Chapter 15: Meeting Him: He is her future brother-in-law, and their relationship is like this...
With the appearance of Lu Bingzhi, the originally relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense and stagnant.
The noble ladies were also a little uncomfortable. After all, in the past, there was no one in the capital who didn't want to marry Lu Bingzhi. But no matter how much they wanted it, the marriage finally fell on Cui Linghui, the eldest daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate. They were so envious and jealous. They felt that Cui Linghui was the eldest daughter who had lost her mother. It would be fine for her to marry into an ordinary wealthy family and become a mistress. How could she be qualified to marry someone of Lu Bingzhi's status?
However, Lu Bing's poisoning left him with illness, which was not conducive to having children, so all their thoughts were put to rest. Some of them were even secretly glad that the one who was engaged to Lu Bingzhi, the prince of Weiguo, was not them but Cui Linghui, the eldest daughter of Ningshou Marquis.
Otherwise, having ended up in this situation, it would be difficult to cancel the marriage, nor to not cancel it. To be more precise, I dared not cancel it at all, and I even dared not show my reluctance, for fear of offending the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Some people unconsciously looked back and forth between Lu Bingzhi and Cui Linghui, wanting to see what the scene would be like when this once envied engaged couple met again.
Lu Bingzhi seemed completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere and the hidden thoughts in the looks people gave him and Cui Linghui. His face remained calm, his back straight, and he walked directly to the Empress Dowager, bowed, and said, "Grandson greets Grandmother."
The Queen Mother was a little annoyed at the lack of tact of these noble ladies, but there were so many rumors in the capital. Even if these people didn't dare to make up stories in front of her because of her status as the Queen Mother, could they not even speculate in their hearts?
Even though she felt sorry for her grandson, Bingzhi, she could only pretend she hadn't seen anything. She smiled and said to Lu Bingzhi, "Why did you come to the palace if you weren't recuperating at home? Your uncle is very worried about you because of your illness. If you don't take good care of yourself, he might even detain you in the palace and have the imperial physician personally oversee your recovery."
The Queen Mother's words were not false, and she did not mean to praise Lu Bingzhi, the Prince of Weiguo, in front of others.
Everyone in the capital knows that the emperor has only one sister, Princess Shuning, who is his full sister. Princess Shuning died early due to illness. As her uncle, the emperor is particularly fond of his nephew Lu Bingzhi. He has given him the grace to come to the palace and teach with the princes since he was a child. Compared with the harsh criticism he gave to the princes, the emperor showed more love and favor to his nephew Lu Bingzhi. Once, when Lu Bingzhi was ill, the emperor even ignored the rules and kept Lu Bingzhi in the Qinzheng Palace for a night to take care of him personally. Such favor is really shocking.
Fortunately, Lu Bingzhi is only the son of Princess Shuning, and no matter how much favor he receives, it will not affect the status of the princes. Otherwise, the empress dowager and the imperial concubine would be so fearful and unfair in their hearts.
The Empress Dowager's few words made everyone's minds waver again. If Lu Bingzhi could recover, he would be a rare husband.
Lu Bingzhi smiled and said to the Queen Mother with some helplessness: "My grandson can't stand the rules of this palace. Grandmother, please forgive me and let me relax outside the palace."
Lu Bingzhi pointed to the servants following behind him and said, "I know you're having a flower viewing party today, so I asked someone to find a pot of delphinium. Do you like it?"
The Queen Mother became interested upon hearing this. When she saw the servant open the cover on the flowerpot, revealing a plant with blue-purple swallowtail-like flowers, her face became more smiling.
"Is this the delphinium? I've only heard of it in travelogues but never seen it in person. It turns out it looks like this! It's truly unique."
"Compared to the flowers and plants around it, it really has a bit more vitality."
The Queen Mother lived deep in the palace and had seen all kinds of precious flowers, but it was rare things like delphiniums that really caught her eye.
The Empress Dowager was delighted and ordered the pot of delphinium to be moved to the Cining Palace and to be well cared for. She then pulled Lu Bingzhi over to her side and talked with him for a while before finally instructing him, "Since you are in the palace today, go play chess and chat with your uncle."
The Empress Dowager felt sorry for her grandson and did not intend to let Lu Bingzhi stay here any longer, which made people judge and speculate in their hearts.
Lu Bingzhi nodded in agreement and left.
From beginning to end, he never once glanced at Cui Linghui.
Everyone present was a shrewd person. Although men and women were strictly separated and unmarried men and women were not allowed to get too close in such an occasion, it was reasonable for them to look at each other and nod to show their closeness. It was rare to see someone like Lu Bingzhi treating Cui Linghui, his unmarried wife, like air.
Thinking of Cui Linghui's fall into the water, everyone started to speculate. They secretly laughed at Cui Linghui, wondering if she thought she was so great just because she was the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquisate. This fall into the water must have left a lingering grudge in Lu Bingzhi's heart. Cui Linghui's life would surely be difficult after she married into the Weiguo Duke's family.
