Chapter 126: Betrayal If my granddaughter-in-law knew about this, she would definitely punish him...
Cui Lingyan listened to the maid's words, and a complex expression appeared in her eyes. She nodded and said to the maid, "I understand. Go away."
The maid replied "yes" and retreated.
Seeing Cui Lingyan and Birou leave, the maid couldn't help but whisper to the nanny beside her, "I wonder what the Young Madam is feeling right now. Qiu Zhi, the head maidservant beside the Young Madam, actually took the opportunity to seduce the Crown Prince while the Young Madam was away at a wedding banquet. It's a good thing the Crown Prince didn't fall for her. Otherwise, if they really had something going on, how upset would the Young Madam be?"
"Luckily, the prince has a personality like that and doesn't like women to begin with. Qiu Zhi failed to seduce him and ended up being sold by the prince. Who knows what will become of her in the future? If she's sold to a brothel by a trafficker, her life will be worse than death. I wonder how much she'll regret it."
The nanny beside her glared at her and said, "Be careful with your words! How can a servant like you discuss matters between the masters?"
As she pulled the maid away, she lowered her voice and said, "Young Madam must be unhappy to be treated so badly by the head maid. But even if Young Madam is relieved that the Prince has dealt with her like this, she's probably still upset. I heard that Qiu Zhi was a maidservant in the chamber of Young Madam's biological mother, Qi. She came with Young Madam as a dowry only a few days ago, and now she's been sold off like this. Our Young Madam and Qi were already at odds, and after this incident, the rift between mother and daughter is probably even deeper."
"I heard that when the old lady heard about this, she specifically called the prince over and gave him a lecture. She said that the prince's actions seemed to give the young lady face, but they were also too extreme. Qiu Zhi should be sent back to the Qi family for them to deal with. At the very least, the young lady should handle it herself. After all, this is an inner chamber matter."
The two of them walked away as they talked.
Before Cui Lingyan returned to Wutong Courtyard, she was called to the upper room by someone around Old Lady Dou.
"Granddaughter-in-law greets grandmother." Cui Lingyan walked slowly forward and bowed to Old Lady Dou who was sitting on the soft couch.
Old Madam Dou waved her hand, asking all the maids and servants in the room to leave, and beckoned Cui Lingyan to sit next to her.
"Looking at your expression, you must have heard about Bingzhi selling Qiuzhi off after returning home, right?"
Cui Lingyan nodded, opened her mouth, and said, "It was because my grandson's wife didn't manage her subordinates well that they caused this scandal, causing the prince so much trouble."
Old Madam Dou knew her temper. Hearing her take all the responsibility on herself, she felt even more pity and distress, unable to feel the slightest bit of resentment. She patted Cui Lingyan's hand and said lovingly, "It's not your fault. Qiuzhi had the desire to cling to someone else and acted frivolously. It's her own fault. What does it have to do with you, her master? Bingzhi was also a little too decisive. He sold her out without even asking your opinion. If you blame him, I'll make him apologize to you."
Cui Lingyan shook her head. How could she not know that Lu Bingzhi had helped her deal with Qiu Zhi? How could she feel dissatisfied?
"Grandmother, you're joking. The Crown Prince's opinion is the same as my granddaughter-in-law's. The Crown Prince is such a person that Qiu Zhi's thoughts are an offense to him. If my granddaughter-in-law knew, she would definitely punish her. She would never let her act so frivolously in front of the Crown Prince."
Madam Dou was extremely satisfied when she heard her words defending her husband, Lu Bingzhi. "I'm relieved that you think this way. You two young couple should not let your feelings for each other be damaged because of a maid."
"Okay, you've been tired from attending the wedding banquet today, go back and rest."
"Bingzhi is stubborn. If you have anything to discuss, please come and discuss it."
Cui Lingyan nodded, stood up and said goodbye and left.
After Cui Lingyan left, Nanny Sun came out from behind the screen and walked up to Old Madam Dou and said, "I knew that given the Young Madam's personality, she would never blame the Young Master, but you, Old Madam, are worried."
Madam Dou's expression softened. "The affairs of the harem are supposed to be managed by women," she said. "Furthermore, Qiuzhi originally served in Madam Qi's chambers. Since she was given this position by her elders, she should be treated with some respect. And now Bingzhi has been sold out all of a sudden. Even if Yan and Madam Qi weren't close, she'd be upset. She'd feel Bingzhi acted too hastily and without consulting her. If this further rifts between mother and daughter, and Yan feels bad and resentful, how could they possibly be as harmonious as they are today?"
"Now that I see that Yan Yatou didn't blame Bingzhi, she also feels the same way as Bingzhi. As an elder, I am relieved."
Nanny Sun smiled and said, "The old lady is kind and thoughtful, always worrying about the younger generation. It's a blessing for the Crown Prince and the Young Madam. Besides, that Qi is partial and has never loved the Young Madam as her daughter. But our Crown Prince values and loves the Young Madam as his wife. The Young Madam is not stupid, so how could she blame the Crown Prince for Qi's sake?"
