Chapter 60: Closeness But Lu Bingzhi’s short words still warmed my heart...
After hearing what Cui Lingyin said, Qi Ruorou understood what she meant. She knew that this future sister-in-law wanted her and her mother to mediate and ask Cui Lingyan to forgive Cui Lingyin's previous mistakes. To be honest, this was a bit of a return of favor.
The Qi family has raised Cui Lingyan for many years. If they really asked for this, even if Cui Lingyan was unwilling in her heart, she would have to agree for the sake of her own reputation, at least on the surface, she would no longer care about this matter and acknowledge Cui Lingyin as her future cousin-in-law.
Thinking this in her heart, Qi Ruorou glanced at Cui Lingyin, who was pale and thin, and the sympathy she had just felt was temporarily reduced.
No girl raised in a noble family is simple. Although this future sister-in-law is in a bad situation now, she is actually a capable person.
Otherwise, why would she choose this marriage with the Qi family and take advantage of the Qi family's kindness to Cui Lingyan?
"My cousin is coming home today, and with the Crown Prince here, I'm afraid it's not a good idea to bring up this matter, lest he be upset by the past. Ruorou has taken this to heart, and will mention it to Mother when she gets home. After all, Mother is Cousin Yan's aunt, so she can always talk to her in private and ask for a favor."
"At worst, I'll just consider it as Cousin Yan repaying the Qi family for their years of upbringing."
"Ruorou doesn't ask for anything else. She only hopes that after my sister-in-law marries me, she and my brother will get along well. I hope that our family can live a good life and not be looked down upon."
Cui Lingyin's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She took Qi Ruorou's hand and agreed, "Of course. Shaozhang has been admitted to the Imperial College. Once there, he'll be able to meet young men from prominent families, even the princes. If he works hard, and with the help of the Ningshou Marquisate and his mother's family, he'll definitely have a place in the capital, and even rise to prominence."
The two looked at each other, and when they spoke again, they felt a little closer to each other.
When lunch was delivered from the kitchen, Qi Ruorou didn't show any dislike at all. She accompanied Cui Lingyin to eat together before saying goodbye.
After leaving Bilan Courtyard, Qi Ruorou's maid Ruxue couldn't help but say, "The second young lady is in such a bad situation. It's obvious that she has no face in the Marquis' Mansion. If she really marries into the Qi family, what benefits can she bring to them? Are you thinking of this marriage because she thinks our Qi family is a lifeline?"
Qi Ruorou listened to this, looked back at her, and said in a low voice, "Stop saying such things. Brother has at least entered the Imperial College now, which is the greatest benefit. What does our Qi family have? If Cui Lingyin hadn't made a mistake and tried to plot against Cousin Yan and brother, thus ruining her own reputation, she, a concubine of the Ningshou Marquis's mansion, wouldn't be our Qi family's concern!"
"I felt a little uncomfortable seeing her like that today, but we should just keep this to ourselves and never say it out loud. If Cui Lingyin thinks we're looking down on her, we'll become enemies before she even gets married. How will I, as her younger sister-in-law, ever get along with her in the future?"
Ruxue looked at her daughter with some confusion: "Why do you have to be so cautious? You are the most beloved by Madam, and Young Master dotes on you as well. Even if Second Miss Cui were to marry into the family, she would never be more favored by Madam and Young Master than you."
Hearing her words, Qi Ruorou chuckled and said, "Don't think too highly of yourself. No matter how much mother loves me, I will eventually get married, and by then I will be the daughter-in-law of another family. It's true that mother loves me, but can she surpass my brother? Although my brother and Cui Lingyin are united by interests, if they can really be tied together, my brother will be able to rise to prominence in the capital. Why would he care about all those trivial matters before? If my brother and mother didn't know this, they wouldn't have agreed to this marriage. Since they have agreed, I, as the younger sister-in-law, will try to sow discord between them. I will be unpopular and unwelcome. By then, all the love will turn into resentment and disgust, and my life may be worse than Cui Lingyin's today."
"I've come to the capital and have come to understand a truth: one must always think three steps ahead. One cannot cut off one's future path for the sake of momentary pleasure."
Ruxue felt that what her daughter said made some sense, so she nodded seriously and followed Qi Ruorou back.
