Cui Xian knelt on the ground and took several solid whacks from his elder sister's feather duster. He didn't dare to retort and yelped in pain. He knelt obediently, waiting for his sister to calm down.
Several younger siblings who had just returned from school passed by. Seeing Cui Xian kneeling dejectedly, a slightly older girl who was on good terms with Cui Tian stepped forward. "Elder sister, what's wrong with Brother Fifteen this time? What trouble has he caused again?"
This was Cui Yi, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Anping branch of the Boling Cui Clan. She was the beloved daughter of Cui Renshi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice, who had doted on her since childhood. At sixteen years old, she was extremely beautiful and charming, the kind of girl who would catch people's eyes at first sight.
However, she had a fiery and straightforward personality. She never held back her dissatisfaction. If she disliked someone, her maid would go up and give that person a slap.
"Get out of here! I don't need your fake concern!" Cui Xian was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and immediately flew into a rage.
Immediately afterwards, he took another whack from Cui Tian's feather duster and gritted his teeth without making a sound.
"Your Second Sister is just concerned about you. How can you talk like that? You still haven't been beaten enough!" After several consecutive whacks with the feather duster, Cui Tian was tired. She gave the feather duster to her maid and went to talk to Cui Yi. Before leaving, she specifically instructed the maid, "Keep an eye on Fifteenth Young Master and Cuizhong. Let them get up only after they've knelt for an hour."
"Yes, Mistress."
The maid felt sorry for them, but there was nothing she could do.
The master's order was absolute.
The term "Mistress" here was different from the way people in later generations would address an aunt they met while shopping on the street. For example, the Su family called Su Rui "Second Mistress" just because Su Rui was the second in line among her siblings.
It was the same in the Cui family. Cui Tian was called "Elder Mistress" just because she happened to be the eldest among her peers.
Don't think that just because Cui Tian's mother had passed away early and her family background was not very good, the people of the same generation in the Cui family didn't recognize her as their elder sister. On the contrary, they treated her with great respect and didn't dare to look down on her in the slightest.
"Come on, let's go for dinner. I heard that they've made Zhutouchun, Tianxue and Hangongqi tonight. Aren't you most fond of Zhutouchun?"
Cui Tian took Cui Yi's hand, and the two of them were very intimate.
Cui Yi laughed. "Then we're in for a treat today. I've been studying all day and I'm starving. I'll eat more later."
A large group of people followed behind them. They were all the children of the second branch and the Anping branch of the Cui family - or more specifically, the children of Cui Renshi's family from the Anping branch.
Since they all had the surname Cui and were all officials in the capital, they had always gotten along as relatives. The two families also lived very close to each other.
It could be compared to the Ningguo Mansion and the Rongguo Mansion during their prosperous times in "A Dream of Red Mansions".
Only after everyone had walked far away did Cui Xian dare to get up. He twisted his body, and his back was burning with pain. He would have to go and apply medicine again. He was almost a VIP in the pharmacy. Every time he went there, the pharmacy clerk would hand him the medicine for bruises and sprains without him even having to say a word.
Beside him, Cuizhong didn't know how long she had been kneeling. Her face was deathly pale, without a trace of color. Her head was tilted to one side, and it seemed as if she would faint the next second.
"Cuizhong, get up." Cui Xian took Cuizhong's hand and tried to pull her up. Who would have thought that Cuizhong shook her head. "I can't. This is the punishment from the Mistress. I can't avoid it."
Cui Xian forcibly pulled her up. As soon as Cuizhong stood up, she slumped limply into Cui Xian's arms.
"Quick! Call a doctor!"
He still wanted to see Cuizhong wake up, but unexpectedly, he was called over by his paternal cousin-uncle. No matter how reluctant he was to leave Cuizhong, he had to go.
Inside the Ronghui Hall, the lights were dim. Cui Renshi was sitting at the head of the table, and Cui Gan was also there. He had arrived the earliest. When he bowed to pay his respects and wanted to sit down in his seat, he was stopped. "Xian'er, I heard that you were scolded by your elder sister again? Your elder sister means well. It's her duty to teach and advise her younger brother. You mustn't resent her."
"What are you saying, Uncle? Nephew should be grateful to his sister for her teachings. How could I resent her?"
Cui Xian said with his head down.
Even he thought he was being hypocritical when he said this. Just because Cui Tian was born a few years earlier than him, did that mean she could lord it over him?
