The most dissolute couple in the capital

The noise in the garden dissipated even faster than when we arrived.

Li Shi left with Cui Qinghui, followed by three nannies. The sound of their footsteps gradually faded outside the moon gate. Su Xin pressed herself against the wall, waiting for the last figure to turn the corner before quietly exhaling and lowering her head to pretend she was a potted plant again.

Only Cui Qingyi and Li Chengjing remained in the garden, along with the unusually quiet sounds of autumn insects.

Li Chengjing sat on the stone bench with his legs crossed and a fan resting on his knees. His expression had lost its previous arrogance. He turned his head to look at Cui Qingyi with a hint of inexplicable expectation.

What did you think of what I just said?

Cui Qingyi smiled and said, "Your Highness has a clear mind and good eloquence."

"this one?"

"Logically rigorous and powerful."

"..." Li Chengjing held his fan upright and tapped it on the stone table. "Are you just giving me the runaround?"

Cui Qingyi raised her eyelids and glanced at him.

"Your Highness truly protected my dignity today," she paused, her tone becoming more serious, "I am deeply grateful."

That's true.

If someone with a weaker stance had been sitting here instead of Cui Qinghui, the way she asked the nanny to do that would have left them with the accusation of "having an affair with a man," and even if they married into the royal family, the gossip would follow them for the rest of their lives.

Li Chengjing was straightforward; with just a few words, he completely exposed Cui Qinghui's scheme in public, even shutting down the Li family.

At least when it comes to protecting people, they are direct, accurate, and ruthless, leaving no room for ambiguity.

She processed these thoughts in her mind, her face remaining calm, only her eyes held a hint of sincerity.

Li Chengjing felt a slight heat rise to his ears from that gaze. He turned his face away, coughed lightly, and then said, "Of course. You are my future queen consort, and no one can touch you casually."

After pausing, he added, "Besides, I came here today intending to take you out for a stroll."

"Going out for a stroll?" Cui Qingyi put down her teacup. "Your Highness, which gate do you intend to exit through after climbing over the wall?"

"..."

"Or does Your Highness intend to take me with you and climb out of here?"

Lee Seung-kyung opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He snapped his fan shut, looked up at the sky, and said with a hint of grievance, "It's still in the city, not far away. I'll have Wang Chengyuan wait outside..."

"Your Highness."

Cui Qingyi interrupted him, her tone gentle:

"Now that things have started to escalate, Granny He will definitely be reporting back to the Empress Dowager today. If we go out now and others see us, we'll just be adding fuel to the fire for those with ulterior motives."

She paused for a moment, then decided to offer a sweet treat, saying, "There's plenty of time ahead, no need to rush."

Li Chengjing turned his head to look at her for a while, his expression unreadable, whether it was disappointment or something else. He just turned down the corner of his mouth, then forced it back up, and finally squeezed out an unnatural smile.

"...Alright then."

Cui Qingyi sighed inwardly.

Li Chengjing stood up, tucked his fan into his sleeve, and was about to leave when he turned back after taking two steps.

"Remember to change the dressing on your hand every day, don't let it scab over and then break again," he instructed sternly, his tone carrying an awkward seriousness. "If you run out of dressing, just let me know, and I'll send more."

"Yes."

"And—" He looked up, a glint in his peach blossom eyes flashing as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just snorted, "Never mind, it's nothing."

He turned and climbed over the wall, disappearing outside the courtyard.

Su Xin followed him to the door, and only after watching the figure disappear around the corner did she quietly turn around, her face full of admiration.

"Miss, His Highness... has such a good temper, it's easy to appease him."

Cui Qingyi remained seated, pushing the now-cold teacup aside with a calm expression.

"Well," she said, "it's not entirely because he's easy to coax; he didn't have any bad intentions to begin with."

Su Xin opened her mouth.

She clearly saw the aggrieved look on Prince Liang's face just now. It wasn't a matter of reasoning; it was clearly that he had been coaxed into submission...

However, she would never dare to say such a thing.

-

The story eventually reached Mr. Cui's ears before dinner.

When Cui Zhiyuan returned from the yamen, he changed into casual clothes and hadn't even sat down when the steward came in with his head down and told him about what happened in the garden that day.

Cui Zhiyuan picked up the teacup, took a sip, put it down, picked it up again, and put it down again.

Having served as a secretary for so many years, he had always been upright and dignified. But now, the expression on his face was a mixture of various emotions, making it hard to tell whether he was more shocked or just laughing and crying.

At least the King of Liang was willing to stand up for his daughter, so she probably wouldn't have a bad life after marrying into the family...

"This matter need not be discussed with outsiders," he instructed the steward, his voice regaining its usual composure. "All servants who leave must remain silent."

"Yes, sir."

