]
Su Yu was stunned and immediately denied: [How is it possible? ]
【Then why do you care about him and other women? 】
Su Yu frowned in confusion: [Why can't I care? No matter what, he is mine now. How disgusted would I be if he hooked up with another woman behind my back? ]
System: [What if it's the heroine? ]
Su Yu's joke: [The heroine...but the heroine is married...]
The system sighed heavily and confirmed its guess. The host seemed to have really fallen. There were signs of this in the last world, and the situation in this world was even more serious.
Fortunately, I can clear my emotions after returning to the fast-forward game. I hope nothing unexpected happens.
There will be no good results if the tasker falls in love with someone from the small world.
Su Yu was also distracted by the system's words. She propped up her chin and mechanically opened her mouth to accept Cui Ling's feeding. Grapes, delicious. Pastries, delicious. Vegetables, unpalatable. Grapes, delicious...
The other people in the hall looked over here quietly, their jaws dropped in shock.
Is the man with a smile as gentle as the spring breeze and a tender face who takes care of his wife really the sharp-handed and unkind Cui Hanzhang in the court?
A small incident occurred during the palace banquet.
One of the concubines seemed to have eaten something by mistake, and she had a miscarriage on the spot.
There was a period of chaos and turmoil, but it was finally resolved.
The new emperor's face was so gloomy that water could drip from it. He glanced at the terrified queen and said in a cold voice: "Queen, you go and handle it."
"Yes, I will go right away."
The queen quickly agreed, fearing that he would question her in front of all the ministers about how she managed the harem. If that happened, she would lose face as the queen.
The one who had miscarriage was a concubine who had just been promoted and was quite favored.
After what happened today, I’m afraid the favor she’ll receive in the future will be greatly reduced.
No one noticed that, below the queen, a woman in gorgeous makeup and clothes slowly raised the corners of her mouth.
Finally, the case was traced back to a low-ranking concubine who had a conflict with that concubine. The low-ranking concubine was banished to the cold palace, and a bunch of related palace servants were executed.
Su Yu felt a little nervous and leaned closer to Cui Ling.
Cui Ling glanced at her, raised his hand to hold her shoulders, and said casually: "There are so many things like this in the deep palace. Do you think it's really that simple? There is probably a culprit behind it."
"Most women in the world yearn to live in the palace, but little do they know that the glamour inside the palace is built on countless bones. If there are really people who are so naive that they think they can sit back and relax after entering the palace, they will most likely end up becoming one of the bones."
Su Yu thought it was very profound and reasonable at first, but gradually, she began to understand that Cui Ling was trying to point her out.
"……oh."
Cui Ling stopped there.
Anyway, the girl has already been married and the eldest prince died long ago, so it is impossible for her to enter the palace and become an imperial concubine.
After the episode, the banquet was still lively.
However, Su Yu lost her previous interest. She thought to herself, wouldn't it be fun to happily leave Cui Ling behind and go out with the other ladies to enjoy the moon and the scenery?
Cui Ling wanted to go with Su Yu several times but was driven back every time. She exuded a strong aura of a resentful husband, which made all the ministers marvel.
The palace banquet finally ended. Cui Ling did not stay for a second and took Su Yu home. She decided to report to the emperor that there should be no banquet in the palace next Mid-Autumn Festival.
With so many people around, it’s impossible for me to watch the moon alone with my wife.
…
After returning home, the two had a family dinner with their family. Su Yu was so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyes. She went back to her room, washed up, and lay down on the bed.
The clothes slipped from the screen to the ground, and Cui Ling went over and picked them up skillfully.
Suddenly, he paused.
On the ground, an ochre purse is clearly visible.
Cui Ling was confused at first, then his expression suddenly changed. He picked up the purse and held it in front of him to observe it.
Cui Ling had a good memory. If he was not mistaken, this purse was the one that Su Yu gave to the eldest prince four years ago.
The temperature dropped suddenly.
Cui Ling resisted the urge to tear her purse into pieces, went out and called Zi Tong, and asked her where Su Yu had been in the palace today.