If his mother were still alive, how great that would be. He could watch his mother scold Cui Tian until she was completely disoriented and didn't even dare to eat. His mother was from the Fanyang Lu Clan, which was on a completely different level from Cui Tian.
Just thinking about that scene made him feel happy.
"Good. Sit down."
Cui Renshi was very satisfied with his answer. Then he said to Cui Gan, "Elder Brother, if our family can really have the library built opposite our mansion, it will be a great blessing. Our Cui family will go down in history!"
"You're wrong, Brother. We're clearly using up all our wealth so that scholars all over the world can read more conveniently. We don't care about going down in history at all."
Cui Gan waved his hand and laughed heartily.
The two of them flattered each other. Although it was Cui Renshi who had appeared in the Taiji Hall this afternoon, he represented the entire Boling Cui Clan.
The others soon took their seats. Cui Tian was sitting closest to them, clearly showing that she was the most favored.
On the table, the Zhutouchun, Hangongqi and Tianxue that had just been mentioned were all there. All the influential masters of each family had come, and the scene was very grand.
Cui Renshi looked at Cui Tian, and the smile on his face couldn't be hidden. "Tian'er, the bet you made with Princess Chengyang was a good one. If it weren't for that bet, we wouldn't be where we are today."
"Uncle, the library won't really be built, will it?" Cui Tian felt a little uneasy when she heard this.
"If it can be built and it's in our neighborhood, the name of our Boling Cui family will become even more famous. If it can't be built, then today's events will all be a joke. The most embarrassing ones will be the royal family and Princess Chengyang. Who will gossip about our family?" As she was speaking, Cui Yi picked up a chopstick of quail meat for Cui Tian. "Elder sister, try this Zhutouchun and see how it tastes."
The long-awaited Zhutouchun was actually deep-fried quail. Made by a famous chef, it was fresh, tender and very delicious.
"Yi'er makes a good point. Brother, you've taught your daughter well. Having such a daughter to accompany you in your old age, you're really blessed. Others are envious."
Cui Gan's continuous praises made Cui Renshi feel so proud that he was almost floating.
Cui Yi, who was being praised, also had a big smile on her face. She glanced at Cui Tian. Just because she was one year older, did she really think she could be her elder sister and control her? With a mother of such a background, it was no wonder this daughter had such a narrow vision.
She had heard that her father had told Princess Chengyang that the Cui family was willing to contribute seven hundred taels of gold to build the library, and all the Cui family's books could be copied for the princess. People richer than the Cui family, such as Pei Mingli, were just merchants. How could their collection of books compare to that of the Cui family? People with a larger collection of books than the Cui family, such as Kong Yingda, could only contribute at most two hundred taels of gold.
When compared like this, if the emperor didn't choose their Cui family, who else could he choose?
Cui Xian had no intention of eating or thinking about the library. His mind was full of Cuizhong, who had fainted in his arms after kneeling for too long.
He didn't know if the doctor had been called and how Cuizhong was doing.
He wanted to go back and check, but he didn't dare to leave his seat at this time. He could only secretly curse Cui Tian and the two nominal uncles sitting above.
Why on earth did they have to call everyone over for dinner?
Just then, someone whispered something in the ears of Cui Renshi and Cui Gan. The two of them quickly put down their chopsticks. "Everyone, follow us to the front hall to welcome the imperial messenger, Officer Liu!"
Everyone perked up and quickly went to the front hall.
Liu Bei was holding a shiny imperial edict in his hand. He smiled and looked at the people below. "Two Assistant Ministers Cui, don't be in a hurry to kneel. Let's catch up first. Assistant Minister Cui Renshi, His Majesty still remembers your achievements in Qingzhou back then. He said that you were lenient and cautious in handling cases."
Why were they called "Two Assistant Ministers Cui"?
Cui Gan was the assistant minister of the Huangmen, and Cui Renshi was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice.
"Those are all old stories. They're not worth mentioning." Cui Renshi was overjoyed after being praised like this.
He was becoming more and more convinced that the library would be built in the neighborhood where he lived. If that were really the case, it would be worth spending the seven hundred taels of gold.
Liu Bei continued, "Back then, more than five hundred people were arrested. If it weren't for your wise judgment, Assistant Minister Cui, and only a dozen ringleaders were sentenced, the others would probably have died unjustly. The people of Qingzhou still remember you to this day. No, it should be said that people throughout the Henan Circuit are still spreading the good name of your kindness and benevolence."
All the members of the Cui family were very happy to hear this. Cui Xian was the only one with a bad look on his face.