"It wasn't until after the Lantern Festival. The Changping Marquis Mansion had grown concerned when their daughter didn't visit for the New Year, so Cui Shizi went to Prince Yu's Mansion. Only then could the news of the Princess Consort's death by drowning no longer be concealed."
"Even so, the people from the Changping Marquis Mansion were not allowed to see the Princess Consort's body. Prince Yu wouldn't let anyone see her."
"..."
Cui Lingyao was speechless.
'The system had only said that Xie Jinbai's personality had changed drastically and that he now had the look of a man destined for a short, heirless life. It urged her to return at once for a 'post-sale support' mission, but it hadn't gone into detail about his specific changes.'
'So, she truly had no idea that so much had happened in the three years after her death.'
'The news of her death was concealed from the beginning of the twelfth lunar month all the way until after the Lantern Festival. It was only made public after her brother personally came to the mansion.'
'For over a month... Had Xie Jinbai gone mad?'
Cui Lingyao's tone was complicated. "Princess Consort Yu... hasn't been buried yet, has she?"
Across from her, Shen Hanyue paused, looking at her with a hint of suspicion.
Cui Lingyao's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"
Shen Hanyue frowned at her for a moment. "I just find it strange. Chen Peirou's older sister has been away from the Capital City with her husband for years. She's not well-known here and is rarely mentioned, yet you speak of her as if you know her inside and out."
"You know that Chen Minrou and Prince Zhao grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and that their story was once a celebrated tale in the Capital City, yet you don't know that Prince Yu's Mansion has never held a funeral?"
'One must remember that Chen Minrou got married seven years ago. At the time, this cousin of hers was only nine and still living in Pingzhou.'
'Meanwhile, the news of Princess Consort Yu's accidental death had caused a massive stir in the Capital City. Everyone was talking about it, yet she claimed to not know that Prince Yu's Mansion never held a funeral.'
'It was truly baffling.'
'Was she really so single-mindedly infatuated with my brother that she paid no attention to anything else?'
'But she clearly knew about the Princess Consort personally offering a toast to the new concubine on the day Prince Yu took her in.'
'And she knew the Princess Consort had drowned.'
'She just didn't know what happened after the Princess Consort's death.'
「Outside the carriage.」
Riding ahead, Xie Jinbai, who was about to leave the other carriage completely behind, tightened his grip on the reins, pulling them taut almost instinctively.
'He didn't know why he did it. He had just left the palace with many matters to attend to. As for these two young women brazenly discussing his private affairs, his subordinates could deal with them.'
But he just... slowed down instinctively.
'He wanted to hear the explanation from the girl who had been so disrespectful to him at first.'
Meanwhile, a strange silence fell over the carriage.
Cui Lingyao blinked stiffly and forced a dry smile.
"I might have heard a whisper of it before, but I forgot. You know how I am, cousin. My mind has been entirely focused on my cousin, completely consumed with wanting him to like me back. How could I possibly remember anything else?"
For an unmarried young woman to say such things was truly shameless.
Shen Hanyue immediately believed her excuse. She was even a little impressed by her thick skin and couldn't help but admonish her, "A young lady should be more reserved."
Having passed the test with her explanation, Cui Lingyao relaxed and said nonchalantly, "When you're pursuing the one you love, the quick get their prize, and the slow get none. What's the use of being reserved?"
'When you're pursuing the one you love, the quick get their prize, and the slow get none. What's the use of being reserved...?'
The familiar words poured into his ears, each one identical. Xie Jinbai froze as if struck by lightning. His expression went blank for a second, then he whipped his head around.
He stared intently at the carriage behind him, as if he could pierce through its thick walls to see the person inside.
"My lord?" Li Yong jumped in alarm. He quickly made a hand signal, about to order the carriage to be stopped.
Xie Jinbai stopped him with a raised hand.
The road was wide. The reaction of the men drew a second glance from the carriage driver, but seeing that they didn't approach, the carriage naturally didn't stop.
「Inside the carriage.」
The two young women remained completely oblivious to the commotion outside.
Hearing this, Shen Hanyue scoffed. "'The quick get their prize, and the slow get none?' You've been chasing my brother for all these years, casting aside your modesty and your dignity. Have you gotten what you wanted?"
Her words were truly impolite.
Cui Lingyao fell silent for a moment, then said, "Your brother is a true gentleman. I am his cousin. If he were to take me as a concubine, it would make things difficult for his future primary wife. Discord between the wife and concubine would bring unrest to the household."
A cousin becoming a concubine was a complicated matter.
She couldn't be a low-ranking concubine.
Since she would be a high-ranking concubine, the primary wife couldn't just sell her off at will.
Furthermore, with their blood ties, if she were to bear a child, its status would be different from that of an ordinary child born to a concubine.
It would be a constant source of vexation for the primary wife.
It would also make it difficult for the wife to manage the household.
'Never mind that Shen Tingyu had not the slightest interest in her original self; even if he did, he would have had to consider the consequences of taking her as a concubine.'
'An unpeaceful household can ruin three generations.'
Cui Lingyao said, "Today, I have given up on my cousin. From now on, I will never again entertain the thought of becoming his concubine."
Shen Hanyue found that hard to believe.
But seeing how seriously she spoke, she was willing to nod in agreement. "If that's truly the case, then you have some backbone after all."
'Cui Lingyao realized that this cousin of hers was quite different from the person in her original self's memories.'
'She was proud, certainly, and spoke her mind freely. And yes, her tongue could be venomous at times.'
'But she wasn't a bad person at heart.'
She smiled and said, "You can rest assured, cousin. I have plenty of backbone. If I say I won't be a concubine, I will never be a concubine."
'Xie Jinbai was a prince born of the Empress, destined to be the Emperor, and she had been his primary wife.'
'How could she possibly run off to become Shen Tingyu's concubine?'
Thinking of Xie Jinbai, Cui Lingyao fell silent again. "Princess Consort Yu died three years ago and has never been buried... What about the body?"
"Back then, Prince Yu procured thousand-year-old Xuan Ice from the Far North and had an Ice Coffin made from it. They say it can preserve a body from decay."
At this mention, Shen Hanyue's expression grew complicated as well. "I also heard that he even takes the Ice Coffin with him when he goes off to war."
'He even takes the Ice Coffin with him when he goes off to war...?'
Cui Lingyao's eyes widened. "Has he gone mad?"
"Don't speak such nonsense!" Shen Hanyue shot upright and snapped, "You are being far too disrespectful to Prince Yu! He has fought in countless campaigns these past years without a single defeat. He is a great hero who protects our country! He was also deeply devoted to his first wife. How dare a sheltered young lady like you speak so rudely of him!"
The tirade left Cui Lingyao stunned for a moment. She quickly realized something, and her eyes grew even wider. "...You?"
Shen Hanyue's face flushed red. She instinctively wanted to explain, but then she remembered they were the only two in the carriage. She stiffened her neck and admitted directly, "I do admire him."
"..." Cui Lingyao was silent.
'So that was it. That's why her cousin acted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on whenever Xie Jinbai was mentioned.'
'Turns out she's a die-hard fan.'
'And from the looks of it, she was showing signs of being one of his more zealous devotees.'
Seeing her silence, Shen Hanyue added, "He's a great hero and a husband the likes of which are rarely seen in this world. In my opinion, none of those so-called 'young talents' in the Capital City can compare to him."
Cui Lingyao gave a low cough and asked, "...Does he know how you feel?"
"No," Shen Hanyue pursed her lips and urged in a low voice, "I've only met him three times in total. Not even my mother knows how I feel. You mustn't tell anyone else."