Chapter 116: Favoring Concubines and Destroying Wife She also thought Cui Lingyan would not protect Qi Shi...

The maid standing in the corridor saw Cui Lingyan standing at the door without saying a word, with no expression on her face. She remembered that this girl had been sent to her maternal family by her maternal lady since she was young, and the relationship between her mother and daughter was not as close as that of ordinary families. She was able to rush over today probably out of filial piety. If she was asked to feel sorry for her maternal lady, it would be a bit too much to ask.

Thinking of this, the maid bowed and said respectfully, "This servant pays her respects to the Third Aunt."

She raised her voice deliberately so that Qi, who was crying in the room, could hear her.

Cui Lingyan nodded slightly to her, then walked into the house with her maid Birou.

When Qi saw her daughter coming back and saw herself in such a miserable state, she felt very complicated. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and the slap marks on her cheeks had turned blue and purple, which looked really scary. It was obvious that Ningshou Hou did not intend to leave any leeway when he attacked his step-wife because of Concubine Liu.

Cui Lingyan slowly walked forward and bowed to Qi, then said to her, "I heard that you and father had an argument and he even hit you. I was worried so I came back to see you."

She turned around and took a box from Birou. Inside was a delicate, lustrous, porcelain-white medicine bottle. She took the bottle out and placed it on the table. She then instructed Madam Jiang, "This ointment was given to us by the palace. Madam, please apply it to Mother three times a day to prevent scarring."

Without waiting for Madam Jiang to speak, she continued, "The kitchen has prepared some tranquilizing medicine. Mother is frightened and upset. She should drink the tranquilizing medicine and have a good sleep."

Cui Lingyan's words seemed caring, but to Qi, they sounded a bit too formal. She didn't have the slightest bit of sympathy a daughter should have for her biological mother.

There wasn't even a trace of heartache or anger in her eyes, and she didn't even think about venting her anger on her biological mother.

Qi was already feeling uncomfortable, and her cheeks were burning with pain. The pain alone was the problem, but the key point was that the slap from the Marquis had made her, the step-wife, lose face in front of everyone in the Marquis's mansion, and shattered the dignity she had maintained for all these years. How could these grievances be soothed by a bowl of soothing medicine?

It chilled her heart that her daughter, whom she had carried for ten months, treated her like this.

Thinking of this, Qi's tears fell, and she choked up, "After all, you came out of my belly. Seeing your father treat me like this, are you just going to order the servants to make a calming soup and bring me some ointment? Now that you are married to Lu Bingzhi and become the Crown Prince's wife, your status is different, and your words in front of your father have some weight. Why don't you sincerely think about me, your biological mother, and ask your father not to favor his concubine over his wife, and remove the evil lump in Liu's belly!"

Qi's heart was filled with hatred for Concubine Liu, and she spoke without hesitation. After she finished speaking, she fixed her gaze on Cui Lingyan, who was standing in front of her, and said in a deep voice, "Yan girl, you don't want a half-brother, do you? Besides, if word gets out that your father favors his concubine over his wife, the prince will harbor a grudge and look down on you, and your mother-in-law and Old Madam Dou will also have some thoughts."

"So, little girl Yan, you must think of a way to prevent Liu from giving birth to this evil creature!"

The room was silent for a moment. Cui Lingyan remained silent for a long time. It wasn't until Qi's face began to ache, and a hint of embarrassment flashed through her eyes that she finally spoke, "You're joking. I don't think I'd be capable of that. You probably don't know that my father scolded me just now when he saw me. I haven't been raised in the mansion since I was little. Even though I'm the Crown Prince's wife now, my place in your heart isn't even half as high as that of Concubine Liu's unborn child. How could I possibly persuade you? Besides, you've been hoping for this child for years. Could I possibly kill Concubine Liu and take her unborn child with me? Are you putting me in such a difficult position? Do you want me to be branded as someone who can't tolerate half-brothers and half-sisters?"

Cui Lingyan spoke without mercy, her eyes full of sarcasm.

