Chapter 16. The first thing you smell is a sweet fragrance.
In Cui Lizhu's eyes, Chen Zhaoyu was a hundred times better than Zhou Liulang or Yao Gongzi.
After parting ways with Chen Zhaoyu, she triumphantly asked Shen Yunzhi if she agreed that Chen Zhaoyu was outstanding in appearance, talent, family background, and character.
That is the truth.
Although I haven't met Young Master Yao and can't make a judgment, Chen Zhaoyu's family background is definitely more outstanding.
In terms of appearance and character, to be fair, Zhou Tao is indeed not as gentle and polite as him.
Although Shen Yunzhi agreed in her heart, she didn't directly belittle Zhou and Yao through Chen Zhaoyu like Cui Lizhu did. She praised Chen Zhaoyu a few times and then skillfully said some things that Cui Lizhu liked to hear to make her happy.
But she thought that Choi Yeo-joo's suggestion to introduce her to a good man was just a passing fancy and that she would forget about it later.
To everyone's surprise, Cui Lizhu took it quite seriously. After their first meeting at Baiyun Temple, she found opportunities to arrange for Chen Zhaoyu to meet her twice more on different occasions.
In this way, she and Chen Zhaoyu truly became acquainted.
The relationship between Empress Chen and Consort Shu has always been delicate, and Cui Xuan's affairs really did not affect Chen Zhaoyu much.
Moreover, after going on a spring outing with Liang Zhi, Cui Xuan changed her usual behavior and became extremely low-key.
Shen Yunzhi never saw her again after leaving home, let alone felt targeted or harassed.
When the last blooms of the roses had faded, King Cui Jue of Chu finally returned to the capital.
This was a major event for the Chu King's mansion, and everyone in the mansion made various preparations in advance.
The Prince of Chu is rarely in the capital unless he has something urgent to attend to.
He simply enjoyed traveling around and seeking pleasure.
Cui Hong's birth mother, Consort Xue, was originally a courtesan in a brothel. She caught the eye of the Prince of Chu, who was traveling in Jiangnan, and the two had a passionate affair that resulted in Cui Hong. When Cui Hong turned two, the Prince of Chu brought Consort Xue and Cui Hong back to the capital, and from then on, they had names in the Prince of Chu's palace.
Cui Lizhu's birth mother, Consort Zhu, was also someone the King of Chu met while traveling.
Aunt Zhu was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. She followed the Prince of Chu back to the capital and was brought into the Prince of Chu's mansion. It was after this that Cui Lizhu was born.
Shen Yunzhi knew little about these past events of the Chu Prince's Mansion.
All I know is that at that time, the late Princess Consort of Chu must have been bedridden.
When the King of Chu returned to the capital, Shen Yunzhi, as a cousin living under someone else's roof, naturally went to pay her respects. Although she had little contact with the King of Chu in her previous life, she knew that he did not care much about her, so she went to pay her respects this time with a calm and peaceful mind.
The handsome middle-aged man sitting on the daybed had a cold and stern expression, but he didn't seem too intimidating.
Cui Huai and Prince Cui Jue of Chu had somewhat similar features, but the father and son had completely different temperaments.
Shen Yunzhi stepped forward respectfully to greet them.
The King of Chu also offered her a few words of encouragement, reassuring her to stay at the King's residence.
Her greetings to the King of Chu were almost identical to those in her previous life.
But the next day, Shen Yunzhi heard something from Cui Lizhu.
It is something that did not happen in my previous life.
Cui Huai was punished.
At first, Choi Yeo-joo could not find out why her father, the king, was punishing Choi Hoe.
Later, Cui Hong revealed to them that Cui Huai's punishment this time was related to his previous treatment of Aunt Ye.
It's no secret that Aunt Ye was dismissed by Cui Huai.
Shen Yunzhi learned about it from Qiuyue, who in turn heard it from a servant in the Prince's mansion.
But those below did not know the reason.
Only today did she realize that Choi Yeo-joo was also unaware of the intricacies involved.
Even after pressing Choi Hong, Choi Yeo-joo received no further information about the matter from him.
Cui Huai completely suppressed the matter of drugging him.
Therefore, even knowing the inside story, Shen Yunzhi could only pretend to be ignorant and act foolish along with them.
