Сhaptеr 13: Сui Jin Bears Аll thе Blamе
Seeing Ru Dоng hеsitаtе tо sрeаk, shе аsked, “Is thеre sоmething elsе?”
“Тhis servаnt is a bit wоrriеd,” Ru Dоng said. “Wе аre аlrеаdу tiеd tо Рrincе Xin likе grаsshoppers оn the sаme string. If wе ruin his imреriаl favor аnd public rерutаtiоn like this… I fеar уou will alsо bе imрliсаted.”
“If it dоesn’t cut to thе bоnе, hе will оnly defend Lin Zhао withоut prinсiplе,” Cui Jin’s eуеs dаrkеned slightly. “Веcausе the onе whо hurts is mе.”
Ru Dоng seеmеd to understand.
“Only when the knifе stabs his оwn bоdу will hе rеalizе the pain.”
Сui Jin smiled fаintly. “If I immеdiatеly exhaust all the resources of my family and maternal relatives to assist him, and he succeeds in the future, Lin Zhao’s importance will still be the greatest. Perhaps I might even become the first Princess Consort in this dynasty to be demoted from wife to concubine.”
“What would I gain from that?”
Having already lost once, she did not want to gamble on a man’s conscience again.
Whatever she wanted, she would fight for it herself.
Seeing that Ru Dong was still worried she might go too far and instead achieve the opposite effect, causing Xiao Lin to be completely eliminated, Cui Jin did not explain further.
Given Xiao Lin’s current situation, falling into a weak position was actually a good thing.
Moreover, she knew a little about Prince Jin’s biggest weakness.
Back then, she hadn’t had time to tell Shen Zhiheng before she died from poisoning. Now, thinking back, it seemed even heaven was helping her.
Xiao Lin entered the palace to plead his case before he was even sober from drinking, received a scolding, and immediately afterward, the Empress issued an edict reprimanding Lin Zhao, bluntly stating that she was discontent with her position and used flattery to deceive her superiors.
Cui Jin listened to the reprimand together with her in the main hall. Lin Zhao’s face turned ugly on the spot.
She looked at the female official delivering the edict with neither humility nor arrogance, her back straight, appearing truly proud and unyielding.
The female official frowned slightly. After delivering the edict, she said, “Since the Secondary Consort is seriously ill, she should not go out this month to avoid catching the wind.”
This was a disguised form of house arrest.
Lin Zhao gritted her teeth, clenched her hands, and only then managed to respond.
After the female official left, she coldly looked at Cui Jin. “As expected of a shallow and ignorant woman from the inner chambers, only capable of such despicable tricks!”
But it was just as well. The more Cui Jin schemed and fought, the more Xiao Lin would detest her!
She sneered, flicked her sleeve, and left.
Cui Jin suddenly chuckled softly.
Despicable tricks?
Did Lin Zhao truly believe she was pure and innocent, without a single dirty thought?
She had even deceived herself.
After this matter concluded, Lin Zhao lost all face among the officials, but her reputation among the common people remained excellent, even improving slightly—all the blame was borne by Cui Jin.
First, the marriage swap, then Xiao Lin favoring his concubine over his wife, yet few people sympathized with Cui Jin.
When people outside mentioned her, most commented that she “deserved it.”
It was widely speculated that the marriage swap was deliberately orchestrated by her, all because she was dissatisfied with her humble husband and thus stole her elder sister’s marriage.
And the fact that the Secondary Consort of Prince Xin’s Manor enjoyed exclusive favor was well-known. Because of Lin Zhao’s identity as a “heroine general,” she naturally garnered public goodwill. People always held a sense of rejection toward Cui Jin, this scheming latecomer.
—Who told Cui Jin to shamelessly force her way in?
Hearing these malicious words, Ru Chun and the others were so angry their eyes turned red.
Cui Jin asked, “Which families praised Lin Zhao as a heroine while subtly mocking me as an ignorant woman from the inner chambers?”
Ru Chun replied, “Wanfu Theater, Pinming Teahouse, and Zuiyin Study.”
Cui Jin narrowed her eyes slightly. “Lin Zhao is very skilled at using public opinion.”These families had been the ones relentlessly praising Lin Zhao over the past two years, with phrases like “heroine among women,” “comrades who guard each other’s backs on the battlefield, deeply devoted spouses off it,” and “though prejudice exists in the world, a female general never bows.” Such rhetoric had won over a large number of commoners and scholars.
Many young women even shed tears daily over the supposedly perfect love between her and Xiao Lin.
It was easy to imagine what their opinion of Cui Jin would be later on.
Seeing Ru Chun and the others seething with anger, Cui Jin remained relatively calm and said, “The Imperial Censor-in-Chief is already aware of the truth behind the poisoning case at the Prince’s Manor. At the latest, he will submit a memorial of impeachment tomorrow.”
