Chapter 14: The Flower Viewing Banquet was the poisoning. He had been recuperating in the mansion for more than half a month without revealing anything...
The next morning, Cui Lingyan got up early, dressed up, had a quick breakfast, and went to Madam Zhai's courtyard.
When she went there, Cui Linghui had already arrived. Today, Cui Linghui was wearing a jacket embroidered with red pomegranate flowers and peonies, and had her hair combed in a flowing bun, looking dignified and elegant.
"Yan'er pays her respects to grandma." Cui Lingyan shifted her gaze away from Cui Linghui without leaving a trace, walked forward and bowed.
Old Madam Zhai looked at her, and seeing her wearing the light green dress embroidered with crabapple flowers, a strange color flashed in her eyes. She glanced at Cui Linghui standing beside her, wanting to say something but holding it back, she just smiled and warned Cui Lingyan, "You must be very cautious when you enter the palace today. Ask your elder sister for everything. Don't let others look down on you and make a fool of our Ningshou Marquis Mansion."
Cui Linghui felt relieved when she heard her grandmother scolding Cui Lingyan like this, but before Cui Lingyan could reply, she smiled and said, "Grandmother, Yan'er just returned, please don't scare her. She's in the palace today to attend the flower-viewing banquet. Yan'er will sit among the noble ladies, not conspicuously, and behave properly. How could anything go wrong?"
"The Queen Mother is still very kind."
When Old Lady Zhai heard Cui Linghui say this, she thought about how much the Empress Dowager had loved her granddaughter in the past, and the gifts she had often bestowed upon her. Her smile widened a little, and she pointed at Cui Linghui, scolding him with a smile, "Well, since you say that, I, as your grandmother, can rest assured in handing Yan girl over to you. But don't let anything go wrong with her."
Cui Linghui nodded in agreement, walked up to Cui Lingyan, took Cui Lingyan's hand and assured her, "Don't worry, grandma. When your granddaughter returns home, I will tell you about the flower viewing banquet in the palace."
Old Madam Zhai nodded. It was almost time, and she didn't dare let Cui Linghui and the others stay in the house, so she asked for a carriage to be prepared. Madam Xie, Bitao and Yulan accompanied the two of them in the carriage.
In the carriage, Cui Linghui said a few words to comfort Cui Lingyan and then stopped talking.
Cui Lingyan could sense that her stepsister was feeling uneasy and had something on her mind today.
She knew without hesitation that it was because of her marriage with Lu Bingzhi.
The poison of Lu Bingzhi has not yet been cleared, and there are so many rumors in the capital. The empress dowager has always loved her grandson Lu Bingzhi. If her guess is correct, after this flower-viewing banquet, she will talk to Cui Linghui about marrying him as soon as possible.
After all, Cui Linghui's marriage to the Crown Prince as his wife could somewhat quell some of the recent rumors.
Secondly, even someone of the status of the Empress Dowager in the palace would want to hold a happy event to offset the bad luck of Lu Bing's poisoning.
Cui Linghui was unwilling to marry Lu Bingzhi, probably because she was worried and anxious.
Cui Lingyan pretended not to have guessed Cui Linghui's thoughts at all. She just wanted to be careful when entering the palace today, so as not to make any mistakes or be plotted against by others.
In that dream, Cui Linghui was not a good sister. She was so vicious that she plotted against her and Qi Shaozhang. It is easy to imagine what Cui Linghui would do now in order to avoid marrying Lu Bingzhi.
The only thing that comforted her was Lu Bingzhi's noble status. And since they were in the palace, even if Cui Linghui wanted to plot against her, it wouldn't be that easy. As long as she was careful, she shouldn't fall into his trap.
No matter how much Cui Linghui wants to scheme, he must consider the consequences of failing and ending up losing himself.
The carriage moved slowly and stopped at the palace gate after more than half an hour.
Cui Lingyan followed Cui Linghui out of the carriage and saw that there were many carriages parked in front. She guessed that there must be many people coming to the palace for the banquet today.
Just as she was thinking about it, a palace maid in a sapphire-colored palace dress came up to the two of them at the palace gate, bowed to Cui Linghui, and said, "Miss Cui, the Empress Dowager has ordered this servant to take the eldest and third ladies to the Cining Palace."
Because Cui Linghui was Lu Bingzhi's fiancée, she often entered the palace, so she naturally recognized that the palace maid in front of her was Ruyi, who was by the Empress Dowager's side.
In the past, if Cui Linghui could get such honor when attending banquets in the palace, he would feel superior and envied.
But at this moment, noticing the gazes coming from all around, Cui Linghui felt depressed.
She didn't know that there were so many people here who were not as good as her in the past and envied her for having such a marriage, and now they didn't know how to laugh at her in their hearts.
Cui Linghui didn't want to be laughed at, so he straightened his back, smiled and nodded at Ruyi, saying, "Thank you for your concern, the Queen Mother. Let's go and pay our respects to her, and don't keep her waiting anxiously."
As Cui Linghui spoke, she glanced at Cui Lingyan, who was half a step behind her, gestured to her, and followed Ruyi into the palace.
Cui Lingyan had grown up in the Qi family, and this was her first time entering the palace. If she hadn't had that dream, she would have been thrilled to have the opportunity to enter. But after that dream, she had experienced so much. In this palace, she felt that even the air was oppressive and solemn. All she wanted was to be cautious and leave safely.
It took the group half an hour to reach the Cining Palace where the Empress Dowager lived.
Cui Lingyan followed Cui Linghui into the hall and kowtowed to the person sitting on the high seat.
"Your humble servant greets the Queen Mother. May the Queen Mother be blessed with good health and happiness."
