Chapter 149 Cui Lingyan smiled and covered his mouth with her hand
Cui Lingyan quickly fell asleep on the soft couch. Even in her dreams, she could smell the familiar aroma of Canaan, which made her feel incredibly at ease in this wing of Qingdeyuan. She didn't know how long she slept before she heard voices outside and finally opened her eyes.
She glanced at Lu Bingzhi who was sitting next to her and rubbed her eyes.
Lu Bingzhi put down the scriptures in his hand, reached out and pulled her up, and said softly, "Are you awake? The kitchen staff has just brought the food. Let's go to Grandmother's place."
Cui Lingyan nodded, took the wet handkerchief Birou handed her, wiped her eyes, and then asked, "Prince, you've been staying here the whole time. Why don't you go over and keep Grandmother company?"
Lu Bingzhi chuckled: "Yan'er came to Grandma's place early this morning. Why, Yan'er doesn't want to see me?"
Seeing the smile in his eyes, Cui Lingyan also showed a smile between her eyebrows. She handed the handkerchief to Birou and whispered to Lu Bingzhi what happened in the morning.
"I'm afraid my wife and second sister will dislike me even less now."
"I don't know why Madam Yin asked me to deliver that apology."
Lu Bingzhi didn't care: "What's the big deal? What do they need to like? As long as Yan'er is liked by me, her husband, that's enough."
Cui Lingyan felt that since he knew she was pregnant, this man had become a little different from before and always said nice things to her.
However, Cui Lingyan did not think there was anything wrong with this. Instead, she enjoyed this kind of closeness.
She smiled and did not continue talking about Cen and Lu Danruo. She followed Lu Bingzhi out of the wing room and went to the main room.
When Madam Dou saw the young couple come in, her demeanor was full of intimacy, and a smile appeared on her face. She stood up from the couch, supported Nanny Sun's arm, and sat down at the dining table. She then asked Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan to sit down, and said to Cui Lingyan with a smile, "You must be hungry after just waking up. Eat more today."
Cui Lingyan nodded somewhat embarrassedly, and looking at the various dishes on the table, she felt her appetite was whetted.
The old lady had her meal here and invited the prince and his wife to join her. The people in the kitchen were very dedicated and every dish was prepared exquisitely.
Aristocratic families pay attention to not talking while eating or sleeping. Seeing the old lady picking up her chopsticks, Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi also quietly accompanied her to eat. After lunch, when the maid cleared the table and served tea to help digestion, they moved to the soft couch and sat down to chat with the old lady.
Lu Bingzhi was a quiet person and rarely spoke much in front of the old lady. Old Lady Dou loved this grandson very much, and his words could make the old lady happy more than any other words.
Cui Lingyan sipped her tea and watched Lu Bingzhi trying to cheer up the old lady, and she was in a particularly good mood.
Just at this moment, a maid came in hurriedly. Seeing Lu Bingzhi there, she looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Madam Dou glanced at her and asked, "What happened? Why are you so anxious to come in and report? You can't even wait a moment?"
Although the old lady asked this, her face showed no displeasure.
The old woman also knew that the old lady was always kind to her subordinates, so she quickly replied, "Reporting to the old lady, yes, it was the eldest lady who asked someone to pack up and take the second young lady back to the Cen family. She is already in the carriage and doesn't look like she will be back in a day or two."
When Madam Dou heard this, the smile disappeared from her eyes. Instead, she showed a hint of sarcasm and said calmly, "Let her take Danruo back to the Cen family. How can I, as her mother-in-law, stop her from returning to her parents' home to fulfill her filial duties?"
"But if Dan hadn't just had a fever and wasn't feeling well, wouldn't she be suffering from all this trouble? I don't know if the Cen family can take good care of her if she goes there. Forget it, let them go."
Madam Dou's two words made the maid who came to report the matter at a loss as to what to do for a moment.
After all, it was just that morning that Old Lady Yin from the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion came to the house and changed the candidate for the marriage from the second daughter Lu Danruo to the eldest daughter Lu Danyan.
