Chapter 45 - Fear of Thieves
In the Earl's residence, the beloved Miss Cui Dai was busy training a newly purchased kitten. It was a small Persian cat with mismatched eyes. One was a clear blue while the other was a bronze shade. Its fur was soft and it looked stunningly beautiful.
At first glance, Cui Dai fell in love with this kitten and couldn't let it go.
A close aide of the Earl of Xining bravely entered, while the maids outside were creating quite a commotion, utterly lacking in manners.
Such a ruckus.
Cui Dai frowned, clearly annoyed. She walked out and confronted the aggressively approaching servants with a stern face, "What's all this commotion? Do you think this is a place where you can behave recklessly? Just look at yourselves!"
In Miss Cui Ti's eyes, all the servants in the residence were nothing more than lowly attendants. Having the kitten had somewhat eased her irritable mood, but now her agitation returned.
She was visibly angered, glaring at this group of ill-mannered servants.
Cui Jian was a close attendant to Earl Xining, Cui Shao. Since his youth, he had followed Sir Earl, enjoying great favor in Cui Shao's eyes. Over the years, he rarely undertook errands and lived a life of comfort, gaining more than a dozen pounds. His face was round, and when he laughed, his eyes squinted to a line.
He clearly understood why Sir Earl had sent him. After all, Cui Dai was a pampered daughter who had grown up accustomed to luxury. Others didn't dare approach her, and even if they did, they wouldn't dare lay hands on her.
But Cui Jian dared.
He grinned, offering a bow to Miss Cui Ti. As he slowly straightened up, his expression changed sharply. "Bind her!"
Cui Dai took a sharp breath, her eyes wide. "You dare?!"
"This servant wouldn't dare, but I must obey Sir Earl's command." At Cui Jian's order, the men beside him rushed forward, tying up Cui Dai with ropes.
He had long been displeased with this spoilt and willful young lady.
Sir Earl had two daughters. Cui Jian favored the elder Miss Cui, while he disliked Cui Dai.
Over a decade ago, he had advised Sir Earl to treat his legitimate eldest daughter well. However, Cui Shao was much bothered by the fact that his eldest daughter was blind. Further attempts to advise were met with Cui Shao's displeasure.
Now, as the eldest daughter had risen in status, the younger one, leveraging her elder sister's influence, had gotten engaged to the legitimate son of the Marquis of Chenming. Sir Earl's attitude had clearly shifted.
M'lord Pei's letter of inquiry forced Sir Earl to provide an explanation. To maintain this marital alliance, the Cui family had to provide a flawless response to the Pei family.
"Take her away!"
"You damned servant! Release me! This is insubordination!" The fourteen-year-old girl, lacking strength, struggled but failed, her eyes reddening with anger.
Cui Jian remained indifferent. In his eyes, Sir Earl should have disciplined this truly unruly daughter long ago.
Being unruly at home was one thing. If she were to marry into the Marquis's house and fail to bring benefits to the Earl's residence, it'd be a different story. It might even invite unnecessary troubles. It would be better to teach her a lesson now.
The group came with great force and left with the same intensity, even taking the mistress of the Agarwood Courtyard with them. The servants of Agarwood Courtyard, unaware of the details, collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
It was good that Cui Dai was taken away. At least they wouldn't have to serve her or bear her baseless abuses.
Now, they found themselves envious of Bai Ge, who had moved into the Prime Minister's mansion with the elder Miss Cui.
They heard that Lord Pei personally renamed Bai Ge to Bai Tang. Being given a name by the most eloquent scholar of the Great Zhao was quite an honor. At first, they didn't believe it, but when the news was confirmed, they had to accept it.
Bai Tang was truly fortunate, and so was the elder Miss Cui.
Everyone sighed and shook their heads, sitting idly in the courtyard, lost in their thoughts.
Elsewhere, Cui Dai was humiliatingly brought to the main hall.
The Lady of Earl Xining, hearing the commotion, called out even before entering the door, "What happened? Why is Dai bound like this?"
Cui Dai's face turned pale with fear, and she knelt on the ground, sobbing.
Upon hearing the Lady's words, Cui Shao sneered coldly, "What happened? Look at the daughter you raised! What has she done? Others have written letters to me, criticizing her behavior!"
To him, a daughter's virtues were his contribution, while her flaws were a result of her mother's upbringing.
Previously, when the elder daughter had returned home for a few days, the Earl and his wife had a massive argument and didn't talk for days. Still, they eventually reconciled.
