Chapter 102: Embarrassment How could I possibly tell Cui about such an embarrassing thing...
Lu Bingzhi put down the chess piece in his hand, stood up from his seat, and bowed to Xiao Ze, saying, "If Your Highness has nothing else to do, I will take my leave."
Xiao Ze was delighted and felt somewhat proud, thinking that his action today had really stimulated Lu Bingzhi.
Even though Lu Bingzhi didn't care about his ex-fiancée Cui Linghui, and even felt disgusted with her for breaking off the engagement even after falling into the water and catching a cold, she was still Lu Bingzhi's woman in name after all.
What he did was tantamount to stealing someone else's wife, not to mention that he was about to marry Zheng Suining. Cui Linghui, who looked down on being Lu Bingzhi's wife, was willing to enter his prince's mansion as a concubine.
Lu Bingzhi had to swallow such a great humiliation, which was really satisfying.
Xiao Ze smiled and said, "Why, Bingzhi is unhappy? Then your cousin would like to comfort you. You have already married Miss Cui San, so there is nothing wrong with Hui'er getting married separately. It would be bad if you got married alone and delayed Hui'er's future."
"As for becoming a concubine, my cousin knows that our statuses are different. Being my concubine is no different from being the wife of an ordinary family."
Lu Bingzhi's expression was calm, showing no emotion. His tone was normal, and his gaze didn't even register on Cui Linghui. He simply said, "Your Highness, you're joking. Miss Cui is willing to become a concubine in the Prince's mansion. It's a sign of her dignity."
"I'll take my leave." After saying this, Lu Bingzhi turned around and left. His back was straight, his steps were calm and steady, without any sign of embarrassment.
The smile on Xiao Ze's face gradually faded. What he just said was like a fist hitting cotton. He looked grim and stretched out his hand to brush away Cui Linghui's hand. The force was so great that Cui Linghui staggered and fell to the ground.
Cui Linghui groaned in pain, her eyes misted over, and she looked at Xiao Ze with some disbelief.
Xiao Ze just glanced at her and said with a bit of impatience: "Okay, there is nothing for you to do here, go back to the women in front."
Cui Linghui's face turned pale, and she could see the impatience in Xiao Ze's eyes. In the end, she didn't say anything. She just stood up with great effort, bowed to Xiao Ze, and said, "Yes, then I will take my leave first."
Xiao Ze didn't say a word to her. Cui Linghui felt embarrassed and turned down the stairs, holding back her tears.
At this time, Lu Bingzhi had disappeared, and Cui Linghui's eyes showed some hatred.
Not far away, the maid Yulan looked nervous. She helped Cui Linghui walk a long way away, avoiding Xiao Ze's sight. Then she said with some dissatisfaction: "Miss, how can the Second Prince treat you like this? You are the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion. Even if you want to provoke Master Lu, you can't treat you as a joke..."
Yulan wanted to say it was actors and actresses, but she didn't dare to speak, so she could only swallow all the words.
But Cui Linghui understood the meaning of her words very well. Without Yulan saying anything, she could feel that Xiao Ze treated her just like a prostitute in a brothel, and simply regarded her as a toy.
He first showed his closeness to her and had intimate actions with her, hoping to provoke Lu Bingzhi. When he saw that he failed to provoke Lu Bingzhi, he pushed her away and discarded her like a worn-out shoe.
Thinking of the humiliation and embarrassment, Cui Linghui couldn't help but burst into tears.
Yulan felt upset and worried about her daughter, but she also understood that her daughter had physical contact with the Second Prince in Guangfu Temple and gave her body to the Second Prince. Even if the Second Prince felt it was novel at first and was kind to her, now he felt that there was no need to cherish her too much since the girl was his. After all, if the girl didn't go to the Second Prince's Mansion, where else could she go?
Which young man from a prominent family in the capital would dare to marry a woman favored by Xiao Ze?
