Chapter 152: The good-willed Crown Prince’s wife is so eloquent, no wonder she can…
Cui Lingyan could sense the gazes directed at her and Lu Bingzhi from all directions. She said to Lu Bingzhi, "Prince, please just drop me off here. Let's go to the men's section by the lake. My grandmother is also at the Prince's residence today, so I'll go over there and keep her company."
With Lu Bingzhi's status, there was no need for him to go over and pay his respects to Madam Zhai on such an occasion. After hearing her words, he nodded, turned around and walked straight to the men's banquet by the lake, and only asked the maid Birou to follow Cui Lingyan and serve her.
Cui Lingyan watched him leave, then turned around and saw her grandmother, Mrs. Zhai, waving at her and looking at her with loving eyes.
Although she was estranged from her mother's family, the Ningshou Marquis Mansion, she couldn't show anything in front of outsiders for fear of being laughed at. So when she saw the old lady waving at her, she walked forward slowly, bowed to her grandmother, Madam Zhai, called her "Grandma", and then sat down in front of Madam Zhai.
Madam Zhai explained, "Your mother has been feeling unwell recently, otherwise she would have come today. It's been a while since you've been back to the Marquis' Mansion. If you can spare some time, go back and see your mother."
Madam Zhai lowered her voice when she spoke. She also knew about the bad things done by Madam Qi and Madam Wu. It was no wonder that Cui Lingyan was unhappy. Ever since the Qiu Zhi incident, she had become increasingly alienated from the Ningshou Marquisate and the Qi family. She even found an excuse not to go to the mansion to attend the return banquet when Cui Lingyin came back to her parents' home, which really embarrassed both families.
Meeting in such an occasion, Mrs. Zhai, as an elder, naturally wanted to give some advice, hoping that Cui Lingyan would be more soft-hearted and not take Qiu Zhi's matter to heart.
Madam Qi and Old Lady Wu were wrong, but a man of Lu Bingzhi's status would undoubtedly take a concubine. She didn't believe that in a year or two, the Crown Prince would still treat Yan Yatou the same way he did today. Even a man of Lu Bingzhi's temperament, after experiencing the pleasures of women, couldn't possibly be obsessed with just one person. After all, if Yan Yatou became pregnant, it would be inappropriate not to arrange for someone to attend to Lu Bingzhi, lest he be branded as jealous and intolerant.
Cui Lingyan listened to the old lady's words and said softly, "My mother-in-law and my second sister have returned to their parents' home recently. There are many things to do in the mansion, big and small, and I'm afraid they can't leave. Grandmother is old, and it's not good to trouble her to manage the household affairs. As her granddaughter-in-law, I have to pay more attention to it."
After she said this, Old Lady Zhai was at a loss for words. After all, she knew that Cen had brought Lu Danruo back to the Cen family. While she thought Cen was foolish, she also felt that Yan was fortunate. She hadn't been subject to her mother-in-law's control since she entered the family, nor did she have to set rules in front of Cen. Even at the Duke of Wei's residence, Cen and Lu Danruo had to avoid her.
The more respectable Cui Lingyan was in the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion, the more complicated Madam Zhai felt.
"In that case, you should take care of the Duke of Wei's Mansion first. After all, you are a new bride, you can't go back to your parents' home at this time."
Cui Lingyan nodded: "My granddaughter thinks so too. Thank you for your understanding, Grandma."
Old Master Zhai felt his granddaughter had become a worthy wife of the Crown Prince, and she actually lacked much respect for her grandmother. He couldn't tell whether he felt more joy or sorrow. He simply thought that if he had asked Hui to marry him, perhaps she wouldn't be so alienated from the family today, and she wouldn't have ended up as a lowly concubine to Xiao Ze. On such a joyous day, Hui had to wait for her mistress, Zheng Suining, to arrive, and to serve tea to the Second Prince's wife tomorrow morning.
Cui Lingyan noticed that Madam Zhai's smile froze for a moment, and she understood her dislike for her granddaughter. She also didn't miss the gazes of the other women cast upon her, some envious, some scrutinizing.
She didn't like those stares and glances, but she had long been accustomed to them, so she didn't show any sense of embarrassment or discomfort because of other people's stares.
Just then, a noblewoman wearing a royal blue jacket embroidered with peony flowers set her eyes on Cui Lingyan and said, "Since the Crown Prince's wife is here today, you should go to the inner courtyard to see your cousin. After all, you sisters are family. In the past, you couldn't easily see each other in the palace due to palace rules. Now that the Second Prince is holding his wedding, it would be great if you sisters could visit each other more often and help your cousin more. If word gets out, others will think you are magnanimous."
"Although your cousin had the wrong idea at first, she was clearly the legitimate daughter of a marquisate, but she ended up being a lowly concubine like those maids. I heard that she was even given the same status as the maids who served her in the past. It really makes one feel sympathetic and a little bit unbearable."
