Cui Songqing returned to the capital and was appointed for the second time as Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, a position equal to Chancellor. Cui Songqing was wholeheartedly devoted to the country and commanded great respect both in court and among the common people. Therefore, his return to the position of minister encountered virtually no obstacles. The common people spread the news to one another, saying that the Empress Dowager had finally stopped being deceived by Cui Xun. Now with Minister Cui and Minister Lu assisting His Majesty, the Great Zhou would surely achieve peace and prosperity.

In the Cui residence, Li Ying finished wrapping the last circle of white silk around Cui Xun’s wounds, then turned away to avoid looking at the scars covering his body. She picked up the copper basin from the table and said, “I’ll go out first. Be careful when you put on your clothes so you don’t pull on your wounds.”

Only after hearing a soft “Mm” from Cui Xun behind her did Li Ying carry the copper basin to the well to wash the used silk bandages.

In the past, she had been a pampered princess and had never done such things. But washing silk bandages wasn’t particularly difficult work, and she knew how to do it without being taught. She didn’t think that doing these things was beneath her because of her princess status. Her identity was her inherent glory, not a shackle preventing her from moving forward.

By the window, Cui Xun was putting on his outer robe. No matter how careful he was, he inevitably pulled on his wounds, causing him to slightly furrow his brows in pain. Yet his eyes unconsciously looked toward the slender figure crouching outside the window, washing the silk bandages.

He watched that figure silently, and his wounds seemed to hurt less. She had a calming power that involuntarily pacified one’s heart. It affected the timid Zheng Yun this way, and it affected the gloomy Cui Xun the same way.

The Late Emperor had chosen Zheng Yun as his son-in-law, likely with the thought that if the new policies failed, the Zheng family would protect her. But she didn’t need Zheng Yun’s protection. Her temperament was more resilient than anyone’s. Even without her princess identity and without the protection of her parents or her husband’s family, she could still live well.

Li Ying finished washing the bandages. She straightened up, and when she turned her head, Cui Xun had already dressed and was kneeling by the window. A crab apple tree was planted outside, with half its flowery branches extending to the window lattice. The layered crimson petals were like clouds and rosy clouds. Behind the petals, Cui Xun’s profile was partially visible through the branches, and the glimpse of his face was as beautiful as cold jade, putting even the full branches of crab apple blossoms to shame.

Such a beautiful scene made Li Ying slow her steps. She thought to herself that Cui Xun was known as the Lotus Gentleman, but even the dazzling brightness of lotus flowers couldn’t compare to a ten-thousandth part of his beauty.

Cui Xun seemed to sense her approach. He turned his head slightly, his pupils as dark as ink. Li Ying suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly lowered her head, hiding the inexplicable blush that appeared on her face, then quickened her pace toward the bedroom.

She entered Cui Xun’s bedroom and sat across from him. Cui Xun handed her a thick stack of white hemp paper. Li Ying took it and asked, “What is this?”

“The entry and exit records of the handmaids in the Empress Dowager’s service.”

Li Ying was surprised: “Weren’t they confiscated?”

As soon as she spoke, she realized something was wrong. The previous records from the Department of Palace Attendance were written on bamboo slips, while these were written on white hemp paper in familiar, neat, small, regular script. Cui Xun nodded: “I copied them.”

Li Ying held the papers with still-damp ink: “When did you copy them?”

“These past few days.”

Li Ying couldn’t help but look up at him. His face was sickly pale and cold. No wonder when she changed his bandages these past few days, she found his wounds healing unusually slowly, and at night, faint candlelight always filtered through the window screens. She said, “Your wounds haven’t healed yet. Doesn’t writing hurt, as it pulls on your wounds?”

Cui Xun shook his head: “It doesn’t hurt.”

Li Ying sighed. How could it not hurt? Who in this world isn’t afraid of pain? He was simply accustomed to enduring silently, never willing to speak of it.

She said, “There’s no rush to copy these. You didn’t need to do it these past few days.”