But not long after their reconciliation, this incident occurred. The Lady of Earl Xining was fuming as she listened to her husband's accusations. She stepped in and snapped, "If I'm so terrible, why don't you just divorce me?"
The Earl was left speechless, his anger evident on his face. He gritted out, "You're being completely unreasonable!"
"Unreasonable?" The Lady was in no mood to argue. She reached out to pull her youngest daughter up.
But as Cui Dai was halfway to her feet, Cui Shao angrily threw his teacup to the ground!
The shattered porcelain flew everywhere, nearly scarring Cui Dai's face, causing her to scream in fear.
Thud!
Her knees gave way, and she knelt down again, pleading, "Father, Father..."
"Have you lost your mind?!" The Lady yelled, "If you can't stand us, then we'll leave!"
It was rare for the Earl of Xining to lose his temper. This seemingly gentle man was unyielding this time. He ignored his wife's anger, pointing to the letter on the ground, "Look for yourself, see what your daughter has done!"
"Mama, Mama, save me..." Cui Dai whispered, pleading for help.
Lady Earl hesitated for a moment and then squatted down to pick up the letter. She skimmed through it swiftly and looked up at her daughter in disbelief.
Pei Xuan truly lived up to her reputation for her exceptional eloquence. The letter she wrote to her father-in-law was clean, without a single vulgar word, yet it vividly described the precious gem of a heart that the couple shared.
Anyone who read this letter would feel a burning sensation on their face, a kind of heat, because the legitimate son of the Pei family never spoke without purpose.
If she said Cui Dai incited the maids in the house to harm others, then it must be true.
With such a reputation, no one would doubt her words.
"Mother..."
Lady Earl's fingertips felt cold, her expression obscure: "You're being foolish. Even if you dislike her, you can't let others harm her. You two are, after all, blood relatives. How can you harm each other?"
She couldn't say much more, knowing she couldn't protect her daughter, and didn't have the position to do so. She simply closed her mouth and stepped aside.
Earl of Xining snorted coldly, "So young, yet so cruel-hearted. Who taught you this?"
After reading the letter from her brother-in-law, Cui Dai's face turned as pale as paper: "Father, Mother, I've been wronged! I just wanted to teach that blind girl a lesson, I never meant to take her life! It was her, that wretched maid, she acted on her own! I've been falsely accused, Father!"
Again and again saying "blind girl", "blind girl", the Earl of Xining, in his anger, stepped forward and kicked her on the shoulder, "Dare you speak carelessly again, and see who cares for your well-being! That's your elder sister, our entire household relies on her. Where did you get the audacity to harm her?"
A few days ago, when he found out that Cui Ti had contracted a strange disease and was unconscious, he was restless day and night, never expecting the root of the trouble to be within his own family.
Kicked by him, Cui Dai cried out in pain, tears streaming down as she looked at her familiar yet distant father, crying uncontrollably.
"Enough! Lock her in the woodshed. Without my orders, no one is to visit her!"
Clearly, the statement was meant for the household's main matron. Wanting to make a big impression from a small punishment, Cui Shao sipped his tea and began to work on mending fences with his son-in-law.
Seeing the handwritten letter from the Earl of Xining, Pei Xuan's gentle eyes gradually turned cold, "Is locking her in a woodshed considered a lesson for such a pampered child?"
She set the letter aside, "Return all the gifts sent by the Cui family. The Pei family is wealthy and prosperous, we don't need these."
"Yes."
Before the sun set, Earl of Xining was in deep worry at home.
The steward entered with a worried look, "Sir Earl, all the gifts we sent have been returned."
"All returned?"
"See for yourself."
A dozen large boxes were brought in, unopened. Cui Shao was filled with regret. It was clear the son-in-law wasn't ready to forgive.
"Sir Earl, what should we do next?"
"Let me think... Just give me a moment to think."
Having not dealt with such affairs for years, he felt helpless when faced with such a challenging situation.
"At this point, we should take Dai to the Pei mansion with a switch of thorny branches to apologize." The Lady Earl, wearing her long trailing skirt, approached from not far away. "We are clearly in the wrong here, and can only hope that our son-in-law is magnanimous enough to forgive Dai this time."
Otherwise, if relations sour, the Cui family wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.
"My lady?"
Lady Earl cast him a glance, "What are you hesitating for? If we delay, you might not even be able to keep your title!"
Nowadays, the Cui family only had their reputable name left. If they can't appease Pei Xuan, and the matter reaches the higher officials, without him doing much, a single accusation could strip the Cui family of their remaining honor.
