Chapter 11. Cui Huai looked away, no longer glancing at Shen Yunzhi. ...
Upon entering the Qiyunju area, one can hear faint strains of zither music.
In the waterside pavilion, Liang Zhi sat at the zither table, her expression focused and earnest as she played the zither for Cui Huai and Liang Zhengting.
Liang Zhi was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She played a newly mastered ancient piece, its melody melodious and gentle, like a spring breeze. After the piece ended, Lin Yue stepped into the waterside pavilion to Cui Huai's side, bent down, and quickly reported, "Miss Biao has come specifically to express her gratitude to His Highness."
Lin Yue's voice was neither loud nor soft.
Liang Zhi lightly pressed the strings of the zither, raised her eyes and smiled, "Is that Zhi Niang?"
Cui Huai grunted in agreement and instructed Lin Yue to invite Shen Yunzhi to the study.
Liang Zhi rose gracefully from behind the zither table, her face gentle and kind: "I overheard a couple of days ago that there was a misunderstanding between Zhi Niang and the Seventh Princess. If Brother Huai agrees, I am willing to mediate and help Zhi Niang and the Seventh Princess resolve their differences and get along amicably."
She learned from Cui Xuan what had happened in the palace that day.
They also knew that Shen Yunzhi was under Cui Huai's protection.
Cui Xuan embellished her story, making Cui Huai seem to regard Shen Yunzhi as the apple of his eye.
She wouldn't believe that.
Shen Yunzhi's previous meeting with Zhou Liulang indicated that she had other plans regarding marriage.
However, it is also true that Cui Huai protected his niece, the Princess of Chu.
Liang Zhi believed she shouldn't let her mind wander.
However, she felt inexplicably uneasy and couldn't help but want to find out how Cui Huai really viewed Shen Yunzhi.
"How come I didn't know my sister had such great abilities?"
Liang Zhengting glanced at Liang Zhi, his eyes revealing disapproval, "When did it become my sister's place to interfere in the affairs of the Chu Prince's Mansion?"
Cui Xuan was never someone to be trifled with.
He disliked Cui Xuan getting close to his sister, and he also didn't want his sister to be clueless.
Liang Zhi sensed Liang Zhengting's displeasure.
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Brother is right. I was too talkative."
Cui Huai seemed oblivious to the minor quarrel between the siblings: "Brother Liang and Miss Liang, please have some tea first. I'll be right back." He then got up and left the waterside pavilion, leaving only servants to entertain them for the time being.
Liang Zhi's gaze involuntarily followed Cui Huai's retreating figure.
Liang Zhengting saw this and asked her in a low voice, "Cui Huai is indeed very good, but why does my sister insist on having him? Some things can't be forced."
There is no one better than him.
Liang Zhi smiled gently, "Isn't it only human nature to want to pursue the most beautiful things?"
Liang Zhengting looked at his sister's gentle face, hesitating to speak.
Undeniably, Cui Huai was a good person. They had known each other since childhood, and Cui Huai was always well-mannered, tolerant, and gentle. Only occasionally did he recall that Cui Huai had never confided any of his troubles to him, and he had never seen Cui Huai show any outward emotion—sadness, grief, joy, or pleasure—he felt that their seemingly close friendship was nothing more than that in reality.
Did he and Cui Huai truly have a heart-to-heart talk?
Or to be more precise, has Cui Huai ever opened his heart to anyone?
Even after knowing Cui Huai for over a decade, he couldn't see what was hidden beneath his gentle and polite exterior.
He couldn't even imagine what Cui Huai would be like as a husband and father.
Unfortunately, he truly didn't know how to say these words to his sister. After all, if he were asked to find fault with Cui Huai, he genuinely couldn't. Aside from the King of Chu, probably no one thought Cui Huai could have made a mistake.
Shen Yunzhi was led by Lin Yue to Cui Huai's study.