The people in Longcuitang had just dispersed. At the instruction of Old Lady Zhai, Cui Lingyan followed Qi and her aunt Zhan to Cuiwei Courtyard.
Cui Shenbo and Cui Shensi took Lu Bingzhi to the front yard.
After entering Cuiwei Courtyard, Qi Shi couldn't help but scold her, "You didn't even say a few words to your aunt in front of so many people just now. Your aunt raised you, aren't you afraid of making her sad?"
Cui Lingyan listened to what Qi said and looked at Zhan. She asked with some confusion, "Aunt, do you think Yan'er was being disrespectful? That's Yan'er's fault, but Yan'er just got married to the Crown Prince, so it's natural for her to be a little restrained in his presence. It's not advisable to be too lively. If this causes Aunt to misunderstand, then Yan'er will apologize."
As Cui Lingyan said this, she was about to bow and apologize to Zhan.
Zhan knew her current status, and considering Cui Lingyan's words, how could she dare to accept her gift? Otherwise, if it got out, it would be her, as her aunt, who would be looking for trouble.
Therefore, before Cui Lingyan could finish her blessing, Zhan stopped her.
"Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. Longcuitang was bustling with activity just now. How could there be any neglect?"
As Zhan spoke, she took Cui Lingyan's hand and walked towards the couch. Then she said softly, "Don't blame your mother, little girl Yan. Your mother treats me as a relative and is afraid of neglecting me, her sister-in-law, so she overthinks it and makes you feel wronged. If you ask me, we are family relatives, there is no need to be so estranged. Otherwise, we will become truly estranged."
Zhan said this, then turned to the somewhat uneasy Qi, "You should also control your temper and consider Yan's reputation. She is now the wife of the prince of Weiguo. Even you, as her mother, cannot scold her easily. If this matter gets to the prince's ears, he might think that we have bullied Yan."
Qi came forward and sat down. She sighed softly and said to Cui Lingyan, "Mother was just overthinking things for a moment. I was afraid that people might misunderstand me and affect your reputation, so I said something unnecessary. Don't take it to heart, little girl."
Cui Lingyan's expression was indifferent, but her words were filled with a hint of sarcasm that anyone could hear. "How dare I blame you, mother? I have to thank you for holding back until now. Otherwise, if I had said all this in front of everyone in Longcuitang just now, I would have been embarrassed in front of the prince."
Cui Lingyan's words really didn't give Qi any face, and the atmosphere became a little awkward for a moment.
Zhan sat aside, secretly annoyed that Qi was too talkative and had no manners, and that she treated Yan as the daughter she could blame and manipulate at will.
She said in a gentle voice, "Don't be upset, little girl Yan. Today, your aunt saw that the prince treated you very well. Our little girl Yan is really blessed."
"I didn't ask too much just now. Are you getting used to living in the Duke's Mansion? Are the old lady and the other elders treating you well? I heard that Cen is the second wife and has only one daughter. How are you getting along with her? Have you been wronged?"
Cui Lingyan was actually indifferent to Zhan's concern and didn't feel touched. However, since Qi was here, she pretended to be comforted by her aunt Zhan. Her eyes reddened as she said to Zhan, "Thank you for your concern, aunt. Don't worry, Yan'er is doing well in the Duke's Mansion. The old lady treats me very well."
"During the past few days since Yan'er got married, have my aunt and cousin been getting used to living here? Have they been to the capital for a stroll? My cousin told Yan'er a while ago that she wanted to visit a famous jewelry store in the capital. When my aunt has time, she must take my cousin there to relax so that she won't be worried about me."
After hearing what Cui Lingyan said, Zhan's unhappiness that she had just felt in Longcuitang disappeared completely. She felt more and more that her sister-in-law Qi was a bad person, otherwise why would she offend her daughter who had returned home so much, without considering her dignity and feelings as a biological mother at all.
With this in mind, Zhan and Cui Lingyan started chatting. After a while, seeing that Qi's face was getting worse, Zhan stood up and said goodbye.
After Zhan left, Qi couldn't help but ask angrily, "Do you think your aunt truly loves you? If she did, she wouldn't have thought of asking Shaozhang to marry Cui Lingyin. Now that your grandmother has approved of the marriage, did you hear your aunt mention it to you just now?"
