Chapter 9: Lu Bingzhi has a gentle personality, just like a Jiangnan beauty...
Cui Linghui's body stiffened for a moment after hearing what Madam Xie said. A trace of panic flashed across her eyes, and then she shook her head and said, "How could it be? How could I have such thoughts?"
Seeing that Nanny Xie still had a look of worry on her face, Cui Linghui said again, "Don't worry, Nanny, I'm not that stupid. Lu Bingzhi is not only the prince of the Duke of Wei, but also the grandson of the Empress Dowager and the nephew of the Emperor. He is favored by the emperor. This marriage is something that others can't even ask for. Even if it's for the status of the prince's wife, I won't have such inappropriate thoughts."
After Cui Linghui said this, Madam Xie breathed a sigh of relief and said seriously, "Young lady, you are right to think so. I am afraid that the rumors outside will shake your mind and make you do something unmanageable and ruin your life."
"When Madam left, she left the girl in my care. I cannot bear to see her make a mistake and ruin her bright future."
"Prince Lu is of noble status and handsome appearance. Even if he is ill now, being born into such a family, can't he find a famous doctor to treat him? Young lady, just wait patiently for the opportunity to become the prince's wife. Old Madam Dou is so concerned about you, it is obvious that she likes you, the granddaughter-in-law who has not yet married. When you marry into the family and become part of the family, how can old lady not protect you?"
Cui Linghui sneered in her heart when she heard this. In her previous life, when she was uneasy because of the rumors outside, Nanny Xie comforted her in this way, telling her not to worry about what others said. She said that there were many people in the capital who wanted to marry Lu Bingzhi. Although she was the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquis, this marriage was also too high for her, so she should not be ungrateful and let others take advantage of her and ruin her future.
She couldn't let go of her identity as the Crown Prince's wife, but she was too timid to cancel the engagement for fear of offending Lu Bingzhi. She was also afraid that if she canceled the engagement, her reputation would be ruined and no one would dare to marry her again.
Her cowardly compromise led her to marry Lu Bingzhi, which led to a period of humiliation and unhappiness. In the end, her reputation was ruined and she was beaten to death by the emperor's order.
Thinking about her past life, Cui Linghui felt very depressed and resentful towards Nanny Xie, who had taken care of her since she was a child.
Nanny Xie weighed the pros and cons, and every word she said was for her own good. But if it was really for her own good, why would she just lightly brush aside the fact that Lu Bingzhi had been poisoned and had a hidden illness, as if nothing had happened?
Everyone treated her, Cui Linghui, as a chess piece.
Cui Linghui felt bitter in his heart. He rubbed his forehead and said with a bit of fatigue: "I am a little tired. Madam, please go and do your work first. Don't worry about me."
Nanny Xie hesitated and wanted to say something else, but when she saw Cui Linghui's slightly pale face, she swallowed the words back and responded by retreating.
Cui Linghui looked in the direction where Nanny Xie left, with a hint of hatred in his eyes.
......
Xilanyuan
Bi Hen reported in detail to the old lady Zhai what had just happened in Yingyue Courtyard.
After hearing this, Zhai's face turned grim. She placed the teacup heavily on the table and said unhappily, "It's no wonder Yan said those words. Even Yan, a girl who just returned home, could sense that Hui's behavior was inappropriate. How could that shrewd Nanny Sun not care about this? What's the point of being reserved and self-respecting before marrying into the Duke of Wei's mansion? I think Hui is really resisting this marriage."
"Now that I think about it, her falling into the water might not have been intentional."
Bi Hen was shocked when she heard the old lady's words. She knew her own identity, so how could she dare to respond to such a question?
If this gets out, something big will happen!
Madam Zhai rubbed her forehead, waved her hand and instructed Bihen, "Go serve Yan Yatou. I will send someone to hand over your indenture to Yan Yatou later. From now on, you can serve Yan Yatou peacefully."
Bi Hen's expression changed slightly, but he didn't dare to say anything more. He kowtowed solemnly to the old lady and then walked out.
