Chapter 62: It's rare that the prince is interested in this, so I will naturally...

Lu Danruo thought of other sisters-in-law in the capital. She didn't know how they were flattered and fawned over by their new sisters-in-law, but when it came to her, she didn't get any benefits at all. The gift given to her sister-in-law was just a shabby purse and a mutton-fat jade hairpin, which was just for giving away those poor people outside.

Thinking about the many rewards sent from the palace, Lu Danruo felt increasingly aggrieved.

Cui Lingyan is not as good as Cui Linghui in terms of how to behave and please her sister-in-law. When Cui Linghui was still Lu Bingzhi's fiancée, she gave him a precious red gold hairpin inlaid with purple gems on his birthday. She was much more generous than Cui Lingyan.

Thinking this way, Lu Danruo actually felt that Cui Linghui would be a better sister-in-law. Now that this person had come into the family, she didn't know if she was really stupid or just pretending to be stupid. She didn't understand the ways of the world at all, which made it so difficult for her and her mother to vent their anger.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have asked Cui Linghui to marry me. Cui Lingyan didn't grow up in the Marquis' Mansion, so how could she understand the intricacies of our wealthy families? Does she think that by marrying Lu Bingzhi, she'll be protecting his little family, and it'll just be her and Lu Bingzhi living together?"

"Lu Bingzhi is the same. He relies on his grandmother's love and pampering, and his father lets him do whatever he wants. So many good things have been sent to his Songxue Hall over the years, but he only cares about enjoying himself, and he doesn't even think about the other people in the mansion!"

As Lu Danruo complained like this, she thought about how Lu Bingzhi had been very filial to his grandmother over the years, and how he had taken good care of his half-brother whom she looked down upon. She felt really depressed, and even a sense of regret slowly grew in her heart.

If she had not seen her mother being wronged in this mansion since she was a child, and if Lu Bingzhi had not been put first in everything in the mansion, and her mother, the stepmother, had to live by the face of Lu Bingzhi, the stepson, how could she have been so indignant in her heart? She had been at odds with her stepbrother Lu Bingzhi since she was a child, and felt that it was Lu Bingzhi's fault that she and her mother were in this situation, and that Lu Bingzhi had snatched away the love of her grandmother and father.

She had been jealous for so many years, but Lu Bingzhi was still enjoying a prosperous life. Even though he was poisoned, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace still cared about him so much that they gave him so many rewards just for getting married.

If she had a good relationship with her brother Lu Bingzhi, it would be great if Lu Bingzhi loved and protected her even more.

If that was the case, how could Cui, the new sister-in-law who had just arrived in the mansion, dare to look down on her and her mother and neglect them like this?

A trace of regret welled up in Lu Danruo's heart, but she quickly suppressed it. Then, a wave of self-blame and grievance surged up again. If her mother knew these thoughts, she would definitely feel very uncomfortable. At this point, she and Lu Bingzhi were destined to have no brother-sister relationship, and she could only stand on her mother's side.

She glanced at Cen, her eyes reddening as she said, "Mother, you should visit Father's study more often. Only if we develop a bond can you give me a younger brother. Otherwise, we will have nothing to rely on in the future. Anyone can bully us."

Cen's face changed, and she felt a pang of bitterness. When she first entered the family, the Duke had treated her with respect, visiting her room several times a month. Although the couple wasn't particularly close, they treated each other with respect. However, she saw that the illegitimate son, born to a maid, enjoyed such a good life in the mansion. Even Lu Bingzhi, who always had a distant expression in front of her stepmother, seemed to be more friendly to the mother and daughter. This made her feel a little unfair, so she looked for an opportunity to punish the illegitimate son. However, she never expected that because of this incident, the Duke and she would have a quarrel. Since then, he rarely visited the main courtyard. In all these years, she only had one daughter, Danruo.

This matter was known to everyone in the mansion. She, the wife of the Duke, was completely ashamed at the time. Later, it was her mother-in-law, Madam Dou, who punished the two maids and finally suppressed the trend of gossiping about the master in the mansion. However, the bad impression she had left in the Duke's mind could never be redeemed.

Cen felt bitter, but she couldn't bring herself to tell her daughter these words. She forced a smile and said, "Don't get involved in the affairs between your father and me. After all, you are the legitimate daughter of our Duke's Mansion. Just control your temper. With your status, you will definitely marry into a good family in the future."

Speaking of marriage, Lu Danruo's cheeks couldn't help but blush. She didn't mention asking Cen to give her a brother anymore. She whispered, "There's no rush for this. We have to settle it with my cousin first."

When Cen heard her mention Lu Danyan, her eyes flashed with disdain. "She's pretending to be talented just because she's educated. How could a man like her? Besides, your second aunt is so picky. I'm afraid she'll end up delaying your cousin and leave her as an old maid, a laughingstock."

"Let's not wait for her. If Danyan's marriage can't be settled this year, mother will ask your grandmother to find a good family for you first, so as not to delay you, Danruo."

Lu Danruo also felt that her cousin was making fun of her, thinking she was so rich. After hearing what Cen said, she nodded and said, "Let's do as Mother says."

The two talked for a while before Lu Danruo stood up and said goodbye.

