Chapter 18: Dazzling She was a little afraid that after Cui Lingyan married Lu Bing...

Cui Lingyan brought Bi Tao back to Chuyun Courtyard. She had just changed her clothes when she heard a maid come in and report, "Third Miss, our cousin is here."

Cui Lingyan rubbed her brows, but still stood up and walked towards the door.

Qi Ruorou came in, took Cui Lingyan's hand, and said with a smile, "I've been in the mansion for a few days. I know my cousin has a lot of things to do, so I didn't want to bother her. Today, I saw my cousin coming out of the palace, so I thought of coming over to talk to her. Otherwise, living in this mansion is really boring."

Cui Lingyan had lived in the Qi family for so many years, how could she not know Qi Ruoruo's personality? She guessed that she must have heard that they were in a hurry when they returned from the palace, so she came to inquire about the news.

Cui Lingyan pretended not to understand what she meant and continued, "What's the matter with disturbing or not? Cousin, please stop saying such unorthodox things."

As she spoke, she led Qi Ruorou to sit in front of the soft couch.

The maid Qiuzhi brought tea and snacks.

When Qi Ruorou saw Qiu Zhi, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes. She had seen this maid in Cuiwei Courtyard before, and she seemed to be quite respectable in front of her aunt. She never thought that her aunt would send this maid to serve Cui Lingyan, a daughter whom she had never liked.

Qi Ruorou suppressed these thoughts, picked up the teacup and took a sip, while her eyes subtly looked at the furnishings in the room.

Perhaps because she was a legitimate daughter, the furnishings in Cui Lingyan's room were much more exquisite than those in the guest house where she and her mother lived. It was obvious that they were made with extra care.

Qi Ruorou was a little envious, but she didn't show any of that emotion on her face. She drank tea and chatted with Cui Lingyan.

When casually mentioning her visit to the palace to attend the flower viewing banquet today, she said with envy, "A place like the palace is not accessible to ordinary people. Only my cousin, born in a marquis's mansion, could have such a prestigious place."

Cui Lingyan said modestly, "Cousin, you're joking. I'm also benefiting from my eldest sister's influence. Otherwise, how would the Queen Mother know that there is a young lady like me who just returned to the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion?"

After hearing Cui Lingyan say this, Qi Ruoruo's envy subsided a little. She changed the subject and talked about other things with Cui Lingyan.

After talking for a while, he continued, "I heard from the maids that the eldest lady seemed to be in a bad mood when she returned home today. What happened?"

Cui Lingyan knew exactly what she was thinking, so she just said, "Big sister was sick a while ago, and she hasn't fully recovered yet. She'll be fine after a few more days of recuperation."

Qi Ruorou was a little skeptical, because she sensed something was amiss in the atmosphere in the mansion today. But since Cui Lingyan was unwilling to speak, she didn't want to press the issue any further.

After sitting for a while, he said goodbye and left.

Watching Qi Ruoruo leave, Cui Lingyan rubbed his eyebrows tiredly.

Birou was currently serving Cui Lingyan. She knew that she must be very nervous after her visit to the palace. She also knew that she must be a little tired after chatting with her cousin for a while. So she said softly, "Miss, you must be tired. Why don't you go in and rest for a while? I'll wake you up for lunch."

Cui Lingyan also felt a little tired, so she nodded and walked into the inner room.

Lying on the bed, Cui Lingyan couldn't help but think of Lu Bingzhi who suddenly appeared when they were admiring the flowers today.

I don't know if Cui Linghui's marriage can continue. Today, in front of the Queen Mother, Lu Bingzhi, the prince of Weiguo, was very cold towards Cui Linghui, and did not treat her as his fiancée at all.

Thinking of Lu Bingzhi's true identity, Cui Lingyan felt that a person of Lu Bingzhi's status naturally had his own pride. Cui Linghui despised him so much and was unwilling to marry him. How could he keep a place for Cui Linghui in his heart?

Now that the news of Cui Linghui's cold is sure to spread, I wonder if the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion will cancel the marriage.

Cui Lingyan pondered and felt that her thoughts were a little complicated and her head was a little painful, so she shook her head to clear all these thoughts.

Anyway, whether this marriage succeeds or not has nothing to do with her. Whether Cui Linghui becomes the prince's wife is her own business. At most, her grandmother and father in the mansion will care about her. What impact can it have on her, the third lady who just returned home?

Thinking of this, Cui Lingyan felt a little more at ease. She felt sleepy and fell asleep quickly.

......

Qi Ruorou returned to her residence. Seeing her return, Zhan Shi hurriedly stood up and asked, "What's the matter? Did you get any news from Yan Yatou?"

Hearing her mother's question, Qi Ruorou shook her head: "My cousin is a member of the Cui family after all. Even if the Cui family has ignored her over the years, she is still on the Cui family's side in her heart. How could she say anything to an outsider like me?"

Qi Ruorou felt a little depressed and downhearted: "Forget it, it's the Marquis' Mansion's business anyway, what does it have to do with us? Mother, don't worry about it."