Cui Shao, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly ordered the preparation of thorny branches and sent people to 'request' Cui Dai from the woodshed.
News in Xi Jing never escaped the eyes of those in the know. The Pei family had just accused a maid of "insubordination" and sent her to prison. Soon after, Lady Pei fell ill. In just a few days, the Cui family sent gifts to the Pei family, only to have them returned.
The intricacies of the situation were indeed intriguing. With both families on the brink of a fallout, the Earl of Xining could not sit still.
"M'lord, they have arrived."
"How did they come?"
"They brought the thorny branches with them."
Pei Xuan set down the scroll he was reading, his clear eyebrows relaxed, "At least they know some decorum."
"So, shall we meet them?"
"Let's meet."
"My lady, M'lord asks you to rest well inside. He will handle the situation outside. You need not worry."
The Earl of Xining arrived with Cui Dai to apologize to the Pei family. Outsiders simply assumed the young Miss Cui, in her naivety, had displeased M'lord Pei.
Pei Xuan did not want to involve Cui Ti, as they were close sisters, to avoid giving others something to talk about.
She personally stepped forward to seek an explanation from the Cui family. Cui Ti only needed to sit inside and listen to the commotion.
Bai Tang puckered his lips, "M'lord is truly devoted. It's a pity he couldn't witness Miss Third bending over and lowering her head to apologize."
"There's not much worth seeing, anyway."
Having lived again, Cui Ti no longer retained the 'innocence' she had towards her relatives in her past life. She held a rabbit in her arms and seemed lost in thought.
What's happening now is far different from her previous life.
Take the curse, for instance.
The curse was cast upon her long ago. Xiao Hong from the outer courtyard had merely triggered it by some unfortunate coincidence.
Her death and regrets from the previous life were the nightmares Cui Ti could never let go. Therefore, fear seeped into her heart, and the dream curse magnified it, turning it into a prison for her soul.
Someone wanted to extinguish all her hopes, to make her heart as dead as ashes.
Cui Dai, though wicked, didn't have the wit for such schemes.
Yun Hong was but a trivial pawn and wasn't worth paying much attention to.
As for the young lady from the extended family...
Cui Ti couldn't 'see through' her.
But she instinctively repelled her.
Even if we take a step back, the relationship between the cousins was already rather ambiguous. In Da Zhao, it's quite common for a male cousin to marry a female cousin, strengthening family ties.
In her previous life, this sickly young lady from the extended family hadn't even been engaged before Cui Ti's death.
Xing Guang was a woman. If the Pei family wanted to deceive the world, they would certainly have to ensure that the marriage was flawless.
In both her past and present lives, she was Lady Pei. But who was it before her?
Whom did the Pei family intend to pretend as the 'young Lady Pei'?
Could it be Dou Qingyue?
Dou Qingyue was frail and probably wouldn't live long. Furthermore, she hailed from the Dou family, and her father, the general, was Lady Pei's beloved biological younger brother -- essentially family.
It wasn't that Cui Ti was overly suspicious. She was just acutely aware of how desirable her husband was.
In her past life, she had often been subjected to the cold, envious glares of many women.
Despite her ill health, the young lady from the extended family frequently visited the Pei Mansion. It wasn't unusual for her to stay for weeks when in a good mood.
She was far too close to the Pei family.
Cui Ti didn't like this young lady.
She disliked her for various reasons.
She minded her for various reasons.
To speak of it made Cui Ti seem petty, but in truth, she wasn't magnanimous to begin with.
Someone who had lived through poverty, upon suddenly amassing wealth, fears theft, and even more so, covetous eyes.
No one provoked her, yet she felt jealousy on her own accord.
The remorseful Cui Dai, crying her eyes out, was taken away by the Earl of Xining. Pei Xuan, after releasing his frustrations, returned to the inner courtyard with a clear and refreshed demeanor. Lifting the curtain and entering, he saw Cui Ti frowning, appearing as if she was mentally wrestling with someone.
In the time that he wasn't aware, Cui Ti had already had hundreds of imaginary confrontations with this faceless rival in her mind.
The confrontations were evenly matched when Pei Xuan leaned in and asked, "My wife?"
"Just give me a moment."
"..."
A few minutes later, Cui Ti's face brightened. "Is everything settled?"
Pei Xuan raised an eyebrow and curiously inquired, "What were you thinking about? You seemed so engrossed."