Although these words were meant with some good intentions, everyone present could tell that they were clearly directed at Cui Lingyan.
Or perhaps they were targeting Lu Bingzhi, the Prince of Wei. Some recognized the noblewoman, knowing she was a relative of Concubine Shu's maternal family. Attending the Second Prince's wedding banquet today, she naturally disliked Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan.
Nothing can be done to the prince Lu Bingzhi. It's also good that he kindly reminded Cui Lingyan but actually put Cui Lingyan in a dilemma.
Everyone knew that nothing Cui Lingyan said was right at this point. People sympathized with the weak, and since Cui Lingyan was so successful and so highly regarded by Lu Bingzhi, why couldn't she let go of the past and help her cousin Cui Linghui?
After all, although Cui Linghui had done something wrong to her, if Cui Linghui had not wanted to break off the engagement, this marriage would not have fallen on his cousin Cui Lingyan.
Now that Cui Lingyan is so successful, the person she should thank the most is not others, but her cousin Cui Linghui, who is now the concubine of the second prince.
For a moment, the atmosphere was a little tense.
The person who was speaking was a relative of Concubine Shu's maternal family. It was not good to offend them. After all, although the Second Prince had been repeatedly reprimanded by the Emperor for some previous incidents, he was still a prince after all. Who knew that the throne would one day fall to the Second Prince Xiao Ze?
If you offend someone today, you will suffer countless disasters in the future.
Some of the female members of the family were not happy with what they heard and wanted to speak up on Cui Lingyan's behalf, but they were hesitant and swallowed the words back.
Madam Zhai's face was also unhappy. She was about to speak up for Cui Lingyan to brush the matter off, but she heard Cui Lingyan chuckle and said, "You're joking. My cousin is only a concubine. From now on, it's only proper for her to follow the Second Prince's wife. How can you easily leave the Prince's mansion and break etiquette?"
"Besides, today is an auspicious day for the Second Prince's wife to marry. Madam said this at the banquet, and I wonder if the Second Prince's wife will be happy or unhappy after hearing it."
The lady who was speaking was choked by Cui Lingyan's words and didn't know how to defend herself. After all, Cui Lingyan kept talking about rules, which were the rules of the Prince's Mansion. If she said anything more, it would make Concubine Shu and the Second Prince seem unruly.
"The Crown Prince's wife is so eloquent, no wonder she can please the Crown Prince." The lady said this and stopped talking, but her expression was extremely ugly.
Because of this episode, the atmosphere among the female relatives was a little awkward. Fortunately, Cui Lingyan represented the face of the Weiguo Mansion, and she was not the kind of person who would be bullied. With just a few words, she silenced the other person, leaving him speechless, and he did not dare to say anything else.
Old Madam Zhai glanced at her granddaughter who was slowly sipping tea from the teacup, and for a moment she saw some of the aura of a superior person in her.
She was a little stunned and opened her mouth to say something, but in the end she said nothing.
In a courtyard in the northwest corner of the backyard.
Cui Linghui listened to the firecrackers and noise coming from outside, and his face looked lonely and pale.
The new maid Ying'er didn't even dare to breathe when she saw her master's ugly face. Everyone in the mansion knew that with the Second Prince's wife coming in today, her master must be in the worst mood among the three concubines in the backyard.
After all, the mistress is the legitimate daughter of the eldest son of the Ningshou Marquis's family, unlike the other two. Now that the mistress has entered the house, the other party is still the noble lady whom she often met at banquets in the past. Even if they are not familiar with each other, how can it not be embarrassing and ashamed to know that one is noble and the other is humble?
My master is feeling so uncomfortable today. I wonder how uncomfortable I will feel tomorrow morning when I kowtow and serve tea to the Second Prince's wife.
Ying'er advised, "Master, if you feel it's too noisy outside, why don't you let me help you go into the inner room and rest for a while?"
Without being able to hear the noisy banging sounds outside, the master's heart wouldn't be so worried that he would sit here since early morning without saying a word, which made people feel uneasy.
Before Cui Linghui could speak, footsteps were heard outside. It was Yulan who walked in.
Yulan, wearing a light green jacket embroidered with hibiscus flowers, walked slowly in from outside. Looking at her former master Cui Linghui sitting on the soft couch, she smiled gently and said, "Today is the day when the mistress comes to the mansion. You must be feeling uneasy, so I thought I would come and sit with you and talk to you, hoping to comfort you."
As she spoke, she walked over and sat down on the other side of the couch.
