Chapter 144 Compensation If Cui is lucky enough to get pregnant soon, you...
Peony Courtyard
Cen helped apply medicine on Lu Danruo's knee, but her eyes turned red unconsciously and she couldn't help but shed tears.
"Every one of them is bullying us, mother and daughter. Cui is no exception. She's the eldest daughter-in-law after all, yet she didn't even speak up for you, her sister-in-law, yesterday. Ultimately, it's because I'm just a concubine, and the Crown Prince doesn't take me seriously. Seeing the Crown Prince's attitude, Cui naturally doesn't take me, her mother-in-law, seriously, let alone your sister-in-law, Danruo."
"You were punished by the old lady to kneel in the ancestral hall, and she, your sister-in-law, didn't even come to see you. I heard that you were accompanying the prince in Songxue Hall, waiting for the imperial physician to check his pulse. She's really a manipulative person, and she knows exactly who to please."
Mrs. Cen was filled with resentment. Seeing her daughter's grim expression, she didn't know what to say. She simply lowered her trouser legs for her and said gently, "Just lie down and rest. I'll ask someone to find out more about the Duke Ding's Mansion. At the flower viewing banquet, it was clear that Old Madam Yin was very fond of you and even gave you a bracelet. Could she really believe those wandering monks' predictions that Pei An should marry a girl from the second wife's family? I heard that Pei An grew up by Old Madam Yin's side, and she's very partial to him."
Lu Danruo's knee hurt badly. Both her mother and she had lost face yesterday. Hearing her mother's words, she couldn't hold back her irritation and said, "Why are you asking people to find out? Don't you think we've lost face enough? We had a scene with Second Aunt and the others yesterday. Who in the mansion didn't laugh at us? With that fateful word, if I, the eldest daughter of the family, rush to get married, who might even reject me? Or maybe Second Aunt's wish will come true, and then Old Madam Yin will change her mind and choose my cousin to marry Pei An?"
"My daughter will be humiliated and laughed at by others."
Cen was so blocked by her daughter that she couldn't say a word. After a long while, she said bitterly, "Even if you couldn't marry into the Duke Dingguo's mansion, your cousin shouldn't have gotten such a good marriage."
"They say that those who are in power become arrogant, but there's not even a trace of that yet. Your aunt and cousin came out yesterday to laugh at us mother and daughter, deliberately using tricks to irritate me, their sister-in-law, and that's why all those things happened. They made people laugh at us, and made your grandmother even more dissatisfied with me as her daughter-in-law. If your cousin were to marry Pei An, who has the support of the Dingguo Mansion, I'm afraid there would be no place for us mother and daughter in the mansion in the future."
Just as Cen had finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside. A maid in an emerald green jacket came in and reported, "Madam, my aunt has brought my cousin to the mansion and is heading towards the Peony Courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Cen grew increasingly upset. She glanced at her daughter lying on the couch and considered sending her to the side rooms to avoid being laughed at by her sister-in-law. However, she realized her family must be aware of her situation in the mansion, and they wouldn't have much face left. She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and simply instructed her trusted confidant, Madam Qi, "I'll stay here with Danruo. Go and greet my sister-in-law and the others."
Nanny Qi felt that her wife was being rude. In the past, whenever Mrs. Xue came to visit, the eldest wife would always go to greet her in person. At least on the surface, the aunt and sister-in-law got along very well.
Now the Madam was too lazy to even pretend. Thinking that the Cen Mansion was in such a mess and had a bad reputation, and that they might have to rely on the Madam, the old woman stopped trying to persuade her, bowed, and went out to greet them.
After walking to the Chuihua Gate and waiting for a while, I saw Xue and her cousin Cen Yuexi walking towards this side while talking.
Madam Qi hurried over to greet them, bowing and saying, "This servant greets Madam Auntie and Madam Cousin. Madam heard that Madam Auntie had brought Madam Cousin and asked me to come and greet them. Madam Auntie hasn't been to visit for quite some time, and today she's brought Madam Cousin so she can spend more time with Madam."