Even if she was willing, would she have the nerve to enter? She used to think being a concubine was fine. Being the second prince's concubine was naturally more respectable than marrying a son from an ordinary family. But after what happened today, she should have realized how despised being a concubine was, right?
Yulan wanted to say a few words to comfort her, but an elderly nanny wearing a brown Hangzhou silk jacket happened to come towards her, followed by a little maid, so she didn't know how to speak.
When the maid saw the two of them, she was surprised. She stepped forward, bowed, and asked, "Which family are you from? Why did you come here? Maybe you got lost while wandering around the garden. How about I send someone to take you back to the garden where the banquet is?"
Yulan was also a scheming person. After hearing what the nanny said, she quickly said, "Thank you very much, nanny. I was walking with the young lady and ended up wandering off. She even slipped and fell, and her clothes got dirty. She was worried about showing up to the female relatives and was afraid that the old lady in the mansion would see her and blame her, so she started crying anxiously. Please don't blame me, nanny."
The person who came was Nanny Ji who was beside Old Madam Lu. Nanny Ji knew that today was the Old Madam's birthday and all the guests coming were distinguished guests. Although she did not recognize the girl in front of her, she knew that she must be of some respectability, otherwise she would not come to their Cheng'en Mansion.
Hearing Yulan's polite words, she also said politely, "Of course not." As she spoke, she turned to the maid behind her in a pink and green jacket and instructed, "Take the distinguished guest to the women's quarters, and then find a room for a girl to wash and freshen up, so that the distinguished guest won't be rude in front of others."
At this time, she had her back to Cui Linghui, so Cui Linghui did not see her wink at the maid, and the maid also nodded slightly in understanding.
Cui Linghui and Yulan thanked her, and Nanny Ji went straight ahead.
The maid took Cui Linghui and Yulan to a side room very close to the banquet, brought in water, a handkerchief, and a set of women's cosmetics, and then bowed and left.
Cui Linghui felt relieved, but his eyes became redder.
"At Guangfu Temple, the Second Prince said he would treat me well, but when I fell to the ground just now, he didn't even look at me, nor did he think about how I would face others later. The good he spoke of was just a girl from the Ningshou Marquis's mansion, who could be summoned and dismissed at will. It's true that if a woman willingly gives herself up to others, men won't cherish her anymore."
"If he cherished me at all, even if the reason he initially fell in love with me and became close to me was because I was Lu Bingzhi's former fiancée, and he wanted to use me to embarrass Lu Bingzhi and make him lose face, he would never resort to such humiliation against me."
"Now that Lu Bingzhi hasn't lost his composure due to any provocation or outburst of rage, His Highness has taken his anger out on me. How can anyone be bullied like this in this world? Do I deserve to be bullied like this?"
As he spoke, Cui Linghui felt more and more aggrieved, and tears flowed down his face.
Yulan quickly pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her tears, comforting her, "Young lady, please stop crying. We have to go back to the banquet soon. If the old lady sees something, she'll question you again. How will you answer then? Now, no matter whether the Second Prince treats you well in private or not, you must say yes to the old lady when you see her. Otherwise, the old lady will really get tired of you, and how can you have a good life in the mansion in the future?"
As Yulan was speaking, she remembered something and added, "Besides, the Third Miss is over there too. You wouldn't want her to see anything, would you?"
When she mentioned Cui Lingyan, Cui Linghui's face changed. She went forward to wash her face in the basin, put on some makeup, and tidied herself up. She also wiped the dirt off her skirt. Only then did she regain her composure, stood up, opened the door, and walked towards the banquet.
After she left, the maid who had led them here came out from the corner, the shock in her eyes unable to be hidden.
Only when she saw Cui Linghui walking away did she look away and turn away.
In the garden
As soon as Cui Linghui appeared, Mu Zhen, the eldest daughter of the Zhenguo Mansion, stood up and walked over to her and said, "Cousin, have you had enough of those red-filled halls? If you really like them, why not ask the steward to come and ask for one to be transplanted to your Yingyue Courtyard so that you can see them often in the future. As for me, I really don't have the patience to accompany you to appreciate the red-filled halls. I prefer plum blossoms."