The reason she had chosen to subtly guide the Imperial Censor-in-Chief to notice something amiss was precisely because this man was loyal, upright, and straightforward, and he despised deceit and deception above all else.
Only then did Ru Chun and the others begin to calm down somewhat.
“Alright, I’m going to the small kitchen to clear my mind,” Cui Jin said as she slowly rose to her feet.
No matter how busy she was, she still had to work on improving Xiao Lin’s favorability toward her.
She had little experience in the kitchen, so she clumsily prepared a bowl of soup, packed it up, and headed out.
Xiao Lin was busy with official duties, so she left the soup and departed.
As she was leaving, she happened to run into Lin Zhao.
“Are you looking for the Prince?” Lin Zhao frowned, noticing how Cui Jin stood straight-backed, her knees not even slightly bent.
Cui Jin replied calmly with a smile, “The Prince has been busy these past few days, so I prepared some soup to help nourish him.”
Lin Zhao glanced at the food container in Ru Chun’s hand, her eyes filled with disdain. “A gentleman stays away from the kitchen, and a woman should also uphold some dignity.”
“But does the Princess Consort still have the heart to prepare soup?” Qiu Wen chimed in, sounding surprised.
Lin Zhao said indifferently, “Most of those rumors are circulating in bookshops and teahouses. I suppose the Princess Consort wouldn’t pay them much attention.”
Qiu Wen covered her mouth with a light laugh. “That’s true. I often see you, Secondary Consort, composing poetry and engaging in literary gatherings with friends, so I assumed everyone was like that.”
Ru Chun’s willow-leaf eyebrows shot up, ready to rebuke them, but Cui Jin suddenly spoke up. “The Secondary Consort is exceptionally talented. With lines like ‘Heaven has endowed me with talents that must be put to use; even if a thousand gold pieces are spent, they will return again,’ she has overshadowed all the talented scholars of the world. And then there are exquisite verses like ‘Boundless falling leaves rustle down; the endless Yangtze River rolls on and on.’ I heard of them even in the inner chambers and have long admired them.”
A flash of pride crossed Lin Zhao’s brow. “They were merely casual compositions. I wasn’t satisfied with them, so I never mentioned them in public. I never expected you to treasure them so highly.”
Cui Jin smiled. “Though the Secondary Consort is still young in experience, she can write such profound and exquisite verses. Truly, her talent is extraordinary.”
“Those with exceptional natural talent can compose poetry effortlessly, regardless of experience or age.”
Lin Zhao cast a haughty glance at her. “But a sheltered woman like you, with such shallow understanding, will likely never comprehend this in your lifetime.”
Cui Jin’s smile remained unchanged as she bid her farewell.
On the way back, Ru Chun grumbled indignantly, “Why were you so polite to her? And even praising her poetry!”
Cui Jin smiled without answering. It wasn’t until they returned to the Main Courtyard that she said, “Those poems likely aren’t hers.”
Ru Chun and the others were shocked.
Cui Jin took a sip of tea. “Over the past two years, Lin Zhao has composed thirty-three poems, each containing lines worthy of being passed down through the ages. Yet their styles vary greatly, and some even carry a visible sense of worldly weariness—more like the work of an elderly person who has experienced the vicissitudes of life.”
It wasn’t that there were no unparalleled geniuses, but Lin Zhao’s poems were all strikingly different in style, with dramatic shifts.
Most importantly—could someone who didn’t even understand the true meaning of “a gentleman stays away from the kitchen” produce dozens of renowned verses that overshadowed the works of great scholars and talented individuals?
Cui Jin chuckled softly. Today’s chance encounter had spared her the need for further probing.Although it was unclear whose work Lin Zhao had plagiarized, it could still be exploited.
First, the Imperial Censor would submit a memorial of impeachment, and then Lin Zhao’s plagiarism would be exposed.
The timing of this had to be perfectly orchestrated to maximize its value.
After some thought, she walked slowly to the desk and picked up a brush.
“Are you going to challenge her to a poetry duel, Princess Consort?” Ru Qiu asked excitedly.
“You are Zhou’s last disciple, with even deeper literary skills than Ru Xia. When it comes to being accomplished in both civil and martial arts, you are no less than her. Let’s challenge her!”
Cui Jin chuckled. “If we truly engage in such a duel, whether I win or lose, I would already be at a disadvantage.”
“But… aren’t you writing poetry?”
“Yes, Lin Zhao’s poetry.”
The dozens of poems that Lin Zhao had not yet written in the current timeline.
Half an hour later, she handed the stack of papers to Ru Xia. “Have them bound into a volume, and for the author’s name… write ‘Anonymous.’”
Ru Xia nodded in agreement and was about to leave when Cui Jin added, “After binding, throw it into Premier Li’s villa… be careful with your movements.”
Though Ru Xia did not understand, she obediently went to carry out the task.