I Respect You

Gu Chengyin's mind was racing, searching for any recently opened academies in Qinghe Commandery.

But he found no matching information.

Because recently, he had been far too busy. Every matter weighed on his shoulders like a mountain, pressing down on him so heavily that he had no time to pay attention to a new academy opening a thousand miles away in Qinghe Commandery.

Yet Gu Chengyin knew that Cui Shifan would not answer so cryptically without reason.

Pavilion Elder Cui was the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. Every word he spoke had its purpose; every syllable carried its weight.

So he would not offer an irrelevant answer under such a question.

This meant the newly opened academy was connected to Cui Zilu.

Perhaps Cui Zilu was even inside that academy right now.

Studying for further advancement, or something else?

Gu Chengyin followed Cui Shifan's lead and asked with keen curiosity:

"Oh? This junior truly did not know. Is there something special about this newly opened academy?"

Cui Shifan's gaze remained fixed on the clouds drifting in the distance. He said softly:

"The name of this academy is Cheng-Lu Academy."

"‘Cheng’ from your Gu Chengyin, and ‘Lu’ from my Zilu."

Hearing this name, Gu Chengyin's fingers curled slightly within his sleeve.

"As for the rest, I am not at liberty to elaborate."

Cui Shifan's gaze withdrew from the clouds and settled back on Gu Chengyin's face.

"If Junior Preceptor Gu is interested, you may look into it. Then naturally, you will know how Zilu has been recently."

Cui Shifan said he could not say more.

Not because he was unwilling, but because it was not his place to say it.

The Cheng-Lu Academy was a gift that Cui Zilu had prepared for Gu Chengyin.

The meaning of this gift, the effort behind it, every brick, every tile, every lamp within it—

All of this should be seen and discovered by Gu Chengyin himself.

Cui Shifan was merely a father who placed the name "Cheng-Lu Academy" before Gu Chengyin before turning and walking away.

This was all he could do.

The rest was up to Cui Zilu.

Gu Chengyin was momentarily stunned.

Cheng-Lu Academy.

He silently recited the four-character name in his mind, slowly, as if savoring a taste he had never experienced before.

Cheng was Gu Chengyin's Cheng; Lu was Cui Zilu's Lu.

In other words, this newly opened academy...

Had Cui Zilu built it?

She had taken a character from his name and one from her own to name the academy.

Not to show off, not to curry favor, not to move him.

But to make him understand why and for whom this academy was built.

She wanted him to know that a thousand miles away, someone was doing something for him in her own way.

A great thing. A thing only she could accomplish.

"This junior understands."

Gu Chengyin's voice was very soft. He genuinely felt he should go and learn about this newly opened academy.

Cui Shifan took a deep look at Gu Chengyin, then shifted the topic, speaking with gravity:

"Speaking of which, there is one more matter."

Gu Chengyin said, "Pavilion Elder Cui, please go ahead."

"The Second Prince has returned. He also brought Zilong back with him."

"The first words out of Zilong's mouth were that he wanted to go to the Shangguan family to propose marriage."

Gu Chengyin's eyes narrowed.

These two sentences carried a wealth of information.

So much that he had to break them down in his mind, piece by piece, to fully digest.

First, the Second Prince had returned.

He had come back from Shanshui City so quickly, which meant he was in a hurry—eager to return to the Divine Capital, eager to learn of the latest developments at court.

Eager to act at this critical juncture when Cui Zhenji had resigned, the post of Minister of Rites was vacant, and the Crown Prince's faction had grown in strength.

Second, the Second Prince had brought Cui Zilong back from house arrest in Qinghe Commandery.

This meant he had made a special trip just to do this.

Why was Cui Zilong under house arrest in Qinghe Commandery?

Because the Cui Clan needed to cut ties with the Crown Prince's faction—a coordinated move between Gu Chengyin and Cui Shifan.

Now, the Second Prince had brought Cui Zilong back from Qinghe.

This meant the Second Prince needed Cui Zilong.

He needed Cui Zilong in the Divine Capital, ready to serve him at court.

He needed Cui Zilong to become a foothold for him within the Cui Clan.

Third, Zilong's first words were that he wanted to propose marriage to the Shangguan family.

This was absolutely not Cui Zilong's own idea.

Someone had told him to say this to Cui Shifan, and that someone was clearly the Second Prince.

Ostensibly, this was an attempt to win over the Shangguan family. In reality, it was a move to test Shangguan Yuan and confirm whether the infighting within the Crown Prince's faction was genuine.

As expected, none of the royals were easy to deal with.

The Second Prince, Luo Yanchen, appeared quiet and unassuming, but when he made his move, it was precise and ruthless.

He struck directly at the most critical point—only he hadn't anticipated one thing.

Cui Shifan did not follow his expectations but instead made some adjustments of his own.

Gu Chengyin's mind was churning at lightning speed, but his expression remained unchanged.

His eyes were still narrowed, as if he were pondering a question of moderate difficulty.

Cui Shifan watched Gu Chengyin's demeanor, a hint of amusement rising in his eyes.

He had brought up this matter at this moment, not to put Gu Chengyin in a difficult position.

But to let Gu Chengyin know that he still had other options.

If Gu Chengyin rejected Cui Zilu's marriage proposal, the Cui Clan would not just let it go.

Cui Shifan truly would proceed to have Cui Zilong propose to the Shangguan family.

Not because he wanted to provoke Gu Chengyin.

But because Gu Chengyin had rejected him.

Thus, by raising this now, Cui Shifan was telling Gu Chengyin:

You can marry Cui Zilu, or you can choose not to.

If you marry her, the Cui Clan gains a son-in-law.

If you don't, then he will proceed with the Shangguan proposal.

This was what Cui Shifan wanted to convey to Gu Chengyin.

On this matter, I respect you. Now it is your turn to respect me.

Gu Chengyin, of course, understood Cui Shifan's underlying message.

But he simply gave a faint smile.

That day, Cui Shifan had come to the Crown Prince's palace with a very humble posture.

Every step showed weakness, every step was a concession, every step conveyed that he was not here to fight with Gu Chengyin but to negotiate.

So Cui Shifan took the safest approach—placing the choice in Gu Chengyin's hands and letting him decide for himself.

The choice is yours; whether to marry Cui Zilu is also yours.

I will not force you. I will not ask anything of you.

I am merely placing my daughter before you. Whether you wed her is your decision.

This posture was far more brilliant than any form of coercion.

Because coercion provokes rebellion and makes one think, "Why should I?"

But respect fosters agreement and makes acceptance much easier.

Cui Shifan had calculated this precisely, targeting Gu Chengyin's nature.

Gu Chengyin was not an unreasonable man. He would not slap a face extended in goodwill.

After all, the Cui Clan also had its pride to maintain.

As a millennium-old aristocratic family, they valued face above all else.

Over the matter of Cui Zhenji, the Cui Clan had already yielded—though not willingly; they had been forced to retreat.

But a retreat was still a retreat. Not reclaiming lost ground was already a show of respect to Gu Chengyin.