Just at this time, Second Madam Bian came over to give the old lady some lotus cakes she had made herself. Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was not right, she thought of coming over later.
She had just taken a step back when Old Madam Zhai saw her and waved her to come over.
Bian was from the Pingyuan Marquisate, a wife that Old Lady Zhai had painstakingly found for her youngest son. The old lady, deeply concerned for her youngest son, favored Bian as her daughter-in-law. Furthermore, there were two young masters now grown up in the mansion. The eldest, Cui Shensi, was born from Bian's womb. The second, Cui Shenbo, was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but his mother had some deficiencies in her womb. Although he had recovered somewhat over the years, it was obvious at a glance that he was not as healthy as his cousin, Cui Shensi.
Although Mrs. Zhai appears to be impartial on the surface, she secretly prefers Cui Shensi.
In addition, Bian often came to Xilan Courtyard to talk with her, unlike Qi who usually left after paying her respects and reporting. Therefore, Mrs. Zhai was happy to tell Bian many of the things in her heart.
So, Madam Zhai told Bian what had just happened.
Bian knew that Old Lady Dou had sent Nanny Sun to the mansion to visit Cui Linghui, her granddaughter-in-law who had not yet married into the family, so she chose this time to come. However, she did not expect to hear such a thing.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she spoke in a soothing voice, "The eldest lady may not have such thoughts. Perhaps you are overthinking it. Before a girl gets married, she is always reserved and shy. Even if she is worried, she is afraid of being looked down upon if she speaks out. What's more, this marriage is originally a marriage of high status for Hui girl, and the prince is in this situation now. I have to say something unpleasant. At this time, Hui girl is in a dilemma. It is neither right nor wrong to care about him. Instead of asking too many questions and making people worry, it is better to be reserved and get along well with the prince after she gets married. Think about it carefully, is this the truth?"
"After all, although our girl Hui is engaged to the prince, they haven't seen each other many times in private. If they act too intimately, people will suspect that they are doing something inappropriate in private, which will ruin their reputation."
After Bian's words, Old Lady Zhai's expression brightened. She nodded and said, "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. I just hope that Nanny Sun won't exaggerate things in front of Dou when she returns to the Duke of Wei's Mansion."
Bian smiled and said, "The Duke of Wei's Mansion also has to maintain its dignity. How can they speculate like this about our little girl Hui without any evidence? Could it be that they can cancel this marriage and make the people in the capital laugh at Master Lu even more?"
Bian made the old lady happy and accompanied her to have some snacks. When she was leaving, she had a red gold hairpin inlaid with rubies on her head and was in good spirits all the way.
......
Duke Wei's Mansion
Qingdeyuan
After listening to Nanny Sun's report, Madam Dou sighed softly after a long while: "Bingzhi has had such an incident, and there are so many rumors out there. If these rumors reach the child's ears, I wonder how frightened and worried he will be."
"I can't blame her for being like this."
"Who doesn't have selfish motives? Many couples develop feelings for each other little by little after getting married. If she pretends nothing happened and behaves the same as always, I, an old woman, would think she's cunning."
"After all, it's not easy for a girl. We should bear it as much as we can. As long as the Ningshou Marquis Mansion doesn't cancel this marriage, she will still be Bingzhi's wife."
Nanny Sun smiled as she heard this and said, "No wonder everyone says you, Madam, are the most loving to the younger generations. As for me, Miss Cui being your granddaughter-in-law is a blessing she prayed for in her past life. With an elder like you protecting her, I'm afraid the Crown Prince will have to give Miss Cui some leeway in the future."
Old Madam Dou smiled and glared at her. Before she could say a few words, she heard footsteps outside. A maid came in and reported that the eldest Madam Cen had brought the second young lady to pay her respects.
Three years after the eldest princess passed away, her son remarried Cen. Over the years, he only had a daughter, Lu Danruo, who was the second among her cousins.
However, before the eldest princess left, she had the maid Qiongzhi operated on her face. Qiongzhi was also a lucky person. One day, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, named Lu Cong'an.
