Chapter 65. He coughed softly as he wiped her with a handkerchief...
A look of bewilderment appeared in Cui Huai's eyes. After a few moments of slow reaction, that bewilderment turned into helplessness.
There was no resentment at being mocked, and even the pent-up anger dissipated.
He was remarkably well-behaved today.
Cui Huai lowered his head, his forehead touching Shen Yunzhi's, and chuckled softly: "Cousin Zhi, I have already admitted defeat."
Shen Yunzhi's heart stirred slightly, but she disliked his increasingly inappropriate intimacy. Without hesitation, she reached out and pushed Cui Huai away. The force was not great, but Cui Huai swayed and unconsciously took a few steps back, as if he was struggling to stand up.
By the candlelight, they could see that Cui Huai's pale face had an unusual flush.
Something definitely doesn't look right.
But she didn't trust him much, so Shen Yunzhi didn't reach out to help him.
Cui Huai also realized that he had now incurred her disgust, so he kept his distance from her and did not try to get close to her again.
Shen Yunzhi asked directly, "Do you want me to go back using this fake identity?"
Cui Huai nodded gently, offering a thoughtful and proactive explanation.
“I know you harbor resentment towards me for not helping you deal with Cui Xu back then, so this is only a small compensation. He kidnapped you in Jinling, and after I took you away, he was still determined to find out about you and sent people to secretly follow you. After discovering that we left the capital together, he sent assassins to kill us several times. His Majesty was furious when he heard about all this, which is why he issued an edict to reward you.”
Shen Yunzhi was still puzzled after hearing this: "Does His Majesty know my true identity?"
“Of course.” Cui Huai smiled slightly. “The crime of deceiving the emperor will certainly not be borne by my cousin Zhi.”
Shen Yunzhi was somewhat confused: "Does His Majesty know that I faked my death?"
Cui Huai nodded again: "It was Cui Xu who forced you to fake your death and escape. The fact that Cui Xuan sent someone to assassinate you before you escaped is proof of that."
Shen Yunzhi: "..."
It turns out he was blaming everything on Cui Xu.
"Cousin, you are so clever. How could anyone else have come up with such a method?" Thinking of the humiliation she had suffered by Cui Huai's side during those days, while he easily got away with his innocence, Shen Yunzhi couldn't help but speak sarcastically.
Cui Huai smiled and said, "Cousin Zhi, there's no need to be angry. I will definitely make it up to you in the future."
Better? Shen Yunzhi didn't understand.
She didn't have a chance to ask any further questions at that moment.
Because Cui Huai could no longer hold on, he fell straight forward before he could reach out to grab the door.
Shen Yunzhi frowned and glanced at Cui Huai, whose body was limp and almost hanging on her.
Her fingertips touched his cheek, and the heat made her want to pull her hand back immediately.
A self-inflicted injury ruse.
Shen Yunzhi made a rational judgment.
She pursed her lips, then helped Cui Huai lean against the door, letting him sit on the ground.
After tidying herself up a bit, Shen Yunzhi came out of the bookstore.
There was no need to search deliberately. Lin Yue was waiting not far away. As soon as he saw her appear, he quickly stepped forward and said worriedly, "Miss, His Highness..."
"Like someone who's delirious with fever."
Shen Yunzhi interrupted Lin Yue calmly, stepping aside to let him enter the bookstore. "Take him away."
...
Shen Yunzhi admitted that she was very tempted to return to the capital and see her aunt openly and honestly. When she faked her death and escaped, she felt the most guilty towards her aunt. Others might grieve for her for a while, but they would eventually forget her. Only her aunt... she feared that she would be filled with regret and self-blame for the rest of her life and would never find peace.
While it was shameless for Cui Huai to shift the blame onto Cui Xu, it did manage to maintain a semblance of peace.
She also didn't want her aunt to know about her relationship with Cui Huai.
With the status of a county magistrate as her backing, she had sufficient reasons to explain her faked death and escape.
From now on, Cui Xu and Cui Xuan will no longer be able to manipulate her at will, and will even have to be wary of her.
Just thinking about Shen Yunzhi made him feel relieved.
Cui Huai had done many bad things to her in the past, but in this matter, he had indeed considered her a lot.
