Chapter 47: Red Candle She felt her eyes light up, and her sight went straight into...
The speaker was a noble lady wearing a light blue brocade jacket embroidered with peony flowers. When she said this casually, the room suddenly became quiet.
The originally lively atmosphere became a little stagnant, and the eyes of the female relatives all fell on Cui Lingyan, who was wearing a bright red wedding dress.
Cui Linghui, who was standing aside, had a hint of sarcasm in her eyes, but the handkerchief she clenched tightly still revealed her nervousness.
She didn't want Lu Bingzhi to come and welcome her personally, which gave Cui Lingyan great honor.
After all, in his previous life, Lu Bingzhi was unwell due to poisoning, so the Empress Dowager ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange Lu Bingzhi's marriage. It was not Lu Bingzhi, the prince, who came to welcome the bride, but the ceremonial officer.
At that time, she didn't like Lu Bingzhi and was not satisfied with this marriage, but she had to marry into the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion, so she didn't care at all about who would come to pick her up, and she didn't even want to meet Lu Bingzhi so soon.
After being reborn, the marriage fell on Cui Lingyan, her stepsister. She was a little nervous, fearing that this time it would not be the ceremonial officer who came, but Lu Bingzhi himself who would come to pick her up.
If it were in the past, she would not have such worries, but Cui Lingyin plotted against Cui Lingyan and Qi Shaozhang. Lu Bingzhi did not despise Cui Lingyan but helped her instead. Not only did he send Guanyan to deliver those gifts, he also asked Nanny Sun to come and put all the evidence found in front of her grandmother, Madam Zhai, telling her grandmother not to cover up this scandal of sisterly feud and to restore Cui Lingyan's innocent reputation.
She had lived with Lu Bingzhi for many years, and this man was so heartless that he didn't seem like the type to do such a thing. But he had always protected Cui Lingyan, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
Today, if Lu Bingzhi came to pick up the bride in person, she would find it even more unbearable. If so, what was she in Lu Bingzhi's eyes in her previous life?
Cui Lingyan hadn't grown up in the Marquis's mansion, so how could her status and talent compare to her elder sister? Could it be that Lu Bingzhi treated Cui Lingyan differently because of her good looks?
Cui Linghui clenched the handkerchief in her hand, suppressed the emotions in her eyes, and looked up at Cui Lingyan who was wearing a wedding dress.
She thought she would see embarrassment and uneasiness on Cui Lingyan's face, but she found that her stepsister was smiling, as if she didn't hear the man's muttering at all.
"Oh, the Prince is so protective of Miss Cui San. I think he is extremely satisfied with this marriage and will most likely go to welcome her personally. Even if he can't come in person due to illness, he will send someone to come to welcome her. These are not a big deal. Miss Cui San is such a beauty. How can Prince Lu not be moved by her?"
These jokes livened up the atmosphere in the room. Cui Lingyan smiled shyly, but her eyes glanced subtly at the noble lady in the light blue jacket.
The noble lady smiled awkwardly and avoided her gaze.
The room became lively again, and the women in the household started chatting. Zhan and Qi Ruoruo stayed with Cui Lingyan, joking from time to time. Seeing that everything was settled here, Qi, the lady in charge, went to the front to busy herself. Third Lady Gao stayed in the room, and Bian whispered to Cui Lingyan that she was going to see Old Lady Zhai so that the old lady would be alone.
Cui Lingyan knew that she, the second aunt, was the best at pleasing the old lady. Furthermore, Cui Lingyin had just caused trouble, causing the old lady's displeasure and even acquiescing to Bian's apology, allowing her to kneel in the corridor for over an hour. Bian was a clever woman, so naturally she would find a way to please the old lady at this time.
She smiled and said, "My aunt, Third Aunt, and Cousin are here with me. Second Aunt, please go and keep Grandma company. Grandma is feeling better, and I'll feel more at ease if she has someone by her side."
Bian nodded, thinking that Yan girl was used to saying these filial words, but only she knew how much sincerity there was in them.
Bian smiled and patted Cui Lingyan's hand, then nodded to Zhan, then turned and left the room.
Xilanyuan
Madam Zhai had just finished a bowl of bird's nest soup when she saw Bian come in and asked, "Is everything settled over at Chuyun Courtyard? Your sister-in-law is busy with all sorts of things today and probably hasn't been able to take care of the inner courtyard. As your sister-in-law, you should help her out. Don't let anything go wrong and make a fool of ourselves in front of all the guests in the mansion."
Bian stepped forward with a smile: "Everything is settled. My aunt and uncle are watching over there."
She hesitated for a moment, then added, "Girl Hui is here too."