As the second wife, Cen had no son, and her stepson was born to the eldest princess, who had a noble status. The concubine's concubine also had some relationship with the eldest princess, so she had never had the confidence to do so. She often went to show her filial piety to Madam Dou, and brought Lu Danruo with her every time.
Old Madam Dou had hinted to her several times, telling her not to do so and to just live her own life well, but Cen was also a stubborn person. After several times of persuasion, it was of no use, so Old Madam Dou let her do what she wanted. It would be inappropriate to kick her out.
Hearing that she had come to pay her respects again, Madam Dou said with some resignation, "If she had spent this time on her own husband, it might have increased their affection and earned her some respect."
As Old Madam Dou spoke, she asked someone to bring Cen and Lu Danruo in.
After Cen came in, she bowed and paid her respects to Old Madam Dou, then pulled Lu Danruo to sit next to the old lady and reported to her about the affairs of the mansion.
The Duke of Wei's mansion consisted of two houses. Cen was the eldest sister-in-law, managing the household affairs. She was extremely dedicated, fearing that others would compare her to the eldest princess and say she was inferior and not even half as good as the eldest princess. Old Madam Dou knew Cen's temperament and had always been at ease with her in this regard. However, she also knew that Cen's visit was not just to report on matters at the mansion.
Just as Madam Dou had anticipated, after reporting the most important matters from the mansion, Cen spoke with some concern, "Mother, let's not forget the rumors outside about Bing's poisoning. These past two days, news has spread within the mansion that Bing is ill and won't be able to inherit the Duke's Mansion. My wife apprehended the servant who was gossiping about her. She panicked and initially insisted that she was a wicked woman who fabricated these stories. But then, unable to deny it, she confessed that she heard it from Linlang, the maid in my second brother's wife's room. She's truly despicable."
"Although I am your sister-in-law, there are some things I cannot say to my younger brother and his wife. I will have to ask you, mother, to give them some advice."
When Mrs. Dou heard this, her brows darkened and a hint of annoyance flashed across her eyes.
A large family business has its disadvantages. Old Madam Dou did not suspect that Cen was making up stories to frame the second son's wife because she knew her character too well.
It was precisely because of this understanding that she was furious. Now that Bing had been poisoned, everyone in the Duke of Wei's mansion should be united. The second son's wife, seeing that the mansion wasn't in chaos enough, had come up with such thoughts.
Madam Dou nodded and said, "I know about this matter. You don't have to worry about it."
Seeing that her mother-in-law had listened to her, Cen was secretly happy. Although she had no son, it was not in vain that she had been trying to please the old lady over the years. They had some affection for each other. The old lady also understood her character and would not think that she was deliberately plotting against her second brother's wife Zhou.
Cen breathed a sigh of relief, then heard Madam Dou ask, "Does Bingzhi look better today?"
Cen felt a bit embarrassed when she heard Old Lady Dou ask this. She said awkwardly, "You know Bingzhi is a very stubborn person. He didn't want to be seen when he was poisoned. The imperial physician said that headaches are normal. He won't recover until the poison is gradually removed."
"But after this incident, my vitality has been damaged. I need to take good care of myself."
Cen's words were ambiguous, but Mrs. Dou knew that she was hinting that Lu Bingzhi was having some difficulties in having an heir.
There are so many rumors out there, and not all of them are groundless.
Madam Dou sighed deeply and said with some emotion, "In such a situation, it is considered lucky to be able to save a life. It is inevitable that there will be some root cause of illness. People should be content with what they have."
"After this, Bingzhi's misfortune is over. God has a limit on what he gives to people. From now on, Bingzhi will be safe and sound, and he will never have to worry again."
Mrs. Cen smiled and said, "That's right. In a few days, I will take Danqiong to the temple to pray for her brother, and add some incense money. It will surely protect Bingzhi's safety and success."
Although Mrs. Dou knew that Cen said these words deliberately to please her, she smiled a little more. Since it was time for dinner, she asked Cen and her granddaughter Lu Danruo to stay and have dinner together.
After finishing the meal and drinking a few cups of tea with the old lady, Cen took Lu Danruo back to the Peony Courtyard where she lived.
