Chapter 55: Like Princess Chun'an and looked at Lu Bingzhi who was sitting there...
After coming out of the Cining Palace, Cui Lingyan followed Lu Bingzhi to the Qinzheng Hall.
As they entered the courtyard, the chief eunuch, Eunuch Xu, who was standing in the corridor, came forward with a smile, greeted the two men, and said to Lu Bingzhi very politely, "Sir, please allow me to go in and pass on the message."
Lu Bingzhi nodded, and Eunuch Xu turned and went into the hall. He came out a moment later and led the two of them in.
The hall is very spacious, and even the air is filled with royal majesty and nobility.
Cui Lingyan followed Lu Bingzhi and kowtowed to the person sitting behind the dragon table, not daring to look directly at the emperor's face.
The emperor's gaze fell on Cui Lingyan, but he quickly shifted it. He then spoke to Lu Bingzhi with a touch of gentleness, "Get up. Bingzhi, now that you've married, treat Cui well. That way, Shu Ning can rest in peace in her grave."
After the emperor finished speaking, he asked Lu Bingzhi a few more questions about things in the mansion. Perhaps because Cui Lingyan was there, the emperor asked the two to leave after a few words, and ordered the eunuchs around him to find some good things from the private warehouse and send them to the Duke of Weiguo's mansion.
Without waiting for Lu Bingzhi to express his gratitude, the Emperor waved his hand and said, "Withdraw. Chun'an has returned from Huang'en Temple and is staying in the palace. Take Cui to meet her. Your mother was close to the late Empress. Although Chun'an has become somewhat aloof and arrogant in recent years, even I have been unable to deal with her, she secretly holds you, Bingzhi, in high regard."
Lu Bingzhi replied yes and left with Cui Lingyan.
After the two men left, the emperor's gaze shifted to the chief eunuch, Eunuch Xu, who was standing beside him, and he said, "Do you think Bingzhi has any resentment towards me?"
Eunuch Xu's face changed, and he said quickly: "How dare I speak nonsense?"
The Emperor had always treated his nephew, Lu Bingzhi, very well, partly because of the late Princess Shuning and partly because of the late Empress. When the late Empress was alive, she and her younger aunt, Princess Shuning, got along very well, like sisters, a rare sight in the capital, let alone within the imperial family.
After the late Empress passed away, the Emperor felt guilty and treated those close to her even better, even harboring a desire to make amends. Otherwise, Princess Shu Ning wouldn't have enjoyed such a glorious life for so many years. It's a pity that the Princess died young, leaving behind only one son, the Crown Prince. As his uncle, the Emperor naturally showed him even more care and favor, seemingly even more than the other princes. Otherwise, the Second Prince wouldn't have become jealous and poisoned her.
It's a pity that a nephew is a nephew after all, not the emperor's biological son. Even if the emperor felt guilty, even if he was furious that day and punished a capable eunuch around the second prince, he did not put the blame for the poisoning on the second prince after all, and just let the matter go.
Now that the emperor asked this, Eunuch Xu really didn't dare to speak nonsense.
The emperor's heart is hard to predict. I wonder if the emperor still feels the same way about the prince as before?
The emperor could see through his thoughts and said with some displeasure, "Alright, just say what I tell you to say. Don't hesitate."
Eunuch Xu hesitated for a moment before speaking, "From the Prince's calm expression, I can't tell what he's thinking."
"As you know, the Crown Prince has been quiet and mature since childhood. To be honest, it's hard for me to guess what's going on. But the Crown Prince is always intelligent and insightful. Even if he guessed something, he wouldn't blame the Emperor for it. How can I describe the Crown Prince? He doesn't seem to care about anything. Obviously, the poisoning and the subsequent rumors would have affected anyone else's character, but the Crown Prince seems to take it lightly. I'm sorry to say this, but the Crown Prince's temperament is somewhat like that of a Buddhist."
The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Xu and said, "What nonsense! Bingzhi is Shuning's only child, my nephew, and he will inherit the title of Duke of Weiguo. How could he have entered Buddhism?"
"Besides, now that he's married to Cui, who is also extremely beautiful, the couple will become one, and even the coldest temperament will soften."
"I asked you this, but how could I not know in my heart that he was too lazy to resent me? This attitude is very similar to..."
The emperor suddenly stopped talking at this point, his brows darkening, and he waved his hand to Eunuch Xu, saying, "Retreat. You don't need to serve here anymore."
Eunuch Xu knew that he was going to mention the late queen, and he sighed softly in his heart. He didn't dare to stay here and bother the emperor, so he bowed and retreated.
As soon as he left, a young eunuch in the corridor came up and whispered in his ear, "Just now, the Imperial Concubine sent someone to deliver some snacks. She said it was a Poria cocos cake made by the Imperial Concubine herself and she wanted to give it to the Emperor to try. I couldn't refuse, so I put the Poria cocos cake in the side hall. Eunuch, can you please deliver this Poria cocos cake to the Emperor?"
Eunuch Xu said angrily, "Sending her in now is like asking for death. Do you think we're still in the imperial concubine's new palace?"
He lowered his voice and ordered, "Put it in the side hall. From now on, anything sent by the imperial concubine should be handled in this way. Do you understand?"
The young eunuch had been with Eunuch Xu for many years and knew the situation in the palace. He thought that the imperial concubine had only had a nominal title over the years but actually had no favor at all. If she did not have the second prince, she would probably not be able to maintain her current status. So he did not think there was anything wrong with such treatment.
Eunuch Xu turned his head, a glint of mockery in his eyes. The Imperial Concubine, either foolish or deluded, didn't realize she'd been a thorn in the Emperor's side ever since the late Empress' passing. The Emperor had wronged the late Empress, leading to a difficult labor and a stillborn child, two lives lost. Naturally, the Emperor felt guilty. But how could the Emperor, with his status, admit his own fault? So, he pinned the blame on the Imperial Concubine.
