Chapter 46: Marriage Cui Lingyan saw her beautiful face in the mirror...
Cui Linghui was furious, but a smile still appeared on her lips. "Third sister, you're joking. How could I be absent from my sister's marriage?"
As Cui Linghui spoke, he gestured to the maid following behind him. The maid came forward holding a sandalwood carved box.
"This headdress was given to me by my grandmother. I saw that the style and workmanship were excellent, so I thought of giving it to my third sister as a makeup accessory. I hope my third sister won't despise it."
Cui Lingyan smiled and said, "Thank you so much, sister. You just returned home. Would you like to sit here and have some tea? After all, we sisters haven't seen each other for quite a while."
Cui Linghui glanced at her and shook his head. "No need. I still have to go pay my respects to my grandmother. My sister is getting married tomorrow, so I won't bother her any more."
Cui Linghui said this, bowed to Zhan, turned around and walked out.
After she left, Zhan said with some surprise, "I thought your sister wouldn't return to the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion until after your marriage to the Crown Prince was over, but now it seems she's not afraid of being talked about at all. If she returns home today, she definitely won't be able to stay in her own courtyard tomorrow. If she shows up, she'll definitely be pointed at and criticized by the ladies and girls. Miss Cui is quite a wonderful person."
Cui Lingyan smiled. Although she had not been with Cui Linghui for long, she knew Cui Linghui's character. In that dream, Cui Linghui had plotted to ruin her reputation, and now he could use the cold as an excuse to escape the marriage with Lu Bingzhi and put the blame on her. How could such a proud person like her hide in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion on the day of her wedding with Lu Bingzhi?
It was probably because the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo claimed to be ill and asked someone to pick her up to stay in the Duke's Mansion for a while. Cui Linghui was unwilling in her heart, but she agreed because of filial piety and the old lady's painstaking efforts for her as a junior.
"She's the eldest daughter of a marquisate, and with the support of the Zhenguogong Mansion, she's probably even more arrogant than Lu Bingzhi, otherwise she wouldn't do such a thing. She doesn't want to hide and be looked down upon, so naturally she has to show her face."
Cui Lingyan looked at the bright red wedding dress embroidered with peony patterns in gold thread on the tray on the table and was a little dazed for a moment.
In that dream, she was tricked by Cui Linghui into marrying Qi Shaozhang in such a miserable way. Although she was wearing a bright red wedding dress at that time, she was terrified and confused, and she was disappointed with the Ningshou Marquisate and her biological mother Qi. She was not like an ordinary girl who was about to get married. Even though she was nervous and happy, she also hoped to be able to live in harmony with her husband after marriage.
Now that she has escaped Cui Linghui's scheme and is about to marry Lu Bingzhi, she doesn't know what kind of situation awaits her.
Cui Lingyan reached out and gently stroked her wedding dress, thinking that now she was willing to marry Lu Bingzhi, and Lu Bingzhi was willing to help her, so he shouldn't be that difficult to get along with. He was of noble status, unlike her cousin Qi Shaozhang in her dream, who seemed aloof but was actually full of inferiority in his bones, afraid of being looked down upon.
This is enough. Marrying Lu Bingzhi is much better than marrying Qi Shaozhang. As for other things, just take it one step at a time. There is no need to worry too much, otherwise you will be tying yourself up in knots.
Just as she was thinking about it, Qi came in from outside with a group of people, with a happy look on her face. As soon as she entered the house, she smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager sent someone to deliver a gift to add to the betrothal gifts. This is a great honor."
As Qi finished speaking, several palace maids came in holding boxes. Soon the table was filled with all kinds of luxurious items, sets of head ornaments and jewelry, and luxurious brocades. The most eye-catching of them was a red sandalwood ruyi inlaid with rubies. The jade was crystal clear and looked solemn and luxurious.
Cui Lingyan smiled at the palace maids, a look of flattery on her face and a hint of shyness in her eyes. She smiled at the older aunt who was leading the group and said, "Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen Mother, for the gift. Thank you for troubling me so much for leaving the palace."
