Chapter 59: Family Dinner Cui Lingyan noticed his gaze and her face slightly...
Bilanyuan
Since being confined to the courtyard as punishment, Cui Lingyin had lost a considerable amount of weight. Although she had manipulated her legal mother, Lady Bian, by using the incident from that year to manipulate the old lady and facilitate her marriage to Qi Shaozhang, she had also offended Lady Bian. Lady Bian was her legal mother, and even if she didn't do anything herself, a single gesture could make Cui Lingyin's life difficult.
Madam Wen was eventually sent to the family temple. Bian said that even if it was just to give an explanation to the Duke of Weiguo and Lu Bingzhi, Madam Wen had to be punished. If her relationship with her cousin Cui Lingyan could be eased in the future, and if her aunt, Madam Zhan, could ask for a favor, Madam Wen would eventually return home.
Cui Lingyin knew that Bian was deliberately making things difficult for her, but she also knew that she had to be tactful. Otherwise, if she really angered her stepmother, she, an unmarried concubine, would not be willing to experience her real methods.
After Cui Lingyin finished copying the Buddhist scriptures in her hand, she placed the pen on the pen holder. When she stood up, she couldn't help coughing a few times. She looked so thin and pitiful.
The maid Hong Jian helped her wash her hands, helped her sit down in front of the couch, and then brought her a cup of hot tea.
"The young lady is still ill, why are you making it so difficult for me to copy these Buddhist scriptures? No matter what, the young lady and the young master's marriage has been decided. Even for this reason, the old lady and the second lady should be more lenient with the young lady."
"Today is the day the Third Young Lady returns home, but the old lady has instructed you to take good care of yourself and not show up in public. If those gossipy maids and servants in the mansion knew about this, who knows how they would slander and gossip about you in private."
"If this gets out, my aunt and my cousin will lose face. I wonder what the Qi family will think of the girl."
Hong Jian's words made Cui Lingyin's heart flutter. She couldn't help coughing a few more times. After she stopped, Cui Lingyin said with a bit of bitterness, "It's not honorable in the first place. This marriage is all for profit. I am, and so is Qi Shaozhang. Just because I did something wrong and lost this honor, does that mean Qi Shaozhang is unwilling to marry me, a girl from the Ningshou Marquis Mansion?"
"Now that things have come to this, there's no point in regretting or complaining. What else can I do besides being obedient and hiding out in Bilan Courtyard? Cai Ling was kicked out by my mother because she found fault with her. Now, you, Hong Jian, are the only one I need by my side. We, master and servant, must be careful and cautious, and don't let anyone find fault with us again."
"Maybe life will be easier after I marry Qi Shaozhang."
Hearing her daughter say this, Hong Jian's eyes couldn't help but turn red.
Although the second daughter was clearly a concubine's daughter, the only two daughters in the mansion were the eldest daughter, Cui Linghui, and their daughter. The third daughter, Cui Lingyan, had always lived in the Qi family. Even the eldest wife, Qi, rarely mentioned her daughter, and the old lady had completely forgotten that she had such a legitimate granddaughter. So, although their daughter was a concubine's daughter, she still had some respectability, especially since the lady had no biological daughters. She was usually very kind to the daughter, and she was much better than other concubines' daughters.
Who could have thought that as soon as the third girl returned home, she got a marriage that the eldest girl didn't want, which stimulated the other girls to lose their sense of propriety and do wrong things, leading to their current situation.
At this moment, Xilan Courtyard is still very lively, but the girls are confined to Bilan Courtyard and cannot even go there.
In fact, even if she went, the girl would still feel embarrassed.
Hong Jian knew it in her heart, but she still felt sorry for her own girl and felt that it shouldn't be like this. If only the third girl had stayed in the Qi family instead of following Zhan to the capital, it would have been better. In that case, their Bilanyuan would not have been so embarrassed in the mansion and been pointed at by others.