Qi's throat seemed to be clogged with something. Seeing Cui Lingyan's disdain and mockery, as if he could see through her, she suddenly shuddered and realized that she had said the wrong thing. She hurriedly grabbed Cui Lingyan's hand and choked out a sob, "Mother said the wrong thing in a moment of anger and asked you to misunderstand, Yan girl. But Yan girl, can you just watch your father favor his concubine over his wife, pampering Concubine Liu and her unborn child? If this child is born a daughter, it will be fine. A concubine's daughter is not worth a mother's attention, and she will not threaten mother or your brother. But if it is a bastard's son, given your father's love for Concubine Liu's face, this bastard will probably be raised as a legitimate child, and will not threaten your brother's status in the mansion. Can you really bear it, Yan girl? If Bo'er had a healthy half-brother like that, I'm afraid he would be even less favored by your father."

"Good boy, even if it's just for your brother, please think of a way to help me solve this problem."

Cui Lingyan said nothing this time. She simply pulled back Qi's hand and said to her, "Grandmother, you're probably frightened and worried about what happened to my parents. Drink some tranquilizing soup and get some rest. I'll go and comfort you, or else people will accuse me of being unfilial."

Cui Lingyan said this, and without waiting for Qi to speak, she bowed and turned to walk out.

Birou also bowed to Qi and followed Cui Lingyan out.

Seeing the master and servant leave, Qi grew increasingly angry and aggrieved. She forcefully pushed all the teacups on the table to the floor, crying and complaining, "She didn't come back home out of concern for me. She just went through the motions to avoid finding fault with her and branding her as unfilial."

"It was me, his mother, who was humiliated by the Marquis' slap. She didn't even stay in the room to comfort me. Instead, she used the old lady as an excuse to leave. How can she be filial to me or care about me at all?"

As Qi was speaking, she saw the white porcelain medicine bottle in Nanny Jiang's hand. She snatched it away in anger and threw it to the ground. The porcelain bottle shattered and the room was immediately filled with the fragrance of medicine.

Qi stared at the broken porcelain bottle for a long time without saying a word. After a long while, she picked up a handkerchief to cover her mouth and cried bitterly.

Cui Shenbo rushed over shortly after hearing the news, and what he saw when he entered the house was this mess.

When Qi saw her son, she cried even harder.

"Brother Bo, your father is unreliable, and your sister also hates me as her mother. Now we are the only ones left in this mansion to depend on each other."

Cui Shenbo could guess what had just happened in the room without even asking. He had heard that Cui Lingyan had returned to her parents' home from the Duke of Wei's mansion upon hearing the news, and now, hearing his mother say this, all of her words were entirely blaming Cui Lingyan, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

As the saying goes, you reap what you sow. My mother treated my sister coldly and never showed her any maternal love. How could I expect Cui Lingyan, her daughter, to care about her biological mother like other girls?

Her mother never acknowledged her mistakes, let alone sincerely apologized or expressed regret for what happened back then. Cui Lingyan was so clear-headed and insightful, how could she not see through her thoughts? Without sincerity, how could one earn sincerity in return?

Cui Shenbo thought this in his mind, but did not say it out loud. He only ordered the maid to clean up the broken teacups on the ground, and then comforted Qi for a while.

When mentioning Concubine Liu and her unborn child, he simply said, "Mother, you must not even think of doing anything to Concubine Liu's unborn child, lest you make father completely disgusted. Father is obsessed with Concubine Liu and the child in her womb. Even if mother is unwilling, she will let her give birth to the child. A concubine's daughter would be best, but even if my son has a concubine's brother, so what? My son is the legitimate child, and he is just the illegitimate one. As long as my son's body can be maintained in its current state and he is well cared for, although he may not be as healthy as those extremely healthy sons of noble families, it will not affect his lifespan. Instead of worrying about arguing with father, mother should focus on other things."

Qi was filled with frustration, feeling that her son was being too naive. The Marquis could now favor his concubine over his wife, and in the future he would value his concubine's sons more than the legitimate sons born to her, his step-wife.

By then, what would Bo Ge'er do if he was not liked by the Marquis and was not in good health?

Even the mother-in-law, Mrs. Zhai, would probably prefer a healthy grandson rather than one who was born with deficiencies.

