Chapter 148: Joke "Bingzhi, this kid has a wife and has forgotten his grandmother,...
After Cen's accusation, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became extremely tense.
Nanny Qi wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere and speak a few words to defend her own lady, but her lady really lost her mind. Even if she was unhappy that Old Lady Yin changed the candidate to the eldest daughter Lu Danyan, she should not take her anger out on the young lady.
The young lady is not the type to be submissive and allow her mother-in-law to harass her and vent her anger on her.
Before Madam Qi could say anything, Cui Lingyan glanced at Lu Danruo, who was leaning against the couch, and said calmly, "Madam, you're joking. How could I refuse an elder like Madam Yin? I've already sent my apology. Madam, please forgive me for misunderstanding me. I'll take my leave now."
After Cui Lingyan said this, she bowed slightly to Cen and walked straight out.
Mrs. Cen knew that what she said was inappropriate, but Cui Lingyan could have come at any other time, but she had to come here specifically to offer this apology. How could she think well of her daughter-in-law?
However, she did not expect that Cui was so angry that she could not even stand this little bit of grievance and just said goodbye and left. How could she take her, her mother-in-law, seriously?
Moreover, listening to her words just now, she kept calling her Madam, and she didn't even call her mother-in-law.
"Stop!" Cen's anger grew deeper, and she sternly shouted at Cui Lingyan as she walked out, "Is this the proper etiquette and filial piety of a daughter-in-law? I'm your mother-in-law, and even if some of my words offend you, as a junior, you should accept them."
"As your mother-in-law, I'm picking on your faults because you, your daughter-in-law, haven't done enough. Don't forget, you're the eldest daughter-in-law. If you're being disloyal, you're not afraid of being laughed at! Danruo is your proper sister-in-law! You two sisters-in-law should get along well, not be close to the girls from the second house."
Cui Lingyan paused, but didn't turn around. She simply said, "Whatever Madam says is fine. Since Madam has so many reasons, you should be grateful for Madam Yin's apology. Why are you so angry? I dare not refuse a gift from an elder, let alone an apology from an elder."
"Madam, you should be thankful that your second sister didn't marry into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. Otherwise, if your second sister had inherited your personality, I don't know whether she would have become a relative or an enemy of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."
After leaving these words, Cui Lingyan walked out of the house, not paying any attention to Cen's increasingly ugly expression.
Nanny Sun also put down the tea in her hand, looked deeply at Cen and Lu Danruo, and without saying anything extra, hurriedly caught up with them.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room became increasingly solemn.
Madam Qi said worriedly, "What should we do? I know Madam is upset, but how can you take it out on the Young Madam? Don't you know how much the Old Madam and the Crown Prince like the Young Madam? If you take it out on them, it will only make you a laughing stock and make your and the young lady's situation in the mansion even more difficult. Even if you are right, you will be wrong."
Cen's pupils shrank slightly, but she still said angrily, "The bottom line is that Danruo and I have no one to rely on. I'm not capable of giving birth to a son for the Duke, and Danruo isn't as pleasing to the old lady as her cousin or Cui. So, we have to swallow all the grievances, right?"
"You said I, as a mother-in-law, took my anger out on Cui, but you didn't even look at how Cui treated me, her mother-in-law. Did she have any respect for me? Listen to what she said before she left. That was her true feelings. If the prince really doesn't respect me as his stepmother, how can a daughter-in-law take me, his mother-in-law, seriously?"
Cen's words implied that Lu Bingzhi, her stepson, was unfilial. Madam Qi's heart skipped a beat, and she wanted to rush forward to silence her mistress. She quickly said, "Don't say this lightly. If word gets to the old lady and the prince, it will only erode their affection. If you don't think about yourself and the second young lady, think about the Cen family, too. The old lady is still ill from what happened before. If it weren't for the difficulties at the mansion, my uncle wouldn't have had the nerve to ask you for five thousand taels of silver yesterday."