Hong Jian didn't say anything else. She only served Cui Lingyin half a cup of tea and patted her on the back before she said softly, "Let me help you go in and lie down. The Third Young Lady is coming home today, so the kitchen will probably be busy. Lunch won't be delivered to Bilan Courtyard until later. If you're hungry later, try some snacks."
Cui Lingyin understood the meaning of Hong Jian's words, and felt ashamed, angry and powerless.
In fact, it wasn't just today. Ever since she threatened Bian, the food delivered to Bilan Courtyard by the kitchen had become much worse. It was often delayed, and sometimes it was even cold when it was delivered, not to mention other details.
Cui Lingyin asked Hong Jian to go to the kitchen to talk about it once, but when Hong Jian came back she was shaking with anger. After asking for a long time, she said that the people in the kitchen had said very nasty things. They said that the second young lady had made a mistake and was lucky to be born rich. If she wanted to eat good food and disliked the food in the Marquis' Mansion, she could wait until she married into the Qi family to enjoy the good life in the future. Or she could make a fuss to her aunt, Mrs. Zhan, and ask her future mother-in-law to give her some money so that all the good food could be sent to Bilan Courtyard.
After hearing this, Cui Lingyin was so angry that she almost fainted. From then on, she let the kitchen do as it pleased. Bian wanted to torture her, but she wouldn't torture her to death. Wasn't she afraid that both she and the kitchen would be destroyed?
Now she just didn't want to make things too embarrassing, so she endured it.
After hearing Hong Jian's words, Cui Lingyin was silent for a long moment before nodding. "I understand. There's still some money in the box. Ask the shopping maid to go buy some cakes and candied fruits to appease the people in Bilan Courtyard. Otherwise, their morale will be dispersed."
Hong Jian nodded, and seeing Cui Lingyin get on the bed with her eyes closed and not saying a word, she sighed softly in her heart and walked out.
......
Here, Mrs. Zhan was talking to her daughter Qi Ruorou.
"Miss Yan and the prince are coming home today. I heard that Miss Lingyin is still under house arrest in Bilan Courtyard. I don't know how she feels right now. Would you like to go to Bilan Courtyard and talk to her?"
When Qi Ruorou heard her mother say this, a bit of dissatisfaction appeared in her eyes, but she also knew that her brother and Cui Lingyin were engaged in order to take advantage of the power of the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion, and that Second Madam Bian had someone arrange for her brother to study in the Imperial College. It can be seen that Bian raised Cui Lingyin since she was a child. Even if Cui Lingyin made a mistake, Bian still thought about her daughter after she calmed down.
It's quite good that the stepmother has achieved this.
Now that the Qi family has gained benefits, she can't just turn her back on them and look down on her future sister-in-law Cui Lingyin, right?
Qi Ruorou pondered for a while and then nodded and said, "Okay, then my daughter will go to Bilan Courtyard and sit for a while."
She thought for a moment and then said, "Mother, will you dine alone today, or will the old lady invite you to the banquet?"
Zhan shook her head. "I don't know. Shao Zhang and Yan girl caused those rumors before. Even if Master Lu doesn't mind, today's family dinner is still family. If I, the wife of the Qi family, show up, there's no way the Master will think that the Marquisate is deliberately trying to annoy him."
"But you never know. The old lady is also very particular about etiquette. Shaozhang is going to marry Lingyin again. Since the two families are so closely related, the old lady might send someone to invite them. You don't have to think too much. If they send someone to invite me, I will go. Our Qi family has been very kind to Miss Yan. I don't believe that Miss Yan would embarrass me or make me lose face."
Hearing her mother's words, Qi Ruorou finally breathed a sigh of relief, yet she couldn't help but wonder what Cui Lingyan's life was like now that she was the wife of the Duke of Wei. Prince Lu had a cold personality, and his health had weakened after the poisoning. She wondered if Cui Lingyan had regretted their marriage in the past few days. Perhaps it was the noble status of the Crown Prince's wife that had made Cui Lingyan so content that she didn't think of anything else.
