Chapter 21 Why does Tanran feel guilty and ashamed towards his elder sister?

Yingyueyuan

After hearing Daimao's report, Cui Linghui's face turned pale even though he had been prepared.

Aunt Xie beside her was even more panicked and said in disbelief, "How is this possible? Our girl is just feeling a little unwell, why does she need to be replaced by someone else in marriage?"

"Besides, the third young lady has been raised in a foreign family since she was a child. How can she compare to our young lady, and how can she be worthy of the status of the Crown Prince's wife?"

As soon as Aunt Xie finished her words, Cui Linghui scolded her: "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense! I'm not feeling well. The Queen Mother loves the Crown Prince so much that she should choose another noble lady for him to marry."

"The Queen Mother chose my third sister to honor the Marquisate. The Marquisate should remember the Queen Mother's kindness. How dare we harbor resentment?"

Cui Linghui said to Daimao, "Tell Grandmother I know about this matter. Everything is up to the Queen Mother and Grandmother to arrange."

Daimao was stunned. She thought she would see Cui Linghui crying in embarrassment, but she was really surprised to see Cui Linghui showing such an attitude.

Seeing Cui Linghui's pale face that could not be concealed, she thought that the girl didn't want to be laughed at, so she forced herself to remain calm. In fact, she was still feeling very uncomfortable in her heart.

Thinking this way, Daimao couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for Cui Linghui, and felt that Cui Linghui had brought it upon herself. If it hadn't been for the previous drowning incident, or if Cui Linghui had shown more concern and care after the prince was poisoned, then this marriage wouldn't have been ruined.

I wonder if the young lady feels any regret at all. Without her status as the wife of the Duke of Wei's son, her position within the palace will likely decline. She'll inevitably be pointed at and mocked at at banquets.

Not to mention, the eldest girl also has a cold. Even if the empress dowager promised to find a good marriage for her in the future, there might not be anyone willing to marry her.

Daimao's gaze infuriated Cui Linghui. She clutched the handkerchief tightly in her hand, suppressing her anger. She said to Daimao, "I'm a little tired. Grandmother can't leave you alone. You should go back."

Daimao bowed his head, suppressed all the thoughts in his mind, and left.

As soon as she left, Aunt Xie could no longer contain her panic and said, "Young lady, what should we do? How can we let the third young lady snatch your marriage away? We must think of a way out. We can't just accept our fate like this!"

Although Cui Linghui's face was still pale, she now looked somewhat calmer. She said calmly, "What are you thinking of? Now that things have come to this, is there anyone who can change the plans of the Empress Dowager and Old Madam Dou?"

"Forget it. Lu Bingzhi and I are not meant to be together, so we can't be husband and wife."

"Maybe it's best for each other not to be a couple."

Listening to these words, Aunt Xie recalled Cui Linghui's previous fall into the water. Her heart was boiling like boiling oil. Finally, she couldn't help asking, "Young lady, are you really unwilling to marry Master Lu? Does this mean that you have fulfilled your wish? And was your previous fall into the water also intentional?"

Meeting Nanny Xie's gaze, Cui Linghui didn't avoid it this time, nor did she lie. Instead, she said with some reluctance, "Yes, I don't want to marry Lu Bingzhi, who has a hidden illness. I don't want to be the wife of the Duke of Wei in name only. Is that not possible? I am also a living person with my own ideas. Do I have to sacrifice myself and marry Lu Bingzhi for this marriage?"

"Mammy is right. All this is as I expected. If there is anything that makes me uncomfortable, it is that Cui Lingyan should not have gotten this marriage in this way. She should have been forced to marry Lu Bingzhi because of the damage to her reputation."

Aunt Xie was startled by her gaze and words, and was speechless for a moment. After a long while, she finally spoke: "Young lady, since this marriage has been cancelled, and you have a cold that makes it difficult for you to get pregnant, have you ever thought about whether you can find another marriage of equal status in the future?"

"Even if you have such thoughts, you should have discussed it with me. Madam gave me the girl before she passed away. How can Madam rest in peace in the grave now that the girl is like this? How can I explain this to Madam in the future?"

Matron Xie's voice was choked with sobs. "Young lady, you should know that without this marriage, your status in the mansion is no longer what it was before. Even the old lady won't love you as much as before. Otherwise, after such a big thing happened, the old lady would definitely come to tell you and comfort you personally, but this time she only sent Daimao. The people in this mansion have always flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak. With the old lady's attitude, how can you survive in the mansion in the future?"

A trace of grievance and resentment flashed across Cui Linghui's eyes, and she said with a hint of impatience, "Alright, what can I do now that things have come to this? Nanny, there's no need to worry too much. Even if Grandmother doesn't love me as much as before, I'm still my father's daughter, the legitimate daughter of this Marquisate, and I have the Zhenguogong Mansion behind me. Is there anyone who really dares to bully me?"

