Chapter 13: Hoping to marry into a family with a higher status than the Ningshou Marquis Mansion...
Cui Linghui, on the other hand, was a little uncomfortable that her recently returned stepsister, Cui Lingyan, had been granted the honor of entering the palace to pay her respects. However, she ultimately looked down on Cui Lingyan, feeling that she was a far cry from her. Even if she had received this honor, it would not change her awkward position in the Ningshou Marquis's mansion.
Thinking of this, she acted like a good sister and explained to Cui Lingyan in detail some of the rules that should be paid attention to in the palace. She also ordered Nanny Xie to open the wardrobe and take Cui Lingyan to choose suitable clothes.
"These are all complete sets, and they were also bought for me by my grandmother and mother. I tried to dissuade them from buying them, fearing they might be too extravagant, but mother said that I am the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate, and I need to have more clothes to change into when I go out in public, so as not to be looked down upon."
"Add to that the ones my grandmother sent over, and there were even more. I asked Aunt Xie and the others to pack some of them up and put them in the side room, and take them out every ten days or so to dry them in the sun."
Cui Linghui pointed to a light green dress embroidered with crabapple flowers and said to Cui Lingyan, "I remember when you were little, you liked hibiscus, but I've always liked crabapples. So I've embroidered some small crabapple blossoms on the corners and cuffs of your dress with gold and silver thread. I hope you don't mind. I'm going to the palace tomorrow, and the needlework people probably won't have the time to pick out the embroidery and re-embroider it overnight. Even if they do, the dress needs to be rinsed and dried again, and then fumigated with good fragrance, otherwise it will get wrinkled."
"It's really too late. I can only ask my sister to bear with me for a while."
After Cui Linghui said this, Cui Lingyan had nothing to say.
She smiled softly and said, "It's very kind of you to lend me clothes, sister. How dare I be so picky?"
"Besides, there are many people in this world who like crabapples. I think no one would say anything even if I wore one."
Cui Linghui looked at Cui Lingyan's gentle eyes and smile, and she didn't seem to think much about it at all. The smile on the corner of his mouth froze, and he secretly told himself that Cui Lingyan must be in great pain in her heart, but she didn't show it at all in order to avoid letting others see her fragility and pitifulness.
If this were not the case, it would be that Cui Lingyan grew up in the Qi family and was unaware of the twists and turns in the inner mansions of wealthy families.
If this is the case, Cui Lingyan's personality is not suitable for survival in this wealthy family.
Even if she gave her a good future and asked her to become the wife of the prince of Weiguo, Cui Lingyan had to be able to survive in the Weiguo Mansion.
Thinking of this, Cui Linghui asked someone to bring a jewelry box and picked out some pearl flowers made in the palace for Cui Lingyan.
Cui Lingyan sat in Yingyue Courtyard for another half an hour before saying goodbye and leaving.
Bi Tao followed her young lady and when they were halfway there, she couldn't help but mutter, "Young lady, it's obvious that the eldest lady did it on purpose. If it weren't for the old lady's order, the young lady wouldn't have had to borrow clothes from the eldest lady. Why did the eldest lady deliberately say those words? It makes me feel uncomfortable. It's a good thing that you can still pretend to smile."
After saying this, Bi Tao said with some confusion: "Although the young lady has lived in the Qi family since she was a child, she shouldn't be without a decent piece of clothing, right? I wonder what the old lady is thinking?"
Cui Lingyan said, "Perhaps, Grandmother is using this to warn me, telling me not to think of stealing the limelight from my elder sister, and not to think of competing with her."
Bi Tao was startled when she heard this. Her eyes widened, and she asked in disbelief, "How could it be? I see that the old lady likes you very much. Otherwise, why would she give you the eighteen-bead Canaan incense bracelet that she has worn for many years? She also sent Sister Bihen to serve you and even sent someone to deliver the indenture?"
In Bitao's opinion, Madam Zhai, as a grandmother, cares more about her daughter than Qi, her biological mother.
So, when she suddenly heard Cui Lingyan's words, she couldn't help but feel a little unbelievable in her heart, and her back felt a little cold.
Although there are some intrigues in the Qi family, the old lady is still very good to the girl. He Zeng and Old Lady Zhai seem to care about the girl, but in fact they have other intentions.
Cui Lingyan recalled the events of her dream and said calmly, "I didn't grow up in the mansion, but my eldest sister was always with Grandmother. She must be closer to Grandmother. Not to mention, she has a family like the Zhenguogong Mansion."
"Besides, my eldest sister will be the wife of the Duke of Wei's son in the future. This status alone means that Grandmother is destined to hold her in high esteem."
As Cui Lingyan spoke, she stroked the Canaan Incense Eighteen-Bead Bracelet on her wrist and said meaningfully, "The favors of those in power are always calculated. If I forget my own status because of the respect my grandmother bestowed upon me, how could I possibly have a foothold in this mansion?"
"It's true that my grandmother was happy that I had the honor of entering the palace, but it's also true that she scolded me."
Cui Lingyan glanced at the box of clothes in Bitao's hands and said calmly, "So since you've borrowed these clothes, just wear them happily and don't think too much about anything else."
Bi Tao's eyes felt a little sore, and a feeling of grievance welled up in her heart. She really felt sorry for her daughter. She felt that the daughter was so pitiful that she had finally returned to the Ningshou Marquis Mansion, but still had to swallow this grievance.
