As Mian Tang pondered this, she sniffled and gazed at Cui Xingzhou with a hint of sorrow in her eyes. However, she realized that if her past as an outlaw was ever exposed, most men would likely avoid her entirely. Perhaps Cui Xingzhou’s lack of affection towards her was understandable.
With this thought, she reached out to touch his face. “If one day you no longer want me, don’t bother making arrangements. Just be cruel and tell me directly. I won’t burden you then…”
The Prince of Huaiyang felt this little minx had gotten too bold lately. Her belly had grown so large, yet she still talked about leaving him!
His face turned cold as ice as he glanced sideways at the mournful Mian Tang. “You needn’t worry about arrangements. Aren’t there already one or two waiting with open arms?”
Mian Tang momentarily forgot her sadness. She blinked her large eyes, realizing he likely referred to the Marquis of Zhennan, who was always ready to care for a fallen comrade’s widow, and possibly the new emperor in the palace.
In terms of quality, these two paled in comparison to the good man Cui Xingzhou had arranged for her sister.
Mian Tang suddenly felt that if they were to part ways, Cui Xingzhou wouldn’t care for her as he did for her sister…
She asked honestly, “Are those all just scraps? I suppose you’ve saved all the good ones like Li Guangcai for your own family?”
Liubian Tang spoke as if she truly meant it, nearly causing the prince to explode with anger. He pulled her into his arms, gritting his teeth, “Don’t stir up trouble! Do you think I won’t spank you just because you’re pregnant? There are plenty of good men in the world, but none of them are for you anymore!”
Mian Tang’s sorrow never lasted long. Even if that day truly came, she probably wouldn’t seek a new man immediately.
Men like Cui Xingzhou were hard to come by! Since that was the case, there was no need for self-pity. She might as well enjoy what she had while she could.
Mian Tang felt her only task was to keep her checkered past tightly under wraps, never burdening Cui Xingzhou’s future.
Cui Xingzhou was furious with the princess he had married, but also felt it was because he had been too gentle with her lately, not properly tempering her spirit.
Each night, he would coax Mian Tang into their bed curtains, repeatedly demanding to know who her man was!
The resulting cries of passion were enough to make one blush.
As for the esteemed Li Guangcai, who had filled the vacancy in the Ministry of Revenue, he hurriedly arrived in the capital half a month after Cui Fu left the Guo family.
Upon arriving in Capital, he went to the Ministry of Revenue to handle official business. After three busy days, he finally came to pay his respects to the prince.
Cui Xingzhou didn’t criticize Li Guangcai for his tardiness.
Although Li had previously served as an official in the capital, he had been unable to continue and was driven out. Essentially, he was like any other provincial official.
Thinking of his struggles in the Ministry of War, Cui Xingzhou imagined Li Guangcai’s transition would not be easy either.
When Li Guangcai sat down to explain in detail, it was indeed so. Although the Ministry of Revenue wasn’t as deliberately uncooperative as the Ministry of War in delaying the handover, the tasks assigned to Li Guangcai were mostly mundane accounting work.
Both the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War were firmly controlled by the Empress Dowager’s Gong family faction.
Cui Xingzhou calmly sipped his tea and asked Li Guangcai for his thoughts.
Li Guangcai didn’t seem particularly anxious. He said, “Upon entering the capital this time, I must not be as rash as in my youth, allowing others to find fault. However, to gain real power, one must also find leverage against certain individuals. Only with something in hand can one make a move…”
Cui Xingzhou felt that he and Li Guangcai, having passed the imperial examinations together, truly thought alike. He instructed Mo Ru to retrieve a stack of papers from his study drawer and hand them to Li Guangcai.
“You’ve just arrived in the capital and need to test the waters. I’ve compiled some ready-made leverage here. See if you can use it?”
Li Guangcai was surprised that the Prince of Huaiyang, known for his battlefield prowess and strategic insight, could engage in such meticulous work. At first, he assumed the prince had assigned others to collect the information.
However, upon closer inspection of the handwriting on the papers, he realized they were all written by the prince himself. It suddenly dawned on him that this might all be information Huaiyang Wang had personally gathered.
After reviewing the documents, Li Guangcai’s eyes gleamed. “Your Highness, if we dig into these matters, it could expose a major case of embezzlement of Western military funds by collusion between the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue!”
Cui Xingzhou shook his head. “I was the Western commander-in-chief at the time. If we investigate this case, it might backfire, with people accusing me of seeking personal revenge. Remember, to intimidate the small fry, we don’t need bloodshed. We just need to grip their throats tightly. If the case becomes too big, they’ll be scared witless and won’t dare implicate the Prince of Sui or the Grand Empress Dowager. But if we focus on minor cases that can still ruin these officials’ careers, the Gong family faction won’t bother to intervene. You can then use these small cases to control these minor officials and make them do your bidding.”
Li Guangcai, seasoned in the ways of officialdom, was no longer the idealistic young scholar he once was. He immediately understood the implications of Cui Xingzhou’s words.
To dispel the dark clouds, one might need to walk alongside them for a while. They must not be too black and white, lest they alarm their targets.
Realizing that the Prince of Huaiyang had personally compiled information on these officials’ social networks and past accomplishments and failures, Li Guangcai knew he needed to be even more cautious to help the prince execute this grand strategy.
