Chapter 10: What do you mean by neglecting someone who has a hidden illness? Lu Bingzhi is defending the country...
Lu Bingzhi lifted his eyes from the book in his hand and glanced at Guan Yan: "Why are you asking about an unmarried girl?"
Guan Yan felt greatly aggrieved and quickly said, "Master, you have wronged me. This Miss Cui San is the future mistress's stepsister. Now that I have returned to the capital, I must report this to you, Master."
Lu Bingzhi nodded and continued to read the book in his hand.
Guan Yan sighed softly in his heart. Ever since the eldest princess passed away, his master's temperament has become increasingly cold.
He just wanted to tell his master some new stories to interest him, but his master was not interested at all.
But it's true. Ever since the master was poisoned and rumors spread in the capital, Miss Cui has not shown any concern at all. Even when Madam Zhai from the Ningshou Marquis's mansion came to visit the master last time, Miss Cui didn't come with her.
The Cui family explained that since the couple hadn't gotten married yet, they should avoid the issue. But then Miss Cui fell into the water, and he couldn't help but see that Miss Cui didn't want to continue the marriage.
He could see it clearly. How could his master, who was so insightful, not see it? Naturally, he knew it clearly in his mind.
The master must be dissatisfied with Miss Cui, so he will not pay any attention to her stepsister Cui Lingyan.
Guanyan was thinking about all this in his mind, and he really wanted to ask, since the master had seen through it, why didn't he cancel the marriage?
How can a woman who is thinking about running away when disaster strikes and has no sense of responsibility as a son be worthy of her master?
Although the master's status has not been restored yet, one day the master will be recognized as a royal family. If Miss Cui were to marry into the family, how could she be worthy of the master's wife with such a character?
Guan Yan suppressed these thoughts and didn't ask in the end.
......
Cui Lingyan didn't know that Guanyan had mentioned her in front of Lu Bingzhi. After leaving Cui Linghui, she went all the way to Wutongyuan where her aunt Zhan lived.
Zhan was talking to Qi Ruorou, and when she saw her come in, a smile broke out on her face. She asked her to sit down in front of her, took her hand and asked carefully, "Yan girl, are you accustomed to coming back home? Originally, your aunt and your cousin wanted to accompany you today, but they thought that since you just returned to the Marquis' Mansion, you must be close to the old lady and the sisters in the mansion, so they thought they would not disturb your work."
Cui Lingyan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Aunt. I saw you at the banquet yesterday. Grandmother is so kind and gave me the eighteen-bead Canaan Incense bracelet she's worn for years. Not only that, but when I went to pay my respects today, Grandmother also gave me her maid Bihen as a gift, and even sent over her indenture. With Grandmother's support, I don't think anyone would dare to mistreat me, the newly returned Third Young Lady."
Zhan listened to Cui Lingyan's words and saw the relaxed expression on her face, which was not false at all. Her smile froze, but she said, "Okay, that's good. Your grandmother is willing to protect you, Yan'er, like this, and your aunt can rest assured."
Cui Lingyan chatted with Zhan and Qi Ruoruo for a long time before saying goodbye and leaving.
After she left, the smile on Zhan's face faded. She said with some emotion, "After all, she is the blood of the Cui family. As her aunt, I was worried that she would be wronged when she returned home. I never expected her grandmother to protect her so much."
Qi Ruorou knew what her mother was thinking and said with a smile, "Sister Yan is favored by Old Madam Zhai. Isn't that perfect? If she marries my brother in the future, our family will be able to benefit from the glory of this Marquisate. Don't you agree?"
Qi Ruorou had originally been a bit proud, feeling that Cui Lingyan wasn't necessarily her sister-in-law, and that the Qi family didn't necessarily want to climb such a high branch. But since entering the Ningshou Marquis's residence yesterday, she felt like she had entered a luxurious home surrounded by flowers and brocade. The food and utensils she used were beyond her imagination.
Compared with the Ningshou Marquis Mansion and the Qi Mansion, there is a world of difference and there is no comparison at all.
However, in just one day, Qi Ruorou began to understand why her mother wanted Cui Lingyan to marry her brother.
The Qi family and the Marquis's Mansion are closely related. With the help of this relationship, she can even stay in the Marquis's Mansion and ask her aunt to find a good marriage for her.
Zhan sighed softly after hearing her words and said, "It's a good thing that Yan girl hasn't been treated with contempt. The worst thing is that she might win the favor of Old Lady Zhai. Old Lady Zhai might think that Yan girl's marriage to our Qi family is unfair to her and refuse to agree to the marriage."
"Let alone anything else, Yan's appearance is quite impressive. She is also the eldest daughter of a legitimate family, and she has a stepsister, Cui Linghui, who will soon become the wife of the Duke of Wei's son, which further elevates her status. These are enough for her to marry into a high-ranking family, rather than a family as prestigious as our Qi family."
