Chapter 69 "Cui Huai, are you perhaps my kept man...?"
The delicate fragrance of plum blossoms gradually filled the warm inner room. Shen Yunzhi held the flower branch and remained silent for a long time. Then she said to Cui Huai, who was slowly taking off his cloak and brushing away the snowflakes, "My aunt accompanied me to see the house that His Majesty bestowed upon me during the day."
"Yes, I know."
Cui Huai nodded, then asked, "Are you satisfied?"
Shen Yunzhi put the bunch of plum blossoms on the table: "I saw that the house had been newly renovated, so I guessed it was your work."
Cui Huai smiled slightly: "It wouldn't be right to let you marry out of the Prince's mansion."
When Shen Yunzhi heard him mention marriage, she couldn't help but recall her aunt's words from the previous night.
After thinking for a moment, she simply asked him, "The prince won't agree to you marrying me. Are you going to fight the prince to the end?"
“If they don’t agree, I won’t marry you. How am I any different from Chen Zhaoyu?” Cui Huai walked to the flower stand, picked up a white glazed bottle from it, and began to fiddle with the plum blossom branch he had personally picked.
Seeing that Cui Huai still had the energy to care about such trivial matters as flower arranging, Shen Yunzhi let him be.
She only said, "How tough are you? Do you think you can survive a few more beatings?"
One sentence elicited a puzzled question from Cui Huai.
"What's wrong with dying for the one you love?"
Shen Yunzhi was speechless at his words, and then smiled and said because he mentioned Chen Zhaoyu, "It is indeed worth it. In this way, when you die, my husband and I will kindly burn more paper money for you to express our gratitude for your kindness."
He thought these words would provoke Cui Huai into changing his story.
To everyone's surprise, Cui Huai simply smiled and replied gently, "That's fine too."
Shen Yunzhi was slightly taken aback, and then heard Cui Huai continue, "Since I can't bear to part with you, this is the only way when things come to that. If I really die because of you, it is my own fate. At least it will ensure that you can never forget me, so it's not a loss for me. Not being able to stay by your side forever, or not being able to make you willingly stay, are all my own problems."
She was even less able to respond to Cui Huai's words.
After a long silence, Shen Yunzhi finally spoke again: "Why didn't you hide? You are not powerless to resist."
"I heard you've been like this since you were a child, why is that?"
"It is only natural to eat when you are hungry, drink when you are thirsty, and dodge when you are hit... that is the way of the world."
Cui Huai, unusually, avoided answering.
He asked with a smile, "How did you know I've been like this since I was a child, Cousin Zhi?"
Shen Yunzhi didn't play dumb with him: "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask." She took the initiative to talk about other things, "I will move out in a few days. It will be inconvenient for you to come and go from my house often in the capital. We probably won't be able to see each other often in the future."
Cui Huai arranged the flower branches into vases one by one, then placed them back on the flower stand: "Have that maid go and take care of you."
Seeing that Shen Yunzhi did not respond, he explained, "She can protect you. I know you won't run away again, so I won't send anyone to monitor you. Besides, you don't like it."
She definitely needs someone she can trust by her side.
Although the maid obeyed Cui Huai's orders, she was at least incapable of betraying or harming him, and her martial arts skills meant that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she could protect him.
With everything uncertain, Shen Yunzhi did not intend to let Qiuyue return to the capital, so she agreed to Cui Huai's request.
With nothing else to do, she urged Cui Huai to return to Qiyun Residence to recuperate.
Cui Huaishun took the cloak from Shen Yunzhi and put it on.
He stopped in his tracks under the eaves, turned back to look at Shen Yunzhi, and said, "Cousin Zhi, if you want to know, I can tell you."
Shen Yunzhi didn't react for a moment.
Cui Huai slowly said, "My mother told me before she passed away that she hated me and wished she didn't have me."
“I know you’ve thought the same thing about me before.”
"But when I found out that you had treated me sincerely, I felt it didn't matter much."
Shen Yunzhi was stunned by Cui Huai's words.
