Chapter 436: Setting the Wedding Date for Cheng Suying

Chapter 436: Setting the Wedding Date for Cheng Suying

Physician Qian looked grave. "Madam, you should know the condition of Lady Xue better than anyone. She suffered a severe trauma ten years ago, which left her with a deep-seated melancholy. Over the years, her constant worry and unresolved sorrow have depleted her vital energy, making her condition difficult to treat with medicine."

"I estimate that Lady Xue is nearing the end of her life, deteriorating day by day."

As Physician Qian spoke, heavy coughing sounds came from the room.

The coughing weighed heavily on Lu Lingyun's heart.

For the past ten years, Lady Qin had never been truly happy.

Whenever Lu Lingyun visited, Lady Qin would put on a smile, but Lu Lingyun could always sense that she was never genuinely happy.

The old Marquis had died in battle, and Cheng Yunshuo had become a monk. Such devastating blows had taken a toll on Lady Qin, and she could never truly recover.

Every time she thought about it, she would cry for hours in the middle of the night.

"Physician Qian, please prescribe some tonics to boost her energy and prolong her life," Lu Lingyun said.

Physician Qian stroked his beard. "Of course."

Physician Qian left a prescription that included rare and expensive ingredients like thousand-year-old ginseng and Tianshan snow lotus.

Lu Lingyun instructed the steward to search the storeroom for the necessary ingredients and to purchase anything that was missing. She made sure that nothing was spared for Lady Qin.

The steward searched high and low, but the Tianshan snow lotus was nowhere to be found. Lu Lingyun then remembered that she might have some in her private collection.

She sent someone to the Xike Lai General Store to ask Zhiran to retrieve it.

For Lady Qin, she spared no expense. If it was needed, she would provide it without hesitation!

Her mother-in-law had treated her exceptionally well. After the Marquis's Mansion suffered a major blow, they had leaned on each other for ten years, becoming as close as a mother and daughter.

Although she had married a wayward and unconventional man, having such a good mother-in-law in those times was considered fortunate.

She devoted herself to taking care of Lady Qin during her final days, while also pondering other matters.

"Lingyun, is your mother-in-law really nearing the end?" Li Niyue, the Duchess of the Duke Xu's Mansion, arrived in her courtyard, her voice filled with concern and tension.

Over the past ten years, the old Duke of the Duke Xu's Mansion had passed away, and four years ago, Li Niyue's husband had officially inherited the title, making her the Duchess.

Her mother-in-law, Lady Cui, had retreated but still clung to the power of the mansion, unwilling to relinquish it to Li Niyue.

When Li Niyue was a young bride, she dared not oppose her mother-in-law. But now that she had become the lady of the house, her mother-in-law still sought to control her, which only fueled her resentment.

Her mother-in-law was also partial.

It seemed that since the title had been given to her eldest son, she felt she had wronged her younger son and refused to divide the estate among her two sons. She always favored Cui Tonghua's household and expected Li Niyue, as the eldest daughter-in-law, to assist her younger brother's household.

This had caused Li Niyue immense frustration, and she sometimes couldn't help but feel envious of Lu Lingyun.

When she was young, her mother-in-law had been fair-minded and had granted her the authority to manage the household upon her marriage. Later, when the mansion faced difficulties, her widowed mother-in-law had stood by her side, supporting her and never causing any trouble.

Such a mother-in-law was truly admirable!

In contrast, her own mother-in-law meddled in every little thing. Over the years, their power struggles had escalated, but with Lu Lingyun's guidance, she had managed to gain some control.

At least now she has control over her children, her husband, and the matters within her own courtyard.

Lu Lingyun met Li Niyue's gaze and nodded, "Dr. Qian said there's no cure, only a way to prolong her life a little."

"Ah," Li Niyue sighed deeply, gently waving her gem-encrusted tasseled fan, "Lady Xue is such a kind person; this is truly heartbreaking."

As she spoke, she took Lu Lingyun's hand, "Lingyun, you must hold on."

Lu Lingyun looked up solemnly at Li Niyue, "Niyue, I want to arrange Suying and Qian'er's wedding sooner to bring some joy to my mother-in-law."

Cheng Suying had been betrothed to Li Niyue's son, Xu Zhengqian, several years prior. Since they were engaged and also close friends in the capital, Lu Lingyun wasn't in a rush to marry Cheng Suying off.

It was nice to keep her by her side for a few more years.

But now, with Lady Qin's health declining daily, Lu Lingyun was worried about her and also had to consider the other children in the household.

The first was Cheng Suying.

She couldn't keep her any longer; she needed to marry her off soon. If something happened to Lady Qin, she would have to observe a three-year mourning period, and by then, Cheng Suying would be considered too old.

The idea of a wedding to bring joy was just a way to circumvent the mourning period.

Of course, if the joyous event could lift Lady Qin's spirits and improve her health, that would be ideal.

As soon as Lu Lingyun finished speaking, Li Niyue caught on immediately.

After a moment of thought, she replied, "It's time to bring some joy to Aunt Qin. Your household hasn't had a joyous event in years; it's a good time to celebrate."

Hearing this, Lu Lingyun smiled warmly.

Just then, Cheng Suying arrived with her group of friends.

Seeing Cheng Suying, Li Niyue quickly beckoned her over, "Suying, come here, let your future mother-in-law have a good look at you."

Cheng Suying pouted, "Auntie Li!"

"Why so shy!" Li Niyue looked at Cheng Suying and laughed, "Your mother has finally agreed to let you marry into our household!"

Hearing this, Cheng Suying's face flushed bright red.

She shyly looked at Lu Lingyun, "Mother!"

"You're not young anymore, and with your grandmother's health failing, I want to marry you off sooner to bring her some joy," Lu Lingyun explained.

Though she kept mentioning the idea of bringing joy, every word was an excuse, and Cheng Suying saw right through it.

But with such a pretext, Cheng Suying couldn't just flee in embarrassment. She bit her lower lip, her eyes shining with shyness as she looked at Li Niyue.

She knew Xu Zhengqian well; their families gathered during festivals, and Li Niyue and Lu Lingyun would subtly nudge them to spend more time together.

Xu Zhengqian, raised well by Li Niyue, was a young man of excellent character and handsome looks.

During festivals, Xu Zhengqian would always give Cheng Suying a gift; they were childhood sweethearts, after all.

"Your brother Zhengqian has been asking me when he can marry you! Now it seems his wish is coming true! You're finally going to join our family!" Li Niyue reached out and stroked Cheng Suying's head.

"Auntie Li!"

Li Niyue smiled broadly, "You'll have to change how you address me; from now on, you'll call me mother-in-law!"

Hearing "mother-in-law," Cheng Suying's face turned completely red. With any excuse, she couldn't stay there any longer and quickly dragged her friends away to hide inside.

Li Niyue laughed heartily, then, looking at the time, she stood up and said to Lu Lingyun, "Lingyun, I'll start arranging this as soon as I get back."