When she lay down for the night, Huai Zhi's stomach growled.
She hadn't eaten much at the Huai residence, and after everything that had happened upon her return, her stomach could no longer hold out—it began to rumble.
Afraid of waking Cui Jingci, she curled up into a ball, trying to muffle the sounds from her stomach, but it was all in vain.
She heard Cui Jingci beside her get up and then leave the room. She assumed he must have gone to relieve himself.
But when he returned, he woke her and brought her a plate of pastries.
Huai Zhi was overwhelmed by the unexpected kindness. "Young master, you—"
Cui Jingci said, "Xuanshuang."
Huai Zhi quickly corrected herself. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she asked, "Did you hear my stomach growling?"
Cui Jingci didn't answer but instead asked in return, "Didn't you say you ate at home?"
Huai Zhi nodded. "I did eat, just didn't get full."
Cui Jingci tapped her on the head. "If you're not full, you should say so."
The lamp in the room had already been extinguished, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering in from outside. The occasional chirping of cicadas could still be heard, keeping the place from feeling too desolate. Huai Zhi looked at her husband by the bedside—the man carried a thin layer of moonlight on his back. In this dim light, his figure and features weren't entirely clear, but precisely because they weren't so clear, Huai Zhi's mind had already transformed him into a little immortal among the celestial ranks.
She said, "Thank you, Xuanshuang."
She took the pastries and moved off the bed. She knew Cui Jingci valued cleanliness, so it was best not to eat on the bed.
Cui Jingci smiled faintly. "Remember to rinse your mouth after eating."
Huai Zhi gave a soft, sticky "mm" and said, "Alright."
Cui Jingci watched Huai Zhi's retreating figure, a sneer forming in his heart.
He had only been driven to this by the noise of her stomach—he couldn't take it anymore. A small gesture of kindness, and yet here she was, moved to pieces.
Though Cui Jingci was only twenty-seven, he had seen many people—seasoned schemers in officialdom, and the People of Yuanyuan. He didn't actually enjoy toying with people's hearts, but if he did toy with them, it wasn't deliberate; it was just a matter of convenience.
Circling back around, Cui Jingci concluded once again that his judgment was indeed sharp—he had picked out an outstandingly useless fool at first try.
Let the useless fool bear a child soon, to compete with his other worthless brothers for their worthless father's inheritance.
He might look down on his father's estate, but he simply didn't want it falling into the hands of that pile of trash.
Cui Jingci stayed at home for five days, and soon it was time to return to the yamen and resume his duties.
He had won victories in the north back then. After returning to the capital, he was first promoted in the Ministry of War to Vice Director—a civil post—and later served in the Central Military Command as Assistant Commander, a proper second-rank military official. Such a high-ranking substantive position was the envy of many. Cui Jingci spent most of his time at the Ministry of War, but due to his health, many important matters were not assigned to him, nor was he asked to participate in major decisions.
Moreover, given the special circumstances of this dynasty—the late emperor having passed early, and the young emperor on the throne being only fourteen—the emperor was kind-hearted and considerate of him. His post was not revoked, and he was simply left to coast through his days.
Despite his military merits, he was essentially a sinecure official in court, only responsible for reporting to and leaving duty as usual, with nothing else to manage.
The entire Lanchun Courtyard was staffed entirely by Cui Jingci's own people. Sometimes he would rise early and practice his sword in the courtyard—a habit he had maintained for years.
In the past, there had been no need to conceal this activity, but now there was Huai Zhi to consider.
Unfortunately, Huai Zhi woke earlier than even the roosters. To keep her from knowing, Cui Jingci, who could once practice his sword right in the courtyard, now had to take a long detour all the way to the study.
Every time he returned, he would also wipe the sweat from his body.
This sneaking-around feeling occasionally made Cui Jingci feel bewildered—wasn't this his own home?
But whenever he thought of Huai Zhi seeing him brandishing his sword with bold, sweeping movements, it might become difficult for her to believe his clumsy lies in the future.
Once trust was lost, it could easily drag in other troubles.
One day, when he returned from outside, Huai Zhi had already gotten out of bed. She knew that Cui Jingci sometimes rose early to go out, but she didn't know what he did. Seeing that his face was sometimes slightly flushed, and that he would go to wash himself upon returning, she thought that perhaps he had taken a walk outside—maybe walking to exercise his body?
The servants brought out his official robes, and Huai Zhi could tell that he was going to report for duty today.
She watched as he put on the crimson official robe. His shoulders were broad and his legs long, and he looked no different from any ordinary person. The loose round-collar robe did not look bulky on him at all; instead, it accentuated the straight, bamboo-like lines of his shoulders and back. The crimson robe brought out a sharper, more refined aura in him—sword-like brows, starry eyes, a high straight nose—strikingly brilliant and eye-catching.