Even if a husband and wife respect each other like guests, if there is no love between them, it is really hard to bear, just like only the person drinking the water knows whether it is hot or cold.
Cui Linghui sat there, her face slightly pale, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she was trying to endure something.
Cui Lingyan noticed that everyone's eyes were looking at their table, and seeing Cui Linghui's appearance, she did not feel any sympathy in her heart. She only felt that Cui Linghui was just asking for it.
When the Queen Mother saw Cui Linghui's expression, she did not think that Lu Bingzhi did not know how to be gentle with women. After all, Cui Linghui ignored Lu Bingzhi. If her grandson still rushed to show closeness to him, it would be a loss of his status and dignity as the Prince of Weiguo.
Besides, although the two were engaged, they had never interacted with each other privately, and they were not childhood sweethearts. How could Bingzhi have any feelings for Cui Linghui?
Not to mention, Bingzhi had always been aloof and indifferent, even when he received the emperor's favor. He probably didn't care much about this marriage. If Cui Linghui didn't make a fuss, he would just marry her. If she didn't know the importance of marriage, she would just be treated as a decoration.
It is unknown why the son born to the prince consort and Shu Ning, who had such a deep love for each other, is so cold towards love. The empress dowager sometimes really cannot understand it. She just thinks that it is because Shu Ning died early and the Duke of Weiguo remarried, so she can only love him more as a grandmother and not let him become too cold in character.
The Queen Mother thought so, and was also concerned that Cui Linghui would marry Lu Bingzhi in the future, so she didn't want to let these people see Cui Linghui's joke, so she smiled and said, "Okay, there are so many flowers and plants in the garden, everyone can go and see them, I don't need anyone to accompany me here."
After the Empress Dowager gave such an order, everyone stood up and responded, leaving their seats one after another to stroll in the Imperial Garden.
Cui Lingyan followed Cui Linghui and stood up. She saw a woman in a pink and blue dress approaching from a distance. She whispered to Cui Linghui, "My cousin looks a little unwell. Zhen'er, come with me for some fresh air."
As she spoke, she gave Cui Lingyan a smile that was a bit apologetic. Her gaze lingered on the small crabapple flower embroidered on Cui Lingyan's cuff, and a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
When Cui Lingyan heard her call herself Zhen'er, she guessed that the girl in front of her was Mu Zhen, the eldest daughter of Cui Linghui's maternal family, the Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, so she just nodded slightly, watched the two of them leave, and then left with her maid Bitao.
When the two of them reached a quiet, deserted spot, Bi Tao patted her chest and said with some uneasiness, "This palace is truly unsettling. The nobles all smile with hidden daggers, as if they were wearing masks. Their gazes at people are also full of deep meaning. I wonder what they're thinking."
"And that Master Lu from earlier, his aura is truly hard to ignore. He appears to be only a few years older than the Second Young Master, and he has a hint of a smile on his face, yet it's hard to look directly at him."
"I wonder if the young lady will be able to get along with this brother-in-law after she marries him. I've seen the young lady treated by the prince is very cold, and she is so embarrassed that her face is pale. If she hadn't been called away just now, I wonder if she would have burst into tears on the spot."
Cui Lingyan glared at her and said, "Alright, stop talking about this. If anyone hears this and spreads it to Big Sister, she'll definitely take her anger out on me."
Bi Tao curled her lips and said, "Let me talk about this in private. Besides, if the eldest lady really treated me like her own sister, why would she have such ulterior motives in borrowing my dress embroidered with crabapple blossoms? Just now, I saw that the eldest lady Mu's face changed a little when she saw the crabapple blossoms embroidered on my sleeves. She seemed to look down on me, thinking that I had been raised in my mother's family since I was a child, and now that I had finally returned to the capital, I had to borrow my stepsister's clothes to wear."
"You are allowed to do these little tricks to embarrass me, but I am not allowed to speak up for you?"
Cui Lingyan felt helpless and heartwarming when she heard Bitao's words. She felt sad in her heart and was about to say something when she noticed a noise not far away. She looked in the direction of the sound and was stunned.
She didn't know why Lu Bingzhi appeared here. Didn't he go to pay his respects to the emperor?
I don’t know if this person heard what was said just now. If he did, how much did he hear?
Thinking this in her heart, Cui Lingyan forced herself to remain calm. She bowed to Lu Bingzhi who appeared not far away and said respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness."
She thought for a moment, then whispered, "Big sister has been called away by the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to speak. If the prince wants to look for big sister..."
She didn't finish her words, but her meaning was clear.
He is her future brother-in-law. It is not easy for them to talk in private about their relationship. If someone sees them, who knows how many rumors will spread.
Because of that horrifying dream, Cui Lingyan was most afraid of being involved in such a thing, not to mention that this person was Lu Bingzhi.
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