Chapter 13 A sweet, intoxicating fragrance silently entwines...
Shen Yunzhi sensed Cui Huai's gaze falling on her face.
Their eyes met, and in that brief moment, as if stung, Cui Huai looked away even faster than she did.
Too far away to discern Cui Huai's expression. Shen Yunzhi sensed something was amiss, but couldn't pinpoint the reason. It seemed that Cui Huai's dislike for her was simply a fact, requiring no further explanation.
"No wonder Liang Zhi was laughing like that just now."
Unaware that Shen Yunzhi's mind was racing in an instant, Cui Lizhu recalled Liang Zhi's smiling face and felt a sense of unease.
"That older brother is really something."
"He clearly doesn't like joining in on this kind of fun, yet he lets Liang Zhi get all smug for nothing."
Choi Yeo-joo complained softly.
Shen Yunzhi thought that Liang Zhi's invitation would surely reach Cui Huai, so it was only natural that Cui Huai would come.
Cui Lizhu disliked Liang Zhi, but Cui Lizhu's likes and dislikes could not influence Cui Huai's decision. In her previous life, she understood this, which is why she didn't put any effort into getting rid of Cui Lizhu, and could even be said to have let Cui Lizhu dislike her.
Today's situation was due to her own negligence; she forgot to consider these things.
Even if she knew beforehand that Choi Hwae would be there, she probably wouldn't be absent as long as Choi Yeo-joo was willing to accompany her.
Over time, I've gradually gotten used to the unavoidable meetings with Cui Huai.
She no longer needed to deliberately avoid him.
What matters even more to her is that Princess Cui Xuan is unlikely to miss this good opportunity to meet Liang Zhengting.
With Choi Yeo-joo around, she did feel more at ease.
"My aunt said that His Highness has a very good relationship with Prince Liang, and if Prince Liang invites him, His Highness will probably not refuse."
Shen Yunzhi gently comforted Cui Lizhu.
"That's true." Cui Lizhu didn't deny it. After a slight pause, she smiled again, "It's fortunate that I came with you today. With Liang Zhengting here, Cui Xuan will definitely be there. You have to stick close to me today, understand?"
"Seventh Princess?" Shen Yunzhi feigned surprise.
Choi Yeo-joo said disdainfully, "With Liang Zhengting here, how could she be absent?"
"There's no need to be too nervous."
"It's true that she was humiliated last time, but with her older brother and Liang Zhengting around, she didn't dare to act recklessly."
Choi Yeo-joo didn't think it was a big deal.
Shen Yunzhi wasn't worried at all; she just wanted to reassure her: "Besides, with Lizhu around, I'll stay close to her just like I did in the Imperial Garden before, and I won't run off."
Liang Zhengting and Cui Huai sat together in the pavilion.
Just as they were talking about Cui Xuan, and Shen Yunzhi followed Cui Lizhu to see Cui Huai, Cui Xuan appeared.
Even though she was still holding a grudge because of what had happened before, just as Cui Lizhu said, in front of Cui Huai and Liang Zhengting, Cui Xuan was restrained in her words and actions, giving Shen Yunzhi a glare before ignoring her. Afterwards, Cui Xuan stayed in the pavilion to guard Liang Zhengting, while Cui Lizhu took Shen Yunzhi outside the pavilion.
The banquet arranged by Liang Zhi, where wine cups floated on a winding stream, was held near the pavilion.
A small stream flows as far as the eye can see from this pavilion.
In spring, the stream babbles, the spring breeze is gentle, and the blooming peach blossoms droop their branches, with pink and white petals swirling and falling. Holding a banquet here would be both interesting and picturesque.
When Cui Lizhu came over, the perceptive young lady and her husband immediately made way for several good seats.
She simply picked a seat she liked and sat down. Cui Lizhu then asked Shen Yunzhi to sit next to her, but she had no interest in any of that and was only there to keep Shen Yunzhi company.
The wine cups floated down the stream and, quite sensibly, stopped in front of Shen Yunzhi and Cui Lizhu.
Cui Lizhu glanced at Shen Yunzhi and had a maid bring her a wine cup, handing it to Shen Yunzhi: "You take my place."
