Chapter 70 Study Room Since I entered the house, the prince has treated me very well

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the flower viewing banquet to be held in the palace. It was also the day when the Queen Mother chose a princess consort for the second prince Xiao Ze.

Bi Tao came in with a plate of osmanthus milk cake and walked up to Cui Lingyan, whispering, "Young Madam, the eldest daughter went to the palace early this morning to attend the flower viewing banquet. I heard the second daughter got really angry about it and smashed all the teacups in the house. It was quite a scene."

"After this lesson, the second young lady will definitely not dare to disrespect the young lady as her sister-in-law in the future."

Cui Lingyan pinched a piece of osmanthus milk cake and took a nibble. She smiled and said, "That's true, but you know the Second Miss's temper. She was pampered and jealous growing up, feeling that everyone owed her something. How could she calm down so easily?"

Bi Tao nodded. "No matter what, after this incident, the Second Young Lady will have to be more restrained. Young Madam, don't worry too much. The Second Young Lady is of marriageable age and will be married off in the next two years. When she does, she'll be the daughter-in-law of another family. We won't live under the same roof forever."

"Besides, the young lady has the support of the prince and the old lady."

Cui Lingyan smiled softly, thought for a moment, and said, "Do you have any osmanthus cake left in the kitchen? If so, pack a plate and I'll go to Songxuetang."

Hearing her young mistress say this, Bi Tao was stunned at first, then a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes. She couldn't help but ask, "I thought that given the young mistress's personality, she wouldn't easily go to Songxue Hall?"

It's no wonder that Bitao was surprised. Ever since Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi got married, although they had an enviable close relationship with each other, Cui Lingyan had never shown any intention of going to Songxue Hall. She was not like other newlyweds who would go to the study from time to time to bring some snacks and tea to make the relationship between husband and wife closer.

Cui Lingyan understood what she meant, so she smiled and explained, "The prince gave me the account book of the private treasury, so as the young lady, I have to go in and take a look at it myself."

"It's a good opportunity to send some snacks to the prince. I don't think he will blame me for disturbing him while he's busy with his official duties."

Bi Tao thought that what the young lady said made sense, so she nodded and said, "Then I will go to the small kitchen to pack the osmanthus cakes. I will accompany the young lady there."

Seeing Bi Tao leave, Bi Rou chuckled softly and said to Cui Lingyan, "If the young lady is going to Song Xue Tang, she might as well dress up again. They say women dress to please themselves, and I think the prince would be happy to see the young lady like this."

Cui Lingyan hadn't thought of this at first, but after hearing Birou say this, she nodded and said, "Okay."

After washing and bathing, Cui Lingyan changed into a goose yellow double-breasted jacket embroidered with peonies, and combed her black hair into a flowing bun.

She opened the jewelry box and her fingertips rested on a mutton-fat jade hollow magnolia hairpin. The magnolias seemed to be blooming on the branches, the flowers were as white as snow and lifelike.

When Birou saw the mutton-fat jade magnolia hairpin, she whispered, "Isn't it a little too plain and elegant?"

Cui Lingyan picked up the hairpin and handed it to Birou: "It's okay, this magnolia hairpin will be fine."

Birou knew that her young lady was beautiful, and even in such a simple and elegant appearance, she was still very beautiful. Moreover, this goose yellow jacket made the young lady look elegant and refined, and this dress was also particularly attractive.

Since the young lady entered the family, she had mostly worn bright colors, as she had just gotten married. It would be nice to change into something more elegant now that she was going to Songxue Hall. Furthermore, the young lady's light yellow jacket was embroidered with pink peonies, which complemented the other beautifully, giving her a touch of the gentle elegance of a woman from the Jiangnan waterside villages.

After dressing up, Cui Lingyan saw herself in the mirror and was stunned for a moment.

Birou smiled and said, "Young Madam is so beautiful, even dressed like this, it's hard to take your eyes off her."

"When the prince sees it later, he will definitely be moved."

Cui Lingyan appeared somewhat shy, but she knew in her heart that she had gone to Songxuetang to be closer to her husband, Lu Bingzhi. She felt that since they had been married for so long, and with the respect Lu Bingzhi had given her, her visit to Songxuetang would not be too abrupt or annoying.

She knew that she was being a bit flattering and deliberate in her heart, but she was his wife, and as a woman she was in a weak position. She acted like this in order to gain a better foothold in the mansion.

Thinking of this, Cui Lingyan felt her heart beating extremely violently for some reason.

She looked away from the mirror and tried to calm herself down.

After Bitao brought in the food box, the master and servant left Wutong Courtyard and headed towards Songxue Hall.

.......

Along the way, the maids and servants all bowed and greeted the young lady Cui Lingyan with a respectful look. Although Cui Lingyan had only been married into the Duke's Mansion for a short time, now even Cen and the second lady Lu Danruo were inferior to her. The young lady had the support of the prince and the old lady behind her, so the people in the mansion naturally looked up to her and did not dare to show any disrespect.

Cui Lingyan had just stepped into Songxue Hall when word of this spread throughout the mansion. Some were surprised, while others felt it was natural. After all, the Crown Prince treated the Young Lady very well, and now even the private treasury of Songxue Hall was handed over to the Young Lady for management. What was more, she was just going to Songxue Hall to bring some snacks to the Crown Prince?

