Chapter 73: After this, Bingzhi and your child are the most important to you...
Without waiting for Cui Lingyan to speak, Birou's expression changed slightly when she heard this, and she looked at her young lady with some worry.
"Young Madam, you should just deal with it properly. The old lady of the Cen family will definitely not be fond of you. Who knows why she came to the mansion today."
Cui Lingyan nodded slightly, but was not too worried. Cen was her mother-in-law and she had to be a little considerate of her, but as the wife of the prince of the Duke of Weiguo, it was not her turn to be disciplined by the old lady of the Cen family.
"It's okay. With my status, the Cen family's old lady shouldn't be so ignorant as to not care about the dignity of our Duke's Mansion."
As Cui Lingyan spoke, she put down her needle and thread, changed her clothes, and took Birou to Qingdeyuan where Madam Dou lived.
In Qingde Courtyard, Old Madam Dou was chatting with the old lady of the Cen family, Mrs. Mei. They were accompanied by the first lady Cen and the second lady He, as well as the granddaughter Cen Yuexi who came with Old Madam Mei.
Old Madam Mei smiled and said, "I should have come personally to congratulate the prince on his wedding, but I happened to have a headache that day, so I asked the younger generation to come and I was unable to personally congratulate my in-laws. I have heard that although the young lady of the mansion did not grow up in the capital, she is indeed beautiful and sensible, and is very much loved by my mother-in-law and valued by the prince."
Mrs. Mei said this casually, but when it fell into the ears of several people in the room, it took on a different meaning.
In addition, the mother-in-law Cen has been at a disadvantage in front of her daughter-in-law Cui Lingyan these days. Even her only daughter Lu Danruo knelt in the ancestral hall a few days ago and had to personally offer tea to her sister-in-law Cui Lingyan to apologize. With all these things in mind, what Mrs. Mei said became even more meaningful.
Could it be that Old Madam Mei came to the mansion today to support Cen's daughter? Or was it that Cen's letter back home made Old Madam Mei feel that the Weiguo Mansion had bullied her married daughter, so she came to the mansion to demand an explanation?
Madam Dou took a sip of tea, pretending she didn't understand the deeper meaning behind Madam Mei's words. She continued, "Of course not. How can we disturb our mother-in-law and ask her to come to our house when the younger generation gets married? It's Madam Cen who has to worry about it. Fortunately, Bingzhi's status is here. Although the wedding is complicated, the maids from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the palace will take care of it, so it won't be too hard for me, the daughter-in-law."
As soon as Madam Dou finished speaking, Cen, who was sitting below, felt a little embarrassed. She knew that her mother-in-law had long been dissatisfied with her because her daughter Lu Danruo was disrespectful to her sister-in-law Cui Lingyan, and felt that she had not disciplined her daughter well.
Cen tried to say something to break the awkwardness. She fixed her gaze on her niece, Cen Yuexi, who had accompanied Old Madam Mei to her residence. With a familiar smile, she asked, "I haven't seen you for a while. Yuexi has become even more beautiful. Why haven't you come over to talk to Danruo? Is it because your mother is restricting you from learning the rules and won't let you go out for a walk?"
Cen Yuexi bowed and replied in a submissive and obedient manner, "It's not that mother is restricting me, but I want to learn how to manage the household from you so that I can share your worries."
When Cen Yuexi spoke, Old Madam Dou, who was sitting on the soft couch, couldn't help but laugh. "Listen, our girl is the most filial and sensible. Unlike her cousin, she is impatient and can never calm down, let alone learn how to be a housekeeper."
When Mrs. Cen heard her mother-in-law praising her niece like this and saying that her daughter Danruo had a quick temper, she couldn't help feeling a little aggrieved.
In the eyes of her mother-in-law, her daughter, the legitimate daughter of the Duke's family, is not as good as her niece?
If the grandmother, the mother-in-law, had not been partial to Lu Bingzhi and had given Danruo, the eldest son's legitimate granddaughter, the love and respect she deserved, why would Danruo feel resentful and develop such a temper?
Putting aside all the goodies Lu Bingzhi had, Danruo, besides her monthly salary, received gifts for her birthday every year. Not only was she treated much worse than Lu Bingzhi, the Crown Prince, but even her half-brother, Lu Cong'an, the daughter of a maidservant, was far better off. Even though they appeared to be equals, Lu Bingzhi treated his half-brother with such kindness, secretly showering him with countless gifts. They were family, yet he chose to sideline Danruo. Wasn't it simply because Concubine Qiong was once a maidservant to Princess Shuning? If Lu Bingzhi had treated his sister Danruo even half as well as he had treated his half-brother Lu Cong'an, mother and daughter wouldn't have such a strong opinion of him.
