latelenovela Chapter 95 Returning to the Cui Family
Chapter 95 Returning to the Cui Family
At the entrance of the Cui residence.
Upon learning that his cousin Chu Qingyin was coming, Cui Minghao immediately straightened his clothes and personally went to the door to greet her.
But unexpectedly, besides her own cousin, there was another person.
Although Cui Minghao held a low official position and had not seen the emperor many times, he was not so bad as to forget the emperor's face.
"Your humble servant Cui Minghao greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy peace and prosperity." He lifted his robe and bowed respectfully.
Pei Yuanling raised his hand and said, "No need for formalities. I am not here today for state affairs, but simply to accompany Consort Qiao to visit her maternal grandfather."
"Yes."
Cui Minghao glanced at Chu Qingyin beside him in surprise. Seeing her nod, he then stepped aside to respectfully welcome the imperial concubine into the mansion.
In the front hall, Cui Shengfang, the current head of the Cui family and Cui Minghao's father, upon hearing of His Majesty's arrival, immediately came to pay his respects despite his illness.
"Your humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
Pei Yuanling looked up at the man kneeling before him. He was about forty or fifty years old, lean but with an imposing presence. Although he was ill and looked somewhat tired, he still moved with the bearing of a military general.
He remembered that Cui Shengfang had joined the army as a young man and was a comrade-in-arms with Qiao Gongquan in the same battalion. The two of them had made many military achievements together.
Later, both men were granted official titles and honors based on their merits. Unlike Qiao Gongquan, Cui Shengfang was not adept at political maneuvering. Due to his upright character, he offended the then-Prime Minister Gu Lin'an and was eventually appointed as a Commandant of the Central Army. This was a high-ranking position, but it was a sinecure.
Nearly ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.
"I heard that Commander Cui's old illness has relapsed. He should rest more and there's no need for such formalities." Pei Yuanling stepped forward and raised his hand to help Cui Mingfang up.
“Your Majesty, etiquette must not be disregarded.” Cui Mingfang took a step back, still forcing himself to bow despite his illness.
He was indeed a military general with a straightforward and upright character.
Pei Yuanling's eyes showed a hint of appreciation. Since she was now Yinyin's family, it wouldn't hurt to find an opportunity to promote her.
Cui Shengfang was a loyal subject to the emperor. Although he had been demoted for a long time, he always paid attention to court affairs.
Now that I have the honor of meeting His Majesty, and that the person before me is a virtuous man, I cannot help but become more talkative.
Seeing that the two were getting into a lively discussion about national affairs, Chu Qingyin took the opportunity to tell Pei Yuanling that she wanted to go and chat with her maternal grandmother and maternal aunt.
Pei Yuanling readily agreed.
Chu Qingyin then looked at Cui Minghao and said softly, "Cousin, are you free? I brought some gifts and would like to personally deliver them to my maternal grandmother and aunt."
"Okay, I'll go with you."
Cui Minghao had a good impression of his cousin. Although she was not close to the Cui family before, she was still a blood relative. After meeting her a few times, the past barriers seemed to have never existed, and he naturally felt close to her.
Pei Yuanling chatted with Cui Shengfang while silently observing the interaction between the brother and sister in front of him.
Yinyin seems to have a strong sibling bond, first with Chu Tianheng, and now she has a deep and enviable relationship with Cui Minghao.
The two walked to the corridor, and Chu Qingyin breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that no one was around.
"Why is my cousin acting so furtively?" Cui Minghao teased with a smile upon seeing this.
"With His Majesty present, there is always a sense of restraint. We are not like family, nor like ruler and subject."
Listening to Chu Qingyin's serious and methodical words, Cui Minghao couldn't help but laugh at her appearance: "You've already entered the palace as a Noble Consort, how come you're still acting like a little girl, with such improper words and deeds?"
"I'm only saying this because His Majesty is not here."
She didn't know why, but she felt so relaxed around Cui Minghao, and naturally had a good impression of and trust in him, as if he really was her older brother.
“That’s right. Although His Majesty looks stern, he really dotes on you.” Cui Minghao said as he continued walking forward. “You don’t know, when you were promoted to Consort Qiao a while ago, His Majesty rewarded the Qiao and Cui families with many good things.”
"Even I, a sinecure official in the Ministry of Justice, have recently been promoted to the rank of Assistant Minister of the Fourth Rank, and I will be able to take office in half a month." As he spoke, a hint of pride appeared in his handsome eyes.
What does Pei Yuanling mean by this? Why would he promote Cousin Cui out of the blue?
Surely it couldn't be to test her?
Aside from visiting the Ministry of Justice once before entering the palace under the pretext of doing good deeds, she did not engage in any other transgressions.
Regardless of Pei Yuanling's intentions, her original plan to contact the Chu family's former subordinates had to be temporarily shelved, and she would have to find another opportunity.
Seeing her remain silent, Cui Minghao chuckled and teased, "What's wrong? Are you so happy you've gone silly?"
Chu Qingyin snapped out of her daze and pretended to be serious: "Then cousin must do a good job and make me proud, so as not to disappoint His Majesty's good intentions."
"Don't worry, your cousin will definitely do his best and won't let you down," Cui Minghao assured him confidently.
"Then I, your younger sister, wish my cousin a smooth promotion and a bright future."
"Thank you, cousin."
The young man before me had a bright smile, and his frank and sincere demeanor was almost dazzling.
Chu Qingyin could no longer bring herself to say what she had originally planned to entrust to him.
She simply couldn't bear to drag him and the entire Cui family into this turmoil.
After leaving the Cui family, seeing that it was still early, Pei Yuanling took Chu Qingyin for a walk along the street like an ordinary citizen, and strolled around the night market.
The night market in the capital is thriving. Compared to the dim and hazy scene that Chu Qingyin had seen from the carriage, it is now brightly lit, and the streets are bustling with activity, even more prosperous and lively than during the day.
Pei Yuanling was afraid that she would be separated from him by the crowd, so he unconsciously tightened his grip on her hand.
Chu Qingyin let him hold her hand and walked forward, but her gaze would occasionally fall on his handsome face with its distinct features, as if she were deep in thought.
What exactly did he mean?
If it's truly certain she is Chu Qingyin, why the reluctance to agree to overturn the Chu family's case? If it's not certain she's Chu Qingyin, why treat her so well...?
Could it be that he fell in love with the character Qiao Qingyin she played?
"Yinyin, is it because you're reluctant to leave your family?"