Cui Huai walked back to her, gently put his arm around her waist, and leaned down to kiss her lips: "Cousin Zhi, don't abandon me again."
Although there were no maids or servants in the corridor, who knew how many eyes were secretly watching? Startled by Cui Huai's kiss, Shen Yunzhi was too late to push him away. Her face flushed, and she couldn't utter a word of reproach before Cui Huai had already stepped out of the corridor. Only the lingering scent of medicine, almost masking the cool fragrance of pine and cypress, remained on his person.
Shen Yunzhi went back to her room in anger.
Seeing the plum blossoms in the vase reminded me of Cui Huai's words.
How old was Cui Huai before the death of the late Princess Consort of Chu?
Shen Yunzhi couldn't figure it out, but when she thought about the profound influence the late Princess Consort of Chu had on Cui Huai, she didn't believe that Cui Huai was making up lies.
A child who was not born of choice and who knew from a young age that he was rejected...
And those unresolved past events among the elders.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yunzhi gave up thinking about these matters further. She would just listen to her aunt and not try to interfere, not try to understand, and not feel any pity for Cui Huai, the noble and precious heir of the Prince of Chu.
Despite trying to convince herself, she couldn't ignore the fact that she had never bothered to understand Cui Huai's past.
If he had known more about Cui Huai, perhaps he wouldn't have acted so erratically.
But there are no "what ifs".
Shen Yunzhi pressed and rubbed her temples a few times with her fingers.
Cui Huaiding did it on purpose, deliberately saying those words to her in order to gain her pity.
She should move out as soon as possible.
She could also test whether Cui Huai was truly as he claimed, and whether he would not spy on her or do the things he used to do.
...
Princess Chu selected some trusted servants to serve Shen Yunzhi at her residence. When Shen Yunzhi moved out of the Chu Prince's mansion, she took with her the servants' deeds, the deaf-mute maid, the deeds to the estate and shops, and the money she had previously deposited with her aunt.
Cui Lizhu accompanied Princess Chu to escort Shen Yunzhi there.
Only after confirming that everything was in order did they leave together, leaving Shen Yunzhi alone.
Cui Huai and Cui Hong never showed up.
Especially Cui Hong, since Shen Yunzhi returned to the capital, he has never taken the initiative to seek her out in private, nor has he ever inquired about her and Cui Huai. Although Shen Yunzhi is now very wary of Cui Hong, since he has not made any moves, she treats him normally and does not show any hostility towards him.
However, contrary to her expectations, moving away from the Chu Prince's residence would mean she wouldn't see Cui Huai as often.
Within three days, she discovered that, apart from staying overnight, Cui Huai seemed to be treating this house as his own Qiyun Residence.
"Cui Huai, are you my mistress?"
When Shen Yunzhi woke up one morning and found Cui Huai standing beside her bed, dressed impeccably, she could no longer contain her anger and said...
Cui Huai dragged her off the bed: "Cousin Zhi, something's happened."
Shen Yunzhi looked displeased.
Cui Huai bent down to help her put on her embroidered shoes and told her, "The Third Prince passed away last night."
Shen Yunzhi was stunned: "What?!"
"Well... he and Cui Xu went out for drinks and to enjoy the snow, but he accidentally fell into the icy lake. He was already dead when he was pulled out of the water," Cui Huai stated calmly. "His imperial uncle was furious, and Cui Xu is now under house arrest. Consort Shu and Cui Xuan are both kneeling outside the palace pleading for Cui Xu's life."
Shen Yunzhi was stunned for a long time.
"Why are you telling me all this so early in the morning?"
She tried to understand Cui Huai's thoughts.
But since it involved two princes, and she even had to think carefully about who the third prince was, these matters were not of much concern to her. She really didn't know why Cui Huai was urging her to get up so early in the morning.
"I thought my cousin Zhi would be happy..."
After helping Shen Yunzhi put on her embroidered shoes, Cui Huai straightened up, paused, and asked, "Don't you want to get revenge on him?"
-----------------------
Author's note: Happy New Year! Wishing us all a wonderful new year! [Let me see...]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com