Cui Long watched in shock as her grandfather occupied the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate's residence, then ordered Gu Residence's servants, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, to fetch his bags and belongings from the offices' covered corridor. "Prepare a carriage and horses, too. I'm going out."
The steward of Gu Residence took a long while to digest all this.
His features nearly twisted into a knot, but he had no choice but to comply.
Cui Long was on tenterhooks the whole time.
She feared her grandfather's behavior would thoroughly enrage the Vice Censor-in-Chief. His reputation outside was mixed, and Cui Long had made countless acquaintances among the scholars, so she had heard plenty of their opinions about him. The one thing they all agreed on was that Gu Chi truly held a grudge and always paid it back.
Still, Cui Long didn't stop her grandfather in front of outsiders.
Only after the two of them climbed into a carriage and set off toward Cui Residence did she say, "Even so, Gu Residence isn't your own home. It may be inconvenient for you to stay there. If you aren't used to living with me, Grandfather, I still have an empty residence of my own, close to the royal court. It's only a quarter-hour ride on horseback. Would you like to stay there for a while?"
A fifteen-minute commute to work really was close.
Cui Xiao bluntly refused. "No."
Only by living in Gu Chi's house could he vent his anger over being cheated.
After the New Era began, Cui Zhi lost interest in officialdom and turned down several appointments, accepting only nominal posts. He usually traveled around with his wife, Cui Hui, so the two spent half the year away from the capital. The Cui