Chapter 44: Persuasion "Let me think about this matter when I get back, and also with Shao...
Cui Lingyan had no idea what Zhan and Qi Ruoruo were thinking.
In the evening, she took her maid Birou to the courtyard where Bian lived.
When Bian saw her coming, she smiled and invited her to sit down in front of her without waiting for her to greet her, and asked the maid to bring tea and snacks.
Bian chatted with Cui Lingyan as if there was no resentment at all, and also talked about some things in the capital, and even things in the palace.
Cui Lingyan was not close to her second aunt Bian, but when she heard her mention the things in the palace, she suddenly became concerned.
After all, others didn't know, but Cui Lingyan had had that dream and knew that Lu Bingzhi's real identity was the son of the late queen.
Given this, she became even more attentive to palace affairs. However, having only just returned to the Marquis' Mansion, she couldn't rashly ask others about palace affairs. Furthermore, not everyone knew everything. She wasn't close to her mother, Qi, so it was naturally difficult to ask. She couldn't broach the subject with the old lady, lest she worry. After all, although Lu Bingzhi was the son of the late eldest princess, to outsiders, he was only cherished by his grandmother, the Empress Dowager, and his uncle, the Emperor, thanks to his relationship with the eldest princess. How could he be any different from the other princes?
If she asked too much, people would think she was weird, so although Cui Lingyan was curious, she never asked about these things.
The last time I went to the palace to attend the flower viewing banquet, apart from the Empress Dowager, I only saw the ladies and noble ladies of various families, and did not see anyone else in the harem.
Bian Shi didn't notice Cui Lingyan's unusual behavior and just chatted casually, "You didn't grow up in the capital, so you might not be familiar with the affairs of the noble families in the capital, let alone the palace."
"But you will eventually become the wife of the Crown Prince of Weiguo. The Crown Prince is the eldest princess's biological son and the Empress Dowager's beloved grandson. When you marry him, you will inevitably interact with people in the palace and will need to know a little bit about it. I see that although you go to Cuiwei Courtyard every day to pay your respects to your mother, you and your mother have been estranged for so many years. With your mother's personality, she may not think of telling you about this. Now, while your aunt and the others are not here, I will talk to you so that you won't be confused and in the dark."
Bian took a sip of tea and said, "Ever since the late Empress passed away many years ago, the throne of Empress has been vacant for many years. Six years ago, the Second Princess's mother, Concubine Xian, was appointed Empress and entered the Imperial Palace. However, as everyone knows, Concubine Xian only has one daughter, the Second Princess, and no princes. The Emperor now has three princes: the eldest prince, born to Concubine Shun; the second prince, born to Concubine Shu; and the third prince, born to Concubine Zhao. The eldest and second princes are both adults. The eldest prince married two years ago and established a residence outside the palace. The second prince is about the same age as Prince Lu, and seems to be the same age. Because of Concubine Shu's relationship, he is more favored by the Emperor than the eldest prince in the palace. The third prince is only seven years old, so he is still relatively young, so there is no need to mention him too much."
"As for the late queen, she had only one daughter, the eldest princess. Many years ago, she married the Duke of Dingguo, who was over ten years her senior. She is now the Duke of Dingguo's wife. However, the eldest princess would go to the temple for meditation every year, so I'm afraid she is not in the capital now."
Cui Lingyan's face was calm, but she was actually concerned about the eldest princess, now the wife of Duke Dingguo.
Lu Bingzhi is the biological son of the late queen, which means he is the eldest princess's half-brother. I wonder if the eldest princess knows Lu Bingzhi's true identity?
Cui Lingyan was just thinking when she heard footsteps outside. It was Zhan and her daughter Qi Ruoruo coming over.
Bian stopped talking, stood up with a smile and walked to the door to greet her. She said a few polite words to Zhan and then led her into the house.
After the host and the guests were seated, the maid served tea and snacks.
Bian and Zhan chatted for a while, then glanced at Cui Lingyan and Qi Ruorou who were sitting beside them and said with a smile, "Dinner will be in a while. Girl Yan, take Ruorou for a walk in the garden."
Cui Lingyan knew that Bian had something to say to Zhan in private. Remembering the purpose of Bian's invitation to Zhan, she nodded, stood up with a smile, bowed to the two of them, and left with Qi Ruorou.
Seeing the two of them leave, Bian smiled and said, "Yan girl has been raised in the Qi family since she was a child. Now she is so pretty and knows how to act. It is all thanks to my aunt."
After saying this, Bian's smile faded, and she said with a hint of bitterness, "Unlike me, I raised Yin since she was a child and taught her diligently. I thought she was sensible and well-behaved, and no worse than the legitimate daughters of noble families in the capital. I never thought that this girl would be so careless and do such a ridiculous thing out of jealousy, and even implicate Shaozhang. It's all my fault as a mother."
Zhan had guessed what Bian would say, but she hadn't taken it to heart. But before she could say anything, Bian said, "The old lady does love Yin, after all. After all, she's been at the Marquis's door for so many years. As she ages, she's naturally more lenient towards the younger generation. Even if she's angry and wants to marry Yin off south, how can she, as a grandmother, not feel bad? Because she had a headache that night, my sister-in-law has been tending to her in the Xilan Courtyard all day."
