Chapter 261: Chapter 261: Cousin, Do You Think I’m a Troublemaker?
Drinking harms the health, and indeed Cui Yun only let Shen Hua have a taste.
The girl held half a cup of wine, her face filled with sorrow. Had it been before, she would have indulged in joyful and unrestrained drinking, with no one able to stop her.
But the situation is different now.
Shen Hua cherishes her unpredictable, peculiar broken body more than anyone.
Shen Hua leaned in to smell the wine, which faintly carried a sweet aroma; she feared it would vanish after one sip, so she treasured it, sipping little by little.
How tragic.
Yet it surpassed all the wine Shen Hua had drunk in previous years.
She couldn’t help but sigh: "Cousin, even if you don’t become a Marquis in the future, with this skill you could still support a family."
"Set up a little business, you make the wine, and I handle the cash. It probably won’t take long to outcompete the Banxian Inn."
Cui Yun had no such aspirations: "Even if I don’t join the court and become an official, I wouldn’t fall to such a state."
Shen Hua thought for a moment, and indeed it was true. She then remembered the piles of books in Cui Yun’s study.
"Then being a teacher would be quite good."
"Stop teasing, little ghost. If we have children in the future, I could teach them myself. It would prevent the trouble of them thinking of skipping school and being lazy when they see the old teacher the residence hired."
As she said this, she was frank and unabashed without a trace of guilt.
Cui Yun looked down: "A teacher?"
Only she could say such a thing.
If Cui Yun aspired to teach at the Imperial College, he was certainly qualified. But what about the Imperial College? What about teaching Princes and grandsons?
It still meant nothing in the officialdom where one couldn’t have a say.
Only when one holds power in their hands is it truly useful.
"Which sounds more prestigious, the revered Marchioness or a bookstore owner’s wife?"
Shen Hua didn’t hesitate: "Marchioness."
Cui Yun chuckled.
Shen Hua changed her tone: "You should continue being a Marquis."
"If being an official is unsatisfactory, just endure it and it will pass. There are few things in this world that are satisfying."
Unsatisfactory?
A dark glint stirred in Cui Yun’s eyes as he raised his hand and poured himself a cup of wine.
Initially, when he first joined the Ministry of Justice, indeed things were unsatisfactory.
But as the years passed, he held a high position, employing strategies, manipulating people’s hearts. How many could still make things unsatisfactory for him?
As the wine cup finally emptied, Shen Hua tucked her chin and muttered gloomily, "Officials in the court are as cunning as anything. Who would want to deal with those people?"
"Cousin, as an upright gentleman, you don’t know how much disadvantage you have suffered over the years."
Shen Hua: "You cannot become the second Imperial Censor Shu."
Cui Yun laughed.
"What about Imperial Censor Shu?"
Shen Hua: "He personally sent his brother to jail."
Cui Yun corrected: "That man was corrupt and took bribes, he was punished according to the law. What’s wrong with that?"
Shen Hua: "He only embezzled 300 taels, it’s not a big deal, just repay it later."
"That’s an official in the bustling Shengjing. Not to mention others, a county magistrate in a small county town could embezzle that much over several years of service. Compared to his brother, he actually took less. I don’t believe for a second that there are many clean officials in Shengjing, for all you know they are all rotten to the core already."
"Since it’s impossible to prosecute them all, it’s evident that punishing one person is utterly useless."
Shen Hua added: "Of course, this certainly doesn’t include you, cousin. I understand your character."
Cui Yun: ...You really don’t understand.
He would disappoint Shen Hua.
Over the years, his hands had been stained with too much blood.
Seeing that Cui Yun remained silent, Shen Hua continued to speak.
"After his brother was imprisoned, everyone praised him for his integrity and noble spirit, but I think he was foolish."
What was he after?
After a peaceful home?
Thus, his mother died from anger and grief.
After justice and sternness?
But Imperial Censor Shu implicated one official today, another tomorrow. He offended everyone thoroughly. Those people wished they could devour his blood and flesh.
