Chapter 31: Dissension "If there is no such marriage, I think she can still...
Qi's face paled, and panic showed in her eyes. She stepped forward and grasped Cui Shenbo's arm, tears streaming down her face. "Bo'er, you misunderstood. Your third sister was born from my womb. How could I use the marriage to embarrass your third sister? Besides, the marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager and Old Madam Dou. Once the Imperial Observatory sets the date, your third sister will marry into the Duke of Wei's mansion. How could I have such thoughts as to displease your grandmother and the Empress Dowager in the palace?"
Qi patted Cui Shenbo's hand and explained, "Mother and your third sister just had a few words because of the incident of sending her to your maternal grandparents' home. Please don't misunderstand."
Cui Shenbo felt very embarrassed when hearing Qi's explanation. If it weren't for his younger brother, how could his third sister be sent to his maternal grandparents' home and live under someone else's roof for all these years?
He was not unaware of these matters and had even mentioned them to his mother, Qi, hoping that she would bring his third sister back from her maternal grandparents' home. But whenever he brought it up, his mother would gloss over the issue, saying that his third sister was staying with her grandmother to fulfill her filial duty. His grandmother had lived with her for many years and couldn't bear to part with her granddaughter.
This went on year after year, and after more than ten years, my aunt Zhan finally came back with my third sister.
However, as the younger brother, he felt guilty and didn't know how to get along with his third sister. After all, this situation would be unbearable for anyone. He and his third sister were twins, a boy and a girl, and should have been the closest siblings. However, because he was weak, his mother took her anger out on him. He had been naive as a child, and now he felt extremely embarrassed.
Especially today, when he heard how his mother and third sister interacted privately, he felt powerless and ashamed.
If it wasn't for him, why would it come to this?
Cui Shenbo closed his eyes, then opened them again, and said to Qi, "Mother and I feel guilty towards Third Sister. Trying to get too close now will only make her feel uncomfortable. So, it's better for us to stay away. At least that will make her feel less constrained."
"If mother wants to make amends, why not prepare more dowry for Third Sister? This way, when she goes to the Duke of Wei's mansion, she will have money to rely on and feel more confident."
"My third sister is married in the capital. There's plenty of time to ease the relationship. Perhaps after a few years, the gap between us will be less."
Cui Shenbo said this, and then glanced at Nanny Jiang who was standing there, and said in a deep voice: "Madam, you have served mother for many years, and you should persuade her more and not use filial piety to control Third Sister like before. Otherwise, Nanny will not be able to stay in the mansion."
Nanny Jiang looked at Cui Shenbo in shock. She was very surprised. The Second Young Master had always been kind and had never said such harsh words. Moreover, she was someone close to the Madam. Instead of blaming her, a servant, the Second Young Master was more likely warning Qi, the mother, not to think of making things difficult for the Third Young Lady again.
For a moment, Nanny Jiang felt a mixture of emotions. After a long while, she bowed and said, "I understand. I will try to persuade Madam in the future."
Cui Shenbo nodded, bowed to Qi, and said, "I have to go to the front yard to study, so I won't accompany you anymore. I'll take my leave."
After saying this, Cui Shenbo turned around and walked straight out.
Qi watched him leave, her lips trembling. After a long while, she spoke in a trembling voice, "He, he is blaming me too? For whom did I send Yan away? How could he blame me?"
"I raised him with great difficulty. Every time he was sick, I was trembling with fear and couldn't sleep all night. He actually quarreled with me, his mother, because of Yan. My heart aches like a knife."
As Qi spoke, her legs went weak and she fell to the ground.
Nanny Jiang hadn't recovered yet. Firstly, she was surprised that Third Miss Cui Lingyan looked gentle but was actually so tough at heart. Secondly, she didn't expect that the second young master had heard what she had just said, and he even had a grudge against the lady because of it.
This, this is really unexpected.
After forcing herself to calm down, Nanny Jiang stepped forward and helped Qi up. "Madam, don't overthink it. You've loved the Second Young Master for so many years. How could he dislike you? He simply heard you arguing with the Third Young Master and misunderstood you for a moment."
"It's my fault, actually. If I hadn't persuaded Madam and the Third Miss to ease their relationship, perhaps this wouldn't have happened today."
When she said this, Nanny Jiang showed a look of regret on her face. After helping Qi sit down, she even knelt down to apologize, with a look of remorse on her face.
Madam Qi glanced at her and reached out to help her up. "Madam, there's no need to be like this. You've served me for so many years, I know you were sincere in your advice to me. If I blame you for this, who will dare to advise me in the future?"
After saying this, Qi wiped her eyes, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Tell me, how could Miss Yan be so unfilial? Even though I've let her down, now that she's back home I want to get along with her. Why wouldn't she give me, her mother, a chance to make amends? Why does she insist on harping on that incident? Don't I have my own difficulties? As a child, shouldn't I be considerate of my parents?"