Thinking of Cui Lingyan, Qi Ruorou looked in the direction of Xilan Courtyard, got up and left the house, heading towards Bilan Courtyard.
......
At lunch time, the banquet was held in Longcuitang.
The old lady had finally sent for her aunt, Mrs. Zhan. Everyone took their seats one by one, and the atmosphere was lively yet somewhat awkward.
Zhan's gaze fell on Cui Lingyan, a mixture of emotions welling up within her. In a short moment, she could tell that Lu Bingzhi had no aversion to Cui Lingyan as his wife; his demeanor even hinted at a certain familiarity. Seeing the pearls and jade in Cui Lingyan's hair and the obviously expensive clothes she wore, Zhan felt that the niece she was caring for was becoming less and less like the one she had remembered.
The cousin who was abandoned and neglected by the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion and was cautious in the Qi family has now become the noble wife of the Prince of Weiguo and the wife of Lu Bingzhi.
Zhan couldn't express her feelings. She had originally intended for Cui Lingyan to marry Shaozhang, but now, in just a short time, things had gone against her will. Cui Lingyan had married Lu Bingzhi and became the young lady of the Duke of Weiguo's mansion, while Shaozhang was also going to marry a girl from the Ningshou Marquisate. But it wasn't Cui Lingyan, the legitimate daughter of the eldest son, but Cui Lingyin, the concubine of the second son. Even if the old lady hadn't removed Cui Lingyin from the Bian family for the sake of respectability, a concubine's daughter was still a concubine's daughter. How could Cui Lingyin compare to Yan's?
Zhan lowered her head and ate her meal, but she felt a little upset in her heart. Her son had obviously received benefits from the Marquis's Mansion and got a place in the Imperial College. In the future, he would be the son-in-law of the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion and had the support of the Marquis's Mansion. Although the future daughter-in-law Cui Lingyin's reputation was damaged, she did not look completely stupid. At least she grew up in the circle of noble ladies in the capital. As long as she was willing to help Shaozhang wholeheartedly and be a good daughter-in-law of the Qi family, this marriage would ultimately benefit their Qi family.
After all, if Cui Lingyin's reputation had not been damaged due to the previous incident, she, a girl from a marquis's mansion, would not have ended up in their Qi family even though she was born out of wedlock.
Zhan felt that she should be satisfied, but when she saw Cui Lingyan and Lu Bingzhi today, and saw that even Old Lady Zhai was very polite to Lu Bingzhi, her grandson-in-law, she felt sorry for her son. How great would it be if her son could be born into a family like the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion and have a mother who was the eldest princess?
For a person, good or bad all depends on fate. Otherwise, how could some people be born with a noble status that others can't even catch up to and envy?
Cui Lingyan grew up in the Qi family and knew her aunt Zhan's personality best. Naturally, she also noticed that Zhan had looked at her subtly several times.
She pretended not to see it and continued talking to her grandmother, Mrs. Zhai.
When Qi saw this scene, she should have been happy. After all, her daughter had been raised by her eldest sister-in-law, Zhan, since she was a child. Now her daughter was not close to her, and she couldn't change her mind at all. Qi felt that although it was her own fault, it was also because of her sister-in-law, Zhan.
Moreover, when Cui Lingyan first returned home, she seemed very close to Zhan. Although she didn't mind, she felt a little uncomfortable when she heard the maids and servants gossiping about her. They felt that Cui Lingyan had lived in the Qi family for so many years that she had forgotten who her biological mother was. She treated Zhan, her aunt, even more affectionately than she did her.
She kept this thought in her heart and had originally planned to talk about it with Cui Lingyan, but ever since they had a falling out last time and her son Cui Shenbo caught them red-handed, their relationship was completely ruined, and Qi Shi had no time to bring up the matter again.
Later, some things happened one after another, and in the blink of an eye, Cui Lingyan married Lu Bingzhi and became the young lady of the Weiguo Mansion. The mother and daughter became more and more distant, and she could no longer control them even if she wanted to.