Zhan looked up at Bian, somewhat confused about what she was trying to say.
Bian hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke: "Although Yin is a concubine's daughter, she is still a daughter of the Marquis's Mansion. Is my uncle willing to let her marry my cousin?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhan's face darkened and she looked at Bian in disbelief.
This is too much, it’s really too much!
She thought that Bian wanted to invite her to dinner to apologize to Cui Lingyin for what she had done. How could she have expected that Bian would have the nerve to ask her to marry Cui Lingyin's disgraced concubine to her Shaozhang?
It's really ridiculous. What kind of family is the Qi family? Although the Qi family is not as prominent as the Ningshou Marquis Mansion, not just anyone can marry Shaozhang and become the granddaughter-in-law of the Qi family.
"Second Madam, are you teasing me? If so, I don't think we can have this meal. Although our Qi family is small, we are not one to be bullied!"
As Zhan said this, she put down the teacup in her hand and was about to stand up.
Bian stopped her and signaled all the maids and servants serving in the room to leave.
Then he turned to Mrs. Zhan and said, "Madam, why are you so angry? To be honest, the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion is a wealthy and powerful family. If it weren't for Yin's misdeeds that upset the old lady, how could she have thought of marrying into the Qi family?"
"A woman's reputation is important, but it's not as important as her own interests. Auntie, think about it. If Yin marries Shaozhang, the Marquis's Mansion and the Qi family will become even closer. From now on, Auntie's relationship with the Marquis's Mansion will not only be because of my aunt, sister-in-law, but also because of Shaozhang and Yin."
"These past few days, I've seen my aunt come to the Marquis's residence, but my eldest sister-in-law, the aunt from the Qi family, hasn't shown any respect or affection towards my aunt. To put it bluntly, she treats me more like a poor relative begging for money. Aunt, please don't think I'm being harsh. As the saying goes, poverty brings low ambitions. Aunt, you love your son Shaozhang and naturally want to think about his future. If he's willing to swallow his anger and marry Yin, becoming the Marquis's son-in-law, won't the mansion still look after him in the future?"
When Mrs. Zhan heard her say this, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face.
Bian pulled her to sit in front of her and continued, "I heard that my aunt wanted to send Shaozhang to the Imperial College and had asked my eldest sister-in-law about it, but she refused. If my aunt really wants to, my family has some connections and can ask someone to recommend Shaozhang to the Imperial College. After all, there are many talented and eloquent people in the folk who can enter the Imperial College with a recommendation from a well-known person. Compared with the Yin Academy, this is actually more respectable. Isn't that right, aunt?"
Seeing Zhan's expression soften a bit, Bian's face lit up with a smile, and she spoke more easily. She said with a smile, "Since Shaozhang and Yin are settling down in the capital, how can they not take care of Ruorou? Ruorou is also a legitimate cousin of the Marquis's mansion. The old lady is kind-hearted, so why can't she find a good marriage for Ruorou?"
"Besides, our Ruorou is beautiful, talented, and good at everything. If she attends a few more banquets, she might catch the eye of an old lady or a lady. Then it will be another blessing for her."
Mrs. Zhan didn't say anything, but a thought was growing wildly in her heart, even making her a little excited.
After a long while, she finally said, "Let me think about this matter when I get home, and discuss it with Shao Zhang."
Bian smiled and said, "This is a matter concerning our children's marriage, so we should think about it carefully."
In the garden
Cui Lingyan didn't know what Bian and Zhan were saying. She walked slowly in the garden, listening to the singing of unknown birds on the branches, but her heart was thinking about the things in the palace that Bian had just mentioned to her.
Regarding the eldest princess, the empress dowager, and the current emperor who did not appoint a successor for many years because of the late empress, why did Lu Bingzhi end up wandering outside and becoming the son of Princess Shuhui?
Thinking about this, Cui Lingyan felt that there was a thick fog ahead of her, and she felt a little uneasy in her heart.
Seeing that she was a little absent-minded, Qi Ruorou smiled and said, "Cousin, are you a little nervous because your wedding is coming soon?"
Hearing Qi Ruorou's teasing voice, Cui Lingyan came back to her senses, her cheeks flushed a little: "Cousin, please stop teasing me."
After she said this, a hint of worry appeared in her eyes.
Qi Ruorou saw this and asked with some concern, "Why, cousin, are you still worried about those rumors outside? Now that the truth is clear, it was Cui Lingyin, the concubine, who was behind this. I believe that Master Lu is kind and generous and will definitely not misunderstand my cousin. Otherwise, why would Master Lu give my cousin jewelry and go out of his way to help her this time?"
Cui Lingyan nodded, then hesitated and said, "I'm incredibly grateful for your help, Your Highness. However, I'm also a little worried about my future marriage to the Duke's Mansion. Cousin, you know I wasn't raised in a marquisate, so I'm not sure if I can handle it."
Hearing Cui Lingyan say this, Qi Ruorou stepped forward, took her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, cousin. The prince is a man of noble character. If he is willing to help you now, he will definitely protect you in the future."
As Qi Ruorou said this, her jealousy towards Cui Lingyan who was about to become the Crown Prince's wife diminished a bit.
It turns out that even though my cousin has such a good marriage, she is still so uneasy in her heart?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