Huai Zhi sighed inwardly. His features really were exceptionally handsome; even a loose official robe took on a distinctive charm when he wore it.
She asked him, "Is my lord going to report for duty today?"
Cui Jingci hummed in acknowledgment.
The two of them didn't have much to say to each other. After sharing breakfast together, he left. Huai Zhi leaned against the doorway, watching his retreating figure until it completely disappeared from sight.
After he left, Huai Zhi had nothing to do, so she began tidying the inner room and straightening the bedding.
When Mianmian saw this, she hurriedly said, "Madam, you don't need to do these things. We'll take care of them."
Huai Zhi said, "I have nothing else to do anyway."
Even if she had nothing to do, she shouldn't be doing these things.
If the young master found out, the servants beneath him would be punished. Mianmian knew Huai Zhi's temperament well, and after a few words of persuasion, she managed to stop her.
Huai Zhi had barely settled down for a moment when someone came from outside to say that the First Madam had summoned her.
Cui Jingci's relationship with his stepmother was poor. He had even once told her plainly that she didn't need to pay her respects to Madam He—if she truly wanted to pay respects to someone, she should pay them to his late mother's memorial tablet.
Huai Zhi felt this wasn't appropriate and would easily give others cause for gossip, but Cui Jingci just smiled and said, "Huai Zhi, it won't happen. I'm here."
She was already looked down upon by others anyway; paying respects wouldn't make anyone think more highly of her.
But Huai Zhi didn't catch the implication beneath Cui Jingci's words. Hearing him say this, she eventually let the matter go.
She also had her own little calculations. If Cui Jingci and Madam He had a poor relationship, then going to pay her respects would most likely result in her being ground down by her mother-in-law. Not only would she gain nothing good, but it would also upset Cui Jingci.
So during these days, she had followed his instructions and paid her respects to his late mother's memorial tablet instead.
And now, the moment Cui Jingci left for duty, someone from Lianxin Courtyard came to summon her. Huai Zhi wondered whether it was a coincidence or deliberate.
But no matter how she looked at it, Madam He was indeed her mother-in-law. Since she had taken the initiative to summon her over, how could Huai Zhi dare to decline? She didn't delay and went over right away.
When she arrived, she found that not only was Madam He there, but also her sister-in-law Lu Yunlan, who had entered the household six months before her, and Madam He's daughter, Cui Yongxin, were present as well.
Huai Zhi had heard from Mianmian that Lu Yunlan came from no humble background—her father was the Chief Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. Mianmian hadn't said whether Lu Yunlan was worth befriending, only telling Huai Zhi that she was proud and haughty, not easy to get along with.
When the three of them saw her arrive, their expressions were far from friendly.
Huai Zhi was no stranger to this kind of natural disdain.
It was the contempt of those above for those below.
They belonged to the upper echelons of high society, with their own set of standards and rules, and she happened to sit at the very bottom of those standards. Seeing her in such a light was only to be expected. They made no effort to hide the disgust on their faces—even the least perceptive person could sense the aversion and discern the scorn within it.
When Madam He saw her arrive, she didn't offer her a seat, only telling her to stand.
She immediately began interrogating Huai Zhi, demanding to know why she hadn't come to pay her respects. Didn't she, as a daughter-in-law, know to honor her elders?
Huai Zhi answered truthfully, saying, "I burn incense for the late mistress every day."
Whether these blunt words were meant as deliberate mockery or were simply spoken without thought, the faces of everyone present changed dramatically—especially Madam He's, whose expression turned extremely sour.
Lu Yunlan said, "I understand now. You only acknowledge the late mistress, not the current head of the household sitting before you? You ignorant woman, do you even know what you're saying?"
Madam He fumed, "This is no place for you to run wild!"
Huai Zhi perhaps couldn't understand why they were so angered by her words, but she could see that she had misspoken, and immediately dared not speak another word.
When she was a child during festivals, when relatives gathered together, she would shrink into a corner and stay silent. Occasionally she'd open her mouth, only to be scolded by her father, who said she was clumsy with words and would do better to stay quiet.
Now she realized that she truly was so clumsy with words that she had nothing left to say—the moment she spoke, she made a mistake.
Lu Yunlan and the others looked furious, and Huai Zhi dared not utter another word, afraid that the more she said, the more wrong she'd be. She let them scold her as they pleased.
Poor Huai Zhi—at first she was berated to the point of having no retort, but then she was grateful when they veered off into grand lectures about propriety and righteousness, gradually beginning to quote the classics. Huai Zhi slowly lost track of what they were saying, until eventually it went in one ear and out the other, and her mind began to wander.