As Aunt Qi spoke, she glanced at the second young lady, Lu Danruo, whose face was equally pale and ugly. She did not continue speaking, but instead looked at the sandalwood box on the table and asked, "Madam, this apology from Old Lady Yin..."
Before she even finished her words, Cen spoke with a hint of disdain, "Throw it as far as you can. Don't leave it in my room as an eyesore. Do you think Danruo and I are so short-sighted that we'd appreciate the small apology she offered the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion? She gave Danruo the jade bracelet in front of everyone to show her desire for marriage. The bracelet isn't even warm yet, and she wants to change the person, let Lu Danyan enter the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion. Isn't this a deliberate slap in the face of Danruo and me?"
"If she truly felt sorry, even if her marriage to Danruo didn't work out, she definitely shouldn't have chosen Lu Danyan. She should have chosen a girl from another family's second branch. She's sending me this apology, using her status as an elder to force me to swallow my anger. This isn't an apology at all; it's clearly a slap in the face followed by a sweet treat."
"That Pei An is such a bastard and has no rules. He keeps saying that he's thinking about Dan Ruo and doesn't want her to end up like her two previous fiancées, but has he ever considered Dan Ruo's reputation and situation? He wants to gain fame and disgust Dan Ruo and me. I think he's destined to be a wife-killer for the rest of his life. Whoever marries him will die, and the whole family will be unlucky!"
Cen was so angry that she spoke without any scruples, but she saw Madam Qi's face change, and there was a bit of panic in her eyes as she walked quickly towards Lu Danruo. When Cen turned around, she saw that her daughter's face was pale, with big beads of sweat falling from her forehead, and her breathing was very rapid.
Cen's face changed and she stopped cursing. She hurriedly asked someone to prepare an ice towel to wipe her daughter's forehead. At the same time, she used her hand to stroke Lu Danruo's back and comforted her not to be too angry. It didn't matter if she didn't want to marry him from the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion. She would think of ways to find a better one for her daughter.
If Lu Danyan marries him, she might not have a good ending, so she might as well consider it as a way to ward off disaster for her daughter.
It took a while for Lu Danruo to recover and her breathing returned to normal, but her clothes were soaked with sweat and her face was pale. She said with difficulty, "Mother, I don't want to stay in the Duke's Mansion anymore. Let's go back to the Cen family and stay for a while. Anyway, no one in this mansion likes us mother and daughter."
Mrs. Cen was stunned, somewhat surprised that her daughter would say such a thing. Her daughter had always been proud of her status as the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wei's family, and she had an unconcealable sense of superiority in front of Cen Yuexi. Furthermore, given the scandal that had occurred in the Cen family, given her daughter's personality, she would have been too eager to hide. Why would she suggest returning to her maternal grandparents' home to stay for a while?
Could it be that he was so devastated by the change of marriage partner that he said something so uncharacteristic of his usual temperament?
Cen was about to say a few words of comfort when Lu Danruo tugged at her sleeve, her voice a little hoarse, "We didn't return to the Cen family of our own accord. We were forced to go back. People sympathize with the weak. Regardless of whether it was due to the monk's prediction or not, my marriage was snatched away by my cousin. She wants to marry into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion without damaging her reputation. Is she dreaming? I'm going to make it known to everyone in the capital, saying that we were bullied by the second branch of the family and can't even stay in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion anymore."
"As for Cui, she's a traitor who's been making fun of us mother and daughter. It's time for people to see her character. Just look at the upbringing of the girls from the Ningshou Marquis's mansion."
Cen was still a little hesitant. She hadn't been back to her parents' home for long since marrying into the Duke of Wei's mansion. If she were to return home with her daughter in such a state of disgrace, her parents might not welcome her.
Not to mention, if she left with her daughter, her mother-in-law would probably dislike her even more. Leaving was easy, but wouldn't it be even more shameful to come back?
She didn't expect the Duke to go to the Cen family in person to bring her back.
Mrs. Cen hesitated for a moment, and Lu Danruo's voice was filled with impatience: "You are so timid that you don't even dare to let others know that you have been wronged. Who in this mansion still respects you, the Duke's wife? If you and your daughter return to live in the Cen family, and more rumors spread outside, aunt and cousin will definitely be restless. Then, if you make some requests, such as dividing the family property, grandmother may agree."
