Chapter 131: Lu Bingzhi is so lucky that he doesn’t like women, but he is willing to protect...

Cining Palace

Seeing Lu Bingzhi return so quickly from the Qinzheng Palace, the Empress Dowager jokingly asked, "Why don't you talk to your uncle more? Are you afraid that I'll cause your wife to suffer injustice?"

The Empress Dowager joked like this, but Lu Bingzhi remained calm. However, Cui Lingyan blushed and lowered her head shyly.

Lu Bingzhi walked over to the Empress Dowager and sat down, smiling as he said, "My uncle is busy with government affairs, so I can't disturb him. Besides, I want to have dinner with my grandmother while I'm in the palace."

The Empress Dowager already doted on her grandson, Lu Bingzhi. Upon hearing his words, her face lit up with joy. She instructed the palace maid beside her, "Go and tell the kitchen to prepare some of Bingzhi's favorite dishes."

The Empress Dowager added, "Yan grew up in the south, and we also ask the kitchen to make some Jiangnan dishes. Let this child try them and see if they taste similar."

The Queen Mother's words meant that she was very satisfied with her grandson's wife Cui Lingyan after spending time with her today.

The palace maid took the order and left, and the empress dowager and Lu Bingzhi chatted casually.

Cui Lingyan was listening from the side and found it somewhat unusual to see Lu Bingzhi chatting with the empress dowager about family matters.

Not long after, palace maids came in one after another and brought meals.

In the palace, it is customary not to talk while eating or sleeping, but the empress dowager doted on Lu Bingzhi and was also very fond of Cui Lingyan, her granddaughter-in-law, so she would ask a few questions from time to time to liven up the atmosphere, which made Cui Lingyan feel less restrained.

The palace maids and nannies serving on the side saw this scene and knew in their hearts that Cui Lingyan, the Crown Prince's wife, had won the favor of the Empress Dowager by visiting the palace. They thought that the Crown Prince's wife would visit the palace often in the future.

With the respect given to her by the Queen Mother and the love of her husband, the Crown Prince, who wouldn't be a little cautious in this capital? She is truly enviable.

Thinking of Cui Linghui who had just come with Concubine Shu to pay her respects, they felt a pang of sadness in their hearts, and felt that the man had ruined a good card. It was such a good marriage, but Cui Linghui looked down on it because of the poisoning of the prince, so she gave the marriage to her stepsister.

Now that his stepsister's marriage is harmonious and she is favored by the empress dowager, Cui Linghui is in a lowly position in the palace, even lower than the more prestigious maids in the Cining Palace. He wonders if he will be filled with regrets when no one is around. If he could do it all over again, he would definitely not think of canceling the engagement.

It’s a pity that even if she had this intention, God would not let her do it again.

After lunch, the two of them drank tea with the empress dowager and strolled in the imperial garden before saying goodbye and leaving the palace.

The Queen Mother was old and had less energy. Although she was kind to the younger generations, she was more authoritative as an elder. Although her grandchildren appeared to be filial, they were not actually very close to her as their grandmother.

Before, when the eldest prince Xiao Xuan and the eldest prince's wife Kong came to the palace, they only asked An Lue to sit for a while and then left the palace.

As for the second prince Xiao Ze, he has never been close to the empress dowager since he was a child.

That's why the Empress Dowager doted on her grandson Lu Bingzhi so much. Not only did she keep the couple in the Cining Palace for meals, she also asked them to accompany her to visit the Imperial Garden. This news soon spread throughout the entire harem.

......

Shupin heard the news just after lunch.

Her face immediately darkened, and she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Our Empress Dowager is truly a fool. She doesn't love her own grandson, but instead loves a grandson from another family. She's old, and she doesn't even think about her own family and show more affection to the younger generation. Is it possible that she's become confused as she gets older?"

As soon as Concubine Shu finished speaking, the room suddenly became silent. The serving palace maids all turned pale, lowered their heads and dared not respond, for fear that their mistress's words would get outside and cause trouble.

Shupin also realized that she had spoken out of turn, but she was still aggrieved in her heart, thinking that Lu Bingzhi was not of the royal family's blood, but only the empress dowager's grandson. If the empress dowager had used the same care and love for Lu Bingzhi on Ze'er, with the empress dowager's support, Ze'er would not have suffered those grievances in his childhood, and now he would have a helper.

Shupin really couldn't stand the empress dowager favoring an outsider so much and looking down on her son, her own grandson.