Seeing this, everyone immediately understood what was going on.
His attitude towards Shen Yunzhi was no longer as cold as before.
No one deliberately made things difficult or caused trouble; they simply recited poetry and drank wine, creating a very harmonious atmosphere. Gradually, as wine cups were placed in front of them several times, Shen Yunzhi handled them with ease. Moreover, she was beautiful, so young men began to shower her with compliments in an attempt to make a good impression.
Don't overindulge in alcohol.
Cui Lizhu scoffed at the men's flattery, but seeing Shen Yunzhi's cheeks flushed slightly, she worried that she was getting drunk.
Shen Yunzhi smiled at her with a silly grin: "I won't embarrass Lizhu."
Choi Yeo-joo had no such intention, but upon hearing this, she did not refute it, and smiled, saying, "It's good that you remember."
Zhou Tao, who had been dismissed earlier, approached again at this moment. He presented a wreath made of willow branches and flowers of different colors to Shen Yunzhi with both hands, saying, "I thought it would be a perfect match for Miss Shen, so I put in some effort. I hope Miss Shen will accept it with a smile."
Cui Lizhu looked on with utter disdain: "Young Master Zhou, what do you mean by this? Does my Chu Prince's Mansion lack jewelry?"
Faced with ridicule, Zhou Tao's smile became stiff and awkward.
Shen Yunzhi didn't want to get involved with Zhou Tao, and had no intention of accepting his gifts in front of so many people.
She frowned slightly, but Cui Lizhu had already spoken up for her to refuse: "Wouldn't it be better for Young Master Zhou to keep this kind gesture for his own sister?"
Inside the pavilion, Cui Xuan, who had been neglected by Liang Zhengting, left.
Meanwhile, Liang Zhengting kept an eye on what was happening by the stream.
Turning his gaze away, Liang Zhengting saw that Cui Huai remained seated as still as a mountain, drinking tea with an unreadable expression, seemingly indifferent to worldly affairs. He said calmly, "It seems that your cousin has been entangled with Zhou Liulang."
Cui Huai put down his teacup, his calm tone revealing indifference: "Brother Liang, when have you ever had such leisure time?"
His coldness made Liang Zhengting sense something unusual.
Even though he sometimes felt that he and Cui Huai had never truly opened their hearts to each other, Liang Zhengting was confident in his understanding of Cui Huai's temperament. Cui Huai had never shown much interest in young women, but he was always gentle and polite. Besides, Cui Huai had previously let this cousin ride in the carriage with him and accompanied her to the Liang family to express her gratitude, so why was he suddenly so cold today?
"If I were busy today, why would I be here?" Liang Zhengting laughed.
He glanced in Shen Yunzhi's direction, paused, and then turned back to look at Cui Huai. "It's the Seventh Princess."
Cui Xuan was in a bad mood, and seeing a young man busy fawning over Shen Yunzhi made her even more unhappy.
As he approached, Cui Lizhu's disdainful words reached his ears. She smiled at Zhou Tao's unpleasant expression and said, "Cui Lizhu, you really don't know anything about manners."
"It's a small gift but a big sentiment." Cui Xuan sneered, her gaze sweeping between Zhou Tao and Shen Yunzhi, her words carrying a hidden meaning. "I think they're a perfect match. You don't agree? Do you expect her to be with my cousin?"
Choi Yeo-joo's expression changed slightly: "What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Nonsense?" Cui Xuan's eyes darkened, her smile grew colder, and she sneered mercilessly, "Didn't she covet my cousin? You weren't like this before, Cui Lizhu." Even if Cui Xuan didn't mention it, they both knew what had happened in the palace before.
In Cui Lizhu's eyes, it was a fact that Shen Yunzhi coveted Cui Huai.
Now that Cui Xuan had laid her words out, she couldn't refute them, so she retorted somewhat stubbornly: "It's none of your business what I am, and what about you?"
Cui Xuan chuckled.
After a long silence, Shen Yunzhi noticed that Cui Lizhu's eyebrows and eyes were slightly downcast, and knew that she was affected by Cui Xuan's words.