Madam Dou smiled and nodded at her, "You're always so good at saying these nice things to coax me. Oh, and you're in charge of the people below you. There are so many gossipy people in the mansion, so don't let this matter get around and become outrageous."
Nanny Sun nodded. "I understand. It was simply the maid's own misconduct that gave rise to the desire to curry favor with someone else. It was only because she previously served in Madam Qi's chambers that people were wary of her actions. As a result, the old lady summoned the prince and gave him a lecture. Otherwise, a maid like her would have been beaten to death, let alone simply sold off."
"Even if the news gets out, our family is still justified."
Even if a maidservant was originally intended to be a future concubine, that qualification was only granted by the master's respectability. For someone like Qiu Zhi, who betrayed her master and seduced him out of her own desire to cling to him, the fate she faced was her own fault and no one else's.
......
Cui Lingyan went all the way back to Wutong Courtyard. As soon as she entered, she felt that the atmosphere in Wutong Courtyard was a bit tense.
She entered the house, waved her hand to dismiss the maids and servants, and sat down in front of Lu Bingzhi, saying with some surprise, "I was thinking of finding an excuse to send this person out after returning home. Why did the prince deal with it for me? Isn't he afraid that outsiders will make up stories and ruin his reputation?"
Cui Lingyan didn't blame Lu Bingzhi at all, but she still felt it was best for her to deal with Qiu Zhi. She didn't want those people outside to talk about Lu Bingzhi, and she didn't want him to suffer those rumors.
Hearing the implication of her words, Lu Bingzhi didn't care at all: "You and I are husband and wife, so it's natural for anyone to deal with it. Instead of you, it's better for me, your son-in-law, to do it. Qi will definitely not find fault with me for this matter. If you want to blame someone, blame the maid who came out of her room for being unruly and violating the taboo of me, the prince, and that's why she ended up like this."
"I also gave her some face as an elder. Otherwise, I would not have sold her out, but would have beaten her to death directly."
Cui Lingyan didn't continue to talk about this matter. Although Qiu Zhi's move was to secure a future for herself, it was tantamount to betraying her master. If it really became a problem, she would be disgusted. Therefore, she did not feel any sympathy for Lu Bingzhi selling Qiu Zhi out.
She changed the subject and talked about what happened at Qi's house in the afternoon.
Lu Bingzhi listened, his eyes showing a hint of disdain and mockery: "Your elders, instead of being kind to you, are all trying to control you. It's a good thing you married into the Duke's Mansion, otherwise, who knows what situation you would be in."
Cui Lingyan agreed deeply and smiled, saying, "Yes, now that I have the prince as my backer, no one dares to bully me easily. I also want to thank my cousin for breaking off the engagement. Otherwise, how could such a good marriage fall upon me?"
Lu Bingzhi smiled, and neither of them mentioned Qiu Zhi again.
That night, Lu Bingzhi rested in Wutong Courtyard.
Peony Courtyard
Lu Danruo was staying in Cen's room today. After listening to Madam Qi's report, Cen said with some emotion, "They have a good relationship. Even after such a big incident, they didn't even have a fight. I thought there would be some awkwardness."
Lu Danruo listened from the side and curled her lips. "Lu Bingzhi sold Qiu Zhi off, and Cui Lingyan was overjoyed. How could she be angry? Although I haven't spent much time with Cui Lingyan, I've long seen that she's jealous and intolerant. How could she tolerate her own maidservant wanting to climb up the social ladder? If that's the case, why would she get upset with Lu Bingzhi over such a traitorous maidservant?"
Cen glanced at her and shook her head slightly. "Qiuzhi came from the Qi family, how could it be so simple? But it's too late to talk about this now. Lu Bingzhi has sold her out. No matter how angry Qi is when she hears the news, she won't come to question Lu Bingzhi, her son-in-law."
Lu Danruo thought about it for a while before she said sullenly, "I think Qiu Zhi has no tricks. If she uses some medicine to take advantage of the situation, maybe she can become a concubine and annoy Cui Lingyan."
Cen glared at her. "You're not even married yet, how can you listen to such nonsense? Besides, Lu Bingzhi was poisoned by the Second Prince before. If Qiu Zhi dares to do such a despicable thing, even if she really becomes Lu Bingzhi's woman, not only will Lu Bingzhi not tolerate her, but your grandmother and the Empress Dowager will definitely kill her with a cup of poisoned wine."
Lu Danruo felt a chill on his back and didn't dare to say anything else.
Although Old Madam Dou asked Nanny Sun to keep the servants under control, there were many people in the Duke's Mansion and each family had relatives, so the news eventually got out because of the large number of people and gossip.
Qi's House
As the new bride, Cui Lingyin followed Qi Shaozhang to pay her respects and offer tea to the elders. The atmosphere in the room was lively when a maid came in from outside, walked a few steps to Old Lady Wu and whispered a few words.
After hearing this, Mrs. Wu was stunned at first, and then her face suddenly became gloomy.
"Useless thing, he can't even do such a simple thing! And that Lu Bingzhi, he actually sold people out directly. Even if Qiu Zhi was wrong, he shouldn't have acted like this!"
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