Chapter 54: After entering the palace, Bingzhi returned to his position, but in his heart he always...
The next morning, Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi went to pay their respects to Old Madam Dou and had breakfast in Qingdeyuan before leaving the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion and taking a carriage to the imperial palace.
In the carriage, Cui Lingyan wore a red brocade jacket with peony patterns on the cuffs. She had her hair in a flowing bun and a mutton-fat jade hairpin inlaid with rubies. She looked more noble than before she got married.
The carriage was completely silent. This was the couple's first time in the palace since their marriage. Seeing her sitting upright with her back straight, Lu Bingzhi gently soothed her, "Grandmother, you've paid your respects before. Princess Chun'an isn't the type to bully others. Besides, I'm here with you, so don't be nervous."
Cui Lingyan nodded and said to Lu Bingzhi with a smile, "I understand."
About half an hour later, the carriage stopped at the palace gate.
Lu Bingzhi got off the carriage first before extending his hand to Cui Lingyan.
Cui Lingyan smiled and put her hand in his, then stepped on the footstool with his strength and got off the carriage.
At the palace gate, Eunuch An, the chief eunuch of the Cining Palace, was already waiting. Seeing Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan disembark from the carriage, he hurried over with a smile. After greeting them, he said, "The Empress Dowager has been waiting for you. I will accompany the Crown Prince and the Young Madam inside."
Eunuch An led the way, and Cui Lingyan followed Lu Bingzhi into the palace gate and walked along the long palace road.
This was Cui Lingyan's second time entering the palace. Before, she accompanied Cui Linghui to the palace to pay her respects to the empress dowager. Although it sounded respectable, she was actually just a foil for her stepsister Cui Linghui.
In a short time, she married Lu Bingzhi in Cui Linghui's place. The second time she entered the palace, she kowtowed to the Empress Dowager as the young wife of the Duke of Wei and the granddaughter-in-law of the Empress Dowager. If it hadn't really happened, she wouldn't have dared to believe it.
Thinking of this, Cui Lingyan's gaze fell subtly on Lu Bingzhi beside her.
It is said that the Prince of Weiguo has a cold and even indifferent temperament, but after Cui Lingyan married him, she felt that the man in front of her was actually cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He respected and protected those who were included in his protection circle.
For example, as a wife, marrying him was actually considered marrying above her station, not to mention all the rumors. But Lu Bingzhi treated her with dignity and respect, making her feel that she was not helpless in the Weiguo Mansion, which made her feel a little relieved.
It’s a pity that Lu Bingzhi’s real identity is the legitimate son of the late queen. She is his legal wife now. When he moves into the Eastern Palace in the future, will she become his Crown Princess?
Cui Lingyan didn't dare to speculate about human nature, let alone what was in the mind of someone who was in a high position or even about to ascend to the throne.
Now Lu Bingzhi treats her well and gives her the respect that a wife deserves. I wonder what will happen in the future?
If that day really comes, what should she do?
Cui Lingyan shook her head slightly, secretly blaming herself for thinking about these things. It would be counterproductive to restrain herself with things that had not happened yet.
She is just a weak woman without a strong family, so some things are really beyond her control.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling a little cold?" Lu Bingzhi, perhaps noticing her gaze, turned back, took her hand, and whispered, "We're almost at the Cining Palace. Let's go to grandma's place later to have a cup of tea and warm ourselves up."
Cui Lingyan pursed her lips and smiled. Hearing him say this, she knew that the relationship between him and the Empress Dowager was really as deep as outsiders said.
She let Lu Bingzhi hold her hand and continued walking forward.
After a while, they arrived at the gate of Cining Palace.
The two followed Eunuch An into the Cining Palace. The palace maids in the palace who heard the noise came out hurriedly, opened the curtain and led Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan in.
The hall was filled with a faint scent of agarwood. The empress dowager was sitting on a soft couch, wearing a purple-red palace dress with round longevity patterns. The hem of her skirt was embroidered with auspicious patterns of auspicious clouds and peonies in gold thread. Her hair was combed neatly, and she wore a jade hairpin and a red hairpin with kingfisher feathers on her head, looking particularly graceful and elegant.
The two of them came forward to kowtow and pay their respects, and presented gifts of filial piety. Compared with the last time Cui Lingyan entered the palace, the empress dowager today showed more kindness of an elder in addition to her majesty.
"Hurry up and get up. It's a bit cold today. I have some almond tea in the kitchen. I'll give it to you to try."
As the Empress Dowager was speaking, a palace maid came forward with a tray, offering two cups of almond tea, some snacks, and cut fruits.
The Empress Dowager was very kind and beckoned Cui Lingyan to sit in front of the couch.
Lu Bingzhi sat down on the chair below.
The Queen Mother looked at Cui Lingyan with a smile and said, "When you first entered the palace, I felt that we had a good rapport. I never thought that you would become my grandson's wife so quickly."
"Are you used to living in the mansion? Bingzhi didn't bully you or make you feel wronged, did he?"
Cui Lingyan blushed slightly, revealing a bit of embarrassment. She glanced at Lu Bingzhi, shook her head, and said softly, "The prince treats me very well. How could he bully me?"
Seeing her like this, the Empress Dowager felt relieved. Although the maid sent to the Duke of Wei's residence had returned to the palace to report that Bingzhi had not objected to the marriage and had spent his wedding night in the Wutong Courtyard, she, as the grandmother, still felt a little uneasy. She knew Bingzhi's character well. Even if he was willing to give Cui Shi some respect, he might not get along with her, and might not truly consider her his wife.
