Chapter 76: Intimacy means that my grandmother will not give me this box of Mengding Ganlu today...

After saying this, Cen sneered, her eyes full of disdain and ridicule. She turned her gaze away from Songxue Hall and walked straight forward.

Nanny Qi's gaze lingered on the direction of Songxue Hall for a moment, thinking about what her mistress had just said. She also hoped that it would be true as her mistress said, that Young Madam Cui's impatience would displease the prince, and he would no longer protect her.

If so, it would be a good thing for my wife. After all, it would be shameful for a mother-in-law to be outshined by her new step-son's wife.

If she had not lost face like this, and wanted to maintain her position in the Duke's Mansion so as not to be looked down upon, the lady would not have listened to the old lady's words and wanted to register the illegitimate son Lu Cong'an, whom she had always looked down upon and disliked, under her own name.

Nanny Qi thought this in her heart, withdrew her gaze and followed Cen all the way to the Peony Courtyard.

Cui Lingyan brought Birou to Songxue Hall in a short while.

When she went there, Doctor Pei was taking Lu Bingzhi's pulse in the room.

The servant standing in the corridor saw the young lady coming over at this time, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. He hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Your servant greets the young lady."

His voice was a little higher than usual and carried into the room through the window.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yan asked tentatively, "Should I find an excuse to ask the young lady to go back?"

Lu Bingzhi glanced at him, smiled faintly, and then ordered, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's not shameful for Doctor Pei to take my pulse. Please ask the young lady to come in."

Doctor Pei paused slightly while taking the patient's pulse, and a look of surprise and curiosity appeared in his heart.

The late queen had been very kind to his Pei family. Over the years, he had been regarded as Lu Bingzhi's spy in the palace. After spending so many years together, he understood Lu Bingzhi's personality quite well. Precisely because of this understanding, he felt very surprised to hear his instructions at this moment.

It was said that the marriage to the current young lady was arranged intentionally by Miss Cui, and the prince had lost so much face. He had originally thought that the prince would not have much affection for the third Miss Cui, even if he did not vent his anger on her. But now, after hearing the prince's instructions, he realized that he was wrong.

As he was speaking, Guan Yan had already received the order and went out, and soon led Cui Lingyan into the house.

Doctor Pei withdrew his hand and bowed to the young lady Cui Lingyan.

"Your humble servant greets the young lady."

Cui Lingyan dodged to the side, only accepting a half-salute. She spoke with a hint of concern, "Doctor, there's no need to be so polite. I heard the doctor came into the palace today to check on the prince's pulse. I was concerned about his health, so I couldn't help but want to come and see him myself. Doctor Pei, I hope I don't think I'm being rude."

Doctor Pei heard her speak a few words very naturally, and subconsciously looked at Lu Bingzhi who was sitting on the soft couch. He saw that Lu Bingzhi's eyebrows were gentle, without any unhappiness, and there was even a faint smile on the corner of his mouth. He knew that the prince didn't mind, so how could he, the doctor, dare to think so?

Doctor Pei quickly said, "Young Madam, you're joking. It's understandable that you're concerned about the Crown Prince. How can you say that you're being rude?"

Doctor Pei finished speaking, and before Cui Lingyan could ask, he continued, "There's still some poison in your body. I'll give you acupuncture today, and after you take some Jiuhua Pills and recuperate for a while, you'll be completely cured."

When Cui Lingyan heard him say this, there was a hint of joy in her eyes. Then she thought about what Doctor Pei said about acupuncture, and suddenly she felt that it was a bit abrupt for her to come here at this time.

Acupuncture usually requires exposing the back or waist for needle application. Although she and Lu Bingzhi slept together every day, they had no physical contact, and the relationship between them was as innocent as it could be.

Thinking of this, Cui Lingyan's lips twitched, and she subconsciously wanted to speak to avoid him, but then she heard Lu Bingzhi say, "Come here and help me take off my outer clothes."

Doctor Pei curled his lips and lowered his head to take out a row of silver needles from the medicine box beside him.

Cui Lingyan was slightly stunned, and obediently stepped forward to unbutton Lu Bingzhi's outer clothes, and then took the clothes off him.

Seeing the inner garment, Cui Lingyan looked towards Lu Bingzhi.

Lu Bingzhi smiled and said, "Take off your shirt so that the imperial physician can give you acupuncture more easily."

Hearing him say this, Cui Lingyan suddenly blushed for some reason when she met his gaze.

She quickly suppressed the panic in her heart and unbuttoned his shirt. Her eyes lingered on his chest for a moment and then quickly moved away.

Lu Bingzhi chuckled and said nothing more.

