Chapter 37: "Have you ever kissed them?"...
Shen Yunzhi's feet were numb from the cold, but Cui Huai's palms were warm.
She felt the warmth of his palm, and also the subtle madness emanating from his heart.
He braved the wind and snow to leave Beijing in the dead of night, just to give her an answer.
The reasons are no longer important; the facts are clear: Cui Huai takes this matter extremely seriously.
The moment the thought arose, the room seemed to grow even colder than before.
She felt as if she were being entangled by a venomous snake, its tongue flicking out, ready to pounce at any moment.
Shen Yunzhi tried to break free from Cui Huai's grip, but to no avail. She could only angrily say, "Your Highness, do you have even a shred of respect for me when you treat me so disrespectfully? Knowing that I am in love with Young Master Chen, you still keep pressing me. If I don't agree, will Your Highness try to force me to submit next time?"
Cui Huai looked down at Shen Yunzhi's toes, which were red from the cold, in his palm.
"It's not that I wanted to take liberties with you, it's just that you're cold."
He held Shen Yunzhi's cold feet in his palms and gently massaged them.
Their attitude, however, is beyond question.
Shen Yunzhi was forced to soften her tone: "Qiuyue has already gone to ask for hot water, and it will be delivered soon. Your Highness really doesn't need to go to such lengths." Cui Huai remained silent. She felt frustrated, but because she wanted to confirm Cui Huai's thoughts, she had to take the initiative to change the subject, "The snow is so heavy today, and Your Highness came all this way just to give me an answer?"
Cui Huai said frankly, "The snow is heavy and the mountain roads are difficult to travel. Rather than waiting for you, I'd rather come and find you."
"Is this matter so important to Your Highness?" Shen Yunzhi asked.
"It concerns the Crown Princess, and is indeed of utmost importance." When talking about this, Cui Huai's lips curled up slightly, and his tone was quite pleasant.
Shen Yunzhi's heart skipped a beat: "Since this matter is of such great importance, why did Your Highness agree so readily?"
"I have been thinking about this seriously for several days, so it cannot be said to be casual."
Cui Huai smiled and corrected her.
Beneath the surface of gentleness and tolerance lies a powerful and domineering nature.
Shen Yunzhi once again recalled Cui Huai's wedding in her previous life and the cup of poisoned wine that was presented to her.
"Why is Your Highness willing to grant me the position of Crown Princess?"
"Even knowing that I have a close relationship with Ming'an, Your Highness doesn't mind?"
“I don’t mind.” Cui Huai made no attempt to hide his thoughts, his frankness bordering on fearlessness. “It is precisely because I am bothered by this that I realize I have already been seduced by you. After careful consideration these past few days, I have no choice for a Crown Princess. If you want one, I will give it to you. Since I have something to ask for, I should at least show my sincerity.”
Shen Yunzhi was speechless.
Cui Huai glanced at her incredulous expression and said softly, "Chen Zhaoyu has been confined to the Chen family ancestral hall for the past few days to reflect on his mistakes. Do you really think you can wait for him to come looking for you?"
...
The monks of Yuhua Temple lived a simple life, and the rooms in the temple were also in poor condition.
The wooden bed was cold and hard, and there was no charcoal brazier to keep warm, so Shen Yunzhi tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.
Cui Huailai's actions at Yuhua Temple shocked her.
But beyond that, his frank and open attitude in promising her the position of Crown Princess made her re-examine the events of her past life once again.
Cui Hong... is mostly problematic.
It's just hard to sort out right now. If Cui Hong is pretending to help her but actually intends to harm her, what is his purpose?
There is also Chen Zhaoyu.
Cui Huai said that he was recently punished by being made to reflect on his mistakes in the ancestral hall, which was probably related to her.
Opposition and obstruction from the Chen family were foreseen from the very beginning.
She couldn't do nothing; she had to find a way to see Chen Zhaoyu when she got back.
