Chapter 26: Transparent: It looks gentle like water, but in fact it is transparent and clear...
When Cui Lingyan heard what Zhan said, a hint of sarcasm rose in her heart. Ever since her aunt came to the Marquis' Mansion and saw its prosperity and splendor, she really couldn't hold her temper, otherwise she wouldn't have said such words.
My cousin Qi Ruorou has always been very proud and doesn't want anyone to look down on her in the slightest. I wonder if she feels ashamed when she hears her biological mother say this.
Cui Lingyan glanced at Qi Ruorou and said with a smile, "My cousin is as talented and beautiful as any other noblewoman in the capital. God will surely bless you and give you a good marriage."
Zhan felt somewhat unhappy when she heard Cui Lingyan's words. She felt that Cui Lingyan was simply pretending not to understand her. Could it be that she had forgotten all the kindness that the Qi family had shown her over the years by being so perfunctory?
She couldn't remember how her aunt had ever neglected her. Now that she had become the Crown Prince's wife, she was putting on airs and looking down on her relatives from the Qi family?
Zhan was visibly upset, but she was concerned about Cui Lingyan's status, so she suppressed her unhappiness. She didn't show it at all. She just smiled at her daughter Qi Ruorou and said, "It all depends on whether God will grant her this opportunity. If God blesses her and allows your cousin to marry in the capital, your grandmother will be relieved."
Cui Lingyan was slightly startled when she heard Zhan mention her grandmother. Then she said gently, "Yan'er also hopes that my cousin can find a good marriage, so that my grandmother can be happy."
Over the years, her grandmother, Mrs. Lu, has loved her very much in the Qi family. However, Cui Lingyan also knows that her grandmother loves her two legitimate grandchildren, Qi Shaozhang and Qi Ruoruo, the most. Although she has lived in the Qi family for so many years, her surname is Cui after all, and she is just Mrs. Lu's granddaughter.
Madam Lu loved her, firstly because of their blood relationship, and secondly because, although she wasn't favored by the Qi family, she was still the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate. Taking good care of her meant the Ningshou Marquisate owed the Qi family a debt of gratitude. Even if the Cui family didn't want to admit this, they wouldn't dare refute it in public, lest it appear that the Cui family looked down on their in-laws, the Qi family, and acted like a marquisate.
Even so, Cui Lingyan still remembered the kindness of Mrs. Lu, but after having that dream on the way to Beijing, she no longer had those feelings of admiration for her grandmother.
In her dreams, while Old Madam Lu didn't treat her as harshly as her aunt, Mrs. Zhan, she didn't protect her either. She often sent her to the upper room to copy scriptures, but that was just to make Mrs. Zhan feel a little wary and wary of her. Her grandmother often told her to humble herself so she could win over Qi Shaozhang, blaming her for her arrogance. Ultimately, she still looked down on the Qi family, feeling that being a Qi family wife was an injustice for her, the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate.
Whenever she heard these words, Cui Lingyan felt bitter in her heart. She had lost her dignity and was looked down upon by Qi Shaozhang. Was she really going to give up her last bit of dignity and beg Qi Shaozhang to come to her room like those women in the brothel?
How could my grandmother forget that Qi Shaozhang asked her to stay alone in the empty room on the wedding night, and when he served tea the next day, he brought the pregnant Lin into the house and gave her the status of his concubine.
If her grandmother loved her at all, she would not have said those words.
Cui Lingyan withdrew her thoughts, changed the subject, and talked about other things with Zhan.
Qi Ruorou sat aside, feeling extremely embarrassed. Cui Lingyan said it lightly, how could a woman of her status find a good marriage in the capital? If she was marrying down, why bother marrying in the capital?
Qi Ruorou felt as if she had been slapped in front of a room full of maids. She was embarrassed and felt somewhat dissatisfied with why her mother mentioned this to Cui Lingyan.
Even if he had to mention it, he should have mentioned it to his aunt Qi. He couldn't bring himself to speak about it to Cui Lingyan, a junior, without being looked down upon.
Cui Lingyan saw the embarrassment on Qi Ruoruo's face, but she did not feel any pity in her heart.
Even though she and Qi Ruoruo once got along well in the Qi family, and Old Madam Lu often said that they were like real sisters, so what? In that dream, didn't Qi Ruoruo enjoy seeing her fall into the dust and struggle in the Qi family?
To be honest, the pair of sons and daughters born to the Zhan family are the same. Qi Shaozhang is arrogant and conceited, while Qi Ruoruo looks at Wen Wan and does not fight or compete with her, but in fact she is also unwilling and dissatisfied in her heart. She feels that she should not be born in the Qi family and should be a girl from a wealthy and powerful family.
Because of this episode, Zhan and Qi Ruoruo did not stay in the room for long. They sat for a while and then got up to say goodbye.
Cui Lingyan personally sent the person out before returning to her room.
Bitao felt that her daughter was now somewhat distant from her aunt and cousin. Even though they appeared friendly and close on the surface, they were actually very cold at heart. However, she felt that the daughter must have her own ideas for acting this way. After all, she was on the daughter's side, so she didn't say anything.
Birou put away the teacup and went out, feeling very sad.
