Chapter 67: Seeing the Guests Off If you disrespect me, you are disrespecting your elder brother, the Crown Prince. ...
The news that Lu Bingzhi handed over his private treasury to Cui Lingyan quickly spread throughout the Duke of Wei's Mansion.
Such behavior was truly enviable, so much so that those in the palace who privately felt that the Crown Prince was not in good health and that the Crown Prince's wife Cui Lingyan was still a virgin felt less sympathy. Some even felt that if the young lady could win the Crown Prince's favor in this way, even if she had no children in the future, her life would not be worse than that of other mistresses from wealthy families if she was adopted. Moreover, the Crown Prince would feel guilty and would compensate the young lady a lot.
What's more, the remaining poison in the prince's body may not be impossible to eliminate. Perhaps the mutual support between the young lady and the prince now will be the greatest help in the future.
Because of these thoughts, everyone in the mansion had more respect for Cui Lingyan, the new young lady.
When news came from Qingdeyuan that the old lady was very happy with the prince's arrangement, and even mentioned that once the young lady became familiar with the affairs of Songxuetang and Wutongyuan, she would be asked to follow the eldest lady Cen and take charge of the household affairs of the Duke's Mansion, the envy and respect for him increased even more.
Cui Lingyan could feel that the maids and servants in the mansion treated her with more respect. She felt quite sad and grateful to her husband Lu Bingzhi.
This person looks cold and aloof, but in fact, he is very considerate in what he does.
Compared with the cruel and ruthless cousin Qi Shaozhang in her dream, marrying Lu Bingzhi was truly a blessing from heaven for her. Cui Lingyan felt that perhaps God saw how much suffering she had endured, so he used this marriage to compensate her.
Even if Lu Bingzhi would enter the Eastern Palace and become the crown prince in the future, and she, as a young lady, would be considered unworthy of the position of crown princess, and even if there would be various twists and turns in the future, Cui Lingyan would still be grateful for the favor that God had given her.
She felt a warmth she had never felt before from Lu Bingzhi. He did not ask for anything in return. Even if he treated her well not out of love, it was because she was his wife. That was why he was willing to give her respect and protect her.
She didn't dare ask for too much, as his care for her already warmed her heart.
Cui Lingyan put these thoughts aside and continued looking at the list in her hand.
Everything in the private library was recorded, and the pictures and the time of entry were all detailed and clear, so it didn't seem to be difficult for Cui Lingyan.
Just as she was watching intently, she heard footsteps outside, followed by the voice of a maidservant greeting her: "This servant greets the eldest lady, and greets the second lady."
When Cui Lingyan heard the voice, there was a hint of surprise in her eyes. She was not surprised that Lu Danyan came, but Lu Danruo had treated her, her sister-in-law, with indifference in Mudan Courtyard before, so why was she willing to come to her house now?
Seeing the thick booklet on the table, Cui Lingyan understood a little bit. She closed the booklet, stood up from the couch, and walked to the door with a smile.
The maid had already opened the curtain and led Lu Danyan and Lu Danruo in.
After they made eye contact, Lu Danyan bowed and called her sister-in-law softly, adding, "My second sister and I came here without saying hello, so please don't blame me, sister-in-law."
Cui Lingyan chuckled softly and reached out to help the woman up. "What are you saying, young lady? Since I've married into the Lu family, I'm naturally a member of this family. It's really inappropriate for you to be so polite. I've been busy these past few days, and I didn't think of inviting you two sisters to come to Wutong Courtyard and sit down. We can have a chat and get closer as sisters-in-law."
Cui Lingyan said this as she led Lu Danyan and Lu Danruo into the house, and told Bitao to bring up some snacks and tea.
Cui Lingyan wanted Lu Danyan to sit on the soft couch, but Lu Danyan politely refused and pulled Lu Danruo to sit on the embroidered cushion below.
Cui Lingyan was also very polite. Seeing the two people's actions, she smiled and sat down on the soft couch.
Bitao served tea, and a rich tea aroma filled the room.
Lu Danyan picked up the tea and took a sip, praising it. "Sister-in-law, the tea here is still the best. If my guess is correct, this must be a reward from the palace, right? Although our Duke's Mansion is respectable and prominent, it's not often that we can drink such good tea. Sister-in-law is really lucky."
Lu Danruo sat nearby, listening to her cousin's words with a touch of disdain. In her eyes, although Cui Lingyan was the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate, she hadn't grown up there, but rather in a lesser family like the Qi family. Even if she had married into the Weiguo Duke's mansion and become Lu Bingzhi's wife, becoming a young lady, she wouldn't be worth the effort of courting the Duke's daughters.