Doctor Pei closed the medicine box, stood up, walked to Lu Bingzhi, and slowly inserted the silver needles in his hand into several large acupuncture points on Lu Bingzhi's body.

Cui Lingyan stared at his movements motionlessly, unconsciously clenching the handkerchief in her hand. Seeing a thin layer of sweat slowly seeping out of Lu Bingzhi's forehead and his face turning a little pale as the imperial physician performed acupuncture, her heart couldn't help but rise, and her beautiful eyes were filled with worry.

Thinking that Lu Bingzhi must have experienced acupuncture several times before, she felt more and more painful in her heart.

Lu Bingzhi was the son of the late empress, and he should have been raised in the palace with a noble status, respected and admired. No one dared to bully him, the legitimate son of the empress. He might have entered the Eastern Palace early on, becoming the high and mighty Crown Prince.

But in reality, Lu Bingzhi had become the heir apparent of the Duke of Wei. Although his status was far higher than other heirs, as he was the son of Princess Shuning, and he was favored by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, he held a position of unparalleled nobility among the sons of the aristocratic families in the capital, a status that was envied and envied. However, even so, the Emperor's nephew was no match for the Emperor's own son. This favor even angered the Second Prince, Xiao Ze, who ordered Lu Bingzhi to be poisoned at a palace banquet. Even if the palace discovered the mastermind behind this, Lu Bingzhi would never be able to seek justice.

The emperor mostly comforted his nephew and never actually punished or dealt with the second prince Xiao Ze.

Cui Lingyan's heart swelled with anxiety as she pondered these things, tears welling up in her eyes. She'd experienced the pain of being disliked by her parents, so she knew the pain. But Lu Bingzhi's birth had been preceded by the death of the late Empress, leaving him unable to return home and become the heir of the Duke of Wei's mansion. He had been so poisoned by Xiao Ze, yet he couldn't get justice. Even the Emperor, who was supposed to protect him, had always shown partiality towards his own son. How could he not be heartbroken?

Cui Lingyan walked forward, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the thin layer of sweat off Lu Bingzhi's forehead. Her movements were very gentle, and her eyes were full of concern. It was natural for her to make such an intimate gesture, as if they were a couple who had been together for many years.

It was not until she met Lu Bingzhi's eyes that Cui Lingyan realized that her actions were too intimate.

She was about to withdraw her hand, but Lu Bingzhi grabbed her wrist.

He whispered, "Don't worry."

Hearing him say this, Cui Lingyan felt a little relieved. She turned sideways and watched Doctor Pei finish the acupuncture. He waited for a cup of tea before taking out the needle. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Doctor Pei said, "This is the last acupuncture treatment. After that, take one Jiuhua Pill every day and take a medicinal bath every other day to strengthen your body and nourish your vital energy. You will be fine."

Doctor Pei said this as he put the silver needle back into the medicine box, took out a prescription for medicinal bath, and this time handed it to Cui Lingyan.

"Young Madam, this medicinal bath recipe contains salvia miltiorrhiza, Panax notoginseng, Chuanxiong, white peony root, etc., which can promote blood circulation and unclog the meridians. Taking a medicinal bath every other day will be very beneficial to the health of the prince."

Cui Lingyan accepted the prescription and thanked Doctor Pei. Doctor Pei bowed to Lu Bingzhi and then took his leave.

Guanyan personally sent Doctor Pei out.

Only Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi were left in the room at this time.

At this time, Lu Bingzhi's tight waist and chest were still naked, and Cui Lingyan was very close to him and could smell the scent of Canaan incense on him. The air was filled with a trace of embarrassment or discomfort, which made Cui Lingyan feel a little uncomfortable.

She moved her lips and began to explain, "I got up early to pay my respects to my grandmother. She gave me a box of Mengding Ganlu tea and asked me to bring it to Songxuetang."

Lu Bingzhi looked at her and said, "So it was Grandmother who asked you to come here. Didn't you know that Imperial Physician Pei was coming to check on me today and you were worried about me and wanted to come over to see me?"

Cui Lingyan heard him say this, and saw a hint of disappointment between his eyebrows. She quickly explained, "Of course, I was worried about your health, so I thought of coming to see you. Even if grandma didn't give me this box of Mengding Ganlu today, I would still come."

Cui Lingyan's voice dropped a few notches as she explained, "Ever since I entered the mansion, you've treated me very well and protected me in every way. I'm concerned about your health, not for any other reason. I'm different from Cui Linghui, so don't misunderstand me and think I'm angry with you."

"Grandmother was afraid that you would misunderstand me and get angry with me, so she gave me this Mengding Ganlu Tea. This way, I wouldn't have an excuse to misunderstand you and make you angry."

