After rebirth, the Prime Minister's wife always wanted to leave her father behind and keep her

"Yuan Qing feels ashamed of his father-in-law and mother-in-law, please scold them."

Cheng Songan opened his lifeless eyes and stared at the cloud-patterned ceiling above the carved bed, indifferent to the sounds in the hall.

Cheng Zhongwen was silent for a long time, then he sighed, "Yuanqing, please get up."

Feng and Lin had already arrived at the inner room, but before they saw anyone, tears had already started falling.

"Miss," Lin half-knelt in front of the bed, touching her pale and haggard face, and couldn't help crying, "How badly have you been offended?"

Cheng Songan turned her head, her big eyes sunken, without a trace of brilliance, and she said without any tone: "Mother and aunt are here."

Feng looked at him and burst into tears: "My son, if you have any grievances, cry them out. Don't be like this."

Cheng Songan looked at them and asked in astonishment, "You all knew it a long time ago, right? You only hid it from me."

Feng and Lin both showed regretful expressions. When Cui Yuanqing told them that she was pregnant, they were so happy that they almost set off firecrackers. However, at that time, her pregnancy was unstable and they were afraid that it would affect her mood if she knew about it, which would be bad. Secondly, they knelt for half a day for Cui Yuanqing and told him about their grievances. They only asked him to keep it a secret from her for two months, and then tell her after they came back and got the order from the palace.

No one expected this to happen.

"Have you found out who did it?" Feng's temper flared up again and she asked Cui Yuanqing in a bad mood.

Cui Yuanqing knelt in front of her, bowed his head and replied: "Huijitang hired a new employee two months ago. He disappeared yesterday. Yuanqing is still tracking him. The servants and maids who fetched and boiled medicine in my mother's room were all beaten with sticks and fined one month's salary."

After a pause, he continued, "As for mother, she has been confined by grandmother to the courtyard, and has been forced to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors. She has been punished to copy the Rebirth Mantra a thousand times, and is not allowed to come out until she has finished copying it."

Feng wiped her tears and said angrily, "Catch that man, I will skin him alive and kill him."

Cheng Zhongwen asked Cui Yuanqing to get up. Several people sat on the Luohan bed or on the chaise longue by the window, looking at the lifeless Cheng Songan in silence.

At the 9th hour, Haitang brought in a bowl of longan and red date soup and sat down beside the bed. Cui Yuanqing took it for her so that she could help Cheng Songan up. Then she tentatively sat down on the bed and stirred the spoon gently.

Cheng Songan looked at him calmly, without a trace of warmth, and Cui Yuanqing handed the bowl to Haitang. She didn't say a word, but every movement she made was resisting him.

After drinking a bowl of soup, Cheng Songan ate a bowl of hibiscus steamed egg served by Qiangwei.

Since waking up last night, she stopped crying and ate and drank tea normally. However, the more she did this, the more worried everyone became. She was too calm.

Lin was the first one who couldn't hold back her tears and said, "Good girl, it's okay if you cry. Talk to me and your mother, don't keep it in your heart."

Cheng Songan did not answer, but asked Haitang to bring her some medicine for conditioning her body, and she drank it without any hesitation.

Everyone would think that given the situation she had yesterday, she would definitely torture herself by not eating or drinking, or let the Cui family see how sad she was and make them feel guilty and sad.

Cheng Songan had died once before, she would not do that, torture herself to death, even if the Cui family and Cui Yuanqing were sad and guilty, it would only be a temporary thing, and it would not take long for everything to return to normal. She would not be stupid, she had to get well quickly so that she would have the strength to get out of here, do what she wanted to do, and live the life she wanted.

Seeing that she was willing to take the medicine, Feng was relieved and said, "Dai'er, go home with your mother and stay for a few days."

Cheng Songan held Luo Luonu in his arms and said to Cui Yuanqing calmly, "Have you written the divorce letter?"

Cui Yuanqing's eyes darkened, and she closed her lips tightly without saying a word. It would have been fine if she didn't speak to him, but when she did speak, she only said the word divorce.

Cheng Zhongwen, Feng and Lin were all shocked. Although they had some resentment towards the Cui family, they would not divorce. After all, Zhang did not do it on purpose. Besides, the old lady had made her attitude clear and punished her according to the family rules. If they divorced because of this, what would happen to their daughter in the rest of her life? Which good family would be willing to marry her?

Cheng Zhongwen said in a deep voice, "Nonsense! Yuan Qing now deeply regrets his past mistakes and swears to make it up to you in the rest of his life. He didn't mean to hide the matter of the child from you, so don't let it get to you."

Feng and Lin also followed suit to give advice.

Cheng Songan covered her ears and buried her head in her knees, unwilling to listen. She had never made the decision on marriage, whether it was when she got married or when she wanted a divorce. She had previously dreamed that after the divorce, her parents would accept and bless her. Now that she thought about it, even if they agreed, they would definitely feel that the Cheng family would be looked down upon from then on.

Feng couldn't bear it and sighed, "If you feel unhappy, go home and live with mother for a few days."

Cheng Songan did not answer.

Sibian said outside in the corridor: "Master, the imperial edict will arrive in a quarter of an hour. The palace asked you and the young mistress to receive the edict together. The incense table has been prepared in front. Please go and wait for the edict with the young mistress."

When Cheng Zhongwen and his wife heard this, they immediately stood up and told Haitang to come and help Cheng Songan change his clothes.

Cui Yuanqing stopped her, saying, "No need. Madam is not feeling well. Please ask the eunuch who announced the decree to come to the inner courtyard. I will go to the palace to apologize later."

Si Bian agreed and went. About a quarter of an hour later, there was a noise outside, and the eunuch who announced the imperial edict came to Yunxiang Pavilion with several eunuchs holding jade trays.

Cheng Zhongwen, Feng and Lin were the first to kneel down. No matter how disheartened Cheng Songan was, he had to consider them. He sat up from the bed and slowly got down to the ground.

But Cui Yuanqing stretched out his hand to stop her, laid her flat on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and stood up, went outside and knelt down, saying: "Your Highness Cui Yuanqing respectfully welcomes the imperial edict, but your wife is seriously injured in bed, I hope the Holy Saint will forgive me."

To outsiders, Cui Yuanqing was only a minister, but the eunuchs in the palace saw clearly that he was the sage's chosen minister for the future monarch, and they immediately followed the decree:

"Imperial decree. I believe that rites and morals are the foundation of the country. Cheng, the wife of Cui Yuanqing, the Minister of Personnel, is virtuous, dignified, gentle, respectful, frugal, kind-hearted, and a model for ministers' wives. I hereby confer the title of a third-rank imperial lady, and now grant her a golden book and golden seal to show her honor! I decree this!"

After Cui Yuanqing and Cheng Zhongwen kowtowed to express their gratitude, they took it with both hands.

The eunuch who announced the decree waited for him to stand up and put on a smiling face and said, "Congratulations to Minister Cui, congratulations to your wife, and congratulations to Grand Secretary Cheng!"

Cui Yuanqing had no mood to chat with him. He just exchanged a few perfunctory words and asked Si Bian to take the thank-you gift and sent the few people away.

Cheng Zhongwen and Feng both nodded and praised: "Yun Dai is only eighteen years old, but you have already asked for her to be conferred the title of a third-rank lady. It can be seen that you really care about her."

Cui Yuanqing held the imperial edict in his hand and the sandalwood box containing the golden book on the table, and felt ironic. He thought that the imperial edict should have been delivered after he told Cheng Songan that they had a child, so that at least she would have a good New Year.