Chapter 7: If the master who visits the sick is not clear-headed, he will suffer...
When Madam Zhai heard the maid's report, she immediately felt annoyed. She had strictly ordered everyone in the mansion not to make any news about Hui's accidental fall into the water, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble.
But at this moment, the old lady Dou of the Duke of Weiguo sent her confidante, Nanny Sun, to visit Hui girl, which showed that she had heard about Hui girl falling into the water.
Although it was normal for people in the mansion to be gossipy, she still felt that it was because Qi, the daughter-in-law in charge, did not manage her subordinates well enough that the subordinates had the guts to gossip about the master's affairs outside.
Madam Zhai glanced at Qi with some dissatisfaction before ordering, "Please come in quickly."
The maid took the order and left.
Qi stood below, her face somewhat embarrassed, and her heart particularly unhappy. She knew very well that her mother-in-law was blaming her, the eldest daughter-in-law, for this matter.
She was really wronged. There were so many people in the mansion, and everyone had a family of relatives. She could control it so that people in the mansion would not talk about it, but could she control it in the servants' homes?
She has been married into the Marquis's Mansion for so many years, but her mother-in-law still feels that her status is not worthy of the position of Marquis's wife. If she had been married to someone of higher status, her mother-in-law would not have disregarded her face like this.
Cui Lingyan saw this scene, but her heart was not disturbed at all.
My grandmother lives a life of luxury and always has the final say in the Marquis' Mansion. How could she care about the feelings of her daughter-in-law Qi?
Cui Lingyan was thinking when she heard footsteps outside. A maid lifted the curtain and led in a long-faced nanny wearing a brown embroidered flower jacket. It was Nanny Sun, the confidant of Mrs. Dou.
When Mrs. Zhai saw people, a smile appeared on her face.
"I pay my respects to the old lady." Nanny Sun bowed and exchanged a few words with Madam Zhai before explaining her purpose.
"I heard that the eldest daughter of the mansion fell into the water and became ill. She hasn't been able to recover these days. The old lady is very worried, so she invited the imperial physician from the palace to come and take the eldest daughter's pulse and prescribe some warming and nourishing prescriptions."
Old Lady Zhai was secretly annoyed when she heard this. She knew very well that Old Lady Dou had sent someone to test whether Cui Linghui and their Ningshou Marquis Mansion had any intention of breaking off the engagement.
To her eyes, Madam Dou was really overthinking it. Although she didn't want to admit it, the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion was much more prominent than their Ningshou Marquis' Mansion.
With the favor of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the palace, let alone the fact that Lu Bingzhi was only poisoned and might affect his offspring, even if Lu Bingzhi was really disabled, the Ningshou Marquis Mansion would never dare to break off the engagement at this juncture.
"The old lady is old, and she still has to worry about the affairs of a junior like Hui. It's really our Hui who makes people worry. But that day, it was because the people around her didn't take good care of her that Hui slipped on the weeds by the lake and fell into the water. She suffered a lot."
"After these days of care, he is now better and can walk around. Thank you, Madam Sun, for coming all the way here."
As Mrs. Zhai spoke, she ordered her maid Daimao to call Cui Linghui over.
Upon hearing this, Nanny Sun quickly smiled and shook her head, saying, "How dare I trouble the young lady to go anywhere? I'll take the imperial physician to the young lady's courtyard."
After saying this, Nanny Sun's eyes fell on Cui Lingyan who was standing next to Qi. She had noticed this pretty girl when she came in. Seeing that she looked unfamiliar, a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes.
Old Lady Zhai smiled and said to her, "This is my third granddaughter, Lingyan. She has been a filial daughter to her grandmother for many years and only came to Beijing with her aunt yesterday."
After hearing what she said, Nanny Sun understood a little.
