Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Despicable Nanny Qiu went to the main kitchen, and Cui Lingrong had Caixia and Caiyue prepare tea. Before long, Cui Zeyu arrived, covered in dust from the road. Before he even entered the room, they could hear him laughing and chatting with Caiyue and the others. "This is a rare spice from the Western Regions. Put it in a sachet and it will stay fragrant for a whole year. Divide it among yourselves—I have other gifts for you too, but they'll have to wait a few days." Cui Zeyu was familiar with everyone at Qiushuang Zhai. Being a merchant, he had a silver tongue that could charm anyone. When he entered the room and saw his elder sister sitting upright, he smiled and greeted her, "Good thing I made it in time, or you'd be worrying about me again." "At least you know." Cui Lingrong told her younger brother to sit down quickly. "You must be hungry—have some fruit to tide you over. Nanny Qiu has gone to the main kitchen to fetch food. The small kitchen has your favorite plain noodle soup cooking. You're in luck—today is Mid-Autumn Festival, and the estate sent over some game." She studied her brother. He had lost weight and grown a bit darker. In terms of looks, her brother was even more handsome than Song Shulan had been in his youth—brows like distant mountains, a finely chiseled nose. Over the years, many families had come to propose matches for him, but the boy refused every single one. Soon, the plain noodle soup arrived, but Nanny Qiu still hadn't returned. By the time he finished eating, Nanny Qiu came in with a dark expression. Cui Lingrong asked what was wrong, and Nanny Qiu gritted her teeth. "A bunch of spineless turncoats! They said today's pastries were limited and there were no extra osmanthus lotus root cakes to spare. I said any other pastry would do, but the head manager, Old Woman Hao, said there was nothing extra—the Commandery Princess had ordered that offerings to the ancestors come first before any distribution, and no one could override that. I argued with her for ages, and it was only Mama Yu who quietly slipped me two plates." After Princess Rongjia took over household management, she had replaced several managers, and the original head of the main kitchen had been swapped out for someone she brought with her. This was the difference between managing the household and not. Even though Cui Lingrong was still the Eldest Madam and the servants didn't dare to be openly disrespectful, nothing was as convenient as before—not food, not clothing, not lodging. Old Woman Hao's reasoning wasn't wrong either. On such occasions, priority went to the ancestral offerings first—no one could find fault with that. Nanny Qiu was so angry her chest ached. Cui Zeyu furrowed his thick brows. "Commandery Princess? Since when does the Marquis's household have a Commandery Princess?" Only then did Cui Lingrong realize her brother didn't know about the Equal Wife matter. "It's a long story..." Nanny Qiu relayed recent events on her mistress's behalf. "The Marquis is hoping for the Rong Prince Mansion's support, so he favors Princess Rongjia in everything. This old servant feels indignant for the Eldest Madam, but it's useless. Since the Eldest Madam returned home, the Marquis has only come once—all other days he stays at Wutong Yuan." Cui Zeyu's face immediately fell. "What do you mean he didn't know? It's not like the Emperor has nothing better to do than randomly pair these two together! Sister, don't be afraid—I've built up considerable wealth over the years. Worst case, you leave that Song Shulan behind, and I'll support you for the rest of your life!" He didn't even bother with the title "Marquis" anymore—clearly he was furious. And besides, his foster sister was such a wonderful person. If Song Shulan didn't know how to cherish her, there were plenty who would! Cui Zeyu clenched his fists, thinking to himself that he absolutely had to teach Song Shulan a lesson. That sanctimonious hypocrite wasn't worthy of his treasured foster sister. Seeing Young Master Yu's face flushed red with anger, Nanny Qiu quickly urged, "This old servant knows you mean well for the Eldest Madam, but she has managed the Marquis's household for so many years. If she left, wouldn't that just benefit others? And there's another thing—Yu-jie is about to have marriage negotiations, and Xuan-ge and his brothers will be taking the Imperial Examination. The most important thing is their reputation." With so many considerations, how could the Eldest Madam simply walk away? Cui Zeyu thought differently. "Why care so much about all that? Cut ties decisively, or you'll only sink deeper. If Yu-jie and the others are filial, they'll understand and support you. If they'd drag you down for their own futures, then such children aren't worth keeping anyway." Growing agitated, Cui Zeyu's eyes reddened. He had been picked up off the streets at age ten—no one had thought much of him, only his foster sister had been attentive and kind. In his youth, plagued by nightmares, he had woken in terror again and again. Thinking of what happened in those dreams, he would slap himself hard across the face, cursing himself for being base and despicable—how could he have had such thoughts? Nanny Qiu still held a different view. Cui Lingrong spoke up and told her brother to sit down. "Getting flustered at every turn—all those years of business have been wasted. Yes, I'm facing some difficulties right now, but if I only wanted to run away and didn't dare face them, wouldn't my past twenty-nine years have been lived in vain?" "I know you're worried for me, and I too envy a carefree life. But human ties can't be severed on a whim. How can one abandon family and career in an instant, thinking only of one's own pleasure?" Cui Lingrong's gaze dimmed. Her aunt had never taught her to flee before a battle. "Princess Rongjia holds a noble status, and the Marquis hopes for the Rong Prince Mansion's support. This will be a hard fight—but that doesn't mean I'll lose." She smiled at the people in the room, her expression turning confident. "Yesterday I saw Zhou-ge'er eat until his belly was round as a ball. Nanny Qiu, take this pair of silver bracelets to the third branch and say they're Young Master Yu's one-month celebration gift for Lang-ge'er." Before Song Shulang's one-month celebration, Cui Zeyu had already left for the northwest to transport fabric. Nanny Qiu