Cui Jue's punishment of Cui Huai was quite strange.
It's true that Aunt Ye is Cui Jue's woman, but how can we tolerate someone like her drugging the Prince's son?
Or perhaps Cui Hong's information is incorrect?
Shen Yunzhi was puzzled.
All she knew was that Cui Jue and Cui Huai, father and son, had always been at odds, just like in their past life. Recalling the actions of the King of Chu when Cui Huai's birth mother, the late Queen Consort of Chu, was on her deathbed, it was clear that their father-son relationship was indeed difficult to reconcile.
Upon closer reflection, it's clear that Cui Jue didn't dote on Cui Huai, and Cui Huai's attitude towards Cui Jue wasn't entirely unconventional.
When Choi Yeo-joo was young, she was unaware of Choi Hoe's punishment, but as she grew older, she became more aware of it.
She knew how ruthless her father would be, so she was deeply worried when she learned that Cui Huai had been punished.
Shen Yunzhi had also seen it.
Not only had she met him, but she even shamelessly offered to apply medicine to Cui Huai back then.
The numerous, gaping welts on his body were a shocking sight. Even though they hadn't landed on her, just looking at them made Shen Yunzhi feel pain, and for a moment she couldn't help but wonder if Cui Huai was really the Prince of Chu's child, that he could be so cruel.
Cui Huai was able to apply the medicine without making a sound.
If it weren't for the cold sweat beading on his forehead, one would never have guessed he was in pain from his calm expression.
"I have to go take a look."
Cui Lizhu was really worried, so she murmured something and then looked up at Shen Yunzhi.
"Your Highness has something to attend to, and I would like to go and see as well."
Meeting Cui Lizhu's questioning gaze, Shen Yunzhi spoke softly.
She didn't want to go, but in Cui Lizhu's eyes, she still coveted Cui Huai, so it would be strange if she showed no concern for him. Given Cui Lizhu's personality, if she appeared hesitant, Cui Lizhu would likely be even more annoyed that she didn't care enough about Cui Huai and would insist on taking her to Qiyun Residence. Conversely, Cui Lizhu would most likely not let her go, only telling her to wait for news.
Shen Yunzhi's judgment was accurate.
Upon hearing that she wanted to visit Cui Huai, Cui Lizhu became alert: "Big brother certainly doesn't want too many people to know, it's better if you don't go."
"Wait here at Yunxi Courtyard for a while."
"I'm going to Qiyunju. I'll tell you the situation when I get back."
Shen Yunzhi, seemingly worried, personally escorted Cui Lizhu to the outside of Yunxi Courtyard.
She disagreed with the King of Chu's treatment of Cui Huai, yet she was also unable to feel any pity for him.
Whether he was injured or how badly he was injured was none of her concern.
She didn't care.
On her way to Qiyun Residence, Cui Lizhu gradually felt guilty for not letting Shen Yunzhi accompany her. It's only natural to want to care for someone you admire when they're in trouble, and she knew how worried Shen Yunzhi must have been if she didn't let her come.
Her insistence that Zhiniang stay at Yunxi Courtyard to wait for news was actually unreasonable.
It was kind of Zhi Niang to not complain and obediently follow her arrangements.
"Big brother." Cui Lizhu successfully met Cui Huai at Qiyun Residence. She left behind all the tonics she had found in the small storeroom. Just before leaving, she called out to Cui Huai in her hesitation and confessed, "Originally, Zhiniang wanted to come too, but I didn't agree. She... she cares a lot about big brother."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Cui Huai's expression.
Cui Huai's cool and handsome features showed no trace of joy.
Choi Yeo-joo subconsciously wondered if her brother had heard her clearly.
The thought popped into her head in an instant, and she was startled at first. She quickly added, "My older brother has been kind to me, so it's only right that I care about him."
Cui Huai gave a faint "hmm".
Seeing this, Cui Lizhu gently touched her chest, glanced at her brother, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing more.
When Cui Lizhu returned to Yunxi Courtyard and talked about Cui Huai with Shen Yunzhi, she did not mention that she had spoken up for her.
Shen Yunzhi was completely unaware of this.
The atmosphere at the Prince's family banquet in April was strange due to the return of the Prince of Chu to the capital and the punishment of Cui Huai.
At the banquet, everyone wisely kept quiet, with only the occasional clinking of bowls and plates echoing in the dining hall.
