Chapter 103: Vomiting Blood His voice was gentle, but the words he said were...
Cui Linghui's face turned pale and ugly in an instant. The female relatives at the banquet saw her like this and thought that they saw Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan being so close. They also knew that the remaining poison in Lu Bingzhi's body had been completely cleared and he had consummated his marriage with Cui Lingyan, so they felt regretful. They regretted that they had broken off the engagement even though they fell into the water and caught a cold. Now they had become a huge joke.
Some people sighed, some were disdainful, and some felt that Cui Linghui had ended up in this situation simply because of his greed, and that he didn't deserve any sympathy from others.
A woman like this who can only share happiness but not hardships will bring bad luck to any family she marries.
Facing the mocking gazes of the crowd, Cui Linghui's face turned paler.
Madam Zhai could not stand the humiliation and was extremely angry, but she could not get up and leave as it would make her even more ridiculous and undignified. She could only endure and stay at the table for the time being.
Jingming Hall
Old Madam Lu looked at Liao and Princess Chun'an, who sat there with aloof expressions, and felt very aggrieved. She forced a smile and said to Liao, "It's always inconvenient for you to live alone outside. Why don't you move back home? There will be a lively family life, and outsiders won't find fault with you."
Liao's eyes revealed a hint of impatience and mockery as she said calmly, "Don't worry, Madam. My daughter-in-law now worships Buddha year-round and lives in the temple for half a year. She's used to it, and it's not like she's used to coming back home."
Old Madam Lu was pushed back and felt a little embarrassed, but she had asked Concubine Shu to enter the palace and thus killed the late queen. Her biological mother, Liao, had felt resentful for many years. If she said a few more words, it would definitely irritate her daughter-in-law, Liao, and cause a commotion on this birthday, making them a laughing stock.
Back then, when the late queen passed away, Liao caused a big scene in the Duke's Mansion, even pulling out a knife and almost causing a death. She had seen that scene before, and even after so many years, she still felt a little apprehensive.
Thinking of this, Madam Lu stopped persuading her and turned her attention to Princess Chun'an.
Before she could speak, Princess Chun'an put down the teacup in her hand, stood up, glanced at Liao, and said to Madam Lu, "My grandmother and I have congratulated the old lady on her birthday, so we will take our leave now. The old lady has poor legs and feet, so she should rest well."
After Princess Chun'an finished speaking, she helped Liao out of the house, completely ignoring Madam Lu's ugly expression.
Old Madam Lu's face turned pale. She wanted to shout at the two of them to stop, or even ask the female relatives who came to the house today to judge the matter. Where in the world could there be such unfilial young people?
Even though Princess Chun'an is the emperor's biological daughter, filial piety cannot be neglected.
However, she had some concerns and could only watch Liao and Princess Chun'an walk away.
Her face was extremely gloomy, and she waved her hand, knocking over all the teacups on the table.
All the maids and servants serving in the room knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe, for fear that the old lady would vent her anger on them.
The old lady was not a kind person when she was young. Now that she is old, especially because of her leg problems that make it difficult for her to get out of bed and go to the toilet, and it is inconvenient for her to see people, her temper has become worse and worse. The maids serving her are often scolded and beaten, making everyone in Jingming Hall feel insecure. Except for the servants like Ji Ma who are close to her and have some respectability, no one wants to serve in Jingming Hall.
"None of them take an old woman like me seriously! I know what they're thinking. They came here to celebrate my birthday out of filial piety, but in their hearts they wish I, an old woman, would die quickly! I sent her to the palace for the future of the family. Was it just for me? In the end, things have come to that point, and everyone is blaming me. Don't I feel a little wronged?"
Old Madam Lu was very angry and sat there for a long time without saying a word.
The kneeling maidservants did not dare to stand up. After a while, their knees began to hurt and their bodies shook slightly. Fortunately, they managed to endure and not fall to the ground, which made the old lady even more angry.
After a long while, footsteps were heard outside. Nanny Ji opened the curtain and came in, followed by a maid.
Seeing the broken teacups all over the floor, the maids and servants kneeling there and not daring to speak, and the two teacups on the table that had hardly been touched, Nanny Ji guessed that Liao and Princess Chun'an had already been there.
It seems that the attitudes of the lady and the princess are still the same as before, and have not softened at all because of today's birthday, otherwise the old lady would not be so angry.
She signaled the kneeling maids and servants to retreat, then stepped forward to refill Old Madam Lu's tea cup and said soothingly, "Madam and Princess Chun'an may still have a grudge that's hard to resolve. Please bear with them. At least they showed up today, which at least saved your face."
Old Madam Lu was angry, and she could not be suppressed by Madam Ji's words. But now she only had the identity of the old lady of the Cheng'en Mansion, and her health was in such a state. Even her own children disdained to come to Jingming Hall. Sometimes they came to her when she was asleep, and they would hastily pay their respects and kowtow outside, showing their filial piety in front of outsiders.
Even on this happy day of his 80th birthday, he didn't even think about spending more time with this old woman.
Even biological children are unreliable, let alone Liao, the daughter-in-law.
As for Princess Chun'an, she hated this old woman even more. How could she dare to expect her to care about the Duke's Mansion at all?