Upon learning that Cui Huai had guests today, and that the guests were the Liang siblings, she willingly came here to wait for Cui Huai.
It wasn't that they were truly avoiding Liang Zhengting and Liang Zhi.
But with them there, her attempt to test Cui Huai's attitude was bound to fail, and missing this opportunity would require even more effort to find another one.
Cui Huai's decision to have Lin Yue bring her to the study seemed to confirm that Cui Huai also had something to say.
She was already wondering if Cui Huai was preparing to half-remind and half-warn her to stay away from Cui Lizhu.
Shen Yunzhi had no interest in Cui Huai's study.
Therefore, when Cui Huai came over, he saw her sitting upright in his study like an old monk in meditation, just like when she came last time.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Shen Yunzhi curtsied respectfully.
Cui Huai's gaze swept across her face, but he didn't sit down. Instead, he stopped in front of her and asked, "What is it?"
Shen Yunzhi said, "I am very grateful to Your Highness for saving me in the palace some time ago. I cooked some crabapple cakes to express my gratitude. I hope Your Highness will accept them." As she spoke, she opened the food box, took out the plate of crabapple cakes, and placed it on the small table.
“It is the Pearl that is sought,” Cui Huai said calmly.
He didn't look at the pastries Shen Yunzhi had placed on the small table; he simply lowered his eyes and fixed his gaze on her.
Cui Huai's gaze was so intense that it made Shen Yunzhi feel a sense of oppression.
The words she had prepared beforehand stuck in her throat. She lowered her eyes and heard Cui Huai say, "Next time you need something, just come find me."
Shen Yunzhi was taken aback.
She slowly lifted her eyelids and looked at Cui Huai: "What does Your Highness mean by this?"
It wasn't that she couldn't understand the promise implied in Cui Huai's words. But the sentence she had painstakingly obtained from Cui Huai in her past life was now being offered to her by him, and she couldn't afford to be careless. It was a promise as alluring as a poppy, seductive yet harboring hidden dangers.
"There are many things that Lizhu cannot handle."
Cui Huai stated the facts in his usual gentle tone, just like before, without a trace of blame.
Shen Yunzhi remained silent, lowering her eyes, and found it somewhat ridiculous.
Even though he disliked her using Cui Lizhu, he would still put on a respectable attitude towards her; that was Cui Huai.
Unfortunately, her dignity was completely lost when she was forced to scheme and plot to protect herself.
Cui Huai will never understand.
“I know Your Highness has never liked me.”
"I also know that only a lady from a prestigious family like Miss Liang of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, who is both virtuous and talented, can catch His Highness's eye."
A very soft sob accompanied by humble words reached his ears. Cui Huai stared expressionlessly at the begonia hairpin in Shen Yunzhi's hair. He had no intention of refuting her words, but a hint of impatience flickered in his heart. He remembered the last time Shen Yunzhi left his study, Lin Yue said she looked like she was about to cry.
“I did not mean to look down on you.” Cui Huai looked away, no longer looking at Shen Yunzhi.
But in the next instant, he saw water droplets falling on the ground.
It wasn't water droplets, but Shen Yunzhi's rolling tears.
Cui Huai watched quietly as the small puddle of water spread, his brow furrowed slightly, not understanding why she was crying.
Lizhu is already spoiled enough.
She shouldn't be so upset over a single comment. Why is she feeling wronged?
“I was wrong in the past. Taking advantage of His Highness’s good nature, I took advantage of his kindness and insisted on calling him my cousin. I know I was wrong and will not do it again. But is it wrong for me to want to be friends with the Princess? In His Highness’s eyes, is it only someone like Miss Liang who is worthy of being friends with the Princess?” Shen Yunzhi raised her head and looked at Cui Huai again. “If that’s the case, why did His Highness help me in the first place?”
Cui Huai heard her sobbing as she spoke each word.
