Chapter 115: Although Yanmian is not close to me, can I just watch...
Cui Lingyan couldn't help but frown when she heard the news.
Birou, the maid standing nearby, lowered her voice and said, "Young Madam, you should go back to the mansion. Madam is your biological mother after all. If the Master offends Madam and hits her, it will be embarrassing for Young Madam."
"Besides, no matter what, firstly, the young lady must consider her filial duty and not allow anyone to find fault with her. Secondly, she cannot be branded as jealous and murderous towards the concubine's unborn child. Otherwise, if this news gets out, it won't be good for you, the young lady, as her daughter."
"You are now the wife of the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince values and likes you. How many people want to laugh at you and find fault with you? Not to mention the distant ones, the eldest lady, who is the mother-in-law..."
Biore didn't continue, but her meaning was clear.
Cui Lingyan also understood these principles, so even though she felt a little annoyed, she stood up and went to report to her grandmother, Madam Dou, in person.
When she went there, Cen and the second daughter Lu Danruo were also in the room.
Cui Lingyan briefly informed him that she was going back to her parents' home. She didn't elaborate, but Old Madam Dou was shrewd enough not to ask further questions. She simply smiled and said, "There's nothing important going on at the mansion. You can go back and take a look."
Cui Lingyan nodded, bowed, and then said goodbye.
Seeing Cui Lingyan leave, Cen couldn't help but say, "Yan girl is so young, but she has more things to do every day than me, her mother-in-law. She just went to visit her grandmother who had just arrived in Beijing, and before she could even rest, she had to go back to her parents' home again. I wonder if other brides are as busy as this."
Although Cen listened to her sister-in-law Xue's words and wanted the Cen family to marry into the Marquis's Mansion, but seeing that Cui Lingyan had to go out of the house every now and then, Cen couldn't help but say this.
Which new bride can be so casual? She is just protected by the old lady and Lu Bingzhi.
In her opinion, even if Cui Lingyan had to go back to her parents' home, she should report to her as her mother-in-law.
If she showed her some respect and dignity, and gave her a way out, she would have done so. How could there be a conflict between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, which would have become a laughing stock for outsiders?
In Cen's mind, Cui Lingyan was deliberately disrespecting her as her mother-in-law. It was clear that because the old lady and Lu Bingzhi protected her, she became arrogant and no longer took her mother-in-law seriously.
Madam Dou understood the meaning of her words. She took a sip of the teacup in her hand and chuckled, "Are you saying that you won't care about your daughter's family affairs after she gets married? If so, will you not even show up when something happens to the Cen family?"
Madam Dou's words didn't leave Cen with much shame. Her face froze immediately, and she said awkwardly, "Mother, you misunderstood me. I didn't mean that. I'm the mother-in-law after all. I wanted Cui to stay in the mansion peacefully, to have a harmonious relationship with the Crown Prince, and to get pregnant soon, so that we could have more children for our Lu family."
Cen added this sentence, and seeing that Old Madam Dou looked indifferent and a little embarrassed, she found an excuse to get up and say goodbye with her daughter Lu Danruo.
As soon as she left Qingde Courtyard, Lu Danruo couldn't help but say, "Grandma, you're too disrespectful to mother. I think what you said is true. Whose bride has problems every now and then? Either she's going to visit her grandmother who has come to Beijing, or the old lady in her natal family is unwell. Today, something happened in the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion, and they want her, a married lady, to go back. Do they really think it's time for her to get married? Could it be that there is no one in charge of the mansion, so she, a married lady, has to get involved in everything? It's really ridiculous. Cui Shi really has the nerve to report this to Grandma. If I were her, if there were problems in her natal family every now and then, I would definitely go back secretly to deal with them. How could I be so shameless as to say this?"
"In the final analysis, this Cui family is ignorant of the seriousness of the situation. She is not worthy of being the Crown Prince's wife! My daughter is not speculating about her. Maybe now that she has a respectable status, she wants to go back to her parents' home and put on airs. Who doesn't know her little tricks?"
Mrs. Cen knew her daughter disliked Cui as her sister-in-law, but she heard her words getting more and more outrageous. She was afraid that her words would be heard by someone with ulterior motives and passed on to her stepson Lu Bingzhi. She hurriedly tugged at her sleeve and said in a low voice, "Be careful with your words! If Lu Bingzhi hears these words again and takes his anger out on the Cen family, how can the Cen family withstand his turmoil again?"
Thinking of her grandmother's poor health and her grandfather's reputation being damaged because of that young waiter, and that he had been staying in a temple for some time, and that the entire Cen Mansion was deserted with no visitors, Lu Danruo couldn't help but shudder and didn't dare to continue.
Seeing her face pale slightly, Cen sighed softly and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. Come sit in my courtyard. If you feel bored, I'll take you to the temple to stay for a few days in a few days."
"This Duke's Mansion is becoming increasingly suffocating."
Lu Danruo was just about to say that her mother took her to the temple to burn incense and she was not afraid that her aunt He would take away some of the food in the mansion, but seeing the sadness in her mother's eyes and thinking about the depressing and dull days in the Duke's Mansion, she finally nodded.
"Well, my daughter doesn't want to stay in the mansion anymore. Ever since Cui came into the family, my grandmother has only had Cui as her granddaughter-in-law in her heart and eyes. There is no place for her daughter."
"In Grandmother's eyes, everything Cui does is good. Cui is spoiled and arrogant, and she's not afraid that if this continues, Grandmother will become upset and dislike her as her granddaughter-in-law."
The mother and daughter talked as they went to their residence.
......
