Chapter 33. She was a very sentimental person.
Not daring to act presumptuously in front of Cui Huai, Aunt Xue reluctantly prepared to leave. Just then, Princess Chu arrived and prevented her from leaving. Princess Chu then checked on Shen Yunzhi's condition and, confirming that Shen Yunzhi was unharmed, took Aunt Xue to the main courtyard.
Aunt Xue observed the proper etiquette in front of Princess Chu for most of the day.
When she left the main courtyard, she felt sore back and weak legs, dizzy and lightheaded, and she was filled with a burning anger.
Unfortunately, the King of Chu has been away from his residence for the past two days.
Aunt Xue had nowhere to seek justice, so she could only go to her son, Cui Hong, to pour out her grievances.
Cui Hong was confined to his home and forced to copy books for seven days.
When Aunt Xue came looking for him, he was copying a book in his study. Even though Aunt Xue kept nagging beside him, he didn't stop writing.
After copying a page of the book, Cui Hong put down his pen and looked at Aunt Xue.
"Auntie, are you saying that my eldest brother went to Yunxi Courtyard this morning?"
Aunt Xue frowned slightly: "Exactly." Then she added sarcastically, "I wonder when he became so enthusiastic."
"Could it be that there was another reason behind his rejection of Miss Liang's marriage proposal?"
Cui Hong remained silent. Aunt Xue grabbed his arm: "Hong'er, are you even listening to me? Stay away from that cousin from now on. Besides, she said in front of me today that she has no feelings for you. Who knows, maybe she's interested in your older brother?"
Cui Hong said, "Yesterday it was indeed my fault for acting improperly, not my cousin's fault."
"Are you possessed?" Aunt Xue suddenly shook off her hand. "You are the second young master of the Chu Prince's Mansion, you should marry a noble lady from a prestigious family."
She looked at Cui Hong for a moment, and finally couldn't help but say, "Hong'er, you know how much hardship your aunt has endured on this journey. You are my only child, and all I ask for is that you live a life of wealth and honor, and never again be bullied and looked down upon like your aunt has been. If your father knew that you were infatuated with that cousin, how could he not be angry? If you and your father were to become estranged because of that person, that would be a great loss for you."
Cui Hong listened to Aunt Xue's words with his eyes lowered, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes.
He said, "Auntie is exaggerating. My cousin and I are not what you think."
"Then what happened yesterday?" Aunt Xue asked, frowning.
Cui Hong smiled faintly: "Seeing that my cousin has been in a bad mood lately, I thought of a way to cheer her up. If it were Li Zhu, I would have done the same."
Aunt Xue looked at Cui Hong suspiciously and asked, "Is that really so?"
“Of course,” Cui Hong said. “But it was Auntie who really shouldn’t have gone to Yunxi Courtyard.”
Aunt Xue was speechless.
She opened her mouth as if to argue, then closed it again, finally managing to utter a frustrated sentence after a long while: "I spent most of the day establishing rules in the main courtyard, so it wasn't a wasted trip."
...
This morning, Cui Huai originally planned to go out of the mansion on business.
Suddenly, he saw Aunt Xue heading towards Yunxi Courtyard. Remembering what happened last night, he decided to take a detour to Yunxi Courtyard.
"Aunt Xue was just overly protective of her son."
"She looks down on me simply because she has the same mindset as His Highness, which I see as no different."
Such high-sounding words again.
She viewed him as a monstrous threat, and every word she uttered was intended to keep him further away from her.
Cui Huai was playing with the clay figurine that Shen Yunzhi had given him.
Savor the feelings in your heart.
Even though he knew she rarely showed him affection and only wanted to use him, he still didn't find her repulsive.
It is certainly unpleasant that she has used him and now tries to discard him, but if she can change her ways, he might be able to forgive her for her mistakes.
She herself said that it was hard not to feel at ease when she was with him.
Then she shouldn't always be thinking about getting away.
After Aunt Xue came to Yunxi Courtyard to cause trouble, Shen Yunzhi gained a better understanding of Cui Hong's unusual behavior. The noise from the fireworks display was so loud that no one in the mansion would not have heard it, and Cui Hong, being a man of action, would not have been unaware of this. It can only be said that although he knew this, he still insisted on doing it.
Should I keep trying to please her?
Or was it intentionally done for others to see?
The friendliness that Cui Hong showed her was a continuation from a previous life to this one.
Aside from being friendly, revealing his feelings to her was too suspicious.
Shen Yunzhi recalled Cui Huai's refusal to marry Liang Zhi, telling her he had no intention of marrying her. If she had never truly seen through Cui Hong's intentions, could he have deceived her in her past life? But what benefit would he gain from doing so?
