Yuan Fuyu cast a sidelong glance at Master Cui, whose face was nearly pressed against hers.
Master Cui felt an inexplicable pang of guilt. Meeting Yuan Fuyu’s calm yet disdainful gaze tinged with disgust, he instinctively stepped back. Then, feeling his pride wounded by a junior, he angrily sat down in the chair opposite her, grabbing a teacup and gulping several mouthfuls. “Elder Brother, Siniang is your daughter—you deal with this!”
“According to Great Zhao Law, the authority to approve mining permits for copper, iron, and salt does not lie with prefectures or counties. It must be reported to the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. Instead of seeking out Liu Chengzhang and bribing your way up layer by layer, it would be better to go directly to the capital.”
Hearing this, Master Cui and the elder Master Cui exchanged glances. “But we have no connections in the Ministry of Revenue or the Ministry of Works!”
“Do you truly believe that I, a merchant’s daughter who has never even left Wu City, could single-handedly persuade Liu Chengzhang to alter the Flood Diversion Weir and secure the Cui Family’s qualification for lacquerware tributes? The flood diversion matter was conveyed to Liu Chengzhang through me by a noble patron. Because the Cui Family suffered injustice in this affair, the patron helped you obtain the lacquerware tribute qualification.” Yuan Fuyu stood up. “Father, go back and pack, bring sufficient silver and antique paintings. We depart for the capital the day after tomorrow.”
Seeing Yuan Fuyu about to leave, Master Cui hurriedly called out to stop her. “Siniang, who is this patron? Which influential figure in the capital? The journey to and from the capital is arduous. Just tell your father and me, and we will pay our respects ourselves. You stay here and take good care of your mother.”
Though the Cui Family was wealthy, they lacked noble status.
Since Cui Siniang had connections, Master Cui naturally wanted to seize this opportunity to befriend them, turning those connections to his own use and freeing himself from reliance on Cui Siniang.
Yuan Fuyu paused in her steps.
Without turning around, she could sense the burning greed in Master Cui’s eyes.
Yuan Fuyu detested the profit-driven, insatiable, opportunistic, treacherous nature of merchants the most—and the Cui Family embodied every one of these traits completely.
“I advise you, Second Uncle, to abandon any thought of using this matter to befriend nobility. No one but me can accomplish this.”
During her time as the Princess, Yuan Fuyu held sole authority, thriving those who complied and perishing those who opposed her in court—all backed by military power.
Her reliance was on the covert assassins of the Mystic Eagle Guards and the intelligence network of the Xiaoshi Bureau that monitored all officials.
It was her thorough understanding of the intricate relationships among court officials—their origins, old acquaintances, marital ties, mentors, and factions.
Now, as a merchant’s daughter, though she no longer had military power, the intelligence of the Xiaoshi Bureau and the web of official connections remained etched in her mind.
“Father and Second Uncle haven’t forgotten how the Cui Family came to possess those several mines, have you? Above wealth and status are esteemed families, and above them are the powerful nobility. If influential nobles set their sights on these mines…” She tilted her head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at the two behind her. “Guess whether the methods the Cui Family used on others might be turned against you? Whether to go to the capital or not, Father, decide quickly.”
Watching Yuan Fuyu’s retreating figure, the elder Master Cui clenched his hands inside his sleeves.
Master Cui trembled with rage. “Elder Brother! Look at Siniang—what kind of attitude is this! Ever since she latched onto some unknown patron three years ago, she’s been looking down on everyone! We are her elders, after all. Look at how she regards us—as if even a glance from her is charity. Are we ants or vermin to her?”
Cheng Shi, Cui Siniang’s bedridden mother, upon hearing that Cui Siniang was going to the capital, sent her personal maid to summon Yuan Fuyu.
“You are not allowed to go to the capital! Feign illness and refuse! It’s less than a month until the twelfth lunar month—everyone else is returning home, yet you insist on going to the capital with your father at this time.”
Cheng Shi reclined against a turmeric-yellow pillow embroidered with silver lotus blossoms, her upper body propped up as she began her familiar litany: “Your father has lost his mind to that vixen Song Yiniang. That heartless son of mine has also been won over by her. And now you, with your wings fully grown, plan to abandon me alone in this old residence right before the New Year—do you wish for my death?”
Yuan Fuyu looked weary.
She stood before the gilded bronze charcoal brazier carved with the Three Friends of Winter, warming her hands over the flames as she listened to Cheng Shi’s complaints.
Over the past three years, Yuan Fuyu had grown accustomed to this.
Since Cui Siniang had made it a habit to visit Cheng Shi’s chambers daily to keep her company and administer her medicine, Yuan Fuyu—having taken possession of Cui Siniang’s body—maintained the routine to avoid suspicion. She endured Cheng Shi’s endless accounts of her husband’s callous mistreatment and her son’s unfilial betrayal.
Later, after Yuan Fuyu had fully grasped the dynamics within the Cui Family and learned that Cheng Shi’s paralysis was caused by Song Yiniang, she felt compelled to fulfill Cui Siniang’s filial duties. Having utilized both Cui Siniang’s body and her biological mother’s dowry for financial gain, she proposed helping Cheng Shi secure a divorce to escape the corrupt Cui Family.
To her surprise, Cheng Shi flew into a rage, chastising her for daring to criticize her father as a daughter and disparage the Cui Family as its member. From then on, Yuan Fuyu rarely visited Cheng Shi’s courtyard unless summoned, as she was today.
Seeing Yuan Fuyu remain silent only fueled Cheng Shi’s anger. “Are you listening to me? They say daughters are their mother’s warmest comfort—but where is your warmth? Three years… I only scolded you for your own good, yet you’ve held a grudge. How many words have you exchanged with me, your mother, in these three years?”
Yuan Fuyu lowered her gaze to the flickering flames in the brazier, thinking that this trip to the capital would be her final departure. She finally spoke… “Over these three years, you’ve repeatedly complained to me about the Cui Family and your husband’s heartlessness. I believed you stayed for your children’s futures. I found a way to send your son to study in the capital and help you divorce Master Cui—but you refused.”
Cheng Shi’s emotions surged violently at these words. Craning her neck, she wailed, “I married your father with a generous dowry and supported the Cui Family’s business! Now that his ventures thrive, why should I make way for that vile woman?”
“Since you have no intention of divorcing, what did you hope to achieve by complaining and lamenting to me daily these past three years? Please speak plainly.” Yuan Fuyu inquired earnestly. If there was anything she could do, she wouldn’t refuse.
Seeing her daughter’s detached composure, Cheng Shi’s tears fell in rapid succession. “What could I possibly ask of you? You’re my daughter! Who else can I confide in but my closest kin? Should I stay silent and suffocate?”
Suppressing her irritation, Yuan Fuyu responded, “You haven’t only confided in me. For three years, you’ve repeated the same grievances to every visitor. Mother, what exactly are you trying to accomplish?”
Yuan Fuyu had originally thought that Cheng Shi’s complaints to visitors about Master Cui’s heartlessness and the Cui Family’s abuse were meant to preserve her reputation after a divorce.
Yet it was clear Cheng Shi had never intended to seek divorce from the start.
In Yuan Fuyu’s view, undertaking efforts without purpose, without seeking outcomes, and not even for self-satisfaction—all while exhausting one’s spirit—was nothing short of madness.