Chapter 123 Reminder: If you have the support of Mrs. Wu and the eldest lady, it may not be...
In the blink of an eye, it was the wedding day of Cui Lingyin and Qi Shaozhang.
After getting up early, having breakfast and paying their respects to Old Madam Dou, Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi left the Duke's Mansion and took a carriage to the Ningshou Marquis' Mansion.
As soon as she and Lu Bing got off the carriage and entered the mansion, a maid with a happy face went to Xilan Courtyard to report to Old Madam Zhai.
When Mrs. Zhai heard that the prince Lu Bingzhi had also come, and that he was coming to their mansion, she felt both happy and relieved.
She was genuinely worried that Cui Lingyan, her somewhat rebellious granddaughter, would go straight to the Qi residence today, having grown up in the Qi family. If this were to happen, word would spread that the Ningshou Marquisate, their family's family, would be left with no respect. Past incidents of sending people to maternal families would be brought up and discussed, provoking countless sneers and disdain.
Fortunately, Miss Yan did not do anything stupid today and give outsiders something to talk about.
Seeing the old lady like this, Qi and Gao, who were sitting below, also looked a little uncomfortable.
At this moment, the second wife, Bian, was busy in the front. Although Qi had the power of housekeeper, she had been ill and had only recovered in the past few days. Gao, the daughter-in-law who was usually a little dull and clumsy, had to come to pick up her mother-in-law's words.
She smiled and said, "The prince is willing to accompany Yan girl here, which shows that he cares about Yan girl. This is a respectable thing."
Her words were as good as nothing, coming out a bit dry. Fortunately, Old Lady Zhai knew her daughter-in-law's temperament well. Although she felt that her third daughter-in-law wasn't as talkative as her second, she smiled and nodded. Then her gaze fell on Qi, and she said with a hint of warning, "Today is Eryin's wedding, a grand occasion. It's a rare honor for the prince to accompany Yan back home. Even if you have some grudges against Yan, you must act like a loving mother today. Don't be so cold and humiliate Yan in front of the prince, and make him laugh at our Ningshou Marquisate."
Hearing the old lady's criticism, Qi Shi felt bitter but could not express it. She forced a smile and nodded in response, "Mother, your teaching is correct. I know the importance of this."
After hearing her agreement, Madam Zhai didn't say anything else.
After a while, footsteps were heard outside, followed by the voice of a maidservant greeting in: "This servant greets the prince and the third aunt."
The maid lifted the curtain, and Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi came in one after another.
When Mrs. Zhai saw Cui Lingyan walking in front, she frowned slightly, but then she thought that today was the day Yan went back to her parents' home. Although the prince had a noble status, he was still a son-in-law after all, so it was not appropriate for him to lead the way in front. The slight discomfort in her heart disappeared.
Without waiting for the two to come forward to pay their respects, she said to Lu Bingzhi with a smile, "Bingzhi, you've found time to come here with Yan-ya today. We're all family here today, so Bingzhi, just treat it like you're at the Duke's Mansion. There's no need to be restrained."
Lu Bingzhi nodded in agreement, and he and Cui Lingyan stepped forward to pay their respects, and then paid their respects to Qi and Gao, before sitting down on a chair nearby.
The maid brought tea and snacks, and Madam Zhai started talking to Cui Lingyan with a smile on her face.
Lu Bingzhi sat aside, sipping a cup of tea in his hand, exuding a noble demeanor.
As the mother-in-law, Qi should have been able to say a few words to her son-in-law, but she and Cui Lingyan were not close, and Lu Bingzhi was of such a low status. This marriage was also a high-class marriage for the Marquis's family, so she, as the mother-in-law, felt a little embarrassed. She even hoped that Lu Bingzhi would leave earlier so that she wouldn't have to sit uncomfortably in the room.
Although Third Madam Gao was a bit dull on a daily basis, she was also very perceptive. How could she not see through her sister-in-law Qi's thoughts? She only laughed at her in her heart. She gave birth to a good daughter, but she drove her away. Now she regretted it all because of her own fault. She really couldn't blame anyone else.