“The bamboo slips were confiscated. I was afraid that after some time, I wouldn’t remember everything.”

Li Ying flipped through the hemp papers. She had seen all these entry and exit records before, and Cui Xun had recalled them without the slightest error. Dozens of volumes of bamboo slips—he had written them all from memory these past few days. The more she looked, the more guilty she felt: “You’re so badly injured, yet you still spent your energy doing these things for me. I feel terrible about it.”

She lowered her eyes with slightly furrowed brows, her long lashes covering her eyelids, and her elegant face showed concern. She was genuinely worried about him. Cui Xun stared at her without blinking, and after a moment, his gaze softened slightly. He said, “You don’t need to feel bad. I did these things…” He paused, then said, “Actually, I didn’t do it for you.”

Li Ying looked up in surprise. Cui Xun said, “I did it for Yunting.”

“Sheng Yunting?”

Cui Xun nodded: “If not for your help, Yunting’s remains would still be buried under the imperial road. He was my close friend. Both emotionally and rationally, I owe you my gratitude.”

Li Ying gently pursed her lips. Her guilty feelings seemed to ease somewhat, but along with that relief was a faint sense of disappointment. She didn’t know why she had such complicated emotions. Her fingers, holding the white hemp paper, imperceptibly tightened a bit, and then she said, “Didn’t Mother forbid you from investigating further? If you copy these records and Mother finds out, what will happen?”

Although she desperately wanted to uncover the truth, since seeing Cui Xun nearly beaten to death by her mother, she had become reluctant to let him continue the investigation. Whether she could reach the afterlife was her concern alone; she didn’t want to implicate him.

But Cui Xun said, “Don’t worry, the Empress Dowager won’t kill me.”

Li Ying didn’t quite understand: “Why are you so certain?”

“Last time, when your tomb was damaged, the Empress Dowager didn’t kill me. In the future, she won’t kill me either.”

Li Ying thought for a moment: “Does Mother still need you to do things for her?”

This wasn’t the answer in Cui Xun’s mind, but he still nodded slightly. Li Ying felt relieved: “Then I feel somewhat more at ease.”

After saying this, she hesitated again: “But another hundred strokes of the bamboo rod… that wouldn’t be acceptable either…”

Cui Xun said, “Then I would have to trouble you to take care of me again.”

Cui Xun was cold by nature and rarely made such seemingly self-deprecating, humor-intended remarks to ease the atmosphere. But when he said this, his expression remained calm as always, and his tone was unruffled. Li Ying couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Since waking up at the Lotus Pond, this was the first time she had laughed so freely.

Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed. In the warm sunlight through the window lattice, her face, white as jade, seemed to be covered with a faint pearl-like glow. Cui Xun’s lips also unconsciously curved slightly. He lowered his head and took a sheet of white hemp paper from Li Ying’s hand: “But while copying last night, I did make a discovery.”

“What discovery?”

As Cui Xun was about to speak, suddenly the main gate of the residence was forcefully kicked open, and a squad of soldiers rushed in. Before Li Ying could react, a handsome young man dressed in crimson official robes strolled into the courtyard.

Seeing this person, Cui Xun didn’t seem surprised, as if he had known all along that he would come.

He said to Li Ying, “That’s Shen Que.”

Shen Que?

The youngest son of her aunt, her cousin Shen Que?

Li Ying couldn’t help but look at Shen Que. He had a square face with broad eyebrows, sword-like eyebrows, and star-like eyes. In his features, there were faint traces of her aunt and female cousin. However, unlike her aunt and cousin, who were gentle and humble, Shen Que appeared extremely arrogant and spoiled, just like her pampered male cousins.

Furthermore, since Sheng Yunting had been killed by Shen Que, even though Shen Que was her cousin, Li Ying still felt disgust toward him. Seeing Shen Que arrive with such a threatening air, she became very concerned for Cui Xun: “Cui Xun…”

Cui Xun seemed to sense her worry and reassured her: “It’s fine.”

