Chapter 51: Conspiracy Now Cui Lingyan has become the wife of the prince of Weiguo...
Hearing Yulan's words, Cui Linghui's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and then he sneered, saying with a hint of disdain, "It's amazing that Cui Lingyin could even think of marrying Qi Shaozhang, and she's not afraid of being ridiculed. Grandmother also agreed to this marriage. If this gets out, I wonder what people outside will say about our Ningshou Marquis Mansion. I really don't know what Grandmother is thinking. Is it because Cui Lingyin has been fawning over her since she was a child that she really loves this concubine and can't bear to marry her off casually?"
Cui Linghui looked at Yulan. "Did you find out anything? I was thinking if Grandma really loved Cui Lingyin, she wouldn't have been so heartless that day. How could she have changed her mind in such a short time?"
One day after returning home, Yulan was also very surprised to hear about this incident. She also asked someone to investigate privately, and she actually found out some details.
Yulan hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Young lady, you certainly wouldn't have guessed it, but it was actually Second Madam who persuaded Old Madam. Otherwise, given Old Madam's temperament, she would have sent Second Madam and Concubine Wen to the ancestral temple, and then married Second Madam off far away, never to return to the capital. This would have saved Old Madam the wrath of Second Madam."
Cui Linghui raised an eyebrow. "Second Aunt? Why would she do that? Wasn't it because of Cui Lingyin that she went to Xilan Courtyard to apologize and was punished by Grandmother to kneel for an hour, humiliating her? She's not Cui Lingyin's biological mother. After such a huge loss of face, she should have wanted to beat Cui Lingyin, the concubine, and Concubine Wen to death. Why would she protect Cui Lingyin?"
Yulan thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps the Second Lady has been raised under the Second Madam's name since she was young, and she doesn't interact much with Madam Wen on a daily basis. After more than ten years of living together, they've developed some mother-daughter affection. The Second Madam's anger has subsided, but thinking back on all those years together, she's probably feeling a bit of pity. Coincidentally, Aunt Zhan and the young master are all living in the mansion, so the Second Madam doesn't have to look for anyone else. Furthermore, this will completely ease relations with the Qi family and give an explanation to our Madam, our sister-in-law, so that she won't have to bring this up in the future, making the Second Branch feel inferior to our First Branch."
"The Second Madam has always been concerned about her reputation. This way, not only will she be seen as treating her concubine's daughter well, earning her a reputation as a virtuous woman, but it will also completely resolve this matter. Isn't this a good thing for the Second Madam? The young lady despises the Qi family, but the Second Madam wasn't born, and the Second Madam doesn't care about family background. As for the Second Madam, in this situation, does she have any choice?"
"No matter what, if Madam Wen marries Qi Shaozhang, she will go to live in the family temple for a while. To save Second Miss's face, the Qi family will also ask the old lady for a favor and bring Madam Wen back to the mansion."
Cui Linghui raised his eyebrows and said with some displeasure, "Why, from what you said, my aunt and the others are going to stay in the capital?"
Yulan nodded. "I heard that's the case. They said they bought a house in the capital these past two days. Actually, it's not surprising. The Qi family is quite prestigious in the local area, but how can they be so respectable in the capital? And Zhan is no fool. She's used to the splendor and luxury of our mansion. How could she be willing to leave the capital and never take advantage of our mansion again?"
Cui Linghui's eyes were filled with disdain and contempt. He put down the teacup in his hand and said coldly, "She's from a small family, and she only wants to take advantage of this little bit. Second Aunt thinks this marriage is a good one now, but when the Qi family stays in the capital, who knows how much she'll regret it. Second Aunt is foolish, and Grandmother actually indulged her and agreed to this marriage."
"I wonder how humiliated I would be if I had a brother-in-law like Qi Shaozhang in the future."
Cui Linghui recalled that in her previous life she had plotted against Cui Lingyan and Qi Shaozhang. When everyone heard the scandal, Qi Shaozhang's face turned red, and he felt ashamed and embarrassed. In anger, he moved out of the Ningshou Marquis Mansion that night.
The young master from a humble family was nothing more than a chess piece that she could manipulate at will.
If such a person stayed in the capital in the future, he would become Cui Linghui's brother-in-law, which was really embarrassing.
