Chapter 26 This is just to fulfill Shen Yunzhi's wish of being even...
It rained last night.
Although the rain stopped the next day, it was the transition from summer to autumn, and the weather was getting cooler. The flowers and trees in Yunxi Courtyard, which had been watered by the rain, seemed to be drooping.
Huo Ming, who had promised to deliver wound medicine and scar removal ointment to the Prince's mansion the night before, kept his word.
He and his sister Huo Yuan came to visit Shen Yunzhi.
After paying his respects to the Princess Consort of Chu, Cui Hong invited Huo Ming to have tea in the back garden.
Huo Yuan brought some snacks for Shen Yunzhi, and then Princess Chu ordered a maid to lead the way to Yunxi Courtyard.
Shen Yunzhi greeted Huo Yuan under the eaves and then welcomed her into the house with a smile. She couldn't hide the truth about her relationship with Huo Ming from Huo Yuan, nor did she intend to. After becoming closer to Huo Ming, she and Huo Yuan also became closer than before.
"There are pastries on top."
"Below are wound medicine, plasters, and a bowl of pain-relieving and blood-activating soup."
Upon entering the house, Huo Yuan held up the food box she had carefully carried to Yunxi Courtyard in front of Shen Yunzhi: "My brother said he was worried that it would be inconvenient for you to decoct the medicine, so he prepared it in advance and brought it over with you."
As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of a withered branch in a plum vase in the corner. Huo Yuan paused for a few moments in confusion before suddenly realizing what it meant.
"Zhiniang, do you still keep that bunch of crape myrtle flowers from back then?"
Shen Yunzhi also looked at the plum vase and smiled shyly.
She nodded slightly, and under Huo Yuan's teasing and mocking gaze, pulled Huo Yuan to sit down by the window.
After drinking the herbal medicine and tasting the pastries, Huo Yuan took the initiative to help Shen Yunzhi change her dressing, explaining in detail the uses of the wound medicine and ointment she had brought. Shen Yunzhi listened attentively and remembered everything. Afterwards, they left Yunxi Courtyard to look for Cui Hong and Huo Ming.
When Huo Yuan saw her second brother, she couldn't help but tease him, mentioning the withered crape myrtle flowers and rabbit lanterns she had seen at Yunxi Courtyard.
Huo Ming was overjoyed that the gift he received was cherished and valued.
The young man, just beginning to experience love, was already filled with boundless joy and contentment.
Those past concerns and hesitations have now been cast to the winds, and my resolve grows stronger with each passing day.
"It seems my cousin's good news is just around the corner."
After seeing Huo Yuan and Huo Ming off, Cui Hong said to Shen Yunzhi in a half-joking manner.
Shen Yunzhi had no intention of hiding this matter, and upon hearing this, she smiled shyly and said, "Thank you for your kind words, Second Young Master."
Cui Hong laughed, "My cousin really is a straightforward person."
When Cui Huai returned to Qiyun Residence, he found Cui Hong waiting for him.
"What is it?" Cui Huai entered the waterside pavilion, asking in a calm voice as he sat down opposite Cui Hong.
“This morning, my father summoned me to his study to inquire about my marriage. I had no idea what to do and was really troubled, so I used my elder brother as a shield.” Cui Hong poured tea for Cui Huai. “My elder brother is not yet married, so there is no reason for me to preempt him.”
Although Cui Hong also refused her father's arranged marriage, she did not receive any scolding.
Cui Huai's expression was unreadable, and he did not accept the hot tea offered by Cui Huai: "If you have someone you love, you don't need to worry about me."
Cui Hong smiled faintly: "How easy is that?" He paused, then continued, "Today, the Huo siblings came to visit. I saw that my cousin and the second young master of the Huo family were quite fond of each other. Miss Huo said that my cousin cherishes all the gifts given to her by the second young master."
Cui Huai's mind flashed back to the flower branches he had seen under the corridor of Yunxi Courtyard that day.
And last night at the clinic, Huo Ming fed Shen Yunzhi candy.
Feeling slighted, Cui Hong put down his teacup, frowned slightly, looked up at Cui Huai, and asked, "It's an arranged marriage, why did you refuse Miss Liang, brother? Isn't Miss Liang good enough?"
This sentence sounds familiar; Shen Yunzhi had asked a similar question before.