When Lu Bingzhi and Cui Linghui were engaged, the Duke of Wei's residence naturally sought to learn everything about the Ningshou Marquis's residence. They knew, of course, that Cui Linghui's stepmother, Lady Qi, had given birth to twins, a boy and a girl. However, because the daughter, Cui Lingyan, was born significantly heavier than the son, Cui Shenbo, and appeared healthy while the son was sickly, Lady Qi assumed that her daughter had taken away nutrients that should have belonged to her son. She took her anger out on Cui Lingyan, the daughter, and became so partial to her that she had to send her to live with her mother's family at the age of six.
Although she used the excuse of being filial to her grandmother, all the wealthy families in the capital laughed at this matter. They thought that Qi was really possessed by a demon and it was rare for her to be so biased.
Isn't this just pushing your own daughter away in vain?
Because of this, Nanny Sun didn't believe that Qi really loved the eldest daughter, Cui Linghui. After all, if she was so cruel to her own daughter, how could she have the kindness to love the daughter of the late wife?
When Cui Linghui saw that the topic turned to her, she bowed slightly to Nanny Sun.
Nanny Sun dodged to the side and only accepted half of her greeting, but she felt that this child was very polite, so she looked at her carefully.
After taking a look at her, I felt that Cui Lingyan was really good-looking, with picturesque features, gentle and pretty, and she exuded a unique temperament that only women from the south of the Yangtze River could have.
Especially his eyes, which were as clear as spring water and seemed to be able to see the moon through the clouds, making people unable to look away.
Qi was really willing to leave such a good daughter to her husband's family for so many years.
Nanny Sun smiled and said to Madam Zhai, "Madam, you are so lucky to have such a beautiful granddaughter. I wonder how many people will envy her when you take her out."
Qi clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her face becoming more and more embarrassed. She felt that when Nanny Sun said that her mother-in-law was lucky to have a good granddaughter, she was secretly mocking her for being cruel as a mother and abandoning her daughter outside without any care.
Qi was secretly annoyed, but Nanny Sun was close to the old lady Dou, the Duke of Weiguo, so she dared not show any of it. She only blamed her sister-in-law Zhan for bringing Cui Lingyan to the capital at this critical juncture, which was clearly causing trouble for her.
Madam Zhai listened to this and said with a smile, "Madam, you are too kind. She doesn't deserve your praise."
After saying these polite words, it would be inappropriate to ask Madam Sun to stay here any longer.
Old Lady Zhai looked at Cui Lingyan who was standing there, and thought that if she asked Qi to accompany Nanny Sun, it would not arouse suspicion and make people in the mansion worry and keep a close eye on Nanny Sun and her group. It would be better to ask Cui Lingyan, a junior, to accompany her.
With this in mind, she instructed, "Accompany Nanny Sun to visit your elder sister. You just came back, you sisters should get close to each other."
As Mrs. Zhai spoke, she winked at Bihen, suggesting that she pay attention to the situation on Cui Linghui's side.
Bi Hen knew what was going on. After saying goodbye to the old lady, he led Cui Lingyan, Nanny Sun and the others to Yingyue Courtyard where Cui Linghui lived.
After everyone left, only Old Lady Zhai, Qi, and the maids and servants were left in the room. Only then did Old Lady Zhai's face darken.
"After being the head of a household for so many years, you can't even control the mouths of the maids and servants. You really disappoint me!"
Seeing Madam Zhai's anger, Qi's face turned pale and she quickly knelt down to apologize: "Mother, please forgive me. I will investigate the origin of this news."
She knew in her heart that her mother-in-law was just unhappy and wanted to vent her anger. How could she investigate the matter thoroughly? If she really took the trouble to investigate, it would cause panic in the mansion, and it would be a laughing stock if the news got out.
She said this just to please the old lady and express her attitude.
As expected, Madam Zhai sighed after hearing her words and said, "Forget it. It's all because the servants around Miss Hui were not diligent enough that this incident happened. I just hope Madam Dou doesn't misunderstand."
Qi spoke to comfort her, "Mother, you're overthinking it. Old Madam Dou has always liked Miss Hui and knows her character. How could she have misunderstood her because of such a small matter?"
