Cui Yuanyang didn't say anything after all, but just said: "Dad is in the pavilion in the backyard admiring the flowers. I think... he should be waiting for Brother Zhao to come and meet him."
Zhao Changhe looked up at her. His big eyes, which usually showed his joy, anger, sorrow and happiness clearly, were now covered with fog, obscuring all his thoughts.
But she was still smiling. Seeing Zhao Changhe finished his milk cake, she stood up like a lady, holding up her skirt and said, "I'll take Brother Zhao with me."
Zhao Changhe stood up, and Cui Yuanyang naturally took his hand and walked out of the house.
Zhao Changhe felt a little uncomfortable, and turned to look around the corridor: "Why are you holding hands here..."
Cui Yuanyang said indifferently: "Whether it's right or not, I've done it so many times. Why deceive yourself? No matter in front of others or behind others, Yangyang is still Yangyang."
Zhao Changhe pursed his lips and did not answer.
Cui Yuanyang took him for a leisurely walk and said, "Actually, I was not in a good mood."
Zhao Changhe said: "Because you know who the traitor is, right?"
Cui Yuanyang sighed: "Brother Zhao would be much cuter if he could be a little more stupid."
Zhao Changhe asked: "Like you?"
Cui Yuanyang nodded seriously: "Yes, like me."
Zhao Changhe burst out laughing.
Cui Yuanyang said: "Of course, if I'm stupid, I can't lead me through difficulties like a god, which is really annoying. Otherwise... be smarter to others and dumber to Yangyang?"
Not sure if she suspected her neighbor of stealing her axe, Zhao Changhe suddenly felt that the girl started to speak with hidden meanings.
What is external? Where is internal
He avoided the topic: "So who is the traitor?"
"My third brother Cui Yuancheng."
"The one with the second son?"
"Um."
Zhao Changhe fell silent. This was his biological brother from the same father and mother... but he actually wanted to kill his own sister who was harmless to others, just to frame Cui Yuanyong for not taking good care of his sister. It was not even known whether this thing would have any practical effect in the fight for the throne.
It is no wonder that the Cui family's initial reaction was slow. The assassinations had already begun on the street, but the Cui family was unaware of it. Moreover, these pursuits and blockades were actually organized to a certain extent. This must have been done by a high-ranking insider. It is not something that a powerless bastard or concubine can do.
If I put myself in Choi Won-yang’s shoes, I should be crying at this moment... Maybe she had already cried for a long time last night
"How does he... handle it?"
"Dad put him in jail and hasn't dealt with him yet. I heard that mom has been crying at home, saying that there must be a mistake and someone framed him."
Zhao Changhe shook his head, it was hard to judge.
Cui Yuanyang smiled again: "But I don't hate him now."
"Um?"
"If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have met such a righteous brother like Zhao."
"… "
"You know what? I regretted it before."
"What are you regretting?"
"I didn't choose the first path and went with you to Jiangnan and Mobei." Cui Yuanyang's voice gradually became inaudible, so Zhao Changhe didn't hear the second half of the sentence: "Perhaps there will never be such an opportunity again."
Zhao Changhe didn't need to hear the second half of the sentence. The first half alone had already made the girl's thoughts clear.
He pursed his lips tightly, not knowing how to answer.
Cui Yuanyang suddenly stopped and said, "We're here."
Zhao Changhe looked up and saw a riot of colour in front of him, with hundreds of flowers in full bloom. A bluestone path meandered and stretched, and it was unknown how deep it was under the shade of flowers and trees.
"I won't go in..." Cui Yuanyang smiled, then lowered his head shyly again: "I'm afraid it's inconvenient for me to listen to what you said."
After saying that, she turned and ran away. When she reached the corner of the corridor, she looked back again, with a look of anger and resentment in her eyes, which was hard to tell. Zhao Changhe stopped and watched until the light green skirt disappeared outside the corridor, then he turned around and walked into the garden silently.
It's so strange. I didn't have such unspeakable emotions when I parted with Xia Chichi.
Deep in the garden, the water is gurgling, and a corner of the eaves can be vaguely seen between the flowers, trees and pools. That is the pavilion in the garden, and someone is standing there quietly, looking at the water.
Zhao Changhe walked up. There was a table in the pavilion with wine on it, but no one was serving him.
Cui Wenjing still looked at the water without turning his head, and said casually: "Sit down. I heard that you like to drink, drink by yourself."
Zhao Changhe did not sit down, but walked to his side and stood beside him looking at the water.
This action was very rude... Of course, if he really sat there drinking, it would also be rude, but it also fits his rough image. Now that they were standing side by side, it was even more difficult to describe.
Cui Wenjing turned his head and looked at him in surprise. His eyes lingered on the scar on his face for a moment, then turned his gaze back: "In what capacity are you standing shoulder to shoulder with me?"
