Chapter 2 (Revised) Still a clumsy trick. ...
Shen Yunzhi's heart was pounding.
These past few days she has been hiding in Yunxi Courtyard, not going anywhere and not seeing anyone, both to calm her mind and to figure out the situation, and also to think about many things.
However, she still seemed to underestimate the shadow cast on her by Cui Huai's actions.
She's thinking very well.
After all, he lived in the Chu King's mansion and was under the same roof as Cui Huai, so it was inevitable that they would run into each other often.
No matter how much they try to avoid it, they can't avoid meeting each other.
In particular, she used to do a lot of things by trying to curry favor with people.
A sudden change in attitude is strange; for example, his sudden departure from the veranda a few days ago was clearly abnormal.
Therefore, she thought she should treat Cui Huai as usual for the time being.
She also thought she could do it.
However, the moment she saw Cui Huai, she clearly felt her body stiffen almost subconsciously, and her breathing became labored. Within moments, the shadow of the past few days, when she had dreamt of being coerced by him and forced to the bed by him, loomed over her.
This resistance was buried deep in her subconscious.
Like those unbearable dreams, they were completely beyond her control.
She already felt a deep fear of Cui Huai and was unable to calmly face him.
In fact, deep down she resisted meeting Cui Huai.
If Shen Yunzhi were to approach Cui Huai with this mindset, she truly didn't know what she would do.
It's better not to meet in person.
Gently stroking her chest, Shen Yunzhi tried her best to calm herself down before hiding behind a tree and waiting for Cui Huai to walk away.
Pulled behind the tree, Qiuyue was utterly confused. She lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong, Miss? Why are you avoiding His Highness?"
Shen Yunzhi had no intention of explaining.
She peeked out cautiously and, seeing Cui Huaiyuan leave, spoke up: "From now on, I will not disturb Your Highness again."
"The peach blossoms in the back garden must be blooming even better by now?" Shen Yunzhi asked, wondering where Cui Huai was going. When Qiu Yue confirmed, she nodded. "Then I'll pick a few branches for my aunt to enjoy."
Qiu Yue still didn't understand why Shen Yunzhi's attitude towards Cui Huai had changed so suddenly.
But she saw her young mistress's determination, and even though she didn't understand, she still kept it in mind.
So Shen Yunzhi changed her route and went to the back garden.
She thought that if she lingered in the back garden for a while, even if Cui Huai went to the main courtyard to pay his respects, the chances of them meeting would be much smaller if she went later.
Cui Huai actually saw Yunzhi.
To be more precise, he caught a glimpse of a corner of her clothing.
But there will be no one else.
He was absolutely certain that the figure that flashed past him in the corner of his eye was Shen Yunzhi.
The same thing happened in the arcade a while ago.
Avoid meeting him directly, and deliberately avoid him when you are about to meet him.
It seemed to be a new trick, but still a clumsy one.
Cui Huai thought that in the past, she would have greeted him with great joy and called him "cousin" in a sweet voice.
Boring.
With a slight frown, Cui Huai withdrew his gaze, his eyes calm and indifferent, and headed towards the main courtyard.
...
Shen Yunzhi lingered in the back garden and picked a few peach blossoms.
Upon entering the main courtyard, she did not see Cui Huai's personal attendant, Lin Yue, under the corridor. Knowing that Cui Huai was not there, she felt a little better and entered the house carrying a branch of peach blossoms.
"Yunzhi is here."
Upon seeing her, Princess Yun of Chu beckoned her forward with affection.
The familiar, gentle smile brought a slight lump to Shen Yunzhi's throat.
She walked over, suppressing her tears, and smiled gently: "Aunt." She added, "Thinking that the peach blossoms are blooming beautifully now, I picked a few branches for you to enjoy."
"Good boy."
Princess Chu patted Shen Yunzhi's hand, signaling the maid to step forward and take the flower branch.
"Has Yunzhi had breakfast yet?" Princess Chu glanced at her niece discreetly. Her features were gentle, her skin was like jade, and at sixteen, she was more beautiful than a flower. As the orphan of her sister and brother-in-law, her marriage could not be taken lightly. Thinking this, Princess Chu said softly, "If she hasn't eaten, she can have some with her aunt."
Shen Yunzhi nodded and obediently replied, "Okay."
The Queen Consort of Chu smiled and then ordered someone to serve the meal.
After breakfast, the dishes were cleared away, and Princess Chu led Shen Yunzhi to sit on the daybed by the window.
She asked her maid to bring the newly made spring clothes from the embroidery workshop.