Rather than this, she would rather her grandmother marry Cui Lingyin far away in the south and never let her return to the capital.
However, the matter was already a done deal, and she was not as polite as usual in front of her grandmother. Even if she was dissatisfied with the marriage, she probably couldn't persuade her grandmother.
Thinking of this, Cui Linghui felt depressed and uncomfortable.
Just as I was thinking about this, Aunt Liu and her maid Haitang came over here from a distance.
Cui Linghui frowned. Seeing that Aunt Liu looked about 70% similar to his mother, Mu, he felt even more disgusted, and a hint of disgust appeared between his eyebrows.
"My concubine greets the young lady. Hello, young lady." When Aunt Liu saw Cui Linghui drinking tea in the pavilion, she did not avoid her. Instead, she walked slowly forward, bowed and greeted her with a look of respect on her face.
When Cui Linghui heard her calling herself a maidservant and a face that looked just like her mother's, she felt angry but couldn't vent it. She just said calmly, "Where are you going, Auntie?"
Concubine Liu smiled slightly. She glanced at the food box in her hand and said with a smile, "Yesterday, when I heard that the Marquis had a cough, I personally made this Tangerine Peel, Tremella and Snow Pear Soup. I thought I would take it to the Marquis's study to soothe his throat."
"My status as a maidservant is humble, but I am fortunate to be valued by the Marquis. I can only do these small things to repay the Marquis' kindness in taking me in."
Cui Linghui could barely conceal the contempt and ridicule in her eyes. She suppressed her unhappiness and said to Aunt Liu with a smile, "Auntie, you are so thoughtful."
Seeing Aunt Liu standing there respectfully, Cui Linghui looked at her carefully and something flashed through his mind.
She thought for a moment before finally speaking, "It's naturally good that Auntie has this intention, but for Father, the greatest joy would be to have another son to take care of him. Auntie is smart and should understand that if we want to gain a firm foothold in this mansion and be respected by others, taking care of Father is secondary. The most important thing is to give birth to a son for the Cui family. Auntie, don't you think this makes sense?"
When Aunt Liu heard her say this, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Whenever she saw Cui Linghui in the past, he would look at her with disdain and a bit of resentment. Concubine Liu also knew that she had gained the favor of the Marquis by virtue of her similar appearance to the late Madam Mu. Cui Linghui was the daughter of Madam Mu, so how could he tolerate her, a concubine of low status?
She knew what was going on, but she never dared to reveal her wishful thinking of bearing a child for the Cui family. She was afraid that if she became pregnant, not only Madam Qi, but also the older girl Cui Linghui would take action against her, forcing her to live in peace.
Because of this worry, she has actually been secretly taking contraceptive pills in the past few years. Others just say that she is not lucky enough to get pregnant and give birth to the Marquis's child, but only she knows that she dare not, at least not yet.
The eldest son of the family, Cui Shenbo, was the only sickly young master. His mistress, Qi, would not tolerate her giving birth to a son to steal Cui Shenbo's glory. The second wife, Bian, might also be eyeing the title of Marquis of Ningshou for the eldest son, Cui Shensi.
Because of this thought, Aunt Liu was even more surprised that the eldest daughter Cui Linghui would say these words to her, a concubine.
Does Cui Linghui want her to give birth to a son to compete with Cui Shenbo?
If that's the case, the eldest lady really overestimates her.
If she wants to get pregnant, she has to plan carefully. If she gets pregnant, where to keep the baby is also a worry.
She could only think about these words in her heart, not daring to mention them to the Marquis, let alone express them. She looked at how glorious she was because of the Marquis's favor, but she had already felt uneasy in her heart.
It's good that she is favored by the Marquis now. But if the Marquis gets tired of her and falls in love with some young woman who looks like Mu, how can she survive in the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion if she has no children and loses his favor?
Cui Linghui's words really touched her heart and also touched her sore spot.
Concubine Liu suppressed the bitterness in her heart, bowed to Cui Linghui, and said, "Young lady, you are joking. I am unlucky. Although I have received the favor of the Marquis, my uterus has not been able to conceive. I am truly ashamed of the Marquis' kindness to me."
