Cui Yaoning found the noise annoying and tugged at the bell by her bed.
The commotion outside immediately stopped. After a short while, Baoqin lifted the curtain and came in, calling softly, “Miss.”
Because she hadn’t slept well, Cui Yaoning looked tired. She raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples, leaned against the headboard, and asked, “What all the noise outside?”
Baoqin, usually a composed person, gave a wry smile. “Sixth Miss and Seventh Miss bumped into each other when they arrived.”
Not long after Cui Xuan sat down in the courtyard, she had received word from her mother and rushed to Sishi Courtyard. As soon as she arrived, she ran into Cui Xiuxiu, who was coming out.
Cui Xuan had always been domineering, inheriting the temperament of the Second Branch’s mistress, Madam Wei. She usually didn’t even care about the eldest daughter of the main branch, let alone her half-sister.
The two started arguing as soon as they met.
The problem was that all the servants in the courtyard were in a difficult position.
Whether it was the Seventh Miss or the Sixth Miss, they were both young lady to Baoqin and the others. They dared not intervene too much and could only hope that the argument would be quiet enough not to wake their young lady.
Unexpectedly, it still woke her up.
After Baoqin finished explaining, Cui Yaoning rubbed her temples, pulled the curtains closed, and instructed her to invite the young ladied in to talk.
She picked up the zither and went downstairs.
Cui Yaoning casually put on a jacket and saw Cui Xuan with an angry face and Cui Xiuxiu with her head bowed, tears streaming down her face.
Normally, Cui Yaoning would have asked what was going on, but this time she ignored it. She leaned against the daybed and spoke slowly and deliberately, “What were you two arguing about outside?”
Both of them looked up.
She had seemingly just gotten up and hadn’t even combed her hair. Her thick black hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, highlighting her fair skin and delicate features, making her already beautiful face even more radiant. When her naturally stunning beauty turned cold, no one dared meet her gaze for more than a second.
Cui Xuan felt guilty for disturbing her, but when she thought of Cui Xiuxiu, her anger flared again. “If I hadn’t come, who knows what tricks she would have used to harm you?”
As she spoke, she slammed a letter onto the tea table with a loud smack.
This letter must have been snatched from Cui Xiuxiu. The cover was crumpled and wrinkled, and at the top, in large characters, it read,”To Ninth Miss.” The handwriting was elegant and powerful.
Cui Yaoning glanced at it and recognized Pei Yu’s handwriting.
In her past life, Pei Yu often wrote her letters.
He would mostly talk about interesting and new things, where he had been, what snacks he had eaten. Sometimes, he would include a new painting or poem for her to enjoy.
Cui Yaoning was physically weak and rarely left the mansion. For her, those were things she longed to do but could not.
Receiving Pei Yu’s letters had been the happiest time for her.
Judging by the timing, this one should have been sent around now.
Cui Yaoning shifted her gaze to Cui Xiuxiu and asked leisurely, “Sixth Sister, don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Cui Xiuxiu wiped her tears with her handkerchief. Seeing that Cui Yaoning was looking at her, she said with red eyes, “I know you don’t want to see me, but the letter A-yu sent you has arrived. I thought that no matter what our relationship is, he is innocent. Please don’t take your anger out on him.”
Cui Yaoning and Pei Yu’s correspondence had all been facilitated by Cui Xiuxiu, who forwarded the letters to her.
She had never thought much of it before, but now it struck her as ironic.
A faint chill appeared in Cui Yaoning’s eyes.
Shouldn’t she not take her anger out on Pei Yu?
Just hearing his name now made her feel disgusted. He had destroyed not only their youthful friendship but also the spirited young man in her heart.
Moreover, she wasn’t even sure if Pei Yu had been involved in the Cui family’s affairs.
“If there is—”
Cui Yaoning’s breath caught for a moment, then she exhaled heavily.
She wanted him dead.
Hearing this, Cui Xuan’s anger flared. She glared at Cui Xiuxiu and scolded, “What are you up to, Cui Xiuxiu? You saw that Ninth Sister was young and tricked her into corresponding with your penniless cousin, as if you were afraid people would criticize you for having an affair, right?”
The Zhou dynasty was open-minded and unconcerned with trivial matters.
If men and women interacted, it should be open and honest. Why act like Cui Xiuxiu, who comes from a humble background? There was nothing wrong with the correspondence itself, but by making it seem secretive, who knew what people might misunderstand if word got out?
A daughter’s reputation was too important to risk.
Cui Xuan didn’t believe that Cui Xiuxiu was unaware of the potential consequences.
Tears streamed down Cui Xiuxiu’s face as soon as she opened her mouth. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean that. I was just thinking about how Ninth Sister used to look forward to receiving A-Yu’s letters the most…”
She paused, choking up as she continued, “I thought that if Ninth Sister got A-Yu’s letter, she might be happy. And if she was happy, maybe she would reconcile with me.”
Her careful words even brought tears to the eyes of the maid beside her.
The maid wiped her own tears and said, “Ninth Miss, you know how our young lady has always treated you. How can you doubt her because of some baseless rumors? Isn’t this just needlessly damaging your childhood friendship?”
“Our young lady cried all night yesterday, and her eyes are still swollen this morning. It’s a good thing she isn’t married yet, otherwise, how could she face anyone?”
The maid’s tone carried a faint resentment.
Cui Yaoning glanced at her.
The maid was unfamiliar, unlike the ones who usually served Cui Xiuxiu closely. She must have been newly transferred to the courtyard.
Cui Yaoning said nothing and leaned back lazily.
Baoqin stepped forward with a cold face and scolded, “You ill-mannered girl! Who taught you to speak to your mistress like that? Xingyu, call a few old women over to teach her a lesson.”
Xingyu responded with a “yes” and summoned several older women.
These women usually did the heavy work in the courtyard and were very strong. They grabbed the young maid who had spoken out and slapped her twice across the face.
The young maid was terrified and cried, begging, “Ninth Miss, spare me! Ninth Miss, spare me!”
Baoqin, worried she would disturb her young lady, had two of the old women escort the maid out.
Cui Xiuxiu’s heart tightened, and she gripped her handkerchief tightly.
Cui Yaoning played with her slender fingers and said casually, “Sixth Sister, if you don’t remember clearly, I’ll tell you again, but there won’t be a third time.”
“Pei Yu and I were just playmates. Now that I’m coming of age, I must naturally avoid suspicion and prevent anything from getting out that could ruin my reputation.”
“I won’t accept this letter. I trust Sixth Sister is smart enough not to repeat the same mistake.”
Cui Yaoning didn’t even look at the letter. She had Xingyu pick it up and return it to her, saying calmly, “If something like this happens again, I’ll have to ask my grandmother and second uncle to decide.”
“Carry the zither and see the guest off.”
Cui Xiuxiu’s face turned pale and then red, but seeing Cui Yaoning’s expression, she dared not speak further and left with her maid.
Cui Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ve finally seen who she really is.”
Cui Yaoning didn’t argue. She had Xingyu bring two cups of tea, took a sip, and asked, “What brings you here?”
Delayed by Cui Xiuxiu until now, Cui Xuan had almost forgotten why she had come. Only after being reminded did she remember, and she hurriedly said, “I knew Grandmother favored you. You just said you liked martial arts, and Grandmother had my mother write a letter inviting my aunt’s nephew to stay for a while. He is the son of the Zheng family of Xingyang.”