Chapter 65 Account Book Our Bingzhi is also a man who loves his wife...
When Lu Bingzhi returned from Songxuetang, he saw Cui Lingyan with her brows slightly lowered, holding a book in her hand, looking very worried. She hadn't turned a page in the book for a long time.
Bi Tao, who was standing aside, saw the prince coming back and subconsciously wanted to remind her daughter.
Lu Bingzhi waved his hand to signal Bitao and the others to retreat, walked to the couch and took the book from Cui Lingyan's hand.
Cui Lingyan was startled for a moment, and when she came to her senses and saw Lu Bingzhi, she hurriedly tried to get up from the couch.
But before she could move, Lu Bingzhi pressed her shoulders and asked gently, "No need to be so polite. What are you thinking about? Did someone in the mansion wrong you?"
Lu Bingzhi knew that Cui Lingyan had gone to the Peony Courtyard to pay her respects to Cen the previous day. It was already late when he returned from Songxue Hall, and they hadn't discussed the matter in detail. Furthermore, he felt that given his treatment of Cui Lingyan in recent days, there shouldn't be anyone in the mansion who would be so ignorant as to embarrass the young lady in person.
However, seeing his wife's expression at this moment, Lu Bingzhi couldn't help feeling a little depressed.
Because of the relationship with the late queen, Lu Bingzhi has always hated those who made his wife suffer injustice. As long as Cui Lingyan did not make any big mistakes, he would protect her and give her the dignity she deserved.
No one can deceive his wife, and no one can deceive her.
Cui Lingyan was stunned for a moment, then realized what Lu Bingzhi meant. After a moment's hesitation, she asked cautiously, "It's nothing serious. It's just that yesterday, when I went to the Peony Courtyard to pay my respects, the Second Young Lady happened to come over. She seemed a bit more spoiled and willful than when I saw her at Grandmother's. I wonder if she's been spoiled by Madam."
Cui Lingyan stood up and poured a cup of tea, handing it to Lu Bingzhi. Without hiding anything, she said directly, "I wonder if I should be tactful in my interactions with the Second Young Lady. If I offend the Second Young Lady, will the Prince be embarrassed by both sides? Will I blame you, the sister-in-law, for being so narrow-minded and unwilling to accommodate your younger sister-in-law?"
After she said that, Lu Bingzhi knew exactly what she meant. Remembering Lu Danruo's usual temper, Lu Bingzhi pulled Cui Lingyan to sit down next to him and said with a smile, "You're the sister-in-law. If you want to discipline your sister-in-law, it's your patience. If you don't want to discipline her, just pretend she doesn't exist and don't pay too much attention to her. Whether she's good or not, it's up to Cen, the mother, to teach her. If Cen is soft-hearted and refuses to teach, it won't be you, the sister-in-law, who will suffer in the end."
Cui Lingyan showed a hint of surprise in her eyes, and was speechless for a moment when she met Lu Bingzhi's unconcealed disdainful look.
What she was thinking about just now was the matter of Cui Linghui and the second prince Xiao Ze. When Lu Bingzhi asked her what was on her mind, she didn't dare to say it out loud. She happened to think of the harsh words Lu Danruo said when she went to pay her respects to Cen yesterday, so she thought of mentioning it in front of Lu Bingzhi to see what Lu Bingzhi's attitude was towards Lu Danruo, his nominal stepsister. Now she had an idea in her mind, and she would be able to get along with him more calmly in the future.
When Lu Bingzhi said this at this moment, his tone was cold and even a bit heartless. He did not give Cen and Lu Danruo any respect at all. She, the newly married bride, did not know what expression to have for a moment.
She thought for a moment and then said, "Now that the prince has said this, I understand. After all, the prince and I are not born of the same mother. From now on, I will just be polite to the lady and the second young lady."
"Have I misunderstood what the prince meant?"
Lu Bingzhi chuckled as if he was amused by her. Hearing her repeatedly calling him Madam, how could he not know that his wife had truly listened to his words, and there was no ambiguity or perfunctoriness in her behavior. She did not pretend to be virtuous and filial as a new wife should be. This attitude showed that she trusted him as her husband and dared to show this side of her.
Lu Bingzhi felt a little relieved and happy. If he protected his wife, but she insisted on taking care of the Mudan Courtyard for the sake of dignity and filial piety, he would probably be dissatisfied over time.
Husband and wife are one, and they should get along like this with Cui Lingyan.
He agreed: "I understand correctly. Don't worry, if that girl disrespects you as her sister-in-law, I will punish her."
Cui Lingyan smiled and whispered, "Prince, please don't interfere for now. I'm her sister-in-law, so let's get along first. After all, we live under the same roof and see each other every day. It would be bad if I just walked in and asked her to be punished by the Prince. Otherwise, if it gets out, people will think I'm trying to sow discord between the Prince and her sister-in-law."
"With the support of the prince, I feel confident."
Cui Lingyan smiled with her eyebrows curved, and her eyes no longer hid the worries like before. She looked lively and even the air was a little more relaxed.
Seeing her like this, Lu Bingzhi couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips, and picked up the tea in his hand and started drinking.
Seeing that he had finished his tea, Cui Lingyan stood up to refill it. Lu Bingzhi placed the teacup on the table with a smile and said, "No need to bother. Have you heard about what's going on in the palace?"
