Cui Yaoning thought for a moment and said, “Someone from a prestigious family.”
In her previous life, the crown prince had suddenly fallen from power, resulting in the execution of the entire Cui family. She had only learned of their deaths a day later.
She would never allow the same mistakes to be repeated in this lifetime.
‘Since that’s the case, we should choose someone from a wealthy and influential family.’ This would make it easier to gather information and would also make others hesitant to act against them.
Cui Yaoning composed herself and pushed the thoughts aside.
Madam Wang’s expression was somewhat complicated. She felt that her daughter hadn’t fully listened to what she had just said, but she didn’t comment. She simply smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll pick out a few good candidates for you later.”
Cui Yaoning guessed what her mother was thinking and coquettishly hugged her arm. “Mother, I know you’re afraid I’ll be wronged if I marry into a high-class family, but have you ever thought about it? Aren’t there arrogant people in humble families too?”
Madam Wang glared. “He dares?”
Madam Wang was usually gentle, but when it came to her daughter, she could be assertive. With a sneer, she said, “If he dares disrespect you, I’ll immediately have your elder brother take you home, and he can forget about his official position.”
Although Madam Wang’s words sounded bold, she had the confidence to back them up.
The Five Surnames and Seven Clans had always been closely connected, sharing fortunes and misfortunes. Nearly half of the court in the Great Zhou Dynasty came from aristocratic families, so a single move could have far-reaching consequences.
Hearing her mother’s words, Cui Yaoning’s eyes immediately reddened.
Pei Yu understood this principle, which is why he only dared to bully her after the Cui family had fallen into decline. Such a person disgusted her even more than a treacherous villain.
“But what if the crown prince falls from power?”
Before her mother could speak, Cui Yaoning choked up. “I had a dream last night. I dreamt that the entire Cui family was executed. That Pei Yu was so arrogant. When we married, he promised me he would never take a concubine. But after the Cui family was gone, he brought his mistress into the mansion and made me raise their child.”
Just as Madam Wang was about to reprimand her for speaking ill of the royal family, a serious offense that shouldn’t be discussed, she heard the little girl’s suppressed sobs.
Listening more closely, her annoyance instantly grew threefold.
Madam Wang hurriedly pulled her into her arms, but the little girl refused to struggle free. Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, and her crying broke Madam Wang’s heart.
No one knew better than Madam Wang what a spoiled child she had given birth to.
Her daughter was the youngest in the household. When she was born, she weighed less than three pounds, and her cries were as soft as a kitten’s. The family had spent a fortune on medicine and care for this delicate little girl. As she grew, everyone, from the old lady to the maids, doted on her.
Especially the old lady, who disliked the eldest branch of the family, showered this granddaughter with affection. It was no wonder the second branch felt envious.
From childhood to adulthood, Cui Yaoning had been given everything she could want.
This was the first time she had cried so pitifully. Thinking of what Cui Yaoning had said about her dream, Madam Wang instantly felt disgusted with Pei Yu.
Although she knew she shouldn’t take her anger out on him for something that happened in a dream, she couldn’t help herself. Perhaps it was because Cui Yaoning’s words felt so real, as if every event had truly happened.
“Yaoyao, don’t cry,” Madam Wang gently patted her back to comfort her. “Your father, your brother, your grandmother, and I are all here.”
‘This is not a dream!’
‘This have been their fate in their past life!’
Cui Yaoning wanted to tell her, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak, and could only let her tears flow freely.
Madam Wang’s heart ached. As she patted her back, she couldn’t help but scold Pei Yu and she began to dislike the sixth daughter of the second branch as well.
Fortunately, her Yaoyao didn’t fall for it, otherwise, Madam Wang would have wanted to tear her apart.
No wonder her Yaoyao disliked Pei Yu.
Never mind, it was simply that Pei Yu hadn’t had any luck.
Madam Wang thought this indifferently, patting her daughter’s back even more gently.
After crying for a while, Cui Yaoning slowly stopped, sniffed, and climbed out of her mother’s arms, slightly embarrassed.
Madam Wang took a handkerchief and wiped her face. “Have you cried enough?”
Cui Yaoning’s cheeks flushed as she tugged at her mother’s arm coquettishly. “Please stop talking, or I’ll get angry.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything.” Madam Wang tapped the tip of her nose and smiled, instructing the head maid beside her, “Quickly fetch a basin of water and let your young lady wash up. How can she go out looking like a little kitten after crying like that?”
Baoqin covered her mouth and chuckled quietly, then went downstairs to carry out the order.
Cui Yaoning blushed again. “You promised you wouldn’t mention it.”
Madam Wang relented with a smile. “Don’t mention it, don’t mention it.”
After washing her face, Cui Yaoning sat and chatted with her mother for a while before taking Baoqin and Xingyu back to her own Sishi Courtyard.
Passing the long corridor, small flowers lined the way. In the garden’s viewing pavilion, several peach trees, carefully tended by the maids, had bloomed during the day. From a distance, their branches were dusted with a thin layer of snow, making them look delicate and vibrant.
Cui Yaoning got excited and tiptoed to break off a few branches.
Before long, snow began falling again. Judging by its intensity, it probably wouldn’t stop anytime soon, and it seemed like it would snow harder and harder.
There was still quite a distance to go.
Baoqin urged softly, “Miss, please go back quickly. If you like, I can have someone pick some and send them over later. You just recovered from a cold recently. If you catch another one in the snow, the old lady and Madam will worry again.”
Baoqin had been assigned to serve her by her mother. Cui Yaoning respected her deeply, so she didn’t linger and returned to the courtyard.
Lanxiang, Cui Xiuxiu’s head maid, had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time. When she saw them return, she stepped forward and bowed. “Ninth Miss.”
Tao Shuang was unaware that the two young ladies had quarreled earlier that day. She stepped forward with a smile. “Miss, Sister Lanxiang has been waiting here for a long time. She said the Sixth Miss has a message for you.”
Cui Yaoning’s good mood vanished instantly. She winked at Xingyu, then went inside carrying the peach blossoms.
Tao Shuang was momentarily stunned, and just as she was about to ask something, Xingyu pulled her aside to speak.
Baoqin lifted the curtain and followed her inside.
Lanxiang forced a bitter smile. The Sixth Miss had instructed her that she would face consequences if she failed, so she had no choice but to follow. “Ninth Miss, my lady has a message for you,” she said.
Inside, the heating system was on, creating a temperature completely opposite to the cold outside.
Cui Yaoning felt warm, so she immediately took off her cloak, hung her zither on the rack, and closed the window tightly. Then her maid approached and asked, “You just got caught in the snow outside, would you like to change into some clean clothes, Miss?”
From beginning to end, no one paid any attention to Lanxiang.
Lanxiang understood why and felt no resentment, waiting respectfully. After a while, she saw the Ninth Miss emerge, dressed in a plain-colored jacket and a crimson silk skirt. The simplicity of her attire only accentuated her incomparable beauty. Her charming, bright phoenix eyes swept across the room, making hearts flutter.
Cui Yaoning leaned against the chaise longue, playing with the peach blossom in her hand, and casually asked, “Tell me, what message does she want you to deliver?”