After Shen Yunzhi tried them on one by one and confirmed that they fit perfectly, Princess Chu dismissed the maids and servants in the room before mentioning another important matter to her niece.
“Yunzhi, you’re already sixteen, there are some things you should start thinking about.”
"Some time ago, the second wife of the Zhou family mentioned to me that their family has a son who is the sixth in his family. He is nineteen years old and is studying at the Imperial Academy. He is expected to pass the imperial examination in two years."
"My aunt had some impression of this Zhou Liulang; he was handsome and polite."
"Although the Zhou family is not of high social standing, they have a clean and upright family tradition. They can only take a concubine if they are forty years old without a son. It wouldn't be a bad idea to meet her once. What do you think?"
His words had already explained the general situation of Zhou Liulang.
Shen Yunzhi listened carefully and felt her aunt's love for her even more than for Zhou Liulang.
Talented and promising.
There was a rule in the family that a woman could only take a concubine if she had no children by the age of forty. The family was small, and it sounded like the family had a harmonious relationship.
This is a family they carefully selected for her, someone worthy of their trust.
The tears she had been suppressing welled up again, and Shen Yunzhi said with tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Aunt."
Princess Chu nodded and smiled, "Since Yunzhi has no objections, your aunt will arrange for you to meet her on a good day." She knew that her niece had feelings for the prince, and she had only mentioned it to test the waters. She hadn't expected Yunzhi to agree so readily, but she didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
The crown prince had no intention of being with the prince, so it was impossible to force him.
Besides, is the Chu King's mansion a good place to go?
"I'll leave it to my aunt to decide." Meeting the smiling face of the Princess of Chu, Shen Yunzhi smiled again.
Cui Huai, who had returned to the main courtyard, walked to the corridor and happened to overhear them saying these few words.
Shen Yunzhi is going to meet someone for a blind date.
Cui Huai had no intention of eavesdropping, so he paused briefly under the corridor before stepping inside, his face showing only his usual composure.
Princess Chu and Cui Huai had a lukewarm relationship, and they had always gotten along peacefully. Seeing Cui Huai enter again, she smiled and asked gently, "Why has the young master returned? Is something the matter?"
Cui Huai said, "I forgot to tell my mother that my father wrote to me."
"My father said in his letter that he would be returning to Beijing next month and would stay for about half a year."
The smile on the Princess of Chu's face vanished in an instant.
But her voice remained gentle: "Okay, I understand."
Cui Huai came and went in less than a quarter of an hour.
This made Shen Yunzhi's silence less abrupt; only she herself knew how unbearable those fifteen minutes had been.
My mind was completely blank.
The cold sweat on her palms reminded her of her unease and fear.
The news brought by Cui Huai was hardly good news for her aunt. Noticing the weariness creeping into her aunt's eyes, Shen Yunzhi, feeling uneasy, sat with her for a short while, then picked up her newly tailored spring dress and left.
The next day, Shen Yunzhi received news that the date for the matchmaking was set for February 16th.
It was the day after the family dinner.
Shen Yunzhi had no expectations for the Prince's family banquet this time.
All I cared about was meeting Zhou Jia Liulang after the family dinner.
The monthly family banquet at the Chu King's residence was nothing special.
When Shen Yunzhi was brought over, the Chu Prince's Mansion already had this rule: every family banquet was just everyone getting together for a meal.
Although her uncle, who was the Prince of Chu, was rarely in the capital, he kept nine concubines in his harem. They would usually attend family banquets. This was almost the only occasion Shen Yunzhi ever saw them.
As dusk fell, Shen Yunzhi left Yunxi Courtyard and headed to the dining hall.
Although I could use illness as an excuse to avoid it, after thinking it over, I realized that feigning illness would only worry my aunt and was not a long-term solution.
Sooner or later, I'll have to face Cui Huai.
Actually, there were many people at the family dinner, and they wouldn't be too close together, which was just the right time to get used to his presence again.
It drizzled on and off several times in the afternoon.
The air was filled with a cool, damp scent, accompanied by a faint fragrance of grass, trees, and flowers.
The bluestone pavement was soaked by the drizzle.
Pink and white apricot blossoms covered the ground.
Shen Yunzhi lifted her skirt slightly as she walked through the courtyard.
As they entered the corridor, Cui Hong and Cui Lizhu, chatting and laughing, also stepped into the corridor from another direction.
A while ago, the siblings went hunting together at a villa on the outskirts of Beijing.
I just got back home today.
