Chарter 10: I Am Verу Fоrtunаtе Тhаt It Was Yоur Sistеr Whо Mаrried intо the Prinсе’s Mаnor
With thе sоund оf that vоiсe, Хiао Lin strоdе thrоugh thе doоr.
Bеhind him fоllowed Father Сui, whosе eхрrеssiоn was grim, and Shеn Zhiheng, whosе brоw wаs tightlу furrowеd.
Cui Ruуue’s faсе раlеd slightly. Аfter a momеnt оf stunnеd silеnсe, she bowеd in grееting. “I pаy mу respесts tо thе Princе.”
Хiao Lin ignоred her аnd strоdе dirеctlу tо Cui Jin’s side. When Cui Jin saw him, her eуes lit uр, but thеn shе sееmed tо remember sоmething аnd hurriedlу turned аway to wipe the corners of her eyes.
Xiao Lin paused slightly.
He had originally thought that arriving a little later was not a big deal—indulging Lin Zhao’s wishes was acceptable—but he had not expected that Cui Jin would be mocked and even misunderstood because of it.
He asked Cui Ruyue coldly, “Who told you that the Princess Consort poisoned the Secondary Consort?”
Cui Ruyue instinctively glanced at Shen Zhiheng.
Shen Zhiheng’s eyes darkened slightly. He cupped his hands and explained, “Your Highness, please forgive me. This student merely overheard a servant of the Cui residence mention it in passing. Out of concern for my wife’s sister, I made some conjectures. I never intended to offend the Princess Consort.”
After all, he had once served as a Minister. With just a few words, he shifted the suspicion onto the Cui family.
If Cui Jin had truly been accused of poisoning yesterday, his words now would serve as evidence—even the Cui family’s servants were well aware of it. How could Cui Jin clear her name?
Cui Jin looked at him coldly. “When and where did you hear this, and from whom?”
Just as Shen Zhiheng was about to speak, Cui Jin continued, “You did not visit the Cui residence yesterday, so there is no way you could have overheard the servants discussing it. And today… from the moment you entered until now, you have been accompanied by others. May I ask where you heard this, from whom, and who can verify it?”
Shen Zhiheng’s expression stiffened.
After a moment’s pause, he explained, “Yesterday, when Ruyue was injured, I sent someone to inform the Cui residence. The servant overheard someone mention it in passing. It must have been a misunderstanding on his part. Rumors often become distorted after being passed around.”
“Shen Lang! How could you—”
“Ruyue,” Shen Zhiheng interrupted her.
Cui Ruyue could not bear to see him bowing his head to Cui Jin like this. It made her feel as if she, too, had been diminished.
She also did not understand why they could not expose the truth about Cui Jin’s poisoning but instead had to cover for her.
Shen Zhiheng simply took her hand, quietly soothing her.
Cui Jin let out a light laugh. “I will take your word for it for now… I hope you understand that if I were to insist on investigating who is slandering me—for example, by finding the servant from the Shen family who came to deliver the message yesterday and tracing his movements after entering the residence—the truth would soon come to light.”
Her tone deepened slightly. “But after all, we are family. Let’s leave some face for each other.”
Shen Zhiheng’s expression grew even more unpleasant.
When had Cui Jin become so aggressive?
Was it simply because he had chosen Ruyue that she had to confront him so sharply? This woman was indeed narrow-minded, jealous, and lacking in virtue!
Xiao Lin swept a cold glance over him.
Regarding the poisoning incident, he had explicitly sealed all mouths. How could Shen Zhiheng, a mere scholar, have learned of it?
If it was merely an accident, that would be one thing. But if it was deliberate spying on the Prince’s Manor…
He shifted his thoughts and then rebuked Cui Ruyue coldly, “What is the penalty for falsely accusing the Princess Consort?”
Cui Ruyue’s face turned pale. “I merely spoke carelessly…”
“How dare you casually slander a member of the Great Zhou royal family?”
Cui Ruyue clenched her teeth tightly. Under the meaningful glances from Father Cui and Shen Zhiheng, she stiffly curtsied in apology. “It was a slip of the tongue just now. I hope the Princess Consort will not take offense.”
“It’s fine,” Cui Jin replied indifferently. “Elder Sister has always been outspoken. I am used to it.”
Cui Ruyue clenched her hands tightly, her nails nearly drawing blood from her palms.It had always been her who acted arrogantly and unrestrainedly in front of Cui Jin, but today the tables had turned… all because Cui Jin had stolen her identity and glory!
What made it even harder to accept was that Xiao Lin was fiercely protective of Cui Jin.
That affection and respect should have been hers!
Cui Ruyue’s eyes burned red with hatred.
By the time she regained her composure, Shen Zhiheng had already struck up a conversation with Xiao Lin, but the latter treated him with extreme coldness, speaking only to Father Cui.