Xue Shi felt very uncomfortable when she saw that her sister-in-law did not come out in person. Thinking about the current situation of the Cen family, she wondered if her sister-in-law looked down on her because something happened in her family.
But before, the mother-in-law offended Cui Lingyan in order to vent her anger on her sister-in-law, causing the prince to plot to ruin the old master's reputation and cause a scandal with the young waiter, which made the old lady sick with anger.
Thinking about how her sister-in-law hadn't come back to visit the Cen family in recent days, and now she was even putting on airs and looking down on her, Xue felt even more suffocated, and her words were filled with sarcasm: "Why did my aunt ask you to come and greet me? I heard that my aunt has handed over most of the household expenses to He, so how come you are so busy that you don't have time to spare? After all, the Duke's Mansion is so wealthy and powerful, it's something that people can't even envy."
When Aunt Qi heard this, her smile froze and she said, "Aunt, you're joking."
As he spoke, he led the way to the Peony Courtyard.
Cen Yueying tugged at Xue's sleeve and whispered, "We're all family. Why should mother become estranged from aunt over such a trivial matter?"
If Nanny Qi exaggerated this and told her aunt, there was no guarantee that her aunt would not be displeased with her and her daughter.
I came here today to ask for something, so why offend someone before I even open my mouth? Moreover, if I open my mouth about this matter, I will offend my aunt.
Xue's expression changed slightly, but she didn't say anything else. She just followed Madam Qi to the Peony Courtyard.
As soon as the two entered the room, they smelled a strong smell of medicine. Xue immediately saw Lu Danruo leaning on the couch with a particularly bad complexion.
Her face changed, and she said to Cen with some worry, "What happened? Did Danruo fall or get hurt somewhere? Why does she look so bad?"
Cen Yueying bowed to her aunt, then walked forward and sat next to Lu Danruo, her eyes full of concern.
Cen sighed and told what happened yesterday without hiding anything.
Xue had heard about her sister-in-law taking Lu Danruo to the Dingguo Mansion for a flower viewing banquet, but she hadn't thought much of it, thinking her niece's personality wouldn't necessarily catch Old Lady Yin's eye. Now, she learned that Old Lady Yin had long been interested in her niece and had even gifted her a valuable jade bracelet at the flower viewing banquet. However, as soon as the banquet was over, rumors of the monk's fortune-telling spread like wildfire, and she had a scene with He Shi, the second wife, back at the mansion. The old lady was partial to her niece and punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall.
After hearing these words, Xue's heart sank. Was her aunt's situation in the Duke's Mansion really so difficult? She couldn't even protect the marriage that was supposed to be her daughter's?
"The Duke didn't even speak up for my aunt in front of the old lady? After all, Danruo is the Duke's biological daughter. Isn't it a good thing for her to marry Pei An?"
"The monks' predictions aren't necessarily trustworthy. A gentleman shouldn't talk about the supernatural. If we all believed such nonsense, would we, the noble families, have so many concerns about marrying each other? I think someone is just jealous of our two families marrying, so they're spreading these rumors to try to get Old Madam Yin to give up the idea. Who knows, maybe it was really your sister-in-law who started it, and your mother-in-law is so biased that she didn't punish her, but instead punished you and your daughter."
Mrs. Cen was also distressed. After hearing what her sister-in-law said, she also complained: "I only have Danru as my child. If I had a son, who would dare to bully me like this?"
Xue knew that the Duke didn't come to her aunt's place often, and her aunt herself was not so lucky. She hadn't been pregnant for years, so she didn't know how to respond to this.
Cen didn't bring up the matter again and changed the subject, saying, "Sister-in-law, is there something important that brought you here today? Is mother okay? There have been so many things going on in the mansion these days that I couldn't take care of her myself, so I didn't go back home to visit her. That's my fault."
