A gust of wind carried the rich, fragrant scent of osmanthus blossoms from outside into the room, but not one person inside had the mind to appreciate it. Cui Yingshu stood by the window looking at the osmanthus flowers scattered all over the ground outside, then turned back with an “oh” and instructed Nanny Little Xu to return and continue watching over Cui Hualuan.
Princess Duanhui glanced at his expression and stepped forward to stand before him. “Hualuan is a clever child. She won’t be swayed by her provocation.” If it weren’t for Cui Yingshu saying he wanted to see what Yang Shi was scheming and allowing Yang Shi to enter, she would never have wanted Yang Shi to have any contact with Cui Hualuan. Cui Hualuan had finally managed to move forward. If a few words from Yang Shi caused her to harbor foolish thoughts again, that would truly be… She naturally felt sorry for her own daughter and had indeed entertained thoughts of strengthening ties through marriage at the beginning. But since Zhou Weizhao had no such intention, she wasn’t the type to sell her daughter for glory. Never mind that the Grand Prince liked Song Chuyi—even if the Grand Prince liked no one but simply didn’t fancy Cui Hualuan, she wouldn’t have Cui Hualuan warm up to someone’s cold rejection.
Cui Yingshu said nothing. He waited for another long while until Shuanghua reported that Yang Shi’s side had sent a wet nurse to take leave. Only then did he nod to Princess Duanhui. “You see her off. I’ll go check on Hualuan.”
Cui Yingshu hadn’t spent much time with his daughter—counting it up, even less than Princess Duanhui. Cui Hualuan hadn’t been particularly close to him in the past, but during this period in the capital, he had deliberately drawn closer and communicated more with his daughter. They could now talk quite well. When he entered Cui Hualuan’s courtyard and saw her sitting by the window in a daze, he coughed to catch her attention and smiled at her before entering.
Cui Hualuan had already quickly stood up to greet him. Seeing his gaze fall on the small black box on her table, she said to him, “The Princess Consort of Prince Gong brought it. She said it’s a gift from Master.”
Cui Hualuan had been taught by Madam Qin for many years and was very close to her—closer than ordinary teacher-student relationships, almost like family. Cui Yingshu nodded and sat down across from her. “Madam Qin is a very unique woman. She has great insight and vision far broader than ordinary women. She doesn’t let romantic entanglements occupy her heart, so naturally she appears more transcendent.”
Cui Hualuan pressed her lips together and glanced at her father. Seeing him looking intently at her, she clicked open the lock on the small black box with a snap. “It’s a box of pearls.”
Each one was perfectly round, gleaming with iridescent light in the sunlight, extraordinarily beautiful. Cui Hualuan closed the lid. “This doesn’t seem like something Master would send. The Princess Consort of Prince Gong used Master as a pretext, claiming she had something to give me, but her real purpose was to come speak to me about those things.”
A smile appeared in Cui Yingshu’s eyes. His daughter was far more clear-headed than he had imagined, and also far more sensible and rational. He made an affirmative sound. “When Father talked to you about this matter last time, I already explained the reasoning clearly. But reasoning is one thing—people often understand principles yet cannot act accordingly. It seems now that you are someone who achieves unity of knowledge and action.”
Cui Hualuan smiled, tilting her head to look at her father with a grin. “Father praises me too much. If the Princess Consort of Prince Gong had said these things back when we were in Jinzhong, I would definitely have fought desperately to compete. But what am I competing for now?”
She paused, then pushed the box aside with an air of detachment. “His Highness the Grand Prince likes Xiaoyi so much that he’s willing to risk his life for her time and again. Is there any question about his choice? And since it’s his choice, he naturally must bear the consequences. Whether or not Xiaoyi likes him, whether she’ll treat him well in the future—what does any of that have to do with me?”
Though Cui Yingshu knew she had become more carefree than before, he hadn’t expected her to see through things so clearly all at once. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Speaking this way makes Father afraid. Those who don’t know might think you’ve achieved enlightenment.”
Cui Hualuan didn’t avoid the topic. “I have indeed achieved enlightenment. I don’t know about other principles, but I do know that His Highness the Grand Prince doesn’t like me. Master was absolutely right—there are far too many interesting and meaningful things in this world. To make myself unrecognizable for someone who doesn’t like me, and still cling to them desperately—that’s too beneath my dignity and truly too foolish.” Seeing Cui Yingshu nod, she asked, “I know Prince Gong has met with disaster, and the Princess Consort of Prince Gong probably resents the Eastern Palace and the Song family. But why did the Princess Consort of Prince Gong come to me specifically to say these things? Does she really expect our family to fall out with the Song family over me? She thinks too highly of me.”
And also looked down too much on Cui Yingshu and the Cui family’s vision and judgment.
Cui Yingshu shook his head. When it came to serious matters, he became much more solemn. “Back in Taiyuan, when you were still an infant, your mother was always muttering about forming a marriage alliance with her sister-in-law the Crown Princess. She must have seized upon exactly this point to come provoke us. Though it’s not really that she thinks it’s for your sake—she probably thinks the Cui family wouldn’t be willing to give up the fat piece of meat that is the future Empress Mother, or… she thinks that even if the Cui family doesn’t compete, if you developed such thoughts, the Cui family would go with the flow and push you forward to the Grand Prince’s side to get a share. Once this step is taken, naturally there would be no stopping afterward—if the Cui family has a daughter of their own by the Grand Prince’s side, how could they maintain aligned interests with the Song family in the future? The Cui and Song families are ultimately not one family. At that time, with a niece on one side and a biological daughter on the other, there would naturally have to be a distinction of closeness and distance. She’s quite the schemer.”
Not only was she a schemer, but she calculated everything crystal clear. If it were the old Cui Hualuan, she might truly have bitten down and refused to let go, begging Princess Duanhui to make it happen.
Cui Yingshu understood his daughter’s meaning. A weight lifted from his heart. He patted her head. “Your master taught you well. There are countless fine men under heaven. How could it be that you must truly revolve around just one Grand Prince?”
He didn’t say these words to the Grand Prince. After taking their seats at Zhongyin Pavilion, he first told him about the Princess Consort of Prince Gong’s visit. “I thought that since she went to the palace and stirred up trouble before Her Majesty the Empress, she wouldn’t come to my house for nothing. I wanted to see what she intended to do, so I had the Princess Consort receive her. When she said she wanted to see Hualuan, I also let her see her.”
Zhou Weizhao hadn’t escorted Prince Gong all the way to the Imperial Mausoleum. He had only accompanied him for part of the journey before returning. Having just finished reporting to Emperor Jianzhang, he had rushed out. Now, hearing Cui Yingshu say this, he raised an eyebrow. “She wants to incite the Cui family to send their daughter to my side?”
Who said that growing up on Longhu Mountain and mixing with a group of Daoist priests for so long would turn someone into a wooden post? It didn’t seem entirely true. After all, the masters of the Zhengyi sect could all marry. Having witnessed his senior brothers finding wives through daily exposure, it seemed he had learned quite a bit on Longhu Mountain as well. Cui Yingshu thought seriously for a moment with a straight face, then nodded.