The palace maid knew that she would soon be the wife of the Prince of Weiguo and the empress dowager's granddaughter-in-law, so she was naturally very polite. After exchanging a few polite words, she took her leave.
Zhan sat there, looking at the things in the room, feeling a little envious. She felt that Cui Lingyan had suffered a lot of grievances in the past, and now that she had returned to the capital, God was so kind to her. The Empress Dowager sent so many dowries, which showed how much she valued her grandson Lu Bingzhi, so she loved him as well.
If Yan Yatou could gain a foothold in the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion and win the favor of the Empress Dowager, she would be respected in the circle of noble ladies in the capital by virtue of her identity as the Crown Prince's wife, even if she had no children for the time being.
Thinking of this, Zhan really hoped that Cui Lingyan could be on equal terms with Lu Bingzhi in the future, and that when her status became higher, she would be able to help the Qi family, her in-laws.
She had previously privately told Shaozhang about Bian's plan to marry Cui Lingyin to him, and she had expected her son to be furious and walk away. She was afraid she would have to persuade him to agree to this marriage. However, she had never expected that after listening to her, her son would simply think about it and then nod in agreement, which really surprised her.
Later, she thought about it carefully and felt that her son had been wronged in the Ningshou Marquis' Mansion in the capital. He realized how important status and position were, so she put away her arrogance and agreed to the marriage.
When Shaozhang married Cui Lingyin, he had the support of the Ningshou Marquisate. Later, he could enter the Imperial College and buy a house in the capital. With the help of the Marquisate's connections, couldn't he get a good job in the court?
If Yan Yatou had gained respectability in the Duke of Wei's mansion, wouldn't she have helped her cousin Shaozhang? After all, the Qi family had been so kind to her, and even for her own reputation, Yan Yatou couldn't erase that favor just because Cui Lingyin had plotted against her.
Thinking of this, the smile on Zhan's face became more genuine. She said to Qi with a smile, "Our little girl Yan is really lucky. Who knows, I may have to rely on her in the future."
Qi couldn't describe how she felt in her heart. She obviously didn't like her daughter Cui Lingyan, and she blamed Cui Lingyan for the estrangement between her and her son Cui Shenbo. She didn't reflect on her own mistakes at all. She sent Cui Lingyan, who was only six years old, to live with others in the Qi family, which led to the estrangement between them as mother and daughter.
However, seeing the dowry gifts sent by the Empress Dowager, she was a little worried that Yan Yatou would really become respected and get along very well with Lu Bingzhi in the future, and then she, as a mother, would have even less confidence in front of her.
In the future, when people in the capital mention her, the wife of the Marquis of Ningshou, they will inevitably say that she and Cui Lingyan are mother and daughter. It is all because of her excessive partiality that she has brought this upon herself. Who knows how many people will laugh at her behind her back then.
Qi did not respond to Zhan's words. She smiled and gave Cui Lingyan a few instructions. After watching her try on her wedding dress, she said that she had other things to take care of, and got up and left the house and Chuyun Courtyard.
Zhan and Qi Ruorou stayed with Cui Lingyan for a while, then remembered that they would have a lot of things to do at the wedding tomorrow, and they also wanted Cui Lingyan to have a good rest to avoid looking bad, so they got up and said goodbye.
Only Cui Lingyan and the maidservant who served her were left in the room.
Bi Tao smiled and said, "No one is coming here right now, so go in and rest for a while, young lady."
Cui Lingyan nodded, went into the inner room and lay down, but found herself very nervous and uneasy, tossing and turning for a long time before falling asleep.
When she woke up in the evening and had dinner, Qi came over again and handed her a small booklet. She said with some discomfort, "The most important thing for a bride is to provide her husband's family with children and expand their family line. Please take a look at this in private."
As she spoke, she thought of the lingering poison in Lu Bingzhi, and her expression changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she continued, "The poison in the prince's body has not yet been cleared. After you enter the house, your main focus should be on taking care of him, getting along well with him, and winning him over as soon as possible."
