Chapter 105: The Big Trouble I couldn't help but look at the man leaning on the soft couch, holding...
No one expected that such a thing would happen on the old lady's 80th birthday. No wonder the old lady was so angry that she vomited blood and fainted. As a junior, Xiao Ze behaved like this at his great-grandmother's 80th birthday party, without any consideration for the old lady as his elder.
Moreover, Cui Linghui and Lu Bingzhi had an engagement, and Cui Linghui made a very embarrassing scene to break off the engagement. Xiao Ze picked Cui Linghui and deliberately got close to her. He also sent someone to bring Lu Bingzhi over to see this scene with his own eyes. How could a normal person do this?
If this matter gets out, Xiao Ze's reputation will be ruined and he will never be able to ascend to that position again. What hope will the Duke's Mansion have in the future?
Second Madam Kong was also stunned. Seeing the unconscious old lady lying on the couch, she was at a loss for words. Subconsciously, she looked towards her sister-in-law Liao, who was standing there. She stepped forward and said worriedly, "How could such a ridiculous thing happen? Is there any evidence? It must be someone outside who is talking nonsense. No matter how uninhibited the Second Prince is, he wouldn't do such a thing on his great-grandmother's birthday!"
Kong originally wanted to seek advice from her sister-in-law Liao, but in her haste she forgot that Liao had such a great hatred with Concubine Shu and the second prince Xiao Ze. If Liao did not add insult to injury and scold Xiao Ze for being shameless, even if she took Xiao Ze's identity as a prince into consideration, how could she give her advice and cover up this scandal?
Moreover, rumors spread so quickly to everyone, there was no way they could be covered up.
Princess Chun'an's face was gloomy, and she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Since this trouble was caused by Xiao Ze, my grandmother and I will take our leave."
"Humph, Concubine Shu has truly raised a good son!"
After Princess Chun'an finished speaking, she held Liao's arm and walked straight out.
Second Madam Kong wanted to speak up to stop them, but when she remembered the feud between Liao, Princess Chun'an, and Concubine Shu and her son, she felt it was not appropriate to ask them to stay and help deal with this mess.
Moreover, Princess Chun'an and she had never gotten along well. In her haste, she had lost her composure and put the blame for the old lady's fainting on Liao and Princess Chun'an, wanting to accuse them of being unfilial. Now she was too embarrassed to say this and could only watch them leave.
After the two left, Ji said angrily, "The Second Prince is so reckless. He did something like this. How can the Emperor still favor him this time? I'm afraid the Queen Mother will be the first to disagree!"
"And that Cui Linghui, what a coquettish woman! She's dreaming of climbing the ladder and turning the tables to earn respect, but she shouldn't have stooped to such a low position. She actually had an affair with the Second Prince in private. It looks like she's even given her body to him. Otherwise, how could she be so obedient, doing whatever the Second Prince tells her to do without feeling wronged in the slightest? How could she have the nerve to get close to the Second Prince and provoke Lu Bingzhi? Does she think her grandmother, the Empress Dowager, is dead? Lu Bingzhi is the son of Princess Shuning. How could they let him abuse her?"
Ji Shi was so angry that her heart ached. The mansion was in chaos, and the joy of the birthday banquet had been completely destroyed. Because of these rumors, everyone had been made a laughing stock. She suppressed her anger and asked, "Have all the guests dispersed?"
The maid replied, "They all dispersed. They left one after another after hearing that the old lady fainted and vomited blood. They are all well-mannered people from noble families. They would never stay to watch a joke."
Ji hummed, and then ordered: "You stay here to look after the old lady, and send someone to report to me when she wakes up."
After giving the instructions, Ji took the maid back to her residence.
The news spread quickly. When Cui Lingyan accompanied Lu Bingzhi back to Songxuetang and then went to Qingdeyuan to meet his grandmother, Old Madam Dou, the atmosphere in the room was a bit depressing. Old Madam Dou's face, which was always kind and gentle, was rarely cold and angry.
Nanny Sun stood quietly by the side.
Seeing Cui Lingyan walking in slowly, both of them looked at her.
Before Cui Lingyan could even step forward to pay her respects, Madam Dou asked, "Are those rumors out there true? Did that bastard Xiao Ze really dare to humiliate Bingzhi like this?"
Old Madam Dou was so angry that she didn't have much restraint in her words.
Cui Lingyan heard her anger and nodded. She reported everything that had happened in the Cheng'en Mansion to Old Madam Dou in detail, and explained, "The news was released by the Crown Prince. The Cheng'en Mansion wanted to pin the blame for the old lady vomiting blood and fainting on Liao and Princess Chun'an. The Crown Prince couldn't bear this humiliation in vain, so he simply released the news and helped Princess Chun'an out of trouble. Second Aunt and the eldest daughter may have returned early, so they only heard the news now."
Madam Dou nodded. "Well, Bingzhi, this is a good way to handle it. You should comfort Bingzhi and don't let him get hurt! This kind of humiliation and embarrassment would make even a saint vomit blood!"
Cui Lingyan nodded and said, "The prince said he would be ill for a few days. He won't be able to come and pay his respects to you these days. Grandma, please don't worry."
Madam Dou was also a smart person. After hearing what she said, she naturally understood what the two were planning.
She nodded, lowering her voice a bit. "It's better to claim illness and not see guests. Otherwise, that person in the palace will think Bingzhi will not feel wronged or uncomfortable no matter how his son bullies him. Since he's sick now, the Empress Dowager will be able to seek justice for him. This time, Xiao Ze and Cui Linghui will definitely be punished!"
