Chapter 165: Change Did he learn something from Cui Shi? ...
After Lu Danruo came out of Xilan Courtyard, she thought of her grandmother, Old Madam Dou's distant and disappointed attitude towards her, and closed her eyes uncomfortably.
"Girl, let's go back quickly." Don't let others laugh at you outside.
The maid didn't dare to say this, but Lu Danruo knew exactly what she meant.
At that moment, her face grew even colder. She opened her eyes, glanced back at Xilanyuan, and then said gravely, "What's the point of going back? I've been staying at my grandparents' house for quite some time, and I miss my cousin. Why don't I go over to her place and have a seat? I'll be having lunch there soon."
The maid was stunned when she heard this, not knowing whether she was speaking in anger or truth.
She felt that the girl's temperament was becoming more and more difficult to understand. She was really saying what she meant. Why was she going to the eldest girl instead of staying quietly in her own yard? Wasn't she embarrassed?
Hadn't the eldest daughter and the second wife heard all the rumors going around? How awkward it would be to dine together again. Wouldn't it be unpleasant for their daughter to cause trouble for others? Or was the daughter so enraged by the old lady's words that she was determined to cause a scene?
The maid opened her mouth to try to persuade her, but Lu Danruo went straight to the courtyard where Lu Danyan lived without waiting for her to speak.
She met many maids and old women along the way. When they saw that she was going to the eldest girl, they could not hide their surprise and confusion in their eyes.
After she walked away a little, they couldn't help but start talking.
"Why did the second young lady go to the eldest young lady's place right after returning home? I hope the two sisters don't start a fight. If the news gets out, I don't know what people will say. Those people outside who are waiting to see the fun will talk about it for days."
"How can we possibly guess what the Master is thinking? Even if there's resentment in her heart, she'll probably pretend to be close cousins on the surface. Perhaps she's deliberately showing this attitude for the Madam to see. I wonder what the Madam would think if she knew?"
"Be careful with your words! Stop discussing the master's affairs. We servants have no right to discuss them. We can't even take care of our own affairs."
Lu Danruo didn't need to guess, she could imagine how the maids and servants behind her were plotting against her.
She couldn't see the scrutiny and sympathy in their eyes when they looked at her just now. She didn't know how her second aunt managed the household expenses. And Cui Shi was not strict with her subordinates, and she actually allowed these lowly servants to talk about their master's affairs.
It was obvious that when my mother was in charge of the household, the rules in the mansion were not like this.
Or was it that they didn't dare to talk about it before, but now that they saw that she and her mother had lost their power, they dared to act presumptuously and didn't care about the dignity of her as their master?
The more Lu Danruo thought about it, the more upset he felt. He quickened his pace and soon arrived at the yard where Lu Danyan lived.
As soon as he stepped into the yard, the two maids standing in the corridor immediately looked surprised. One of them forced a smile and stepped forward to greet Lu Danruo, while the other one opened the curtain and reported to her mistress about Lu Danruo's coming.
In the house
Lu Danyan was sitting on the couch looking at her dowry list. When she heard the maid's report and knew that Lu Danruo was coming, she was surprised for a moment and then returned to her normal expression and looked towards the door.
Soon, the curtain was opened and Lu Danruo walked in from outside.
When they looked into each other's eyes, the affection and closeness between the cousins no longer existed.
Lu Danyan spoke first, "Sister, why are you back today? I thought you'd come back home with Auntie in a few days. After all, there are so many rumors out there, and it would be embarrassing for Uncle or the family if they didn't go to the Cen family to pick you up."
Lu Danruo didn't expect that before she blamed Lu Danyan for snatching her marriage, Lu Danyan dared to say these words. In addition, Lu Danyan usually looked well-educated and well-mannered, so she would never be so sharp-tongued and unforgiving.
So when Lu Danruo heard this, he was stunned at first, then his face turned blue and red, and he was so angry that his body was shaking.
She pointed at Lu Danyan and said, "You, how dare you..."