Madam Zhai had shown a hint of satisfaction upon hearing Bian's first words, but when she heard Cui Linghui was also at Chuyun Court, her smile faded a bit, and she said with a hint of displeasure, "It's enough for people outside to know that she's back at the Marquis' Mansion. At most, she, as the elder sister, would show up when Yan goes out. But she's staying at Chuyun Court now because she thinks those other women haven't had enough of gossiping about her behind her back?"
"I really don't know what she's thinking. Before, she was fine, obedient and sensible, and I was most assured of her. But ever since Master Lu was poisoned and she fell into the water and became ill, her personality has changed. She no longer cares about the reputation of the Marquisate. Doesn't she know that she shouldn't show up too often at this time? Doesn't she need me, her grandmother, to remind her of such a simple truth?"
Bian knew clearly that as much as the old lady loved her granddaughter Cui Linghui in the past, she was just as dissatisfied with her now.
In fact, the old lady was dissatisfied with Cui Linghui, and that was why she thought she was wrong in everything.
The old lady didn't even think about how Cui Linghui, who was so strong-willed and arrogant, could hide in her courtyard on the day when Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi got married?
This was what Cui Linghui was capable of. She didn't care what people said or did; she just felt it wasn't shameful for her to cancel the marriage, and she didn't want it to affect her for the rest of her life.
In fact, sometimes she, as an aunt, also admires Hui Yatou, the younger generation.
If it were her, she might not be able to bear it, and she would not have the courage to deliberately fall into the water and catch a cold to cancel the marriage.
Bian thought so, but she said comfortingly, "Don't worry, mother. Today, Yan girl is marrying into the Duke of Wei's mansion, and those rumors outside will gradually die down. After a while, who will talk about these things anymore?"
Madam Zhai nodded and pointed to the embroidered cushion beside her: "Sit down."
Bian walked forward and sat down, took the teacup handed to her by the maid and took a sip.
Madam Zhai glanced at her and said, "The marriage between Lingyin and Qi Shaozhang that you mentioned before is up to you. You are Yin's legitimate mother. As long as you think it is appropriate, you can let Yin marry into the Qi family. It will be considered as our mansion repaying the Qi family for taking care of Yan for so many years."
When Mrs. Bian heard this accurate statement, she finally felt relieved.
She also didn't expect that Cui Lingyin, a concubine's daughter, would hold her power against her and force her to help her marry Qi Shaozhang.
Fortunately, she had some face with her mother-in-law over the years and could understand her thoughts. After her persuasion, her mother-in-law finally gave in.
Bian stood up and bowed, saying, "I thank my mother. I can rest assured that Yin can marry Qi Shaozhang. Although the Qi family is not well-known, we know their background well. As long as Yin is dedicated, she will definitely be a good daughter-in-law of the Qi family."
Madam Zhai nodded and changed the subject to talk about something else.
After chatting for a while, the sound of gongs and firecrackers could be heard faintly outside. Old Lady Zhai smiled and said, "It seems that it is time."
As Old Lady Zhai said this, she instructed the head maid Daimao, "Go outside and see if it's the prince himself who's coming to pick up the bride."
Daimao agreed with a smile, bowed and walked out.
Cui Lingyan also heard the knocking sounds outside, and became a little nervous for a moment, her eyes unconsciously looking towards the door.
After a while, a maid ran in with a big smile on her face. She bowed to Cui Lingyan and said, "Third Miss, the wedding procession has arrived. It's the Crown Prince himself who's here to welcome the bride. Third Miss, please hurry to the main hall. The Crown Prince will go there directly later. Once you've paid your respects to the elders, you can leave the house."
The third wife, Mrs. Gao, put a red veil on Cui Lingyan's head, helped her stand up from her seat, and handed her over to Nanny Quanfu.
Cui Lingyan walked in front, followed by Zhan and the female relatives. They stepped out of the threshold, walked out of the gate of Chuyunyuan, and headed towards the main hall.
As they approached the main hall, Cui Lingyan heard footsteps. The air seemed to stagnate for a moment, and then Madam Quanfu smiled and said to Cui Lingyan, "Third Miss, the prince has arrived."
Through the red veil, Cui Lingyan saw a tall man in front of her wearing a red wedding dress with gold embroidery. It was none other than Lu Bingzhi.
Her heart tightened, she bowed and said, "Prince."
Some blessings were heard, and Nanny Quanfu handed the red ribbon that had been prepared long ago to Cui Lingyan. Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan each held one end and walked slowly into the main hall.
At this time, Madam Zhai, Qi, Marquis Ningshou, Cui Shensi, Cui Shenbo and others were all waiting.
Cui Lingyan was already familiar with the farewell process. She took Nanny Quanfu's hand, knelt on the futon beside her, and said respectfully: "Grandmother, I bid you farewell. I hope that you are in good health and everything goes well." After saying this, she kowtowed to Qi and Ningshou Hou.
"A daughter bids farewell to her father and mother."
