Chapter 53 Cui Huai: "Divorce him."...
After a year apart, Cui Xu had shed some of his former wickedness and gained a more mature and composed demeanor.
However, upon closer inspection, his eyes and brows revealed a rebellious and wicked air.
Shen Yunzhi immediately understood.
Cui Xu did not have a good year away from the capital. However, the matter of leaving the capital was caused by her, and he hated her to the core.
Cui Xu's words just now revealed that he already knew about "Shen Yunzhi's death".
He would only take news seriously if it came from the capital and was mentioned by someone he trusted.
It's most likely Consort Shu or the Seventh Princess.
Neither of them could possibly deceive him with such a thing.
Cui Xu was unaware of what had happened between her and Cui Huai afterward. Not only was Cui Xu unaware, but even Consort Shu and Cui Xuan wouldn't know. Therefore, Cui Xu couldn't actually find a reason for her to fake her death. Currently, he only recognized her as "Shen Yunzhi" based on her appearance; even if he wanted to investigate, confirming her identity would take considerable time.
With her mind racing, Shen Yunzhi suppressed her emotions and immediately resolved to stick to the new identity she had arranged for herself.
If we can stall for as long as possible, things might take a turn for the better.
"Why are you forcibly abducting women, sir?"
“My husband is a scholar who has passed the county-level examination. Once he passes the provincial-level examination, he will become a successful candidate in the provincial-level examination. How can he be treated with such contempt?”
As soon as the gag in her mouth was removed, Shen Yunzhi began to speak vehemently.
Throwing the rag aside, Cui Xu narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?"
Shen Yunzhi asked, "What do you mean by that, sir?"
"Stop pretending." Lazily sitting back in the armchair, Cui Xu glanced at Shen Yunzhi, who was making what he saw as a futile struggle, and said only, "Do you think you can escape? Shen Yunzhi, several of the scars on my body were left by you."
"Who is Shen Yunzhi?"
“I really don’t understand what you are saying, sir. I am Jiang, and my husband’s surname is Qi. We are one of the students who came to Jinling to take the provincial examination.”
Cui Xu remained unmoved, coldly watching her sophistry.
Shen Yunzhi did not change her story because of Cui Xu's attitude. No matter how many times she said she did not understand why the adults were like this, she repeatedly told Cui Xu to investigate.
After a while, Cui Xu's attitude did indeed begin to waver.
Cui Xuan's statement about avenging him suggests that Shen Yunzhi's death was somewhat related to his sister.
I wouldn't have brought it up to him to claim credit unless I was absolutely certain.
A dead person should not be in Jinling.
The resemblance was so striking that after a few more glances, he was convinced that the person in front of him was indeed Shen Yunzhi.
But if it really was Shen Yunzhi, would she be so confident in telling him to investigate? Even if she was using a fake identity, no matter how well she disguised it, it was still a fake identity, and there would inevitably be flaws. Yet she seemed completely unconcerned and fearless, brimming with confidence regarding her identity.
"Of course I will investigate."
Even though his mind had softened somewhat, Cui Xu didn't show it on his face, and smiled knowingly, "Actually, there's no need to investigate."
"Although I don't know why you faked your death, bringing you back to the capital will reveal the truth."
"Does the Princess Consort of Chu not recognize her own niece?"
Shen Yunzhi cursed inwardly, but could only feign a bewildered and terrified expression.
I should have just ignored Qi Song's life or death!
Cui Xu had originally planned to stop briefly in Jinling on his way back to the capital. After capturing Shen Yunzhi, he immediately sent people to investigate and verify her identity before setting off back to the capital without lingering in Jinling.
Qi Song was both anxious and frightened when he learned that Shen Yunzhi had been arrested by the guards.
With the help of the headmaster, Qi Song learned that the one who arrested him was the fifth prince of the dynasty. He was shocked and almost instinctively gasped.
Qi Song left Jinling that night.
Heading north, to Beijing.
...
Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lin Yue had noticed that his young master was in a rather depressed mood.
I haven't been able to sleep well at night for days, and often spend the whole night in my study.
It is unknown when, but His Highness the Crown Prince developed the habit of painting at night. The paintings piled up in the study, filling more than half of a wooden box.
A few days ago, Lin Yue happened to catch a glimpse of one of them.
The person in the painting was actually Miss Biao.
His Highness is skilled in painting, and the young lady in his painting is so lifelike that she is very easy to recognize.
I was in too much of a rush and didn't get a good look at it.
Lin Yue vaguely sensed that the young lady in the painting was probably holding a Kongming lantern.
In the silent study, Cui Huai stared at the scroll laid out on the table. He gazed for a long time at the Kongming lantern in Shen Yunzhi's arms in the painting, then picked up his brush again and wrote a line of words on the wooden plaque attached to the bottom of the lantern.
"Your Highness, a secret report from Jinling."
The silence was broken only when Lin Yue's voice rang out, and Cui Huai, who was expressionless as he put away the scroll, ordered him to come in.
Lin Yue and the guard who had secretly reported to the capital entered the study together.
The secret report said that Cui Xu abducted the wife of a scholar who was taking the provincial examination in Jinling and took her to the capital.
Cui Huai put down the secret report and fell into deep thought.