Although my cousin is a girl from the second house, she was raised in luxury in the Duke's Mansion since she was a child. Why is she so humble in front of her sister-in-law Cui, trying to please her with every word, and is not afraid of being looked down upon by Cui?
Thinking of this, she picked up the teacup and took a sip. The fragrance of tea filled her lips and teeth. It was really good tea.
Such fine tea was naturally a reward from the palace, or Lu Bingzhi's private collection, but this couple had no respect for their elders at all and never sent a single drop to my mother. They must have never taken my mother, their second wife, seriously.
With this in mind, Lu Danruo found it difficult to drink the originally mellow tea. Her eyes fell on Cui Lingyan who was sitting on the soft couch. She saw that she was wearing a light blue Shu silk brocade jacket, with her hair styled in a flowing cloud bun and the hairpins in her hair were also very valuable. This kind of dress made Cui Lingyan look simple, elegant and noble, which was really dazzling.
She had clearly heard her sisters whispering that Cui Lingyan wore her stepsister Cui Linghui's clothes when she first entered the palace to attend the flower viewing banquet. She had found it unbelievable when she first heard it, and even wondered how Cui Lingyan, after all, was the legitimate daughter of a marquis's mansion, could be so miserable? She must have been neglected by her father and mother, and after finally returning to the palace, she didn't even have a decent dress for the banquet, and her life was even worse than that of the maidservants around her.
It was also for this reason that when she heard that Cui Lingyan was going to marry Lu Bing in place of Cui Linghui, she looked down on her a little. Even though Cui Lingyan later really married into the Duke's Mansion and was liked by her grandmother, Madam Dou, and Lu Bingzhi, she did not think highly of Cui Lingyan as her sister-in-law. She even felt that Cui Lingyan had married into a wealthy family and should be cautious and try to please her, her sister-in-law.
But the reality was totally different from what she thought. After Cui Lingyan got married, she was liked by her grandmother and Lu Bingzhi. She never set rules in front of her mother-in-law, and she never tried to please her sister-in-law.
Now seeing Cui Lingyan dressed like this, Lu Danruo felt a little unfair, thinking that Cui was not worthy of enjoying these at all.
When he saw the account book on the table, Lu Danruo remembered what his mother had said: the things in Lu Bingzhi's private treasury were more valuable than the entire Weiguo Mansion. It was not that his mother had not been thinking about these things, but she was concerned about Lu Bingzhi's identity and the Empress Dowager in the palace, so she had never dared to speak up over the years.
But all these are now in Cui Lingyan's hands. Even if she just takes charge of it, it is enough to make people envious and jealous.
Lu Bingzhi was particularly generous to his own people. He treated Cui very well and would usually give Cui as his wife anything she liked.
Cui Lingyan is in charge of this private treasury. There is no telling how many good things she can get. She may even be able to use the dowry of the late Princess Shuning.
Jealousy suddenly filled her, and she couldn't help but ask, "I heard that brother handed over the private vaults of Songxue Hall and Wutong Courtyard to sister-in-law. Is this true? After all, sister-in-law just married into the family, and she's been living in the Qi family before, so she hasn't learned how to manage a household. She took over the account books so easily. Aren't you worried at all that you won't be able to handle them well and upset brother?"
"It's said that self-knowledge is a virtue. If you blindly take on this responsibility, you'll be laughed at if you can't manage it properly in the future. It will also be bad for the reputation of our Duke of Wei's Mansion if it gets out. I suggest you reconsider."
Lu Danruo said this directly, not even giving her sister-in-law Cui any face, saying that Cui Lingyan grew up in the Qi family and had never learned how to be a housekeeper.
As she finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room became a little awkward.
Lu Danyan's heart skipped a beat, and she regretted coming with Lu Danruo. She hadn't expected Lu Danruo to be so spoiled and willful. Cui had already entered the Duke of Wei's mansion, and now Lu Bingzhi had handed over the private treasury to her, clearly showing his love and trust for Cui as his wife.
If Lu Dan didn't want to please his sister-in-law Cui, as she valued him so much, how could he have offended her with just a few words?
If she wants to offend someone, she should not involve her cousin in it.
Lu Danyan was secretly annoyed and was about to speak up to help Cui Lingyan out when she heard Cui Lingyan chuckle and said to Lu Danruo, "Danruo, I, your sister-in-law, don't understand what you said. Since the prince has given me the keys and account books, I will naturally learn to manage them well. If there is anything I don't understand, I have the prince as my husband to help me. If the prince is busy, you can go to Qingdeyuan and ask for your guidance. I don't think your grandmother will look down on me, your granddaughter-in-law, because of this."