Thinking this in her heart, Cen Shi didn't know what to say. If she said these things now, not only would she lose face, but her mother, Old Lady Mei, would also lose face, and even her mother-in-law would think that she, as a daughter-in-law, was ignorant.
At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps outside, and the maid raised the curtain and reported: "Old Madam, the Young Madam is coming."
Madam Dou smiled and said, "Hurry up and ask her to come in."
The maid took the order and went out, quickly bringing Cui Lingyan into the house.
In order to meet guests today, Cui Lingyan wore a goose yellow jacket embroidered with lotus patterns, a smoky eight-panel Xiang skirt underneath, her hair was styled in a flowing cloud bun, and a gilt filigree hairpin inlaid with rubies was pinned in her hair. The light and dark colors were just right, and the moment she appeared, people could not take their eyes off her.
She walked forward slowly and saluted everyone.
Madam Mei was genuinely amazed at her appearance. She subtly glanced at her daughter, Cen, who was sitting below her, before praising Madam Dou, "I've heard that the new young lady is so beautiful, she can outshine all the noble ladies in the capital. I thought it was just flattery, but now that I've seen her with my own eyes, I realize there are women of such beauty in the world. Your Highness is truly blessed."
As Old Madam Mei spoke, she took off a red gold bracelet inlaid with rubies from her wrist and said with a smile, "Consider this bracelet my gift to the young lady. Although this is our first meeting, we really do have a mutual liking for each other."
Seeing that the bracelet was valuable, Cui Lingyan subconsciously looked towards Old Madam Dou.
Madam Mei smiled and said, "Look at what your grandmother is doing. I dare not refuse a gift from an elder. Please accept it quickly."
After Old Madam Mei said this, Cui Lingyan felt it would be impolite to refuse. She bowed and said with a faint smile, "Thank you, Madam."
After thanking him, Cui Lingyan sat down on the chair below.
The room suddenly became lively, with everyone chatting about what was happening in the capital. The first thing was that the Empress Dowager had arranged a marriage for the Second Prince, betrothing Zheng Suining, the legitimate daughter of the Kangshou Marquisate, to the Second Prince, Xiao Ze, as his consort.
Madam Mei said meaningfully, "Before, when all the noble ladies came to the palace for the flower viewing banquet, I was wondering what kind of noble lady the Imperial Concubine would choose as the Second Prince's consort. I never imagined that the decree would be for Zheng Suining, the eldest daughter of the Kangshou Marquisate."
Her words startled everyone. Miss Zheng came from the Kangshou Marquis's mansion and was the eldest daughter of the legitimate family. Although she wasn't as noble as the daughters of the Duke's mansion, she wasn't too far removed from marrying into the Second Prince's family. Furthermore, since the marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager, she should be of decent appearance and proper conduct. Although the Empress Dowager didn't like her grandson, the Second Prince, because of Noble Consort Shu, she was still a grandmother. Would she deliberately choose an unworthy wife for her grandson?
Even if the Empress Dowager had this in mind, Concubine Shu, as a mother, would not agree. Although the Concubine was not favored, she could still have some influence on the marriage of her only son. The Empress Dowager still had her family behind her, and the Second Prince might not be impossible to ascend to that throne. The Empress Dowager did not need to annoy the Second Prince and humiliate Concubine Shu at this time.
So, when the marriage decree came down, everyone, besides remembering the Second Prince Xiao Ze who drunkenly beat a palace maid to death and feeling that the Second Prince had a bad temper, thought that Miss Zheng would have a hard time being the Second Prince's Consort. But being a wife is not easy, and it's not easy for ordinary people either. You have to be filial to your parents-in-law and serve your husband, while also trying to please your younger sisters-in-law. Marrying into the royal family is enviable, after all. At least you get the status of the Second Prince's Consort, and you'll be respected by everyone. If Xiao Ze succeeds in the future and has a good future, the Second Prince's Consort's status will rise, and who knows, she might even get a great fortune.
With such thoughts in mind, everyone felt more envy than sympathy for Zheng Suining, so they were a little surprised when Mrs. Mei said this.