Zi Tong didn't understand, so she answered honestly, "The young lady and the ladies were in the Imperial Garden admiring the moon and the scenery. Soon the young lady got tired and said she wanted to come back first. However, she accidentally took a wrong path and passed by an abandoned palace. The young lady was curious and went in to take a look. After she was done, she came out and asked a palace maid to lead the way back to the banquet. After that, nothing happened."
Cui Ling asked carefully about the appearance of the abandoned palace, and finally confirmed that it was the place where the eldest prince was imprisoned.
Zi Tong shuddered and felt a little scared.
Cui Ling suppressed the emotions churning in his heart and waved his hand: "You go down first."
That night, Su Yu felt that Cui Ling seemed crazy today.
My body is about to fall apart because of him.
"Cui Ling, why are you crazy? I'm so sleepy, can we continue tomorrow night?" Su Yu hugged Cui Ling's neck, unable to open her eyes, and instinctively acted coquettishly and kissed him to comfort him.
It's a pity that Cui Ling has a heart of stone.
When spring was in full swing, Cui Ling's sinister voice rang in Su Yu's ears: "I heard that you went to an abandoned palace today."
Su Yu was stunned at first, then suddenly woke up with a start.
She dodged unnaturally: "Why are you asking this?"
Cui Ling sneered: "Why, I can't ask? Am I disturbing you from burning paper for the eldest prince?"
Su Yu retorted: "I didn't burn paper for him!"
Cui Ling didn't say anything, but his movements became heavier, as if he was venting his dissatisfaction and jealousy.
Su Yu bit her lip, occasionally letting out a broken sob or two.
"What's the matter with that purse? Don't tell me you went there just to pick up a purse?" Cui Ling finally couldn't help but ask.
Purse?
Su Yu suddenly realized, no wonder he suddenly acted like this, it turned out that he saw the purse.
But Su Yu was wronged. She really just went there to pick up a purse and spent one point to do it.
If the system hadn't said that it could be recycled at half price, she wouldn't have picked it up.
Su Yu suppressed her trembling body and apologized cowardly: "Brother Hanzhang, I know I was wrong. I had long forgotten who the eldest prince was. As for the purse, I just took the wrong road and picked it up by accident. If you don't like it, I will throw it away tomorrow."
Cui Ling curled the corners of his lips: "Why throw it away? If you like it, just keep it."
If he had said this more gently, Su Yu might have believed it.
Woohoo, I should have known not to pick it up...
Just when Su Yu thought she was going to die, she suddenly felt cold and Cui Ling left.
Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, a pair of red candles suddenly lit in the room.
Su Yu blinked her sleepy eyes, raised her hand to block the light, and two tears flowed out of her eyes out of discomfort. A shadow came over her, and Cui Ling was back again.
When he came back, he had an unknown object in his hand. It hung down in wisps, making a slight bell sound when colliding, and had a light golden metallic luster.
Su Yu suddenly woke up and had a bad feeling.
The man leaned over and whispered in her ear, "There are other things he left behind. I'm sure you'll like them too."
Now Su Yu finally saw clearly what was in his hand.
A piece of clothing, a piece of clothing made of thin golden chains, with tiny golden bells hanging on it. Although it is called clothing, it cannot even cover a piece of skin. The jade-white body and the golden chain complement each other. With a slight movement, the sound of bells can be heard.
Su Yu felt so embarrassed that her skin was burning. She pushed him in frustration and said, "How can you wear something like this?"
"Why not?" Cui Ling's eyes dimmed and his voice was low and hoarse, "Very beautiful."
In Yuhua Villa, Baishan burned most of the things left by the eldest prince, and smashed those that could not be burned. But when Cui Ling saw this "dress", she kept it for some unknown reason.
Now looking at it, it is indeed very beautiful.
That night, the bell in the main courtyard of Cui Mansion rang for a long time.
After that night, whenever Su Yu saw something golden, she heard strange bell sounds in her ears and felt uncomfortable all over.
The system prays for the host in the small dark room, praying that the small dark room will last longer.
…
Everyone in Cui's house discovered something very strange.
The eldest son used to like wearing a green purse the most, but recently he has been changing his purse every day, wearing red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, a different color every day.
Su Yu angrily ordered ten or eight purses from the system, and went to the kitchen to ask for a whole can of red beans.
Wear it, wear it, why don’t you wear it to death!
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