"Otherwise, with the two branches living together like this, my aunt and the others are taking advantage of our eldest branch and wanting our things. How can they disrespect you, their sister-in-law? And Cui is also biased towards outsiders. As long as the family is divided, the second branch will be relatives. Besides my grandmother, Cui is the only elder relative. When the time comes, can she really ignore the gossip of outsiders and disrespect you, her mother-in-law?"
"Now that everything we do is wrong, we might as well retreat in order to advance. After all, we mother and daughter have suffered a great injustice this time, and this marriage was snatched away by my cousin. Grandma can't always favor the second branch, right?"
After hearing what the second young lady said, Madam Qi quickly advised, "This, this is unacceptable. How can one live in one's own family instead of one's husband's? Madam, if you take the second young lady back to the Cen family at this critical moment, it will be difficult to explain to the old lady."
When Cen heard the word "explain," her face darkened and she immediately made up her mind: "We, mother and daughter, have suffered such a great injustice. It is the Second House that should give us an explanation. No matter how partial the old lady is, she can't be too biased."
"Go pack your things, I'll take Danruo back to the Cen family to stay for a few days."
Madam Qi was stunned for a moment, and opened her mouth to say something, but Cen scolded her harshly, "Hurry up and go! You don't listen to me, your master, and don't take me, the mistress of the house, seriously? If you don't clean up, I will do it myself!"
Nanny Qi sighed deeply in her heart. Seeing the Madam and the Second Young Miss acting like this, she was afraid that if she asked them to stay in the house, they might get angry and cause some big trouble.
Instead of doing this, it would be better to go back to the Cen family and stay for a few days, and tell others that Madam Mei is not in good health. It would be considered filial piety for Madam, a married lady, to come back and take care of the old lady.
As for the suggestions made by the second young lady, she would persuade Madam in detail when she got to the Cen family. She couldn't let Madam listen to the second young lady's childish words, which would leave her with no way out.
After all, the Madam had no sons, and the Second Miss was becoming increasingly unpopular with the Madam. To put it bluntly, it was the Madam who couldn't leave the Duke of Wei's mansion, not the Duke of Wei's mansion that couldn't leave the Madam and the Second Miss.
Madam must have forgotten that if you make too much trouble, you can divorce your wife, not to mention that the Duke has no feelings for you.
Thinking of this, Nanny Qi went downstairs to clean up.
......
When Nanny Sun chased out, Cui Lingyan was standing at the entrance of the peony courtyard, looking down at the flowers in full bloom in the flowerbed. Nanny Sun was stunned, and seeing Cui Lingyan's calm expression, she said after a long while, "I don't know what's wrong with Madam. It's clearly not the Young Madam's fault, but she insists on taking her anger out on her."
Cui Lingyan's voice was gentle, without a trace of anger. "Perhaps things have gotten out of control one by one. Seeing your daughter's marriage being taken away by the second wife, Madam must be feeling anxious."
"It's alright. Madam has disliked me for a while now. Since we're not meant to be mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, we should just keep our distance from each other. We have to save face after all. We can't blush every time we meet and make a fool of ourselves."
"Mammy, there's no need to tell Grandmother about this. Tell her to be more gentle. It's not good for an old woman to get angry all the time."
Cui Lingyan's words came from the heart. Old Madam Dou was old, and even if she took good care of herself and was in good health, she could not withstand being angry every other day.
Nanny Sun nodded and said, "Young Madam is always considerate of Old Madam. Old Madam is only happy. Don't worry, I will take Old Madam's health into consideration when I reply."
Cui Lingyan nodded and returned to Qingdeyuan with Nanny Sun.
When I returned, Old Madam Yin had just left and the maid was clearing the teacups on the table.
Seeing Cui Lingyan's normal expression, Madam Dou casually said, "Just put the apology aside. Don't go to your mother-in-law's place for the next few days. As for Danruo, she's not feeling well and the imperial physician is there to see her. It's pointless for you, her sister-in-law, to go there. Don't bother going to see her."