Xue listened to Cen's words, and a look of difficulty appeared between her eyebrows. After hesitating for a moment, she sighed and said, "I know that my aunt has her own difficulties, but the family is not at peace right now. My mother-in-law has been in poor health since her last illness. She has to take medicine all day long, and the maids and servants have to look after her every day. With such expenses every day, the public funds are a bit tight. But I think that if this family suffers, no one can afford to lose the money for the old lady's medicine. I have no choice but to go back to my parents' home to ask for help. However, this is not a long-term solution."
After Xue said this, how could Cen not tell that this person came to ask for money?
Mrs. Cen was furious. Just because her mother was ill, could she eat up all the money in the Cen family?
Besides, as she was a married lady, it was her duty to help out, but Xue, her sister-in-law, could not speak to her like that with a clear conscience.
But when she thought about how her mother ended up in this situation because she offended Cui Lingyan that day in order to vent her anger for her, she felt a little bit sorry for her. She didn't want to cause a rift between her and her sister-in-law Xue for a little money, and then have her act sarcastic in front of her mother.
Thinking of this, Cen asked Madam Qi to take a sandalwood carved box from under the dressing table, and handed it to Xue.
"Take these, sister-in-law. Even if mother's health is not good, we, the younger generation, won't bother with such a small amount of medicine money."
Xue pretended to refuse for a few moments, but ultimately accepted the box. Then, she explained, "It wouldn't have been that difficult originally. It's just that the old master, ever since he lost face, has become desperate and sent the young servant away. He's spending so much more money on people than before. I'm afraid you don't know that the old master secretly had some of my mother-in-law's dowry sold for money. We younger generations found out about this but didn't dare tell my mother-in-law, fearing she'd be furious and even worse off."
"After thinking about it, I can only ask someone to watch over it while I come to my aunt to ask for this. After all, we are family relatives. My mother-in-law has also subsidized my aunt a lot in the past to help her get a foothold in the Duke's Mansion. Helping each other is what family means."
When Lu Danruo heard what her aunt said, she felt disgusted and wanted to drive her aunt Xue out of Mudan Courtyard.
If it weren't for her grandfather's scandal, her marriage wouldn't have been so difficult. That's why her mother thought of marrying her to Pei An.
Now she has made a fool of herself. It would be fine if the marriage failed, but if she cannot enter the Duke Dingguo's Mansion and instead lets her cousin Lu Danyan in, that would be a joke. She wonders how those people outside will secretly plot against her, the legitimate daughter of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
Lu Danruo had something on his mind, so he suppressed the disgust in his eyes and responded to Cen Yuexi's words in a perfunctory manner.
Cen Yuexi naturally heard her perfunctory response and a look of embarrassment appeared on her face. When Mrs. Xue noticed this, she saw that her daughter looked a little off, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
Cen Yuexian shook her head. "Nothing much. I just feel that the Second Madam is too bullying, and the Old Madam is partial. It's clearly my aunt and cousin Danruo who have been wronged, so why did she punish my cousin by making her kneel in the ancestral hall for an hour?"
"I haven't seen you for a while. You've lost a lot of weight."
Xue also felt deeply saddened by this, but the Cen family couldn't help now, and as an outsider, she couldn't say anything.
She changed the subject and asked Cen, "Aunt, why didn't Sister-in-law Cui come over when Danruo was punished? Did you talk to Cui privately about the matter I discussed with you last time?"
Upon hearing this, Cen frowned and said angrily, "How could this daughter-in-law take me, her mother-in-law, seriously? I don't have the nerve to bring this up. If it gets out, it will only make me a laughing stock in the mansion."
"If sister-in-law really has this idea, why don't I call Cui over and ask her herself."
"But I have to say something you may not like to hear. Cui is not the kind of person you think she is. She doesn't necessarily care that much about her brother. She might even harbor resentment towards Qi because of her partiality. If you ask me, you should just give up on this thought. Cui grew up in the Qi family, but you've heard that on the day Cui Lingyin returned home, she found an excuse not to attend the return banquet. It's clear that she doesn't take her maternal family seriously. With someone like that, you won't get the slightest advantage even if you have anything to do with her. Isn't that reasonable, sister-in-law?"