Cui Lingyan nodded. "Guan Yan reported this matter in the small garden earlier, and I followed the Crown Prince to listen to some of it. However, it was only today, after hearing the rumors, that I realized the Second Prince's cruel temper. He casually beat and killed a maid who served him. Moreover, this maid was his concubine, so he had some feelings for her. Logically, a man like the Second Prince should be concerned about his reputation. I wonder if he lost his mind because of drunkenness and did such a thing. Although it was later explained that the maid wanted to seduce the Second Prince and caused her death, who in the world is stupid? I am afraid his reputation will be damaged. I wonder if the noble ladies in the capital are willing to marry the Second Prince as his consort?"
Cui Lingyan spoke casually and did not show too much curiosity about the things happening in the palace. She just treated it as a casual chat after dinner.
Seeing that it was noon, Cui Lingyan asked Lu Bingzhi what he wanted to eat for lunch so that she could ask Bitao to go to the kitchen to pass on the message.
Seeing her temper, Lu Bingzhi chuckled and mentioned a few things. When Cui Lingyan finished giving the order, he asked with a smile, "Why don't you pay more attention to the affairs of the palace? If someone else became the wife of the prince, they would definitely pay great attention to these things."
Cui Lingyan's cheeks flushed slightly. She glared at him and explained, "What goes on in the palace is beyond my control. Even if I'm curious, I can only listen. After all, if there's any follow-up, it will spread like wildfire in the capital and everyone will know about it. It's just a matter of a few days sooner or later."
"Although I married into the Duke's Mansion, whether it's the Duke's Mansion or these high-ranking families in the capital, they all live their own lives behind closed doors. Unless the affairs of outsiders are truly related to themselves, otherwise, they are just idle gossip after dinner to relieve boredom."
"If I have time to care about these things, I might as well spend my time doing other things."
Cui Lingyan seemed to recall something. She glanced at Lu Bingzhi and asked, "I want to make a nightgown for the prince. What color would you like? Lake blue, crimson purple, or something else?"
Lu Bingzhi remembered that Cui Lingyan's previous return gift was two purses. He knew that she was an excellent embroidery worker. Hearing this, he did not want to reject the kindness of his newlywed wife. He smiled and said, "Let's make it crimson purple. You can do it when you have time. Don't tire yourself out."
Knowing that he sincerely meant so, Cui Lingyan nodded: "I understand. I will never let myself be burdened."
Cui Lingyan said this and went to get a few more patterns for Lu Bingzhi to choose from.
Lu Bingzhi did not reject such intimacy and trivial matters, and was even very cooperative. His eyebrows and eyes became a little gentler, and his whole body was less cold than usual. He looked at the pictures one by one and picked out two.
Lunch was served while they were talking. After Lu Bingzhi had lunch with Cui Lingyan, he got up and went to Songxue Hall.
Cui Lingyan strolled around the small garden for a while. When she returned, Guan Yan came over. After bowing, she said respectfully, "The prince asked me to bring the keys and account books to the private vault, saying that from now on, the trivial matters of Songxue Hall and Wutong Courtyard will be handed over to the young lady. The prince also asked me to tell the young lady not to worry too much and just treat it as her own dowry."
Cui Lingyan was stunned for a moment before she spoke: "I understand. Thank you, Prince, for me and for taking the trouble to come over."
Guan Yan said he dared not, signaled the servants behind him to put down the keys and account books, and then retreated.
Birou has always been a steady person, but at this moment, there was an unconcealable joy in her eyes.
"Young Madam, the prince sent these to you, which shows that he trusts you and is satisfied with you as his wife."
In the past few days, she noticed that the prince was very nice to the young lady, but the Duke's Mansion was managed by the eldest lady, Mrs. Cen. Although the old lady was very respectful to the young lady, her granddaughter-in-law, she did not ask her to interfere in the housekeeping affairs.
Therefore, the young lady, the new bride, is much more idle than the new brides of other families. She does not need to set rules and act filial in front of her mother-in-law, Cen, every day, nor does she need to interfere in the affairs of the housekeeper. Apart from arranging the meals for the prince and some trivial matters in Wutong Courtyard, she is really free and relaxed, even more relaxed than when she was unmarried.
The prince had asked people to send all the rewards from the palace to Wutong Courtyard. Although the young lady had ordered her to put them in the warehouse, and she had also entered them in a separate book, she was still a little unsure. She wanted to mention this matter to the young lady, but she was afraid that if she said too much, she would make her think too much and cause more misunderstandings. It would be even worse if the prince suspected that the young lady wanted to take over the power of housekeeper as soon as she got married.
Now that the prince sent Guanyan to deliver the key and said these words, it was natural for the young lady to take over these matters.
Moreover, in this way, the young lady will not only be liked by the prince, but will also be more confident. If the news gets out, people in the mansion will respect the young lady as the new bride even more.
How could Birou not be happy for the young lady when she got this honor?
Cui Lingyan thought for a moment, then smiled and said to Birou, "Do you think the prince saw that I had nothing to do on weekdays and had time to make pajamas, so he asked Guanyan to send these over?"
Birou smiled and shook her head, "How could that be? The prince must have had this plan in mind a long time ago. However, it is also true that the young lady has the prince's trust and favor, otherwise the prince would never have handed these things over to the young lady so quickly."
The Crown Prince is the son of Princess Shu Ning. He has countless good things since he was a child. It is not appropriate for stepmother Cen to covet the Crown Prince's private property, but it is natural for the Young Lady, as his wife, to take care of these.
What happened in Wutong Courtyard quickly spread throughout the entire Weiguo Mansion.
In Qingde Courtyard, Madam Dou was slightly surprised when she heard about this. She smiled and said, "Our Bingzhi may appear aloof, but deep down he loves his wife dearly. Look, he's already handed over his family fortune to Cui just a few days ago."
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