Perhaps she was really afraid that Lu Bingzhi would misunderstand her, so although she spoke somewhat methodically, her eyes and brows revealed a bit of unconcealable nervousness. She was also very beautiful, and looking at him like this, she seemed a bit pitiful, as if she had been bullied.

Lu Bingzhi was really helpless and a little amused. He reached out and pulled her to him. Cui Lingyan didn't stand firmly and bumped into Lu Bingzhi's arms.

When Cui Lingyan leaned against his chest, her cheeks suddenly turned red. She wanted to get up but Lu Bingzhi held her waist.

When Cui Lingyan raised her eyes, she met his smiling eyes. Her cheeks became redder and even her neck felt a little hot.

Thinking that Guanyan was about to return after sending Doctor Pei away, Cui Lingyan didn't know what to do if he saw this scene. Cui Lingyan was also shy and naturally didn't want to lose face like this, so she whispered to Lu Bingzhi: "Let me go quickly, Guanyan will come in soon, it's not good if he sees us."

Seeing that Lu Bingzhi had no intention of letting go, Cui Lingyan placed her hand on his chest and gently pushed, her voice softening and pleading: "Prince, please let me go. I will help you change your clothes, okay?"

Lu Bingzhi glanced at her, smiled lightly and withdrew his arm from her waist.

Cui Lingyan then stood up and ordered someone outside to bring in hot water. She soaked a handkerchief and carefully wiped Lu Bingzhi's face. She said softly, "Doctor Pei just performed acupuncture. Now your pores are open and you need to be protected from the wind. It's not a good time to bathe today. I will help you wipe it off. You can bathe tomorrow."

Lu Bingzhi let her wipe his chest gently. She was serious in her actions and there was no disgust in her eyes. This kind of serving should be done by the maids, but she did it so naturally and did not feel wronged.

Lu Bingzhi felt a little softer in his heart, and his eyes looked at Cui Lingyan with a little more gentleness.

After wiping it, Cui Lingyan helped Lu Bingzhi change into his inner garments and put on his outer garments, and then told the servants to serve some tea and snacks.

Now everyone in Songxue Hall knows that the prince treats the young lady very well, so naturally no one disobeys the orders of the young lady Cui Lingyan, and feels that her orders are inappropriate.

Hearing his instructions, the servant responded quickly and went to the tea room to bring tea.

Cui Lingyan sat in front of Lu Bingzhi, picked up the teacup and took a sip. She said to Lu Bingzhi, "This is the Mengding Cloud Tea that my grandmother asked me to bring. It tastes really good."

Lu Bingzhi smiled, took a sip of the teacup, and said with a smile, "Grandmother really protects you. She's afraid that I, your husband, will bully you and cause you to suffer."

Hearing him say this, Cui Lingyan couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Yes, from now on, I have my grandmother to protect me. You are not allowed to bully me, otherwise I will complain."

Lu Bingzhi curled his lips and said with a smile: "How could I bully you? Naturally, I won't give you the opportunity to complain."

Cui Lingyan's cheeks were a little red, and she just lowered her head to drink the tea in her hand.

After Guan Yan sent Doctor Pei back, he noticed that the atmosphere in the room was a little strange. He also saw that the prince had already changed his clothes and did not need his help at all. When he saw Young Madam Cui Lingyan sitting in front of the prince, drinking tea and eating snacks with him, he couldn't help but feel some unnecessary emotions in his heart.

In the past, he was the one who took care of all the big and small matters surrounding the prince. Now that the prince has the young lady by his side, he doesn't need to interfere.

He thought that the young lady was the legitimate daughter of a marquis's family, and that she could personally help the prince change his clothes, which meant that she really took good care of him. He also felt that the prince and the young lady were husband and wife after all, and after spending several years together like this, their love must be so deep that it was enviable.

If the young lady could really make the prince care so much about her, even if the prince was recognized as a member of the royal family in the future, given his temperament, he would definitely protect the young lady and would not let anyone else bully her.

Cui Lingyan stayed in Songxue Hall to have lunch with Lu Bingzhi, and then took Bitao back to Wutong Courtyard.

Just as I sat down, I saw the maid Qiuzhi lifting the curtain and coming in with a strange look on her face.

Cui Lingyan raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "But what happened?"

Qiu Zhi hesitated for a moment and replied, "Young Madam, I just went out and heard a few maids talking about how the First Madam wanted to register the Third Young Master, Lu Cong'an, as her own son, giving him the status of a legitimate child. Furthermore, when we went to pay our respects to the Old Madam this morning, the First Madam had already mentioned this to her. Everyone in the mansion is discussing this matter right now."