"Cousin!" Upon seeing Shen Yunzhi, Cui Hong took the initiative to greet her.
This prompted Cui Lizhu to chuckle: "Second brother, don't you have a sister? Why are you going around claiming cousins everywhere?"
Unlike Cui Huai, who remained cold towards her, Cui Hong, the second young master of the Prince's mansion, was polite and warm. He not only recognized her as his cousin but also took good care of her. In his previous life, he even risked his life to help her escape from Cui Huai's side.
Shen Yunzhi is now afraid of Cui Huai, but she is full of gratitude towards Cui Hong.
As for Cui Lizhu, their relationship has always been ordinary. Cui Lizhu dislikes both Cui Hong's care for her and her feelings for Cui Huai.
Shen Yunzhi was already used to these cold words and didn't bother to take them to heart.
She lowered her head and greeted them gently.
Cui Hong smiled and responded, not blaming Cui Lizhu, but when he spoke again, his tone was filled with helplessness: "You are my own sister, and Zhiniang is my mother's niece, so naturally she is also my cousin. How can it be considered a random recognition? Lizhu, we are all family."
Cui Lizhu glanced at Shen Yunzhi with disdain in her eyes, her smile deepening: "I don't have any older sister."
"Besides, she might not even want to be my older sister."
Shen Yunzhi lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Choi Hong changed the subject, and Choi Yeo-joo followed suit, talking about other things. She and Choi Hong walked ahead towards the dining hall.
When they arrived at the dining hall, the Princess of Chu was already there.
The three of them stepped forward one after another to greet each other and then took their seats at the table in a warm atmosphere.
The concubines in the Prince's mansion could only sit in a position further back than Shen Yunzhi.
Cui Huai was the last to arrive.
Whenever there was a family banquet, Cui Huai might not be the last to arrive, but he would always appear in the dining hall half an hour before the banquet started.
Everyone was already used to his extremely strict punctuality.
Cui Huai attracted the attention of everyone at the table as soon as he stepped into the dining hall.
Shen Yunzhi suppressed her panic and looked at him, then looked away, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
But she stopped doing that after that, and ate her meals with her eyes closed and mind at ease.
Cui Huai sat diagonally opposite Shen Yunzhi.
He ran his fingertips along the rim of the glass, occasionally raising it to gracefully sip a drink.
On the contrary, Cui Lizhu kept glancing at Shen Yunzhi. Seeing that Shen Yunzhi, who usually loved to wink at her brother at family banquets, was unusually well-behaved today, she found it amusing and was also pleased that Shen Yunzhi finally had some self-awareness.
Cui Lizhu disliked the monthly family banquets held at the Chu Prince's residence.
Because of the occasion, the concubine could only sit far away from her due to her status.
But after not seeing Cui Huai for several days, she was happy to see him again.
They then began to chat enthusiastically about the fun of hunting.
Cui Huai listened quietly, occasionally offering a gentle response.
As Cui Lizhu and Cui Huai's voices continued to reach Shen Yunzhi's ears, she suddenly realized that Cui Hong was unusually quiet at this moment.
During the previous family banquet, she only cared about Cui Huai and didn't pay attention to anything else.
Therefore, when she noticed Cui Hong's quietness, she couldn't help but raise her eyes and look at Cui Hong.
"My cousin said before that she wasn't good at riding and archery. I'll teach you another day."
"Then we'll be able to go together."
As soon as Shen Yunzhi looked over, Cui Hong immediately noticed her gaze and smiled as he spoke. Cui Lizhu, hearing that her second brother wanted to teach Shen Yunzhi riding and archery, scoffed, "Can't we just hire a female tutor? Can't our royal residence afford one?"
Princess Chu smiled and said, "Yunzhi wants to learn horseback riding and archery? The weather is warm now, so it's a good time. I'll have someone invite a female tutor in a couple of days."
Shen Yunzhi didn't want to trouble Cui Hong to teach her, so she thanked her aunt and agreed.
Today's family dinner went smoothly overall.
At the end of the banquet, everyone first respectfully saw off Princess Chu before departing on their own.
Shen Yunzhi had little appetite and ate very little.
After the banquet, she did not linger in the dining hall and returned to Yunxi Courtyard on her own.
Watching Shen Yunzhi's hurried departure, Cui Lizhu couldn't help but ask Cui Huai, "What happened while I was away from home? Why is she suddenly not as clingy to her older brother as before?"
"It's nothing."
Cui Huai glanced at Shen Yunzhi's slender figure as she walked away, responded softly, and stepped out of the corridor.
A note from the author:
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