Cui Huai calmly said, "If my second brother is fond of Miss Liang, he can ask Father to find someone to act as matchmaker."
After leaving the waterside pavilion, Cui Huai returned to his study.
He glanced at the white jade ointment he had brought back from the palace on his desk, then simply put it away in a hidden compartment of the curio cabinet.
...
Huo Yuan and Huo Ming could not visit frequently.
They delivered the medicine on July 16th, but did not visit Shen Yunzhi again in the following days.
Having received no reply from Cui Huai on the day in the carriage, and without any further news, Shen Yunzhi's patience wore thin, and she couldn't help but feel anxious and worried. Those men in black were Cui Xu's men; although they didn't know Cui Xu's original plan, their schemes had failed, and each time it was related to Cui Huai, which, given Cui Xu's temperament, would only make him more resentful.
Even if Cui Huai's attitude was ambiguous and he had no intention of helping, Cui Xu shouldn't have remained so quiet.
They couldn't find out even the slightest bit about Cui Xu's movements.
On the seventh day, Shen Yunzhi could not contain herself and took the glass bottle that Cui Lizhu had previously refused to accept to Qiyun Residence.
But upon learning that Cui Huai was in the library, she went there instead.
But she arrived too late.
When Shen Yunzhi couldn't find Lin Yue anywhere in the corridor, she felt something was off. When she went up to him, she learned that Cui Huai had just left.
Whether Cui Huai returned to Qiyun Residence or went somewhere else this time is unknown. After two unsuccessful attempts and walking for a long time in the mansion, Shen Yunzhi did not want to waste any more time, so she simply went into the library to rest.
The servants in the library brought in hot tea.
She sat idly by the window drinking tea. After a while, she suddenly heard the sound of raindrops hitting the branches and leaves of the flowers and trees.
It's raining again.
The rain wasn't very heavy, but she hadn't brought an umbrella when she went out, and she was injured, so she couldn't get wet in the rain.
Shen Yunzhi held the teacup with her fingers, gazing at the bleak rain scene outside the window, and sighed softly. Today had been a day of misfortune, but fortunately, the servants from the library were there. If the rain continued, she could find a servant to go to Yunxi Courtyard and ask Qiuyue to come and fetch her.
As the sky gradually darkened, the light in the library also became dim.
Having no interest in reading at the moment, Shen Yunzhi lazily got up to ask a servant to light a lamp, and instead rested her head on her uninjured arm, slumped over the table in a daze.
As I drifted into thought, drowsiness crept in.
She fell asleep on the table, not knowing how long she slept. When she opened her eyes, she found that the library was lit.
When she sat up, Shen Yunzhi was still a little dazed.
Because he didn't know when the servant had entered, and even more so because he himself was completely unaware of it.
The rain doesn't seem to have stopped.
But it was already dark.
She raised her hand to rub her eyes, and as she did so, a thin blanket slipped off her shoulder, causing her to pause in surprise. Picking up the blanket, she turned around with some doubt in her heart and saw Cui Huai leaning against the bookshelf, intently flipping through a book.
Under the dim candlelight, the young man had a cool and aloof demeanor, and an extraordinary temperament, as ethereal and otherworldly as a banished immortal from a painting.
Cui Huai has an impeccable good appearance.
Shen Yunzhi was fully awake.
She stood up, put down the thin blanket, and walked towards Cui Huai.
"It was a maid who draped the blanket over Miss Shen."
Cui Huai's gaze remained fixed on the book in his hand, but as Shen Yunzhi approached, he spoke softly.
Shen Yunzhi gave him a serious look.
Cui Huai's words seemed to indicate that he was worried she was being presumptuous, and also as if he was drawing a line between himself and her.
It's best if they are completely unrelated.
Once the matter with Cui Xu is over, she will take the initiative to avoid him, just as he hopes.
"When did Your Highness return? I came to the library looking for Your Highness, but unfortunately Your Highness left and I was trapped here by the rain." Shen Yunzhi ignored Cui Huai's words, stopped a few steps away from him, and spoke to herself.
Cui Huai then slowly closed the book: "What do you want with me?"
“Your Highness said earlier that there was no need for a reward, but I have been thinking about it and I can’t rest easy.” Shen Yunzhi took out the shimmering glass bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Cui Huai. “I really have nothing to repay Your Highness with. This glass bottle was originally a gift for Lizhu, but she thought it was too precious and refused to accept it, so I gave her something else. Your Highness saved my life, and this gift is too meager compared to your kindness. But I thought Lizhu would also like it, so giving it to Your Highness wouldn’t be too impolite.”
