Chapter 16: Cold Symptoms It’s not that she wants to speculate about Cui Linghui, it’s really not possible...

After Cui Lingyan finished speaking, she did not receive a response from Lu Bingzhi.

He just looked at her like that, and Cui Lingyan felt uneasy.

But she also felt that this was the first time she and Lu Bingzhi met. Even if Lu Bingzhi was unhappy about Cui Linghui falling into the water, that was a matter between him and Cui Linghui. He would not vent his anger on her, an outsider, right?

Thinking this in her heart, Cui Lingyan raised her head and called out softly, "Prince."

Lu Bingzhi's gaze fell on her cuffs. Cui Lingyan followed his gaze and saw small crabapple flowers embroidered with gold thread on the cuffs. She knew that he must have heard what he had just said.

If she hadn't experienced everything in the dream, she might have felt upset about the dress Cui Linghui had given her, and would have felt ashamed if Lu Bingzhi had heard about it. But after experiencing that dream, she no longer cared about these matters of face, thinking that these were trivial matters, and even if others looked down on her, it would not hurt her in the slightest.

Thinking of this, Cui Lingyan's expression was calm. She bowed to Lu Bingzhi and said, "If your Highness has nothing else to say, I will take my leave."

Lu Bingzhi's gaze shifted from her embroidery to her face, and he said calmly, "Go."

Cui Lingyan breathed a sigh of relief and took Bitao away.

Her heart was pounding so hard that she was really nervous.

What Bitao said just now was right. Lu Bingzhi had a very strong aura and it was really uncomfortable to get along with him.

Even if he didn't say anything and just stood there quietly, he gave people a pressure that could not be ignored.

Cui Lingyan didn't know whether this was because of Lu Bingzhi's noble status or because he was just aloof and seemed difficult to approach.

Or was it because that dream made her know Lu Bingzhi's true identity, so she felt that he was more majestic.

Cui Lingyan thought, with Lu Bingzhi's personality and noble status, it was no wonder that Cui Linghui, her stepsister in the dream, hadn't been favored after marrying him. Two people so proud and arrogant, if neither was willing to humble themselves, they wouldn't get along.

What's more, Lu Bingzhi and Cui Linghui did not grow up together and were childhood sweethearts. In the final analysis, it was just a marriage that tied them together.

If Lu Bingzhi hadn't been poisoned, Cui Linghui might have been satisfied with the marriage, proud that she could marry him and become the wife of the Duke of Wei's son. But now that Lu Bingzhi was still poisoned and looked pale, it was clear that the rumors in the capital were not groundless.

This engaged couple will most likely become a pair of resentful lovers just like the one in her dream when they get married in the future.

Fortunately, these were none of her business. Secretly, she hoped that Cui Linghui would marry into the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion as soon as possible, so that she could feel a little more comfortable in the mansion and would not have to worry about her stepsister Cui Linghui plotting against her all the time.

......

Lu Bingzhi watched Cui Lingyan leave and said meaningfully, "The third young lady from the Ningshou Marquis's mansion has a personality that's a little different from the noble ladies in the capital."

Guan Yan followed Lu Bingzhi into the palace today, so he naturally heard what Cui Lingyan and her personal maid had just said.

Listening to his master's words, he agreed: "I also feel that something is different. If someone else knew about this, they would be so wronged and ashamed that they would want to find a hole to crawl into."

"But Miss Cui San's face is calm, not a bit embarrassed, as if this is just a normal thing, not worth her taking seriously. Perhaps it's because she was sent to live with her parents since she was a child, so she has seen a lot of these things. Come to think of it, she is quite pitiful."

Guan Yan thought to himself, this small incident alone shows how petty Miss Cui is, unable to tolerate a stepsister who just returned home. Her tactics behind closed doors are designed to make people swallow their grievances, yet still accept her favors in public.

How could a woman with such character be worthy of marrying their master?

It was hard for Guan Yan to say this, but secretly he didn't want Cui Linghui to marry into the Duke of Wei's mansion. With such a mistress, who knew how the mansion would be in turmoil in the future.

Lu Bingzhi didn't respond to Guan Yan's words, but walked forward: "Don't stand there, go and pay your respects to your uncle."

This side

Cui Lingyan finally breathed a sigh of relief when she brought Bitao out.

Bi Tao's face turned slightly pale, and she whispered, "How did we run into Master Lu? Didn't Master Lu go to pay his respects to the Emperor?"

"Fortunately, the prince didn't make things difficult for us, otherwise if something happened, it would be difficult to explain when we return to the Ningshou Marquis' Mansion." Bitao patted her chest and said with some fear.

Cui Lingyan patted her hands and said comfortingly, "Alright, let's go back. We didn't say those things on purpose. Besides, Master Lu certainly wouldn't be that stingy."

More importantly, Lu Bingzhi did not take Cui Linghui, his wife-to-be, seriously, otherwise, misunderstandings might have arisen.

Bi Tao nodded at Cui Lingyan's words and followed her back. Halfway through, they saw a palace maid in a sapphire-colored gown walking towards them. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was Ruyi, the maid who had greeted them at the palace gate.

Without waiting for Cui Lingyan to speak, Ruyi quickly stepped forward, bowed to Cui Lingyan and said, "Third Miss, something happened with Miss Cui. Please come with me."