The days ahead in the Marquis's mansion are still long. Is this how it will always be? Unlike the eldest daughter, Cui Linghui, who has the support of a family like the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and the love of the master, the young lady can't even count on the eldest wife, Qi. Who else can she count on?
It would be great if the girl could be blessed by God and marry into a family of higher status than the Ningshou Marquis's. In that case, who would dare to look down on her and bully her like this?
Bitao prayed to God in her heart and accompanied Cui Lingyan all the way back to her residence.
......
After Cui Linghui sent Cui Lingyan away, he felt a little depressed and had no enthusiasm for entering the palace.
Although she had her mind set on plotting against Cui Lingyan, she didn't know how. After all, with Lu Bingzhi's status and the Empress Dowager's affections, it was impossible for anyone to get close to him. Furthermore, Lu Bingzhi had only recently been poisoned, and he was surrounded by countless guards. If she acted rashly, she might end up ruining her reputation instead of succeeding.
This matter was truly difficult to handle. However, she had a premonition that the Empress Dowager would propose her marriage to Lu Bingzhi when she entered the palace this time. If she didn't find a solution, she might end up marrying Lu Bingzhi again.
After thinking about it, Cui Linghui felt a little upset.
Could it be that he had to resort to the worst possible strategy, making the Queen Mother think that she had fallen into the water and had caught a cold, but taking great pains to conceal it from others? Making the Queen Mother think that she was having trouble getting pregnant, and thus swaying her from marrying her to Lu Bingzhi?
Cui Linghui was a little undecided. She had this idea in mind when she was reborn and fell into the water. She thought that if her plan failed, the empress dowager would dislike her and would take the initiative to cancel the marriage.
But she didn't want to develop a condition that would make it difficult for her to get pregnant, and she was afraid that it would be difficult for her to marry into a wealthy family in the future, so she kept hesitating.
Cui Linghui thought for a long time, and finally took out a cooling pill that she had painstakingly obtained and hid it in her purse while Aunt Xie was out.
Cining Palace
After the Empress Dowager finished drinking her medicine, Nanny Yan asked with some confusion, "I heard that the third daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's mansion grew up in the Qi family and just returned to the capital. Why did Your Majesty want to give her such a respectable honor and invite her to the palace to attend the flower viewing banquet?"
The Dowager sat back on the couch, listening to Nanny Yan's words. She said with a hint of displeasure, "It's not that I have to give Miss Cui San face, but I feel that Bingzhi's future wife has been raised a little too high up in the Marquis's mansion. I think it's because she's the only favored legitimate daughter in the mansion and has never suffered much injustice, so she doesn't even take Bingzhi seriously."
Nanny Yan, hearing the Queen Mother's words, couldn't help but understand what she was thinking. She consoled her, "Your Majesty, please be a little more at ease. Miss Cui is young and hasn't experienced much. This time, when the Crown Prince was poisoned, she panicked and didn't take the seriousness of the situation seriously. That's why she acted so disrespectfully."
"Besides, Madam Dou has always been kind and compassionate. She's willing to understand Miss Cui's difficulties. Why should the Queen Mother bother with this matter? No matter how arrogant Miss Cui is, once she marries into the Duke's Mansion, won't she know the difference between being a girl and being a wife? I think it won't take long for Miss Cui to understand how to be a good wife to the Crown Prince."
The Queen Mother twirled the Buddhist beads in her hand, a hint of displeasure between her brows. "That being said, I still feel for Bingzhi. In the past, Cui Linghui seemed dignified and steady, and behaved appropriately. Who could have imagined she could be so frivolous? Does she think everyone else is blind to her little antics? Bingzhi is her future husband, and yet she's so indifferent to him, even bringing up the issue of sex separation. Does she think I'm that easy to fool?"
"This time I just want to express my love for her stepsister so that I can teach her a lesson."
"If Bingzhi didn't need to recuperate, I wouldn't want this marriage to have any complications. If anyone were to talk about Bingzhi again, I would definitely not allow Cui Linghui to enter the Duke of Wei's mansion and become the Crown Prince's wife!"
Nanny Yan listened to the Queen Mother's words and smiled, "The Queen Mother is so concerned about the Crown Prince, no wonder even the princes are feeling sour. If the Crown Prince knew that the Queen Mother was angry about this, he would definitely not want you to be so angry that it would hurt your body."
The Queen Mother sighed softly and said with a hint of sadness, "I only have Bingzhi as my own grandson. If Shuning had not passed away long ago, I wouldn't be feeling sorry for him now. Shuning would have been so angry that she would have called off the marriage."
Upon hearing this, Nanny Yan comforted her, "Your Majesty, please be at ease. If the princess knew how well you took care of the prince, she would be happy in her grave."
"Besides, if Miss Cui doesn't understand things, she'll just be a decoration in the future. At worst, the Queen Mother can appoint a concubine for the Crown Prince. We can't let the Crown Prince get angry."
The Queen Mother hesitated, deliberating for a moment before lowering her voice. "How is Bingzhi's health? Will it affect his offspring? The Imperial Physician said that although there's some residual poison in Bingzhi's body, it won't affect his offspring. But I'm still a little worried. After all, even if this is true, it's not easy to tell anyone. I can't have the pulse record brought to me. If Bingzhi heard about it, I'm afraid he would be embarrassed and angry with me."
Nanny Yan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. Our Crown Prince is blessed. How could he be as bad as the rumors say? When he enters the palace tomorrow, Queen Mother will be able to see him with her own eyes and then she'll be relieved."
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