Peony Courtyard

When Lu Danruo heard that Cui Lingyan went to Songxuetang, apparently to deliver some snacks to Lu Bingzhi, a look of disdain immediately appeared in his eyes.

"She's so charming, yet she's capable of such frivolous tactics. Is there anything else that Songxue Hall lacks? Why does she, the young lady, have to personally deliver it? If you didn't know, you'd think she and Lu Bingzhi were up to something shameless in broad daylight. Has she forgotten that Lu Bingzhi is physically incompetent, and even if she takes off her clothes and sticks to him, she won't be able to conceive a child for our Lu family!"

Mrs. Cen knew that her daughter had been wronged and humiliated because of her sister-in-law Cui Lingyan. She even lost face and the opportunity to attend the flower-viewing banquet in the palace was given to her cousin Lu Danyan. She had just lost her temper earlier and was still feeling unhappy. When she heard that Mrs. Cui had gone to Songxue Hall, she naturally couldn't say anything nice.

But now, hearing her daughter's humiliating words, her expression changed, and she subconsciously scolded her, "What nonsense are you talking about? How can an unmarried girl like you say such nonsense? If your grandmother knew about this, she would punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall. You better restrain yourself and save me, your mother, the worry."

Cen sighed softly and said, "I've been paying my respects to your grandmother these past few days. Although she seems the same as always, I know she's blaming me for not raising you well! If you don't pay attention and fall into the hands of the old lady, and she gets tired of you, then we, mother and daughter, will lose face in this mansion."

Lu Danruo recalled the pain in her knees from kneeling in the ancestral hall, which hadn't healed for several days. A hint of fear flashed through her eyes, but she couldn't help but mutter, "Hmph! I'm just waiting to see her give birth to our Lu family's heir! If she's still pregnant after a year, I wonder how she can still be so arrogant as a young lady!"

At this point, Lu Danruo suddenly thought of something and said, "Mother, if she doesn't get pregnant, I'll appoint a maid to serve Lu Bingzhi so that I can suppress Cui's arrogance!"

Cen glared at her and said unhappily, "Alright, if I really send the maid over, not only will the old lady blame me, but with Lu Bingzhi's temper, he might just beat her to death and carry her out of Songxue Hall!"

"Our prince is good at everything he likes. If he doesn't like you, he won't care about filial piety or dignity at all. Why should I, his stepmother, ask for trouble and lose face?"

"Before, I was just as unconvinced as you, Danruo, and felt that the old lady had to give us mother and daughter some face no matter what. But after what happened with Cui, I no longer dare to think that way. You should also be more at peace. Some things should be thought in your heart, and don't say them out loud. In the end, you will only hurt yourself, and then your mother will not be able to save you."

Seeing her mother's ugly and lonely face, Lu Danruo didn't dare to say anything more. She nodded and said, "I understand. I will be careful not to offend Cui."

......

Song Xuetang

Guan Yan was very surprised to see Cui Lingyan bringing Bi Tao over, with Bi Tao holding a rosewood carved food box in her hand.

Surprised, he hurriedly went up to her, bowed, and called her "Young Madam."

Cui Lingyan nodded slightly, looked into the room, and asked, "Is the prince busy right now?"

This was the first time Guan Yan had encountered such a situation since he started serving the prince.

After all, the prince has never had maids serving him since he was a child, only old women and servants.

When he grew up, he was not like the young masters of wealthy families who took concubines at an early age. Instead, he was pure and aloof from women. There was not a single maid in the entire Songxue Hall.

At most, the old lady would send her maids to deliver some things, but those maids were also smart people. How could they dare to have any inappropriate thoughts about the prince and ruin their own future?

Guan Yan thought so, but smiled and said: "Since the young lady is here in person, the prince will naturally be free."

Guan Yan said this without going in to tell the story, but personally led Cui Lingyan into the house.

Cui Lingyan smiled at his action, but also felt a little embarrassed. Although she had only been married to the Duke's Mansion for less than a month, she could see that Guan Yan was Lu Bingzhi's most capable person.

In the room, Lu Bingzhi was reading a book in his hand. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and saw Cui Lingyan. There was a hint of surprise in his eyes. Then he glanced at Guanyan, waved his hand and told Guanyan to go down.

Before Cui Lingyan could speak, Lu Bingzhi stood up, walked down from behind the desk, and approached Cui Lingyan. He said in a gentle voice, "Why are you here? I've been busy with things at Songxue Hall lately, and I've been a little bit neglecting you."

Lu Bingzhi spoke casually, but Cui Lingyan's cheeks flushed. She said angrily, "What are you talking about, Your Highness? What's the coldness? You've treated me very well since I came into the family. If I didn't feel that, how could I have dared to come to Songxue Hall today? Aren't you afraid of angering Your Highness?"

The two looked at each other, Lu Bingzhi chuckled, nodded, took the food box from Cui Lingyan's hand and placed it on the rosewood round table beside him.

Cui Lingyan was stunned for a moment before following Lu Bingzhi and walked forward. She saw him take out a plate of osmanthus milk cake and two cups of sour plum soup.

"Why are you standing? Come and sit down." Lu Bingzhi turned around, stretched out his hand and led Cui Lingyan to a chair and sat down.