A thousand thoughts surged within Shen Yunzhi as dawn broke, and she finally managed to fall asleep. The quilt was cold, and she slept for about an hour before being woken by the chill. Because she wanted to return to the capital as soon as possible, she got up to wash and dress, even though she was still very sleepy, with Qiuyue's help.
After breakfast, the guards sent to scout the way returned, bringing only news that the mountains were blocked by heavy snow.
They are trapped at Yuhua Temple.
One headache after another.
In the end, there was nothing we could do but pray that the snow would stop soon.
Shen Yunzhi stood under the corridor and sighed helplessly. Suddenly, she saw Cui Huai step into the courtyard.
The daffodils in his hand were particularly eye-catching.
With its pure white petals and tender yellow stamens, the daffodil is exquisite and rare, especially in the depths of winter.
Cui Huai walked to the corridor and handed her the bouquet of flowers: "I had heard that there was a jade pendant on the back mountain of Yuhua Temple. I have indeed found it. Do you like it?"
Shen Yunzhi asked, "Did Your Highness go out so early this morning just to find this?"
Seeing that she wouldn't reach out to take it, Cui Huai frowned and asked, "You don't like it?"
Shen Yunzhi: "..."
She accepted the bouquet of daffodils and said, "The guards went to scout ahead and said that heavy snow has blocked the mountain pass. With the end of the year approaching and many affairs to attend to, wouldn't it delay many important matters if Your Highness were trapped in Yuhua Temple?"
Cui Huai stepped into the corridor and calmly said, "It is also the will of Heaven."
There was no sign of worry about being trapped in Yuhua Temple.
"Miss Chen, are you in a hurry to go back?"
He turned to look at her, a half-smile on his face, "Are you in a hurry to go back and see Chen Zhaoyu?"
Shen Yunzhi met the faint mockery in Cui Huai's eyes, her face turned cold, and she did not deny it: "Your Highness said that An was punished and made to reflect on his mistakes in the ancestral hall. How could I not be worried? I cannot feel at ease until I see him safe and sound with my own eyes."
Cui Huai chuckled: "The Empress Dowager likes him, and the Chen family values him highly. How could they bear to see anything happen to him?"
"As long as he promises to sever all ties with you, he will be released from the ancestral hall immediately."
He gently recounted the facts between her and Chen Zhaoyu.
Although it was true, it was incredibly jarring. Shen Yunzhi retorted, "How does Your Highness know that Ming'an would abandon me so easily? Perhaps he is thinking of a way."
Cui Huai gave her a deep look: "You two seem to be deeply in love."
Shen Yunzhi said, "How could Your Highness possibly understand the matters between Ming'an and me?"
Despite her strong words to Cui Huai, Shen Yunzhi was unsure of herself. She knew all too well that matters of the heart were fleeting, and even married couples would abandon each other in times of trouble, let alone someone she had only known Chen Zhaoyu for half a year. This was precisely the reason she wanted to see Chen Zhaoyu.
Disturbed, Shen Yunzhi returned to her room and casually placed the beautiful bouquet of daffodils on the wooden table.
Exhausted and unwilling to think about these things anymore, she fell asleep immediately.
This time, Shen Yunzhi slept until the middle of the afternoon.
When I woke up, the room was dimly lit, and several charcoal braziers beside the bed were warm. Before I could even wonder what was going on, I was startled by a figure next to the wooden table.
"woke up?"
Cui Huai's voice came from the direction of the wooden table.
Shen Yunzhi pulled the quilt tighter, hiding herself completely, and asked in a muffled voice, "Why is Your Highness in my room?"
Cui Huai said, "I'm bringing you a vase."
He had seen the daffodils that Shen Yunzhi had thrown on the wooden table when he entered the room.
He had intended to ask her why she cherished the flowers Huo Ming and Chen Zhaoyu had given her so much after she woke up, but considering that they were at Yuhua Temple, and given her temperament, she would definitely find an excuse such as "there are no flower vases in the room, which is inconvenient," he decided to block that possibility for her in advance.
Shen Yunzhi noticed that there was indeed an extra vase on the wooden table.
She suddenly realized that it must be because of the bunch of daffodils she had received that morning.