Tears welled in her eyelashes, revealing her delicate, tear-streaked appearance, and also making it clear that she couldn't hide the grievances in her eyes and brows.
"Miss Shen is overthinking it."
"I have never interfered with who Lizhu befriends."
Cui Huai suppressed his impatience and responded to Shen Yunzhi's words in a serious manner.
Shen Yunzhi looked at him with teary eyes, relentlessly pressing for an answer: "Then what exactly does Your Highness mean?"
Cui Huai remained silent for a moment.
Shen Yunzhi had expected him to remain silent, after all, Cui Huai was not good at lying.
Although her words were half true and half false, upon closer examination, she wasn't entirely wrong about him. It was precisely because he acknowledged Liang Zhi's past life that he was willing to marry her. He didn't even think much of her, so how could he possibly believe she could compare to Liang Zhi?
"I see."
After a moment of silence with Cui Huai, Shen Yunzhi said dejectedly, "Next time the princess comes to see me, I will avoid her, and I wouldn't dare to trouble His Highness."
"I will take responsibility for anything that happens in the future."
"I only hope that Your Highness will not take me seriously in the future and not think of me as a shameless person or a bad person."
She raised her hand to wipe her eyes and turned to walk out of the study.
Despite her stern tone and decisive actions, Shen Yunzhi was a little nervous. She had come to see Cui Huai today, and she certainly didn't want it to end like this.
"You can be friends with Lizhu."
"But if you need anything next time, just come to me and I will help you solve it, so that Mother will not have to worry about it."
Shen Yunzhi stopped in her tracks.
Cui Huai continued calmly and in a slightly serious tone, "Miss Chen, I have never felt that Miss Liang is any different from others."
No difference?
Shen Yunzhi sneered inwardly, quite disdainful of Cui Huai's words.
But she suddenly turned around, her tears turning into laughter, and ran a few steps back to Cui Huai, her bright eyes looking at him: "Really? I can really be friends with the princess? And I can come to Your Highness for help if anything happens?"
The person who was frustrated and downcast a moment ago is now surprised and delighted, with joy replacing grievance.
Cui Huai looked back at Shen Yunzhi, nodded without changing his expression, and said, "Mm." The impatience he had suppressed in his heart was replaced by a faint sense of pleasure without him even realizing it.
Shen Yunzhi smiled at Cui Huai, her eyes crinkling.
However, all she wanted was for Choi Hoe to stop interfering with her relationship with Choi Yeo Joo in the future.
As for Cui Huai's promise...
It's generally not entirely believable, just like the statement "I never felt that Miss Liang was any different from others".
Shen Yunzhi picked up the empty food box and left Cui Huai's study to return to Yunxi Courtyard.
They met Cui Hong before even leaving the territory of Qiyunju.
"Cousin?" Cui Hong's gaze swept over the food box in Shen Yunzhi's hand, and he raised an eyebrow and smiled, "What delicious food does brother have today?"
Then he noticed Shen Yunzhi's reddened eyes.
"Why does my cousin look like she's been crying?"
Cui Hong glanced into the distance and asked, "Did your brother scold you?"
Shen Yunzhi shook her head.
"It's because I received His Highness's protection in the palace last time, so I cooked some pastries to thank him."
Cui Hong asked, "A few days ago?"
He thought for a moment and said, "I asked Li Zhu what happened, but she stammered and couldn't explain it clearly."
Having received help from Cui Hong in her previous life, Shen Yunzhi didn't mind telling him these things, so she concisely recounted Cui Xu's actions to him.
Upon hearing this, Cui Hong frowned deeply: "The Fifth Prince is far too arrogant now."
Shen Yunzhi sighed softly: "I'm just afraid he won't give up."
He had expected to receive comfort from Cui Hong, but to his surprise, Cui Hong said, "If your brother is willing to protect you, even the Fifth Prince won't be able to act recklessly." There seemed to be a faint, barely perceptible resentment in his tone.
A note from the author:
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