Princess Shu Ning has been dead for many years. The Empress Dowager loves her daughter and has given her grandson Lu Bingzhi enough respect, but there must be a limit. No matter how much she loves him, he should not be loved more than her own grandsons.

She said that it was not an exaggeration to say that the empress dowager was old and confused. If this happened in an ordinary wealthy family, who knows how much unrest would happen in the harem.

The atmosphere in the room was solemn. At this moment, footsteps were heard outside. The palace maid came over with a happy face and reported that the second prince had come to pay his respects to the queen.

When Concubine Shu heard her son coming, a hint of joy appeared in her eyes.

Ever since she was demoted to a concubine and lost her prestigious title of Imperial Consort, a rift had developed between her and her son. Instead of reflecting on how he had ruined his reputation at the birthday banquet, which had led to his biological mother being demoted by the Emperor, her son blamed her for not having earned the Emperor's favor over the years. She hadn't earned even a shred of affection from him in all those years of accompanying him, causing him, as a son, to lose face in front of the Emperor, who treated him even less favorably than his nephew, Lu Bingzhi.

After several quarrels, although Shupin felt sad, she could only endure the grievances, for fear that she would completely fall out with her son and that her son would completely lose interest in her.

Now that she was in this deep palace, who else could she rely on besides her biological son, Ze Ge'er? This was her only hope.

Shupin walked to the door with a smile, and when she saw Xiao Ze coming in, she asked him with great concern whether he had a hard time studying, whether the emperor had summoned him in the past few days, and whether he was about to set up a mansion to get married. Was the Ministry of Internal Affairs negligent? Are all the regulations in the prince's mansion in place?

Xiao Ze's face was gloomy. He walked straight into the room and waved his hand to tell all the maids and nannies in the room to leave. Seeing the Second Prince's expression, the maids did not dare to stay any longer. They bowed and filed out.

The smile on Shupin's face froze. She walked a few steps to Xiao Ze's side and asked with some concern, "What's wrong, Ze'er? Did someone make you angry?"

Thinking about how Lu Bingzhi entered the palace today and went to the Qinzheng Hall to pay his respects to the emperor.

Concubine Shu speculated, "Maybe Lu Bingzhi went to see your father. Your father has always been partial to you, and it's not just one or two days. Don't be angry about this."

Before Concubine Shu could continue complaining, Xiao Ze sullenly questioned, "I heard that Mother took Cui to the Cining Palace to pay respects today. Not only did she not win the Empress Dowager's favor, she was completely humiliated. She even slapped Cui in the face right after leaving the Cining Palace. Did you abandon Cui and come back on your own?"

Being questioned by her son like this, Concubine Shu felt a pang of grievance in her heart, and asked with a bit of dissatisfaction, "Why, did Cui Linghui complain to you? She is really two-faced. I thought she was so respectful and filial to me, but I just taught her a lesson and she complained to you."

"She was so timid in front of the Queen Mother. It was really embarrassing. Cui Lingyan made her look like a fool. She brought shame upon you and me. A slap in the face would have been the least of my responsibilities. If it weren't for her, how could I have lost my position as Imperial Consort and ended up as a mere concubine?"

The more Shupin spoke, the more excited she became, and her eyes turned red, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Xiao Ze was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked Concubine Shu, "Mother, since you resent Cui so much, you must resent me as well. After all, it was my son who came up with the idea of ​​using Cui Linghui to humiliate Lu Bingzhi, and yet he ended up like this. I'm sure you think my son is incredibly foolish, right?"

Shupin's words were choked in her throat before she could finish them. Her face turned slightly pale. She didn't expect her son Xiao Ze to ask her so directly what he was thinking.

She was a little agitated and shook her head as she explained, "What are you talking about, Ze'er? You are my biological son, how could I blame you? If I have to blame anyone, it's the Empress Dowager and the Emperor for not giving us mother and son face. They would rather be close to an outsider like Lu Bingzhi than be lenient and understanding with us mother and son."

Shupin knew her son was truly heartless and had shown little filial piety to her over the years. Now that she had lost power, she feared her son would be even more unhappy. In this situation, she absolutely could not allow her son to become estranged from her.

Thinking of this, her eyes turned red and tears fell.

"I just couldn't help myself and attacked Cui today. If you insist on protecting her, I'll give her some respect in the future. But my brother, please don't become estranged from me because of a woman like Cui Linghui."

"Besides, your wedding is coming soon, and Zheng will be married into your family. You can't spoil these concubines and make Zheng lose face."

