Chapter 1: A lone cicada cries out from a branch, its tears dried in a dream, yet it remains unaware...
For forty years of Yongping, the country was prosperous and the people lived in peace.
Cui Mansion, Yutang Courtyard.
In mid-May, early summer, cicadas chirped from the branches, their heads already out. The bright sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the room with its glow. An unfinished chess game sat on a bamboo couch, and fine gold, silver, and jade artifacts were placed throughout the room according to the owner's wishes. A carved and openwork screen added to the room's opulent atmosphere.
The bed curtains swayed gently, and the girl who was sleeping soundly in the inner room suddenly cried out, "Father, Mother, don't leave your daughter!"
"Mother, it hurts so much!"
Cui Fuyu's voice was filled with pain, her brows were furrowed, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans were on her forehead. She had been having frequent nightmares during her afternoon nap, and her complexion was shockingly poor.
Hearing her mistress's movements, Zhu Jin, the maidservant waiting outside, hurried to the inner room, lifted one side of the bed curtain and gently hung it beside the plum blossom-patterned bed, softly calling, "Miss, wake up, Miss, Miss~ Are you having another nightmare?"
Zhu Jin took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped the sweat from Cui Fuyu's forehead, then woke her up with concern.
Cui Fuyu slowly opened her eyes, revealing a confused expression. After turning her head and seeing Zhu Jin, her consciousness slowly returned, and she calmed down a little after the nightmare.
"Miss, you've been having nightmares lately. Why don't you have the family physician come and take a look and prescribe a calming remedy?"
Zhu Jin asked with concern.
A few days ago, her young lady took a nap. Perhaps she slept very deeply, because she had a nightmare. Who knew that she would sleep until evening? When she woke up, she was in a daze, crying and laughing at the same time. She looked pitiful and even disturbed the master and mistress!
As a result, she hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, which has been tough on her, and her complexion has deteriorated considerably.
"Don't disturb Father and Mother." Cui Fuyu propped herself up and leaned against the headboard, though she seemed weak. She shook her head and said, "Go wash up."
Cui Fuyu got out of bed and sat by the dressing mirror. The exquisite and beautiful brass mirror in front of her reflected her appearance. Looking at herself in the bronze mirror, her beautiful eyebrows were revealed. She had delicate eyebrows like willow leaves, almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose and red lips, and skin as smooth as cream, like a lotus flower.
With the application of rouge and face powder, she became even more radiant and beautiful.
A maid from the outer courtyard brought in a crimson invitation card. "Miss, this is an invitation from the Princess's residence for a poetry appreciation gathering. They invite you to enjoy music in the west of the city in three days."
After Cui Fuyu raised her hand, Zhu Jin, with great tact, handed over the invitation. Then, noticing the heavy dress brought by the maid, she said, "It's early summer now. Miss, there's a light green gauze dress with silver thread and butterflies in your wardrobe. Wear that!"
The invitation was made of vermilion with black characters on a white background, and the four characters "Lanting Yazheng" were written in small regular script with floral patterns.
Cui Fuyu opened the post, but before she even read it, her thoughts had already wandered far away. In fact, she didn't need to read it to know what it said...
Cui Fuyu felt like she was going crazy these past few days.
A few days ago, during her afternoon nap, she had a bizarre dream.
In my dream, the Cui family fell into ruin because of her. In the dream, Cui Fuyu was a vicious female supporting character, and the whole world served the female lead, Su Zhiyao.
Coincidentally, the only daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites in the capital was named Su Zhiyao, and she was a famous talented woman!
But she and Su Zhiyao had absolutely no connection whatsoever.
But she and Su Zhiyao both fell for the same man, but that damned man only loved Su Zhiyao. She fought and became jealous for him, using all sorts of cruel and ruthless methods, but she couldn't win his heart at all.
A subsequent tea-horse trade case implicated numerous officials and even involved treason.
Later, the two worked together to discover that the Cui family had been colluding with the enemy and exchanging messages with the enemy country, which led to the tragic death of the elder brother Cui Hexuan, the imprisonment of the father, and the mother's death was spared because she was the younger sister of the emperor, but she was forced to shave her head and become a nun.