Although an apology was offered, the eldest lady and the second young lady could not feel good in their hearts. If they returned to their parents' home at this time, if outsiders heard about this, they would most likely say that the second branch of the Duke's Mansion suppressed the first branch and forced the eldest lady to return to her parents' home. Not only that, they would also say that the old lady, as a mother-in-law, was too partial.
As the saying goes, people's words are scary. In her opinion, it is better to send someone to bring back the eldest lady, Cen, than to let people talk about her.
Although the old woman didn't say this, Mrs. Dou looked at her expression and didn't know what she was thinking. She took a sip of tea slowly and said coldly, "Hasn't our Weiguo Mansion been criticized enough? Let outsiders say what they want. If Cen feels comfortable staying at her parents' home, she can stay as long as she wants. This will prevent her from feeling that she and Danruo have suffered great injustice in our Weiguo Mansion."
"Okay, you can go down." Old Madam Dou put down the teacup in her hand and waved to the old woman.
The old woman didn't dare to say anything more. She glanced at the impassive Crown Prince Lu Bingzhi and Young Madam Cui Lingyan, who sat there. It was clear that neither of them cared much about the First Madam bringing the Second Young Lady back to the Cen household. For a moment, she could only sigh softly, wondering why the First Madam had gone to all this trouble, thinking she could embarrass the Old Madam by returning to her parents' home. In reality, no one in the Duke's Mansion truly cared about the First Madam's fate.
Just as the old lady said, even if the eldest lady was willing to live in the Cen family with the second girl, the old lady would not mind and would just let the eldest lady go.
I’m afraid that if I go back to the Cen family at this time, I’ll be unwelcome when I return to the Duke’s Mansion.
She had a friendly relationship with Madam Qi, who served as the assistant to Madam Cen. It was Madam Qi who had asked her to come and report back to the old lady, to see how she felt about the matter. Her visit had given her a clear understanding of the situation within the mansion. Madam Cen, the eldest daughter-in-law, was clearly not favored by the old lady. It seemed she would be wise to distance herself from the old lady and Madam Qi, lest she lose face because of the old lady.
Thinking of this, she answered yes, bowed, turned around and walked away.
Mrs. Dou's mood was affected by this incident, and the atmosphere in the room was a little depressing, not as warm as before.
She forced a smile and said to Lu Bingzhi, "You and Yan girl should go back. I'm a little tired and need to take a nap."
Lu Bingzhi nodded, stood up and said goodbye to Cui Lingyan.
Seeing the two leave, Old Lady Dou's face darkened, and she said with disappointment, "It's a pity that my daughter-in-law, Yan, kept it a secret, afraid that she would tell about the Peony Courtyard and anger me, her grandmother. Cen has been the Duke's wife for so many years, and none of the younger generation understands these principles. As soon as Old Lady Yin left, she took Danruo back to her parents' home. She doesn't care about the reputation of our Weiguo Mansion at all. She wants outsiders to say that the first and second branches of our mansion have a rift because of the marriage with the Dingguo Mansion."
Nanny Sun tried to offer some words of comfort, but Madam Dou waved her off, "Alright, help me in and let me rest for a while. It's not that I don't understand, but it's precisely because I understand Cen's feelings that I feel disappointed."
Nanny Sun also knew that the old lady was extremely disappointed with the first lady. Fortunately, the prince and the young lady were both sensible and filial, which could give the old lady some comfort.
Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi left the Qingde Courtyard and asked with some concern, "Why didn't you stay and comfort Grandmother?"
She can go back alone.
Lu Bingzhi smiled and said, "Grandma isn't that fragile. Her anger fades quickly. Cen's temper is like that. If Grandma had argued with her about everything, she would have already gotten herself into trouble."
"A few years ago, she was more restrained and wanted to please Grandma, but lately, she has even stopped pretending and has become even more erratic. To call her stupid is no exaggeration."
Cui Lingyan thought that the so-called recent times were probably after she married Lu Bingzhi and became the Crown Prince's wife.
She and her mother-in-law Cen and her sister-in-law Lu Danruo were really incompatible. Fortunately, Lu Bingzhi would be recognized as a member of the royal family sooner or later, so she didn't have to worry too much about Cen, her nominal mother-in-law.