This scene made Cui Ruyue’s face burn even hotter with shame.
In front of everyone in the Cui family, she had lost all dignity.
But no one paid attention to what she was thinking. Xiao Lin said to Father Cui, “I was held up by official business this morning, so I asked the Princess Consort to come ahead. I didn’t expect it would cause a misunderstanding in your esteemed household. It was indeed my oversight.”
Father Cui’s expression stiffened slightly, and he hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, what are you saying? The Princess Consort already explained earlier. Official matters naturally take precedence.”
Xiao Lin had given him enough face, so he harbored no resentment and immediately engaged in conversation.
Meanwhile, Cui Jin gently stroked her fourth sister’s head and asked softly, “Does it hurt?”
Fourth Sister Cui shook her head, giving her a sweet smile. “Elder Sister’s stomach is soft. It didn’t hurt when I bumped into it, and I’m even happier now!”
Since Brother-in-law the Prince had stood up for Second Sister, she felt delighted!
Cui Jin smiled.
Soon, it was time for lunch. Mother Cui, who had been keeping an eye on the kitchen, finally found the time to invite everyone to the table.
Perhaps out of guilt, Xiao Lin took great care of Cui Jin during the meal, showing a sense of mutual respect and affection.
Cui Jin was naturally happy to play along.
But this made the couple across from them, Cui Ruyue and her husband, burn with envy.
Cui Ruyue was filled with jealousy, along with the shame and anger of having been publicly humiliated. As for Shen Zhiheng… he didn’t know why his heart felt so unsettled.
Xiao Lin was devoted to his Secondary Consort, so why was he so gentle with Cui Jin?
A woman as vulgar and dull as Cui Jin would never be accepted by anyone other than him, Shen Zhiheng. She must have used some trick again… she had always been so cunning.
He tried hard to push aside these distracting thoughts and spoke to Xiao Lin, but the latter turned to drink with the Cui brothers instead.
The Cui family had not yet divided the household, so all three branches lived together in one manor. The cousins took turns toasting, filling Xiao Lin’s eyes with a hint of drunkenness.
He struggled to stand and went out to freshen up, only to run into Cui Ruyue in a secluded corner.
“This humble girl greets Your Highness,” Cui Ruyue said in a soft, delicate voice, bowing gracefully.
Xiao Lin nodded casually.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Cui Ruyue hurriedly said, “Today, this humble girl spoke recklessly, making Your Highness laugh. But truly… my heart is filled with injustice.”
Her eyes turned slightly red. “If Cui Jin hadn’t stolen my marriage, it should have been me standing by Your Highness’s side today. How could I not resent this…”
“Madam Shen,” Xiao Lin interrupted her, rubbing his forehead wearily. “You are already married. You should not refer to yourself as ‘this humble girl.’”
Cui Ruyue was taken aback.
“Also,” Xiao Lin frowned, speaking sincerely, “I am very grateful that it was your sister who married into the Prince’s Manor.”
Just hearing Cui Ruyue’s harsh words in the hall today was enough to know she was not an easy person to deal with.
In contrast, although Cui Jin was cunning, her heart was not bad, and she was deeply devoted and loyal.
Xiao Lin was not a fool who would willingly marry someone domineering and unreasonable.
The moment he turned to leave, Cui Ruyue’s face turned ashen.
Upon returning to the banquet, Xiao Lin was plied with more wine. Shen Zhiheng, though looked after by Father Cui, also drank heavily due to his inner turmoil.
But when it was time to sober up and rest, Cui Ruyue was still nowhere to be seen, leaving Fang Yun to help him away.Here, Cui Jin also helped Xiao Lin to her courtyard to sober up.
“Your Highness drank too much today, you’ll have a headache when you wake up,” she said with concern in her tone.
Xiao Lin forced himself through the doorway and smiled weakly. “I wronged you yesterday, and today I caused you to suffer injustice again. I am at fault…”
As he spoke, he tripped over the footstool and fell directly onto the bed. Cui Jin, who was supporting him, was pulled along and ended up falling on top of him.
Both of them froze for a moment.
Xiao Lin looked up and met her eyes, which were filled with concern.
After a moment of stunned silence, Cui Jin came to her senses and quickly pushed his hand away, sitting up. “I—I didn’t mean to!”
In her panic, she even forgot to use the proper form of address for herself, hurriedly explaining, “In front of others, I know Your Highness was only putting on a show to save face for me, but in private, I would never deliberately get close to Your Highness…”
Xiao Lin rubbed his temples. “It was my own fault for falling.”
Only then did Cui Jin let out a sigh of relief, quickly standing up and moving further away. “Your Highness is heavily intoxicated. This humble one will have someone prepare sobering soup.”
She hurried out the door.
Xiao Lin glanced at her retreating figure and suddenly frowned.
Was he some kind of plague?