Cui Fuyu brought misfortune upon the Cui family.
In the dream, Cui Fuyu was burned alive in the Cui mansion.
In the end, the most ridiculous one was herself!
Recalling the horrific scene of her being burned to death, Cui Fuyu shuddered, her face turning deathly pale. She secretly resolved never to follow such a path again, but upon closer examination, there were many suspicious points in the Cui family's treason case.
Why do I solve cases so quickly in my dreams?
Since she had a premonition in her dream, she was determined to turn the tide.
And a dream is a dream; it can never be real!
Given Cui Fuyu's noble status as Princess Jia'en, personally bestowed by the Emperor, how could she possibly be like the Cui Fuyu in the dream, subservient and accommodating to a mere man, even to the point of losing herself?
Cui Fuyu could never do that. If anyone were to come, it would be a man who would bow down and submit, kneeling at her side to flatter her, serve her, and please her!
Until Cui Fuyu gets tired of her!
The Cui Fuyu in the dream is brainless, but it's not that she's brainless!
There are countless fine men in the capital; one more won't make a difference.
If you want to know whether the dreams are real or not, this poetry gathering will give you a chance to find out.
She dreamt that at the poetry gathering, she was forced to write a poem, but having been personally taught by her father since childhood, she was naturally unfazed by it.
But she seemed to have lost her mind and couldn't compose any poetry.
What's most interesting about this poetry gathering is that the female lead's unrequited love will also be there.
Cui Fuyu thought of the female lead, Su Zhiyao, the unattainable and radiant white moonlight, and all sorts of wicked pleasures welled up in his heart.
What if she steals the white moonlight?
"Get ready, I'm going to amaze everyone in three days!"
Cui Fuyu's eyes blazed with a determination to possess this white moonlight, and her rare interest made her radiate with energy.
Zhu Jin rarely saw her mistress, and knew that she was scheming against someone again.
"Miss, I've heard that Prince Gong, who is far away in his fiefdom, is also returning to the capital. I've heard that the Prince's heir is aloof and refined, and his name is known throughout the capital. He will be arriving soon, and perhaps we'll be able to catch a glimpse of him at the poetry gathering!" Zhu Jin smiled slightly and said, "I wonder what the heir looks like?"
"Him? He was short and chubby when he was a child." Cui Fuyu scoffed lightly, "It's been almost ten years since I last saw him. He must have grown up to be ugly now. Zhu Jin, you'd better not believe everything you hear."
Cui Fuyu shook her head repeatedly as she thought of him, wondering where he got his confidence to let the rumors spread like this.
Time flies like water!
In the blink of an eye, the three-day poetry gathering, named Lanting Yazheng, arrived as scheduled!
Zhu Jin was busy dressing up her young lady, adorning her with gorgeous clothes and expensive hairpins, determined to make her the most stunning lady in the room.
Today, Cui Fuyu wore a red pleated skirt with gold flecks and white plum blossoms, a long gold gauze shawl, and two gold plum blossom hairpins in her hair. On the side, a jade-carved gold hairpin with plum blossoms swayed gracefully with Cui Fuyu's steps.
Two or three warm, lustrous jade hairpins adorn the scene, the gold hairpins and jade complementing each other beautifully.
For this trip, Cui Fuyu only brought two personal maids, Zhu Jin and another mature and steady maid, Juning.
The Cui family's carriage was waiting at the gate early in the morning. After the three of them got into the Cui family's carriage, the carriage swayed and bumped as it headed west of the city.
Yongping Street is bustling with all kinds of stalls, big and small, with vendors calling out in different accents, lively street performances, and vendors selling spices on the side and shoes and cloth at the very back...
Yongping has few rules and regulations for women, so the separation between men and women is not strictly enforced, and female shopkeepers can be seen everywhere on the streets.
The closer they got to the west of the city, the more carriages there were. Cui Fuyu's carriage slowed down as everyone had been invited to the gathering.