Now seeing Cui like this, Bingzhi's eyes and brows became a little more gentle, not as cold as before. She still didn't understand in her heart that this newlywed couple got along very well and had no awkwardness.
She felt relieved, but she also found that Cui seemed to be still unmarried, and the two of them probably had not consummated their marriage. She glanced at Lu Bingzhi, thought of his previous poisoning, and did not mention it in the end.
As long as the couple gets along well, the issue of offspring can be discussed later. Bingzhi said that he was in good health. Although she, his grandmother, felt that something was wrong, she didn't want to take the pulse diagnosis from the Imperial Hospital and hurt Bingzhi's reputation.
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I will be relieved if you two get along well."
After saying this, the empress dowager asked about some matters in the Duke's Mansion and whether Old Madam Dou was in good health. Cui Lingyan, the new young lady in the mansion, did not know all of these things, so Lu Bingzhi answered for her one by one when Cui Lingyan could not answer them.
Cui Lingyan sat there, drinking almond tea and talking to the empress dowager.
She also discovered that the empress dowager only mentioned the old lady of the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion and never mentioned the Cui family again. She knew that the empress dowager was afraid of touching her sore spot and embarrassing her. Even though she understood that the empress dowager treated her like this only because she loved her grandson Lu Bingzhi, and therefore loved the Cui family as well, she couldn't help but feel a little warm in her heart.
The two sat in the Cining Palace for a while before the Queen Mother smiled and said, "Don't waste time here with me. Take Cui to pay your respects to your uncle."
When the Queen Mother said this, her eyes fell on Lu Bingzhi's face, and she carefully observed his expression.
Seeing that there was no other emotion on his face, the Queen Mother felt a little relieved.
The emperor, as his uncle, treated Bingzhi with great respect, but how could he be more respected than the prince in the palace? Although the emperor was furious and had several eunuchs in charge of the imperial kitchen executed, he did not give Bingzhi an explanation.
She had lived in the palace for a long time and knew that a eunuch in the second prince's palace was also beaten to death. How could she not know that it was most likely the second prince who did it? Although the emperor seldom visited the imperial concubine in recent years because of the late queen's affairs, and treated the second prince born by the imperial concubine the same as other princes and princesses, the emperor knew clearly which was more important, a son or a nephew, so he could only ask Bingzhi to swallow this grievance.
Bingzhi has been a smart and thoughtful child since he was young, and perhaps he has guessed some of the truth. She is afraid that Bingzhi will feel resentful and dissatisfied with his uncle the emperor because of this.
Fortunately, when she mentioned the emperor, Bingzhi's expression was the same as usual, and she felt a little relieved.
Shu Ning only has this one son, and her daughter has passed away for many years. How can she not protect the only bloodline left by her daughter?
The Empress Dowager moved her lips, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back, fearing that saying too much would seem forced and make Bingzhi feel uncomfortable in the presence of the Emperor. She smiled and said, "Go."
Lu Bingzhi nodded and took Cui Lingyan out of the Cining Palace.
Huayang Palace
Princess Chun'an was kneeling at her desk, copying scriptures. The maid Pei'er came in from outside, walked to the desk, and waited until her mistress put down her pen before she spoke and reported, "My mistress, the Crown Prince and the Young Madam have left the Cining Palace and are going to the Qinzheng Palace to pay their respects to the Emperor."
Princess Chun'an remained calm and silent. She stood up and washed her hands in a basin on a nearby shelf. Then she slowly walked over to the couch and sat down. She took the teacup from Pei'er and took a sip before speaking, "Father, I'm afraid you feel guilty about Bing's poisoning. This time, Bingzhi and Cui will receive a generous reward."
Pei'er had served the princess for many years and was aware of Lu Bingzhi's true identity. Hearing her master say this, she felt deeply distressed and quickly spoke to comfort him, "Princess, don't be upset. The Emperor doesn't know the Crown Prince's identity yet, so he's just brushing off the poisoning and only having a few eunuchs executed. If the Emperor knew, he would be furious and punish the Second Prince."
"After all, the Imperial Concubine is only an Imperial Concubine now. Her favor is gone, and who in the palace doesn't know that? The Second Prince poisoned the Crown Prince simply because he saw how much the Emperor valued his nephew, often summoning him to the palace to play chess and talk. He was summoned more often than the Second Prince, his own son. He was simply jealous and wanted to teach the Crown Prince a lesson. The Crown Prince went along with it. Although the Emperor favored the Second Prince, he wasn't without anger towards him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have beaten his most capable eunuch to death, frightening him so much that his face turned pale. The Imperial Concubine went to plead for mercy, but the Emperor wouldn't even see him."
"When the status of the Crown Prince is restored in the future, the Emperor will feel guilty and will compensate the Crown Prince."
Princess Chun'an listened to her words with a flicker of sarcasm in her eyes: "What if he feels guilty? No matter how guilty he is, he can't bring back my mother's life."
She took a sip of tea, smiled bitterly, and said, "Never mind. It's better for him to feel guilty than not to feel guilty. Otherwise, why would he have allowed me to marry into the Duke Dingguo's mansion and become his wife?"
"Because of this guilt, when Bingzhi returns to his position, he will always be different from other princes in his heart."
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