Qi sighed softly as she spoke, "Back then, I sent you to the Qi family, and you suffered so much that it's understandable that you have some grievances against me. But you must remember this: even if you marry Lu Bingzhi and become the Crown Prince's wife, you still have to rely on your mother's family, the Ningshou Marquisate. In this family, only the people of our eldest branch are your only support. If your brother becomes successful in the future, he will also help you, his elder sister."
"Bo'er and I have a rift because of you. As his elder sister, you should persuade him well in the future. We can't let rifts arise in the eldest branch of the family and make a fool of ourselves. Your father only has Bo'er as his son, and Bo'er is not in good health. Do you think your second aunt won't have any thoughts in her heart? I am also uneasy. If I were not in poor health and your father doted on Concubine Liu, I would risk my life to give birth to another son so that the position of our eldest branch can be consolidated. Otherwise, such a large family business might be passed on to the second branch. You may not understand what I am saying now, but tomorrow when you marry into the Weiguo Mansion and become his wife, you will know the many difficulties faced by the mistress of the house, and perhaps you will understand the difficulties of a mother like me."
Cui Lingyan didn't say anything. Her mother kept saying these things because she was afraid that she would forget her mother and brother Cui Shenbo when she became respectable in the future?
She smiled and said, "Mother, please don't tell your brother about this. Otherwise, he will misunderstand you and think that you love him the most because you don't have another son."
"I used to be jealous and envious of Bo Ge'er, but after hearing what you said today, I finally understood. He may seem luckier than me, but in reality, he's just a bargaining chip. Your love for him is genuine, and your interests are real. Although it's understandable, it's also heartbreaking. If mother had another son, I'm afraid she wouldn't dote on Bo Ge'er so much, and would instead fight for the title for her youngest son. How would Bo Ge'er cope with that?"
Cui Lingyan said with some emotion, "My aunt has many flaws, and is even a bit materialistic, but she truly loves her two children. In this respect, she is better than you."
Qi's face turned red and white. Seeing the mockery in Cui Lingyan's eyes, she felt a little embarrassed. However, she did not argue with Cui Lingyan. She just said, "If your aunt were in my position, I'm afraid she would do the same."
"Alright, I don't expect you to understand my difficulties. Although I'm not favored by your father, I'm still the wife of the Ningshou Marquis and in charge of the household expenses. You just need to be your wife, the Crown Prince."
After saying this, Qi stood up and left.
Cui Lingyan was stunned for a long time before looking away.
After a while, Cui Shenbo also sent someone to bring more makeup. Cui Lingyan reached out to open the box and saw a thick pile of silver bills inside, and a whole layer of small gold ingots carved with Ruyi patterns on the bottom. Her expression became complicated and she looked at it for a long time before closing the lid.
The next morning, Cui Lingyan was woken up early by Birou, and she washed and dressed up and changed into a bright red wedding dress.
My mother, Qi, and my two aunts, Bian and Gao, also came to Chuyunyuan early in the morning. After a while, Zhan also came with Qi Ruorou.
Soon, the female guests from each family arrived. Cui Lingyan did not grow up in the capital, so she did not know many of them, but since she was marrying Lu Bingzhi, naturally some people came to share in the good news.
The room was bustling with activity. There were happy characters on the windows and red silk hanging on them, creating a festive atmosphere.
Nanny Quanfu was smiling as she combed Cui Lingyan's hair and said auspicious words. Cui Lingyan, who was not very nervous at first, suddenly became a little nervous.
She calmed herself down, listened to the noise outside, and let Nanny Quanfu comb her hair. After a while, Cui Lingyan saw herself in the mirror, dressed up, with picturesque features and elegant appearance, and was stunned for a moment.
Zhan smiled and praised, "Our little girl Yan is already outstanding in appearance. Now that she is dressed as a bride, she is even more radiant and charming. It is hard to take your eyes off her."
The female relatives also smiled and nodded in agreement. Even though they knew that Lu Bingzhi had a cold personality and was not the type to be attracted by pretty faces, they also joked, "With Yan's looks, Master Lu will definitely look at her differently."
This banter livened up the atmosphere in the room. Someone in the crowd spoke out at an inopportune moment: "I heard that Prince Lu hasn't been seen much since he was poisoned. I wonder if he'll come to pick up the bride in person since they're getting married today?"
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