After discussing official matters, the two men rekindled their old friendship from their days as examination candidates and began to chat casually.
Li Guangcai seemed to casually inquire about the well-being of the prince’s elder sister, Cui Fu. He recalled that in previous correspondence with the prince, Cui Xingzhou had mentioned that Cui Fu was currently residing in the prince’s mansion.
Cui Xingzhou sighed slightly and spoke of his sister’s intention to divorce the Guo family.
Li Guangcai listened with furrowed brows, clenching his fist. “To think the Duke of Qing’s household is such a chaotic place! Given Miss Cui’s temperament, how could she… possibly endure it?”
Cui Xingzhou glanced at him and changed the subject. “Brother Li, there’s no need to worry about my sister. She has my protection.”
Li Guangcai opened his mouth slightly, as if wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
At that moment, Mian Tang sent someone to inform them that the meal was ready, inviting the prince and Li Guangcai to dine.
As it was a private dinner at the prince’s mansion, there was no need to separate men and women as was customary among commoners. Although Li Guangcai was an outsider, Mian Tang and Cui Fu also joined the meal.
As Mian Tang was serving Cui Fu some sweet and sour fish, she glanced at Li Guangcai and noticed that the usually smiling magistrate of Maolü County seemed to avoid looking directly at Cui Fu, his gaze tinged with sympathy.
That look of tenderness was hardly appropriate for viewing a pregnant woman; it was more like admiring a sixteen-year-old beauty in her prime.
At the dinner table, the three who had known each other since youth inevitably reminisced, bringing a smile to Cui Fu’s recently dejected face.
They recited poetry and engaged in refined conversation, creating an atmosphere of high culture at the table.
Mian Tang, unable to contribute much, made a token effort with a simple rhyme before wisely falling silent and focusing on her meal.
After the dinner ended and the intoxicated Li Guangcai was escorted to rest by servants, Mian Tang and the prince retired for their afternoon nap. Yawning, Mian Tang said, “Should I also study poetry and literature to avoid embarrassing you at future gatherings?”
Cui Xingzhou, who was removing her socks and massaging her feet, frowned at her words. “What’s the point of learning these things? Such poetry recitals often lead to people inappropriately flirting through verse.”
In the capital, countless libertines used their literary talents to seduce married noblewomen. Mian Tang was already naturally beautiful; if she joined some poetry society and affected refined airs, it would be like opening the door wide for potential adulterers.
Mian Tang hadn’t expected that for her, studying poetry and literature would be equated with attracting wild men! Her enthusiasm for cultivating literary pursuits was thoroughly dampened.
She tilted her head and asked, “Did Li Guangcai flirt with anyone through his poetry earlier?”
Reminded by Cui Xingzhou’s warning, Mian Tang recalled Li Guangcai’s recitations about “remembering the past, under the pear blossoms, by the small window,” which did seem quite stirring.
Concerned about his sister’s reputation, even the Prince of Huaiyang, who had practically acted as a matchmaker, refused to admit it. He merely raised an eyebrow and said, “It was all proper poetry. Don’t make baseless accusations.”
However, although Mian Tang might not understand poetry, she had a good memory. She began to recall Li Guangcai’s verses line by line, asking about the allusions within them.
Cui Xingzhou grew impatient with her questions and finally silenced her chattering cherry-like lips with his own, effectively ending the interrogation.
Compared to her cunning brother, Cui Fu was much more forthcoming. The next day, while riding in a carriage with Mian Tang to a mountain temple to offer incense and eat vegetarian food, she briefly shared some stories of her youthful encounters with Li Guangcai.
“He was staying at the prince’s mansion then and was Xingzhou’s classmate, so naturally, I became quite familiar with him. We even started a poetry society together. Li Guangcai was very knowledgeable and quite admirable.”
Mian Tang smiled slightly. “Sister, since you’re planning to divorce the Guo family, you should consider your future… Li Guangcai would be a good choice, if only… his family background weren’t so ordinary…”
Cui Fu quickly interjected, “Stop right there! What are you saying? Even if I had the divorce papers in hand, I’m already a middle-aged woman with two children. How could I possibly be worthy of Li Guangcai?”
Mian Tang smiled and said no more. In matters of the heart, all Cui Xingzhou could do was play matchmaker. The rest would depend on fate.
But as a daughter of the Prince of Huaiyang’s household, Cui Fu would have no shortage of suitors, especially given that she was still in her prime, not an aging matron. However, if she wished to find someone who loved her for herself, regardless of her illustrious background, that might prove challenging.
Just then, they heard the sound of gongs announcing an approaching procession.
Fan Hu rode up to Mian Tang’s carriage to report, “There’s an imperial procession on the mountain road behind us. It’s said that a palace consort is going to the temple to offer incense.”
Upon hearing this, Mian Tang instructed, “Guide our carriage to the side road to make way for the palace consort.”
The Prince of Huaiyang’s carriage train was thus directed to the side.
Soon after, amidst fluttering banners, an ornate palace carriage led by eunuch officials slowly approached.
However, as the carriage reached the side road, it stopped in front of Mian Tang’s vehicle.
Mian Tang and Cui Fu were kneeling by the roadside, waiting for the carriage to pass, when they heard a voice from above, “Isn’t this the Princess of Huaiyang? What a coincidence that I should meet an old acquaintance here.”