It's all due to the discomfort you feel now, sister-in-law. Just bear with it. There will be many such occasions in the future.
After sitting for a while, Qi couldn't bear it any longer and stood up to tell the old lady that she was going to the front to help Bian so that Bian wouldn't be too busy. Then she left the room.
When she moved away, the atmosphere in the room became a little awkward.
Madam Zhai suppressed her dissatisfaction and said to Cui Lingyan with a smile, "After all, your mother is in charge of the household affairs. Although today is Yin's wedding, with her help, your aunt can have a lighter burden."
Cui Lingyan nodded and continued speaking along the lines of the old lady, easing the awkward atmosphere.
After sitting for a while, Lu Bingzhi found an excuse to leave.
Seeing him leave, Old Lady Zhai smiled and said to Cui Lingyan, "The prince has gone to the front yard. You should go and see Miss Yin as well. After all, we are sisters from the same family. No matter how many conflicts there were in the past, this blood relationship cannot be severed. She is getting married today, and from now on, she will be Miss Yan's cousin's wife. You two should get along well. In the capital, people get along better with each other than with outsiders."
"Go ahead. Do you want your Third Aunt to accompany you?"
Cui Lingyan shook her head. "Don't I recognize my cousin's yard? Asking Third Aunt to accompany me would be a bit inappropriate. Third Aunt, please stay here with Grandma so you don't get bored."
After saying this, she bowed to Madam Zhai and Gao and walked out.
Madam Zhai watched her leave, then said with a hint of emotion, "Miss Yan is sometimes very polite, making people feel that she is close to our Marquis' Mansion. But sometimes she becomes stubborn, as if she has a rebellious nature and doesn't care about our natal family at all. If she could change her temperament and be a little more gentle and kind, it would be more comfortable for us to get along with each other, and I, as her grandmother, would be able to love her more."
The old lady's words seemed to be full of emotion and revealed a deep meaning.
The maids and servants standing by all looked a little surprised, but they didn't dare to show it.
Gao guessed that her mother-in-law didn't like her granddaughter Cui Lingyan very much, and was even a little wary of her. But even if she guessed it, she couldn't respond to her mother-in-law's words at the moment.
On the contrary, she felt that there was nothing wrong with Cui Lingyan's current personality. If she didn't have this rebellious and tough nature, she would have been devoured without leaving a bone.
When the child was young, the Marquis' Mansion did not protect him, and his biological mother, Qi, was so partial to him. Although he lived in the Qi family, his maternal family, since he was a child, he was still living under someone else's roof and suffered countless grievances. He should be content that he has developed such a character now.
If she was truly as gentle and kind as the old lady described, she would have been tarnished by her cousin Cui Lingyin's schemes upon returning to the capital, and she would have been so frightened that she committed suicide to prove her innocence. In that case, how could she have married Lu Bingzhi and become the wife of the Duke of Wei? How could she have lived the pampered life she enjoys today?
In her opinion, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were a little greedy. They wanted Yan Yatou to repay them without much effort, and they used filial piety to control Yan Yatou. If she were Yan Yatou, she would stay away from these people from her mother's family and wish she would never have any contact with them for the rest of her life.
I'm afraid Yan Yatou also thinks the same way, otherwise she wouldn't be so distant from the Marquis' Mansion, and she wouldn't have caused dissatisfaction among the Old Lady and Qi.
Madam Zhai noticed that the room was a little quiet, and also realized that what she said was a little inappropriate, so she stopped talking and did not continue.
......
Although Cui Lingyin, the second daughter of the Marquisate, was getting married today, she was born out of wedlock and wasn't marrying the second son of a high-ranking or prominent family. Instead, the Qi family was not prominent at all, and her son-in-law had only gained admission to the Imperial College through connections, so he held even less status in the capital. Therefore, the number of guests visiting the Marquisate was relatively small, and none of them were high-ranking. Only those who were close friends or wanted to show their favor to the Marquisate would invite the head wife to join in the fun.