Cui Lingyan smiled and covered his mouth with her hand: "Your Highness, please talk to me about this in private. If others hear it, it will be bad for your reputation."
Lu Bingzhi smiled softly and took her hand in his, holding it in his palm. He said nonchalantly, "Yan'er is right. If Cen heard this, she would probably be furious and accuse me of being an unfilial and unruly stepson."
Cui Lingyan knew that he disliked Cen and Lu Danruo, but so what? Cen herself didn't act like an elder, so how could she expect the younger generations to give in to her in everything and cover up for her so as not to ruin her reputation?
If Cen really regarded herself as the daughter-in-law of the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion, and thought about the reputation of the Duke's Mansion, she would not have brought the still sick Lu Danruo back to the Cen family even if she was angry today.
When the mother and daughter left and returned to the Cen family, there was no guarantee that there would not be rumors. The Cen family would not have failed to think of this, so it was obvious that they did it on purpose.
With this in mind, Cui Lingyan stopped talking about the matter and instead changed the subject, saying with a smile, "If you have time now, my Lord, please walk with me in the garden. I just slept for a while and had lunch, so I need to digest it."
Since she was interested, Lu Bingzhi naturally would not refuse. He took her hand and walked towards the garden.
......
The news that the eldest lady Cen took the second daughter Lu Danruo to pack up her things and return to the Cen family soon spread in the Weiguo Mansion. Everyone was talking about it, and when they thought about why the old lady Yin from the Dingguo Mansion came to visit today, they sighed even more.
After all, the eldest lady is the eldest daughter-in-law of the eldest son's family. It would be strange if the eldest lady felt good about it when her daughter's good marriage was taken away by the girl from the second house.
Everyone was also aware of the fortune-telling by the high monk outside. The decision to change the marriage candidate to the eldest daughter, Lu Danyan, was actually for the benefit of the second daughter. However, knowing it was one thing, but now that the eldest lady had taken the second daughter back to her parents' home, the eldest daughter was about to match her horoscopes with Pei An, exchange a marriage certificate, and become a sister-in-law to Princess Chun'an. With such a great benefit, the second house was in the spotlight this time, which naturally made the eldest lady and the second daughter look a little weak, which made people sigh and sympathize.
Although the rules in the Duke's Mansion were strict, there were many people with many opinions, and some unpleasant words still spread and reached the ears of the Second Madam, Mrs. He.
After hearing the maid's report, He frowned and waved the maid away. Then, with a sullen face, she said to her daughter, Lu Danyan, "Your aunt really doesn't consider the family at all. She's afraid that others won't know about the rift between our two families."
"If you ask me, why should she be so aggrieved? Danruo and Pei'an didn't exchange engagement letters, and the monk said their horoscopes were incompatible. Old Madam Yin came to continue the marriage between the two families, but she changed the candidate to you, Yan'er. It's not like you stole Danruo's marriage. Your aunt saw that Danruo couldn't get this marriage, and she couldn't bear to see you marry into the Duke of Dingguo's mansion in such a glorious way."
"If Madam Yin had chosen a girl from another family, your aunt would have been making a fuss today. How can my Yan'er be inferior to Lu Danruo?"
As He spoke, she patted the back of Lu Danyan's hand and said softly, "Don't take the gossip outside to heart. Reputation is important in a noble family, but getting tangible benefits is the real thing. Otherwise, you're thinking about others, but they don't care about your future. They just want you to be dominated by your cousin your whole life. She was just born into the eldest wife, but so what? Cen is just a concubine. If she had the ability, she would have been born into Princess Shuning's womb and become the Crown Prince's biological sister. That's why no one dared to criticize her spoiled temper and gave in to her in everything."
"She herself doesn't have that kind of luck. Should we, the Second Branch, give in to her and push this respectable marriage aside to fulfill her wishes? Is this the only way to show that we are not obsessed with this marriage with the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion? Why should we avoid the First Branch like this?"