But she couldn't bring herself to be moved by Cui Huai, to forgive past grievances, and to reconcile with him as before.
Moreover, Cui Huai himself said that this was "some compensation".
Her faked death and escape were caused by Cui Huai, so accepting his compensation doesn't mean she's taking advantage of him.
Shen Yunzhi pondered it repeatedly.
She made the decision to tell Qi Song only about her plan to return to the capital.
However, the imperial edict that bestowed the title mentioned that she had saved Cui Huai, and even though she did not want to travel with him, she had no choice. Knowing that Cui Huai was recuperating in the city, she made a few inquiries and found out where he was staying, and finally took the initiative to go to his door as Cui Huai wished.
Shen Yunzhi saw Cui Huai lying on his sickbed.
Last winter, he fell seriously ill as a punishment from the King of Chu, but this time his condition is far more serious than that.
Lin Yue's statement that Cui Huai's injuries were serious was not unfounded.
Unlike in the capital, where there is an abundance of precious medicinal herbs and highly skilled imperial physicians, this place is not like the capital.
He is unlikely to receive proper medical treatment here.
The situation has been delayed again and again, and now it has become increasingly unmanageable.
Shen Yunzhi still believes that Cui Huai did it on purpose.
But if he dies here, her situation, which had finally begun to improve, will plummet, becoming even worse than before the bestowal of the title.
Having figured this out, Shen Yunzhi gritted her teeth. She realized that Cui Huai was mad and gambling with his life, and she also realized that she had been forced into Cui Huai's trap. He used tangible benefits as bait to scheme against her "willingness".
"Aren't you afraid he might actually die here?" Shen Yunzhi couldn't help but ask Lin Yue.
Lin Yue felt slightly embarrassed: "I originally intended to escort Your Highness away, but Your Highness woke up halfway and almost jumped off the carriage."
Shen Yunzhi sneered, "It's better for him to fall to his death than to die from serious injury or illness. At least your responsibility will be less." Lin Yue didn't reply. Having already made up her mind to return to Beijing, she didn't hesitate and made a decisive decision, "I'll go back and pack my bags. Come pick me up, and I'll leave today."
When Cui Huai woke up, they were already on their way back to the capital.
To make the journey easier, Shen Yunzhi rode in the same carriage with him, so she was the first person he saw.
The carriage was dimly lit.
Cui Huai's eyes lit up, and he asked in a low, husky voice, "Cousin Zhi, what are you doing here?"
"Does my cousin really not know the reason?"
Shen Yunzhi turned her face away and bluntly told him, "I wanted to return to the capital, which is why I fell into your trap, but my resentment towards you has only increased."
Cui Huai coughed softly a few times: "I was wrong before, so it's understandable that Cousin Zhi resents me."
Shen Yunzhi said coolly, "You're the one who's wrong."
After expressing her displeasure to Cui Huai, Shen Yunzhi stopped speaking to him and refrained from taking care of him in any way. Without exception, she had Lin Yue handle all matters involving contact and communication with Cui Huai.
Cui Huai seemed to have truly changed his ways, accepting everything without complaint despite being treated this way.
Although they were supposed to return to the capital, Cui Huai's condition was really bad, so they went to Jinling first, at least to get Cui Huai's fever down.
Lin Yue took Cui Huai to stay at the government office so that they could find a famous doctor to treat him.
Shen Yunzhi did not travel with them, but stayed at an inn in the city accompanied only by the deaf-mute maid.
About two months ago, her trip to Jinling triggered a lot of things.
Returning to this familiar place evoked mixed feelings, and I also wanted to wash away some of the memories.
While Cui Huai was busy with his medical treatment, Shen Yunzhi strolled around Jinling City, experiencing the unique charm of its glittering pavilions, painted boats, and local customs. Even in early winter, the Qinhuai River remained bustling with its usual throngs of people. Unexpectedly, she unexpectedly encountered an "old friend" there.
"Miss?"
Only when her arm was grabbed did Shen Yunzhi realize that the other person was calling her.
Looking in the direction of the sound, it was indeed someone from the same street.
Instead, it was Concubine Ye, who had been sent away from the Chu Prince's Mansion by Cui Huai more than a year ago.
