CHAPTER 518: CHAPTER 508: DO YOU BELIEVE IN FATE?

"Why have you come?"

Mr. Wang didn’t dwell on it too much: "Since you’ve come, as your teacher I must examine—"

"Teacher!"

Ji Huo’s cry was incredibly mournful!

Previously he always called him old man, Mr. Wang: ...

"I can’t stand it anymore! There is something I must say, even if it means losing face!"

Ji Huo said sadly: "Do you know why I repeatedly dislike Cheng Zheng?"

Mr. Wang: ...

Because he is better than you in every way.

Ji Huo: "Right when I entered the academy, he started bothering me, do you know about this, teacher?"

Mr. Wang frowned: "He is worried you are not accustomed to the academy life..."

The boy-girl situation, in a bid to smear Cheng Zheng, Ji Huo interrupted.

"That’s because he wanted to possess me!"

"He has a preference for the same sex! The last time I beat him up, he was at fault first; it was he who peeped at me bathing and even tried to touch me!"

"Teacher! You are also a man, if it was you, could you endure it?"

Teacher: !!!

He was very shocked.

Even if disbelieving, Ji Huo has been taught by him for so long, though unruly, but not a malevolent person. He also has the pride of a noble son; how could he purposely disgust himself and deceive him!

Seeing the teacher like this, Ji Huo dropped another bombshell.

"Teacher also knows, I am kept under lock by you every day, how would I have conflicts with other students easily, but how many in the whole academy are willing to befriend me? Actually, it was not my fault entirely, there was a reason. When I had rejected his advances early on, he spread the word."

Teacher frowned deeply: "What words."

"If he can’t have me, he will ruin me!"

——

In the following days, Shen Hua’s medicine never stopped.

But... It seemed ineffective.

Her body still couldn’t withstand the ’rain beating the begonia’.

One thing was certain, the prescribing doctor was a quack!

She regretted sitting outside and listening to that doctor speaking so authoritatively.

"Goji berries treat deficiency of liver and kidney, sore and weak lumbar. Antler strengthens kidney yang, nourishes essence and blood. Coarse rice benefits kidney and secures essence, strengthens the spleen. Epimedium supplements yang..."

Compared to Marquis Yangling Mansion, this Prince Huai’an Mansion was indeed quiet. Apart from the servants, it was just her and Cui Yun.

Late at night, she took Cui Yun to the rooftop to admire the moon.

Shen Hua held a delicate white porcelain glazed Yulan bowl in her hand, inside was milk bird’s nest: "In the future, will we live here or at the Marquis Mansion?"

This was the first time the two had ever discussed this.

There is a saying among the people: the grace of birth surpasses man, the grace of upbringing surpasses heaven.

But in Cui Yun’s case, there was nothing to repay. Prince Huai’an Mansion didn’t abandon him, it was they who handed him over to Marquis Yangling Mansion to be raised.

A difficult choice.

Unlike her tender, delicate demure, Cui Yun sat upright, his posture under the moonlight evermore nobly peerless.

"Where do you want to live?"

Shen Hua actually thought about it. After some deliberation, she then said uncertainly.

"Both places are in Shengjing City, going back and forth is not too far. We reside in both places alternately."

Cui Yun’s Adam’s apple moved slightly: "Hmm."

He lowered his eyes, the moonlight clear and bright, his whole being exuded an aloofness that was hard to approach.

Having been in the Ministry of Justice for many years, Cui Yun appeared indifferent and cold-blooded to others.

Some people mention that he never experienced the hardships of being destitute; he was always protected and exceptionally noble.

But few have experienced the pain he went through.

It was not just about relying on Prince Huai’an Mansion, Marquis Yangling Mansion, and Ji Teng. The young man before her was already a favored son of the Emperor.

Shen Hua knew that this person, seemingly indifferent, valued relationships more than anyone and had a heart more sincere than anyone else.

Capable of doing what others could not, daring to do what others would not dare.

Cui Yun’s slender fingers played with her hair which she hadn’t bothered to tie up, still hanging down to her waist.

On the genealogy of the Prince Huai’an Mansion, it was Ji Teng who had personally written the words ’Shao Yun’.

"I am also recognized by my ancestors, and my grandfather had once said, let me follow my biological father’s surname later. The official did not comply. He said the blood of Prince Huai’an Mansion remains in me, that is the truth, and it’s sufficient. The protection from Cui family over many years, if I were to fuss over the surname, I would become an ungrateful commoner."

After hearing this, Shen Hua was greatly moved.

She pursed her lips, unable to refrain from touching her abdomen. The couple was passionate, and she did not know when she might conceive.

Her discreet action was noticed by Cui Yun. Unable to refrain himself, he bent his lips in a smile and raised his arm to embrace her.

Neither spoke, yet both had guessed each other’s thoughts.

Indeed, before they married, Wei Yingying specifically sought out Shen Hua to discuss this matter.

"Speaking of which, Marquis Yangling Mansion now has only Cui Rong as the bloodline, but unfortunately, she is a girl, whether she will marry out or take in a husband is still unclear."

Cui Rong’s marriage, the Cui family would not force her for the sake of continuity of the family line.

Wei Yingying wondered suspiciously: "If you get pregnant later on, will the child bear the last name Shao or Cui?"

"It’s alright if she’s a girl, but if it’s a young man, I’m afraid people will have idle gossip."

Although, Marquis Yangling Mansion was gloriously reinstated by Cui Yun through his own efforts.

At that time, Shen Hua laughed when she heard this.

"His surname Cui is out of nurture. Having been called so for twenty years, he is also accustomed to it. But why should my future descendants still bear the surname Cui, what reasoning is there?"

"The grandfather of the young man, and his father, earned their glory and titles with their lives, someone has to continue this. Whether marrying out or finding someone to marry into the family, it’s all about what she likes, such a treasured child, who in the Cui family would bear to make her unhappy? If she does not fancy him, even if his demeanor is good, it is useless."

The girl is always the most clear-headed.

"If you really want to critique, the young man who marries into the family, I’m even more disdainful. Human nature is complex, who can clarify whether that person is genuinely giving up everything for the young girl, or opportunistically eyeing the status of Marquis Yangling Mansion?"

"And among the noble sons who are promising, all are focused on nurturing their own families. How can they be expected to marry into another family in reverse?"

Wei Yingying fell silent for a while, then suddenly understood: "That makes sense, then if our ancestor gets married and has children, she can also choose the surname Cui."

At that time, Shen Hua smiled slightly: "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Huh?"

Shen Hua’s voice was soft yet every word was impactful.

"Marquis Cui and the older men of the Cui family didn’t desert the battlefield. It wasn’t with their physical bodies alone that they could stop a thousand enemies."

"They knew more than anyone that they couldn’t defend both cities, that this journey would inevitably end in death wrapped in horsehide. One is for the greater good, as a military general should sacrifice himself for loyalty. The second is thinking of Cui Yun to support the family before daring to die and entrusting everything."

"Just as when the Shao family was exterminated, and in utter despair, Prince Huai’an and his wife handed their incessantly crying baby to the Old Marquis before they could bring themselves to commit suicide."

Shen Hua’s tone was unbeknownst to herself, tender and lingering.

"Over these years, Cui Yun has been faithful to his father and brothers, faithful to heaven and earth. Protected everyone in Cui family. Even when he was the Marquis, after all it was just a brief stewardship, in the end it all has to be handed back. Although the firewood burns out, the ember still gets passed on. This is cause and effect, destiny."