Chapter 31 Will she come looking for him again?
Shen Yunzhi noticed Cui Huai's strange behavior.
He seemed relentless, yet also harbored a hidden anger.
Glancing at the hasty bandaging of Cui Huai's waist wound, Shen Yunzhi softened her tone, becoming even more patient and gentle: "I knew in the past that Your Highness was learned and resourceful, but today I have come to know that Your Highness is also highly skilled in martial arts. People as accomplished in both literature and martial arts as Your Highness are rare in this world. It is hard not to feel at ease when I am with Your Highness."
The words were well-spoken, but Cui Huai failed to discern any sincerity in them.
Shen Yunzhi didn't pay much attention to his silence, and slowly added two more sentences while thinking.
“I often envy Lizhu for having such a good brother as Your Highness. It’s a pity that my brother is no longer alive. Sometimes when I look at Your Highness, I think that if my brother hadn’t had that accident back then, he would probably have protected me just like Your Highness protected Lizhu.”
Her expression, as if lost in memories, made Cui Huai slightly absent-minded.
As Shen Yunzhi put it, many things were simply a way of expressing her longing for her brother and placing her feelings on him.
She had no other intentions; it was he who misunderstood, that he was overthinking things, and that he viewed her as despicable.
Cui Huai almost wanted to believe Shen Yunzhi's words.
Just fifteen minutes earlier, she had abandoned him, leaving him lying on the ground, even going to great lengths to retrieve the assassin's weapon, while ignoring his sword.
She didn't see him as an older brother, but rather wanted to sever ties with him.
She didn't want to have anything to do with him whatsoever.
Cui Xu, who had tried to bully and oppress her, had been dealt with, and her mind was now on Huo Ming and other people.
In short, it's not his fault.
We can easily discard him when we no longer need to use him.
Only when absolutely necessary will one reluctantly say a few nice words to coax and fool him.
That's all.
Cui Huai remained silent for a long time, so long that Shen Yunzhi thought he had no intention of continuing the conversation with her, but then he spoke.
"What kind of personality does Miss Shen's brother have?"
Shen Yunzhi was stunned for a few moments before saying, "The days when my brother was still alive feel like a distant past life. I've forgotten many things without realizing it, but what I've never forgotten is that every time my brother came back from school, he would bring me snacks: candied hawthorns, peanut brittle, milk candy, and honey-fried cherries..."
“Whenever my mother sees this, she scolds my brother for spoiling me too much, saying that I will ruin my teeth sooner or later.”
“But Father would laugh and say that it’s fine to eat it once in a while.”
She never lies about these things.
Therefore, when Cui Huai asked, she answered directly.
The harmonious family scene described by Shen Yunzhi was too unfamiliar to Cui Huai; he couldn't even imagine it.
The only question asked was: "Are Miss Shen's parents very loving?"
Shen Yunzhi's expression changed slightly.
Before she could answer, a sharp whistling sound came from the mountains and forests.
One sound followed another.
Shen Yunzhi stood up and listened intently: "Your Highness, it's Li Zhu and the others who have come looking for us."
...
Catching sight of Shen Yunzhi and Cui Huai through the grass and trees, Cui Lizhu, disregarding the difficult mountain path, rushed forward with red eyes and embraced Shen Yunzhi, bursting into tears in her arms. They had searched all along, discovering numerous signs of a struggle, realizing they had likely been ambushed by assassins, and fearing they had arrived too late.
Fortunately, they were all out of danger.
However, Choi Yeo-joo was still terribly frightened and had to cry her heart out before she could fully recover.
Cui Hong also inquired about Cui Huai's injuries.
Cui Huai simply said "It's alright" and didn't explain further.
The assassin in black who had been tied to the tree by Shen Yunzhi had woken up at some point.
By the time the guards approached, he had already committed suicide by poison.
Shen Yunzhi then realized that all the assassins today were suicide squads, and the other assassins who saw that they could not escape had all committed suicide by poison.
As a result, not a single person was left alive.
There is no other way now that things have come to this.
They did not linger in the mountains and forests, and soon left under the escort of their guards.