As a result, Cui Lingyan and Birou didn't meet many people on the way to Bilan Courtyard. Only when they arrived at Bilan Courtyard did they hear the laughter inside and sense the atmosphere of a wedding.
The maidservants in the corridor were nervous but also happy when they saw Cui Lingyan coming in person. They thought that if the Third Aunt did not come here intentionally to embarrass their daughter but was really here to marry her, it would be decent to tell others about it.
She hurriedly stepped forward and saluted with a smile, her voice trembling a little: "This servant greets the Third Aunt."
The greetings came into the house, and Luoxue, the maid who served Cui Lingyin, came out from inside and led Cui Lingyan in with a nervous look on her face.
In the room, Cui Lingyin was wearing a bright red wedding dress, with delicate eyebrows and eyes that were like the morning glow, giving her a bit of extra beauty that she didn't usually have.
Seeing Cui Lingyan enter, she showed a hint of surprise in her eyes, then smiled and said, "It's rare that Third Sister doesn't care about the past and is willing to come to see me on the day of her wedding."
She said this casually, but as soon as she finished speaking, all the maids and servants in the room became nervous.
Even Madam Wen, who was standing by, had a look of uneasiness on her face, and her eyes fell on Cui Lingyan, fearing that Cui Lingyan would get angry after hearing this and turn around and leave.
It would be so ugly if there was a quarrel between the sisters on their wedding day and it got out.
However, Cui Lingyan did not hear any deliberateness or sarcasm in Cui Lingyin's words. Based on her understanding of Cui Lingyin, this was just what she felt in her heart.
She smiled, turned around, took a square sandalwood brocade box from Birou's hand, and put it on the table with a smile.
"My cousin is getting married today. I've prepared some makeup for her. Do you like it?"
Cui Lingyin opened the box, and inside was a complete set of pearl head ornaments. Each pearl was plump and lustrous, a rare and good thing, and it would be decent to show it off to others.
Cui Lingyin thought that if she was not doing well in the future and was short of money, as long as she was willing, she could take off the pearls on her headband and exchange them for silver, and it would not be discovered and spread out, which would make her lose face.
I don’t know if my cousin has such thoughts.
Cui Lingyin didn't think much about it, smiled and thanked Cui Lingyan, and accepted the additional makeup.
After all, cousins did not grow up together, and they had such calculations in the past. Although the past grudges have been put aside and Cui Lingyan has also given this dowry, their relationship cannot be compared with that of cousins from ordinary families for the time being.
So, Cui Lingyan didn't stay long after giving him some makeup. She just said a few more words and left.
Cui Lingyin looked at her leaving back, thought for a while, and whispered a few words in Madam Wen's ear. Madam Wen was stunned for a moment, then stood up and chased after her.
Cui Lingyan hadn't walked out of Bilan Courtyard yet when she heard footsteps behind her and stopped. When she saw that it was Madam Wen, she looked puzzled.
"Auntie, is there anything else?"
Madam Wen had fabricated the story about her and Qi Shaozhang, almost ruining her reputation. Seeing Cui Lingyan now, she couldn't help feeling a little guilty. She avoided Cui Lingyan's sight and lowered her voice, saying, "My aunt has been on guard against Qiu Zhi, the head maidservant around her these days. The old lady of the Qi family came to visit the eldest lady a while ago. I heard that the old lady was dissatisfied with my aunt. She felt that my aunt was now favored by the prince and had become so powerful that she didn't care about the eldest lady, her biological mother. She suggested that Madam Liu be brought to the Xilan Courtyard to recuperate. I heard that the old lady wanted to use Qiu Zhi to divide the prince's favor for my aunt. The eldest lady agreed. After all, Qiu Zhi originally served in the eldest lady's room. If she had the support of Old Lady Wu and the eldest lady, she might not be able to avoid the idea of climbing up the social ladder."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