"The goods have been delivered. Your Highness may now leave."
Shen Yunzhi said, "It is really improper for Your Highness and I, a man and a woman, to be alone in a room like this."
“I was originally going to go out.” Cui Huai remained calm and composed, sitting motionless at the wooden table, and gently explained his thoughts, “but I wanted to see you insert the vase with my own eyes, so I waited for you to wake up.”
Shen Yunzhi found it difficult to keep up with his thoughts: "Why did you have to watch me put the vase in front of you?"
Cui Huai retorted, "Isn't that how you treat them?"
“I saw the crape myrtle that Huo Ming gave you at Yunxi Courtyard, and you took excellent care of it. Chen Zhaoyu picked plum blossoms for you, and you were unwilling to give them up no matter what. But this bouquet of daffodils that I gave you was discarded by you like trash.”
Cui Huai casually revealed Shen Yunzhi's thoughts.
"It's not that I look down on you, it's that you despise me but want to use me against Cui Xu."
Shen Yunzhi's face, hidden in the darkness, turned pale instantly.
Cui Huai continued, "Knowing that you are like this, I was still seduced by you, so I don't blame you."
So this was the "concern" Cui Huai had mentioned last night.
He actually... had been paying attention to things related to her for a long time.
"Didn't Your Highness say that you were only willing to help me because Li Zhu asked for it?" Shen Yunzhi bit her lip, trying her best to control her emotions. "There must have been some misunderstanding. I have always treated Your Highness sincerely and have never disliked you. It's just that I'm not used to sleeping in a new bed, and I didn't sleep well last night. I have a terrible headache this morning, so I didn't have time to put the flowers in the vase before I rested."
"One must stand up first to arrange flowers."
"It is inappropriate to look at what is improper. It is really inconvenient for Your Highness to be here."
Cui Huai then turned his back.
Shen Yunzhi had slept fully clothed this morning. Seeing him shamelessly staying there, they remained locked in a stalemate for a long time before she finally got out of bed and threw off the covers.
She glanced at the charcoal brazier beside the bed.
Thinking that these things were undoubtedly prepared by Cui Huai, she pursed her lips and called Qiu Yue in to help her wash and dress.
Cui Huai neither objected nor expressed any dissatisfaction. She let Cui Huai sit there blankly until he was properly dressed before walking to the wooden table. The room was lit, and the daffodils under the candlelight were bathed in a warm yellow hue.
Under Cui Huai's watchful gaze, Shen Yunzhi carefully trimmed each of the daffodils before arranging them in a vase.
After she finished doing all that, she asked, "Is Your Highness satisfied?"
Cui Huai nodded. Just as Shen Yunzhi was about to urge him to leave, he suddenly asked, "What's the difference between arranging flowers for me and arranging flowers for them?" Shen Yunzhi stiffened and slowly looked at Cui Huai. In a few breaths, a familiar feeling of suffocation filled her chest.
"I feel a great joy in arranging flowers for the person I admire."
"When I was arranging flowers for His Highness, I felt only panic and helplessness."
Shen Yunzhi repeatedly conveyed her reluctance.
Even though her past life experiences told her that these words wouldn't have much effect on Cui Huai.
Upon hearing this, Cui Huai fell into deep thought.
Sure enough, after a moment, he said, "In the end, it's because you're unwilling to treat me the way you treat them."
Seeing Cui Huai stand up, Shen Yunzhi shifted her feet slightly and said, "There is absolutely no romantic feeling between me and Your Highness, how can it be the same?" Before she finished speaking, Cui Huai had already stretched out his arms and pulled her into his embrace. She was stunned for a moment and began to struggle, only to hear Cui Huai's voice above her head: "Don't move." It was a warning. But compared to this sentence, his awakened desire was another warning that was even more oppressive.
"How was it different when Chen Zhaoyu held you?" Cui Huai asked.
Shen Yunzhi gave up trying to communicate with him in despair. He wasn't annoyed and asked her again, "Have you ever kissed them?"
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