Chapter 23

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Cui Yun narrowed his eyes indifferently. He did not reach out to take it.

“This is…”

He paused.

“A reward?”

Shen Hua nodded at him reservedly.

It was indeed.

She was much more tactful than the Third Princess, Ji Shiyue, when she was chasing Cui Yun.

Ji Shiyue was the daughter of Emperor Wei, and her mother was Concubine Jing.

Cui Yun did not want the Marquis of Yangling’s Manor to fall into a factional struggle. She also did not want to become enemies with the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince.

Ji Shiyue relied on her status and ran to the Marquis of Yangling’s Manor every few days.

‘I cannot drive her away!’

Emperor Hun doted on her and had the intention of gifting her a good marriage.

If not, he would not have allowed the Third Princess to get close to the Marquis. It generated gossip.

Even at the Qixi Lantern Festival, Emperor Hun also made the decision to ask Cui Yun to accompany her. The emperor’s intentions were self-evident.

The entire Shengjing thought that Cui Yun would be the Third Prince Consort.

Back then, when the enemy invaded, Shancheng was destroyed. Chicheng was in danger.

Shancheng was the first line of defense at the frontier fortress.

The enemy was clearly prepared. Bows, arrows, battering rams, grappling hooks, and scaling ladders pressed forward step by step.

The deputy general of Shancheng had been bribed, so the city gate was quickly lost.

General Jin, who was stationed in Shancheng, saw that the situation was not right and hurriedly borrowed troops from Chicheng.

When Chicheng lord heard the news, he immediately led half of their troops over.

Cui Bai stayed in Chicheng to evacuate the people and urgently requested reinforcements.

After a round of fighting, General Jin was beheaded in the end, strengthening the enemy’s momentum.

However, the army refused to back down and spilled their blood on the roads.

The Third Prince, Ji Teng, had been sent as a hostage.

Right now, although the two men of the Marquis of Yangling’s Manor protected the city, they were both dead.

The strength of the court was greatly damaged, and they were afraid that the barbarian thieves would commit another crime, so they could only ask for peace and send boxes of gold and silver.

Therefore, after the Chicheng incident, the marriage decree became another heavenly grace decree.

He was given the title of Marquis of Yangling, and his son Cui Bo was granted the title of General of Huaihua. Cui Rong was granted the title of Prince, and Cui Yun later inherited the title.

Later, during the mourning period, Cui Yun closed his doors and did not go out.

After three years of filial piety, Ji Shiyue was still haunting him. She had him cornered, from the beginning of the burgeoning relationship to the end, which now contained coercion and temptation.

“Cui Yun, don’t be ungrateful. The Marquis of Yangling Manor is already showing signs of decline. Everything is fate. Not a bit of it is controlled by others. It would be an endless glory for you to marry the princess.”

Cui Yun patiently laid out his plan.

In the same year, the Crown Prince of the Nanman Kingdom came to visit. Emperor Hun hated him to the core, but he had no choice but to welcome him with a smile. He even proposed a political marriage.

Ji Shiyue was his beloved daughter, so Emperor Hun naturally could not bear to send her to a marriage alliance.

However, Cui Yun did something in secret and sent half of Ji Shiyue’s portrait to the prince of the Barbarian Kingdom.

Everything went smoothly.

Finally, it was quiet.

As for what happened to Ji Shiyue in the Barbarian Kingdom, what did that have to do with him, a useless young marquis who had fallen into the Marquis of Yangling’s Manor?

Shen Hua’s hand fell from the air, tired of holding it up. At this moment, Cui Yun moved.

He took the silver note in front of Ji He’s incredulous expression.

Shen Hua heaved a sigh of relief.

Cui Yun… Was still the same.

Ji He snorted coldly. “You’re so unreasonable. Why does he get money and I don’t? He’s not a person who lacks money, while I’m having a headache just thinking about how much I’ll spend to see Hua Niang later.”

Shen Hua huddled in the corner and blinked. She asked slowly, “Hua Niang?