"My marriage to the Crown Prince was granted by the Empress Dowager, and Grandmother is also satisfied. Why, Danruo, as his sister-in-law, do you think that I, your sister-in-law, am not worthy of the Crown Prince and should not enter the Duke's Mansion?"
Cui Lingyan's voice was gentle, but every word she said didn't obscure what Lu Danruo had said. After she finished speaking, Lu Danruo was embarrassed and her face flushed red.
"I, I'm just asking casually. I'm worried that my sister-in-law has limited abilities and is trying to be strong. Why can't she listen to even a good word or a bad word and insist on accusing me of something? Do other sisters-in-law treat their sisters-in-law in the mansion in the same way? My sister-in-law is really going too far!"
After hearing her defense and questioning, Cui Lingyan's smile faded a bit, and she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Any other sister-in-law wouldn't be as ignorant as you, right? Before, you didn't respect me as your sister-in-law in the Peony Courtyard. I thought you were young and from the Duke's Mansion, and you must have been spoiled since childhood, so I didn't bother with you to avoid making a fool of yourself. But that was just one time, but today you came to my house and still have the same attitude. As your sister-in-law, I'm not a pushover. No matter what you say, I won't bother with you. I should give in to you."
"My reputation is small, the prince's is big. If you disrespect me, you are disrespecting your elder brother, the prince."
Before Lu Danruo could speak, Cui Lingyan instructed Birou, "The second young lady might not be used to the tea here. Please send her out."
What she said meant she was going to kick him out directly.
For a moment, the room was very quiet.
Lu Danruo was both embarrassed and annoyed. She had never liked her sister-in-law Cui Lingyan, and she felt even more depressed when she saw how honored Cui Lingyan was. Now, seeing Cui Lingyan being so disrespectful to her and even wanting to drive her out in front of a room full of maids and her cousin Lu Danyan, she felt like she was slapped in the face and wished she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
She flung the teacup on the table to the ground and angrily said, "Just go! Do you think I love coming to Wutong Courtyard? What sister-in-law in this world would be like you? Only you, Cui, have been away from the capital since you were a child. That's why you have no manners or rules. You treat your sister-in-law harshly as soon as you enter the mansion. I wonder what people outside will think of you if this gets out!"
"Don't think that you can be glorious and respected just because you are respectable now. You just picked up the marriage that Cui Linghui didn't want. You are still a virgin, and you will have no children in the future. I think you won't even know where to cry!"
Her words were indeed a bit too much. Lu Danyan's face changed and she scolded, "Shut up! Second sister, your words are too much. Apologize to your sister-in-law!"
Lu Danruo looked at Lu Danyan with a hint of sarcasm, then walked out.
Lu Danyan was in a dilemma, so she didn't know whether to chase after her or not. Seeing Lu Danruo walk away, she apologized on her behalf with a hint of guilt, "Second sister has always been willful. When we get back, I'll try to persuade her privately so she can come over and offer tea to my sister-in-law to apologize."
"It's my fault too. I shouldn't have brought Danruo with me. I was thinking that she is the daughter of the eldest house after all. I came here to pay my respects to my sister-in-law. If I didn't call her, people would think that there is a discord between the eldest sister-in-law and the sister-in-law, and they would make up some stories."
When she said this, Lu Danyan felt a little apologetic. She stood up and bowed to Cui Lingyan as an apology.
Cui Lingyan stopped her and asked, "What does her wrong words have to do with you, her cousin?"
Cui Lingyan said this, pulling her over to sit down in front of the couch. She then asked Bitao to clear the broken teacups from the floor and refill the tea and snacks. Lu Danyan was a little surprised, feeling that Cui Lingyan possessed a unique aura, evident in her actions.
If it were someone else today, they would most likely keep this grievance to themselves, and later complain to the prince or report it to Old Madam Dou. They would rarely turn against each other like this.
But Cui had the audacity to throw Lu Danruo out. Wasn't she afraid of outsiders pointing fingers and gossiping? Wasn't she afraid of offending her mother-in-law, Cen, or that her grandmother would think her actions were inappropriate?
For a moment, she couldn't tell what she felt in her heart. She was a little surprised, and a little envious of Cui's courage.
It was obvious that Cui's family background was not as good as hers as a girl from the Duke's Mansion. She didn't even grow up in the Marquis' Mansion and was not loved by her biological mother. But Cui had the courage and bravery that she didn't have.
Her mother always said that women should not be too sharp, otherwise they would not be liked by their future husbands. She agreed with this and worked hard for it. She felt that reading more books would make her temperament gentler and give her a likable bookish air.
But now, seeing her sister-in-law Cui like this, she felt a little shaken. Is it true that people can still live like this?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