Old Madam Dou was filled with disgust when she mentioned Xiao Ze and Cui Linghui. However, she thought of Cui Lingyan, who must be tired after attending the banquet, so she softened her tone and instructed Cui Lingyan, "Yan'er, go back and rest first. Stay with Bingzhi. Nanny Sun is here with me."
Cui Lingyan nodded, appreciating the old lady's kindness, bowed, and withdrew.
After Cui Lingyan left, Madam Dou finally let out her anger, angrily saying, "Everyone is bullying our Bingzhi. It's only been a few days since Bingzhi's poison was removed, and Xiao Ze is already so angry that he can't stand him? They say the emperor favors his nephew Bingzhi so much that even Prince Xiao Ze is jealous, which is why he keeps picking on his cousin Bingzhi. But if you ask me, the emperor's favor is real, but when it comes to the critical moment, he's partial to his own son! Last time, Xiao Ze's poisoning was hastily covered up. I want to see if the emperor will also easily cover up Xiao Ze's humiliation of our Bingzhi this time by using Cui Linghui to do this?"
Nanny Sun consoled him, "The news has spread. How can we stop the gossip? Besides, if the Emperor doesn't punish the Second Prince, the Empress Dowager won't be able to get away with it. If the Empress Dowager gets angry and causes harm, can the Emperor bear the reputation of being unfilial?"
"First, our dynasty governs the world with filial piety. Second, the Second Prince has acted so arrogantly and presumptuously, even mistreating our Crown Prince. This shows his character and heart. If such a prince were to ascend the throne, who in the court would feel at ease?"
"If I were to say, the Second Prince's actions are tantamount to digging his own grave. If the Consort Shu in the palace heard about this, I'm afraid she would be as furious as the wife of Duke Cheng'en."
Madam Dou's expression softened slightly, a hint of a smile crossing her brows as she said, "You have a long-term vision, and you will comfort me."
Nanny Sun smiled and said, "I was just expressing what you were thinking, old lady. How can I deserve such praise?"
Old Madam Dou smiled and changed the topic to Cui Linghui.
"Send someone to find out how Cui Linghui and Xiao Ze got together. If you can find out, spread all the details. Although Cui Linghui's behavior was irritating before, I was concerned about her young age. Since we are not getting married, I, an old woman, can't control her. She is the eldest daughter of the Ningshou Marquis Mansion. Her future depends on her fate. But now I feel that Cui Linghui is really abominable. If she still has any sense of shame, she should not have followed Xiao Ze and made such intimate actions today, humiliating Bingzhi and embarrassing him!"
As Madam Dou was speaking, footsteps were heard outside, and a maid came in to report: "Madam, Guanyan, who is with the prince, is here."
When Mrs. Dou heard Guanyan coming, she knew that something important was going on.
She asked someone to bring Guanyan in.
Guan Yan came in, bowed, and presented a piece of paper, reporting, "Old Madam, the Crown Prince has long since had people secretly monitor Miss Cui. These are all the stories about Miss Cui and the Second Prince being close. The Crown Prince said that if Old Madam is angry, she can send people to spread these stories, which will also help her vent her anger."
Madam Dou took the paper from Nanny Sun's hand, opened it, and frowned. It took her a long time to close the paper. She didn't seem annoyed at this moment, but laughed instead: "I didn't know that the two of them had been so close for so long, and even did such a shameless and absurd thing in the peaceful Buddhist place of Guangfu Temple. How shameless!"
"Alright, just tell Bingzhi to take good care of him. I'll take care of all this. Don't spread all these rumors all at once, otherwise it will look like someone is deliberately targeting the Second Prince Xiao Ze. The Emperor's heart is unpredictable. If we go too far, there's no guarantee that he won't dislike us and become even more protective of his son, Xiao Ze!"
After Guan Yan left, Madam Dou put down the teacup in her hand, stood up and said, "You accompany me to the Ningshou Marquis's residence. I want to ask Cui Linghui in person and vent our anger on Bingzhi's behalf!"
Nanny Sun was a little stunned, feeling that coming to ask for an explanation was not like her old lady's usual character.
Madam Dou said with a hint of sarcasm, "She embarrassed Bingzhi by breaking off the engagement earlier, and now she's doing this again. She won't even allow me, her grandmother, to go to the Ningshou Marquis's mansion to ask for an explanation?"
"I want to make this matter a big deal, so that everyone in the capital will know about it. Otherwise, outsiders will think that our Weiguo Mansion can be manipulated by others!"
Nanny Sun knew the old lady's temper very well, and she also felt that what the old lady said made sense, so she ordered someone to prepare a carriage. After a while, she accompanied the old lady in the carriage all the way to Ningshou Marquis' Mansion.
The news quickly spread throughout the Duke of Wei's Mansion.
The eldest lady, Mrs. Cen, had just heard from her daughter Lu Danruo what happened at the old lady's birthday party in the Cheng'en Mansion, and she had also heard the rumors outside.
She was just feeling relieved after hearing that Lu Bingzhi was humiliated and embarrassed by Xiao Ze and Cui Linghui when a maid came in and told her that her mother-in-law, Old Lady Dou, had taken Nanny Sun to the Ningshou Marquis's mansion to seek an explanation.
For a moment, she was stunned.
Lu Danruo, who was sitting nearby, was also stunned for a moment, her eyes filled with surprise. Then, with a hint of jealousy, she said, "Grandmother is usually very respectable and steady. Who would have thought that because of Lu Bingzhi, she would be so impulsive and even demand an explanation without caring about her dignity?"
When the news reached Songxue Hall, Cui Lingyan was also surprised and could not help but look at Lu Bingzhi who was leaning on the soft couch, reading a book in his hand leisurely.
"Grandma loves you so much!"
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