Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Good News Just as she arrived at Qiushuang Zhai, Song Shulan, putting on the airs of a marquis, had Caixia pour him some tea, then looked at Cui Lingrong. "Calling me here today—missing me?" Counting the days, it had been quite a while since he had last stayed overnight at Qiushuang Zhai. Cui Lingrong was drinking tea and nearly choked. "What nonsense is the Marquis spouting?" She glanced sideways at Caixia and the others. Nanny Qiu was fine, but Caixia and Caiyue both lowered their heads in embarrassment. "It's not about that?" Song Shulan could tell something was off. Cui Lingrong then began to speak about the children's studies. "Although Xuan-ge told Yu-jie not to tell me, Yu-jie was worried that he, being just a child, couldn't handle it on his own, so she came to me privately." Seeing how serious Cui Lingrong was, Song Shulan asked, "What exactly is the matter?" "Zhao Xu from the Rong Prince Mansion approached Xuan-ge, saying that I harmed the Qian family and caused Madam Qian to be scolded. He threatened Xuan-ge, telling him to hand in a blank exam paper." As Cui Lingrong spoke, she couldn't help but take a deep breath. Fortunately, Xuan-ge had enough composure and wasn't intimidated by Zhao Xu's threats. Song Shulan didn't quite believe it. "That shouldn't be, right?" "Does the Marquis think I would lie about something concerning my own child?" Cui Lingrong looked at him with a hint of reproach. Song Shulan frowned. Every time Cui Lingrong had argued with him, it was over the children or Cui Zeyu. Clearly, Cui Lingrong placed great importance on those close to her. "Don't misunderstand, Marquis. I'm not elevating this matter to the adult level. But from the children's perspective, it's indeed very possible, isn't it?" Cui Lingrong pressed again. This time, Song Shulan was a bit more rational. He had met Zhao Xu a few times and indeed found him to be a rather ostentatious young man. "What are you trying to say?" Song Shulan asked. "Zhao Xu is a relative of the imperial family. There are countless people who want to curry favor with him. If he wants to bully Xuan-ge, he'll have plenty of opportunities. So I'd like to ask the Marquis to step in and find someone at the Guozijian to look after Xuan-ge." On this point, Cui Lingrong knew full well she lacked the means. She came from an unremarkable background and had no relatives teaching at the Guozijian, so she could only rely on Song Shulan to find a solution. His eldest son had just become the top scorer of the regional examination, and Song Shulan had high hopes for him. Naturally, he didn't want his eldest son to be bullied. But for the moment, Song Shulan couldn't think of anyone he knew at the Guozijian who held significant influence. Seeing Song Shulan lost in thought, Cui Lingrong continued, "If the Marquis truly has no way, he could also have Xuan-ge return to Lingyun Academy to study. The Guozijian is good, but Lingyun Academy is no worse. Going back to a familiar place would also allow him to avoid those idle rich young men like Zhao Xu. That would be a good thing." Either option was acceptable to Cui Lingrong. If Song Shulan was capable of protecting their son, she wouldn't be petty enough to insist Xuan-ge leave the Guozijian. After all, so many people wanted to get in—on that point, County Princess Rongjia had indeed provided a real benefit. "Let me think about it," Song Shulan said. "Fine, but Marquis, please handle it quickly. Xuan-ge is about to take the prefectural examination, and I don't want him to be affected." After finishing with the eldest son, Cui Lingrong moved on to the younger one. "Jin-ge has been at the Guozijian for nearly half a year. His academic performance is average, but he shows great talent in archery and horsemanship. I was thinking of letting him train in martial arts." "Martial arts?" Song Shulan's voice rose a few notches, and he rejected the idea without a second thought. "Absolutely not. No son of the Song family has ever taken up the martial path. If word of this gets out, wouldn't we be laughed at?" "But Marquis, if you force him to pursue the literary path, do you think Jin-ge has any hope in the Imperial Examination?" It wasn't that Cui Lingrong was belittling Jin-ge—whether a person had a gift for scholarship could be seen after just a few lessons. To succeed in the Imperial Examination, one needed not only diligence but also natural talent. Cui Lingrong hoped every child could be a bit happier. Since Jin-ge was suited for martial arts, that was why she brought it up with Song Shulan. Song Shulan was firmly opposed. "If he fails once, he'll try twice or three times. A son of the Song family absolutely will not train in martial arts!" With that, Song Shulan looked Cui Lingrong up and down. "Why are you suddenly so interested in martial arts? Who put this idea in your head?" He immediately thought of Xie Yunting. Recently, Cui Lingrong had often been in Xie Yunting's company—it must be Xie Yunting meddling! "No one put anything in my head. I simply think Jin-ge prefers martial arts." Cui Lingrong saw through Song Shulan's little suspicion right away. "Marquis, how long has it been since you last asked about your two sons' studies? Do you know how many poems Jin-ge can recite or how many