CH 13

(Advanced Chapters on Kofi and Patreon) [So much work to do :( ] [Next Chapter: ??? Maybe, Thursday?]

Bai Ge was taken aback, "Why would he mind this? Mr. Pei came to propose marriage to the mistress because he likes you. So, how can he be concerned with things that don't even exist?.”

She didn't understand Cui Ti's worries.

Cui Ti had a deep-seated desire to have children with Pei Xuan in her previous life, but that wish remained unfulfilled even in her death, leaving a knot in her heart.

Pei Xuan...most likely does not love her.

Perhaps he is affected by a disease, or he simply feels pity for her and wants to spare her from further hardship.

“Mistress, it's best not to dwell on such thoughts. Life should be lived to its fullest and enjoyed.”

Bai Ge, an unmarried young woman, spoke with clarity on the subject. "At tomorrow's wedding, the bride should be bold on the wedding night. After all, what man wouldn't like a pretty woman? You should take the initiative and lead, the rest will fall into place on its own."

If that is the case, then why didn’t Pei Xuan want to consummate?.

Cui Ti sighed lightly, and internally pondered.

Bai Ge struggled to find a way to console her and eventually said, "Regardless, when the time comes, just remember to take off your clothes, be bold, and strip naked. I don't believe he’ll be able to resist!."

Her words were quite shocking and not appropriate for a woman of proper upbringing to hear.

Cui Ti considered Bai Ge's strong attitude and gently lifted the corner of her lips in a smile, trying to alleviate the awkwardness on her face.

"Did you really tell me to be seductive? If so, what if I scare him?" she asked.

"He can handle it!.”

Bai Ge earnestly continued, “The mistress is not the one afraid of becoming a woman, but instead the gentleman? If he is afraid, then the mistress just needs to force herself!.”

The more she talked, the more outrageous it became.

Cui Ti felt that Bai Ge's words were disrespectful towards Pei Xuan and was about to speak up when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her eyes.

Bai Ge's smile faded as she saw Cui Ti's distress, "What's wrong, mistress?.”

"My eyes... hurt..." Cui Ti replied, wincing in pain.

Hearing her pained groan, Bai Ge took a deep breath to calm herself and quickly undid the knot at the back of her mistress head, causing the white gauze to fall. Cui Ti's eyes turned red, like those of a rabbit, and she jumped in shock before running out.

"Hurry!.”

The day before the big wedding, the Chenxiang Courtyard was present with a doctor with reputable recognition, Mr. Xining and his wife who came here upon hearing the news.

"How about it, will it affect tomorrow's marriage?.”

Mrs. Xining asked this sentence immediately when she entered the courtyard, the old doctor spoke comforting words, but sighed secretly for the blind girl in the bed curtain, and changed his words: "It doesn't affect the mariage."

"That's good, that's good..."

Her fearful nature came into play, and she asked: "What's going on? Why are her eyes red?.”

The doctor, a renowned specialist in treating eye disorders in Xijing, was stumped by Cui Ti's blindness despite his exceptional medical expertise. 

Thus, this question overwhelmed him.

Mr. Xining, who had been keeping watch outside the bead curtain to avoid arousing suspicion, grew increasingly restless as he hadn't heard any sounds from inside for a while. "We must prescribe more medicine and not let it interfere with the wedding date," he impatiently declared.

That was it.

The medicine was handed to Bai Ge, who went to the kitchen to prepare it herself.

Mr. Xining, being a man, felt awkward staying in his grown daughter's boudoir. After confirming that Cui Ti was okay, he sighed deeply and left with a flick of his sleeves.

Climbing the ranks of the prime minister was desirable, but it wouldn’t be possible if his eldest daughter's health was at risk.

In the boudoir, Cui Ti was lying on the bed through a bead curtain, and Mrs. Xining was sitting on a round stool two steps away from the edge of the bed.

She was used to being ruthless to Cui Ti, and realized later that the words she blurted out before entering the door exposed her heart.

There is no child who does not long for the love of their parents.

This is what Mrs. Xining had learned over the course of Cui Ti’s marriage.

After a while of self-reflection, she remembered that her daughter was going to get married tomorrow, and she thought out loud, "Tomorrow you will be a member of the Pei family, and I can say that it was nice watching you get married."

Despite more than 17 years of aloofness and harsh treatment, Mrs. Xining made an attempt to talk to her daughter, causing both her and Cui Ti to feel uncomfortable. However, as a mother, there were certain things that had to be said, regardless of how awkward it may be.

Mrs. Xining mustered up the courage to treat Cui Ti as her own daughter and even tried to hypnotize herself into doing so. She then thought of Cui Dai, who was also getting married, and decided to use the same words for Cui Ti:

"Being the young wife of the Pei family, you must serve your husband well and respect your in-laws. The Pei family will definitely not bind you into a sedan chair and make you feel wronged.”

“It is customary for a mother to offer advice to her daughter before her wedding day, so don't worry, I'm not trying to hurt you."

"On the wedding night, don't let Pei Xuan go. Besides, your…”

She cleared her throat: "Your eyes are inconvenient. So, listen carefully…”

Cui Ti listened intently, lying beneath the brocade quilt, but her mind began to wander as she heard her mother's words.

This woman!

Only the night before she got married did she barely decide to act like a competent mother.

She also said these words in her previous life, and advised that she was required to raise children for Pei Xuan, as that heir would let their bloodline continue.

Cui Ti heavily disagreed with this view.

Still, her ears were continuously being spoken to, filled with lies such as, "I'm doing this for your own good".