Others didn't know, but he knew that since the late queen passed away, the emperor had never favored the imperial concubine even when he went to see her.
Once he heard the imperial concubine crying outside the palace, and the emperor quickly came out of the palace and left the imperial concubine's palace.
The reason why the imperial concubine has not been deposed is, firstly, out of consideration for the Second Prince's dignity, and secondly, the Emperor feels that if he deposes the imperial concubine, it would mean that the incident of that year has been put to rest, and the world will laugh at him as the emperor.
How could the emperor go back on his word and make himself a laughing stock for the whole world?
If the imperial concubine was a smart one, she would have told the emperor to forget that she existed in the palace. However, the imperial concubine just wanted to gain the emperor's pity. Even when the emperor beat the eunuch beside the second prince to death, the imperial concubine came to plead for mercy, asking the emperor to consider the second prince's reputation and dignity. But in the end, the imperial concubine didn't even see the emperor, which was simply a humiliation for herself.
Thinking of the second prince, Eunuch Xu remembered Lu Bingzhi and the question the emperor had asked him just now. He smiled bitterly in his heart. The emperor's mind is really unpredictable!
......
Cui Lingyan followed Lu Bingzhi in silence.
After a long while, Lu Bingzhi turned around and looked at her: "Why, are you a little scared after seeing the emperor just now?"
Cui Lingyan smiled and shook her head.
Lu Bingzhi raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that this was not Cui Lingyan's true thought, and his eyes were fixed on her face.
Cui Lingyan felt a little uncomfortable being looked at by Lu Bingzhi. After a moment's hesitation, she said with some concern, "I'm not afraid. It's just that the Crown Prince hasn't spoken since we came out of the Qinzheng Palace. Is he in a bad mood? Or is he a little tired?"
Hearing Cui Lingyan say this, Lu Bingzhi felt a flash of surprise in his heart. He never showed his emotions on his face, especially when he was unhappy. Cui had just married into the family, so how could she be so sensitive to his emotions?
He thought he had hidden it well.
Thinking that she must be extremely cautious living under the Qi family's roof, Lu Bingzhi no longer found it strange. He smiled and said softly, "It's okay, I was just thinking about something. Blame me. I shouldn't have worried you on a day like this."
Cui Lingyan smiled and shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind.
In fact, if Lu Bingzhi hadn't asked, she wouldn't have said anything. She naturally knew that Lu Bingzhi was the emperor's biological son, the legitimate son of the former empress, and that he must have felt extremely complicated when he came to the palace to pay his respects to the emperor after marrying.
At times like this, she could only remain silent, follow him, pretending she knew nothing and not noticing his wrong emotions.
But Lu Bingzhi was also a sharp-minded person. Perhaps he noticed that the atmosphere between the two was not right, so he asked about it. Only then did Cui Lingyan respond.
Hearing Lu Bingzhi say this and seeing his expression soften, Cui Lingyan felt relieved.
Fortunately, Lu Bingzhi's current identity is only the emperor's nephew. Apart from paying respects today and attending future palace banquets, his nephew's wife will probably not enter the palace again. Even if she enters the palace, she will not go to the Qinzheng Hall to pay a visit with Lu Bingzhi.
After a while, the two arrived at Huayang Palace where Princess Chun'an lived.
Princess Chun'an was very beautiful and noble, but she had a somewhat cold temperament. When she saw Lu Bingzhi and Cui Lingyan coming in, even though she had a smile on her face, she gave people a feeling of alienation.
"My cousin is getting married. I just came back from Huang'en Temple and missed it. So I'll take some things from my private storehouse and give them to him as a wedding gift."
Lu Bingzhi nodded and said, "Since my cousin said it's a wedding gift, Bingzhi and Cui will accept it."
Princess Chun'an glanced at the small double-sided Su-embroidered purple magnolia table screen in her hand, smiled at Cui Lingyan, and said, "You are thoughtful. I really like this thing."
As they spoke, the palace maids served tea and snacks.
Princess Chun'an and Cui Lingyan chatted while drinking tea, but Princess Chun'an probably didn't like to talk much, and Lu Bingzhi, who was sitting next to her, also had a cold personality. It was also the first time Cui Lingyan and Princess Chun'an met, and there was not much to talk about, so there was always a bit of awkwardness.
Cui Lingyan had a smile on her face. When she had nothing to say, she drank her tea by herself and did not try to find any topics to talk about.
To outsiders, she seemed a bit timid and dull, and considering that she had been raised in the Qi family since she was a child, she was nervous when she saw Princess Chun'an. But Princess Chun'an gave her a second look, and her eyes showed a bit of interest.
Princess Chun'an looked at Lu Bingzhi who was sitting there again and concealed her thoughts.
The two of them sat in Huayang Palace for a while, then stood up and said goodbye.
Coming out of Huayang Palace, Lu Bingzhi said, "That's just my cousin's personality. She didn't mean to ignore you."
Cui Lingyan smiled and didn't take it to heart: "I don't feel ignored. This is the first time I meet the princess. If we were more familiar with each other, I would feel awkward."
"Princess, this is just right. However, the princess said she liked the small purple magnolia table screen I gave her. I am very happy."
Cui Lingyan smiled shyly, "To be honest, Your Highness, I spent quite a while embroidering that little table screen, and my fingers have pierced many holes in it. I really like it. Now that I've given it to you and received a compliment from the princess, I won't feel any regret."
"The princess is of noble status, and the fact that she said this to me shows that she is cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She doesn't have the arrogance of someone in a high position. How could I feel that the princess has neglected me?"
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