Chapter 22
“That is not what I meant.”
Cui Mingyu’s expression was far from pleasant, not because Yun Jing had brought Xin’er, but because of his defensive words.
She glanced at Qiu Chi, who was now completely different from before, and wanted to get a clear answer from Yun Jing. After giving him a meaningful look, she said, “I’ve traveled all the way back from the palace and am a bit weary. I won’t stay to accompany you.”
After Cui Mingyu left, Yun Jing sat for a moment before growing restless. “I am also a bit tired.”
The Prime Minister said, “This subject has long since prepared a room. I will take Your Highness there to rest now.”
Xin’er was naturally going to follow them. Qiu Chi also stood up, but the Prime Minister’s wife stopped her. “Yueyue, you stay. Mother has something she wants to say to you alone.”
“Can’t you just say it? Do we have to speak face-to-face?”
The Prime Minister’s wife smiled. “These are private matters from when you were a young maiden. How could I just say them outright?”
Qiu Chi sat back down. After watching the Prime Minister, Yun Jing, and the others leave, she finally looked at the Prime Minister’s wife. “If you have something to say, say it quickly. Don’t waste my time.”
The Prime Minister’s wife’s smile faded slightly. She studied Qiu Chi for a long while before saying, “Yueyue, you’ve changed.”
“There’s no one else here, so you don’t need to put on an act in front of me. As for this change, if you had experienced your husband leaving you aside to perform the wedding ceremony with another woman, you would change too.”
Bringing this up was certainly an effective way to shut someone up.
The Prime Minister’s wife was silent for a moment, not saying whether she believed it or not. “But the rumors say you ruined the wedding that day, didn’t you?”
“So? If you have something to say, say it directly. Don’t beat around the bush, understand?”
The Prime Minister’s wife couldn’t help but frown, her expression darkening slightly. “No matter what, I am your mother. Do you think that just because you married King Jing and became the Princess Consort, you can be so arrogant?”
“Even if I hadn’t married King Jing and wasn’t the Princess Consort, I could still be arrogant. The old Cui Yueyue is already dead. If you kept me here just to try and control me, then you’re sorely mistaken.”
After speaking, Qiu Chi picked up the teacup beside her. In the end, she didn’t demonstrate her martial prowess in front of the Prime Minister’s wife. Instead, she took a sip of tea, set the cup down, and stood up. “If you’re still not going to say anything, I’m leaving.”
The Prime Minister’s wife hadn’t sought out Qiu Chi for any real reason; she just wanted to put her in her place.
Now that Qiu Chi had called her out, combined with her attitude, the Prime Minister’s wife knew she couldn’t control her.
As Qiu Chi walked out, she said, “That business with your lover—did you really think you hid it so well? Now that you’ve married King Jing, have you truly forgotten your lover? You don’t care about him at all?”
“So you wanted to threaten me. Be my guest.”
Qiu Chi walked out without pausing, heading straight for the courtyard the Prime Minister had prepared for Yun Jing.
As for Cui Yueyue’s beloved, even if Yun Jing hadn’t intervened, with the Prime Minister around, his future prospects wouldn’t have been good anyway. Yun Jing’s actions had merely snuffed out his hopes completely and driven him out of the capital.
If she wanted him to have a good future, Yun Jing would have to take the throne. Even if Yun Jing didn’t want to, she had ways to make him want to.
But why should she secure benefits for Cui Yueyue’s beloved?
So that Cui Yueyue would be properly grateful to her?
In the courtyard, Yun Jing, who had claimed to be tired, was not there.
Xin’er, who had been sitting, immediately stood up when she saw Qiu Chi. After a respectful bow, she said softly, “Your Highness… His Highness went out with the Prime Minister…”
“Mm, I know.”
Yun Jing had come just to see Cui Mingyu. She had only brought Xin’er along to make things awkward.
In the Prime Minister’s study, the Prime Minister was waiting outside, while Yun Jing and Cui Mingyu were inside.
Cui Mingyu was silent, her eyes just a little red.
Yun Jing was also silent. For one, the two of them hadn’t been alone together for a long time, and he didn’t know what to say.