Qi followed up on her son's words and asked, "The most important thing right now is that Concubine Liu is pregnant. What else could be more important, mother?"

Cui Shenbo lowered his eyebrows slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "My sister has been married for several months. My son and my sister are twins, a boy and a girl. Even if they are a little weak, it is time for them to get married. Have you forgotten in your busy life?"

Qi was stunned at first, then she understood what her son meant.

She thought about it and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, it's time to get married. Mother will marry you to a noble lady from a high-ranking family. After you get married, if you and your wife give birth to a son, he will be the old lady's great-grandson. The old lady will definitely like him."

"By then, the one in Aunt Liu's belly will naturally be no longer a concern."

Although the son is a little weak, if the grandson is healthy and lovable, it will naturally be a help to them and their mother.

Because of something that happened in her childhood, Yan Yatou resented her biological mother and was not even close to her half-brother, Bo Ge'er. But as an aunt, what aunt doesn't love her nephew? As long as this child is born, how can Yan Yatou not love him?

Thinking of this, Qi's expression eased a little. Just then, a maid came in with a tranquilizing medicine. Cui Shenbo watched Nanny Jiang helping his mother finish the medicine before he stood up and said goodbye.

Coming out of Cuiwei Courtyard, Cui Shenbo's eyes showed a hint of melancholy.

The servant Changfeng saw that his young master was in a bad mood, and he also knew that the young master was angry because the Marquis had attacked the lady because of Concubine Liu.

But the young master is weak. Although the Marquis values ​​the young master, that was when Concubine Liu was not pregnant. Now, what the Marquis hopes most in his heart is that Concubine Liu can give birth to a son.

By then, based on the Marquis's actions today, it is not impossible for a newborn illegitimate son to surpass the young master, the legitimate son.

Thinking of this, Changfeng became more and more worried.

"Didn't the prince say he would get married two years later? Why did he bring it up with the First Madam today?"

A gust of wind blew over, and Cui Shenbo coughed a few times and explained, "Firstly, it's time for us to get married, and secondly, with something like this happening, we have to find something important for Mother to do. Otherwise, she'll be staring at Concubine Liu all day and might do something bad. Given how much Father values ​​Concubine Liu and the child, I'm afraid he might even consider divorcing her."

After Cui Shenbo finished speaking, he reminded her, "When you have time, go talk to Nanny Jiang and ask her to persuade Mother not to do anything that she will regret later."

"Also, don't get involved in anything about Madam Liu, and don't send her any food or pregnancy-protecting medicine, lest she get schemed against."

Changfeng nodded repeatedly, feeling that the young master's temperament had changed a lot in recent days and he would never think about these things in the past.

The master and servant went all the way to their residence.

Xilanyuan

When Old Lady Zhai saw Cui Lingyan approaching, she asked, "Is your mother feeling better? Your father was wrong today. Grandmother will ask him to apologize."

Cui Lingyan bowed, then took a seat on the soft chair beneath the couch. She replied, "Mother's facial wounds are minor, but the pain in her heart is greater. Although she's my stepwife, she was formally married to me by my father, carried into the Marquisate's gates in a sedan chair carried by eight bearers. Now, because of a concubine like Concubine Liu, my father has distrusted me in front of everyone, accusing me of deliberately trying to harm her unborn child and even assaulting her. My dignity has been practically trampled upon. How can I possibly get over this?"

"If this were to get out, I wonder how people in the capital would interpret and discuss it. If it got to the censors, I'm afraid they would report my father, saying he favored his concubine over his wife and was unrighteous."

Although Cui Lingyan had no feelings for her biological mother Qi, they were mother and daughter. If her biological mother Qi lost face, she would naturally lose face as well, so she still had to take care of what she had to take care of.

When Mrs. Zhai heard this, she showed some surprise in her eyes but she quickly concealed it.

She had thought Cui Lingyan wouldn't protect Qi, but she hadn't expected her to say such words. But the child in Concubine Liu's womb was her grandson. Could she, as a grandmother, really harm Concubine Liu? Given her son's current attitude, there was no point in letting them become estranged over a lowly person.

Besides, a wife shouldn't be jealous, and what happened today wasn't entirely her son's fault.