Lu Danyan nodded after hearing her mother's words. "Don't worry, mother. They were just some harmless words. As you said, the real thing is to get benefits. If we think about it this way, grandma must also feel that it's unreasonable for my aunt to vent her anger on me. Otherwise, why didn't grandma stop her and let my aunt take my second sister back to the Cen family?"
She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "I heard that Concubine Wei has always been by Pei An's side, and Sister Yi in the mansion was also raised by Old Madam Yin. Do you think Concubine Wei is particularly respectable in front of Pei An and treats her differently from others?"
When Mrs. He heard her daughter say this, she knew how worried she was.
She shook her head: "Of course there is some respectability, but it's not necessarily more. Otherwise, based on Pei An's reputation as a wife killer, even if he wanted to make Concubine Wei his legal wife, as long as Pei An made up his mind, I'm afraid even Old Lady Yin would have to let him go."
"Since he has no such intention and has agreed to have Old Lady Yin hold a flower-viewing banquet to select a marriage partner, this proves that even if he treats Concubine Wei differently, he doesn't really value a concubine that much. He just treats her as a toy like everyone else. Even if there is affection between you and you have a child, he will never really take it seriously in his heart. You don't have to do anything with Concubine Wei after you marry her. She just gave birth to a girl. Treat her well and you will gain a good reputation. Pei An will be more satisfied with you as his wife with this in mind."
He thought for a moment and then said, "After you two have matched your horoscopes, I will go to the temple to get a peace amulet for you, Yan'er, and add some incense money. The Buddha will surely bless you to enter the Duke Dingguo Mansion safely."
Lu Danyan nodded in agreement to her mother's comfort. She had no objection to marrying Pei An. Before, Pei An was traveling abroad, so the girls in the capital had not thought about him. Now that Pei An has returned to the capital after traveling, many girls are willing to take the risk and marry him.
Now, after the monk's prediction, the best candidate with status comparable to Pei An was her, the legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Duke of Wei's mansion. Therefore, this marriage was destined to fall on her, and it wasn't that she had snatched her second sister's marriage away. No matter what outsiders said, or what her aunt and second sister thought, she didn't feel guilty.
Seeing her daughter so sensible and understanding, He was only happy in her heart. She did not take the incident caused by Cen to heart. She only urged Lu Danyan, "You should also spend more time with your sister-in-law. When you marry into the Dingguo Mansion in the future, you will be sisters-in-law to Princess Chun'an. I heard that the princess is willing to give your cousin some face. It is always good for you to spend more time together."
Lu Danyan knew that when Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi just got married, they went to the palace to pay their respects to Princess Chun'an, and the princess was very fond of Cui Lingyan. Not to mention, Princess Chun'an also asked Cui Lingyan to accompany her at the birthday banquet of the old lady of Duke Dingguo, and treated Cui Lingyan with special care, so she nodded in agreement after hearing what her mother said.
Dingguo Gongfu
When Old Lady Yin woke up from her nap, she heard that Cen had taken Lu Danruo back to her parents' home.
She scoffed lightly and said sarcastically, "If you didn't know, you'd think she was some humble woman. Why did Old Madam Dou ask the Duke of Wei to remarry Cen? This shameful act is truly a laughing stock. It's causing people to gossip about our Duke Ding's mansion! What bad luck!"
When Nanny Qin heard her words, she knew that the old lady felt that the Cen mother and daughter were too tactless. As an elder, she had come to the door to offer apology and even said that she would give a gift as an addition to Lu Danruo's dowry when she got married. This was already enough and gave enough face to Cen and Lu Danruo. Cen's making a fuss was also an insult to the old lady.
Nanny Qin thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "I heard that the Crown Prince's wife sent an apology on your behalf, and Cen was upset and even mocked Cui. People say that Cen and Cui have a bad relationship, and that the Crown Prince, to protect Cui, even exposed the scandal between the old man of the Cen family and that young prostitute. Why did the old lady choose Cui to deliver the apology today?"
Isn't this just adding fuel to the fire? If it were someone else, even if she was the confidant, she would only hear some unpleasant words, and perhaps it wouldn't have turned into such a mess.
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