The meal was utterly tasteless. But as this agonizing family banquet was finally drawing to a close, and when Prince Chu, Cui Jue, announced to everyone that he would be inviting the Fifth Prince, Cui Xu, and the Seventh Princess, Cui Xuan, to his residence, all the strangeness and eeriness reached their peak.
Shen Yunzhi, who was holding a porcelain spoon at the table, paused for a moment.
She looked up at Cui Huai.
Seeing Cui Huai's calm and expressionless face didn't surprise her; he'd always been like that.
Turning her gaze away, Shen Yunzhi felt increasingly uneasy.
She was still unsure why the King of Chu had invited Cui Xu and Cui Xuan to the Chu Palace, but it was clear that this was not unrelated to what had happened some time ago.
Cui Xu and Cui Xuan had suffered setbacks at the hands of Cui Huai.
Will being treated with such respect by the King of Chu embolden them?
What made Shen Yunzhi even more uneasy was Cui Jue's attitude.
The King of Chu couldn't be unaware that his daughter Cui Lizhu and Cui Xuan had never gotten along well, and he seemed indifferent to it now. If he didn't even care about Cui Lizhu's feelings, he certainly wouldn't care about a distant cousin like her. The King's indifference towards her used to make her feel at ease, but who would have thought that one day she would worry that Cui Xu would directly ask for her, and that the King, because of his indifference, would push her towards Cui Xu.
Given Cui Xu's reckless, domineering, and forceful nature, he is fully capable of doing this.
She was by no means worrying unnecessarily.
Shen Yunzhi went to see the Princess of Chu again.
The aunt couldn't hide her surprise, thinking that the King of Chu hadn't informed her beforehand.
She believed that her aunt would protect her if anything happened.
But by then, the aunt and the prince will have a falling out, and the days ahead will inevitably be more difficult.
Moreover, her aunt had previously felt guilty for not being able to support her.
She didn't want to become a burden.
"Father..."
After the initial shock, Choi Yeo-joo couldn't help but speak, but when she met Choi Jue's gaze, she suddenly couldn't utter a word.
Although he had very little time to spend with Choi Jue growing up, as her father and head of the family, he always held immense authority in Choi Yeo-joo's eyes. In his presence, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Choi Yeo-joo was like a little quail.
Choi Yeo-joo dared not question it.
Cui Jue had no intention of seeking anyone's opinion, and got up and left in a huff.
Choi Yeo-joo was very downcast when she came out of the dining hall.
Shen Yunzhi walked to her side and asked in a low voice with concern, "Is Lizhu alright?"
Choi Yeo-joo shook her head.
Without saying anything, he left dejectedly.
"Cousin, are you worried?" Shen Yunzhi's soft sigh reached Cui Hong's ears. Cui Hong reassured her, "It's just a meal, it'll be fine."
Shen Yunzhi forced a smile and nodded in agreement, saying "Okay."
Back at Yunxi Courtyard, after bathing and washing up, she lay on her bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She thought that being reborn would make everything go much better, but unexpectedly, Cui Xu has plunged her into trouble again.
She and Cui Huai would one day find themselves sharing a common enemy.
Life is truly unpredictable.
If it were just about Cui Xu, Shen Yunzhi wouldn't doubt that Cui Huai would ultimately help her. But now that Cui Jue was involved, Shen Yunzhi wasn't sure about Cui Huai's attitude. She really couldn't sleep, so she simply got up, put on her clothes, and remembered the reasons why Cui Huai used to keep watch at Lanting Garden. After hesitating for a long time, she decided to try her luck at Lanting Garden.
If Cui Huai were to be seen at Lanting Garden tonight, there's a high chance that even if Cui Xu makes a move, Cui Huai would still be willing to help her.
If she couldn't see him, she would have to consider other things.
The overgrown Lanting Garden appeared even more desolate under the night sky, completely out of place with the wealthy and illustrious Chu King's Mansion.
Cui Huai sat quietly in front of the altar, watching the joss paper thrown into the charcoal brazier burn away bit by bit.
Until footsteps broke the silence.
He recognized that the person was not Lin Yue. He turned his head to look in the direction of the sound, and before he could see the figure clearly, he smelled a sweet fragrance.
A note from the author:
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