For another, Qiu Chi had told him to be cold to Cui Mingyu.
Even though Qiu Chi wasn’t there, Yun Jing still did as she said. He didn’t understand why he, a king, listened to her so obediently and indulged her so much.
It must be because he feared her martial strength.
When Yun Jing remained silent for a long time, Cui Mingyu bit her lip and had to initiate the conversation. “Do you… still think of me?”
What Cui Mingyu really wanted to ask was, Have you fallen for someone else?
But that question was too sharp and direct. Even if Yun Jing liked her, he was a king and she was now a Noble Consort. If she asked, he might not react well.
So she rephrased it more tactfully.
But Yun Jing’s expression was still grim. He showed no sign of pity or affection, merely stating blankly, “What if I do, and what if I don’t? You are my Imperial Brother’s woman now. If I think of you, can you cast everything aside to be with me?”
This time, Cui Mingyu’s eyes were no longer just a little red; they were wet with tears, and her voice choked with emotion. “You do… you do still resent me. But was this something I could choose? Did I not want to be with you, to be your wife?”
“Watching my sister stand by your side and become your wife—do you know how much pain I’m in? You don’t. Not only do you not know, but you’ve also found other women, and you even brought one right in front of me.”
“Yun Jing, you’re too cruel! How could you do this to me when I love you so much… sob…”
Though her words were accusatory, Cui Mingyu controlled her tone perfectly, conveying her love, her turmoil, and her pain. Her crying was a picture of delicate sorrow, designed to evoke pity.
At least, Yun Jing’s heart was indeed filled with pity at that moment.
He should have stepped forward, taken the weeping Cui Mingyu into his arms, and comforted her properly.
But his feet felt as if they had taken root. He couldn’t move a single step. Even though his eyes betrayed his heartache, his face remained expressionless.
Cui Mingyu, who was waiting for Yun Jing to come and comfort her, was dumbfounded.
But she had already put herself in a position where she couldn’t back down. She could only continue to sob softly, waiting for his comfort.
After a long while, Yun Jing finally spoke. “I am naturally aware of your feelings for me. But you are my Imperial Brother’s woman now, and I have also married a Princess Consort…”
Cui Mingyu: “???”
She looked at Yun Jing in shock, her voice trembling. “What… what do you mean by that?”
“I mean that we should let the past be the past. One cannot live in the past forever.”
Cui Mingyu was stunned. This was not the outcome she wanted.
Yun Jing’s feelings were also complicated at that moment.
He still had lingering feelings for Cui Mingyu and felt immense pity seeing her cry. But now, facing her, he didn’t know why he had said such words.
Did he regret it? It seemed he didn’t, not really.
“Are you saying this because you’ve fallen in love with my sister?”
Cui Mingyu was about to explode with anger. Her fists were clenched so tightly she feared she would lose control and vent her temper in front of Yun Jing, ruining his impression of her. Still, the tremor in her voice betrayed a hint of her emotions.
However, Yun Jing was too preoccupied with his own complicated feelings to notice the slight oddity in Cui Mingyu’s tone.
“This has nothing to do with who I’ve fallen in love with. It’s that given our current statuses, there is no longer any possibility for us. Since that’s the case, why should we wallow in the past?”
As for Qiu Chi… thinking of her martial strength and her arrogance, he probably couldn’t handle her.
Yun Jing thought there was nothing wrong with his answer, but in Cui Mingyu’s eyes, he hadn’t denied it. A lack of denial was an admission.
She took a deep breath, then threw herself into Yun Jing’s arms, hugging him tightly. “No, I don’t want to forget. I want to wallow in the past, and you’re not allowed to forget either. Those are our beautiful memories. How could we forget them?”
Yun Jing tried to push Cui Mingyu away, but she was holding on too tightly, and he was afraid of hurting her if he used too much force. He could only sigh. “Calm down.”
“You told me to forget. How can I calm down? How? I love you, and you love me, don’t you?”
When Yun Jing didn’t answer, Cui Mingyu looked up from his embrace, stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, but was pushed away directly by him.
“You are a Noble Consort now. Do not do anything you will regret.”
With that, Yun Jing turned and left without another glance at her.
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