Lu Danyan's eyes were filled with sarcasm as she said to Lu Danruo, "Why not? Are you only allowed to take your anger out on me because your marriage hasn't been successful? If I, your cousin, don't give in to you, you'll feel like I owe you something. Those rumors outside haven't died down for days. Do you think I'm a piece of clay who can only swallow my anger?"
Lu Danruo and Lu Danyan grew up together and had never seen their cousin like this. She was speechless after hearing her words. After a while, she angrily said, "Even if Pei An and I can't get married because of our horoscope, Old Lady Yin originally liked me. If my cousin wants to get married, she should avoid the Duke Dingguo's Mansion and Pei An. Why does she have to marry Pei An?"
Lu Danyan laughed when she heard her say this, with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes: "Why, if it were my sister, she would think for me and would rather choose someone with a lower family background, not as good as Pei An to marry? I don't believe that my cousin will be so kind. I'm afraid that at that time, I will be thankful that my cousin doesn't show off to me and irritate me. Don't you think it's ridiculous for my cousin to ask me to do something she can't do herself? I don't think I've snatched your marriage away. If you act like this, no one in this world will have to discuss marriage, so as to avoid ruining your reputation and causing unrest in the family and quarrels between sisters."
Lu Danyan almost said that Lu Danruo was narrow-minded and couldn't bear to see her get such a good marriage, so she had to find a way to ruin her reputation.
Lu Danruo was so angry that her shoulders were shaking. She couldn't help but say, "Do you think you will have a good life if you marry Pei An? Don't forget that Princess Chun'an hasn't been pregnant for so many years. If the princess's belly still doesn't move, the son you give birth to will definitely be adopted into the eldest son's family and call Princess Chun'an his mother. By then, do you think you can get along with Princess Chun'an and her sisters-in-law? You snatched this marriage, and it may not end well!"
Lu Danruo was so angry that he spoke without thinking and said everything that was on his mind.
Just as he finished speaking, a familiar yet somewhat cold voice came from outside: "Really? Then there's no need for Danruo to worry about your cousin."
The person who came in from outside was He with a frosty face.
When He heard that Lu Danruo did not return to her own courtyard after coming out of the old lady's place but came to her daughter's place, she felt a little uneasy and hurried over. She didn't expect to hear these words. How could she not be angry?
Lu Danruo's words touched her sore spot. What she was most worried about when her daughter married Pei An was that she would offend Princess Chun'an because of the rumors outside, and her daughter would become a thorn in Princess Chun'an's side. She would have no good life after marrying into the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
When she thought about how the adoption incident had caused such a big stir, and how it must have reached Princess Chun'an's ears long ago, He no longer had any affection for Cen and Lu Danruo. When she heard what Lu Danruo said, how could she still give Lu Danruo a good face?
Before Lu Danruo could speak, she said, "Your cousin and I still have to discuss the dowry, so I won't keep you any longer."
He's words were like a direct expulsion, without giving her niece Lu Danruo any face at all.
All of a sudden, the room became very quiet.
Lu Danruo's face turned red and then white, and then white and then red again. Under the gaze of the maids and old women in the room, she felt more and more embarrassed.
Seeing the thick dowry list in Lu Danyan's hand while she sat on the soft couch, Lu Danruo felt it was even more irritating and could not help but say, "The dowries of the girls in the mansion all have their own rules. Aunt is now in charge of the household affairs. Please don't use the public treasury's money to subsidize my cousin as a dowry out of selfish motives. Otherwise, it will make a fool of yourself. After all, the Duke's wife only has mother. After taking care of grandmother for a while, mother will have to come back to take care of the household affairs."
Lu Danruo's words were harsh enough, but He was her aunt, so how could she change her expression and lose her dignity for a few speculations? Instead, she smiled a little and said, "These are not things that you, a girl who is not yet engaged, need to worry about. The mansion has its own rules. But your grandmother loves Yan and is satisfied with Pei An as her grandson-in-law, so if there is anything missing from the dowry, I think the old lady will be willing to make up for it and love Yan a little more."