Cui Lizhu was still not at ease, so she stayed close to Shen Yunzhi at all times. Even when riding back to the villa, she insisted on staying behind Shen Yunzhi, making sure she was in her sight.
Shen Yunzhi was glad she hadn't taken Cui Huai seriously.
Otherwise, she would have had a hard time giving an explanation to Choi Yeo-joo, who was so worried about her.
They returned to the villa near dusk, and the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince had thrown the entire villa into a flurry of activity. The accompanying imperial physician immediately went to treat Cui Huai's wounds, while Cui Lizhu also pulled Shen Yunzhi back to her room for a thorough re-examination.
Confirming that Shen Yunzhi was unharmed under Cui Huai's protection, Cui Lizhu felt sour as usual.
"You are the first person in the world to be protected by my older brother with his life."
Shen Yunzhi had no way to deny it.
Cui Lizhu didn't say much, and quickly urged Shen Yunzhi to take a bath and change out of her dirty clothes.
As I emerged from the bathroom, night had already fallen.
Cui Lizhu then took Shen Yunzhi to visit the injured Cui Huai.
All his wounds had been treated, and the blood-stained robes he had been wearing had been changed.
At this moment, apart from his face being slightly paler than usual, Cui Huai was almost unrecognizable as having any injuries.
Lin Yue brought in the prepared herbal medicine.
Cui Lizhu glanced at Shen Yunzhi and pushed her in front of Cui Huai: "Big brother is injured and it is inconvenient for him. Let Zhi Niang feed you medicine."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yue paused in his action of putting down the herbal medicine.
Shen Yunzhi was equally horrified.
Cui Huai was indeed injured, but not so badly that he couldn't take medicine on his own.
Why insist on having her feed Cui Huai the medicine?
"No need," Cui Huai said directly, refusing the offer.
He then picked up the bowl of medicine and drank it all in one gulp, feeling so relieved that he couldn't taste the bitterness.
“My brother saved your life, so feeding you the medicine is clearly what you should have done.” A moment later, after leaving Cui Huai’s room, Cui Lizhu complained to Shen Yunzhi, “How could you just stand there and watch?”
Shen Yunzhi then realized that Cui Lizhu intended for her to get closer to Cui Huai.
Since she had no hope with Huo Ming, Cui Lizhu occasionally did similar things, mostly out of pity for her, thinking that it would make her happy.
"His Highness doesn't seem to be used to being served by others."
Shen Yunzhi said in a low voice, "I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's kindness, but I dare not do anything to upset Your Highness."
Choi Yeo-joo thought she was stupid: "Forget it, I can't explain it to you."
Shen Yunzhi pretended to be clueless and smiled, then escorted Cui Lizhu back to her room before going back to rest.
Having lost all interest in hunting, they returned home early the next morning. The assassination attempt on Cui Huai alarmed the Emperor, and soon after returning to the capital, the Grand Eunuch of the palace came to the Prince of Chu's residence to invite him, and Cui Huai went to the palace.
The Queen Consort of Chu was also greatly shocked upon hearing this.
Even though Shen Yunzhi was not injured, she still let Shen Yunzhi stay in her courtyard for the next few days, so that she could feel at ease if she could see her every day.
Only the King of Chu remained silent about Cui Huai's assassination attempt.
He recently listened to a master's lecture on Zen at Baiyun Temple. After receiving the news, everything remained the same, and he did not return home in advance.
It was seven days after they returned to their residence that the King of Chu met Cui Huai.
After looking Cui Huai up and down and seeing that he was not seriously injured, he said with a stern face: "In the past, you were too high-profile and offended countless people, which is why you have now brought about your death. From now on, you should keep a low profile, be careful with your words and deeds, and avoid causing trouble."
Cui Huai didn't argue.
He spoke, his tone flat and even: "Yes, Father's teachings, I will keep them in mind."
After leaving the study of the King of Chu, Cui Huai met Cui Hong, who was waiting in the corridor.
"Brother," Cui Hong stepped forward, but lowered his voice, "the Seventh Princess has sent someone to deliver an invitation."