After listening to Concubine Shu's explanation, Xiao Ze's anger subsided a little. Now, seeing his biological mother crying in grievance, and every word she said was a warning to him, he felt that he had been a little inappropriate when he came to question her just now.

Just as my mother said, they rely on each other. If there is any discord between them, who can they rely on?

Xiao Ze was silent for a moment, then spoke, "Ms. Cui is not worthy of my protection. However, she is my concubine after all, and she represents my reputation in public. I heard that my mother has been treating her like a palace maid these past few days. If this gets out, people will talk about me. Not only me, but my mother too, will be accused of harboring resentment towards my father for deposing your concubine. If that happens, my father will probably dislike me even more."

"Besides, my son has also considered this. Cui is, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate, and she has the Zhenguo Duke's family behind her. Although she is currently a concubine and is looked down upon by both her natal and natal families, if she becomes pregnant and gives birth to a grandson, both families might consider betting on her son to secure a brighter future."

Concubine Shu hadn't expected to hear such words from her son. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she hesitantly asked, "Is this possible? After Cui became your concubine, Ze'er, I felt ashamed of the Ningshou Marquisate and the Zhenguo Dukeate. I wish I didn't have this legitimate daughter and granddaughter."

Xiao Ze was silent for a moment before saying, "If Cui was just a concubine, that would be natural, but if she gave birth to a son, it would be different. My son is obsessed with appearances and doesn't think he can rely on Cui to win over the two families. He just feels that the emperor is too partial to his nephew Lu Bingzhi. But in reality, even if the emperor is partial, could he really let Lu Bingzhi sit in that position? My son's dislike for Lu Bingzhi is actually a step down. If my son ever sits in that position, not to mention Lu Bingzhi, the whole world will be under his control. He will be the one to deal with anyone in the court who dares to disobey or say a word."

When Shupin saw that her son seemed to have suddenly figured things out, she felt both happy and worried.

She was naturally happy that her son had come to terms with things, but his actions over the years had already displeased the Emperor. These days, the eldest prince, Xiao Xuan, often brought his consort, Kong, to the palace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager, and sometimes even went to the Qinzheng Hall to pay their respects. While the Emperor didn't always summon them, he had seen them several times. Some in the harem even said that although Xiao Xuan was mediocre in every way, the Emperor had only given his mother, Concubine Shun, a concubine position because of her good relationship with the late Empress. However, Xiao Xuan's gentle nature made it more reassuring for the Emperor to have him in that position than for his own son.

I wonder if my son heard those words?

Shupin suppressed these thoughts and nodded with a smile: "It is of course very good that my son thinks so. However, Cui has caught a cold from falling into the water before, and I don't know if her body is good enough for it."

"Also, even if you have this idea, there's no need to rush it. It's better to wait until Zheng comes in and becomes pregnant before asking Cui to get pregnant. This will at least give the Kangshou Marquisate some face."

Hearing her concerns about the Kangshou Marquisate, Xiao Ze sneered and said, "My son is different from the sons of ordinary noble families. There's no need to be so particular about whether a legitimate son must be born first before a bastard son. It's natural that having many children brings more blessings, and all the families will support him. It's not like now, where they claim to be close to him but don't contribute a cent, and they don't even speak a word for him in the court. Are all his students and friends dead?"

"Besides, Zheng is not a jealous person. Even if Cui gets pregnant first, Zheng of Kangshou Marquis's Mansion will probably be able to take care of it herself, and her son won't need to worry about it."

When Concubine Shu heard him say this, she wanted to give him some advice, thinking her son was being a little too arrogant. Although Zheng was the eldest daughter of a widowed family, she came from a good family. Even if she married into the royal family, she wouldn't necessarily be subservient and obey her son, the prince, in everything.

But she also knew her son's temper. He had just questioned her like that. She could only suppress whatever she wanted to say in her heart and said softly, "Ze'er is right. Zheng is blessed to be the prince's consort. If she is not virtuous in the slightest, she would be jealous. Even God would not tolerate this."

Xiao Ze sat in the hall for a while and then got up and left.

After he left, Nanny Duan pushed the door open and came in. Seeing her queen looking sad and with red eyes, she couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, where did you get mad at her again? Why did you have to come back and blame her?"

Hearing Nanny Duan's words, Concubine Shu sighed bitterly, "They say a son never despises his mother's ugliness and should always remember the kindness of her parents. But how can things in this world be as they are in books? Ze'er caused me to lose my position as Imperial Concubine, but he doesn't reflect on it at all. Instead, he resents me, thinking it was me who failed to please the Emperor and that this was why he lost face among his brothers."