Madam Lu sighed heavily and asked Aunt Ji, "You went to invite Ze'er, but why didn't he come with you?"
Nanny Ji hesitated for a moment before replying, "When I went there, the Second Prince was drinking in the pavilion and looked a little drunk. I told the old lady that she wanted to see him and ask about the situation of Consort Shu in the palace. The Second Prince said he reeked of alcohol and was afraid of offending the old lady, so he didn't come to pay his respects to her today. We can see her again when we have time."
Nanny Ji's voice became lower and lower as she spoke, but Old Lady Lu still heard it clearly. She was so angry that her face turned ashen and she almost fainted.
Nanny Ji quickly stepped forward and rubbed her back. After a moment's thought, she continued, "When I went to look for the Second Prince, I happened to run into a noblewoman who looked very distressed. The maidservant beside her said she had lost her way and accidentally fell, soiling her clothes. She was afraid of being blamed by Grandmother when she returned, so she couldn't help but have tears in her eyes. I asked the maidservant to take the person back to the garden, but I was also a little cautious and took the person to the wing room to wash and freshen up. The maidservant eavesdropped on the conversation between the master and servant outside, and never expected to hear such a big thing, and it was related to our Second Prince!"
Nanny Ji pointed at the maid who followed her in and said, "Report this matter to the old lady in full detail. Don't hide anything!"
The maid replied yes and hurriedly reported what she had overheard to Madam Lu.
Madam Lu's eyes widened in disbelief. After the maid finished her report, she angrily exclaimed, "How could such a scandal possibly exist? Wasn't Cui Linghui, the eldest daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's family, the one who broke off her engagement with Lu Bingzhi, the prince of the Weiguo Duke? She comes from a noble family, after all. How could she act so frivolously, actually seducing Ze'er in Guangfu Temple? She even gave herself away, dreaming of becoming a concubine in the prince's mansion!"
"How can a woman like this, who can only share happiness but not hardship, and who is willing to be lowly and frivolous, be worthy of marrying the prince, Ze Ge'er? Ze Ge'er is truly foolish, to be bewitched by such a vixen!"
"Besides, he's already had a falling out with his cousin Lu Bingzhi, and even nearly killed him. The Emperor even punished him for this, beating one of his personal eunuchs to death. If he gets involved in this scandal with Cui Linghui again, will his reputation as a prince still be ruined? If his reputation is damaged and he loses his chance at the throne, what hope is there for us at the Cheng'en Mansion?"
"He's going to piss me off to death!"
Old Madam Lu was so angry that she was shaking all over. If she was angry because Liao and Princess Chun'an did not respect her as an elder, she could suppress these emotions, but the scandal of Xiao Ze and Cui Linghui really irritated her. In such a rage, she suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood, and then her body went limp and fell on the couch.
Nanny Ji's face was filled with horror. She hurried forward and pinched the old lady's philtrum. Seeing that the old lady was unconscious, she panicked and shouted for someone to invite the imperial physician into the house.
Immediately, the Jingming Hall was in chaos.
Such a big thing naturally could not be concealed, and soon the news that the birthday girl, Old Madam Lu, was vomiting blood and unconscious spread to the female relatives.
At this time, Liao and Princess Chun'an had returned to the garden. After having dinner, they sat at the same table with Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan, chatting and drinking tea.
Upon hearing the news that Madam Lu had vomited blood and fainted, Liao's face changed slightly. Princess Chun'an, however, was a little sarcastic and whispered, "Could it be that she was so angry that she vomited blood just because my grandmother and I didn't spend more time with her in Jingming Hall? She's so old, how can she still be so angry? Isn't she afraid of being angered to death?"
Princess Chun'an's words didn't sound at all like a junior. Liao subconsciously glanced at Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan, sensing that Chun'an was increasingly letting herself go her own way, oblivious to the presence of outsiders. If word of this got out, Chun'an, already known in the capital for being overbearing and jealous, would be crushed by this reputation for being unfilial. Who knew how outsiders would frame her?
The old lady of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion would even have opinions about her daughter-in-law Chun'an.
Lu Bingzhi saw through her thoughts, took a sip of tea, curled the corners of his lips and said nonchalantly: "Old Madam, don't worry. What my cousin said is not wrong. Bingzhi also feels that Old Madam Lu is not acting like an elder. I heard that her health is not good. It would be better for God to take advantage of this opportunity to take her in. It would be a great favor to her."
His voice was gentle, but the words he spoke were extremely heartless and even a little harsh.
Moreover, even if he thought so in his heart, he shouldn't say it in front of her.
Liao was stunned for a long moment before pointing at Chun'an and saying, "You two really are cousins. Your personalities are so similar that someone who didn't know you would think you were real siblings."
Cui Lingyan sat beside her with her brows slightly lowered, listening to these words, thinking that what the old lady said was absolutely right. They were not cousins but blood siblings.
Princess Chun'an resented her great-grandmother, Madam Lu, because of the late queen's affairs. Lu Bingzhi, who had been raised by Princess Shuning since childhood, also had resentment in his heart. When he heard that Madam Lu had vomited blood and fainted, he only felt happy in his heart. How could he be worried at all?
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