Chapter 171 Trusting Xiao, I can really stop worrying. I really trust Xiao...
Concubine Shu and the second prince Xiao Ze had a plan, but within two days, the scent in the sachet that Qi carried with her was replaced with Baizhuoxiang.
With Lu Bingzhi's arrival in the Eastern Palace, the question of when Cui would enter the palace and be named Crown Princess became a hot topic of conversation. Rumors even circulated that the Crown Prince's memorial requesting the appointment of Cui as Crown Princess was already on the Emperor's desk, but the Emperor was unsatisfied with the idea. After all, Cui had grown up in the Qi family. Being the wife of the Duke of Wei was already high-flying, so how could she possibly qualify for the title of Crown Princess and eventually move into the Imperial Palace?
Ningshou Marquis Mansion
Old Madam Zhai warned Madam Qi, "Remember, it was our mansion that was biased before, and you, as a mother, were unfair to Miss Yan, causing her to suffer so many years. This time, you are here to accompany Miss Yan, and you should apologize. No matter what, you can't let outsiders think that Miss Yan has no feelings for our mansion at all."
"Also, that person was named Crown Prince upon his return to the palace, and has entered the Eastern Palace. I wonder how many people outside are eyeing the position of Crown Prince's concubine, and perhaps even the position of Crown Princess. Yan is young and doesn't understand these things, so you should comfort her and explain the situation to her in detail so that she can ask His Highness and confirm the status of Crown Princess, so that she won't feel uneasy and have others worry about her."
Qi nodded repeatedly, but at this moment her heart was filled with confusion, not a bit of reality.
But she also knew that what her mother-in-law said was right. If Yan Yatou was just the wife of the prince of Weiguo, it would be fine. She could be estranged from her natal family. Anyway, the Marquis' Mansion did not rely on her as a married lady. Not to mention, Xiao Ze and Lu Bingzhi were not on good terms. If Xiao Ze ascended the throne in the future, the Weiguo Mansion would definitely not end well. The Marquis' Mansion was estranged from Yan Yatou for the sake of the future, so as to leave a way out for Yan Yatou.
But now that Lu Bingzhi has returned to his former status and entered the Eastern Palace as the prestigious Crown Prince, the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion must not distance itself from Miss Yan. Instead, they have to remind Miss Yan to ask His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to remember the relationship they have had for over half a year and make the status of the Crown Princess a reality.
Fortunately, others are still thinking about her. Yan Yatou is pregnant now. His Highness will not suddenly change his temperament after becoming the crown prince and look down on his first wife Yan Yatou, right?
"Alright, hurry up and go to the Duke's Mansion. Yan must be feeling uneasy right now. As her mother, you should go and accompany her. After all, you are her family, and she will have someone to rely on."
Qi agreed, and after leaving Xilan Courtyard, she took her maid and rode in a carriage all the way to the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion.
Weiguo Mansion, Wutong Courtyard
Bi Tao opened the curtain and came in. She walked up to Cui Lingyan and reported, "Miss, the Madam came to visit you. She said she was worried about your health and wanted to stay with you for a while. She is now at the Madam's place."
Cui Lingyan frowned slightly after hearing this, with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes and a bad look on her face.
Birou and the other close servants all knew that their young mistress and the Qi mother and daughter were not on good terms, and that their relationship with outsiders was no different, or even worse than that with outsiders. So they were not surprised to see that Cui Lingyan's face had no joy at all, but instead a hint of sarcasm.
It was just that Qi had come to stay with the Young Madam for a few days, and the Young Madam couldn't just kick her out. The Crown Prince had just arrived in the Eastern Palace, and with so many people watching him and the Young Madam, they couldn't afford to mess up. So even if the Young Madam was upset and too lazy to deal with Qi, she couldn't let it show, risking her reputation being misjudged.
"How about I accompany you to sit with the old lady to avoid other people's gossip."
