Chapter 72 "It's because I missed you."
Chen Zhaoyu looked in the direction of the sound.
Upon seeing Cui Huai, his expression changed slightly.
That unintentional glance in the palace that day made it impossible to be entirely certain of the true identity of this Princess Huihe.
But at this moment, there was no doubt whatsoever; she was indeed Zhiniang.
Given their current relationship, and considering they weren't in the capital at the time, it's difficult to ascertain why Zhi Niang faked her death and escaped. However, it also raises the question: what role did Cui Huai play in all of this?
Chen Zhaoyu did not want to think this way.
But there's no way to deceive yourself or forcibly ignore one thing—
As the heir apparent to the King of Chu, and favored by His Majesty the Emperor, not to mention Cui Huai's obvious affection for Zhi Niang, if Zhi Niang encountered great difficulties, wouldn't Cui Huai be able to protect her? Or perhaps it wasn't that Cui Huai was incapable of protecting Zhi Niang, but rather that those events were inextricably linked to Cui Huai... Cui Huai was the real reason for Zhi Niang's escape.
But that was Cui Huai.
Who doesn't know that he was upright and noble, adhered to etiquette and law, and lived in harmony with the world, serving as a role model for all?
It's hard to imagine that this forced a young woman to fake her death and escape.
But if not, what would be the truth?
The moment the horrifying thought quietly surfaced in Chen Zhaoyu's mind, it immediately made his hands and feet go numb.
He couldn't control his expression; his brows furrowed and he became serious.
Cui Huai did not look at Chen Zhaoyu.
Reaching Shen Yunzhi, Cui Huai placed the vase in her hand: "It was freshly picked this morning."
Their intimate words and actions seemed to silently declare that their relationship was different.
Chen Zhaoyu composed himself, calmed his emotions, and maintained his composure by greeting Cui Huai. Only then did Cui Huai glance at him. Cui Huai nodded slightly, and then Chen Zhaoyu heard him ask, "Young Master Chen, what brings you here? Have you come specifically for Princess Huihe?"
The tone was seemingly gentle but also carried a questioning tone.
It even contained veiled sarcasm, such as knowing that he had sent people to follow him, and therefore criticizing him for it.
Chen Zhaoyu couldn't bring himself to say "coincidence" in front of Shen Yunzhi, so he could only downplay the matter by saying, "I had something to discuss with Princess Huihe, but that's all done now. I also have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave of the young master and the princess."
He took his leave, and Cui Huai and Shen Yunzhi naturally did not try to stop him.
Only after Chen Zhaoyu left did Cui Huai say, "He is usually a gentleman, yet he still did things like sending people to secretly follow him."
Shen Yunzhi did not discuss Chen Zhaoyu with him.
Holding the vase, she walked towards the small Buddhist shrine: "I don't remember telling you I was going to Yuhua Temple."
"It's because I miss you."
Cui Huai and Shen Yunzhi walked side by side, "We came too early, so we picked some flowers."
Shen Yunzhi said, "There's no need to go to such lengths." She glanced at the hem of his clothes, suspecting that his shoes and socks were soaked, but she didn't want to show any concern and risk Cui Huai taking advantage of her, so she simply pretended not to know.
Noticing that her gaze kept falling on him, Cui Huai smiled and said, "It's just like them trying to please you."
Shen Yunzhi stopped in front of the small Buddhist shrine, turned her head, and then put the vase back into his hand.
"You knew all along that Chen Zhaoyu had people following me, didn't you?"
She doesn't believe in coincidences.
He hadn't revealed a single word to her before, probably to test whether they would rekindle their old flame.
Faced with Shen Yunzhi's questioning, Cui Huai said frankly, "He is already engaged, yet he has done such a thing, which is truly disgraceful."
Shen Yunzhi laughed too: "Then what are you? Unable to control your emotions?"
"It's wonderful that Cousin Zhi thinks that way." Cui Huai gladly accepted her words. Shen Yunzhi was already used to his shamelessness. She simply told him not to come along and went into the small Buddhist hall by himself.
Nearly an hour later, Shen Yunzhi came out of the small Buddhist hall.
