Chapter 119: I want to choose a more suitable person for my son Lu Bingzhi...

Qi Ruorou heard her grandmother say this and was about to open her mouth to offer some words of advice, but Old Madam Wu waved her hand with a hint of impatience, saying, "No one needs to persuade me. If I, as the elder, don't intervene in this matter, others will laugh at our Qi family's upbringing. Besides, I love my own daughter myself. Even if our Qi family isn't as prestigious as the Ningshou Marquisate, I can't let my son-in-law do whatever he wants to a married woman from the Qi family and favor his concubine over his wife!"

Qi Ruorou swallowed all the words of dissuasion. For the first time, she felt that it would be better for her grandmother not to come to Beijing. Her grandmother was used to being a respected old lady who had the final say. How could she understand the huge gap between her family background and her family background after entering the capital?

Even Cui Lingyan is the granddaughter, and now her status is different. It is not the place for the grandmother, as an elder, to criticize or reprimand her.

"Alright, all of you go back to your own courtyards. I'm a little tired too. I need to rest up before I go to the Ningshou Marquis's mansion tomorrow."

Zhan had so much on her mind that she couldn't say it anymore, lest she further anger her mother-in-law. If she became ill and delayed her son's marriage, it would be too late to regret. For now, she could only agree to her mother-in-law's request and leave the house with her daughter, Qi Ruorou.

After leaving the main courtyard, Zhan sighed sullenly, "Old people are just so naive when they get old. What kind of family is our Qi family? What kind of family is the Ningshou Marquis's? Let alone the fact that my aunt was slapped by the Marquis, even if she was confined to the small Buddhist temple, my family can only mediate the situation. How can they come to question her?"

"And Yan, your grandmother keeps calling you a scoundrel and saying you were destined to be drowned at birth. That's not the kind of thing an elder would say. If you didn't know better, you'd think she was an enemy. Now I know who your aunt inherited her personality from. Having a mother-in-law like that is really worrying."

Seeing her mother so worried, Qi Ruorou hesitated for a moment and said, "How about I pretend to be sick tomorrow, and mother will take care of me at home, and let grandmother go to Ningshou Marquis Mansion alone?"

Zhan was relieved to hear her daughter say this, but she shook her head. "How can I hide? I'm not really afraid of your grandmother getting angry with me. After all, I gave birth to Shaozhang and you, and I've been the Qi family's daughter-in-law for so many years. If your grandmother still has a problem with me, can she really disrespect your father and ask him to divorce me? I'm just afraid that if I hide in the mansion and can't see your grandmother, she will lose control of her temper and cause trouble in the Ningshou Marquis's mansion, making people laugh at our Qi family."

"Besides, your grandmother is old. If she gets sick from anger, wouldn't it delay your brother's marriage? If she lingers on her bed, it will be me, her daughter-in-law, and you, her granddaughter, who will suffer. So, why bother hiding away in the mansion under these pretexts, only to be filled with anxiety and insecurity? It would be better to go with her. At least I can offer some comfort."

Qi Ruorou wanted to say that she would go along, but Zhan saw what she was thinking, took her hand and patted it gently, saying softly, "Ruorou, you don't have to come along. Just stay in the mansion and have some peace and quiet. After all, this is the elders' business, and it's not appropriate for you, as a junior, to watch from the sidelines, lest people think it's inappropriate."

"Yes, daughter understands." Qi Ruorou responded, thinking of the maid who came to deliver the message today and the Nanny Jiang who served beside her aunt, and couldn't help but say: "Mother has also been paying attention to Nanny Jiang beside her aunt. I think this Nanny Jiang's mind is not pure. She is not seeking justice for her master and asking Grandmother to support her. She clearly has her own little tricks. She is not afraid that Grandmother will come and make a scene and make her uncle lose face, and completely break off the relationship with her aunt. Only my aunt treats such a servant as a confidant and can't see anything wrong with her."

How could Zhan not have thought of what Qi Ruorou could think of? After hearing her words, she nodded and said, "Mother knows. I will keep an eye on Madam Jiang. This time, mother will accompany your grandmother to the Marquis' Mansion. Even if nothing else can be done, I will deal with Madam Jiang to prevent her from sowing discord between Miss Yan and your aunt."

Mrs. Zhan and her daughter walked back while talking.

After entering her own room, she ordered the maidservant beside her to go to the Duke of Wei's mansion: "Go and report what happened this morning to the Crown Prince's wife, so that she has a plan in mind. If the old lady goes directly to the Duke of Wei's mansion and makes a fuss, how should she deal with it?"

The maid was a little surprised by her mistress's order, but the mistress had always been the head of the household, so she naturally did not dare to hesitate at all and agreed. She went outside and took a carriage all the way to the direction of the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.

Wutong Courtyard

Cui Lingyan was wearing a Hunan-colored casual dress embroidered with peony flowers. Her black hair was simply tied up and pinned with a mutton-fat jade magnolia hairpin. She was sitting casually on the soft couch reading a book, looking particularly relaxed.

Bi Tao, who was standing nearby, kept glancing at her young mistress's collar. After several times, Cui Lingyan couldn't help but notice. She put down the book in her hand and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Bi Tao's cheeks flushed slightly as she stepped forward and whispered to Cui Lingyan, "Young Madam should also advise the Crown Prince to exercise some restraint. This dress has a high collar, after all, but it's not a long-term solution. Although Young Madam is in good health, she can't withstand such torment. It's not good to let the Crown Prince do whatever he wants."