Cui Lingyan was stunned when she heard her words, her heart skipped a beat, and her face changed a little.

She and her stepsister Cui Linghui did not have much sisterly affection, but if something happened to Cui Linghui in the palace, it might not be a good thing for her.

She followed Ruyi all the way to a side hall not far from the Cining Palace.

As soon as he entered, he saw Cui Linghui lying on the bed with a very pale face and biting his lips in pain.

Standing next to Cui Linghui was a nanny wearing a lake green palace dress, and behind her stood an imperial physician.

Mu Zhen, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, sat in front of the bed, looking at Cui Linghui with a worried look on her face.

Cui Lingyan took a few steps forward and said to Cui Linghui with some concern: "What's wrong, big sister?"

Cui Linghui's face was pale, and she pressed her hand on her lower abdomen. She forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, I just have some abdominal pain from my period. Don't worry, Third Sister."

Cui Linghui tried to comfort him, but his eyes were slightly red. The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat depressing and solemn.

The maid beside her came forward to explain, "Miss Cui may have contracted a cold from her previous fall into the water, which is why she's feeling so uncomfortable during her period. The Empress Dowager heard the news and was worried. She told Miss Cui to rest in a side hall, saying she could leave the palace before the gates were locked."

Cui Linghui suppressed her discomfort and thanked the Queen Mother for her grace. Only after everyone in the room had left did she unable to hold back her tears.

Mu Zhen, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, glanced outside the palace, thought for a moment, and whispered, "Although the Queen Mother has been kind, I think my cousin should leave the palace and return to the Ningshou Marquis's mansion as soon as possible. We are the daughters of foreign officials, so it's not appropriate for us to stay in the palace for too long."

She thought for a moment and then added, "But if the news of my cousin falling into the water and having a chronic illness gets out, I wonder what the Queen Mother will think."

I wonder if there will be any changes in the marriage between my cousin and Master Lu?

Mu Zhen didn't say this out loud, but everyone could hear what he meant.

For a moment, the air was filled with a sense of solemnity. Yulan, the maid who had accompanied Cui Linghui into the palace, was extremely pale and so anxious that she could barely speak.

Cui Linghui clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, and after a long while she spoke, "Let's leave the palace early."

After Cui Linghui said this, everyone had many concerns in their hearts, so they rested for a while in the side hall and then left the palace.

Outside the palace, Aunt Xie, who was standing by the carriage at the Ningshou Marquis's mansion, saw her cousin Mu Zhen helping her own daughter out of the palace. Behind them was the third daughter Cui Lingyan, who had a serious expression on her face. Her expression changed for a moment.

Especially when he saw Cui Linghui's pale face and red eyes, he became even more uneasy. He quickly walked forward and asked with some panic: "What's wrong with you, young lady? What happened?"

She wondered if the Queen Mother had misunderstood the girl because she had fallen into the water, so she punished her in front of everyone and made her lose face?

But she changed her mind and felt that the Queen Mother had always been kind to the girl, and that she loved her grandson Lu Bingzhi the most. Even if she had to consider the reputation of Lu Bingzhi, the prince of Weiguo, she should not let her girl's face be damaged.

"It's not convenient to talk here. Help your cousin into the carriage first." Mu Zhen whispered.

Nanny Xie also knew that talking at the palace gate would attract attention, so she quickly opened the curtain and helped Cui Linghui into the carriage.

Cui Lingyan and Mu Zhen also got on the carriage.

Cui Linghui remained silent, looking a little dazed.

Mu Zhen and Nanny Xie explained what happened in the palace, and she sighed softly, "My cousin was in excruciating abdominal pain at the time, and her face was pale. Anyone could tell something was wrong, so how could she delay leaving the palace? When the imperial physician came to check her pulse, he said she had a cold in her body, and her period had triggered the cold all at once. Although the Empress Dowager granted her the grace to stay in the palace to rest, I thought it would be best to leave the palace first to avoid attracting attention."

Nanny Xie turned pale upon hearing what Mu Zhen said. She was so shocked that she couldn't even speak clearly. It took her a long time to find her voice again. She said with a trembling voice, "Cold? How could she have a cold? The young lady had clearly taken a lot of health-preserving medicine these days. She even took a cup of the best blood swallow every other day. The young lady was clearly well, so how could she..."

Aunt Xie was in a state of panic, deeply regretting not following Cui Linghui when he went to the lake to relax. If she had stayed with the girl and paid more attention to her, she wouldn't have fallen into the water, and how could this have happened?

Cui Lingyan frowned in thought, feeling that Cui Linghui's abdominal pain today was a bit of a coincidence. He had fallen into the water before, and now he had a cold. It wasn't that she wanted to speculate about Cui Linghui, she simply had to.

However, if Cui Linghui had really caused this on purpose, then the price she paid was too high. After all, if she was left with a condition that made it difficult for her to conceive, even if Cui Linghui could have avoided marrying Lu Bingzhi, she would have a hard time choosing a marriage in the future.

Is my stepsister so unwilling to marry Lu Bingzhi?

Cui Lingyan increasingly felt that Cui Linghui had suffered the same fate as her. She knew that she would not have a good life after marrying Lu Bing, so she did not care about such a huge price.