understood immediately—the Eldest Madam had withheld the cloth shop's dividends, and to maintain the marquis household's dignity, the Commandery Princess would have to cut expenses elsewhere. Third Master wasn't favored by Old Madame, and the Commandery Princess would pick on the softest target. The Third Branch's days were sure to become difficult. The Eldest Madam was pulling the Third Branch to her side. By the time Nanny Qiu left, Yu-jie and the other two children had come over. Cui Lingrong was taking them to the ancestral hall. Cui Zeyu wasn't a member of the marquis household—he hadn't spent festivals with them for a long time—so he went home first to rest. In the ancestral hall, Old Madame led everyone in offering incense. When it came to the Eldest Branch's turn, Song Shulan stood at the front, with Cui Lingrong and Princess Rongjia standing side by side. Their peripheral vision caught each other—mutual disgust, each finding the other an eyesore. After the incense offering, everyone went to Shouan Tang for the meal. Princess Rongjia deliberately brought up Nanny Qiu's visit to the main kitchen for refreshments. "Sister Cui won't be angry, will she? This is my first time managing the offerings, and I was afraid something might go wrong, so I had Old Woman Hao and the others keep a close watch. That Old Woman Hao is truly rigid—since it was Sister Cui's younger brother who wanted to eat, she should have just made more." She knew Old Madame didn't particularly care for Cui Zeyu, and with the dividend incident from a few days ago, she made a point of mentioning it. Old Madame Song indeed turned her head. "Oh, Zeyu is back?" He hadn't even come to pay his respects to her—he'd grown up eating the marquis household's rice, yet showed her no respect. Cui Lingrong nodded in confirmation. "He rode through the night to get here and hadn't even changed his clothes. I told him to go home first and change into something clean before coming to pay his respects to you, so as not to dirty your eyes." "We're all family—there's no need for so many formalities." Old Madame Song said casually, then took Madame Jiang's arm and walked to the flower hall, no longer speaking to Cui Lingrong. Cui Lingrong received a cold shoulder and knew Old Madame was displeased. She didn't go where she wasn't wanted and had been planning to go play with Lang-ge, but Song Shulan called her into the side room instead. "Did Zeyu have a good harvest this time?" Song Shulan made small talk. "I'm not too sure. He was in a hurry to see me—he truly hadn't changed his clothes, and left after sitting for a while." The moment Song Shulan opened with that, Cui Lingrong knew where he was going. "About the dividends from the other day—I've heard about it. Lingrong, are you still resentful of me?" With such a large sum suddenly gone, the Commandery Princess had told Song Shulan that expenses needed to be cut everywhere. One or two days was manageable, but after several consecutive days, Song Shulan was finding it hard to bear. The difficulty of going from luxury to frugality—that was the principle. Cui Lingrong put on an innocent look. "Why would the Marquis ask such a thing? Since I returned home, have I quarreled with you? Or complained that you spend every day with the Commandery Princess while neglecting me?" No. Not once. Cui Lingrong wasn't the type to make a scene. The most resentful thing she'd ever said was—that she hadn't known Song Shulan would take an Equal Wife. Song Shulan fell silent. "Indeed, I do feel unhappy inside. Who could accept an Equal Wife with equanimity? The Marquis is my husband, suddenly half of him is taken away, and the children have to call the Commandery Princess 'Mother'—do I not have the right to complain?" Even as she said this, Cui Lingrong remained very calm. "But I've never shown it, because I know the Marquis has his own difficulties." "Lingrong, I—" "Marquis, about the dividends—it wasn't me being deliberately petulant. I trust the Commandery Princess's abilities. Since the Marquis and Old Madame have both put her in charge of the household, and the Commandery Princess comes from a better background than I do—whether in dowry or capability—I believe she is more capable than I am. Even without the cloth shop's dividends, the Commandery Princess can manage things even better, don't you think?" Cui Lingrong looked at Song Shulan sincerely, as if she truly believed what she was saying. "If I must speak of selfish motives, I do have some. Over the years, all my private income has gone to subsidize the marquis household, and I haven't managed to save anything for Yu-jie and her siblings. After the New Year, Yu-jie will be fourteen—old enough to start considering marriage prospects. Don't I need to set aside some dowry for her?" She paused deliberately, then countered, "Marquis, Yu-jie is your first child. She has a frank and lively nature—you've said yourself that she's the pearl in your palm. You want her marriage to go smoothly too, don't you?" Thinking of his daughter as a newborn, then learning to toddle—every image was adorable. That was when Song Shulan had become a father for the first time. He was persuaded by Cui Lingrong. "And then there are Xuan-ge and his brothers—in the Guozijian, there are countless sons of nobles and officials. Everyone compares themselves to others. I don't want them to be mocked, so preparing some decent clothes and accessories for them isn't wrong either, is it?" Cui Lingrong's successive questions filled Song Shulan with guilt. "I'm sorry, Lingrong—I was thinking wrongly." He'd known all along that the obedient Cui Lingrong wouldn't throw a tantrum at him. Cui Lingrong pretended to be angry, turning her back to Song Shulan. "Did the Marquis think this himself, or did someone plant the idea in your head? My conscience is clear either way. Old Madame hasn't said a word—if others want my private property, they can come to me directly, even if it makes them look foolish!" In all their years of marriage, Song Shulan had never seen Cui Lingrong this angry. He hurried over to soothe her. "No one planted anything—I was just asking casually. You know, the Commandery Princess and I were only married by imperial decree; it wasn't a match I sought with my heart." At that moment, Princess Rongjia, standing at the doorway, heard these words and her face instantly turned pale. Was all the affection Master Song had shown her merely an act?