Madam Mei took a sip of tea before slowly explaining, "You don't know there's a secret here that I only discovered by chance. Miss Zheng's mother contracted a cold and passed away a month after giving birth to her. They hid it from the outside world, saying it was a cold, but in fact, she had injured herself while giving birth to Miss Zheng. Her mother was afraid her daughter would have a bad reputation, so she used medicine to keep her alive for an extra month to prevent outsiders from implicating her daughter in her death. I heard that the Marquis's wife had a hard time during that time, and she became extremely thin. She protected her daughter like this, and she did have a loving mother's heart. But Marquis Kangshou was not a good person. He welcomed a new wife into the family a year after she died. The new wife soon gave birth to a son, and a few years ago, they had a daughter. They cherished her so much that Miss Zheng looked like an outsider."
Madam Mei said with some emotion, "There are loving mothers in this world, some willing to sacrifice their own lives for their daughters', but there are also many who are partial. For example, Marquis Kangshou treats Miss Zheng like an outsider, but treats his children like the apples of his eye, fearing that they would suffer the slightest injustice."
"So, although Miss Zheng has a good family background, she doesn't have much support from her family. I wonder if the Second Prince and Imperial Concubine Shu will feel upset after this decree. I'm afraid Miss Zheng won't have an easy time after entering the palace."
"So, no one in this world can be trusted. Only the one who carried you for ten months and gave birth to you truly cares about your future. Thinking of the late wife of the Kangshou Marquis, I feel so sad."
At this moment, Mrs. Dou slowly realized why Mrs. Mei said this and why she mentioned Zheng Suining.
She glanced inconspicuously at her granddaughter-in-law Cui Lingyan who was sitting below, with a hint of worry between her brows.
Madam Mei's words were clearly directed at Cui Lingyan. She mentioned that the late wife of the Kangshou Marquisate was so concerned about her newborn daughter that she even took medicine to prolong her life and suffered so much pain, rather than let her daughter be branded as having killed her mother.
Some are so considerate of their daughters, while others are partial like Qi, who sends her daughters to live with her parents since they were young.
Madam Dou was secretly annoyed, but she couldn't say that Madam Mei shouldn't have said those words. She could only say that Madam Mei had lived to such an old age and was really a shrewd person. She couldn't let anyone find fault with her when she bullied others.
Cui Lingyan noticed her gaze and smiled, without showing any displeasure or loss of composure.
Mrs. Dou finally breathed a sigh of relief, but she also changed the subject and talked about something else.
After everyone chatted for a while, Old Lady Mei took her granddaughter Cen Yuexi and followed the eldest lady Cen to the Peony Courtyard.
He was also very tactful and said goodbye and left.
Madam Dou wanted to comfort Cui Lingyan, but it would inevitably make her sad, so she smiled and said to her, "Miss Yan, you should go back and rest too."
As he spoke, he instructed Nanny Sun beside him, "Bingzhi and Yan girl both love to drink tea. Please get them a piece of the best small round dragon tea and ask them to take it back."
Nanny Sun took the order and retreated.
When Cui Lingyan was the only one left in the room, Madam Dou finally waved her over, then gently patted her hand and said, "Don't take Madam Mei's words to heart. You are now the young lady of our Duke's Mansion. From now on, Bingzhi and your child are your most important people. There is no need to worry too much about other things."
"Old Madam Mei has lived to such an old age, yet she actually bullies a junior. She really has no dignity."
Cui Lingyan shook her head and smiled, "That's fine. I don't take other people's words to heart. Now that Grandmother is so compassionate to me, if I feel sorry for myself, I won't know how to cherish myself and will disappoint the elders."
......
On this side, Madam Mei held Cen's hand and said with some emotion, "I didn't take your previous letter about how much the Crown Prince liked Cui seriously. But after seeing Cui's appearance today, I'm not surprised. There is no man in this world who doesn't love women. The Crown Prince protects her, so you, as her mother-in-law, are bound to suffer at her hands."
"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for having only Danruo as your child. If you had a son, you would at least have more confidence in front of your stepson, the Crown Prince. Otherwise, being a stepmother is really frustrating, and you and Danruo will not have the dignity you and I have in the future."
Madam Mei said, and then asked, "By the way, why didn't I see that girl Danruo today?"
Cen's expression changed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, she said with red eyes, "Mother, you don't know. Danruo and Cui had a quarrel before, and her mother-in-law punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall. Afterwards, she offered tea to Cui to apologize. She has been hiding in the house these days, and at most she goes to my Peony Courtyard. How can she have the face to come out and see people?"
"Besides, my mother-in-law is becoming increasingly displeased with her granddaughter, Danruo. Ever since Cui came into the family, she has been even more critical of Danruo. My daughter is truly distressed, so I wrote back home, asking my mother to come over and support me and Danruo."
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