"Third sister, you might think you've got a glorious marriage, but does she think marrying Lu Bingzhi will mean she can live a life of glory and become the consort of a high-ranking prince? Lu Bingzhi is a cold-hearted person, and now that he's ill, his temper is unpredictable. Third sister, marrying him will only lead to suffering."

"Not to mention, she grew up in Jiangnan. How could she possibly know the rules and social etiquette of the noble families in the capital? Even though Old Madam Dou is kind to her today and even gave her a gift, if she really becomes her granddaughter-in-law in the future, she won't know how to find fault with her."

Aunt Xie opened her mouth and wanted to say something else, but Cui Lingyan waved her hand and said, "Alright, I know what's going on. There's no need to say any more, Aunt. Please leave. I need to be alone and calm down."

Hearing her say this, Aunt Xie sighed deeply in her heart and finally left the house.

Only after Aunt Xie left did Cui Linghui wave his hand and push the teacup on the table to the ground.

The teacup made a crisp sound when it fell to the ground. Cui Linghui closed his eyes, with a thousand thoughts in his mind.

She was not as indifferent as she appeared, nor was she not at all flustered as she told Aunt Xie.

She thought she would feel relieved after the marriage was cancelled, because she finally didn't have to marry Lu Bingzhi and finally didn't have to marry into the Duke of Weiguo's mansion and live a life of being bullied.

But when the matter was settled, she found that she was really relieved, but at the same time, her heart suddenly became empty. She felt that her things were taken away by Cui Lingyan, and she suddenly felt a little resentful towards her sister Cui Lingyan.

Even though she told Aunt Xie that Cui Lingyan would have difficulty staying in the Duke of Wei's mansion if she married Lu Bingzhi without having children, and her life would be difficult, she still felt uncomfortable in her heart, as if a heavy stone was pressing on her.

After a long while, she calmed down and opened her eyes.

Now that things have come to this, she can't hide in the house in such a mess, otherwise she will be laughed at.

Cui Linghui thought about it, called Nanny Xie and Yulan in, helped her change her clothes, and after getting ready, she headed towards Izumoyuan.

The maids and old women they met on the road all lowered their heads and dared not look at Cui Linghui, with sympathy and nervousness in their eyes. When they saw her heading towards Chuyunyuan, they were even more shocked, wondering if the eldest and third daughters would have a quarrel later.

Although the eldest daughter has always been dignified and steady, her marriage was snatched away by the third daughter who just returned home. Even the most steady person would lose their mind, right?

A maid hurriedly reported to Madam Zhai that Cui Linghui had gone to Chuyun Courtyard.

Upon hearing the news, Madam Zhai frowned slightly and stopped the nanny beside her from rushing to Chuyun Courtyard. She said, "Let the two sisters talk in private. After all, they are sisters, living under the same roof. Are they going to avoid each other from now on?"

Bian, who was accompanying the old lady, couldn't help but ask, "Mother, aren't you afraid that Hui and Yan will start a fight?"

Madam Zhai sighed softly: "Girl Hui cares most about her dignity. She won't let others laugh at her. How could she act like a street shrew?"

After hearing what the old lady said, Bian stopped trying to persuade her.

Since the old lady said so, she would just be a bystander and watch the show. However, with the change of the Crown Prince's wife, she wanted to see how her sister-in-law Qi would get along with Cui Linghui, her stepdaughter.

After all, Qi had always pretended to be virtuous and loving, and doted on her stepdaughter Cui Linghui. Now that her own daughter had snatched Cui Linghui's marriage, would there be any future conflicts between this usually harmonious mother and daughter?

Or, will Qi start to love her biological daughter Cui Lingyan?

Bian also thought that if she had a daughter, she could marry into the Duke of Wei's mansion in Cui Linghui's place, which would allow her to surpass Qi in the Marquis's mansion. But she had no daughter, and Cui Lingyin, the only child of the second house, was a concubine's daughter. So the title of Crown Prince's Wife must go to the eldest house.

Izumo-in Temple

When Cui Lingyan heard Cui Linghui coming, a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes, but she didn't feel guilty. She just looked towards the door.

When Cui Linghui came in, their eyes met and no one spoke for a while.

It was Cui Linghui who spoke up again: "Third sister, let's talk in private."

Cui Lingyan nodded and gestured to Bitao. Bitao hesitated for a moment, but finally retreated with the maids.

Only Cui Linghui and Cui Lingyan were left in the room.

Cui Linghui walked over to the couch and sat down, saying softly, "Don't feel guilty, Third Sister. I didn't come here to find fault with you."

Cui Lingyan listened to her words and smiled softly, not feeling guilty at all. "Big sister, you're joking. This marriage was the idea of ​​the Queen Mother and Old Madam Dou. I didn't use any tricks to snatch it from you, big sister. Why should I feel guilty about it?"