"As for the household chores, I'm naturally looking forward to my sister-in-law returning home quickly so she can share some of the burden with me and save me, as her younger sister-in-law, from being so busy all day. But my sister-in-law herself doesn't want to come back, so what can I do? If you were to come back today, why didn't you persuade your mother to come back with you? It's not nice for a married woman to always stay in her parents' home. If you don't know, you might think she's been disliked by her husband's family and has returned to her parents' home."
In an instant, Lu Danruo's face turned red, and the scene was very ugly.
He did not give her niece Lu Danruo and her sister-in-law Cen any face, nor was she afraid that these words would reach the ears of Cen or the old lady.
Everyone knew that even if the news got out, the old lady and the Duke would not stand for Lu Danruo and Cen. After all, it was Cen, the sister-in-law, who started this farce and had already lost all her face and dignity. Now Lu Danruo, an unmarried girl, was so unwilling to see her cousin have a good life. It was obvious that she was corrupted by Cen, or maybe she was just narrow-minded and mean in her bones.
If today's events were to get out, others would only say bad things about Lu Danruo.
The maidservant who followed Lu Danruo saw that her daughter was so angry that she almost fainted. She also knew that the daughter had no advantage at all and that continuing to make trouble would only make the old lady more disgusted. So she hurried forward and half pushed and half supported Lu Danruo out of the house.
After seeing Lu Danruo leave, He walked over to the couch and said to her daughter, "Why are you angry with her for no reason? You're not usually like this. It's not difficult to pretend to be harmonious with your sisters. Why lose your dignified and virtuous demeanor?"
Hearing her mother's words, Lu Danyan shook her head. She closed the dowry list in her hand and said, "She came to my place instead of returning to her own place after leaving the grandmother's courtyard. She has no good intentions."
"If I don't make her feelings clear and instead pretend to be a sister with her, she might come over every now and then while I'm preparing for the wedding. How miserable I'd be. Do I have to endure it until the day I get married?"
Lu Danyan didn't want to put herself in a difficult position.
He nodded, feeling her daughter was right. However, she felt her daughter's temper was a little different than usual. In the past, she wouldn't have dared to confront Lu Danruo like she did today. After all, the Duke's Mansion belonged to the eldest son's wife, and Lu Danruo was the legitimate daughter of the eldest son's wife. While they shared the same expenses, her daughter had always given way to her cousin, Lu Danruo, more than ever.
I wonder if my daughter's current behavior is due to the fact that Lu Danruo and Cen have fallen from power, disfavoring the old lady and the Duke, or if it's because she often hangs out with her sister-in-law, Cui. Cui, despite her charming features and gentle, virtuous demeanor, is inherently cold and decisive, having been disliked by her biological mother, Qi, and sent to live with her parents. My daughter gets along well with this sister-in-law now. Could it be that she's learned something from Cui?
Thinking about this, He Shi didn't ask aloud, fearing that her daughter would think this dominance was good. In fact, she hoped her daughter would be more gentle and virtuous. After all, her daughter might not be as lucky as Cui Shi, and Pei An would love her as much as Lu Bingzhi loved Cui Shi.
A woman should overcome strength with gentleness, take care of her husband in a gentle and virtuous manner, and win the favor of her mother-in-law. This is the etiquette that a daughter should have ingrained in her bones.
He didn't continue talking about this, but changed the subject and talked to her daughter about the dowry.
The news of the dispute between Lu Danruo and Lu Danyan quickly spread throughout the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.
After hearing the whole story, Cui Lingyan showed a bit of surprise in her eyes.
She looked at Lu Bingzhi who was sitting next to her and said with a smile, "I thought Sister Yan would just swallow her anger, but I didn't expect her to be so decisive. It really is good for people to read more books. Not only can it cultivate a scholarly air, but when faced with problems, your mind will turn quickly and your words will be witty, so you won't be bullied or manipulated."
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