When Cui Lingyan heard her say this, her cheeks turned red. She thought about how she and Lu Bingzhi had made a really outrageous noise yesterday, and how the bed was made by Bitao and other close maids. She also had bruises all over her body when she took a bath. She herself felt it was a bit ridiculous, let alone Bitao, the maid.

It's rare that she could hold back until this moment before speaking.

Cui Lingyan suppressed her embarrassment and said, "I understand. This is only the case now that we're newly married. The prince won't always be like this."

Bi Tao was stunned, but she had misunderstood Cui Lingyan's intention. She smiled and nodded, saying, "Young Madam is right. When she becomes pregnant, she will naturally take good care of the baby. How can she tolerate the Crown Prince's reckless behavior? The Crown Prince's behavior now is actually a good thing. If he gets closer to Young Madam, she will get pregnant sooner, which will completely consolidate her position as the Crown Prince's wife."

Cui Lingyan saw that she was overthinking it, but she didn't explain. When she first married into the mansion, she felt uneasy when she thought about Lu Bingzhi's true identity and his future as the ruler of the Eastern Palace. She even thought about whether she should get pregnant. If she got pregnant, she would lose her position as the prince's wife. If someone felt that her status was not good enough and asked her to give it up, would she suffer if the child was born?

However, these anxieties gradually lessened as she spent time with Lu Bingzhi. She secretly felt that based on Lu Bingzhi's personality, he would never do such a thing as asking her to be a concubine after he returned to the royal family and took over the Eastern Palace, or to welcome a noble lady of higher status as the Crown Princess.

The little bit of worry in his heart was just that he was afraid that when Lu Bingzhi became the crown prince, in order to consolidate his position as crown prince, he would not be able to do anything about it.

Although she had only met the emperor in the palace once with Lu Bingzhi, she vaguely felt that the emperor looked down on her. If Lu Bingzhi was recognized and the emperor issued an order or hinted to her to ask to be a concubine and wanted to choose a more suitable princess for his son Lu Bingzhi, how should she deal with it?

In the past, she would have hesitated, afraid to move forward. But she gradually realized that she also liked Lu Bingzhi, and the matter of the child should be left to nature. In fact, this matter was not her choice. So many people in the palace were watching her, the wife of the prince, that even if she wanted to, she would not be able to find contraceptive pills. The people who served her were eager for her to get pregnant, let alone risking their lives to help her get contraceptive pills?

She couldn't put the people around her in danger because of herself, nor could she hesitate and panic and do something stupid to ruin her own escape because of a momentary uneasiness.

If she really did that and it was exposed, she would be in a dilemma. She couldn't just say she didn't believe Lu Bingzhi because of that dream. Who would believe such a bizarre thing? Even if they did, they wouldn't necessarily understand or forgive her actions.

She is now in a very good situation in the mansion. Firstly, she is thanks to Lu Bingzhi's love and appreciation, and secondly, her grandmother, Mrs. Dou, is also satisfied with her as her granddaughter-in-law.

If she rashly did something foolish, she would lose her support. Better to take it one step at a time. If that day ever came, she wouldn't be the one at fault. Perhaps she could still use their apologies to plot a retreat, or even do something to advance.

Cui Lingyan was slightly stunned when she thought about this, and felt a little bitter in her heart.

She clearly felt that she particularly liked Lu Bingzhi and was dependent on him, because no one had ever treated her as well as Lu Bingzhi. But after that dream, no matter how much she loved him, she wanted to find a way out. Even if it meant retreating to gain an advantage and using apologies to control Lu Bingzhi.

I wonder if if he knew all these thoughts, would he still like and pity her as much as he does now?

Cui Lingyan felt a little upset, but what could she do? She was a weak woman and her family was unreliable, so she could only think more about herself.

Only when people love themselves can they love others. Isn’t this right?

Cui Lingyan was just thinking when she heard footsteps outside. A maid came in and reported, "Young Madam, Madam, my aunt sent a maid to pay her respects to you. Would you like to see her?"

Cui Lingyan's eyes flashed with surprise as she thought about what had happened in the Marquis's residence yesterday, and her suggestion to her grandmother, Old Lady Zhai, that Concubine Liu be taken to the Xilan Courtyard to nurse her pregnancy. If her mother, Lady Qi, harbored resentment and blamed her as a daughter, and told her grandmother, Old Lady Wu, about this, then, knowing her grandmother well, she knew she would be furious, feeling that her granddaughter was being unfilial.

So, Aunt Zhan sent the maid to remind her that her grandmother would come to look for her?

With this guess in mind, Cui Lingyan asked someone to bring the maid in.

After listening to the maid's report, she said, "Thank my aunt for me and tell her that I know what's going on. She doesn't need to worry about me."

As Cui Lingyan spoke, she asked about the specific situation in detail. When she heard the maid mention Nanny Jiang, a hint of coldness appeared in her eyes.

"Okay, I understand. You can go back now."

Bi Tao rewarded the maid with a purse of small change and personally sent the person out.

The two knew each other at the Qi family, but now their identities are different, so they are a little unfamiliar with each other.

The maidservant said, "Sister, you are so lucky. Now that your cousin has become the Crown Prince's wife, I, the senior maidservant serving by your side, am very proud. I am more fortunate than this servant."

Bi Tao smiled and said, "It's all God's blessing on the young lady. We servants just hope that the young lady can be safe and sound and give birth to a child soon, so that we can feel more at ease."

Bitao sent the person out of the yard and then returned.