Chapter 27 Cui Jia Liulang
"You mean, in order to solve this case, you're going to personally go into the backyard of the Changhua Palace and become a candidate for the county lady's husband?"
Cui Qisi, the current head of the Bo Ling Cui family and the Minister of the Imperial Household, sneered when he heard what his only son said: "Great! He really is selfless and dedicated to his work. After becoming a Shaoqing, he even staked his life on it."
"Oh, it's not like he's really going to be a candidate. He's just looking for an excuse to enter the Changhua Palace. Liu Lang has always been calm and composed, so how could he make such a mistake?"
Cui's mother, a member of the Hongnong Yang clan, was exceptionally beautiful, a descendant of the same lineage as Yang Guifei. Married for over twenty years, she managed the Cui household smoothly, managing her husband's tactful court life with impeccable control and taking immense satisfaction in her son.
"Besides, this is Liu Lang's first case since taking office, and it's attracting widespread attention and controversy. If he can solve it quickly, he'll surely become famous. By then, who knows if he can calm down those restless old foxes and fail to establish a firm foothold in the Dali Temple?"
Cui Qisi snorted coldly, "My illustrious Cui family has had princesses marry into our family, and many princesses have come into our family. To go to the backyard of a mere county lady—an orphan with no father or grandfather, and a rumor-ridden girl—and wait with a few poor boys for the county lady's selection, wouldn't that be a disgrace to our family and a laughingstock in the capital!"
"My dear husband, you're worrying too much. Liu Lang is of such status and such talent, how could the county lady ignore him? Is there anyone else in the mansion who can compete with him?" Cui's mother naturally felt that her son was unparalleled in the world. At this point, she felt sad again. "If you and your son hadn't been so ruthless in eliminating the rebels, Liu Lang would have had a wife and children long ago. Maybe we would all be enjoying grandchildren. Why is it that now, even matchmakers dare not set foot in our house?"
"Mother is right," Cui Fufeng, who had been listening to the lecture with his hands drooping, said calmly, "Since my daughter has such a bad reputation, no one dares to marry her. So what's the harm in going to the Changhua Palace?"
"You..." Seeing his expression of indifference towards his own lifelong affairs, Cui Qisi was furious and waved his sleeves. "It's up to you, but you can only stay in the palace temporarily under the pretext of solving a case. You absolutely cannot be included in the candidate list. My Cui family doesn't have a descendant as shameful as you!"
"Yes, I will consider it carefully." Cui Fufeng neither agreed nor objected. He just bowed to his father and left.
As he stepped outside the hall, his mother caught up with him and said, "Feng, your father is doing this for your own good. It's not about shame or reputation. After all, this county lady's fate is not good. I heard that she has already killed two candidates, and many more are implicated. If we are not on this list, we are not considered legitimate candidates. If the situation is not right, we can withdraw at any time. It is also a plan..."
Having said that, she couldn't help but look up at her son's chest, thinking of the injuries he received at Bai's farm, which had not yet healed. His pale and weak appearance made her, as a mother, feel very distressed.
When she saw her son's wound, the first thought that came to her mind was - Is Princess Lingling really so evil? It's bad enough that she kills all her relatives, but even those who get close to her suffer such tragic consequences?
As if he could read his mother's thoughts, Cui Fufeng said, "I suspect that the constant turmoil surrounding Lingling County Princess is due to someone deliberately creating confusion. It all started when she was choosing a husband, and the people around her who had problems were all candidates for her fiancé. That's why I decided to ignore the criticism and enter the Changhua Palace. Mother, please don't worry."
"Okay, I got it." Mother Cui waved her silk fan, a hint of amusement on her face as she studied his expression. "By the way, I heard before that the Lingling County Lady had half her face disfigured and had been practicing martial arts since childhood, making her extremely fierce. But recently I've also heard that she actually had fair skin and beautiful features, like a fairy... Which of these two statements is correct?"
Cui Fufeng turned his head away, avoiding his mother's ulterior motives and scrutiny: "Boring."
"Why are you so bored? This is such a big deal. As a mother, I have to know what kind of girl my son is risking his life to save." As she spoke, the mother looked at him again, her smile becoming more meaningful. "Okay, you don't have to tell me. I know."