Cui Huai remained expressionless, showing no sign of concern.
Cui Hong sighed again: "One of the invitations is for my cousin." With that, he stepped into the study—he too had been summoned by the King of Chu.
Cui Huai remembered Shen Yunzhi.
A thought silently popped into his mind: What if she came looking for him again?
...
Shen Yunzhi had heard about some of the things Huo Ming did later. Therefore, she was not surprised to receive the wedding invitation that Cui Xuan had specially sent today, and she did not have much of an emotional reaction to Cui Xuan's provocative act.
Choi Yeo-joo couldn't remain calm: "What does she mean by that? Is she deliberately provoking me?"
"So what if I don't go? I refuse to believe she can do anything to you!"
There are still more than half a month until Huo Ming and Cui Xuan's wedding.
Shen Yunzhi didn't want to be bothered by this too soon, so she gently comforted Cui Lizhu and put the matter aside.
Several more days passed.
As dusk fell, a servant came to Yunxi Courtyard to deliver a message, saying that Cui Hong wanted her to go to the library.
The servant did not say what it was about.
Shen Yunzhi couldn't guess why Cui Hong wanted to invite her over, so she quickly dressed up and left Yunxi Courtyard.
Outside the library of the Chu King's Palace was a lotus pond, now filled with withered lotus leaves in late autumn. As dusk approached, the distant silhouettes of the withered lotus leaves, accompanied by gusts of bleak autumn wind, appeared even more desolate and bleak.
But just as Shen Yunzhi stepped onto the towering stone bridge spanning the water, the sound of fireworks suddenly rose into the air nearby.
With each loud bang, a dazzling display of fireworks exploded above her head, shattering into an exquisite brilliance against the night sky.
Shen Yunzhi paused on the stone bridge, looking up and quietly admiring the sudden burst of fireworks.
On the other side of the stone bridge, Cui Hong's figure appeared, and then he slowly walked towards her.
"How was it? Did my cousin like this surprise?" As the fireworks faded, the lotus pond outside the library returned to tranquility. In the vast night, only the light of the glass lamp in Cui Hong's hand and his gentle words, tinged with a smile, remained.
Shen Yunzhi's gaze fell on Cui Hong's face.
She smiled slightly: "The fireworks were beautiful, but I didn't invite Lizhu to watch them with me, which inevitably made her sad."
"So much has happened lately, and my cousin is probably in a bad mood, which is why she made these preparations."
Cui Hong explained softly, "If my cousin is happy, how could Li Zhu be sad?"
Shen Yunzhi said, "Second Young Master, you've gone to so much trouble and expense."
However, Cui Hong's gaze was intense and made her feel quite uncomfortable, so she looked away.
Cui Hong simply stuffed the glass lamp into her hand.
Then, as if by magic, a white jade hairpin appeared in his palm.
“Lizhu mentioned to me that my cousin once had a jade hairpin she really liked.” Cui Hong stepped forward, hinting, “Although this jade hairpin isn’t the one my cousin liked, perhaps it could be one of the ones she liked?”
Shen Yunzhi looked at the hairpin in Cui Hong's palm, but was not moved by his words.
She simply felt confused.
In her past life, Cui Hong had never shown her such affection, not even when he helped her. In this life, her attitude towards Cui Hong hadn't changed much from before, so why would Cui Hong suddenly do such a thing and say such things to her?
Shen Yunzhi shifted her feet slightly, did not take the jade hairpin, and stepped back.
Cui Hong looked at her and said, "I know that the Seventh Princess has invited you to her wedding banquet with Huo Ming. Zhi Niang, if you are willing, I can stay by your side."
Shen Yunzhi raised her eyes slightly.
She met Cui Hong's still burning gaze, and for some reason, she sensed a certain determination in it.
...
The second floor of the library.
Cui Huai stood by the window, looking down at Cui Hong and Shen Yunzhi on the stone bridge.
He recalled that rainy day when they shared an umbrella and walked away together.
They are not a good match.
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Author's Note: Cui Huai: Tough to handle [okay]
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