Chapter 562: An Unexpected Opportunity

Cui Huan had five sons in total. His second son died at a young age, and of the remaining four, three served as officials in other regions. Only his youngest son, Cui Feng, stayed by his side. At eighteen, Cui Feng was studying at the Imperial Academy, preparing to take the imperial examinations the following year. Like all sons from prominent families, he was diligent and studious, ranking among the top students at the academy. Moreover, he was humble, disciplined, upright, and kind—truly excelling both in character and academics—earning his father’s deep affection. Cui Huan often said that among his four sons, only the youngest resembled him in his youth.

Yet this promising and outstanding young man committed an utterly foolish act—he fell in love with the sister of his classmate and ran away with her.
The girl’s surname was Yu; she was the daughter of a humble family in Chang’an, named Yu Youniang. She was only fourteen years old. Though young, she had been betrothed to her cousin since childhood. Despite her beauty, she often visited her brother at the academy. Over time, she became close to Cui Feng, her brother’s classmate. Almost simultaneously, they fell deeply in love. But since Yu Youniang was already betrothed, breaking off the engagement was impossible. Her cousin had even come to propose marriage. Filled with anxiety, she turned to her lover, Cui Feng, for help. The passion of youth overpowered reason, and in desperation, Cui Feng took Yu Youniang and ran away together.

Their escape brought endless troubles to their families. Yu Youniang’s parents, along with dozens of relatives, came to demand justice. For a prominent family, reputation was of utmost importance. Although Cui Huan held high rank and power, his authority could not override principles. He could only apologize repeatedly and assure them that he would return the girl unharmed.

Yet Cui Huan was extremely worried. Since they had run away, could the girl still preserve her purity? He ordered his family to search everywhere, but for two days, there was no trace of them. Cui Huan fell into deep anxiety.

In Jiyang County of the same province, a relatively remote county in the northeast of Guanzhong, it is a small county with a limited population and a modest town. It’s the kind of place where one could walk around the entire town just by lighting a stick of incense. To the northwest of the town lies a small inn called Shunfeng Inn, run by an elderly couple. Usually, there aren’t many guests, making it seem very quiet. These past few days, a young couple has checked into the inn. The man was generous, paying fifteen silver coins at once—more than the inn could earn in an entire month—much to the delight of the innkeepers. Although the couple’s behavior seemed suspicious, as if they were fugitives from a wealthy family, they kept quiet due to the amount of money.

Of course, this couple was Cui Feng and Yu Youniang, who had run away together. They had planned to flee to the Jiangnan region, but Cui Feng was worried that there might be people in Tongguan trying to capture them, so he decided to stay in this remote county for a year or so before quietly leaving Guanzhong when the storm had passed.

Blinded by love, the two of them were deeply in love. One was the legitimate son of a top-ranking family in the country, knowing his father would never approve of him marrying a woman from a lower-class family, and that woman already had a fiancé. The other was a girl from a humble family, aware that she couldn’t match the Cui family’s status, but she loved her lover so much that she was willing to pay the price of her entire life to follow him anywhere.

They didn’t go out at all, staying locked in their inn room all day. They had already consummated their marriage and were inseparable, filled with deep affection.

Despite trying to keep a low profile, they couldn’t escape the surveillance of the Anxi Army’s internal affairs department, known for its extensive network. On the third day of their hiding in Jiyang, they were discovered by spies from Jiyang Station, who immediately sent word of their whereabouts to Chang’an, to Li Qing’an.

For Li Qing’an, Cui Feng’s son’s escape came at just the right time. Though it wasn’t enough to bring down Cui Feng, it could improve relations between Cui Feng and Cui Ping—precisely the situation Li Qing’an wanted to create for Cui Ping.

An hour after receiving the secret report from Jiyang, Cui Ping rushed to Jiyang with a dozen followers.

On the fourth day in the inn, Cui Feng finally felt bored and wanted to learn more about the situation in Chang’an. The best places to gather information were taverns and teahouses. There was a tavern not far from the inn he was staying at, so Cui Feng went there alone.

He ordered a pot of wine and a few dishes. After drinking a cup, homesickness welled up in his heart. It had been six or seven days since he had run away, and his initial enthusiasm had gradually subsided. As he began to regain his senses, Cui Feng finally realized the absurdity of his actions. He felt a bit regretful. If he had followed his original path, he would have passed the imperial examinations, entered government service, and risen through the ranks. Under his father’s arrangement, he would have climbed higher step by step—perhaps even becoming a prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. That was quite possible. But now, his future had been ruined by his irrational behavior.

Feeling depressed, Cui Feng drank several more cups of wine in silence. When he was about to pour a fifth cup, someone held his hand. “Stop drinking. It won’t help.”

Cui Feng turned around and saw his cousin Cui Ping standing behind him. Shocked, he stood up immediately, realizing that his whereabouts had been exposed. “W-why are you here?”

Cui Ping smiled and pulled him back down. “Don’t worry! I’m not here to arrest you.”

