Chapter 136

Chapter 136: Talking Back "County Mistress is so happy—could it be that this has something to do with you again?" Cui Lingrong's face darkened. Since County Princess Rongjia had thrown her mockery right in her face, she wouldn't be polite either. The moment she finished speaking, County Princess Rongjia's face turned black. "Elder Sister, don't slander me!" "I'm not speaking nonsense. After all, this isn't the first time you've done something so harmful. Are you going to claim you're pure and innocent, that you've never had a wicked thought?" Cui Lingrong stood up. In the past, she had always been amiable, with a smile on her face. But today, she deliberately talked back. After paying her respects to the Old Madame, Cui Lingrong left directly. The remaining group—County Princess Rongjia and the others—looked at each other in bewilderment. Madame Jiang and Madam Li awkwardly lowered their eyes. Old Madame Song didn't even look at County Princess Rongjia, because what Cui Lingrong said was the truth. As for County Princess Rongjia, she was absolutely furious. "Old Madame, did you hear that? How can she slander me like this?" County Princess Rongjia's eyes reddened with grievance. She had been talking about Cui Zeyu, not Cui Lingrong, yet Cui Lingrong had called her vicious in front of so many people. Where was she supposed to put her face? County Princess Rongjia wanted the Old Madame to rein in Cui Lingrong, but Old Madame Song only said faintly, "Enough. You should all go back. I'm tired." She waved her hand, clearly unwilling to meddle in the disputes between her daughters-in-law. With the Old Madame's words, Madame Jiang was the first to rise, with Madam Li following closely behind. Only then did County Princess Rongjia reluctantly step out of the Shouan Tang courtyard. Seeing the two women walking side by side ahead of her, County Princess Rongjia called out, "Why are you walking so fast? Why not come to my place for some tea?" Madam Li was momentarily stunned and glanced at her second sister-in-law. Madame Jiang didn't want to offend anyone, so she nodded and said yes. With no other choice, Madam Li had to follow along. Once they arrived at Wutong Yuan, County Princess Rongjia said, "I apologize, but I don't have good tea to offer you right now. Speaking of which, Third Master manages the family's industries—he must know a lot about making money, doesn't he?" Madam Li let out an "ah" and said timidly, "To answer the County Mistress, Third Master doesn't have that much ability. Managing the Marquis's estates well already takes everything he has." "Is that so? I was thinking that if there were any ways to make money, I might ask Third Master to show me." County Princess Rongjia sighed. "People outside would never imagine that our grand marquis household is struggling just to cover its expenses. I'm fine myself, but you two—the Second and Third branches—aren't you having to dip into your dowries to make ends meet?" Madame Jiang had often visited Wutong Yuan before, and she immediately understood what County Princess Rongjia meant. She was unhappy that the eldest sister-in-law had withheld Wutong Yuan's allowance and wanted them to make a fuss together? But she wasn't stupid. Stirring up trouble with County Princess Rongjia wouldn't necessarily let her win against the eldest sister-in-law. She had finally gotten pregnant, and protecting the pregnancy was the most important thing. She didn't want to stir up so much trouble. "To answer the County Mistress, a dowry is meant to be used. And after I became pregnant, the Second Master gave me quite a bit of private savings. Being a bit frugal is enough for me." Madame Jiang tactfully indicated that she wouldn't be participating. Madam Li also chimed in, "Yes, that's right. If we economize a little, we can get by." To be honest, the Second and Third branches were actually better off than County Princess Rongjia, because they had never lived extravagantly. Their circumstances had always been about the same, so they didn't feel the pinch as much. County Princess Rongjia was used to living well in the past. Now that money was tight everywhere, she was the one feeling strapped. Seeing that neither Madame Jiang nor the other woman would take the bait, County Princess Rongjia felt even more stifled. Were they not taking her seriously? "Fine. You have your reasons, so I won't say more. But you should still think about the children—their futures are the most important." County Princess Rongjia didn't want to talk anymore and hinted that she was tired. Madame Jiang couldn't wait to take her leave. After leading Madam Li out of Wutong Yuan, she glanced back and said, "Tell me, why does she bother?" Madam Li pressed her lips together and said nothing. She didn't dare voice any complaints. Whether it was the County Mistress or Madame Jiang, she couldn't afford to offend either. Seeing that Madam Li had no reaction at all, Madame Jiang muttered that she was no fun and led her people back to the Second Branch. Only then did Madam Li breathe a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, County Princess Rongjia was cursing angrily inside her room. "Look at how smug Cui Lingrong is. Just because her maid seduced someone close to Xie Yunting, does she think Xie Yunting will listen to her?" "Those servants are foxes, and she's no good either!" County Princess Rongjia ranted. "She looks all proper and upright, but deep down she's a slut!" "County Mistress, don't be angry. The eldest madam never used to speak so directly before. The fact that she talked back to you today shows that Cui Zeyu's situation really has her anxious," Chen De's Wife said. "We put in so much effort before and couldn't get to Cui Zeyu. Now that Cui Zeyu might be dead, the eldest madam certainly can't run the cloth shop on her own. Isn't she going to be frantic?" Chen De's Wife said they just needed to wait and watch. "Yes, you're right." County Princess Rongjia laughed. "Cui Lingrong lashing out shows she's truly at her wit's end. Without the cloth shop, she'll have no money. Let's see how she acts so high and mighty then!" "Exactly. Cui Zeyu has had no news for so long—he might have died in some mountain ditch somewhere. This time, heaven has eyes. We didn't even have to do anything, and we've already dealt the eldest madam a heavy blow." Chen De's Wife could finally breathe a sigh of relief, because the eldest madam had been having things go too smoothly. County Princess Rongjia nodded. "I'll have my brother drop some hints to the local officials. Even if Cui Zeyu is still alive, he must never be allowed to return to Bianjing!" Chen De's Wife did not object. Cui Zeyu was far too important to the Eldest Young Madam. As long as Cui Zeyu was dead, the Eldest Young Madam would lose her right-hand man. Meanwhile, on the other side, the Duke of Dingguo went back and investigated again and again, until he finally learned that the person Cui Zeyu had been looking for was none other than Qin Pei. He brought Cui Zeyu to the place where Qin Pei was being held. "All those shameful deeds of Madam Qin's—Qin Pei helped her carry them out. I suggest we keep him alive. Who knows, one day he might crack and reveal everything about Madam Qin." The Duke of Dingguo looked at the iron door. As for the others, Cui Zeyu had already dealt with them personally just moments ago. The Duke of Dingguo had just slid open the small iron plate on the door, letting a beam of light shine inside, when they heard the frantic rattling of chains from within. Along with Qin Pei's muffled cries.