characters he can recognize?" That question left Song Shulan speechless. "I... I was recently promoted and have been busy with official duties. I'll find time to check on their studies in the future." Song Shulan waved his hand and turned aside, avoiding Cui Lingrong's gaze. Cui Lingrong let out a cold snort. "I'm afraid the moment you step out of Qiushuang Zhai's door, the Marquis will forget all about it. The sons aren't mine alone. If the Marquis insists on being stubborn, I can't outforce you. But if you want the Marquis's mansion to regain its former glory, is one person or two people capable of that?" She took a deep breath. "Yes, the status of military officers is lower than that of civil officials. But heaven gives everyone talents. Without military officers guarding the borders, how could Bianjing enjoy its years of peace?" In her view, both civil and military officials were important. But Song Shulan placed greater weight on the mansion's reputation and his own face, and no matter what, he refused to agree to let Jin-ge train in martial arts. The couple each held their own ground, and Song Shulan left with a curt "short-sighted" before storming off in anger. Cui Lingrong also lost her temper and complained to Nanny Qiu, "If he were truly far-sighted, why would he need to rely on a woman to get promoted?" Without County Princess Rongjia, could Song Shulan have been promoted? Dream on. Nanny Qiu's brows twitched as she listened. It seemed the rift between the eldest young mistress and the marquis was growing deeper by the day. "Jin-ge's matter still needs more thought." Cui Lingrong quickly regained her composure. "County Princess Rongjia's house arrest is almost over. Once she's out, life is bound to get turbulent." Nanny Qiu agreed, saying, "The marquis is still staying overnight at Wutong Pavilion. It seems he has already forgiven County Princess Rongjia in his heart." "That's to be expected. As long as the marquis still relies on the Rong Prince Mansion for his promotion, he won't snub County Princess Rongjia." Cui Lingrong said disdainfully, "Isn't Huadie planning to go out? Tell her to go ahead. Since she's going to burn incense for the unborn child, I won't stop her." In truth, she knew that Huadie was going to see Qingxue. Nanny Qiu said, "Qingxue is clever. She still has her parents working on County Princess Rongjia's estate, so I doubt she'll say much." "It doesn't matter. Huadie is foolish enough. I never expected her to topple County Princess Rongjia. If she can do little things from time to time to disgust County Princess Rongjia and distract her, then that's already worth the indenture I helped her get back." Cui Lingrong's emotions had already returned to normal. Urgent matters call for patient handling. Even if Song Shulan refused today, there would always be ways to make him nod in agreement later. What mattered most now was Xuan-ge's matter. That Zhao Xu definitely wouldn't let things go. She would give Song Shulan a few days first. If Song Shulan truly couldn't come up with a solution, then it would be perfect to have the Xuan-ge brothers leave the Guozijian together. Days passed one after another, and before they knew it, it was March. Good news came from the second branch—Madame Jiang was pregnant. When Cui Lingrong learned of it, she merely raised an eyebrow and had Nanny Qiu prepare some congratulatory gifts to send over. Old Madame Song was especially delighted. She had originally thought Madame Jiang couldn't conceive, but it turned out that the female physician Cui Lingrong had brought in was truly skilled. After just two acupuncture sessions with Madame Jiang, she had actually become pregnant. Even Madame Jiang herself was surprised. She hadn't initially thought of pregnancy—it was the consecutive days of vomiting that made the matron by her side suspicious. With more good news from the second branch, Old Madame Song was so happy she wanted to thank the ancestors, and her attitude toward Cui Lingrong improved somewhat as well. Although Cui Lingrong had been locked in a standoff with County Princess Rongjia lately, she was genuinely handling other matters properly. Madame Jiang was also deeply grateful to Cui Lingrong. She had no mother of her own to worry for her, and any grievances she suffered alone in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion had to be swallowed back down. She had someone prepare a generous gift and send it specifically to Cui Lingrong. Throughout the entire Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion, only County Princess Rongjia was so furious she flipped a table. In the past, when she looked at Madame Jiang, County Princess Rongjia had felt a certain kinship—both of them had no children, which made her feel she wasn't alone in that regard. Now Madame Jiang was pregnant. Her first thought was: why her? "Madame Jiang can get pregnant, so why can't I?" County Princess Rongjia stared at the mess scattered across the floor, her eyes filled with resentment. Wang Hechun's Wife walked to the doorway and carefully cleaned up the floor. After it was tidy, she hesitated and said, "Perhaps the female physician the eldest young mistress brought in really does have some skill?" "Are you telling me to go beg Cui Lingrong to help me?" County Princess Rongjia shot her a glare.