"Is the Seventh Princess the God of Marriage descended to earth? Holding the thread of fate in her hand, she sees through the affairs of the world." Shen Yunzhi stepped forward, stepping aside to shield Cui Lizhu. Facing Cui Xuan directly, she spoke softly, "I have always been dull-witted, so I cannot understand what the Seventh Princess means by 'suitable' and 'unsuitable.' But I suppose matters of the heart are never measured by talent, appearance, or social status. Otherwise, the Seventh Princess would have already found a perfectly matched and ideal husband."
Shen Yunzhi's words seemed to be both praise and criticism.
Even the gentlest tone cannot conceal the underlying rebuttal.
As the seventh princess, Cui Xuan possessed a distinguished status and, while not exceptionally talented or beautiful, was still beyond the average person.
However, her relationship with Liang Zhengting has not progressed much.
Cui Xuan was hit where it hurt and looked displeased, which prompted Cui Lizhu to clap her hands and laugh: "That's exactly the point. If you look at these things, some people won't be so disappointed all the time."
Liang Zhengting is the man Cui Xuan loves, but he is also a thorn in her side.
The more she couldn't have him, the more unsatisfied she became, which is why she had been entangled with him for so many years. But how could anyone dare to be so presumptuous in front of her when they knew that Liang Zhengting was a taboo in her heart?
Cui Lizhu's laughter echoed in her ears, and Cui Xuan's pent-up anger erupted.
Her chest heaved a few times, and suddenly she raised her hand angrily and slapped Shen Yunzhi across the face.
A sharp crack silenced the surroundings for a few breaths.
Shen Yunzhi turned her head away, her hand seemingly instinctively covering her gradually reddening cheek, her eyes filled with tears, shocked and at a loss.
"Cui Xuan, what are you doing?! Where is your manners and composure?!" Cui Lizhu was the first to regain her senses, and upon noticing the faint finger marks on half of Shen Yunzhi's face, she was also furious. "Can't you hear the truth? So what if you think you're a good match for Liang Zhengting? He doesn't want to be your husband either!"
"Shut up!"
Cui Xuan screamed, her mind reeling. Forgetting all about her image and demeanor, she lunged forward and began to wrestle with Cui Lizhu.
One was the Seventh Princess, and the other was the Princess of Danyang.
The people by the stream didn't want to get involved in their argument, so they didn't dare to interrupt. Now that things had escalated like this, they hesitated even more. But Shen Yunzhi immediately stepped forward.
Choi Yeo-joo still had some sense.
Cui Xuan, however, seemed to lose control and acted recklessly. When Shen Yunzhi stood in front of Cui Lizhu, she pushed Shen Yunzhi away with great force.
Losing her footing and balance, Shen Yunzhi staggered two steps and fell backward in a panic.
He unexpectedly fell into her arms, which were not unfamiliar to her.
A strand of hair brushed against Cui Huai's face.
He lowered his eyes expressionlessly, meeting Shen Yunzhi's astonished gaze.
The soft, warm fragrance beneath his palm, along with its sweet aroma, silently entwined with those absurd dreams. Cui Huai calmly looked away, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor as he helped Shen Yunzhi to her feet before slowly releasing his grip.
Liang Zhengting looked at Cui Xuan: "Why is the Seventh Princess acting this way?"
A single sentence brought Cui Xuan back to her senses, and the farce by the stream was barely brought to an end.
"Is this what Miss Liang wanted to see?"
Cui Hong slowly walked to Liang Zhi's side, looked at the group of people by the stream in the distance, and curled the corners of his mouth, "So, my brother really treats my cousin differently."
Liang Zhi smiled faintly and asked, "What do you mean by that, Cui Erlang?"
"Is my brother really that good?" Cui Hong replied, his gaze falling on Liang Zhi's face. "There are countless young ladies in the capital who admire my brother, but you have never paid them any attention. Only my cousin from the Shen family makes you care so much. Ultimately, it is my brother's attitude that worries you."
Why bother?
Cui Hong spoke softly, walked past Liang Zhi, and headed towards the stream.
A note from the author:
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There's also a [hug] today.
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