And, if someone’s status cannot be shaken, even if they commit many evils, the royal family turns a blind eye.
Cui Yun, however, did not know how many things in this world were genuinely just and stern.
On the surface, you make allies, but who knows if they’ll stab you in the back when you’re not looking. They step on your head to climb higher, and the higher the position, the more they’re valued. But one misstep and you could lose your head.
Cui Yun said in astonishment, "The Imperial City indeed devours people."
"So be careful in your daily life, and don’t let others scheme against you."
Shen Hua covered her lips and lowered her voice: "Cousin, keep your distance from the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince in the future. Something has happened in the Eastern Palace, and I suspect neither of them is a good person."
This was something Cui Yun was naturally aware of.
He was also trying to guess who was responsible.
But at the moment, Cui Yun narrowed his eyes: "Who told you this?"
"The Heir of Prince Gong."
"You ran into him today when you went out?"
Shen Hua, holding nothing back, even complained: "He even claimed to be my Brother Huo."
Cui Yun’s eyes darkened, but when he spoke, he was still as calm and composed as usual: "He’s always been like that, calling girls even six years older than him ’little sister’ with a straight face."
"There is no private friendship between Marquis Yangling Mansion and Prince Gong Mansion. This man has a reputation for being a libertine; it’s best not to get too involved."
"The more you know about the affairs in the palace, the worse it is for you."
Shen Hua felt he was being too serious.
"That’s also—"
Cui Yun smiled faintly: "This matter has been completely sealed within the Eastern Palace, the official family intends to silence it, and all the palace servants who knew of it have been put to death. No matter how much chaos there is in the Eastern Palace, it can’t spread outside the palace."
Prince Gong is a wise man; he may see things going south and tie Ji Huo up and send him back to the residence early, repeatedly warning him.
Shen Hua is a clever person; how could she not understand Cui Yun’s intention?
Her heart tightened.
Cui Yun: "Scared you?"
Shen Hua: "Next time I see him, I’ll try to avoid him."
"What’s the use of avoiding him?"
Cui Yun said: "Later, I will go and pay a visit to Prince Gong."
The air was filled with the fragrance of wine, and Shen Hua had only had a little sip, but it was precisely because of this that her craving intensified, unable to endure staying any longer.
The girl licked her lips: "This wine... "
Cui Yun: "Ji Qing, send it to the Xuan Residence."
Cui Yun rarely drank, but Xuan Chen was a lover of wine.
Shen Hua was astonished: "I worked so hard digging for so long!"
Even though it wasn’t she who ultimately unearthed it.
She was a bit frantic: "And you just give it to someone else like that?"
Cui Yun’s drunkeness had dissipated quite a bit, and he patiently explained.
"Once the seal is broken, if it’s not drunk in time, the taste will change."
"If I let you take it away, by night you might get up and sneakily drink it all."
Shen Hua: ???
She was somewhat incredulous.
"After all this, you still want to reason with me?"
"That’s mine."
Better coax me!
Say the wine is just for me!
Wuu wuu wuu! I’m giving you one more chance!
Cui Yun smoothed his brow: "Why still be like this, try to be a bit more magnanimous."
Shen Hua: If she continued to stay, she might as well die.
She stormed out furiously. As she crossed the threshold, she failed to notice her excessively long skirt hem, stumbled, and heard a ’snap’ sound.
Shen Hua: !!!
Cui Yun’s lips formed a straight line as he suddenly stood up and hurried over, a flash of concern in his eyes,
His shoulder tensed as Cui Yun supported her.
The girl inhaled sharply.
Her face turned deathly pale, as she clutched Cui Yun’s collar, yet felt embarrassed.
Shen Yangyang took a good while to recover, pretending to be nobly aloof and cold.
"I don’t need your help!"
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she was stubborn: "Heh, it’s just a twisted ankle, no big deal, do I look like I care?"