"I didn't even admit my mistake!"
Seeing Aunt Ye smiling and exchanging pleasantries with her, Shen Yunzhi realized that the two had hardly ever interacted before, yet they chatted as if they were old friends. Looking at Aunt Ye's radiant and energetic appearance, Shen Yunzhi knew that she had been doing well since leaving the Chu Prince's Mansion.
But her life was exceptionally difficult.
Her relationship with Cui Huai can be said to have changed in both lifetimes starting from when Aunt Ye drugged Cui Huai.
Shen Yunzhi couldn't manage a smile, and casually exchanged a few words before parting ways.
She went to a theater on the banks of the Qinhuai River to watch a play. After the play ended, a handsome young man with a fair complexion walked gracefully off the stage and approached her, asking for a tip.
After regaining her senses, Shen Yunzhi placed some reward money on the tray held by the servant behind her.
The handsome young man then took her hand and smiled as he spoke auspicious words.
Cui Huai appeared only after that.
He sat down in the chair next to Shen Yunzhi, coughing softly as he wiped her fingers with a handkerchief.
Shen Yunzhi gave a slight smirk and withdrew her hand: "I just ran into Aunt Ye."
Cui Huai asked, "Who is that?"
"Last spring, you sent Aunt Ye away from the mansion."
Why send her away?
Listening to Shen Yunzhi's words, Cui Huai thought carefully and recalled the past. He said frankly, "She drugged me." After a few pauses, he said to Shen Yunzhi, "Because of this incident, I gradually realized that my cousin Zhi was different from others in my life."
Shen Yunzhi tilted her head to look at him.
Cui Huai remained composed: "I couldn't control myself just by smelling the fragrance on my cousin Zhi, and I was also annoyed by it, and I took my anger out on her several times."
aroma?
Shen Yunzhi silently searched her memory.
"What kind of fragrance does Miss Shen usually use?"
"It's getting a bit cloying."
She recalled the words Cui Huai had inexplicably spoken to her when they first rode in a carriage together after her rebirth. At the time, she thought he truly disliked it, so she deliberately prepared extra of that fragrance and used it heavily whenever she had to be in front of him.
It turned out that she was just being clever.
Shen Yunzhi felt dazed, while Cui Huai chuckled softly, "I said that Cousin Zhi's fragrance was cloying, but when we met again, the fragrance became even more unbearable."
"At first, we thought it was because the effects of the medicine hadn't worn off yet."
"When you meet those people, you will find that you have never smelled such a fragrance on yourself before, and then you will know that you did it on purpose."
Shen Yunzhi couldn't bear to listen anymore.
She wanted to avoid him, but fate had other plans, and their entanglement only deepened.
"Where do you want to go?" Seeing Shen Yunzhi stand up, Cui Huai also stood up and asked.
Shen Yunzhi was seething with anger and gave him a cold look: "Are you coming along to beat someone up?"
Cui Huai smiled and took her hand: "Cousin Zhi, are you talking about that Aunt Ye? But how do you know where she is? Why don't I send someone to look for her and let you know when I have any news, so as not to waste my time and get myself into trouble."
Aunt Ye waited at the inn for a long time, but her husband never came.
She anxiously went out to look for him, but not only did she not find him, she also discovered upon returning to the inn that all her money had been stolen.
The inn, however, claimed ignorance and refused to offer any explanation.
While she was arguing with the shopkeeper, her husband returned, looking bruised, battered, and in a sorry state.
"What happened?"
When pressed for details, the explanation given was that someone had covered his head and dragged him into a dark alley to beat him without provocation.
When Aunt Ye recounted the loss of all her money, the couple were speechless and looked at each other in disbelief. They had no idea which deity they had offended. Fortunately, they had some silver on them, so they immediately packed their bags and left Jinling that very night.
"The Crown Prince of Chu did such a thing behind the scenes. Isn't he afraid of being laughed at?"
Shen Yunzhi was puzzled by Cui Huai's actions in trying to win her favor.
"As long as my cousin Zhi is happy."
Cui Huai smiled slightly, "Didn't you treat your father's mistress the same way? Before going to the capital, you specially hired someone to break both of his legs."
"I don't know what those people will think of you."
"I just think you're cute."
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