Her voice was particularly pleasant but a little choked. Even though some of the female relatives standing in the room knew that she had not grown up in the Marquis' Mansion and wanted to laugh at the Ningshou Marquis' Mansion on this farewell occasion, when they saw Cui Lingyan acting like this, they couldn't help but look up to Cui Lingyan a little and couldn't find any fault with her.
Qi's eyes also turned red, and Ningshou Hou gave Cui Lingyan some advice, asking her to serve her parents-in-law well after marrying into the Duke's Mansion and fulfill her duties as a wife and daughter-in-law.
After saying this, he glanced at Lu Bingzhi who was standing there and said, "From now on, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Yan girl."
Cui Lingyan listened to her father's words, but her heart wasn't moved at all. After returning to the mansion, she had only visited her father once in the study. He treated her coldly, and there was no father-daughter affection between them. It was fortunate that her father could speak like this at this time.
Cui Lingyan couldn't help but think, if this marriage had not fallen upon her, and it was still Cui Linghui who married Lu Bingzhi, her father loved Cui Linghui's biological mother, Mu. Perhaps when he saw Cui Linghui, his beloved daughter since childhood, getting married, he would express his true feelings and be particularly reluctant to let her go?
As she was thinking this, she heard Lu Bingzhi's cold voice: "Cui is Bingzhi's wife, Bingzhi will take care of her."
Marquis Ningshou nodded. Qi and Madam Zhai, who were sitting nearby, unconsciously glanced at the eldest daughter Cui Linghui who was standing there. Seeing Cui Linghui tightly clutching the handkerchief in her hand, they all sighed slightly in their hearts.
Madam Zhai retracted her gaze and said to Cui Shenbo who was standing beside her, "Brother Bo, carry your third sister on her back to the bridal sedan."
Cui Shenbo nodded, followed Nanny Quanfu and helped Cui Lingyan out of the main hall. When they were about to reach the door of Ningshou Marquis' Mansion, he stepped forward and squatted in front of Cui Lingyan.
"Third sister."
Cui Lingyan lay on Cui Shenbo's back and was carried to the bridal sedan chair by him. When the curtain of the sedan chair was lowered, Cui Lingyan opened her mouth, but in the end she did not say a few words of affection to her younger brother Cui Shenbo.
The sound of firecrackers and music rang out in my ears as the bridal sedan left the gate of the Marquis' Mansion, followed by 120 sets of dowry that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Many people in the capital knew that Lu Bingzhi was marrying Cui Lingyan today, and they had also heard the rumors in the Marquis' Mansion and the Duke's Mansion. Naturally, they came out to watch the fun and see Lu Bingzhi, the son of the eldest princess, to see if he was weak after being poisoned.
Lu Bingzhi was sitting on his horse in a gold-woven wedding gown, his eyebrows and eyes were delicate, and he had a sense of dignity and majesty.
Those who were watching the fun or wanted to see the joke, seeing his calm and cold appearance, couldn't help but think in their hearts that he was indeed the son of a noble marquis and the eldest princess' legitimate son, otherwise how could he have such a dignified demeanor and appearance?
I wonder what kind of situation Miss Cui will be in after marrying into the Duke's Mansion.
Speaking of which, although Miss Cui Da had rejected this marriage, even though Prince Lu was poisoned and ill, he still looked handsome and of a very noble status. Even if Miss Cui San was unable to have children, the mere status of a prince's wife would make her a distinguished figure in the capital. If Miss Cui San was lucky enough to become pregnant, it would be even more enviable. I'm afraid Miss Cui Da would regret her decision by then.
The wedding procession returned to the Duke of Weiguo's mansion in a grand manner, with drums, music and salutes sounding all the way.
Only when the wedding sedan stopped in front of the gate of the Duke of Weiguo's mansion did Nanny Quanfu help Cui Lingyan get off the carriage.
After crossing the fire basin and a long and complicated wedding ceremony, Cui Lingyan was sent to the bridal chamber.
The bright red veil blocked her vision. At this moment, there were only her and her maid Bitao who came with her as a dowry in the room. Only then did Cui Lingyan breathe a sigh of relief.
Cui Lingyan sat on the bed with her hands folded on her knees. Through the red veil, she could see the big red double happiness candles on the candlesticks in the room, and a big red velvet carpet on the floor.
This atmosphere reminded Cui Lingyan of the dream when she married Qi Shaozhang.
She shook her head slightly and suppressed these thoughts.
After an unknown amount of time, footsteps were heard outside, and the maid's greetings were also heard in: "Greetings, Prince."
Cui Lingyan's heart skipped a beat and she subconsciously pursed her lips. Through the red veil, she saw the man walking towards her step by step. He picked up the wedding scales on the tray beside him and lifted the red veil.
She felt her eyes light up, and her gaze ran straight into Lu Bingzhi's cold and beautiful eyes.
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