"She appears to be kind to you and considerate of your feelings, but does that mean she truly cares for you? You're still young, and you don't know how treacherous people are. How could you understand that although you and I have become estranged due to past events, how could a mother like me harm you in this world? How could my affection for you be less than that of your aunt, Zhan?"
Qi didn't know whether she was angry or regretful. Thinking about how close Cui Lingyan and Zhan were just now, leaving her, her biological mother, aside, she felt that the scene was very glaring and made her extremely embarrassed.
She blurted out these words without thinking. She wanted to see what expression Cui Lingyan would have when she heard the news.
It was obvious that Cui Lingyin fabricated those rumors about her and Qi Shaozhang, which almost ruined Cui Lingyan's reputation. If Lu Bingzhi and the Duke of Weiguo had not let it go, Cui Lingyan would not have been able to become the enviable wife of the Crown Prince. She might have been sent to the family temple to fend for herself.
This daughter of hers had really grown up in the Qi family since she was a child. She looked smart, but in reality, she didn't have much ambition. It was not her own fault that she had come to this point. It was at most God's blessing that the marriage that Cui Linghui didn't want fell on her.
If she still can't figure it out, she will regret it later.
When Cui Lingyan heard what Qi said, she did not show the anger and disappointment that Qi wanted to see.
A hint of surprise flashed across her eyes. She looked at Qi and said as if she didn't care, "So this actually happened. It's beyond my expectation. I thought my second cousin's reputation was damaged because of the previous incident, and my aunt looked down on her as a concubine from a fallen marquis's mansion."
What surprised her even more was that Qi Shaozhang agreed to the marriage.
But when she thought about it again, thinking about Qi Shaozhang's arrogance and inferiority in the dream, she began to understand a little.
This marriage is just a matter of mutual benefit.
Zhan didn't tell her just now, perhaps because it was not convenient to say it. After all, today was the day she returned home after her marriage to Lu Bingzhi. Zhan had always been a thoughtful person, and she was probably afraid that if she told her about this today, she would be unhappy and think that she was deliberately disgusting her.
Qi was stung by Cui Lingyan's nonchalant expression. Her expression changed slightly, and she couldn't help asking, "Are you not angry at all? If your aunt truly loved you, how could she have agreed to this marriage without even considering your opinion?"
Cui Lingyan couldn't help laughing when she heard her words. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and then said, "Mother, you're joking. You also said that I'm your aunt. How can an aunt love me, her niece, more than her own son?"
"Even biological mothers in this world are partial and unreliable, let alone an aunt. My daughter has understood this since she was a child. Doesn't my mother understand it, too?"
Qi was humiliated by Cui Lingyan's ruthless words and her face turned red.
The maids and servants in the room held their breath, they didn't expect that the third young lady would speak so harshly, and she didn't care about the lady's face at all.
Seeing her mistress's awkward expression, Nanny Jiang opened her mouth to say something when she heard footsteps outside. A maid came in and reported, "Madam, the prince sent someone to say it's getting late. If you don't have anything else to say to the third young lady, then he's taking her back to the Duke's Mansion."
Qi's face changed again and again. When she saw Cui Lingyan stand up and bow towards her, she walked out without waiting for her to speak. She opened her mouth but didn't say anything to stop her.
Only after Cui Lingyan left Cuiwei Courtyard did she say dejectedly, "I gave birth to her after all. Does she really hate me as her mother so much that she has to say such harsh words?"
When Nanny Jiang saw her wife like this, she couldn't help but look outside the house in the direction where Cui Lingyan left, not knowing how to comfort her.
On the carriage
Cui Lingyan smiled at Lu Bingzhi and said softly, "Thank you, Your Highness, for calling me out."
Cui Lingyan didn't say anything extra, but a hint of fatigue appeared between her brows.
Lu Bingzhi had already guessed this, so he reached out and pulled her into his arms. To Cui Lingyan's surprise, he said softly, "If you're tired, lean on me and take a nap. We still have some time to get to the Duke's Mansion."
Cui Lingyan is actually a strong person, but she was still warmed by Lu Bingzhi's short words. Although she knew that she and Lu Bingzhi had just gotten married, and that Lu Bingzhi's kindness to her was just a husband's protection of his wife, and there must not be much love between men and women, she still obediently leaned on Lu Bingzhi's shoulder and closed her slightly moist eyes.
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