Without ordering the maid to serve tea, she just glanced at Cui Linghui and said, "The mansion is really bustling today. I've already sent people to inquire. Prince Lu Bingzhi of the Duke of Wei and his wife have also arrived at the mansion and are attending the banquet in front. If you ask me, why did you refuse to marry Prince Lu? If you hadn't made the right decision, you would be by the prince's side now, the envy of everyone. How could you be like this now, hiding in the backyard and feeling depressed, thinking about how to serve tea to the mistress tomorrow. How can you bow your head in front of the noble ladies of your past circle, and have the dignity to kneel down and serve tea to them?"
Yulan is worthy of being the one who has served Cui Linghui for many years. She knows best which words can hit Cui Linghui's most painful and embarrassing spots.
Sure enough, after she finished speaking, Cui Linghui's already gloomy face became even more gloomy. She tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand, and there was even a bit of distortion and hatred in her eyes.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, Cui Linghui said coldly: "Don't bother telling me these things, Yulan. Today, the Second Prince's wife is coming home. As concubines, do you and I really welcome Zheng into the family? Although you and I are old friends, we don't visit each other often nowadays. If you don't have anything to do in the future, you don't have to come to my place."
This almost meant that Yulan was being rude by coming uninvited.
Hearing her rude words, Yulan covered her mouth with a handkerchief and stood up, saying, "Never mind. I just wanted to tell you that the Crown Prince's wife and Old Lady Zhai are at the banquet right now. If you have any difficulties, you might as well ask someone to talk to Old Lady Zhai and the Crown Prince's wife. Perhaps the Crown Prince's wife and Old Lady can show some sympathy to you. If they can't help you in any other way, they can at least send you some money. It will also save you from the pain of losing weight now. You only have a few sets of clothes to change. Although they look good, most of them were given by Concubine Shu. You can't please the Concubine Shu. Wouldn't it be uncomfortable for you to wear clothes that the Concubine Shu gave you to save the emperor's face? I feel uncomfortable just looking at it. After all, I have seen how glorious you were in the past."
After Yulan finished speaking, she saw Cui Linghui's shoulders shaking uncontrollably due to her anger. She felt relieved and said with a smile, "Well, since you don't welcome me, I won't disturb your peace."
After saying this, Yulan stood up from the couch and walked outside.
After leaving the courtyard, the maid Chuntao followed behind cautiously glanced at her master. After a moment's hesitation, she couldn't help but ask, "Master, why did you bother saying all this to Cui? Although she is now a concubine, she is still the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's mansion. Why did you offend her? With her status, what if she makes a comeback in the future? How will the master deal with it then?"
Chuntao felt that with Cui's status, she might have a chance to rise again. After all, if it weren't for her different status, Concubine Shu wouldn't have disliked her so much, and wouldn't have had to consider her status and the dignity of Her Highness. Even though she hated Cui and wanted to kill her, she had to put on a show.
Yulan glanced back at Cui Linghui's residence, scoffed, and said to Chuntao, "Yes, you also said that her status is different. You are afraid that if she turns over, your master will not have a good ending."
"I've served her for so many years, and you think I don't know her temper."
Chuntao was stunned for a moment, with a look of confusion in her eyes.
There was a hint of hatred in Yulan's eyes. She should have been grateful that Cui Linghui had used Qiu Ning to send her to the prince's bed. At the beginning, she was also like that, grateful but also a little afraid, afraid that if she served the prince, Cui Linghui, the old master, would have a grudge against her. But later, she won the favor of the prince for a while, and Qiu Ning even dressed her up and asked her to serve the prince. Once, when the prince got drunk and got angry, she realized how terrible the second prince was. The whip marks on her body did not fade for half a month. She realized that Qiu Ning agreed to this matter not to flatter her, but it was obvious that Qiu Ning herself did not want to serve the second prince, so she found ways to flatter her. However, the way of flattering made the second prince feel very happy.
Although serving Cui Linghui as the head maid in the Ningshou Marquis's mansion was a life of waiting on others, it was still a respectable life for a head maid at that time. It was all Cui Linghui's own fault for not being content, which ruined her marriage to Master Lu and reduced her to the status of a concubine, making her a laughing stock. It also pushed her into a pit of fire from which she could not escape.
If it weren't for Cui Linghui, she would have been as prosperous as Birou or Bitao by now, instead of being treated like a toy by the Second Prince, who could abuse her at will and even kill her at any moment.
She sneered and explained, "I heard that Cui asked someone to inquire about a prescription to help her conceive. She has a cold constitution, so it's very toxic. Even if it's a prescription to help her conceive, if she takes it lightly, she might ruin her body completely. Even if she gets pregnant, she might not be able to give birth to a healthy child."
"If you ask me, she's just stupid. If she wasn't stupid, why would she deliberately let herself fall into the water and catch a cold, harming herself and me, her servant. I deliberately mentioned Master Lu and Cui Lingyan in front of her to make her jealous. When people are jealous, they will want to take a risk and do things they wouldn't dare to do in normal times. Don't you think that's the truth?"
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