"She was born from my womb. If it were someone else, how could I have endured this? But it is precisely because of this that I am sad."

Shupin hesitated for a moment and told Madam Duan what had just been said between mother and son.

Nanny Duan was speechless for a moment, and after a long while she finally spoke, "It's a good thing that Your Highness can think things through and not argue with Prince Lu. No matter how much Prince Lu is loved by the Empress Dowager and valued by the Emperor, his surname is Lu, not Xiao, and he has no destiny with that position."

"As Your Highness said, what Your Highness should strive for now is the Emperor's favor and the support of the court officials. For this reason, Your Majesty, please show some respect to Cui in the future and don't beat and scold her like you did today. It won't sound good if it gets out."

Concubine Shu nodded and instructed, "Pick two pieces of fine Shu brocade and send them to Cui. Tell her that I was angry today and wronged her. Tell her not to take it to heart."

Nanny Duan nodded and went downstairs to prepare.

......

Cui Lingyan was unaware of these events in the palace, and even less aware of how furious her stepsister Cui Linghui was after receiving the appeasement reward from Concubine Shu. After returning from the palace, she and Lu Bingzhi sat for a while in Madam Dou's room before taking their leave.

Halfway through the journey, he happened to meet Lu Danruo who came to pay his respects to Old Madam Dou.

Perhaps it was the matter of the old man of the Cen family that made Cen and Lu Danruo feel wary, so Lu Danruo's temper has been restrained a bit these days. Regardless of whether he respects Cui Lingyan as his sister-in-law in his heart or not, he is still respectful on the surface.

She bowed and called out, "Brother, sister-in-law."

The atmosphere was a little awkward. Lu Bingzhi glanced at her and said calmly, "Go in and pay your respects to Grandmother."

After saying this, Lu Bingzhi took Cui Lingyan away.

Lu Danruo watched the two men leave for a long time, biting her lip. She thought to herself that Cui was truly lucky. Lu Bingzhi, who was so averse to women, had nonetheless been willing to protect her. Judging by Cui's complexion, she must have been spared the Empress Dowager's reprimand and punishment this time. She was truly lucky.

The Queen Mother loved Lu Bingzhi the most, so why didn't she think that Lu Bingzhi should have a concubine? Although Cui had no hand in Qiu Zhi's affairs, and it was Lu Bingzhi who drove her out, it is possible that Cui had seen through Qiu Zhi's intentions long ago, so she plotted against Qiu Zhi and sold her out through Lu Bingzhi.

Suppressing all the thoughts in his mind, Lu Danruo withdrew his gaze and continued walking towards Qingdeyuan.

On the way, Lu Bingzhi asked, "Does Danruo still respect you recently? If she doesn't respect you, don't hide it from yourself and suffer injustice."

Hearing his concern for her, Cui Lingyan felt warm in her heart and smiled, "Second Miss was frightened by what happened to the Cen family. How dare she act so unruly in front of me, her sister-in-law?"

She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice and said, "It's good enough that the Second Miss can be like this. I don't need her to be respectful to me in every way. As long as we know our place and can live in harmony under the same roof, that's all."

Lu Bingzhi knew her personality, and her words were genuine. He smiled, nodded, and continued walking forward.

Qingdeyuan

Seeing Lu Danruo, Madam Dou asked, "Your brother and sister-in-law just left. Did you see them and ask how they were doing?"

Lu Danruo felt a little embarrassed by the old lady's question, as if she was so willful and arrogant, and so disrespectful to Lu Bingzhi and Cui.

Lu Danruo's cheeks flushed, and a hint of embarrassment appeared in her eyes. She forced a smile and said, "Grandma, what are you talking about? Ruo'er has reflected on it these days. It was Ruo'er's fault in the past. I was too willful. I regret it in my heart. How could I be disrespectful to my brother and sister-in-law?"

When Madam Dou heard her say this, her face became even more loving. She knew the nature of her granddaughter, whom she had watched grow up, and she didn't expect her to show much respect to Bingzhi and Cui, but she had to show some basic courtesy.

My granddaughter is young. Even if she knows that she will have to rely on her brothers and sisters-in-law from her mother's side for support after she gets married, I'm afraid she only understands it literally and doesn't understand the ins and outs of it.

If she didn't get along well with Cui before she got married, she wouldn't be able to talk to Cui, her sister-in-law, about any problems she encountered after she got married.