The butler withdrew.

During dinner, Li sat beside him, but she looked somewhat uneasy and didn't seem to enjoy her food.

Cui Zhiyuan picked up two chopsticks, put them down, glanced at her, and said, "Go and tell Qingyi to focus on preparing for her wedding and not worry about anything else."

Li raised her head, met his gaze, paused for a moment, and nodded: "Yes."

Neither of them mentioned the matter of Prince Liang climbing over the wall again.

-

In the dead of night, Cui Qingyi had already gone to sleep. Su Xin quietly put away the curtains and was about to fetch water when she heard a soft knocking on the door.

The door opened, and there was Yu Mama from Li's room, carrying a lamp in her hand. She lowered her voice and said, "Madam invites Miss to come over for a chat. No rush. Madam said it's chilly at night, so please put on a coat before you come."

Cui Qingyi responded from inside the room, put on her outer coat, and followed Madam Yu to Madam Li's main room.

Candles were lit in the room. Li Shi sat under the lamp, an account book in front of her, but she wasn't looking at it; her hand rested on it. She looked somewhat weary. Seeing Cui Qingyi enter, she stood up and said:

"Qinghui was wrong today. I have punished her by confining her to her quarters and not letting her leave the courtyard. Don't worry."

Cui Qingyi looked at her, but hadn't said anything yet.

"She's young and I've protected her too much. She doesn't know her place and that's why she did such a foolish thing." Madam Li looked at Cui Qingyi and softened her voice. "You are the older sister, and you will be a princess in the future. You should have a broader perspective and a more generous heart. Don't hold it against her. In the future, I will teach her properly and let her know what it means to be sensible."

She paused for a moment and sighed.

"In the end, you are sisters by blood, blood is thicker than water. When you enter the royal family, she will be your closest relative in your maternal home; and she will need your support as her elder sister, the princess, to establish herself in her husband's family. If there is any discord between the sisters, it will only make them a laughing stock in front of outsiders, and it will benefit no one."

There was no interaction between them in their previous life. In that life, Li was more like a background figure, treating her neither warmly nor coldly, with a thin layer of politeness between them.

Now that this marriage is settled in this life, both parties are of different importance. It is only natural that Li cares more about this relationship than she did in her previous life.

Cui Qingyi replied, "Mother, Qinghui's actions today have already been settled in front of His Highness, so I don't take it to heart."

Li raised her eyes, glanced at her, and her expression shifted.

"I still have some personal property here," Madam Li pushed the account book forward, "I was thinking of adding a few items to your dowry as a token of my apology and to make up for the shortfall in the public funds..."

"Mother."

Cui Qingyi gently pushed the account book back.

"I appreciate Mother's kindness." She paused, choosing a version that Li would find acceptable, "However, if I accept it, and if others find out, it will seem that this matter is not over yet. There are also precedents for dowry matters at the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the current situation is sufficient."

Li looked at her but did not speak immediately.

The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows of the two people against the wall.

After a long while, Li Shi finally withdrew her gaze, let out a soft breath, and spoke with a hint of emotion that she herself was unaware of.

"That's enough," she said softly, as if speaking to Cui Qingyi, yet also to herself. "You know what you're doing, and that's better than anything else. I thought you were someone who didn't like to hold grudges, but now it seems you just see everything more clearly than others."

Cui Qingyi neither admitted nor denied it; she simply raised the corners of her mouth and gave a curtsy.

"It's late, Mother, you should rest early."

Li nodded and didn't try to persuade her to stay.

Cui Qingyi stepped out of the door and stood under the eaves. The night wind blew the flame in the lantern askew.

In her past life, she didn't touch a single one of her mother's belongings. In this life, the palace rewards have more than doubled, and Li Shi's allowance is also more generous than in her previous life. She even secretly considered selling her private property to supplement her income, which was really unnecessary.

Cui Qingyi wrapped her coat tighter around herself and slowly walked towards her own courtyard.

The moon hung on the wall, casting a cold, white light on the ground.

She thought that Li was not a bad person by nature, but Qinghui had been protected too much in this life, and her heart had strayed out of line. There might be trouble in the future, but that was a matter for the future.

For now, let's just turn the page and move on.

Avoid making enemies if you can avoid it.

Su Xin, holding a lantern, caught up from behind, jogged a few steps, and whispered, "Miss, has the Madam... reached an agreement?"

"Um."

"Then, Second Miss..."

"She's under house arrest." Cui Qingyi paused for a moment. "When she comes out, keep an eye on her and make sure no one talks nonsense in her ear."

Su Xin paused for a moment, then nodded: "This servant understands."

Cui Qingyi stepped over the threshold and into the courtyard. The night wind made the lantern light behind her sway slightly before it stabilized.