"Besides, with Prince Lu's current situation, his family probably doesn't want any more twists and turns in his marriage, and they don't want people to continue to talk about the Duke of Wei's Mansion."
Old Madam Zhai listened to what Qi said and nodded, saying, "You're right. I'm actually hoping Hui will marry him soon so they can live their own lives. This way, everyone in the capital won't focus on the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion and our Ningshou Marquis' Mansion."
There was a hint of surprise in Qi's eyes. She thought that her mother-in-law loved her granddaughter Cui Linghui very much, but now it seems that it is just like that.
If it weren't for the fact that the late Madam Mu came from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, giving Cui Linghui such a powerful in-laws, the old lady wouldn't have valued Cui Linghui as her granddaughter so much.
She couldn't help feeling a little sad. Compared to the late Madam Mu, her status was indeed lower. If she hadn't looked like Madam Mu, she wouldn't have caught Cui Tingyuan's eye. He wouldn't have brought her back to the capital and given her the status of the principal wife despite Madam Zhai's objections.
But as her face aged, Cui Tingyuan grew tired of looking at it, and he began to prefer Concubine Liu, who was more similar to Madam Mu.
She was not respected in front of her husband, and her son Cui Shenbo was not as strong as Cui Shensi, the son of her second brother's sister-in-law Bian. Her mother-in-law had become increasingly picky about her in the past two years.
Qi felt a surge of anxiety, and she forced herself to suppress the various emotions that surged within her. After all, she had married Cui Tingyuan and had gained the status of Marquis's wife. From now on, the entire Marquisate would belong to her son. What else could she be dissatisfied with?
Do I have to come to live with my husband like my eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhan, did, bringing my two children with me?
Qi chatted with Madam Zhai for a while, and when she saw that the old lady was a little tired, she stood up and said goodbye.
......
On this side, Cui Lingyan and Nanny Sun went all the way to Yingyue Courtyard.
On the way, Nanny Sun asked her about the customs and habits of Jiangnan. Cui Lingyan spoke softly, knowing when to advance and when to retreat, neither humble nor arrogant, which made people really like her.
Bi Hen couldn't help but feel relieved when she heard what Cui Lingyan and Nanny Sun said. The old lady sent her to serve the third young lady. Although it was not right for a servant to find fault with her master, if the master was confused, the servants would suffer.
Fortunately, the third young lady behaved well along the way, and did not try to please Nanny Sun just because she was a confidant of the old lady Dou of the Duke of Wei. Instead, she responded appropriately with words, neither being timid nor fawning enough to make people look down on her.
Bi Hen couldn't help but look up to Cui Lingyan a little.
Yingyue Courtyard was a bit far from Xilan Courtyard where Old Madam Zhai lived, and it took them a while to get there.
After entering the yard, Bi Hen quickly walked up to the maid standing in the corridor and whispered a few words to her. A hint of surprise flashed in the maid's eyes, and she hurried in to report.
In the house
When Cui Linghui heard that Madam Dou's nanny Sun had brought the imperial physician to take her pulse, a gloomy look appeared on her face.
In her previous life, when she was in the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion, Old Lady Dou didn't like her as her granddaughter-in-law.
In order to find a backer, she went to please Old Madam Dou, but was stopped outside the door by Madam Sun, and was ridiculed and laughed at by countless people.
In her heart, she hated Lu Bingzhi's cruelty and heartlessness, and also hated Old Madam Dou's meanness and ingratitude.
If Old Madam Dou was willing to support her, how could she have suffered so much injustice.
Now he said he came to visit her, but who knew he was actually here to test her feelings, to see if she had been influenced by the rumors outside and wanted to cancel the marriage.
Or maybe he was afraid that she would fall into the water and develop a disease that would make it difficult for her to give birth to children.
Cui Linghui sneered in his heart, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, but he ordered people to invite Cui Lingyan and Nanny Sun in.
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