Cui Linghui smiled and said meaningfully, "Auntie is a smart person. Whether she is unlucky or she is worried and dares not get pregnant, she knows it in her heart."
Seeing the surprise in Aunt Liu's eyes, Cui Linghui continued, "Once Aunt Liu was ill, and my father was very worried. I sent someone to visit Aunt Liu, but when she came back, the maid told me that she saw Chuanxiong and Zhigancao in the medicine residue. Aunt Liu didn't know that, but my maid Liu had known some medical knowledge since she was a child, so I understood Aunt Liu's thoughts at that time."
"Since Auntie understands her lowly status and knows her limits, I'll let her be and not tell Father about this. Because even if Auntie isn't around, there will be others. Rather than someone who doesn't know her limits serving Father, it's better to have you, Auntie. At least that will make me feel more at ease and not feel threatened."
"But now I feel that it would be better for our eldest branch to have another young master. My aunt looks similar to my mother, and my grandmother has always been concerned about her late mother. If I adopt my aunt as my adopted daughter and have her visit the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion more often, that would be a relief to my grandmother."
Aunt Liu widened her eyes, somewhat unable to believe what she heard.
What the girl meant by this is...
Aunt Liu's eyes lit up, her face turned pale and she became a little excited. She moved her lips but didn't speak for a long time.
Cui Linghui put down the teacup in her hand, stood up, walked down the steps, walked to Aunt Liu, and whispered in her ear: "Aunt, don't worry. I think you also understand my current situation. I need you to give me a brother, and ask him to inherit the title of Ningshou Hou in the future. It can be regarded as a support for me as a sister."
Aunt Liu hesitated for a moment, bowed, and said seriously, "If I can fulfill my wish and give birth to a child safely, I am willing to obey your orders, young lady."
Cui Linghui nodded, looked at the food box in her hand, and said, "Go to father's study, don't make him wait anxiously."
Aunt Liu nodded, with a hint of gratitude in her eyes, and stood up and went to the study with the maid.
Seeing the two of them leaving, Yulan couldn't help but ask, "Why are you helping Concubine Liu?"
In the past, the girl disliked Concubine Liu the most, as she looked similar to the late lady. She felt that Concubine Liu's existence was disgusting to her and a humiliation to her biological mother, Mrs. Mu.
But today, the girl changed her attitude towards Aunt Liu, and even planned to help Aunt Liu give birth to a child safely.
Cui Linghui said calmly, "What's so strange about this? Ever since Cui Lingyan returned home, the marriage to Lu Bingzhi has fallen on her shoulders. What weight do I, the eldest daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate, have in this mansion? Grandmother doesn't treat me as well as before. Do you still expect Qi, your stepmother, to truly love me as her own daughter? She doesn't even love her own daughter, Cui Lingyan. How can I dare to expect that from her?"
"Besides, my second brother hasn't been as friendly to me lately. How could I not know it's because Cui Lingyan has returned to the capital. Cui Lingyan is now the wife of the Duke of Wei. Even though Lu Bingzhi is ill, she is still a noble wife and no one dares to bully her. People love to flatter the powerful and look down on the weak. I must have a supporter in this mansion."
"These days I've finally understood that nothing in this world is reliable except for profit. I can only blame my mother for her unfortunate fate and her early passing. Otherwise, if I had a biological brother, how could it be her concubine Liu's turn in her next life? Now I have no choice but to do this."
Yulan frowned and said, "But you promised to ask the old lady to adopt her as her adopted daughter. How could the old lady agree to this if she feels uncomfortable?"
Cui Linghui thought for a moment and said, "Grandma still loves me. With her love and affection still there, I will probably be able to persuade her. Don't worry."
She added with a hint of melancholy, "Who knows, if my grandmother hears my plea and proposal, she might feel even more sorry for me, her granddaughter, and think about how difficult it is for me to live in the Ningshou Marquis's mansion."
Yulan looked at her own girl, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Cui Linghui turned around and looked at her: "Don't think I'm heartless and cold-hearted. I even took advantage of my grandmother's kindness to me. In my current situation, shouldn't I plan for myself? Besides finding a good marriage, I'm also working hard on Concubine Liu. Can Qi and Cui Shenbo really treat me sincerely? Cui Shenbo has his own sister!"
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