What do you know... Cui Fufeng turned his head away and looked at the chrysanthemum garden with beautiful flowers. Although he didn't say anything, he always felt his ears burning.
"Go ahead, go ahead. Your chances of building a family and a career all depend on this. I'll be waiting to see." His mother patted his back, smiled mysteriously, and went back to the hall to coax her husband. "I'll go to various temples and get amulets for you. With the fortune of my son, a daughter of a wealthy family, I'll definitely protect you!"
The emperor and empress were concerned about this, and the palace acted quickly. By the time the lights were turned on, the preliminary list of candidates had been delivered to the Changhua Palace.
After sending off the palace eunuchs and closing the palace gates, the maids held up lanterns to illuminate the steps below.
Qiandeng walked back with a heavy heart, and glanced at the candidates above in the flickering light.
The candidates this time are different from the last time. Most of them are military generals and their sons and nephews who have made contributions in this mutiny.
Come to think of it, with her reputation and experience, no good family in Beijing would dare to provoke her.
"County Lady." Someone was waiting for her at the inner door and came up to greet her.
The lights in the corridor illuminated his face, with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and a bright and youthful appearance. It was Ji Linyou.
Seeing his brilliant smile, Qiandeng closed the scroll and nodded at him: "Captain Ji."
Ji Linyou handed her a wooden box and said, "My grandfather sent this to her. He recently met a fireman from one of Prince Changhua's former troops. The prince loved the ham he made, so he sent one here."
Qiandeng had the guard take the heavy wooden box. He opened it and looked at the whole fire-breath wrapped in oil paper inside. He couldn't help but feel touched. "Thank you for the old general's kindness. Tell the brother who delivered the letter to stay. I will write back to thank him later."
"No need, no need. Grandfather said that as long as the county lady likes it, it's fine." Ji Lin persuaded, his eyes fell on the list in her hand, and asked with a smile: "Is this the list of candidates?"
"Yeah." She looked up at him, "Why, you know about this too?"
"Not only do I know them, I also know someone there," Ji Linyou admitted. "My cousin Ling Tianshui is also among the candidates."
"Ling Tianshui?" Qiandeng opened the file and took a look.
Ling Tianshui, a native of Longyou, was five feet seven inches tall, fair and elegant, well-mannered, skilled in calligraphy, and played the 羯琴 (Jiegu) drum.
"My father was also very good at playing the Jiegu drum back then." Qian Deng saw this and casually asked, "How is your cousin?"
"Actually, I only met him a few times when I was a kid and went to Longyou with my father. I haven't heard from him in over ten years. I just remember that although he was half a year older than me, he was skinny and small, half a head shorter than me, and he timidly hid behind his parents, not daring to show his head. And in the blink of an eye, he's already this age." He scratched his hair embarrassedly as he spoke. "Anyway, he's quite pitiful. Both his parents died, so he joined the army. This time, he went to Chang'an to suppress the rebels and was able to rejoin the clan, and had such a great opportunity..."
Qian Deng knew what he meant and asked, "Do you want me to help your cousin?"
Just like the reason why Shi Jingning came here, everyone knew that the court had selected all the good men in Chang'an and stuffed them into the Changhua Palace. Therefore, even if the candidate husbands in her palace could not marry the Princess of Lingling, they would definitely be popular commodities with a gilded layer after they got out.
I heard that some families are already secretly looking for her fiancés, and once she is released, they will find a husband for her outside the house and make a happy marriage.
Seeing her ask this, Ji Linyou answered truthfully: "Tianshui is quite pitiful, all alone and helpless. How can he make a living in the capital, and how can he start a family in the future? If the county lady is willing, please help him."
Qian Deng looked at the three characters "Ling Tianshui" on the file and said with a wry smile, "But I really don't want anyone to come into the mansion. After all, entering my backyard is very risky."
Ji Linyou didn't understand the situation and only said, "Yu Guangling's death occurred in the Imperial College. Jin Tang and Meng Lanxi may not be the murderers. Isn't the county lady still working on their behalf?"
Qian Deng thought to himself, how could you know the foggy crisis lurking around me?
But she said nothing, just put away the scroll and said, "I'll think about it, don't worry."
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