After she left, Cen sighed softly and said, "Alas, I look down on that girl Danyan, and I'm afraid others also look down on my Danruo. After all, everyone with some respect in the capital knows the situation my mother and I are in in the Duke's Mansion. The title of Duke's wife sounds good, and she is in charge of the household, but in reality, only the person who drinks the water knows whether it is hot or cold."

Luo Mei, the head maid standing nearby, listened to her mistress's words and said in a comforting voice, "The young lady is the legitimate daughter of our Duke's Mansion and the eldest son of the eldest son. She is of noble status. Ordinary people wouldn't dare to even think of marrying her. Why do you think so, Madam?"

Mrs. Cen sighed heavily and said, "Alas, if Lu Bingzhi treated her like a younger sister, she would naturally be very proud and confident. But you also know that I am the second wife. Danruo has disliked Lu Bingzhi as a brother since she was a child. She feels that the master and the old lady are partial to each other, and that I, as a mother, have lost my confidence and dignity in front of Lu Bingzhi, a stepson. Over the years, Songxuetang has become very distant from us. Danruo and I are dissatisfied with this, but it is all we can do."

"Could it be possible that I could go up to Lu Bingzhi and make a fool of myself by showing off to the new young lady Cui?"

"After all, I am the elder and Cui's mother-in-law. If I lose even the last bit of dignity, who in this Duke's Mansion will still look up to us mother and daughter in the future?"

Luo Mei listened to what his wife said and sighed softly in his heart.

Madam has her own difficulties, and it's probably not easy for Madam and the Second Young Lady to get along with the Crown Prince now. After all, the Crown Prince is not easily softened. Moreover, who in the world would truly respect their stepmother? The Crown Prince is of noble status, favored by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, so he doesn't need to get anything from Madam, let alone from Madam.

With this in mind, Luomei did not try to comfort Cen anymore. She just hoped that tomorrow the young lady Cui would come to Mudan Courtyard to pay her respects to her mother-in-law Cen, so as to avoid making a fool of herself by insulting their lady.

......

Cui Lingyan had no idea what the Cen mother and daughter in the Mudan Courtyard were thinking.

When she woke up, it was already evening. Lu Bingzhi beside her had woken up at some point. He was leaning on a large royal blue pillow embroidered with broken peony branches, reading a book. His slender fingers turned the pages from time to time, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

Cui Lingyan looked at his long, slender fingers with distinct joints for a long time before she looked away. She propped herself up on her arms and sat up, her voice still a little hoarse from just waking up. "When did you wake up, my lord? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Lu Bingzhi smiled and put down the book in his hand: "I just woke up a while ago. I knew you were tired these days, so I didn't wake you up."

"Have you slept well? If you have, let's go for a walk in the yard and ask the people downstairs to prepare some tea and snacks."

Cui Lingyan looked at him in surprise when she heard him say that, then smiled and nodded, "Okay, since it's rare that the prince is so interested, I will naturally follow."

The two of them got off the bed, washed up again, and then left the yard and came to the small garden behind the Wutong Courtyard.

When Bitao and the others heard the order, they prepared tea and snacks. The Wutong Courtyard suddenly became lively and even the air was filled with a bit of joy.

The young lady had just arrived, and the servants didn't ask for anything else. Their biggest hope was that the young lady could win the favor of the prince. Now, seeing how close and caring the prince was to the young lady, how could anyone not be happy?

People outside say that the prince has a cold personality. But they say that it was because the eldest girl, Cui Linghui, was the one who was going to marry into the family before, but the prince didn't like her. Now that their girl has married, isn't the prince protecting her in every way?

This was also Cui Lingyan's first time coming to the small garden at the back. Walking on the winding cobblestone path, looking at the colorful flowers and trees in the garden, and smelling the fragrance of flowers and plants in the air, she couldn't help but sniff comfortably, and the smile between her eyebrows became a little more.

The two of them strolled leisurely for a while. Not far away, Guan Yan peeked in, wanting to come over but hesitant.

Cui Lingyan saw this, smiled, glanced at Lu Bingzhi, and said softly, "If you have something to do, you don't have to accompany me."

Lu Bingzhi waved towards Guan Yan, and when Guan Yan came over, he said, "If you have anything to say, please talk here."

Although Guan Yan already knew that the prince had been very respectful to the young lady since their marriage and had given her all the respect she deserved, he was still a little uncomfortable when he heard this.

But he wasn't stupid. He immediately bowed to Cui Lingyan and said, "Young Madam, please forgive me. I didn't want to disturb you and the Crown Prince's peace. There was an incident in the palace. It's said that the Second Prince, drunk yesterday, kicked a maid in the chest. She vomited blood on the spot and died today after holding on for a day. I heard that the emperor heard about this and was furious. He ordered the Second Prince to be caned with twenty strokes of the cane. When the Imperial Concubine heard about this, she hurried to the Second Prince's palace and saw that he was seriously injured. He fainted on the spot."

When Cui Lingyan heard him mention the second prince, she remembered the scandal between Cui Linghui and the second prince that Qi Shaozhang had told her in his dream when he was drunk.

She couldn't help but look at Lu Bingzhi.

Lu Bingzhi squeezed her hand and said, "What's wrong? Are you scared? Don't be afraid. This kind of thing is common in the palace."