The Queen Mother's gaze first fell on Cui Linghui. When she saw the gold filigree bracelet inlaid with jade and oriental pearls on her wrist, a strange color flashed in her eyes.
It was not for any other reason, but because this gold filigree and jadeite inlaid oriental pearl bracelet was given by her to Cui Linghui, her future granddaughter-in-law, on the day when Cui Linghui and Lu Bingzhi got married.
Cui Linghui had deliberately put on the bracelet today to show that she had no intention of breaking off the engagement. Normally, she should be happy about her attitude, but it was precisely this action that made her feel that it was too deliberate, and she felt a little uncomfortable with Cui Linghui, her future granddaughter-in-law.
The Queen Mother had many thoughts in her mind, but she suppressed them all because of Lu Bingzhi. She just thought that it was inevitable that Cui Linghui had some little thoughts. When she became the Crown Prince's wife in the future, she would know how to be a good wife.
She couldn't be too harsh on these unmarried girls, as it would seem that she, as an elder, was unkind.
The Queen Mother thought about it and said with a smile, "Everyone, get up."
Seeing the two of them stand up, the Empress Dowager's eyes fell on Cui Lingyan, and she said to Cui Linghui with a smile, "This must be your third sister, right? I heard from Old Madam Dou that Nanny Sun went to the Marquis' Mansion and came back to say how beautiful your newly arrived third young lady was. I thought Nanny Sun was exaggerating, but now that I see her, I realize she wasn't. Your Marquis' Mansion is truly blessed to have a dignified and steady young lady like you, Miss Hui, and now someone as gentle and graceful as you."
"Come, come here and let me take a good look at you." The Queen Mother ordered Cui Lingyan.
Cui Lingyan walked over as she was told and bowed to the empress dowager, looking respectful and cautious.
The Queen Mother looked at her with a smile, showing her special fondness, then took off a purple jade bracelet from her wrist and put it on Cui Lingyan's wrist without saying a word.
"My dear child, this is your first time in the palace. I see that I have a good rapport with you, so I give you this bracelet as a gift."
Cui Lingyan was stunned, a little flattered and didn't know what to do, and subconsciously wanted to speak.
The Queen Mother patted her hands and said, "I dare not refuse the elder's gift. Please accept it."
"Alright, there should be quite a few people coming to the Imperial Garden. Come with me."
The Queen Mother said this without giving Cui Lingyan a chance to speak. She stood up from her seat and walked outside.
The crowd escorted the empress dowager out of the Cining Palace.
Cui Lingyan felt uneasy, wondering why the Queen Mother gave her such respect. When she saw the jealousy in Cui Linghui's eyes that he tried hard to hide, she suddenly understood.
She was afraid that the Queen Mother was using her as a pawn to pressure Cui Linghui, her future granddaughter-in-law.
Cui Linghui has always had a high opinion of herself. She was not happy that her grandmother liked her at all, so how could she be happy that the empress dowager liked her so much?
Cui Lingyan knew that Cui Linghui must be very unhappy at this moment, but she had no choice but to follow everyone all the way to the Imperial Garden.
On the bright side, she had gained this honor, which would be beneficial to her situation in the mansion in the future.
Although the Queen Mother took advantage of her, she also gave her real benefits.
The Imperial Garden was awash in spring scenery, with all sorts of precious flowers vying for beauty. The air was filled with a sweetness, and the occasional chirping of birds and insects added to the tranquility.
Walking further, you can hear some laughter. They are the ladies and noble girls from various families who have entered the palace today.
Seeing the Queen Mother coming, everyone stood up to pay their respects to her.
The Queen Mother smiled and sat down on the main seat, telling everyone to stand up.
After everyone sat down, the Queen Mother started talking about some things in the capital.
No one mentioned the poisoning of Lu Bingzhi, the Duke of Wei's son, for fear of displeasing the empress dowager. Yet, these days, the most talked about figures in the capital were Lu Bingzhi and Cui Linghui, the future consort of the prince. Even if they kept silent, they were certainly thinking about it.
Because of this thought, everyone's eyes turned to Cui Linghui inconspicuously. When they saw Cui Linghui, they inevitably saw Cui Lingyan, and they couldn't help but show a bit of surprise in their eyes.
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "This is Cui Lingyan, the third daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's residence. She used to live at my maternal grandfather's house. Look at me, isn't it true that the soil and water of the south of the Yangtze River are the most nourishing? Otherwise, how could she be so beautiful?"
As the Queen Mother finished her words, everyone's eyes fell on Cui Lingyan.
Seeing her with her black hair pinned up, fair skin and gentle features, she is truly a rare beauty that makes people unable to take their eyes off her.
When they saw the purple jade bracelet on her wrist, some noble ladies who often came to the palace were slightly surprised. They thought that Miss Cui San was very lucky. She was given such a decent entrance into the palace right after returning to Beijing, and even received such a reward from the empress dowager.
Those who were more thoughtful thought, thinking about the incident of Cui Linghui accidentally falling into the water, wondered if the Queen Mother was using Cui Lingyan to pressure Cui Linghui, her elder sister?
After all, Cui Linghui had always been favored by the Empress Dowager because of Lu Bingzhi. Now that she sees her stepsister is favored by the Empress Dowager, can Cui Linghui, as the elder sister, feel happy?
As everyone was talking, they saw someone coming over from a distance. The man was wearing a sky-blue brocade robe embroidered with bamboo leaves. He had a straight figure and exuded nobility. His face was slightly pale. The man was none other than Lu Bingzhi, the prince of Weiguo, who had been poisoned and recuperating in the mansion for more than half a month and had not been seen.
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