But now, seeing that Cui Lingyan treated Zhan indifferently, and only called her aunt when Zhan just came in, she felt in her heart that Cui Lingyan was too heartless and cold, and too disrespectful to the Qi family.
Now that you are high and mighty and have become the Crown Prince's wife, has she become arrogant and put on airs?
Qi was quite unhappy thinking this, but she did not teach Cui Lingyan a lesson.
After all, Cui Lingyan's current status was different, and even her mother-in-law, Madam Zhai, gave her some respect. If she made a scene on the day of her return, her mother-in-law would be the first to disapprove.
Moreover, she also knew that Shaozhang and Yin Yatou were going to get married. Her sister-in-law Zhan had not discussed this with her, but she heard it from her sister-in-law Bian. She also blamed her sister-in-law Zhan for this matter. Although they had not quarreled, there was still a layer of distance between them. She had not invited Zhan to Cuiwei Courtyard for the past few days.
After a few interactions, Aunt Zhan seemed to be closer to the second wife.
Everyone had their own thoughts while eating.
Lu Bingzhi naturally also felt this atmosphere. His eyes fell on Cui Lingyan beside him, and a complex emotion flashed through his heart.
If she hadn't married him, her situation in the Ningshou Marquis Mansion would have been difficult when she returned to the capital, right?
Now that I think about it, after all the trouble Cui Linghui had caused, it wasn't a bad idea for Cui Lingyan to marry him and become the Crown Prince's wife.
Although they had only been together for a few days and had not consummated their marriage, he often felt pity and heartache for her. Although such emotions were somewhat unfamiliar to him, he felt that since she had become his wife, he should naturally protect her.
Cui Lingyan noticed his gaze and her face felt slightly hot. She raised her eyes to look at him, smiled gently, and then quickly lowered her head.
Cui Linghui, who was sitting at the table, happened to see this scene. She gripped the handle of the chair tightly, suppressing the jealousy and hatred in her heart, as if she could crush the handle of the chair with a little force in the next moment.
The family dinner at Longcuitang was lively and harmonious, with everyone having their own thoughts.
Bilanyuan
Qi Ruorou sat with Cui Lingyin in front of the couch. Seeing that the maid had gone to the kitchen twice to urge for food, but no food was delivered, she couldn't help but feel worried.
Cui Lingyin's face turned pale, and her embarrassment, which she couldn't hide, made her look weak and thin. She couldn't help coughing again out of embarrassment.
After turning around, Cui Lingyin forced a bitter smile at Qi Ruorou and said, "Excuse me, Ruorou. In a family like the Marquis' Mansion, the girls' situation depends entirely on whether Grandmother and the others love them or not. I made a mistake and angered Grandmother. Although Grandmother only confined me to my room, the people below me will always flatter the powerful and bully the weak. Today is the day when my third sister and the prince are returning home. The kitchen is busy with the family banquet, so naturally they can't take care of me, the confined second girl."
"It's Ruorou who has suffered so much following me."
Seeing her speak so bluntly, Qi Ruorou actually felt a bit of sympathy and pity. Cui Lingyin was still a lady of the mansion, after all. Although she was born out of wedlock, she was still a legitimate mistress. Even if she had made a mistake and the old lady had confined her to her house, it would have been a punishment. But how dare those people under her lord and mistreat her like this?
Cui Lingyin smiled and said, "Don't worry. If today weren't special, being the day of Third Sister's return home, those people wouldn't dare act so brazenly. If word of this got to Mother, they wouldn't be in any good shape."
"After all, I did something wrong and I deserve to be punished. I don't feel wronged. But your brother and I are getting married, and I will be the daughter-in-law of the Qi family in the future. I also want to apologize to Third Sister in person and ask her to forgive me. Otherwise, it will be even more embarrassing to see her in the capital in the future."
"The Qi family has been very kind to my third sister. If I marry your brother, I'll be her cousin-in-law. We should get along well in the future. I wonder if my third sister, now that she's in a high position, would be willing to give me a chance to make amends and apologize, and accept me as her future cousin-in-law?"
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