Mianmian, however, could no longer bear to listen. She knew they were targeting Huai Zhi, taking advantage of her easygoing nature. She stepped forward and said, "Might the madams and young mistresses be speaking a bit too grandly? Our mistress has only just arrived at the Cui household—how would she know the ins and outs of these matters? She simply does whatever the young master tells her to do."
If there was a problem, would they dare go find trouble with Cui Jingci?
That master—which of them dared to provoke him?
Since Cui Jingci had fallen ill, he had become much more restrained—likely because he no longer had the strength to cause trouble—but the things he had done in the household in previous years were still vivid in their memories. That man was a demon star reincarnated; whoever in the household displeased him, he would beat them to death!
Huai Zhi didn't know why, but she saw Madam He look as though she had swallowed a live mouse, suddenly struck speechless.
She didn't continue with what she had been saying, only glaring coldly at Mianmian. "When your mistress is speaking, what makes you, a servant, think you can interrupt?"
Huai Zhi had never seen a scene like this before, but she quickly discerned who was right and who was wrong. She shielded Mianmian behind her, saying nothing, yet silently making her stance clear.
Her sister-in-law spoke up from the side. "Mother, this sister-in-law doesn't seem to understand what people are saying. She probably hasn't had any schooling, has she? Saying anything more to her is just casting pearls before swine."
If Huai Zhi had any temper at all, she would have known that Cui Yongxin's words warranted being cursed out on the spot. But she was afraid of causing trouble, and she was slow with words. Besides, what Cui Yongxin said wasn't untrue—she truly couldn't read a single character.
Fortunately, because she didn't understand etiquette, she also didn't understand the shame and disgrace they spoke of, so she didn't feel particularly humiliated by those words.
After being wrung through the wringer by them, Huai Zhi stayed until nearly lunchtime before she was finally released.
After she left, the three of them remained behind, mulling over her behavior.
This person seemed dull and simple-minded—even being humiliated like this, she remained unmoved. Was she truly not angry, or was she hiding her intelligence and deliberately masking it? Last time at the tea ceremony, Madam He had intended to set her up for spilling the tea, yet she had pulled that stunt instead. Was this person genuinely foolish, or was she pretending to be?
Lu Yunlan rubbed her brow and said, "These lowborns are all the same—full of schemes, delighting in playing mind games with others."
The other two had nothing to dispute.
Cui Yongxin sat in her chair, swinging her legs, those beautiful eyes carrying a kind of innocent malice. She said, "What does it matter if she's truly foolish or faking it? As long as we can bully her, that's enough."
Huai Zhi didn't take what had happened at Lianxin Courtyard to heart. When she returned, the dishes at Lanchun Courtyard were already prepared, and she devoted herself entirely to the matter of eating.
She wasn't picky, and the dishes were good—she couldn't bear to waste them.
Sitting alone, she polished off all three plates of food.
Mianmian asked, "Madam, aren't you feeling too full?"
Huai Zhi said, "A little."
Actually, she was very full.
Mianmian said, "Then you could have left some."
After Mianmian said this, she thought about it and decided against pursuing the matter. Huai Zhi was clearly someone who had never had enough to eat before, treating thrift with food as a virtue. She probably wouldn't leave leftovers. Mianmian would have to tell the kitchen staff to be mindful of portions next time—otherwise, with the way she ate everything put in front of her without refusal, getting fat would be the least of the concerns. If she hurt herself, that would be the real suffering.
When Cui Jingci returned, Mianmian immediately told him about what had happened that morning.
When Cui Jingci heard that someone had come from Lianxin Courtyard, his handsome brows furrowed.
Mianmian followed at his heels, tattling, recounting the words they had used to humiliate Huai Zhi that morning.
Those young ladies and madams had gone too far! Their young master wasn't even dead yet! And they dared to humiliate his wife like this! Were they insulting the young madam, or were they insulting their young master? What malicious intent!
After hearing it all, Cui Jingci showed no great emotional reaction, only asking, "Was Huai Zhi upset? Did she eat well after coming back?"
Mianmian let out an "uh," but didn't dare hold anything back. "She ate, she did. Today, with three plates of dishes, she had a bowl and a half of rice."
One person, over a bowl of rice, three plates of dishes.
Cui Jingci smiled, his eyes showing undisguised praise. He said, "Impressive."
Huai Zhi's stomach was very flat and thin, with not an ounce of flesh on it. When he was at it, he could even see his own shape.
Unexpectedly, Huai Zhi's stomach, so small as it was, could hold so much.