Cui Linghui was stunned for a moment, then felt the hand she was holding tighten. She realized her cousin was covering for her. She had just left the table, using her cousin as an excuse. It seemed that something had gone wrong, so Mu Zhen said she was admiring the red flowers over there, and that she had been delayed until now.
She couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on her back, and she felt a wave of fear in her heart. When she met her cousin Mu Zhen's gaze, she felt even more embarrassed and ashamed. She finally managed a smile and pretended to be relaxed, saying, "This red mantang flower is brightly colored, just like a rich flower in bloom. It blooms almost all year round, and the flowering period is very long. How can I not love it?"
As she spoke, she took Mu Zhen's hand and sat next to her grandmother, Madam Zhai.
Madam Zhai glanced at her. Although she was still a little unhappy because of what happened before, she only said, "Just sit here quietly with me. You won't feel tired."
An old lady wearing a maroon jacket beside them said with a smile, "Young people are lively and active. How can they be like us older people who can't sit still?"
Cui Linghui also understood at this time. It must be that she had just told her grandmother that she was going to accompany Mu Zhen to appreciate the flowers, but Mu Zhen came back first and she was not seen following him, so someone asked her another question.
Although her grandmother, Madam Zhai, knew the reason, she was unable to explain it, so Mu Zhen found this excuse out of desperation.
No wonder her grandmother looked at her with some dissatisfaction.
Cui Linghui had just suffered injustice and humiliation from Xiao Ze, and now he was in this situation again, feeling even more aggrieved and depressed.
Although Mu Zhen, who was beside her, covered up for her and made up for her lie, the look in his eyes when he looked at her was full of suspicion and inquiry, which made Cui Linghui even more uneasy.
How could she end up in such a situation after being reborn, having to hide and hide from the public?
I wonder what Grandmother Zhai thinks of her eldest granddaughter? She probably thinks she's frivolous and lowly, unworthy of public appearances. Wouldn't having such a granddaughter be a disgrace to the Ningshou Marquisate?
Cui Linghui felt bitter, but a smiling voice tinged with envy and curiosity reached his ears. "Everyone says the Duke of Wei's son is aloof and averse to women, but now that he's married, he's completely different. Look, the prince must have heard that Madam Liao and Princess Chun'an went to the old lady's place, and he must have been worried that his wife, Cui, had been wronged and bullied, so he rushed over."
Following her line of sight, Cui Linghui looked over and saw a pair of people standing not far away, talking and smiling. They were not others, but Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan.
Her heart sank and she clenched the handkerchief tightly in her hand.
The noblewoman seemed to be saying this on purpose for her to hear, and smiled as she said, "The Crown Prince and Miss Cui San are truly a perfect match. Miss Cui is so beautiful, and standing next to the Crown Prince, she isn't even slightly overshadowed. On the contrary, they complement each other beautifully. It's like a sweet newlywed couple, truly enviable."
"I heard that the remaining poison in the Crown Prince's body has been completely eliminated, and he and Cui have already consummated their marriage. It seems that this marriage is really impeccable. It is also the blessing of Miss Cui San. Otherwise, the Crown Prince's wife would be someone else now."
Cui Linghui was so embarrassed that her cheeks turned blue and red, and she wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
At this time
Cui Lingyan's eyes widened as she listened to Lu Bingzhi's words. She said in disbelief, "He actually did that?"
Just now, she also saw Yulan accompanying Cui Linghui back to their seats.
At this moment, after hearing Lu Bingzhi's words, he subconsciously looked towards Cui Linghui, with a hint of shock in his eyes.
Cui Linghui's eyes met hers. When their eyes met, Cui Linghui's heart sank. Then a guess that made her even more embarrassed came to her mind, and she almost fainted.
It's impossible. With Lu Bingzhi's personality, how could he tell Cui Lingyan, his wife who he had just married, such an embarrassing thing?
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