Cui Huai lowered his eyes to look at the glass bottle in Shen Yunzhi's palm.
Although the light was dim, it could not conceal the dazzling brilliance of the glass bottle, and the various gemstones inside were still eye-catching.
His words were quite frank.
But such flashy and impractical things were of no use to him.
She didn't seem particularly sincere in thanking him.
It's as if I owe him a favor, and in order to even things out, I have to offer him a thank-you gift.
If he doesn't accept it, will she pretend to cry again, making up excuses and claiming that he looks down on her? Maybe she'll act indignantly and take the things back, just like with those two mosquito repellent sachets before.
"The intention is neither light nor heavy."
Cui Huai accepted the glass bottle, simply to fulfill Shen Yunzhi's wish that they would not owe each other anything.
They shouldn't have too much involvement.
I had promised to help her before, but now that Cui Xu's matter is settled, there's no need to do so anymore.
"Your Highness knows that I am just a young lady and not well-informed."
"Your Highness saved me in the forest that day. I wonder if I have caused you any trouble or trouble?"
Cui Huai tightened his fingers, feeling the cool touch of the glass bottle in his palm.
"No." He put the book back on the shelf, knowing what Shen Yunzhi wanted to know from him, but he didn't answer her questions.
Unable to discern Cui Huai's thoughts, Shen Yunzhi pressed on, "Did the Fifth Prince truly not make things difficult for His Highness?"
Cui Huai answered without hesitation: "No."
Shen Yunzhi then had nothing more to say.
Guessing that Cui Huai had sensed her feelings, she decided to give up testing him: "That would be perfect."
Cui Huai caught the fleeting annoyance in Shen Yunzhi's eyes and almost imperceptibly curved the corners of his mouth, but the next moment he remembered her close relationship with Huo Ming and immediately tightened his jaw: "It's getting late, Miss Shen should go back."
Shen Yunzhi nodded and said, "We are leaving."
Stepping out of the library, the rain truly hadn't stopped; in fact, it seemed to be intensifying within moments.
Cui Huai had already taken the umbrella from the servant.
He calmly left the corridor, then turned back and asked, "Miss Chen, aren't you leaving?"
...
Seeing that Shen Yunzhi hadn't returned and that it was still raining, Qiuyue almost decided to go to Qiyun Residence to look for her. Just as she was about to go inside to get an umbrella, she noticed two figures slowly approaching in the dark courtyard. When she realized that the people under the umbrella were Cui Huai and Shen Yunzhi, Qiuyue was astonished.
"Why did His Highness personally escort Miss back?" Qiuyue asked as she welcomed Shen Yunzhi into the house.
Shen Yunzhi hesitated, then shook her head.
The news that she had failed to glean from Cui Huai that day finally reached Shen Yunzhi's ears three days later.
The matter is confidential, so it cannot be easily inquired about.
I only learned a little about it when my aunt went to the palace to have tea with Empress Chen.
On the night of July 15th, Cui Xu was caught in the palace by the Third Prince Cui Zhao having an affair with a concubine. Emperor Jiaping was furious and, disregarding Consort Shu's objections, personally broke both of Cui Xu's legs. He then arranged for people to secretly send Cui Xu out of the capital.
Cui Xu is no longer in the capital.
Furthermore, as long as His Majesty the Emperor remains angry, Cui Xu will not be summoned back to the capital.
"Miss, that's wonderful! From now on, you won't have to worry about being bullied by the Fifth Prince!" Upon hearing this, Qiuyue was overjoyed for Shen Yunzhi.
Shen Yunzhi also felt relieved.
The possibility that His Majesty the Emperor personally intervened is extremely low, suggesting he was simply framed and slandered.
Only something that is truly true could enrage His Majesty the Emperor so.
Is this Cui Xu's weakness?
She thought of Cui Huai.
It turns out that he had already fulfilled his promise on the night of the Ghost Festival.
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Author's Note: Because writing this was quite difficult, to make the reading experience better for everyone, I will prioritize daily updates and then add extra chapters or make-up chapters [hugs] (meaning I'll prioritize saving one chapter out of every two I write [facepalm and crying emoji])
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