Things related to Cui Hong seem to be shrouded in mystery.
Things that used to seem incredibly simple have become complicated.
The past is difficult to clarify, so Shen Yunzhi could only keep her doubts to herself and no longer easily trust Cui Hong.
In this matter, Cui Lizhu actually trusted Shen Yunzhi quite a bit and did not blame her. She even complained that her second brother was not steady enough in his actions.
In reality, Choi Yeo-joo met with Choi Hong first.
She didn't know what she said that upset her second brother, and their rare conversation as siblings was not very pleasant.
Shen Yunzhi was unaware of these matters, but she noticed Cui Lizhu's absent-mindedness, so she asked her if she wanted to go out for a stroll. Feeling stifled in the mansion, Cui Lizhu thought it would be nice to get out and clear her head, so she nodded and left the mansion with Shen Yunzhi in a carriage.
As soon as Cui Lizhu stepped out, she forgot her troubles and enthusiastically led Shen Yunzhi to browse through all the jade jewelry and cosmetic shops along the long street.
She enjoyed her shopping to the fullest and made many purchases, with the servants following behind her each carrying numerous brocade boxes.
It was nearly dusk when I left the last cosmetics shop.
Instead of rushing back to the mansion, Cui Lizhu had her servants deliver the items to the carriage. Instead, she took Shen Yunzhi to a nearby dessert shop.
They had just reached the dessert shop when a carriage stopped by the roadside.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Chen Zhaoyu's face appeared behind it: "Princess? Miss Shen?"
Choi Yeo-joo turned around and looked at him with a hint of surprise, saying, "Chen Zhaoyu?"
After a long separation, Chen Zhaoyu got off the carriage and accompanied Cui Lizhu and Shen Yunzhi into the dessert shop.
Cui Lizhu had previously intended to matchmake Chen Zhaoyu and Shen Yunzhi. Many things had happened in recent days, especially with Cui Xuan and Huo Ming's wedding imminent, making a relationship between Shen Yunzhi and Huo Ming impossible. She also found Chen Zhaoyu more agreeable, and since they had the chance to meet today, she intentionally wanted to give them some alone time.
A short while later, Choi Yeo-joo found an excuse to leave.
Shen Yunzhi and Chen Zhaoyu were left sitting silently facing each other in the private room.
Finally, Chen Zhaoyu spoke first: "Miss Shen, how have you been lately?" He was as gentle and refined as ever.
Shen Yunzhi smiled bitterly: "Not very good."
Chen Zhaoyu was already aware of Cui Xuan's marriage to Huo Ming, and from his previous trips with the Huo siblings, he could also see Huo Ming's affection for Shen Yunzhi. Seeing Shen Yunzhi's sorrowful expression and hearing her say that she hadn't been doing well lately, he wanted to comfort her: "Life is unpredictable, Miss Shen, you should try to be more open-minded."
Shen Yunzhi lowered her head, her voice becoming low: "Young Master Chen, you may not know... I had some past conflicts with the Seventh Princess."
"In the end, it was my fault, otherwise things would never have turned out this way."
“You’re just a young lady, what could you possibly have done wrong?” Chen Zhaoyu said. “Miss Shen is kind-hearted, which is why she’s taking the blame upon herself. But it’s really not your fault, so please don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Shen Yunzhi said softly, "Thank you for comforting me, Young Master Chen."
She paused, then added, "It's kind of you that I'm of such lowly status, yet Young Master Chen is willing to say these things to me."
Looking at Shen Yunzhi's sorrowful appearance, Chen Zhaoyu sighed softly: "Your lowly status is not your fault, nor is it reasonable to judge your character based on it. I have not known Miss Shen for long and have not had much contact with her, but I have always thought that Miss Shen is a very good person and have never doubted her."
Shen Yunzhi suddenly looked up.
Her eyes were blurry with tears, as if she were about to sob, yet she couldn't hide her emotion: "Does Young Master Chen think I'm good?"
Chen Zhaoyu nodded without hesitation: "Of course, it's no exaggeration."
Shen Yunzhi smiled through her tears, tilted her head and raised her hand to wipe her eyes: "Thank you, these are the most touching words I have heard in recent days."
Chen Zhaoyu smiled.
He took a clean handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Yunzhi.
...
Today's departure from the manor may seem like a coincidence, but in fact, it was Shen Yunzhi's deliberate attempt to run into Chen Zhaoyu. Cui Lizhu had mentioned that Chen Zhaoyu would go out to attend a poetry gathering every month on the ninth, and today was such a day.
That long street was the only way for Chen Zhaoyu to return to his residence.