Zhan knew her own daughter well. After hearing what Qi Ruorou said, she whispered, "What do you know? Now that we're living in this mansion, we have to get some information. Otherwise, if we don't know everything, it's like being deaf."

As she spoke, she sighed softly and said, "Forget it. Miss Yan just returned home, so there may be some things that are difficult to tell us. The atmosphere in the mansion is so tense today. There is no need to ask specifically. Your brother will definitely hear the news, and we will know it then."

As Zhan spoke, she took Qi Ruorou's hand and sat down at the table. She asked with some speculation, "What could possibly happen after entering the palace? Could it be that Miss Cui has suffered some kind of injustice in the palace?"

"But she's the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Wei's son, the empress dowager's granddaughter-in-law. With the empress dowager's support, who would dare to give her a hard time?"

Zhan sighed again and said, "It seems that even this girl from a noble family has to endure some grievances. That's right, if that Prince Lu really has a hidden illness, then even with the noble status of a prince's wife, Miss Cui's life will surely be difficult if she marries him."

"After all, a woman's only support lies in having a son. I don't know whether Miss Cui's marriage is a blessing or not. It's really sad."

Qi Ruorou nodded and said, "Everyone has their own ideas. Perhaps Miss Cui values ​​the status of the Crown Prince's wife. After all, Prince Lu is the Empress Dowager's grandson and is so valued by the Emperor. It is worth taking a gamble on this marriage."

Qi Ruorou and Zhan are talking about Cui Linghui here.

In Yingyue Courtyard, Cui Linghui was lying on the bed with an extremely pale face.

Cui Linghui felt a little overwhelmed by the harsh criticism that her grandmother, Mrs. Zhai, had just expressed towards her.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Marquisate, and her father's heart was always obsessed with the good things of their late mother. Even after marrying his second wife, Qi, she still had to please her to win her father's favor. It could be said that in the entire Ningshou Marquisate, she was more respected than the several young masters. Her grandmother, Old Lady Zhai, was always attentive and loving to her, never once giving her the cold shoulder. How could she ever be so blatantly harsh as today?

Cui Linghui felt as if she had been slapped in the face, making her feel ashamed.

She mustered up the courage to do what she wanted to do, hoping not to marry Lu Bingzhi, a heartless man. But a cold she had today made her realize that while she was freeing herself from this marriage, she would also lose a lot.

Otherwise, why would my grandmother treat her like this just because she might not be able to become the Crown Prince's wife?

Cui Linghui felt a little upset, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Mu Zhen looked at her unhappy face and said soothingly, "Don't be too sad, cousin. The old lady is just worried about you, otherwise why would she order the kitchen to prepare brown sugar ginger soup for you and also ask someone to prepare some soothing medicine."

"The old lady is old, and it's understandable that she lost control of her temper. In this Ningshou Marquis Mansion, is there anyone who can surpass you, cousin?"

Mu Zhen hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Cousin, at the flower viewing banquet today, Prince Lu seemed a little cold towards you. Could it be that because of the previous drowning incident, he has some misunderstanding about you?"

"People in this world love to fabricate things. If there really is any misunderstanding, you should explain it to the prince. Otherwise, if he harbors a grudge, even if I marry him, it will be difficult for me to win his heart in the future."

Cui Linghui said with a hint of bitterness, "With my current health, I'm not sure if this marriage can go ahead. The Empress Dowager has always been concerned about Lu Bingzhi, and she might even want to cancel the marriage."

Mu Zhen was speechless for a moment, and after a while she said, "Don't think too much, cousin. Now that the prince has canceled this marriage, where can he find someone else to marry him? Besides, even for the prince's reputation, the queen mother will not rashly cancel the engagement."

Cui Linghui had thought about all this, which was why she had originally planned to ask her younger sister Cui Lingyan to marry Lu Bingzhi in her place.

She originally wanted to ruin Cui Lingyan's reputation and marry Lu Bingzhi to become the wife of the Crown Prince. She didn't want to give her stepsister Cui Lingyan the prestigious status of the Crown Prince's wife for nothing.

Things that belong to her cannot be taken away easily by others even if she doesn't want them anymore. In the future, they will have to use this status to suppress her and look down on her.

However, this plan was difficult to carry out, so she could only resort to using her own body.

Now, the Queen Mother is probably thinking of canceling the engagement, but for the sake of Lu Bingzhi's reputation, she will probably choose someone else to marry him, and this person will be chosen from the girls in the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion.

In this case, the only one left was Cui Lingyan, who had just returned home.

After all, Lu Bingzhi's status was there, and he would never marry Cui Lingyin, a concubine's daughter, as his wife.

Otherwise, she would be willing to give this opportunity to her timid cousin Cui Lingyin instead of Cui Lingyan.

Although Cui Linghui didn't want to admit it, she had to admit that Cui Lingyan's beautiful appearance was really a bit dazzling to her.

She was a little afraid that Cui Lingyan would be favored by Lu Bingzhi after marrying him.