Ningshou Marquis Mansion
Madam Zhai's face was stern, and she scolded her kneeling son with displeasure, "You're so angry at your wife without even asking for the truth. If this gets out, people will say you favor your concubine over your wife. Do you still want to keep your reputation?"
Madam Zhai was so angry that she almost fainted.
She calmed herself down and her gaze fell on Aunt Liu who was kneeling there. She wanted to get angry, but she knew that Aunt Liu was pregnant with Cui's child. If she kept kneeling and gave birth to the child, wouldn't her son blame her as his biological mother?
Thinking this way, Madam Zhai finally waved her hand and instructed the nanny who was serving Concubine Liu, "Help your Concubine go back and rest. Nothing is more important than the baby in her belly."
Madam Zhai said this, and then turned to Aunt Liu, "Liu, you must remember your status as a concubine. If you have any inappropriate thoughts, even if you give birth to this child, you will not be allowed to stay in the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion."
Aunt Liu shuddered, and when she saw Marquis Ningshou trying to help her, she tugged at his sleeve and shook her head gently at him.
Cui Lingyan opened the curtain and saw this scene when she came in. Her face was calm as she walked slowly forward and bowed to Madam Zhai.
When Madam Zhai saw her coming, she felt relieved and said, "Go see your mother first. She's been wronged today. As a daughter, you should comfort her and make sure she doesn't cry herself to death."
Cui Lingyan nodded, turned around and was about to walk outside.
Ning Shouhou helped Concubine Liu to her feet. Seeing his daughter like this, he was even more embarrassed and could not help but scold her harshly, "Stop! You don't even know how to greet your own father? What kind of family rules is this? Now that you've married Lu Bingzhi and become the wife of the Duke of Weiguo's son, do you even look down on me, your father?"
Ning Shouhou was already full of anger. Today, his beloved concubine Liu almost had a miscarriage, and he was scolded by his mother, Madam Zhai. Just now, Cui Lingyan came in without asking anyone to report, and saw him, the father, kneeling here directly, which really made him lose his dignity as a father.
Ning Shouhou was so angry that he couldn't help but vent his anger on his daughter Cui Lingyan.
Cui Lingyan stopped and looked at Ningshou Hou calmly, without any fear.
She bowed slightly, her gaze falling on Aunt Liu, and said, "Father, what you're saying doesn't make sense to me. It's precisely because of filial piety that I don't want to ask why you attacked your wife for a concubine. I think the matter between you and mother is something that should naturally be handled by Grandmother, the elder. As a daughter, the only thing I can do is to comfort my mother, who lost face after being slapped by father. Does that mean I'm acting in a way that disregards filial piety?"
Ningshou Hou had always remembered Cui Lingyan as a gentle and submissive daughter. Even when her cousin Cui Lingyin suffered at her hands, he dismissed her as a minor tactic. Cui Lingyan's current status was due to her marriage into the Duke of Wei's family. Otherwise, even though she was the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei, she would likely be living a life worse than a concubine's.
Not to mention, being so arrogant in front of him as a father.
With this in mind, Ning Shouhou felt that Cui Lingyan's words were insulting to him. Even if there was some truth in her words, she was still relying on her status as the Crown Prince's wife to put on airs in her natal family.
He had always looked down upon the Qi family because they came from a humble background. Now that his daughter had married into the Duke of Weiguo's family, could she support the Qi family so much after returning to her parents' home?
Seeing her son's scowl, Madam Zhai slammed the table and scolded him, "Alright, send Concubine Liu back home, and ask the kitchen to prepare a bowl of soothing and nourishing soup, and ask Yan to comfort Madam Qi."
Ning Shouhou's face turned red and blue. Seeing Concubine Liu, who was pale and about to cry, he wanted to pick her up by the waist and carry her back to his residence, but he had to consider his face, so he just signaled the two maids beside him to help Concubine Liu out.
He himself followed her out of the house.
After seeing him leave, Old Lady Zhai turned to Cui Lingyan and said, "Your father has been hoping for another child for so many years, and the doctor said there's a 70% chance that Concubine Liu's baby will be a son. Naturally, he's very concerned. Don't blame your father."
"Your mother has been wronged this time. I think it was all a coincidence. Go and comfort her first. Tomorrow I'll have your father go and apologize to your mother."
Cui Lingyan nodded, bowed to Madam Zhai, turned around and walked out.
Birou followed behind her and couldn't help but speak soothingly, "Young Madam, don't be angry. It would be bad if you get angry and harm your health. Young Madam has not been in the capital or living in the Marquis' Mansion these years. I only heard that Concubine Liu was favored. I'm afraid this is the first time I've seen it."
"Don't say that the young lady is furious. I've never seen anyone dote on a concubine like this. But the old lady is right. The Marquis has been looking forward to having another child for years."
Birou didn't say much, but Cui Lingyan knew what she meant.
My younger brother Cui Shenbo was born with a weak body. Although he has been raised without any major problems over the years, he is certainly not as healthy as the other healthy descendants of wealthy families.
My father had always doted on Concubine Liu, and now that Concubine Liu was pregnant again, and the doctor said it was a boy, his 70% doting on her became 80% or even 90%. Naturally, he couldn't stand his step-wife Qi, who came from a humble family.
I’m afraid that the more others talk about Concubine Liu’s humble background, the more my father will side with her.
Cui Lingyan took Birou all the way to Cuiwei Courtyard. As soon as they reached the door, they heard crying coming from the house.
"Liu is just a lowly servant, and her background is so shabby. Does she think she can trample over me, the mistress, just by relying on that face and the piece of meat in her belly? Don't forget, Yan is now Lu Bingzhi's wife. Although this child is not close to me, can I bear to see a mother like me being bullied by a lowly concubine?"
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