If nothing unexpected had happened, they would have met, but what happened after their chance encounter was beyond Shen Yunzhi's control.
However, even today, Chen Zhaoyu is still willing to show her goodwill.
If his attitude changes, she will make other plans. Since his attitude has not changed, it means that there is still room for maneuver and flexibility in many things.
She's willing to give it a try.
Just like the efforts she made for Huo Ming back then, she will accept the outcome, whether it succeeds or not.
Upon returning to the residence, Cui Lizhu noticed that Shen Yunzhi was clutching something in her hand and couldn't help but ask, "What's that in your hand?"
Shen Yunzhi told her that it was a handkerchief that Chen Zhaoyu had lent her.
The handkerchief of the young master is also a personal item. Even though Cui Lizhu intended to create opportunities for Shen Yunzhi and Chen Zhaoyu to be alone, when she saw that Shen Yunzhi and Chen Zhaoyu seemed to be in an ambiguous relationship, Cui Lizhu felt a strange feeling in her heart.
"Have you come to terms with it now?" Choi Yeo-joo asked.
Shen Yunzhi could guess what she was thinking, so she said softly, "Lizhu always considers me and thinks of me. Isn't it because she hopes that I can be more open-minded and not be bound by the past? If I can't let go, I will be letting down Lizhu's good intentions and making you worry about me even more."
It sounds like she's involved with Chen Zhaoyu, but it's just that she's going along with her wishes.
Cui Lizhu, however, was extremely pleased with this, and hummed and hawed to Shen Yunzhi, saying that she understood, and then there was no more awkwardness.
After Shen Yunzhi cleaned the handkerchief that belonged to Chen Zhaoyu, she carefully put it away.
They met again at Cui Xuan's wedding banquet.
Having confirmed Chen Zhaoyu's intentions, Shen Yunzhi felt more confident attending Cui Xuan and Huo Ming's wedding banquet.
She doesn't even mind if someone tries to make things difficult for her.
Cui Xuan is getting married today, so there's no need for me to condescend to come before her and cause trouble.
However, as the Seventh Princess, Cui Xuan was never short of people who fawned over her. When they saw that she dared to attend the banquet, some people would stand up for her.
Several young women, whom she had only met once, surrounded her. Shen Yunzhi politely stopped, but before she could exchange pleasantries, they launched into a barrage of sarcastic and cutting remarks. Their comments were nothing more than mocking her background, ridiculing her delusions, and accusing her of being a vixen and immoral.
Numb to the words, Shen Yunzhi no longer cared much about them.
Today is the princess's wedding day, and there are many guests. Some people will look down on her, and some people will find her unacceptable.
Shen Yunzhi was surrounded in the corridor.
She looked embarrassed, her face flushed, and tears welled up in her eyes.
The young women, unable to bear her feigned pitifulness, became even more aggressive, with one of them even pushing her. Shen Yunzhi caught a glimpse of several figures out of the corner of her eye, took a few steps back, and fell to the ground.
"Miss Shen!"
From Chen Zhaoyu's perspective, he saw Shen Yunzhi being pushed to the ground, and he quickly stepped forward and bent down to help her up.
"What are you doing? Are you bullying us?"
After helping Shen Yunzhi to stand up, Chen Zhaoyu looked at the people who were surrounding Shen Yunzhi.
The person who reached out to push Shen Yunzhi knew best that she hadn't been pushed at all; she had only used a little force and Shen Yunzhi had immediately fallen. It was a deliberate act. He couldn't help but feel indignant: "What kind of hero are you pretending to be? She clearly fell down on her own just now, didn't you see?"
Chen Zhaoyu said, "I only saw you push someone, are you trying to say that's fake too?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt his sleeve being tugged.
Chen Zhaoyu looked down at Shen Yunzhi and saw that she shook her head to indicate that the matter was over, so he did not pursue the matter further.
Shen Yunzhi thanked Chen Zhaoyu and left in a hurry without lingering.
She hadn't been able to see clearly who was walking towards her.
Chen Zhaoyu was pleasantly surprised to be among them, but he never expected that Cui Huai would also be there.
That would be perfect.
Having witnessed it firsthand, Cui Huai knew that Chen Zhaoyu was protective of her, so it was no surprise that things turned out differently between her and Chen Zhaoyu afterward.
Cui Huai saw it all clearly.
From Huo Ming to Cui Hong to Chen Zhaoyu, as well as Zhou Liulang and Yao Gongzi... in a short period of time, they have attracted countless young men.
She is a very sentimental person.
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Author's Note: Almost there, the plot summary is coming up! [Let me see!]
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