Cui Feng’s panic eased slightly, and he sat down slowly, still surprised. “How did you know I was here?”

“I used to be the military commander in Hexi and had good relations with the Changan Imperial Household Department. They were the ones who discovered your whereabouts. Hu Peiyun informed me, so I naturally knew.”

Cui Ping didn’t hide anything from him. He knew he couldn’t hide it from Cui Huan anyway, so he simply told the truth. Cui Feng wasn’t concerned about that; he was worried about what to do next. He sighed, utterly frustrated. “To be honest, I really regret it. I only have fifty silver coins left—thirty now. How will I make a living in the south? I can’t carry heavy loads, I can’t lift things, I don’t know how to farm, and I can’t bear the shame of being a merchant. My younger sister says she can sing for money. Hearing her say that drives me crazy. How could the wife of the Cui family end up singing for money? My father would die of anger if he heard about it.”

“What do you plan to do? Go back and apologize to your father to start over, or shall I give you some money to help you escape to the south?”

“I… I…”

Cui Feng lowered his head and whispered, “I want to go back, but I’m afraid my father won’t forgive me. I’m afraid he won’t accept my younger sister.”

“Your younger sister comes from a respectable family. It’s not impossible for you to marry her. I think since things have already gone this far, your father will have to accept it.”

“But—but she’s already engaged! How could my father agree to that?”

This was what Cui Feng was most worried about. Yu Yaoniang had been betrothed to her cousin since childhood. According to her, that man was extremely stubborn and would never break off the engagement. Moreover, their family owed him money, and his father also refused to dissolve the engagement. Cui Feng was extremely anxious, knowing that his father would never negotiate with such a person over this matter.

Cui Ping patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Go back without worry! I’ve already broken off Yu Yaoniang’s engagement for you. As long as you insist on marrying her, I think your father will eventually agree.”

“You…”

Cui Feng looked up, staring blankly at this cousin who had always had a poor relationship with his family. At this critical moment, it was actually he who came to help him. Cui Feng was deeply moved and felt like crying.

“Let’s go! Take your Yaoniang and come back with me! I’ll talk things through with your father.”

Cui Ping pulled up his down-and-out cousin and put him on the carriage. Then he went to the inn to pick up the other helpless girl as well, allowing the two of them to be alone in the carriage. He rode a horse behind them, and the group set off quickly toward Chang’an.

…

Cui Huan’s mood had dropped to its lowest in recent days. On one hand, his son had run away with someone, causing a negative impact within the family. On the other hand, Pei Zunqing was pressing hard, ordering the Censorate to impeach another key member of the Cui family—Cui Ning, the governor of Qizhou—on charges of colluding with Southern Tang. The government had already launched an investigation, forming a special tribunal to hear the case, and Cui Ning had been recalled to the capital to await trial.

Pei Zunqing’s aggressive attitude was overwhelming for Cui Huan. More importantly, he felt that Li Qingan seemed to be indulging this situation, as if deliberately targeting the Cui family, which put immense pressure on Cui Huan.

There were only two days left before the family ritual. This year, Cui Yu was in charge of organizing it. On the list prepared by Cui Yu, Cui Ping ranked fourth, right after him, Cui Yu, and Cui Yuan. Under normal circumstances, Cui Huan would have been furious; Cui Ping might not even have qualified for the ritual, let alone ranked fourth. But this time, Cui Huan didn’t cross out his name. His mindset had also changed somewhat. With external threats growing strong and the Pei family posing a serious threat to the Cui family’s position, if internal strife broke out within the Cui family, it would face its most dangerous situation in a hundred years.

At this moment, Cui Huan’s personal grudges faded. Since Cui Ping held the position of Deputy Minister under the Emperor and was also a trusted ally of Li Qingan, he was a valuable asset for the Cui family in dealing with external threats. They should unite to face external challenges, as that was the key to the family’s prosperity.

Thus, Cui Huan officially decided to allow Cui Ping to participate in this year’s family ritual and even raise his status within the family.

At that moment, someone suddenly came from outside the mansion to report: Cui Ping requests an audience!
Cui Huan was stunned. He had just thought of him, and he showed up right away. Should he see him or not? After pondering for a while, Cui Huan finally said to the doorkeeper, “Take him to the guest hall and tell him I’ll come in a moment!”
…
Cui Huan changed into other clothes and calmly went to the guest hall. There, he saw Cui Ping standing with his hands behind his back, looking at a painting on the wall. Cui Huan coughed, and Cui Ping turned around, immediately stepping forward to bow deeply. “Your nephew pays his respects to his uncle!”
Over the years, Cui Huan and Cui Ping had always regarded each other with hostility, and Cui Ping had never bowed to him before. Today, his respectful behavior as a younger relative eased Cui Huan’s feelings a bit. Cui Huan nodded and said, “My dear nephew, there’s no need for formalities. Please sit.”
The two sat down. Cui Ping took out an envelope from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Cui Huan, saying with a smile, “This is the document dissolving the engagement between my younger sister and her cousin. Please have a look, uncle.”