It's good, it's good, it's good to start over again, Cui Ti didn’t care as much anymore.

"Are you listening carefully? You child, how many times does your mother have to say it before it gets drilled into your brain? Are you trying to ignore—"

Her true intentions slipped, and she realized that the person in front of her was Cui Ti, not Cui Dai. She stopped and lowered her head, staring at the floor tiles:

"Remember, your husband's family will be your support in the future, especially your children. If you don't have children, your husband may have more women.

"The son of the Pei family, the Imperial Academy editor who has just turned eighteen years old. Why should he only focus on you? How did you touch his heart?.”

"When you first met him, you fascinated him so much that he couldn't stop, but what about tomorrow? If he abandons you, who will want you?.

"You have to do it yourself. Hold on to what is in your hands, don't blame me for not reminding you. So, don't bother him when he is emotional. Do you understand?.”

"Your father is a womanizer, and your husband is no better!.”

Cui Ti, who had a serious expression, shook her head: "No."

"What did you say?.

"Pei Xuan, he is the best man in the world. If I marry him, he will only treat me well."

"How are you so sure?" Madam Xining replied harshly, "Love is blinding you both. When you grow old, you will understand.”

"Why do you vent your unwillingness and anger on me?.”

Cui Ti's voice was weak: "Cui Dai is your daughter, am I not also your flesh and blood?.”

"You hate me, blame me, and abandon me. Without me, Mr. Xining would still secretly raise a woman outside. Even if you gave birth to a healthy daughter back then, and my aunt didn't like you, she would still find opportunities to step on you.”

"Now that my grandmother is gone and my aunt is getting remarried, the thorn in your heart is still there, you hurt me, and you don't want me to feel better. Tomorrow is the most important moment in my life, and you don't even bother to give me a word of blessing. Mother, is your heart made of stone?.”

Cui Ti's eyes were slightly wet as the words that had been buried for two lifetimes were spit out.

Madam Xining sat frozen, her expression transitioning from disbelief to anger: "What are you talking about, what on earth are you talking about?! If it weren't for you, how would your second sister have died so young!? You are a curse to this family, a harbinger of misfortune for all of us!".

She screamed in a frenzy.

This time, Cui Ti had no more fear in her heart, only sorrow.

For herself, and for this broken woman.

"Mother," she whispered softly, "For a woman to prioritize her weak body and deceased newborn over her own flesh and blood daughter is simply an excuse."

The room fell silent.

Mrs. Xining was stunned into speechlessness.

This daughter...

This daughter, whom she had always found strange and repulsive, was now capable of inducing an indescribable sense of fear.

The sound of rushing footsteps could be heard, gradually fading away as Mrs. Xining quickly left the room.

Cui Ti's tensed back relaxed.

She couldn't stand her mother making a scene.

Soon after, Bai Ge came into the room with hot soup: "Mistress, are your eyes better?.”

The burning sensation faded away, and even the doctor couldn't explain the cause of the stinging pain. As Cui Ti opened her eyes, the frightening red color was gone, and Bai Ge breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's make sure there are no more incidents during this crucial time. I'll help you take the medicine," Bai Ge commented.

At that moment, Pei Xuan was trying on the wedding dress that she would wear for her wedding the following day. She felt a mix of emotions as she glanced at her mother, who spoke in a reassuring tone.

"The doctor was called, but it was just a false alarm. Mrs. Xining said it won't affect the wedding banquet," Mrs. Pei said, trying to put her daughter's worries at ease.

"Are you sure?" Pei Xuan asked, still uncertain.

"It's okay, we won’t forgive them if they dared lie to our family."

Pei Xuan nodded slowly. He didn't sleep well all night.

As the day dawned, the couple woke up and began their preparations for the wedding. 

Pei Xuan, who lived on Furong Street, received permission from the imperial court to get married, and was filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. 

Meanwhile, in the Xining mansion on Mudan Street, Cui Ti woke up early and was dressed by the makeup artist after her morning ablutions. 

On the day of a daughter's wedding, there are many things that need to be taken care of.

It takes two hours to dress up and another half hour to say goodbye to the family.

The so-called farewell is mostly said by Mr. Xining, and Cui Ti listened.

After ignoring his eldest daughter for eighteen years, the unremarkable blind girl who was thrown in the south courtyard unexpectedly won the favor of the prime minister's son. He had to say that fate is a very mysterious thing.

It's not appropriate to talk face to face with Cui Ti at other times, and there is only half an hour left for Mr. Xining to properly act as a father.

After today, he will have a powerful son-in-law with a bright future.

"Okay, haven't we said enough?.”

Mrs. Xiningbo couldn't understand the current scene of "a loving father and a filial daughter" stopped Mr. Xining from acting further in a low voice.

Cui Dai's eyes turned red with jealousy. When she learned that Cui Ti was "ill," she proposed to her mother the idea of "substituting marriage", but her mother, who had always loved her, strongly opposed it.

The Xining Mansion cannot afford to offend the Pei family.

After getting married, Cui Dai can't afford to offend Cui Ti.

It seems a blind woman flew up a branch to become a phoenix, and Cui Dai's face was hot.

Not long after, she taught the blind woman arrogantly that a house sparrow is a house sparrow and will never be a phoenix.

Yet she became one.

At dusk, the road was opened with gongs and drums. Pei Xuan wore an official hat and a big red flower on his chest, and was riding a tall horse. Behind him was a wedding sedan chair carried by eight people.

Drums and music are in pairs, bearers sing ditties with their necks up, and the welcoming procession is bustling.