After spending these days in Izumo Temple, how could she not understand that the Third Young Lady's personality was completely different from what she appeared on the surface. She looked gentle as water, but in fact she was transparent and clear-minded, and would not be easily manipulated by others based on personal feelings. This really made Birou look at her with new respect.
Birou thought of the eldest daughter Cui Linghui, who had returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion with Xue. Comparing the two of them, she felt that the third daughter was the one who had her own ideas and some backbone.
The third young lady isn't afraid of offending her aunt Zhan?
Birou thought again and realized that the Third Lady's identity as the Crown Prince's wife was secure, so there was no need for her to respond to what Mrs. Zhan said. She thought about making plans for her cousin Qi Ruorou.
It's just right that the Third Young Lady is like this. If she were to act arrogantly and agree to anything casually just because of her status as the Crown Prince's wife, she would be ignorant of the seriousness of the matter and would cause people to worry.
......
Qi Ruorou followed Zhan out of Chuyun Courtyard. Halfway through the journey, she couldn't help but complain, "Mother, why did you bother to bring this up with my cousin? I'm making fun of our Qi family."
Zhan knew her daughter was most concerned about her reputation. She sighed softly and said, "After all, she will be the wife of the Duke of Wei's son in the future. Mother thinks she has no one to rely on in the capital, and your aunt is not close to her. If you can marry well in the capital, won't she have someone who can speak for her in the capital?"
"Mother, I just didn't expect that Yan would not even acknowledge a lie. It really chilled Mother. If it weren't for our Qi family protecting her all these years, who knows what her situation would be like. It's not uncommon for these high-ranking families in the capital to send their daughters to live on farms or in family temples for reasons of fate."
"Our Qi family raised her, but it was all in vain. Her heartless nature is exactly like your aunt's. Since your aunt married into the Ningshou Marquis's mansion, apart from sending gifts during the New Year and other festivals, has she ever truly taken care of our Qi family? She previously wrote a letter asking the Ningshou Marquis to find a nominal position in the capital for your father, but she just perfunctorily replied. She even said that getting your brother into the Imperial College would help him find a good job in the future, but she didn't respond. Shaozhang is her own nephew. If he becomes successful in the future, won't it be shameful for her, as his aunt, to look down on her family? Isn't it because she became the Marquis' wife that she looks down on her family?"
Qi Ruorou didn't respond. She didn't know that her mother and aunt had mentioned these things in the letter.
She sighed softly and said, "My uncle dotes on Concubine Liu now, and he only visits Cuiwei Courtyard a few days a month. Perhaps my aunt has her own difficulties."
Upon hearing this, Zhan's expression brightened slightly, but she also complained, "It's her own fault. She's already a Marquis's wife, but why can't she win over the Marquis? If she really put in the effort, men aren't stupid. Wouldn't they treat her with some respect? I think even though she's a Marquis's wife, she only cares about managing the household, which is why women like Concubine Liu stole her favor."
As Zhan was talking, she was walking back, not knowing that her words were overheard by the second girl Cui Lingyin who was out for a walk.
Behind the rockery, Cui Lingyin's eyes were filled with mockery. After the two had left, she said with a hint of disdain, "People from humble backgrounds are not up to par with the public. They live in the Marquis' Mansion and yet they are so careless as to make up stories about the host family."
"And does she really think that becoming the Crown Prince's wife will instantly elevate her to a higher position? She's even trying to find a good marriage for Qi Ruorou. What's she thinking? If Cui Lingyan hadn't been the heir apparent, I'm afraid this marriage wouldn't have fallen into the hands of a young woman like her who just returned home."
When the maid Cai Ling heard her young lady's words, she knew what she was thinking.
Ever since the marriage with the Prince of Weiguo fell to the Third Miss, her own daughter had been feeling a bit down. Come to think of it, although Prince Lu had a hidden illness due to the poisoning, which might be detrimental to his offspring, regardless of the rumors outside, the identity of the Prince's wife alone was worth the gamble.
If the girl was not born out of wedlock, the marriage would have definitely fallen on her. How could she have been snatched away by the third girl who had just returned home?
Cai Ling glanced at her daughter and said soothingly, "Young lady, why are you so upset about this? Although the Crown Prince's wife is of noble status and it's worth taking a gamble for this, what if you lose? Will you have to accompany the young lady for the rest of her life?"
"The young lady is from the Marquis's Mansion. Although she is a concubine's daughter, she is registered under the name of the Second Madam. The Second Madam treats the young lady kindly. Even for the sake of the Second House's future, she will find a good marriage for the young lady. After all, we only have one daughter in the Second House."
Cui Lingyin laughed at herself, "So what if it's registered under mother's name? When something important happens, isn't the legitimate child always chosen? Today, Grandmother told me, the second daughter, to spend more time with Aunt Zhan. Grandmother really thinks less of me. Am I putting in the effort to entertain their eldest relatives and thus humiliating myself? Grandmother clearly doesn't like Cui Lingyan getting too close to the Qi family, so she pushed me out."
"That's right. Cui Linghui has the support of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and Cui Lingyan will be the wife of the Duke of Weiguo's son in the future. But I was born to a concubine, with no one to rely on. Isn't it true that I can only be manipulated by others? I dare not even feel a little resentment."
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