My daughter’s benefactor? Or son-in-law? Or… the prince
"Guest." Zhao Changhe said casually, "A guest came to visit, but the host didn't even turn his head, and just looked at the water... The Cui family is well-known in the world, in order to prevent the seniors from being rude and criticized, the juniors have no choice but to stand here together."
Cui Wenjing's eyes were filled with smiles. He turned around and made a gesture of invitation: "I am worried about something and I am sorry for being rude. Please forgive me. Please take a seat."
Zhao Changhe turned around and sat down, this time taking the initiative to pour wine for Cui Wenjing.
Cui Wenjing watched him pouring wine with great interest, and suddenly asked, "Have you ever been educated? Do you know etiquette?"
Zhao Changhe said "hmm".
Although I have never learned the etiquette of your world, and the books you read are different from mine, I am truly a reader.
The temperament of a scholar is actually very obvious, but Zhao Changhe's scholarly temperament has become less and less after hanging out with bandits. However, when facing the Cui family, the attributes will be revealed unconsciously. At the beginning, Cui Yuanyang felt that "he would die in the light", and this guy was not as rough as imagined.
But in Cui Wenjing's eyes, it had another meaning: "Being born in Zhaocuo, it is not supposed to be learned and know etiquette."
Zhao Changhe paused as he poured the wine, then stopped and put the wine pot aside: "Zhaocuo is right next to Luojiazhuang... It's not as remote as people imagine."
"So it's normal for people from Zhaocuo to work in Luojiazhuang, or for people from Luojiazhuang to live in Zhaocuo?"
Zhao Changhe remained silent.
Cui Wenjing looked at the wine in the glass and suddenly said, "I didn't want to take action last night. I wanted to wait for the assassin to kill you first. I was confident that I could rescue my daughter at the same time."
"I know." Zhao Changhe answered calmly, "In that case, I would die at the hands of the assassins from Listening Snow Tower, and Senior would only arrive a step too late and only have time to save my daughter... Many of the headaches disappeared in an instant."
"Do you have any grudges? You risked your life to escort my daughter, but you got this answer."
"If I were a senior, what I did wouldn't be much better, so I understand... In the end, the senior still helped me, so it doesn't matter what I thought before. But there is a sentence I said to Yangyang, understanding needs to be mutual to make sense."
"Only when there are equal qualifications can there be a premise of mutual understanding, whether it is me or Tang Wanzhuang." Cui Wenjing said lightly: "Just like any family, the attitude towards a son-in-law and a marriage of equal status cannot be the same. Everyone is like this, and I believe it will be the same for you. So I still say, what status do you have to drink with me now?"
Cui Wenjing's attitude was almost like this: I have been tricked by the book of chaos, and now there is no other choice for my daughter and you. The only choice is whether you are a prince or a bandit. If you are a prince, we will marry; if you don't recognize it, then you can be a son-in-law and have fun. I am just waiting for your words.
Zhao Changhe suddenly thought that Cui Wenjing's attitude actually showed one thing: he knew that this was not the real prince.
If it was a real prince, Old Cui could have just said it directly. Only when he knew it was a fake would he hesitate. After all, if he wanted to put a fake on the throne, the series of follow-up measures he would have to take would be a big move. Is the Cui family willing to make such a big bet
That's why I had this idea last night. It would be better to just die and be done with it.
And today, I found out that Zhao Changhe is actually well-educated and knows etiquette. The things contained in this seem to be quite interesting. Maybe I am starting to lose confidence in my original judgment of a "fake"... So I want Zhao Changhe to admit that he is the prince himself, and it would be best if he could take out the token on his own initiative.
As Zhao Changhe was thinking about it, he suddenly shook his head and laughed.
Cui Wenjing just looked at him quietly as he laughed, without saying a word.
Zhao Changhe finally sighed: "So I said that understanding needs to be mutual. In this matter, no one has ever thought about what Zhao Changhe thinks... Maybe only Yangyang herself has thought about it, and she has really thought about the problem from Zhao Changhe's perspective..."
Cui Wenjing said calmly: "You might as well explain it more clearly."
"I sent Yangyang back just to do what I should do. From the beginning until now, I have never had any feelings for men and women, let alone coveting the influence of the Cui family." Zhao Changhe whispered, "I have a lover... Although I don't know if she has forgotten me, I must live up to her waiting before she says we are strangers. Yangyang is very cute, and the Cui family is very noble. Maybe they can give me a lot of help and help me rise to prominence from now on... But Zhao Changhe never had such an intention."
Cui Wenjing narrowed his eyes.
In the corridor in the distance, Cui Yuanyang leaned against the pillar, looked up at the white clouds in the sky, and sighed softly.
Thanks to SkywalkerZ for joining us~
(End of this chapter)