Three large painted boats built by the water are connected side by side, with silk paintings and poems fluttering in the wind. Some people stand in the corridor, holding a wine pot in one hand, drunk and writing down their thoughts.
As soon as Cui Fuyu stepped off the carriage, he saw this sight: truly a group of young men dressed in fine clothes and riding spirited horses.
After she gracefully went up, everyone else had already started.
Cui Fuyu is late!
Upon seeing her arrive, everyone's eyes turned to Cui Fuyu, a hint of amazement flashing in their eyes. The joyful atmosphere paused for a moment after she entered, then returned to normal.
Cui Fuyu saw that everyone was gathered in small groups, discussing poetry and painting, or sitting around enjoying music with their eyes closed. Some people were so engrossed in the music that they picked up the pipa and played the zheng together. The scene was lively and bustling.
"Fuyu, come here quickly and sit next to me."
The girl who spoke to Cui Fuyu was Princess Zhao Xuansi, the daughter of the current emperor and his concubine.
She was adorned with elaborate hairpins and wore an exquisite palace dress, exuding both flamboyance and restraint, while Cui Fuyu stole the show.
Cui Fuyu smiled and moved over to sit next to Zhao Xuansi. Glancing at the calligraphy on her desk, she teased, "Xuansi's small regular script is even more exquisite now."
"I've been telling you, my mother keeps saying that my calligraphy isn't as good as Miss Su's, saying that she's the model that a proper young lady should learn from!" Zhao Xuansi said this, but she wasn't discouraged at all. Then she picked up the wine cup on the table, stood up, and said to everyone, "Today's gathering is for everyone to enjoy themselves as they please. However, since it's a gathering, there must be a winner. Let's make friends through poetry and let everyone choose who will win first place!"
After Zhao Xuansi finished speaking, everyone applauded and cheered. Everyone had racked their brains to win the championship today. At this moment, apart from their noble status, they were just scholars who were immersed in literature.
The pavilions and towers were already prepared with the Four Treasures of the Study, paper laid out, and the fragrance of ink filling the air.
Why are there so many people?
Cui Fuyu looked around but couldn't find the person she was looking for. She didn't want to pay attention to the people who were flattering her, so she simply took a small sip of the non-intoxicating fruit wine and asked casually.
"That's right. My mother said that since we're having an elegant gathering, we can't show favoritism, so we invited everyone."
Zhao Xuansi was writing her poem when she was distracted and came out to reply to Cui Fuyu. Anyway, the more people there are, the more lively it is.
Cui Fuyu felt a bit bored, so he instructed, "Ju Ning, you stay here. If you need anything, send someone to find me."
After attending too many of these gatherings, they lose their charm. Rather than sitting upright and disgracing the Cui family, it's better to go out for a walk and relax.
After speaking quietly to Zhao Xuansi, she left with Zhu Jin.
Cui Fuyu slowly moved towards the painted boat in the middle, with Zhu Jin following behind, holding a round fan and fanning her.
Unexpectedly, a commotion broke out when they passed the bend. Four or five people were forcing one person to comply. When the person refused, the pampered young men became furious and started mocking him.
Cui Fuyu didn't want to pay attention and turned to leave, but she heard a name.
"Chi Yanzhou, are you getting too big for your britches? It's your good fortune to have taken a liking to your painting. Ten taels of silver is more than enough to buy one of your lousy paintings. You probably couldn't earn that much even if you copied other people's books and letters for a year. And you still dare to refuse me!"
Chi Yanzhou, I've found you!
Cui Fuyu watched silently. The people bullying Chi Yanzhou were the young master of the Prime Minister's mansion and his lackeys. How could the well-mannered Prime Minister have raised such a stupid son?
Seeing that their threats were ineffective, the men angrily threatened to hit Chi Yanzhou, but Chi Yanzhou stood there like a log, unmoving.
Cui Fuyu could no longer remain indifferent; she quickly stepped forward and grabbed the slap that was about to land on Chi Yanzhou's face.
She said softly, "Why didn't you move aside?"
A note from the author:
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A story of a younger sister's forced love, mainly about bullying the male lead who suffers from misery. Welcome everyone, try your best to collect it! [shy]
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