"If you ask me, she's only grown so independent because she wants to be the wife of the Duke of Wei, that she's even disregarding filial piety."
"If there is no such marriage, how can she be so tough?"
When Qi said this, she still felt a little choked up and her face turned blue with anger.
"If this marriage hadn't already been decided, and if something unexpected happened, that person in the palace would blame our Ningshou Marquisate, I'd really want to find a way to cancel it. How could a girl like Yan, who doesn't know filial piety or etiquette, be worthy of being the Crown Prince's wife? If she were to marry into the Duke's Mansion, she might not know the seriousness of the situation and bring disaster to our Marquisate."
At this moment, Qi became more and more displeased with her daughter Cui Lingyan, and even felt a bit of hatred towards her.
Hearing her say this, Nanny Jiang comforted her, "The Third Miss has just returned, so it's understandable that she can't forgive Madam right now. Madam, you might as well give the Third Miss some time. When she marries into the Duke of Wei's mansion and becomes his daughter-in-law, she'll realize how important it is to have a family to rely on. By then, there won't be any need for Madam to deliberately ease the relationship, as the Third Miss will become close to Madam as her mother."
Qi's expression brightened a bit, and she sighed, "Let her be. Perhaps Yan and I are not destined to be mother and daughter."
"I'm just worried that Bo Ge'er might have some opinion of me as his mother because of what happened today. If he becomes alienated from me as a mother because of this, what should I do?"
When saying this, Qi's eyes showed some uneasiness and panic.
Nanny Jiang sighed inwardly, thought for a moment, and then said, "The Second Young Master has misunderstood Madam. Madam, please prepare more dowry for the Third Young Lady so that the Second Young Master won't have these misunderstandings."
Qi frowned. "The dowries of the girls in our mansion are all provided by the Duke of Zhong. The eldest daughter of the family can only add a few thousand taels at most. How can I give her anything else? Madam, you know that although I have been in charge of the household expenses for many years, the account books have to be handed over to the old lady. How much can I have in my private vault?"
Madam Jiang knew that Madam Qi was unhappy about the Third Young Lady's affairs, so she was unwilling to give the good things in her private storehouse to the Third Young Lady. Moreover, many of these things were to be used by Madam Qi when the Second Young Master got married, so Madam Jiang was reluctant to give them to her.
After all, the lady is from the Qi family. Even though she has been married into the Marquis's Mansion and served as the Marquis's wife for so many years, she actually controls the things in her hands very tightly. The only thing she is willing to give up is her son, the second young master.
Thinking about this, Nanny Jiang sighed softly in her heart. She wanted to persuade Madam and the Third Miss to ease their relationship, but if Madam was unwilling to give anything, how could she show her intention to make compensation?
Not to mention that the third girl doesn't believe it, people outside will also laugh at the lady as a mother if they see it.
She looked at her wife and opened her mouth, not knowing how to persuade her.
......
Cui Lingyan came out of the house, and Bitao followed her with an uneasy look on her face.
After walking for a while, Bi Tao couldn't help asking, "Why don't you pretend to be closer to Madam? That way, Madam won't dislike you."
Cui Lingyan sighed slightly, feeling a little bitter, as she listened to her words. Even Bi Tao, the maid who always sided with her, secretly wanted her to put on a show, to act out a loving mother and filial daughter in front of everyone.
She thought she could do it, but today Qi was so deliberately close to her and wanted to hold her hand, she felt goose bumps all over her body and was very resistant.
That moment of evasion could not be hidden from Qi, nor from herself.
Cui Lingyan sighed softly and whispered, "I just don't want to put on an act in front of others, and then pretend to be a loving mother and a filial daughter behind their backs. Besides, if I keep pretending for too long, I won't be able to do it anymore. Not only will I have nowhere to complain about the grievances I've suffered over the years, but I'll also be manipulated by others using filial piety as a pretext."
"Bi Tao, I was sent to the Qi family when I was six years old. Did she ever pity me then? Did she ever think that she was my mother and should protect me as her daughter? I don't want to play along with her anymore. Does she say she's compensating me just to manipulate me?"
Hearing her say this, Bi Tao was speechless for a moment, feeling a pang of pain in her heart. After a long while, she finally said, "Since you think so, then follow your heart."
"I am just afraid that Madam will bear a grudge against you because of what happened today, and that you will be wronged."
"Besides, the Second Young Master was caught red-handed today. I wonder what he was thinking. I saw that he looked very unhappy. He wanted to call out to the young lady, but in the end, he kept silent."
Cui Lingyan said nothing and went to Xilanyuan with Bitao.
After chatting with Old Madam Zhai for a while, she was about to leave when she heard footsteps outside. A maid came in with a happy face and reported, "Old Madam, someone has come from the palace. They say the Imperial Astronomical Observatory has matched the horoscopes of the prince and the young lady, and the wedding has been set for the sixteenth of next month."
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