As soon as Lu Danruo returned to the house, the smile on her face fell.
Cen was stunned and said unhappily, "What's wrong? Why are you acting like this for no reason? Who has irritated you?"
Lu Danruo curled her lips and said, "Grandmother's heart and eyes are all about my eldest brother. How could she ever see me, her own granddaughter?"
Cen's face darkened upon hearing her words, and she scolded, "What nonsense is this? Bingzhi is your elder brother, and the eldest princess's biological son. You already respect him enough, yet how can you say such disparaging things? If Bingzhi hears this, how will he view you, his younger sister?"
Mrs. Cen stretched out her finger and tapped her daughter's forehead, saying earnestly, "Put away those little thoughts of yours. If you have that free time, why don't you try to please your elder brother and visit him more often? It's better than letting someone else take away your respectability!"
Lu Danruo was stunned, then thought of something. She said with a bit of disdain, "My daughter is the legitimate daughter of the family. I won't learn the flattering tactics from my second brother, the illegitimate son born to a concubine."
"I think what those people in the mansion are saying is true. Now that the eldest brother has been poisoned, how can the second brother not have some thoughts? He is now in front of the eldest brother, so he must have made the eldest brother suspicious. Does he really think he can get it?"
Cen almost laughed out loud when she heard her words: "If you put it that way, your past as a younger sister wouldn't have caused your eldest brother to be suspicious, right? You really make me worry. With your attitude, it's no wonder your eldest brother didn't agree to let you go to the Empress Dowager to ask for the title of County Master."
"Now that he's poisoned, he's in no mood to agree to your request."
Lu Danruo's face grew uglier, a hint of grievance in her eyes. "If Mother could have given me a younger brother, how could I have felt so insecure? Mother constantly goes to please Grandmother, but what's the point? Grandmother may have given Mother some respect, but how do people in the mansion view us? They compare Mother to the late Princess in everything. Although you, as the eldest sister-in-law, are in charge of the household expenses, you only have one daughter. You're busy with the affairs of the mansion every day. Don't you have any idea what those maids and servants are saying about you?"
"My daughter, have you heard that when Cui Linghui enters the palace and becomes the Crown Prince's wife, the household affairs of this palace will be handed over from you to her, the Crown Prince's wife."
Mrs. Cen felt sore because of her daughter's words that she couldn't help but slap her daughter in the face.
Lu Danruo covered her face, looked at Cen with some shock, and then ran out crying.
......
Song Xuetang
Lu Bingzhi was slightly stunned when he heard his subordinate's report, and there was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
"Dan Ruo's personality is becoming increasingly unpleasant. She's so old and doesn't even know the meaning of filial piety. Go get a copy of the Filial Piety Classic and send it to Mingyue Courtyard. Tell her that I said she disrespected her biological mother and punish her by making her copy it a hundred times."
Guan Yan was stunned, and said with some confusion: "The master still has some poison in his body, how can he have the energy to worry about the second young lady? The second young lady has always been like this, and she has been ignorant of the severity of the situation for a long time."
Lu Bingzhi lowered his head slightly, turned a page of the book in his hand, and said nonchalantly: "I am sick now, and I have nothing to do. I must find something to do."
Guan Yan nodded, but seemed to be hesitant to say something.
Without even looking up, Lu Bingzhi said calmly, "Just say whatever you want to say. Why are you hesitating?"
Guan Yan glanced at his master, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Today, the old lady sent Nanny Sun and the imperial physician to visit Miss Cui. I sent someone to secretly inquire, and they said that Miss Cui didn't even ask the master a question."
Lu Bingzhi smiled and said, "What's so strange about this? He must have been frightened after falling into the water and hasn't recovered yet."
Guan Yan always felt that his master's words were full of profound meaning. He suddenly thought of something and said, "Oh, by the way, the third daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's Mansion, the one named Cui Lingyan that Qi insisted on sending to her maternal family, returned to the capital yesterday with her aunt Zhan."
"I heard that because she was raised in Jiangnan, she has a gentle temperament and is a true Jiangnan beauty."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