Cui Lingyan nodded, left Wutong Courtyard, took a sedan chair, and soon arrived at Qingde Courtyard where Old Madam Dou lived.
When she went in, Old Madam Dou was talking to Mrs. Qi, and Second Madam He was also there.
When Cui Lingyan came in, the room suddenly became quiet and the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Everyone knew that Cui Lingyan and Qi Shi were not on good terms. Qi Shi had come today to ask for a short stay with Cui Lingyan, most likely because Lu Bingzhi had become the Crown Prince, and the Marquisate wanted to ease relations with Cui Lingyan, a married woman.
It was precisely because of this knowledge that these calculations made people feel chilled. However, there were many such cases among the noble families, not just this one. Qi was willing to come to the door, and even if Old Lady Dou guessed her thoughts, she had to pretend that she knew nothing.
But when the mother and daughter met, they each knew each other's thoughts, so how could it not be awkward?
Cui Lingyan walked forward slowly, but before she could even lower herself, she was stopped by Old Madam Dou: "Don't be so bound by these rules. You're feeling heavy now, so please sit down."
As Old Madam Dou spoke, she gestured to Nanny Sun beside her. Nanny Sun then stepped forward and helped Cui Lingyan sit down on a chair beside her.
Qi also felt a little uncomfortable. After chatting with the old lady for a while, she asked to go back to Wutong Courtyard with Cui Lingyan.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has just entered the Eastern Palace. I don't know how many things he has to deal with. He certainly won't be able to take care of Yan for a while. As her mother, I have been so unfair to her before and have caused her so much injustice. I feel truly guilty. Now I just want to spend more time with her and make it up to her. I hope the old lady will grant me this."
After hearing what Qi said, Mrs. Dou didn't know what to say. Although she was a little unhappy, she could only ask Qi to accompany Cui Lingyan back to Wutong Courtyard.
As soon as they entered the room, Qi wanted to help Cui Lingyan sit down in front of the couch.
But just as she touched Cui Lingyan's arm, Cui Lingyan's body stiffened, and she subconsciously avoided her close gesture, her tone distant and cold: "Just ask Birou to hold me up. We can get along the same way as mother and daughter in the past, and we can get along the same way in the future. This way, we can both feel more comfortable."
As she spoke, Bi Rou took a step forward and helped Cui Lingyan sit down on the soft couch.
Qi was a little embarrassed. Even though she had known from the beginning that Cui Lingyan disliked her biological mother, when she actually heard these words and saw that Cui Lingyan didn't even want to ask her for help, she felt indescribable discomfort in her heart, as if she had been slapped hard in the face in front of the maids and old women, making her lose face and having her fig leaf torn off.
Qi endured the discomfort and walked forward to sit across from Cui Lingyan, then instructed Birou, "All of you go down, Yan and I have something to discuss in private."
Birou subconsciously glanced at Cui Lingyan. Cui Lingyan could probably guess what Qi was going to say to her. It was all about those calculations and trying to ease the relationship with her. She didn't want the maids in the room to hear these thoughts clearly, so she nodded to Birou.
The maids and old women filed out one after another, and soon only Qi and Cui Lingyan were left in the room.
Madam Qi cast her gaze upon her daughter for a moment, noticing the distant look in her eyes. She sighed softly and said, "Mother knows that I and the Marquisate have wronged you in the past, causing you much injustice. I acknowledge this fault, and so does the Marquisate. However, the past is past, and I and the Marquisate can only compensate you later. Right now, the most important thing isn't these things, but the Crown Prince's affairs."
"His Highness has entered the Eastern Palace, and the Emperor is thinking of compensating him. Now that he is of noble status and highly sought after, I wonder how many people are eyeing your position as Crown Princess. How can I feel at ease until the decree appointing you as Crown Princess arrives at the mansion?"
"Even if this decree comes down, those outsiders will still be thinking of sending their daughter to the Eastern Palace to become the Crown Prince's concubine. You already know all this without me having to tell you. Your grandmother has been sleepless for several days because of this matter. Before she left, she asked me to tell you that if you can find a way to get a message to the Crown Prince, he will think of you and the child you're carrying and ask for the decree to be issued sooner rather than later."