He stood up and walked outside, his expression cold: “To what do I owe the honor of General Shen’s visit?”

“No particular honor,” Shen Que sneered. “I’ve just come to kill a drowning dog.”

Cui Xun’s expression remained very calm: “Are you acting on His Majesty’s orders, or the Empress Dowager’s?”

“Neither His Majesty nor the Empress Dowager,” Shen Que said leisurely. “I, Shen Que, am going to kill you.”

He beckoned with his hand, and the soldiers behind him swarmed forward, holding swords and surrounding Cui Xun.

Surrounded by swords, Cui Xun showed no fear and merely said coolly: “Without orders from His Majesty or the Empress Dowager, let’s see who among you dares to touch me.”

Though his voice was calm, his words somehow made people’s backs go cold. The sword-wielding soldiers exchanged glances, all thinking of Cui Xun’s ruthless methods over the past three years, the inhumane torture devices in the Investigation Department, and the body of Wang Liang, the Chief Secretary of the Prince’s Mansion, eaten by wild dogs. The soldiers couldn’t help but feel their legs shaking, and they all stepped back.

Shen Que was furious. He raised his whip and struck the soldier closest to him. A long, bloody gash immediately appeared on the soldier’s face. Shen Que kicked the soldier away: “Useless thing!”

He strode toward Cui Xun: “Cui Xun, you dog-like creature, still relying on the Empress Dowager to intimidate others? You’re just a dismissed official, a drowning dog! Crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant!”

Cui Xun mocked: “Then why don’t you try?”

His words showed that he didn’t take Shen Que seriously at all.

Shen Que was livid. He recalled how this man had opposed him at every turn these three years. Even for minor matters like his demanding tribute from foreign merchants, Cui Xun had made a big issue of it, accusing him of colluding with foreigners and plotting rebellion, nearly having him arrested and tortured in the Investigation Department. Remembering all this, Shen Que became even more hateful. He drew his sword and swiftly placed it against Cui Xun’s neck: “Cui Xun, you dog, do you think I dare not kill you?”

Cui Xun didn’t even raise his eyelids. He just scoffed: “Pei Guanyue instigated you to commit this foolish act of murder. It seems your relationship isn’t as unbreakable as it appears.”

Shen Que was stunned, then sneered: “Cui Xun, stop trying to sow discord. Let me tell you, even if I kill you today, the Empress Dowager won’t blame me. After all, I’m her nephew! After all, she owes my mother!”

With these words, he raised his sword with both hands and swung it down toward Cui Xun’s neck. Li Ying was alarmed. Green ghostly fire flashed in her hands—even if it meant being harmed by backlash, she had to save Cui Xun.

But suddenly she heard a loud shout: “Stop!”

Shen Que’s sword hung in midair. He turned his head and saw it was the newly appointed Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, Cui Songqing.

Shen Que reluctantly said, “Minister Cui, I know Cui Xun is your nephew. Have you come to shield him?”

Cui Songqing glanced at him with disgust: “Regardless of whether Cui Xun is my nephew or not, General Shen cannot kill someone without reason.”

Shen Que said, “Killing Cui Xun is what the people want!”

“If what the people want justifies killing, General Shen’s life probably wouldn’t last through today.”

Shen Que was speechless. Cui Songqing clasped his hands behind his back and said, “Get out. As long as I, Cui Songqing, remain in Chang’an for even one day, no one can touch Cui Xun.”

Shen Que was dumbfounded. It seemed Cui Songqing was determined to protect his nephew. It appeared he wouldn’t be able to kill Cui Xun today. He glared at Cui Songqing and left in a huff.

Though Shen Que had gone, Cui Songqing remained standing at the main gate, unwilling to step inside.

Cui Xun was silent for a moment. He walked forward, clasped his hands, and bowed: “Uncle.”

After completing his bow and straightening up, from beginning to end, Cui Songqing only looked at him with the same disgust he had shown Shen Que. After a long while, he finally said, “Why didn’t you die in Turkic territory?”