“Benefactor, are you also going to see Hua Niang?”

Ji He liked to bully Cui Yun. “He’s actually a very indecent person.”

Cui Yun was too lazy to explain. He fiddled with the bright red Vajra Bodhi bracelet on his wrist.

Despite everything, his sitting posture was solemn and upright, and his every move contained the grace of an aristocratic family.

Shen Hua believed him and did her part as host. “Miss Sheng’er from the brothel is the best at playing the zither. She also has a unique ventriloquism skill that allows her to imitate the sounds of all things. ”

Ji He was interested.

Cui Yun thought that Shen Hua was not a clingy person. His thin lips moved slightly, and his voice was very pleasant to hear.” This is my first time in Fengzhou. If you want to, why don’t you tell me about some of Fengzhou’s specialties? ”

Then, he would not need to send people out to inquire about what to do in the city.

Shen Hua did not hesitate. ” There are many delicacies in Fengzhou. Among them, the Golden Milk Crispy Pancake is the most famous. The locals love the crispycream lantern cakes from Hewu Street. The crispy pea-flavored bean paste bun from this shop is also very good. ”

They were not easy to store. It would not be good to bring the food back to Shengjing.

Cui Yun stopped talking. Seeing that he did not want to talk, Shen Hua also quieted down.

Fortunately, the Shen residence was not far from the medicine hall.

After getting off the carriage, Zheng Qianyu whispered into Shen Hua’s ear, “You and I have sat with them all the way here. Why are we still going to see Hua Niang?”

Ji Qing had inquired about the location of the Shen residence before coming, but Shen Hua remembered that he was a foreigner, so she did not specify the name of the street when she pointed downit.

On the way here, the familiar names carved on the road made Ji Qing fall into a strange train of thought.

Therefore, he was not in a hurry to drive the horse.

Cui Yun raised his eyes and glanced at the majestic and wealthy mansion in front of him. The plaque on the door was engraved with the golden words ‘Shen Residence’.

His hearing was good, so he could hear the conversation between the two girls clearly.

Shen Hua went up the stairs and lowered her voice. “Men like slim waists and perky butts. You can’t.”

As if to prove Cui Yun’s guess, the blue-clothed woman started yelling.

“Shen Hua! Don’t you have any shame?”

Cui Yun frowned. Hua …

“How can you boost the morale of others while disrespecting yourself?”

“I don’t.”

Shen Hua had been careful when she said that Zheng Qianyu would not be able to do it.

Zheng Qianyu laughed in anger. She glanced at Shen Hua’s chest. “It’s flat, yet you still have a problem?”

Shen Hua understood the disdain in the other party’s eyes and remained expressionless.

“I’m only fourteen. Puberty hasn’t arrived yet.”

In her previous life, after she came to Kuishui, her body was graceful, and her appearance was open. She lost her innocence and was charming and moving.

Shen Hua noticed her gaze and raised her chin seriously.

“Mine will be very big when the time comes.”

Zheng Qianyu scoffed at this. ‘I’ll listen to your bragging when it comes true!’

“I can’t be bothered to talk nonsense with you. Since you won’t die, I’ll go back.”

“Oh.” Shen Hua shook the herbs in her hand.

Cui Yun often read the books of sages, and there were no concubines in the mansion. Even when his brother was still around, he did not touch any women.

For all these years, many women approached him, but none of them were as bold as Shen Hua.

Even though Shen Hua was not saying it to him, he heard every word as if she was whispering softly in his ear.

His breathing stopped, and he accidentally poked a hole in the banknote.

Seeing this, Ji He took it and stared at the hole with heartache.

“Five hundred taels. You prodigal!”

Cui Yun closed his eyes and lowered the curtain.m”To the inn.”

“Yes.”

Ji He did not want to go back to the inn with them. He instructed lazily and got off the carriage to walk around and meet the Hua Niang that Shen Hua was talking about.

“By the way, didn’t you come here to look for someone?”

“I’ve found them.” Cui Yun let out a shaky breath.

Ji He thought, ‘Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe you?