Cen then talked about several other things, all of which talked about how cold-hearted and heartless Cui Lingyan was. Xue had no choice but to give up her original thoughts and began to feel a bit disgusted and angry towards Cui Lingyan.
"This daughter-in-law of the Cui family is truly rare in the world. Now she doesn't even take you seriously. Once she gets pregnant and gives birth to a child, I'm afraid she will be even more arrogant and will not even look down on you, her mother-in-law. She might even bully Danruo, her younger sister-in-law, and even interfere in her marriage because of the offense she caused her in the past."
Xue said earnestly, "Aunt, you'd better be on guard early. If Cui doesn't get pregnant, her arrogance will subside, and the old lady will probably be dissatisfied with her. Then she will know the seriousness of the matter and won't dare to offend you, her mother-in-law."
How could Cen not understand the meaning of these words? However, Cui Lingyan now lived between Wutong Courtyard and Songxue Hall, and Lu Bingzhi accompanied her every day. Not to mention that she had no chance to take action, even if she had the chance, she would not dare to have such an idea.
If Lu Bingzhi found out, given his stepson's personality, it would be a disaster for them.
Cen said, "Lu Bingzhi was poisoned before, so his health must have been affected. I don't believe Cui could get pregnant so soon. She definitely isn't that lucky."
Xue knew that her sister-in-law was timid now and would not dare to attack Cui Lingyan, so she did not say anything else. She sat for a while and then left with her daughter Cen Yuexi.
It was not until they left the mansion and sat in the carriage that Xue opened the sandalwood box. Inside was a total of five thousand taels of silver notes, and underneath was a layer of small change.
Five thousand taels was not a small amount, but Xue Shi felt that after all these years of managing the Duke's household, how could she only be able to give out this much? These five thousand taels were simply a way to get rid of her, treating her like one of those poor relatives who came to ask for money.
Her face looked a little grim. Cen Yueying, watching from the side, advised, "That's not too much. Auntie's situation in the Duke's Mansion isn't good either."
Xue glared at her and said unhappily, "You think about them, mother and daughter, but you never see Danruo give you a good face. She used to pretend, but now that she sees that our Cen family has a bad reputation in the capital, she probably feels that our family has dragged down the reputation of her, a legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion, and she wishes she would never see us relatives again."
Pointing to the sandalwood box in her hand, Mrs. Xue said, "Your grandmother offended Mrs. Cui because of her, causing the Crown Prince to take action. This ruined the reputation of our Cen family and caused your brother's engagement to be broken off by the Jiang family. Let alone just five thousand taels, even ten thousand or twenty thousand taels cannot compensate for your brother's loss."
"The matter with Cui Shenbo doesn't seem to be reliable now. Mother will find a good marriage for you. After all, you are not the only one who is worried about marriage. Look at Danruo, she is the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Weiguo. Isn't she also worried about marriage? She wants to marry Pei An but can't get what she wants. I really don't know where the monk got the words of fortune-telling. I would like to see Danruo marry into the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion. Then, our Cen family will be able to benefit from it. It won't be like now, where we have a lady who is the wife of a Duke, but she can't get any benefits at all and can only get this silver."
"In the final analysis, it's all because your aunt is useless. She didn't even give birth to a son for the Lu family. Otherwise, how could she end up in such a situation? Even Cui, the newly married daughter-in-law, doesn't take her seriously. You see, this is just the beginning. If Cui is lucky enough to get pregnant soon, your aunt's hard times are still to come."
The carriage slowly drove out of the alley of the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion and headed towards the Cen Mansion.
Qingdeyuan
Madam Dou heard that Xue had come and was leaving. She sighed softly and said, "She must be here for no good reason. I hope she doesn't try to instigate that Miss Cen to do anything."
"Ms. Cen is easily deceived and not very smart, so he is easily fooled."
As Madam Dou spoke, she instructed Nanny Sun, "Send someone to find out what Xue said when she came here today."
Nanny Sun took the order and went down to make arrangements.
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