"Those gossips outside, spreading rumors, use the fact that you didn't grow up in the capital to justify it, saying that the Emperor isn't satisfied with you as his daughter-in-law and that the position of Crown Princess should be filled by someone else. How can you possibly feel good hearing this? You should tell His Royal Highness the Crown Prince about these insecurities and grievances in your letter. The more compassion His Royal Highness shows you, the more secure your position as Crown Princess will be. Throughout history, there have been cases of Crown Princesses forced to relinquish their status and become concubines due to circumstances. Furthermore, His Royal Highness didn't grow up in the palace. Although he's now the Crown Prince and favored by the Emperor, he might not be trying to win over the court officials. Our Ningshou Marquis's Mansion may be respectable, but it's not top-notch. How can it compare to the Duke's Mansion or other noble families? Given this, how can your mother and your grandmother not worry about you and warn you about this?"
Listening to what Qi said, Cui Lingyan's expression remained unchanged, without showing any panic or uneasiness.
Before marrying Lu Bingzhi, she was terrified, thinking that if he ever returned to the throne, she, the original wife, might not be fit to be the Crown Princess. Even if she wanted to, others would find ways to manipulate her and force her to give up the position. Because of these thoughts, she even begged Lu Bingzhi on her wedding night, saying that if she behaved well as the Crown Prince's wife, he might grant her a favor in the future. If Lu Bingzhi agreed, she would have a way out.
But as she spent so much time with Lu Bingzhi, she thought less and less about that way out, because she believed in his kindness to her, his character, and that he would not let her end up like the late queen.
So, even though she'd heard some gossip over the past few days, she wasn't too worried. So much so that upon hearing what Qi said, she simply said, "If His Highness values me and the child, he'll naturally grant me the position of Crown Princess. If I ask for it, it would mean I don't trust His Highness, and it would only hurt our relationship. Don't you agree?"
Cui Lingyan spoke calmly, but what she said made Qi's face change. She subconsciously said to Cui Lingyan, "How can a man be trusted? Let alone one in a high position? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."
Before she could continue her rambling, Cui Lingyan interrupted her, "If Your Highness wishes to grant me the position of Crown Princess, then naturally, I need not say anything. If not, or if Your Highness has his own plans and arrangements, then how can I obtain it simply by relying on a little bit of favor? What difference does it make whether I ask for it or not? It's nothing but humiliation for myself."
"It's not that I don't understand these things. I just believe that His Highness will care about me and the child. Before His Highness personally asks me to give up the position of wife, I don't want to doubt His Highness and hurt our relationship as husband and wife. So, you don't need to say these things in front of me."
Qi was stunned for a moment, then frowned, thinking that Cui Lingyan was bewitched by Lu Bingzhi's previous kindness to her. How could the prince back then be the same as the Crown Prince today?
When the identity changes, the person will also change. Lu Bingzhi has now changed his surname back to Xiao, becoming Xiao Bingzhi, and has entered the Eastern Palace and become the prince. He is now two completely different people.
She didn't know why Yan girl could trust him so much and not make any plans for herself at all? After thinking about it, she just thought that Cui Lingyan had lived a smooth life since marrying into the Weiguo Mansion and had never suffered any grievances, so she developed this kind of personality.
She opened her mouth to say something, but when Cui Lingyan's cold and distant expression reached her lips, she swallowed it back. She couldn't listen to her words for a while, and would only become rebellious. Better to talk slowly. After all, she was going to stay at the Duke's Mansion for a while. With so many rumors out there, she didn't believe Yan could listen to them without worrying. Did she really believe Xiao Bingzhi?
Pregnant women are naturally suspicious. Yan Yatou probably just doesn't dare to think about it, doesn't want to think about it, and doesn't want to face this matter.
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