"The saying that high-class families marry daughters and low-class families marry wives is not without reason."
After listening to what Zhan said, Qi Ruorou felt that there was some truth in it, and she couldn't help feeling a little depressed.
When Cui Lingyan lived in the Qi family, she envied her status as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion. However, Cui Lingyan was not favored by the Qi family and had been sent to the Qi family for so many years without the Marquis's care. As time went by, she began to look down on Cui Lingyan. She felt that she only had the status of a legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion, but was empty inside, and could not necessarily compare to herself, the favored daughter of the Qi family.
But now that she had come to the Marquis' Mansion, she saw that Cui Lingyan seemed to have quickly adapted to her status, becoming the distinguished Third Young Lady of the Marquis' Mansion. Even her mannerisms had become somewhat different from when she was at the Qi Family, and Qi Ruorou felt a little suffocated.
Qi Ruorou's eyes flickered with jealousy. Thinking of what happened in the old lady's courtyard yesterday, she couldn't help but say, "It might not be what you said. Yesterday, Cui Linghui came over with my cousin and was so close to him. As if others couldn't see, she was deliberately showing off her closeness to her younger brother Cui Shenbo. Instead, she made Cousin Yan look like an outsider. Cousin Yan just returned home, so it's not uncommon for everyone to give her some respect. After some time, the attitude may not be the same."
"Don't forget how biased your aunt was in the past. If anything happens to your cousin again, your aunt might vent her anger on Cousin Yan. By then, she will definitely not want Cousin Yan to stay in the mansion. She will want to marry her off far away and find an opportunity to drive her out of the capital."
"What's more, Miss Cui may appear dignified and generous, but she might not be happy to have a younger sister as beautiful as Cousin Yan steal her limelight. Girls understand girls' minds best. I'm sure that if Cui Linghui gets the chance, she will definitely plot against Cousin Yan."
Hearing her daughter say this, Mrs. Zhan felt a little more at ease.
As the mother and daughter were talking, Qi Shaozhang came over from the front yard to pay their respects.
Zhan put her thoughts aside and said to Qi Shaozhang with concern, "Zhang'er, did you sleep well yesterday? Are you used to the accommodation your aunt arranged for you? If you need anything, please send someone to report it to your aunt. You are her only nephew."
As Zhan was speaking, she noticed that Qi Shaozhang's face looked a little grim. The smile on her lips faded a little, and she asked, "What's wrong? Did someone make you angry?"
Qi Shaozhang sat down at the table and said, "No, it's just that I feel really uncomfortable living in this mansion. The servants look at us with such respect that they think we are just here to beg for money."
Zhan became angry when she heard this. She glared at her son and said, "What are you talking about? We worked so hard to send your cousin Yan back home. Even the old lady of the Marquis' Mansion should be grateful to our Qi family. Besides, your aunt is the Marquis's wife, and our Qi family is a legitimate relative of the Marquis' Mansion. It's normal for relatives to visit. Who dares to say anything bad about us and think we're here to ask for money?"
"You are just arrogant. Even if others don't say anything, you think too much."
Qi Ruorou, standing by, also advised, "Yes, brother, don't overthink it. The old lady treated us very well at the banquet yesterday. The courtyard that my aunt arranged was also very thoughtful. It's obvious that she put a lot of effort into it."
Qi Shaozhang said with some disdain, "As the Marquis' wife, cleaning the yard is just a casual order from my aunt. How can she really care about us? It's true that my aunt is the one in this mansion who dislikes us the most. She just wants us to get out of the mansion as soon as we send Cousin Yan back home."
When he said this, the room fell silent.
After a while, Zhan angrily punched him a few times and said, "Why are you so angry and sarcastic? Who has neglected you?"
She knew what was going on with her own son, so Zhan asked Qi Shaozhang about it.
Qi Shaozhang raised his eyelids slightly and sneered, "Just now, my son sent someone to ask my cousin to go out for a walk, but my cousin only sent a servant over, saying that my cousin caught a cold on the way back from the banquet yesterday and had a cough, so he didn't want to go to a crowded place."
"As a son, you don't know that this is just a polite remark. It must be because your aunt, as a mother, looks down on our Qi family that Cui Shenbo, as a son, treats me like this."
"Everyone is trying to get married to their mansion, but they take themselves seriously and still want to marry their eldest daughter Cui Linghui to Lu Bingzhi who has a hidden illness!"
He said this in one breath, and the expressions of Zhan and Qi Ruoruo changed.
Zhan grabbed her son's sleeve and said in a panic, "What do you mean by hidden illness? Lu Bingzhi is the prince of Weiguo and the grandson of the Empress Dowager. Don't you dare make up stories? If someone hears, it will cause disaster!"
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