Cui Lingyan nodded in agreement. Madam Dou smiled and said, "You must be tired after running back and forth. Go to the side room and rest. I'll ask Bingzhi to come over for lunch and have lunch with you. Then I'll ask Bingzhi to accompany you back."
"Bingzhi has a wife and has forgotten his grandmother. Now he rarely eats with me, his grandmother."
Mrs. Dou's words made Cui Lingyan blush. The old lady waved her hand and said, "Go and rest."
Cui Lingyan bowed and retreated.
Madam Dou then turned her gaze to Nanny Sun and said, "Tell me, how could I not know what kind of personality Cen has? If I didn't know, why would I ask you to accompany Cui?"
"Why, doesn't she even care about the face of me, her mother-in-law, and embarrass Cui in front of you?"
Nanny Sun sighed softly before speaking, "Old Madam is indeed wise. From what I've seen, the First Madam is becoming increasingly uncontrollable."
She didn't elaborate on what happened in the Peony Courtyard, but Old Lady Dou was shrewd enough to guess what happened even without Nanny Sun's explanation. She spoke with a hint of disappointment, "She's feeling guilty, knowing she hasn't built much affection with the people in the mansion in all her years as the Duke's wife. If anyone's to blame, blame her for mistreating Concubine Qiong and Cong'an right after she entered the family, trying to establish rules. Cong'an was still young at the time, and she nearly had her life taken away by her mother-in-law. No matter how much the eldest son treated her with respect, this incident has left a knot in his heart. If he didn't want to continue the trouble, he could have just sent her back to the Cen family with a divorce. She and Bingzhi don't have much of a mother-son bond, and she's embarrassed in front of the eldest son, and she only has Danruo. It was fine before Cui came into the family, but now that she's here, as a mother-in-law, she's been terrified, fearing she'll seize the power of the housekeeper and suppress her."
"Even if Cui Shi didn't have that intention, she herself feels guilty, so how can she expect the younger generation to be well? This time, she wanted Dan Ruo to marry Pei An, and it was obviously for her daughter Dan Ruo. Who doesn't know that she is using her daughter's marriage as a bargaining chip and another support? Now that her plan has failed, it has instead facilitated the marriage between Dan Yan and Pei An. How can she control her temper and not explode?"
Since the old lady knew everything so clearly, Nanny Sun could no longer hide it and told her what had just happened in the Peony Courtyard.
Old Madam Dou was mentally prepared, but still a little angry. When she heard Cui Lingyan ask Nanny Sun to be careful when reporting back, so as not to make her sick with anger, Old Madam Dou felt a little relieved. Her daughter-in-law was unruly, but it was a good thing that her granddaughter-in-law was so sensible and filial.
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Send a message to Bingzhi, asking him to come over for dinner. As for Cen, tell her to calm down and don't bother with her."
Nanny Sun breathed a sigh of relief and sent someone to deliver a message to Songxue Hall.
Not long after, Lu Bingzhi came over.
Madam Dou smiled and talked to him for a while, then said to him, "Your wife is in the side room. Go and keep her company. When lunch is ready, come and have it with me."
Lu Bingzhi agreed and turned to go to the side room.
In the wing room
Cui Lingyan sat on the soft couch. Perhaps because she was pregnant, she felt sleepy after a while. She leaned her chin on the square table with one hand, and her eyelids were a little droopy.
This was the scene Lu Bingzhi saw when he came in. He walked up to her and whispered, "If you're tired, take a nap. Lunch won't be ready for a while. I'll wake you up when someone comes to the kitchen."
As Lu Bingzhi spoke, he took the pillow that was placed against the wall on the couch, obviously not allowing Cui Lingyan to refuse.
Cui Lingyan had no choice but to get on the couch, and after saying a few words to Lu Bingzhi, she fell asleep in a daze.
Lu Bingzhi accompanied her and picked up a Buddhist scripture from the table and started reading.
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