After a long pause, he asked, "Was there anything else strange about the woman the Fifth Prince took away?"
"Your Highness, this woman always wears a veil when she appears in public, so her face cannot be identified. However, judging from her movements, her hands and feet seem to be bound at all times, as if there is a concern that she might escape."
Cui Huai asked a few more questions, leaving Lin Yue behind. He instructed, "When the Fifth Prince returns to the capital, keep a close eye on him, and do not alert him."
He paused, a smile spreading across his lips. "Make sure to find out where that woman has been placed."
From Nanjing to the capital, Shen Yunzhi's movements were constantly restricted.
No matter how much she cried and begged, Cui Xu remained unmoved. Under the veil, her eyes were covered and her mouth was gagged. Even so, Cui Xu still arranged for many people to guard her, not giving her even the slightest chance to ask for help or save herself.
Shen Yunzhi had no other choice.
Later, she lost track of where she was and how long she had been in Cui Xu's hands.
I did think about some things during that time.
Firstly, there were those black-clad men who had inexplicably tried to assassinate her.
She had later speculated about who was behind it all, but the information she learned from Cui Xu this time made her turn her attention back to Cui Xuan.
It is a fact that I ran into Liang Zhi on the day I went to the manor, and that Liang Zhi and Cui Xuan were very close.
It is true that Cui Xuan harbors a deep grudge against her, and perhaps the mastermind behind it all is none other than this Seventh Princess.
Secondly, Cui Xu wouldn't harm her until he confirmed whether she was truly "Shen Yunzhi," and he also didn't want anyone to know of her existence. This was some good news for her; at least she wouldn't have to live in constant fear, and she wouldn't have to worry about Cui Xu trying to force himself on her again.
Until one day they stopped traveling.
Shen Yunzhi had no way of confirming whether she had arrived in the capital, but she knew that she had at least been taken to the place that Cui Xu had prepared to temporarily settle her in.
Cui Xu has not yet figured out her identity.
But she won't have much time left to escape Cui Xu's control.
Cui Xu arranged for people to guard and serve Shen Yunzhi.
But these people seemed deaf and mute, and all her attempts to probe them went unanswered.
Undeterred, Shen Yunzhi tried her best to find new opportunities.
However, on this night, when all was quiet, she, huddled at the foot of the bed, caught the sound of the door being pushed open.
The room was dark, and with her eyes covered, it was pitch black before her eyes.
As the footsteps drew closer, Shen Yunzhi felt a momentary daze, as if she were in a past life.
Dim light, restricted movement, and...familiar footsteps approaching step by step.
It's Cui Huai.
Even if you can't see Shen Yunzhi, you can still recognize her.
There was no way Cui Xu would casually reveal the information to Cui Huai, so how did he manage to find this place?
Shen Yunzhi's heart pounded, but she quickly decided to pretend she didn't know the person who had come was Cui Huai. Her mouth wasn't gagged, and she spoke in a slightly flustered voice, "My lord, what do you want? Where is this place? When will you let me go home and reunite with my husband? I... I'm just a common woman, why must you make things difficult for me?"
Cui Huai stopped a few steps away from the bed.
He coldly stared at Shen Yunzhi in the corner. From the moment he stepped into the room, he was certain it was her, regardless of the string of words she had spoken.
She is truly alive.
Half a year has passed, and she has truly been living well, living in a place he could not find, with an additional husband.
"Cousin Zhi."
When did you get married?
A cool, melancholic voice rang out. Shen Yunzhi was about to continue feigning ignorance when she was suddenly grabbed by a large hand and dragged to the edge of the bed. Cui Huai's unexpected action caused her to stumble forward, half of her body dangling in the air, before she was lifted up and forced to kneel by the bed.
Shen Yunzhi gritted her teeth inwardly but asked in fear, "Who are you?"
“Zhi Niang, I am different from the Fifth Prince. I have plenty of ways to verify your identity.” Cui Huai’s cold words pierced Shen Yunzhi’s ears. As soon as he finished speaking, she felt her clothes being torn open, and she understood the deeper meaning behind Cui Huai’s words.
Cui Xu was unaware of the scars left on her body from her injuries, but Cui Huai did.
And scars are proof.
Moreover, judging from Cui Huai's reaction, he already knows that she faked her death.
Perhaps it is precisely because I knew this that I came here.
Cui Huai...
He actually dug up her grave!
Shen Yunzhi was dazed for a few moments. When she came to her senses, she felt Cui Huai's movements as he pulled off her clothes hadn't stopped, as if determined to leave her with no way to defend herself. She was furious and disgusted by the feeling of having exhausted herself only to go around in circles. Unable to keep up the pretense any longer, she angrily said, "Cui Huai, stop! I'm married now, I'm a married woman! How can you be so shameless, wantonly disrespecting another man's wife?"
Cui Huai listened indifferently, then grabbed Shen Yunzhi's chin, forcing her to look up.
His gaze lingered on the face that had appeared in his dreams countless times, and he closed his eyes.
"Divorce him."
Shen Yunzhi's eyes widened.
Cui Huai smiled coldly, his words leaving no room for doubt: "Or, kill him."
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Author's Note: The Fifth Prince ran errands; Cui Huai deserves high praise! [hugs]
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