Seeing Cui Huai still standing under the eaves with the vase in his hand, she was somewhat surprised, but guessed that he was doing it on purpose, so she ignored him.
"I need to meet someone."
"Qi Song arrived in the capital today. If we hurry there now, we should be able to see her outside the city."
Shen Yunzhi looked at Cui Huai.
Cui Huai explained, "She is going to participate in next year's spring imperial examination, so she should have come to the capital earlier."
...
After leaving Yuhua Temple, Chen Zhaoyu went directly back to the Chen family.
He sat in his study for half a day, repeatedly recalling the old stories related to Shen Yunzhi, especially Cui Huai's various actions. The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became.
If Zhi Niang is being coerced by Cui Huai, how can we help her?
But why would Cui Huai be this kind of person?
Chen Zhaoyu was in a state of utter confusion.
For a moment, he thought of Huo Ming, who was now the consort of the Seventh Princess.
I still remember when he and Zhiniang were almost about to get married, but an unexpected turn of events led to him being betrothed to the Seventh Princess. Afterwards, his kneeling before the Emperor to beg him to rescind the decree caused quite a stir in the capital... Given Huo Ming's affection for Zhiniang, if he had ever met this Princess Huihe, he would definitely recognize her.
After pondering for a long time, Chen Zhaoyu finally made up his mind to write a letter and send it to the Seventh Princess's residence.
That night, he met Huo Ming in a private room at Mingyue Tower.
The two were not particularly close before, so they were inevitably awkward upon meeting today and had little to exchange pleasantries.
Chen Zhaoyu cut to the chase: "Has Prince Consort Huo ever met with Princess Huihe?"
Huo Ming had come because he guessed that Chen Zhaoyu's sudden request to see him was probably related to Shen Yunzhi, so he didn't mince words and said, "I've met her." Then he asked, "Are you trying to say that this Princess Huihe looks a lot like someone?"
Chen Zhaoyu nodded.
Huo Ming remained noncommittal about the question, instead asking, "And then? Besides that, what else?"
Chen Zhaoyu did not directly express his doubts.
He said to Huo Ming, "I happened to be away from the capital during those days, so I wanted to know what exactly happened and why Zhi Niang had an accident."
Outside Mingyue Tower, a spy secretly slipped away from the shadows.
After hearing the report, Cui Huai at Qiyun Residence gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth and continued painting.
Shen Yunzhi was not without surprise at Qi Song's arrival in the capital. Before she returned to the capital with Cui Huai, she had asked Qi Song about it, and he had told her that he hadn't made up his mind yet. She knew that Qi Song was hesitant to make a decision because Cui Huai had discovered his true gender. Now that Qi Song had arrived in the capital, and Cui Huai had known about it beforehand, she couldn't help but overthink it.
"Did Cui Huai send you to the capital?"
After meeting Qi Song, Shen Yunzhi invited Qi Song to stay at her residence temporarily, but it wasn't until after dinner that she asked Qi Song what was on her mind.
Qi Song, who was holding a teacup and drinking tea, almost choked on his tea upon hearing this.
Shen Yunzhi said, "If Cui Huai didn't know your secret, you could still take the risk of participating in the imperial examination. For example, you could pass the exam, be sent to a post outside the capital, and live a peaceful life without having to worry. But Cui Huai has a handle on you, and you didn't go with your classmates. So I guess this trip to the capital is not what you wanted."
"I just don't understand why he would do that?"
"We haven't known each other for long. What's the point of threatening you to come to Beijing or even to participate in the scientific expedition?"
Qi Song also wanted to ask.
But the other party was the crown prince of Chu, and she, a poor scholar, had no reason to fight a losing battle.
"It was not because His Highness the Crown Prince threatened me."
Qi Song barely managed to stop coughing and said to Shen Yunzhi, "It was my own decision to come. After studying hard for so many years, I am unwilling to give up so easily."
Shen Yunzhi did not respond to her.
After a moment of silence, Qi Song picked up his teacup and continued drinking tea.
Then she heard Shen Yunzhi suddenly say, "In any case, this matter will inevitably involve me. I will try to find out the truth, but I can't guarantee that it won't drag you down with me. If you want to blame me then, so be it."
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